It is my church, not the rector's, not the vestry's, but mine. My church involves privilege. It is my church, not because of the work I do for it or the gifts I make to it, but by virtue of my Baptism. I am born into it. I am a member of the family.

It is my church and I have certain rights and responsibilities; such as the right to worship, the right to the sacraments, the right to the services of the clergy. These I do not ask as a favor. I take them for granted. No invitation is needed.

My church imposes responsibility. Since it is my church, I will do my part in worship to create a warm, kindly atmosphere. I will be zealous for my church's reputation and jealous for her honor.

Since it is my church, I will endeavor to be an asset and not a liability, a plus and not a minus quantity. I will endeavor to realize that my church includes parishioners as well as clergy and the strength of the church depends on the loyal and hearty cooperation of all. Every layman is enlisted in service by the very terms of his baptism.

Men love things because they are great and things become great because men love them. We love the church because of what it is and in proportion as we love it, it will become what it ought to be.

Let us love the church.

-- From an old Episcopal tract by The Rt. Rev. George Ashton Oldham, bishop of Albany, circa 1935.

Pride, envy, anger, sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust... Ah, those seven deadly sins; those ghastly little traps. Throughout the middle-ages they were used to instruct the masses against straying from the teachings of the Church and from the dawn of Christianity, theologians considered them to be equally important to all people, whether they were Christian or not.

Where do you find them listed in the Bible? Well, you don't. Though both Biblically and theologically based, a list of sins doesn't appear anywhere in the Bible (though some say they can all be found in Matthew 5-7).

The concept of capital sins has been around at least as long as the Bible itself and gained wide popularity with the writings of Dante Alighieri (Commedia (The Divine Comedy): Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) and of late reinforced by the great Anglican theologian and writer C.S. Lewis.

The human capacity for self-delusion is nearly limitless. We've all seen folk claim great spirituality, then go right out and do less than good deeds, only to later rationalize them. Somehow we all believe we are immune to this phenomenon. If any of those seven little "sins" doesn't seem like much of deal to you, it almost certainly means you've already rationalized it. So there!

So, how might you deter "those ghastly little traps"? Well, some 1,600 years ago the Christian poet (and lawyer) Prudentius came up with the Seven Heavenly (contrary) Virtues: Faith, hope, charity, fortitude, justice, temperance, and prudence. Ah, the yin and yang of human nature...

10) No snake handling.
9) You can believe in dinosaurs.
8) Male and female, God created them; male and female, we ordain them.
7) You don't have to check your brains at the door.
6) Pew aerobics.
5) Church year is color coded!
4) Free wine on Sunday.
3) All of the pageantry, none of the guilt.
2) You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized.

And the number one reason for being an Episcopalian...

1) No matter what you believe, there's bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you...

- From comedian Robin Williams (who is an Episcopalian).

What color is your house? Your car? How 'bout your favorite socks..? Color surrounds us and has always been used to set moods and as symbols. We mark our church seasons and feasts with colors; with vestments and the sanctuary (often even the nave) usually decorated in the tones...

Red is used to signify the presence of the Holy Spirit and is used at ordinations, confirmations, during Holy Week, and at Whitsuntide (Pentecost).

White and gold are the colors of celebration and are used for weddings, major feast days, Maundy Thursday (white only), Easter, Ascension day, and during the twelve days of Christmas.

Green, the color of growth, is used on Ordinary Sundays of the year after Epiphany and Pentecost.

Purple, as the color of penitence and/or preparation, is used during Lent, at Palm Sunday, and during Advent. (Originally a sign of royalty as purple dyes were rare, purple clerical shirts and vestments usually indicates a bishop.)

Black is the traditional and simple color of humility (sometimes of mourning). It's the standard color (slimming, isn't it?) for clerical clothing and is used by some congregations on Good Friday.