The Sacraments

Above is the video I was working on when I learned my father died. I had just finished shooting the raw footage and was importing the files to the computer for editing when I got the call. Gina Jenkins took over the project, did a great job with it, and dedicated it to my father.

Sick

Some of Father Steve's best work, and that's saying something:

YouTube Sacraments

On his YouTube Channel, Father Matthew is working on an entertaining and educational series on the sacraments. So far he has covered:


Baptism


Reconciliation (private confession)


Confirmation

Jesus, Santa and Garrison Keillor

Three different takes on the same theme. They miss Saint Nicholas of Myra as a faithful follower of Jesus, but they hit squarely on the idea that the greatest Christmas gift is Jesus Christ.






In his essay Don't Like Christmas? Get a Life. Garrison Keillor writes in part,

Christmas is an artistic performance, and art, by and large, is not made by contented people. It is made by wounded recluses, freaks, the absurdly self-conscious, the haunted and guilty, the humiliated, the outcasts, and we create this, first and foremost, for our children. To rise up out of confusion and dismay, with ghosts whispering to us, and bake cookies and light a candle and sing "Silent Night"—I can do that for my child, and if your children want to join us, they are most welcome.

The full text of the essay is online here: Don't Like Christmas? Get a Life.

Christmas at King of Peace
Tonight, we will offer candlelight communion services at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Then tomorrow we will worship at 12 noon.

GodTube

GodTube is the Christianity-focused YouTube which has drawn millions of viewers to watch a little girl recite the 23rd Psalm. The Church Times has the article today GodTube website seeks to bring gospel to the young. Below are four of the sites top rated and most viewed short films.

Lifehouse: Everything Skit

The story of this skit is online here: Jesus 'Everything Skit' Draws Millions.

23rd Psalm

The little girl watched and loved by millions

Thank You, Jesus

A video of the song Via Delarosa made with scenes from The Passion of the Christ

The Bridge

This video made for Forest Pointe Church in Belmont, North Carolina, is based on excerpts from Most, a short film about life and death choices that was nominated for an Academy Award.

For some Episcopal videos, there are always Father Matthew and Father Steve.

YouTube roundup

Some serious(ish) videos this time:


Father Steve is tring to help us get off the fence at St. Micahel's in a thought-provoking short film.


Father Matthew presents a fascinating art history piece from his trip to Italy—Jesus' life shown through the mosaics in Ravenna, completed in the 500s. The pictures of his life and miracles feature a beardless Jesus, while the scenes of his passion show Jesus with a beard, but Jesus is the one with the moasaic halo. There is also his last film from St. Paul's.


This is a serious short showing a woman quite upset over an Anglican Vicar drinking beer at sidewalk cafe. She goes to his group and gives them tracts as she is concerned for their souls. I see the scene and don't see good guys vs. bad guys and can make neither the person concerned for their souls, nor the beer drinking vicar into the bad guy here. Where do you find God in this scene?

YouTube Round Up

Father Matthew Moretz makes sense of sin.


Theoretical physicist turned Anglican priest John Polkinghorne talks about science and religion.

and if the above are too serious, try this video, Bad Evangelism, that my daughter shared with me after seeing it at Honey Creek as part of a youth retreat looking at good ways to more naturally share your faith:

A Dirty Job

Father Steve was feautured in the Augusta Chronicle this past weekend for his St. Michael's TV segments on YouTube. The article follows Rice as he shoots his latest video, Dirty Job, based on the Discovery series Dirty Jobs. This one is hot in the pottery studio of a St. Michael's parishioner. The article by writer By C. Samantha McKevie ends,

STANDING IN THE POTTERY shed watching the Rev. Rice and her husband shoot the footage for Dirty Job, Anne Resseau told the rector that she has met someone who discovered the YouTube series and is now interested in going to St. Michael's.

"I'm bringing somebody to church tomorrow night," she told the priest. "He found the videos online and said, 'You've got to be left of center down there doing those.' I think it's a great form of advertisement."

The Resseaus have been members of St. Michael's for 16 years. They said that they find the series wonderful and that young people like it.

Mr. Resseau said helping the Rev. Rice shoot his latest installment "was the right thing to do."

"It gets a good message across and piques people's interest, gets them coming back and wanting more," he said.

Creating videos twice a month takes more time than simply recording and posting his Sunday sermon, but he didn't feel that simply posting sermons would be as effective.

"Those are already out there," he said. "If people are not going to church, they're not going to be interested in watching a sermon."

It also lets people see another side of a church.

"That it can be creative, fun, can have a sense of humor," he said. "It also presents another side of what priests are like. It's just something you don't see every day."

The full text of the article is here: Reaching the masses, though you'll have to do the free registration with the Augusta Chronicle to read it. The video is online here:

YouTube Roundup

The ubiquitous You-Tube round up includes this time:

A Real Christian of Genius


Leviathan


and

Waiting on the World to Change

You Tube Roundup

Prayer Answer-er


Father Matthew presents The Passion Play


The Easter Vigil at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church
"It's the tiniest clip three minutes of a liturgy that was
close to three hours, but it does capture some of the wonder
St. Gregory's felt at this year's vigil."


Jeopardy Parody on Bible Knowledge