Seeking Authentic Voice

On Being Found

2012-01-21T17:25:00.002-05:00

A reflection on the readings for the third Sunday after the Epiphany, year B: Mark 1:14-20; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Psalm 62:5-12; Jonah 3:1-5

Do you remember Mr. Gower, the old pharmacist in it’s a wonderful life? Do you remember, in particular, the way he was portrayed in the portion of the movie meant to show George what the lives of his family and friends would be like if he had never been born? Without George to intervene in the medication mix up Mr. Gower became the disgrace of the town, disliked by everyone, taunted, disheveled, with a tendency to drink too much. That’s the image I have of the person in this joke:

So, a disheveled, disoriented man stumbles across a baptismal service on Sunday afternoon down by the river.

He proceeds to walk into the water and stand next to the preacher. The minister notices the man and says, "Mister, are you ready to find Jesus?"

The man looks back and says, "Yes, preacher, I sure am."

The minister dunks the fellow under the water and pulls him right back up.

"Have you found Jesus?" the preacher asks."Nooo, I didn't!" said the man.

The preacher then dunks him under for quite a bit longer, brings him up, and says, "Now, brother, have you found Jesus?"

"Noooo, I have not, Reverend."

The preacher holds the man under for even longer and then brings him out of the water, and says, "My God, man, have you found Jesus yet?"

The man wipes his eyes and says to the preacher, "Are you sure this is where he fell in?"

Where is Jesus? Where is God? Are themes of our readings this morning. And, along with the wondering where God is, we hear the theme of people who follow Jesus, follow God. It’s quite amazing, in the reading last week and this week, that these people drop everything to follow Jesus. Last week Philip and Nathanael drop their nets and follow. This week Simon and Andrew, James and John, drop everything and follow. Out of the water that has been their life, these fisherfolk turn, and follow Jesus, just like that. Did it feel impulsive to them? Or did it feel right? Or were they hesitant but did it anyway?

When Dan and I were first married we went to Salt Lake City for part of our honeymoon, where we met my extended family. That was followed by a week hiking in Estes Park, Colorado. One of our first days in Salt Lake we drove east to Park City. It was a beautiful August day, and we leisurely wandered the roads and mountain side. As the afternoon was growing late we decided to head back. I felt certain, based on a vague childhood memory, that there was a back-road over the mountain that would drop us into Salt Lake City. So we wandered on this dirt road for a bit, going deeper into the wilderness and over ever more challenging roads. We were driving a little green Gremlin, or Pinto, I don’t remember, some old car my dad had. But which-ever it was it was definitely not built for the rugged terrain we were on. Sure enough we bottomed out – took out some part of the undercarriage necessary for driving. This was in 1985, no cell phones, no GPS. We were good and stranded.

Thankfully some young guys were driving their pickup through the back-roads and came to assist us. We had to leave the car in the woods and accept a ride back to a gas station on the main highway where we called my dad and aunt to come get us. The next day we returned and pulled the car out of the rut.

Sometimes we get on a path, and even if it is not the right path, we just can’t figure out how to turn around and get to a better place. The people of Ninevah were in such a place – stuck in their self-destructive ways. Jonah comes and proclaims their demise and in doing so turns the course of events in a significant way. The people of Ninevah change their ways which provokes God to change God’s mind, thus sparing the people of Ninevah. Here we have an example of how God’s actions are always contextual – God always acts in relationship to our actions.

And so our readings this morning focus us on the idea of a relationship of actions - of turning, of change, of humans turning and changing and in response, God turning and changing, always in relationship to creation, to us.
In Jonah we hear of God changing God’s mind. In the Psalm we hear of the steady presence of God. Paul, in the letter to the Corinthians lists the ways in which the qualities of life pass away and change, but God’s presence is steady. And then in the Gospel we hear that God challenges us to pay attention, to recognize God’s call to us to change our ways, to turn and to follow God.

Perhaps one reason these fisherfolk in the Gospel turn and follow Jesus may be that they remember the story from Jonah, of what happened, later, to Jonah when he fails to follow God – and ends up in the belly of a whale. Perhaps, fearing that all could go wrong if they follow the wrong path, take the wrong road, these fishfolk discples-to-be take the chance on following God by following Jesus. Somehow they know in the core of their being that following Jesus is the way to go. In fact they come to learn that following Jesus is the not only the way to go, BUT the way to LET GO. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians speaks of the many expectations that we must let go of. Following God often means we must leave behind the ways in which we have become settled and complacent, overly comfortable, and set in our expectations. In the process of letting go - the disciples, the people in Corinth, and the people of Ninevah – all find their true path, the way to God.

This year we are focusing ourselves on what it means to be disciples – to follow God. The Gospel of Mark will give us clues even as it begs the question, “Where is God?” We have talked about finding God in and through the various things we do. We have considered the ways in which we find God in other people and the ways in which we are the hands and heart of Christ, we are the love of God made manifest in the world.

Today you will find the annual parish report ready for you to take and read. The booklet is filled with reports from the various commissions and committees of the parish on the work we have done over the last year. It’s a record of the fine ministries that take place at Christ Church, of the way in which we strive to turn and follow God.

Next week we will have one service at 10am followed by the annual meeting. At that meeting we will elect new vestry members, hear the report on our finances and budget, and have the opportunity to thank the outgoing vestry members. In addition we will thank T.H. for her years serving as the Chair of the Finance Committee. It will be a time of celebration and thanks giving for all the blessings of this parish. It is a wonderful life, after all, and each of us really do make a difference in the lives of others.

So, as you prepare for the meeting next week, and as we prepare for the year ahead, remember our readings today and their call to discipleship. Even if it doesn’t mean abandoning everything you have known, how might following Jesus come to mean something new in your life?

A Hunger for God

2012-01-14T16:07:00.001-05:00

A reflection on the readings for Epiphany 2: First Samuel 3:1-10 and John 1:43-51

The Hunger Games, is the first book in a trilogy of books based on a time some 100 years in the future. Following the apocalypse and a complete collapse of the world as we know it a new country rises up in North America. Instead of the United States there are twelve districts, all tightly controlled by the Capital, and each focused on the natural resources of the district. Most of the districts are very poor, a few have ample resources. In order to remind the districts that they are under the strong arm of the President and Capital, the Hunger Games are held once a year. The games, looking like something out of reality television and the Olympics, requires each district to randomly select one boy and one girl, called “TRIBUTES,” between the ages of twelve and eighteen, to compete in the games. The Hunger Games are a survival of the fittest battle through extreme wilderness experiences with only one person, one tribute, allowed to win. All of the children competitors must battle each other and the elements until one remains, with the entire event being televised. Everyone in every district is required to watch the games. The district with the winning child receives notoriety, extra food, and benefits for a year, until the next Hunger Games.

Katniss, the lead character in the series, is a sixteen year old girl from District 12, a poor coal mining district. Following the death of her father from a coal mining accident, Katniss becomes the family caretaker – hunting for meat and collecting berries to support her mother and younger sister. She adores her sweet younger sister, Primrose.

Here is an excerpt from the book, with Katniss as the narrator, as the town prepares to learn who will be the tributes from their district:

“It’s time for the first drawing. Effie Trinket says as she always does, ‘Ladies first!’ and crosses to the big glass bowl with the girl’s names. She reaches in, digs her hand deep into the ball, and pulls out a piece of paper. The crowd draws a collective breath and then you can hear a pin drop, and I’m feeling nauseous and so desperately hoping that it’s not me….Effie….reads out the name in a clear voice. And it’s not me. It’s Primrose….There must be some mistake. This can’t be happening. Prim has her name on one piece of paper in thousands! Her chances of being chosen are so remote that I haven’t even bothered to worry about her…..with one sweep of my arm, I push her behind me. ‘I volunteer! I gasp, I volunteer as tribute!”

It is no surprise that when the younger sister is chosen to be the tribute Katniss insists on going in her place. Take me, she proclaims. The story that unfolds is gripping, moving, and challenging to read.

Our readings this morning all focus on the idea of being chosen by God, called to serve God, and our response to that call. The readings offer us a number of ways in which people hear God’s call and follow, reflecting that each of us is called, in different ways, and each of us responds in our own way.

Samuel, although a small boy, is called to become a "trustworthy prophet of the Lord." The Gospel of John tells the story of Philip and Nathanael leaving everything behind to follow Jesus. These readings connect to the theme of the Gospel for this year – “Where is God?” with the idea that God chooses to be made known in and through us.

None of us has the exact same call from God, each call is unique to who we are. Which reminds me of this story:

A rabbi named Zusya died and went to stand before the judgment seat of God. As he waited for God to appear, he grew nervous thinking about his life and how little he had done. He began to imagine that God was going to ask him, "Why weren't you Moses or why weren't you Solomon or why weren't you David?" But when God appeared, the rabbi was surprised. God simply asked, "Why weren't you Zusya?"

How are we to become fully who God calls us to be? Samuel reminds us that God calls both children and adults. God’s call might come as a whisper, or small voice in the night, as a dream, a thought, an idea, or something said to us by another person. God’s call comes in and through the context of all the voices in our lives.

And so, sometimes we need help discerning which voice is the authentic voice of God. Samuel seeks the guidance of Eli. People discerning a call to ordained ministry need to have that call confirmed by a community of people who, after spending a number of weeks and months in prayer and conversation, can affirm a call or redirect the person toward another understanding of their call. Each of us has a calling, and for many of us it manifests in the work we do every day, whether that is our paid profession, our volunteer work, or our role as a parent or grandparent, lawyer, doctor, nurse, or teacher.

Martin Luther King, Jr. whose feast day we celebrate today, knew his call from God. A minister and an activist for social justice, particularly as one who spoke out against racism and prejudice, Dr. King literally put his life on the line to follow God. Unlike the Hunger Games where one person survives, King worked hard for the survival of people of color – for all of society to recognize the inherent value of all human beings – loved by God and worthy of equal opportunities in all avenues of life. Dr. King points us to consider how our call, like his call, is a movement toward the fulfillment of the kingdom of God, or what it means to love God, love self, and love others. Our call may not look as extreme or as intense as his, but that doesn’t mean it is less important to the kingdom of God.

Bruce Epperly, an author and Spiritual Director suggests that our call is a “call to adventure – to see God everywhere, to experience God in our daily lives, to honor embodiment, and welcome revelation whenever and wherever it occurs…In the questioning, inspired by a sense of holiness in all moments and all creatures, we will discover God’s voice amid the voices….
Katherine Hawker at liturgyoutside.net wrote this prayer, A Litany of Call:

A child once dreamed the Voice was calling his name… 'Samuel';
Fisherman once heard the Voice when a young man bid them follow;
And still the Voice beckons today… can you hear?
Here I am. Send me.

Moses protested vehemently as the Voice spoke at the burning bush;
Mary stood amazed as the Voice proclaimed impending birth;
And still the Voice beckons today… can you hear?
Here I am. Send me.

Rosa Parks followed the Voice to the front of the bus;
Martin Luther King, Jr. heard the Voice as the bullet shattered;
And still the Voice beckons today… can you hear?
Here I am. Send me….

A timid believer pauses to listen to the Voice;
A struggling church hears the Voice and turns;
And still the Voice beckons today… can you hear?

Listen. The Voice is calling you, too…

Building A Bridge to God

2012-01-07T19:19:00.000-05:00

Rabbi Jeffery Salkin, author of numerous books on Judaism, and rabbi of Temple Israel in Columbus, Georgia, tells this story in his book, “Being God’s Partner,”…

“A few years ago, a young taxi driver drove me to John F. Kennedy Airport, on Long Island. After a few minutes of conversation, I discovered that Mike had belonged to my synagogue years before I came to the community.

‘So, rabbi,’ he asked, while we sat in heavy traffic, ‘What do you say to a Jew like me who hasn’t been to a synagogue since his bar mitzvah ceremony?’
Thinking a moment, I realized that in Hassidic lore, the baal aqalah (the wagon driver) is an honored profession. So I said, ‘We could talk about your work.’

‘What does my work have to do with religion?’

‘Well, we choose how we look at the world and at life. You’re a taxi driver. But you are also a piece of the tissue that connects all humanity. You’re taking me to the airport. I’ll go to a different city and give a couple of lectures that might touch or help or change someone. I couldn’t have gotten there without you. You help make that connection happen.’

‘I heard you on your two-way radio after you drop me off, you’re going to pick up a woman from the hospital and take her home. That means that you’ll be the first non-medical person she encounters after being in a hospital. You will be a small part of her healing process, an agent in her re-entry into the world of health.’

‘You may then pick up someone from the train station who has come home from seeing a dying parent. You may take someone to the house of the one he or she will ask to join in marriage. You’re a connector, a bridge builder. You’re one of the unseen people who make the world work as well as it does. That is holy work. You may not think of it this way, but yours is a sacred mission.”

We have just celebrated the birth of Christ, the incarnation of God, Emmanuel, of the one who has come to live among us, the Word made flesh. We celebrated the sacred occasion of naming this holy one, Jesus – that was our worship service last Sunday. And today, in the Gospel of Mark we hear that the child is already grown, and is being baptized in the river Jordan. His ministry as the Holy One, his sacred work, in the Gospel of Mark begins – for the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove – and we hear that he is God’s beloved. Jesus is the bridge builder for us, the way in which God comes to know us more deeply and we come to know God.

The Holy Spirit, the active energy of God is manifesting God’s desire into the baptism of Jesus, into the world, into our lives, in and through us. And, by virtue of our baptism, the Holy Spirit infuses us with her energy, guides our work, and enables us to partner with God. The Holy Spirit is means by which the bridge is built between humanity and God.

It is God who has chosen us, chosen to let our hands be God’s hands, to let our feet take us where God desires, and put into our mouths the words of compassion that God would have us say. But, though it be God’s desire it still require us to respond, to do, to act, to participate with God.

The Acts of the Apostles gives us a glimpse into the life of the early church and the mystical reality of God acting in creation and the response of humanity to God. Into that glimpse this morning we find St. Paul baptizing a group of people in Ephesus, and we hear that the, “Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke…” This is the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s desire becoming active in us, motivating us to action, into crossing the bridge.

Maxine F. Dennis, in her reflection titled, “Of Human Hands” wrote,

“Cashiering in a supermarket may not seem like a very rewarding position to most. But to me it is. You see, I feel that my job consists of a lot more than ringing up orders, taking people’s money, and bagging their groceries. The most important part of my job is not the obvious. Rather it’s the manner in which I present myself to others that will determine whether my customers will leave the store feeling better or worse because of their brief encounter with me. For by doing my job well I know I have a chance to do God’s work too. Because of this, I try to make each of my customers feel special. While I’m serving them, they become the most important people in my life.”

The most important work we do each day is to consider how we are doing God’s work by living into our baptismal covenant – how we are loving God, loving self, and loving others. How we are working toward justice and the dignity of all people, how we are treating everyone as we wish to be treated. How we encounter Christ in one another, in friend and stranger alike.

Each of us spends our time doing holy work, a sacred mission. You may not think of it that way, whatever it is you do with each day, but it is. It is sacred because every day you encounter other human beings in some capacity, whether the person is your neighbor or a stranger in the grocery store, a colleague at work or a friend in school, every day we encounter others – and in that process, how we treat others is a measure of our engagement in the sacred work of God.

Bruce Epperly, a noted author and spiritual director offers this on the Process and Faith Blog:

“Mark’s Gospel describes Jesus’ baptism, but God’s words to Jesus reflect God’s care for our lives (as beloved of God)… While sacraments awaken us to God’s love, they don’t define the scope of God’s love. In the interplay of divine call and human response, sacramental moments – (which make obvious the mystery of God’s grace and love occur with the potential that they) may lead to life-transforming experiences…. each day can be a celebration of our baptism…an opportunity for renewal, refreshment, transformation, and cleansing…”

During this year, as we read and reflect on the Gospel of Mark we will be pondering the question Mark asks – “Where is God?” – and the response will be varied. Sometimes we will encounter God in one another. Other times we encounter God in a moment of time or in the words of a complete stranger. All of these encounters with God will happen, whether we notice them or not. Today’s passage from Acts suggests that we should be on the lookout for these mystical experiences, sacramental opportunities, in which we can, through the power of the Holy Spirit, make visible signs of the invisible grace of God desire in our lives.

RevGals Friday Five: Nearly New Year's Edition

2011-12-30T08:50:00.001-05:00

Roxie, our 13 year old Lab-Red Heeler mix, on the deck, enjoying a wonderful early summer afternoon.

Sally, over at RevGals, offers this Friday Five Meme:

A simple Friday Five for a busy part of the year; indulge me by sharing two fives:

As you look back over 2011 share 5 blessings, they can be as grand or as simple as you like,if you year has been like mine they are probably a mixture!

As you look towards 2012 share 5 hopes- again, anything goes

Five blessings:

1. This new call. I feel very blessed to serve this community of very fine people, who are mindful of God's call to justice, compassion, and love.

2. Family stability. My family has had a rough time over the last couple of years. This year we each found stability. It's nice to enjoy my kids as young adults who are finding their way in the world.

3. Our dogs. Last spring our sweet dog, Roxie, at the age of 13 started to have seizure-like episodes, losing bodily function and the ability to walk. We took her to the vet who diagnosed her with arthritis in her hips and gave her pain meds and anti-inflamatory meds. Subsequently we moved and saw a new vet who confirmed the diagnosis. In the mean time, she has not had one of those episodes, seems to be relatively pain-free, and will even trot now and then like a dog half her age. We know that every day with her is a gift, and we are grateful she is able to enjoy life. We certainly enjoy her!

4. iPad. The church intended to buy the new rector a new computer. In conversation with the vestry we decided to get me, the new rector, an iPad. There are many benefits to my work like from this, but most importantly, for me, I appreciate being ablt to preach from it and not print off paper every Sunday, just for that. I also use it to store meeting notes, agendas, schedules, my calendar...and I love iCloud, the Apple feature that stores all my data.

5. UNCSW (United Nations Commission on the Status of Women) and AWE (Anglican Women's Empowerment). In February 2011 I attended the UNCSW in NYC, and a variety of parallel NGO events, sponsored by AWE. I learned so much about the status of women around the world, and the high degree of violence and abuse that women encounter....and our need, as a global community, to be proactive on the behalf of all people. I also appreciated the five-part series on PBS, "Women, War, and Peace." Again, I learned so much from this powerful, well made series.

Looking forward to in 2012:

1. The next UNCSW. This year I will be leading a couple of the workshops at this event on the WordsMatter Expansive Language Project. My work with that project continues, albeit slower and less involved than before I took this job.

2. General Convention of the Episcopal Church. This summer I will attend GenCon, and again, I may host a WordsMatter workshop at this event. It's being held in Indianapolis, so an easy commute for me. I look forward to this, it is a fabulous event.

3. Finding a spiritual director and a retreat center. I really need to find a new spiritual director and a place to go for rest and renewal. There are plenty of options in this area, I just need to spend some time organizing myself in this regard. So, this is one of my goals for 2012.

4. Getting back to yoga. I have not been good at exercise lately. (Ok, not good at all since about September). I really need to get myself back on track. I am wondering what this means for me as I age and find that I injure easier than I use to. (Usually my lower back). Joining a health club is out of the question, and taking class is not really affordable, so I am left to my own devices. I can do this, but of course it is much easier to maintain if I can have the support of classes. Anyway, one of my goals.

5. Gardening. We had a fabulous garden last summer and I look forward to gardening again this summer!

A Christmas Story

2011-12-24T12:10:00.000-05:00

A reflection on the readings for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

A friend of mine is fond of telling a story about her life and then concluding with, “That’s my story and I’m sticking with it!”

The other night my husband, son, and I were watching the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, the version that came in 2000 with Jim Carry as the Grinch. Several times we remarked that they changed the story, a lot, in order to make a full length movie out of it. It is significantly different from the version I saw as a child. Then our son said, this is the only version of the story he remembers. Same story, two versions…

Tom Satre told the following story to the Sitka (Alaska) Gazette: he was out with a charter group on his 62 foot fishing vessel when four juvenile black-tailed deer swam directly toward his boat. “Once the deer reached the boat,’ he said, ‘ the four began to circle the boat, looking directly at us. We could tell right away that the young bucks were distressed.

I opened up my back gate and we helped the typically skittish and absolutely wild animals onto the boat. In all my years fishing, I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Once on board, the deer collapsed with exhausting, shivering. We headed for Taku Harbour. Once we reached the dock the first buck we had pulled from the water hopped onto the dock, looked back as if to say, ‘Thank-you,’ and disappeared into the forest.

After some prodding and assistance, two more followed, but the smallest deer needed a bit more help. (for which he was put into a wheel barrow and transported from the boat to the dock).

Finally, with the help of three humans, the last buck got to its feet and ran off to join the others. …”

This true story appeared on Facebook last week with a link to some amazing photos that accompany the story.

In response, other people shared similar stories of animal and human interactions that break open our expectations of the normal way that humans and animals interact. The beauty of these stories is that they remind us that there is a thin line between creation, human beings, and the God who created all of us. And sometimes that line dissolves and we see the world as God might see it. A world called to live in harmony and peace, with grateful hearts for all the blessings and gifts of life.

On this most holy of nights/days we celebrate the reality that God is with us. In the mystery that is God, God has chosen to dwell in and within all creation, and most particularly in human life. This is our Christian story, of God active in the world through the birth of Jesus. It is story that reminds us that how we live our lives reveals the fullness of God in the world – particularly when we live with compassion, kindness, gentleness, and love toward all.

The Christmas story in our culture, of Santa, and presents under the tree, looks very different from the story we hear tonight. No doubt the culture Christmas is fun, and good for the economy, but we diminish the true Christmas story when we place too great an emphasis on Black Friday and record breaking holiday sales.

I have had Christmas’s when I could not afford to buy a single gift. I know what it feels like when the Christmas I am celebrating is not the Christmas our culture describes. Radio, television, newspapers, grocery stores and shopping malls try to tell us that our greatest joy is found through purchasing, wrapping, and opening presents. Truth be told, I like to shop as much as anyone, and I enjoy giving and receiving presents. So, the year we couldn’t buy gifts challenged me to explore the meaning of Christmas while overcoming depression and sorrow over the circumstances of life, and make my peace with it.

The true gift of Christmas cannot be placed into a box and wrapped with paper and ribbon and bows. In that regard, both versions of the Grinch, tell that part of the story. That Christmas is found in the heart.

And, as Christians, the true gift of Christmas is made manifest in the one whose life we celebrate, the one who comes as the fullness of God’s love, to walk with us through this journey of life. To be with us in our joys and our sorrows, to be ever present in our life story.

Even when life is at its most challenging, whether we are crazy busy, or feeling bleak and hopeless, or excited, or bored, or whatever life feels like - we can, with a little intentionality, recognize the gift of life and the presence of God’s abiding love for us in every aspect of the Christmas story. It’s true that often God’s abiding love for us is made manifest in a simple act of kindness that you extend to someone, or they extend to you.

Into the darkness of a winter’s night, God gave all creation God’s most precious gift of love, Emmanuel – God with us, the Incarnation, the birth of Christ. The mystery of the Christmas story, of that precious gift of love, is a paradox – for the dark night is the source and the place of new life, of love, of God manifesting the fullness of God’s self into the world, as a humble, vulnerable, human baby.

In this Christmas season, let the compassion of God fill you with hope. May you recognize, in your life’s story, the gift of how deeply God loves you, just the way you are.

That’s my Christmas story, and I’m sticking with it.

Merry Christmas.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-12-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I just have let go. Last week, as if I couldn't get any busier, I did. By Saturday afternoon, when I sat down to write my sermon for Sunday morning, I was completely drained. I managed to write down a skeleton of a sermon and then let it go. Over night the sermon percolated in my thoughts and by morning I realized that I was going to preach without the text, filling out some of the pieces, and only using my iPad for the quote and conclusion. It worked fairly well. Particularly my idea to have all of us sit in silence for a minute or so. People seemed to appreciate that.

Yesterday included two worship services, including one where we blessed items for worship that were acquired from Memorial Gifts. This was followed by the "greening" of the church, a short break, writing my newsletter article, reviewing worship for Christmas Eve/Day, and officiating at a Lessons and Carols performance, led by a chorus from a local community college. It was a performance, not technically a worship service -so a bit odd to be the "Officiant", but filled with lovely music. Benjamin Britton, Kings College, Lessons and Carols. All told, another 13 hour day.

Today I am resting a bit. Soon I will clean and prepare for my son to arrive on Amtrak. He will be here for the week. Our daughter arrives next Sunday. I am looking forward to Christmas and then some time off.

If this week goes as planned it will be slightly slower than the previous 10 weeks. However, if there is one thing I have realized, life rarely goes as planned.

That's my week. What about yours?

Tender Time

2011-12-17T19:33:00.000-05:00

Goodness. Here we are, Advent Four, already!

I find that the season of Advent has flown by – from that first Sunday after Thanksgiving and the Sunday’s following when we celebrated the Rite 13 service and welcomed two young men into adulthood, and last Sunday with the flurry of celebration and activity that always accompanies a Bishop’s visit. Parish life has been full of celebration. It has also been a time of healing and tending to those who are ill. As it happens in life we have had a number of critically ill people this month, thankfully most of them are on the mend. We have E.P., who died yesterday after a long battle with leukemia and Alzheimer’s. All this busy-ness seems inevitable in Advent, a season in which we are called, paradoxically, to be still, to be quiet, to reflect on the various ways we come to know Christ in our lives.

Unexpectedly, I found myself, last night, sitting in silence. No television. No radio. No music playing. Sitting in the living room with the Christmas tree lights on, the gentle sound of the flames lapping in the fireplace, my dogs shifting on the area rug, the cat purring at my side. It was delightful to just sit and be still.

Where are you, at this point in the Advent season? Have you had more silence and solitude than you care for? Or are you, like me, overflowing with activity, yearning for a quiet moment to catch your breath? Take a moment, just to breathe…. Close your eyes, if you wish. Or pull out the piece of paper in the center of your bulletin and doodle, or write a note of gratitude on the abundance card in the pew rack. Just be still. After a moment of silence, I am going to share a short reflection by Caryll Houselander.

“When a woman is carrying a child she develops a certain instinct of self-defense. It is not selfishness; it is not egoism. It is an absorption into the life within, a folding of the self like a little tent around the child’s frailty, a God-like instinct to cherish, and some day to bring forth, the life. A closing upon it like the petals of a flower closing upon the dew that shines in its heart. This is precisely the attitude we must have to Christ, the life within us, in the Advent of our contemplation.
By his own will Christ was dependent on Mary during Advent: he was absolutely helpless; he could go nowhere but where she chose to take him; he could not speak; her breathing was his breath; his heart beat in the beating of her heart. Today Christ is dependent upon us.

This dependence of Christ lays a great trust upon us. During this tender time of Advent we must carry him in our hearts to where he wants to go, and there are many places to which he may never go unless we take him to them.” (The Reed of God by Caryll Houselander)

Houselander, known as a Christian mystic, was born in the early 1900’s and became a prolific writer and artist. Most of her writing speaks of Christ within each of us –ordinary, broken, imperfect, challenged, human beings.
The season of Advent is a time to ponder how it is that Christ is in and within us. Our reading this morning from Luke reminds us that God made a home in the body of Mary. Her willingness to birth God into the world brought forth the means by which God comes to heal us, to love us, to be present in and through our lives. Houselander reminds us that just as God resided in Mary, so God chooses to reside in us, that we can be the means through which God’s love continues to be poured into the world. Let us be attentive to God’s love in our breath, in our words, and in our actions.

May it be a tender time.

Friday Five: The Making a List, edition

2011-12-16T08:43:00.000-05:00

Jan, over at RevGals, offers this Friday Five meme:

Ever since I was little, I heard that Santa is making a list and checking it twice. I can see why he has to keep checking it, because there is so much to do before Christmas! Only nine days left, and I don't have church services to plan, but there is much left to be done. My daughter-in-law tells me that she feels behind, which is how I have been feeling.

No matter how organized you are, there must be some things you still need to do. For this Friday Five, tell us five things on your Christmas "To Do" List. Include anything you have decided to skip doing this year. As a bonus, give us something that helps you remember why this season even exists.

1. My shopping is almost complete. I have had a big list this year, although most of my gifts are little "Thank-You's" to people who have done so much for the church and our ministry. I am in the midst of baking, wrapping, and signing cards as part of the thanking process. Most of that will be finished by Sunday, and then I can move on to wrapping gifts for family.

2. I hoped to send out Christmas cards this year....but I did not shop for cards early enough and now I can't find a set of cards that I like...so, I am still on the hunt for these.

3. Sermons and worship services - I have three sermons to write and several services to finish planning. Most of the services will be exactly what we have done before, but with a couple of small changes. Still, these require some focused attention, which I have not been able to give them.

4. Baking, cleaning, planning - for Christmas dinner with my kids. I'm looking forward to all of us sharing a meal. This year our meal will replicate Christmas with Busha and Papa. My father and mother in-law made a grand feast for Christmas. My FIL died about 14 years ago, and my mother-in-law died in August - so, even though we won't be with the entire family, our kids will be here and we'll celebrate life.

5. Resting. I have been very busy and it is on my list to rest....LOL

Monday Morning Musings

2011-12-12T09:33:00.000-05:00

I'm recovering today from a lively, wonderful, intensely busy weekend due to the Bishop's visit and the nine people we confirmed. In the Episcopal Church the primary confirmation event takes place at baptism when the priest or bishop dips their thumb in holy oil, makes the sign of the cross on the forehead, and pronounces the person "marked" as Christ's own forever. This action of baptism and confirmation in one ritual recreates the rite from the ancient church. Then, taking into consideration that confirmation has already happened, the church offers an rite for young people and adults, to make a profession of faith reaffirming the statements made on their behalf at baptism.

Although it is not required, I offered a "confirmation preparation" retreat. At this retreat I used a "journal" with questions intending to help us unpack the Baptismal Covenant. So, for example, we reflected on the nature of sin, evil, dignity, justice, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We also made communion bread from scratch, with each person bringing an ingredient and all of us participating in mixing, stirring, kneading, rolling, cutting, baking, and freezing the bread. Then we used the communion bread in the worship service yesterday. We also have enough bread, in the freezer, for all of our services through Jan. 1.

This retreat was a mixed generation group - 7 young people between the ages of 15 and 17, and two adult men in their 60's (I'm guessing). I had a co-leader who is in his 30's, or 40's? And I am 54. In planning this retreat my co-leader and I thought it would be interesting to use a movie to spur our reflections - especially considering that some of the young people might not have real-life experience to draw on. So, we thought that using the movie "Crash" would get us there, with lots of examples that show sin, evil, dignity, integrity, loving our neighbor. It proved to be a good idea!

All of this was anchored in the Book of Common Prayer with a thorough review of what is in the BCP, and opportunities to use it to assist in our answers. We also went through the baptismal covenant and intentionally looked at the questions and response.

My hope through out the retreat was that those being confirmed would have an informed understanding of what they were really saying and confirming as their faith. I also hope that what we reflected on continues to shape and form and inform them every time we say the baptismal covenant.

It was delightful to host the bishop. He was really engaged with the people being confirmed - laid his hands upon their heads and looked them right in the eye as he said the prayer for confirmation. Following the service the bishop met with the vestry. We had lunch and a lively discussion. All in all, a good day.

Today I will enjoy a well earned day of rest. I intend to knit, walk the dogs, read, and do a little grocery shopping.How will you spend this day? Will you find time for rest this week and renewal? If so, what will you do?

RevGalBlogPals Friday Five: the Random edition....

2011-12-09T08:23:00.000-05:00

RevKarla over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

I don't know about you, but my life seems to have a lot of random surprises lately. Just little things, like the doggy who was rescued by a Good Samaritan from running into traffic, who then brought him to the police, who brought him to my neighbor's house. I took the doggy, now named Scout, to the vet on Monday, and the woman behind the desk said, "This dog looks so familiar. Were you here last week?" I told her no, that this particular dog is a stray, and she looked at me, and said (use your best Boston accent here), "Oh my GAWD! I rescued that dog on Satuhday! I took him to the police!" and then she proceeded to tell me the story. She was Scout's angel.

Random, right?

So, for our Friday Five, I invite you share five random things about you, or five random thoughts, or five random surprises in your life.

Just be random...

1. Lately I enjoy drinking the Yogi brand teas. I am fond of their "Relaxed Mind" - which is a lavender and sage blend and their "Stress Relief" - which is a curious blend of herbs that are calming and their "Revitalize" which is a mint and black tea blend. I also enjoy a cup of mixed mint tea (chocolate mint, peppermint, spearmint...) from an herbalist in Nova Scotia.

2. I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. My ancestors were pioneers who travelled by wagon train to help settle the area. I moved away from SLC when I was nine and have visited occasionally in the years since. It is one of the most beautiful places to live.

3. My current home in Dearborn, Michigan is delightful. We really enjoy being here. The people are interesting, creative, intelligent, kind, invested in the world around them. There is plenty of culture and lots to do. Plus I can walk or ride my bike almost any where.

4. I have had several "careers" - I was a dance major in college and worked as a lighting designer for dance in the 1980's. I worked for a small non-profit theater in Chicago, but travelled once in awhile to NYC and Minneapolis. It was a tough time to work in the arts - regardless of what people think of President Regan, now - his economic decisions were not kind to the arts. Tired of long hours and little pay I left that position and went to work for an interior design firm. Our clients were some of the wealthiest in Chicago. That experience, in contrast to my work with the artists, put my values in perspective. After four years I left that job to became a stay-at-home mom. After our son was born (four years later) I became a massage therapist with a small private practice and a volunteer ministry in a local hospital offering massages to parents of sick children. That led me to discern a call to ministry. I never really imagined I would become a parish priest...but it is the best vocation for me! As a parish priest I am able to combine, in some capacity, all of my life work and experience into one...

5. For the first time, ever, I am knitting a sweater. As I do this I recognize how knitting socks has taught me a lot - and that learning how to knit this sweater is not so difficult! Of course I am only on the yoke - which is a very cute pattern of increases and decreases creating a puckered effect. We'll see how I feel about it when it's time to knit the arms....lol...I already have the local knitting experts on stand-by for frantic calls of help.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-12-05T09:22:00.000-05:00

It's a chilly, rainy morning here. I am sitting by a fire, Bach Adagio Christmas music is playing, the Christmas tree is lit, and the coffee is warm and delicious. I am grateful.

No doubt I am working hard. So much going on at the church! Every weekend brings some significant activity. This Sunday the Bishop will visit, and so we have a confirmation retreat planned for Friday night and Saturday day. I am working on collecting some movie clips to show examples of the baptismal covenant being lived out. We'll make communion bread, with each person bringing some of the ingredients. We have a journal to guide us, some of the work will be quiet, reflective writing, some will be group discussion. We'll share a couple of meals. The following week we are hosting a local choir for Lessons and Carols, and then it's Christmas.

We also three people in the hospital, all in serious condition. Actually they are in different hospitals about 30 minutes apart. I've been to the hospital six times in less than two weeks. I'll go again tomorrow.

In the midst of all of this I am trying to re-establish a pattern of self care. It is always so much easier for me to exercise and take care of myself in the summer. I tend to slip in winter - less inclined to go outside in the cold...and not so inclined to adapt my exercise to the indoors. But I am trying to do some core work and yoga every day. I figure even a little bit will be better than nothing. And, then of course, walk the dogs as the weather allows.

That's my week - preparing for confirmation and a Bishop's visit, tending to people in the hospital, and trying to establish a better pattern of self care. But first, I think I will have another cup of coffee, and perhaps read some of the book I have on loan from the library....

What about you? What does your week hold in store?

Taking Comfort in Angry Birds and other things that call me to pay attention

2011-12-03T19:53:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite games on my old cell phone was Bejeweled – a puzzle game played by matching three colored jewels in a row. I was sad to learn that there is not a version of Bejeweled that will play on my new cell phone, nor on my iPad. So I’ve been on the search for mind games, other than solitaire. Many people recommend the game, Angry Birds. I have resisted this game, mostly because I didn’t like the title – Angry Birds – not wanting to endorse violence, even cartoon violence. So, I refused to get this game. Refused that is until the other night when I found a free version of it, and became instantly hooked on the game – finding it endlessly amusing. Essentially the puzzle offers a tower built of various materials – glass, wood, concrete – and within the tower are pigs, often dressed like construction workers. To the side is a huge sling shot from which one propels birds into the tower. The sound effects include the birds squealing with delight as they fly through the air, a resounding clunk as they crash, and the sound of falling debris. The silly cartoon effects are amusing. Within 24 hours Dan and I had played through all the levels of the free version, and we are now faced with the dilemma of actually purchasing a version.

A recent discussion on the internet focused on the portrayal of violence in books, on television, and in movies – and the potential that being confronted with violence is desensitizing us to real pain and harm. On the other hand hearing the stories of human beings who have lived through tragedy, like the stories told in the Women, War, and Peace, series, has the potential to deepen our awareness and enhance our compassion.

Our reading this morning from Isaiah is just such a story - the people have survived a tragedy and are coming to a new place of hope and healing. The book of Isaiah is an ancient text written by three different authors over the course of several hundred years. It tells the story of the people of Israel subject to violent wars by the super powers of the day – first the Assyrian Empire in the 8th century BCE, then the Babylonian Empire that dominated the country and enslaved the residents, and lastly the Persian Empire, who under the leadership of Cyrus, enabled the people of Israel to establish their own nation, Judah. But within this story of three hundred years of war, slavery, and violence, is a story about the faithfulness of God. God never leaves, never abandons the people.

This morning’ s reading comes at the end of the rule of Babylon and the beginning of the Persian Empire – or, about a 160 year gap between the events described in chapter 39 and the events in chapter 40. All the while the people of Israel have been slaves in Babylon, but are now finding themselves freed. Comfort, O comfort my people, cries God in the opening verses. Speak tenderly; know that God is present in the midst of trauma, violence, and suffering. God lives through the bleakness with us, holding us in God’s embrace and love. God’s calls each of us to be present to the suffering of others, to show compassion and love. God calls us to be the gentle encourager – reminding others that sometimes all one can do is take the next breath, or walk the next step – but that that is enough. Each moment in time takes whatever it takes to live through, a breath, a step, a hand to hold, the quiet presence of another, just being there. Comfort, O comfort my people, cries God.

Thinking about love, compassion, and the enduring presence of God reminds me of a book by Anita Diamant called, "Day after Night." This is a fictionalized story about four women, refugees from World War II Nazi invasions. The four women of this story: Tedi, Zorah, Shayndel, and Leonie all come from different places in the war – bound by virtue of their survival. Zorah is the only one of the four to have spent time in a concentration camp, Tedi was hidden in the Dutch country side, Shayndel, a Polish Zionist fought with the partisans, and Leonie was forced into prostitution in Paris. Each wonders how they survived when others they love did not. The book tells the story of the hard work required to recover from a trauma so intense they cannot even speak of it, let alone comprehend it. It’s a story of the work it takes to remember the past while moving into the future. It’s a story of rediscovering kindness, of holding in tandem love and grief, of comforting one another, of friendship. It’s a beautiful story of an agonizing journey from despair and brokenness toward hope, and a new life. Comfort, O Comfort my people, cries God.

Today’s reading from Isaiah reminds us that God commands us to be present with others, to be a source of compassion, kindness, love, and support. And it gives us clues how to do this – because God is present and doing these very acts within human life and suffering. What God is doing, and what we are called to do is: be present with others in their suffering. We are not called to solve the problems of others as much as we are called to listen and to be present. God’s call to compassion invites us to sit with the person, to hold their hand, and to be present without judgment. We are to speak tenderly, without condemnation or placing any kind of value statement on the condition of a person’s life, why and how they got there.

Sometimes the condition of our lives and the source of our suffering is the direct result of our own actions – and at other times it is the result of the actions of other human beings. And, so we are also called to examine our own lives and consider how our actions may be contributing to the suffering of others. We are called to consider how we are acting in ways that serve the well-being of all humanity, as an act of participating in God’s justice.

Never is our suffering the result of God doling out punishment or inflicting pain, disease, or disaster.

We are to remind others that God is present, God is faithful, and even when all signs are to the contrary, God is with us. And lastly we are to remember that God is actively working to transform the suffering and the tragedy of our individual lives, and the world, into new life, into hope, through God’s mercy and grace.

In a few moments we will celebrate a Rite 13 service, welcoming into adulthood, two members of our congregation – George and John. Over the years, as these boys have grown in faith and in age, we have helped to shape them, form and inform them as young men of faith. Today we celebrate that formation and welcome them into the next stages of their faith development as they grow into young men. It is our hope that they will continue to take on leadership roles in the church and that they will continue to be examples of God’s compassion in the world around us through their words and actions. Let each of us remember that we are the living hands and heart of Christ in the world, and what we say and do matters.

And so, perhaps it is less an issue of what books we read, music we listen too, movies we watch, or computer games we play, rather it is a matter of how we allow them to shape us – will be become insensitive and callous? Or will we understand more deeply and become more compassionate? Comfort, O comfort my people, says our God. Let us go and do likewise.

An apprentice to the ordinary

2011-11-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

Looking out across the field and yard behind the church, what was once ripe with vegetables, leaves and flowers, the bare trees offer up an open sky and the land lays fallow. Even the ground is cleared of fallen leaves. The garden has been harvested, cleared out, and tilled, so it can rest until planting begins next spring. The grass, still green is heading into its dormant season. I find myself spending less time outside, more inclined to sit by the fire or read in doors than take a walk or ride my bike. Fall is heading straight into winter, and snow is in the forecast.

Personally I delight in the changing seasons. I love that the darkness of night comes early. I feel compelled to bake cookies, drink hot tea, and curl up with a book or a new knitting project. This time of year fills me with anticipation as I wonder what the winter will be like. How many heavy snow storms will we have? How cold will it get? How long will it last. This anticipation comes to me anew every winter with equal parts excitement for the first snow and dread, knowing that the cold and snow always over stay their welcome. Winter is a quiet season when the earth lies still, just waiting to burst forth again with new life.

And, like the seasons of the calendar year, we have seasons of the church, the liturgical year. Today marks the first Sunday of the church year and the season of Advent has begun. Advent is a season of waiting, of the deep darkness of night, a season that holds the promise of new life and hope. This is a season of candle light and the fragrant scent of pine. The color of Advent is sometimes purple, attaching it in a similar way to Lent, as if it were also a penitential season. But more often, it is blue season, blue for the dark night sky. Advent is a season that ushers in a time of waiting, expectantly, for the birth of Christ, for the Word made flesh, for God who comes as a human baby, it is a season of anticipation. A season of darkness like a womb anticipating new life. A season of darkness, like soil nurturing the roots of trees, digging deeper into the earth. Advent invites us to ponder how and where, in the year ahead, we might see signs of new life, signs of the Christ child in our lives and the world around us. Advent invites us to wait expectantly like a heavy with child, waits to give birth. Like Mary, the mother of God, anticipating new life.

Advent launches the new liturgical year for the church and brings with it a new Gospel which will focus our reflections on God in a particular way for the year ahead. Last year we heard the story of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. The Matthean community wrestled with the reality that Jesus, as the Messiah, is the fulfillment of the Law of Moses. And, therefore what it means for a Christian to Love God, Love self, and Love others. The Gospel of Mark will point us in a similar direction – but with distinctive differences.

The Gospel of Mark is believed to be the oldest of the four gospels. Scholars think it was written in Rome, in a Jewish community addressing a mostly Gentile region, sometime around the late ‘60’s – or about 30 years after the death of Jesus. Given the content in this Gospel, scholars believe this text was written before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem but during a time of mounting persecution of Jews by the Roman government.

Reflecting the experience of persecution today’s reading has a tone of terror and fear. It comes toward the end of the Gospel, chapter 13 out of 16 chapters. It points the reader toward the crucifixion, toward the end, and is apocalyptic in tone. This reading like the gospel itself intend for us to understand how , like winter leads to spring, dying leads to new life/ Suffering is a birth process that enables that new life to come forth.

As the earliest gospel put into written text the Gospel according to Mark may have been created simply to have a record of the oral tradition in order that the stories would not be lost. The Markan gospel may have been written to counter a number of heresies – false teachings – that were cropping up about Jesus and his life and ministry. It very well may have been written to counter the tragedy of the crucifixion and argue for a theology that reconciles that violent death with the intentions of God – how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is a success story not a tragedy ending in a violent crucified death. But most likely it was written in order to show how God is active, for our sake, in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. (From Westminster Bible S Companion, Douglas A, Hare) (and, from Karoline Lewis at working preacher) Mark's theology, is a theology that first and foremost asks, “Where do we find God?”

The primary point of this Gospel, in asking us, “Where do we find God,” is to then ask us to consider the question of discipleship and ask ourselves, as followers of Jesus, “What must I do?”
Our theme this year, the theme that has focused our conversations on Stewardship and prodded me in my reflections in the newsletter, is, “Discipleship, What does that mean?” This theme comes in part from the reality that all of the Gospels are calling us to be followers of Jesus, and that through Jesus we will come to know God in a particular way, and are therefore called to act. Pondering discipleship in the Gospel of Matthew pointed us to consider how we were living the greatest commandment to love God, self, and others. Discipleship in the Gospel according Mark uses a particular word that means discipleship but also means “learner” or an “apprentice.” This year, as we ponder this Gospel we will consider what it means to be a learner, an apprentice of Jesus.

The gospel will call us to reflect on how - following Jesus, as a disciple, a learner, an apprentice, means – feeding, healing, praying, and, caring for others. How discipleship is ordinary work, framed through the lens of understanding that this is what God is doing in and through the life of Jesus. It’s the ordinary work of compassion, which God asks of us, as well.

Friday Five: Free Gifts, edition

2011-11-25T09:27:00.000-05:00

Sally over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

Following on from Thanksgiving, and picking up the "Black Friday" theme of boycotting the Christmas rush for bargains I thought it would be good to set a simple Friday Five yet one to get you thinking. I am sure that you'll agree that some of the best gifts we receive do not come in fancy wrapping paper but might be the gift of an unexpected afternoon with a friend or coming across a long forgotten photograph, or- well the list is endless...

So take a bit of time to think back over the last year and ponder the gifts it has offered to you, then list five of those gifts, in no particular order- there is only one rule- all of these gifts must have been free, neither you nor anyone else should have spent money on them!

1. A job: not exactly a "no money spent" gift, but the best gift I received this year is a new job, a new call. I have been blessed with a fabulous community to work with - creative, intelligent, energetic, kind, and thoughtful. I really appreciate this community and have come to love them all.

2. Dog walking: and, the young woman, a parishioner, who helped me walk my dogs over the summer. I enjoyed our walks and conversations, and I miss her now that she has gone off to college. We also have a delightful neighborhood to walk in.

3. Music: I am enjoying music in worship, on my iPod, and, once again on our stereo system (which was in storage for two years). We have a lot of musicians in the church - a recorder ensemble, some fabulous soloists, pianists, guitarists, dulcimer, flute, cello...it's great fun!

4. Fireplace: the house we live in (a rectory) has a fireplace. I enjoy sitting near it, knitting, enjoying a cup of tea or coffee. It affords me one of the primary places I can rest and relax.

5. Garden and yard: we were able to participate in the community garden hosted by the church. It did cost a little bit of money for the starter plants - but in comparison to the produce I received it was practically free! I thoroughly enjoyed spending time planting, weeding, and harvesting the garden, and all the conversations that took place between me and others who had lots in the garden.

I am always grateful for the gift of my family - my husband and children, our dogs and cats. We have reached a very comfortable place in family life, with children mostly grown and can appreciate the fruits of the labor that went into birthing and raising children. Our dogs, too, are mostly grown and established in good mannered behavior. It's a gift to just be with my family.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-11-21T10:01:00.000-05:00

Today is the day after. The day after we hosted the Michigan Holiday Alternative Market at the church. Our idea was to invite local vendors from the farmers market, local artists, and craft makers to come to the church and sell their wares.

We began the evening with an Evensong, which is Evening Prayer put to song.

We had 27 vendors come - selling things from handmade dishcloths, handmade gift cards, handmade soaps and candles, hand made sterling silver bracelets and jewelry, hand blown glass jewelry, vases, sculpture, hand made soft sculture (dolls), cheeses, Christmas greens, free range organic turkeys. We also had Creating Hope International (who uses space in our building) sell hand made fabric, lace, ties, purses, bags, made by women in Afghanistan - all the proceeds from those go back to the women, assisting in the education of women and girls.

A local hot dog vendor brought his steam table and served meat, turkey and veggie dogs, with all the fixings including chili. He also brought water and soft drinks. He was very busy all night long. A couple in the parish offered a wine/beer tasting of local Michigan produced wines and beer - some pretty good stuff, too!

And, some of the muscians of the parish played music through out the night - dulcimer, guitar, drums, bass guitar, and the baby grand piano. It was delightful!

I did a fair amount of my Christmas shopping!

So much fun! I am however, exhausted from being at the church from 6:45am until 9:30pm. Worth it, though.

Today I get to rest. Our son arrives tonight so all I have to do is make his bed and clean the house. I may do a little decorating too, in preparation for our Open House next Sunday - which will be a simple coffee, tea, cider, and cookie gathering. But we hope to have our Christmas tree up and the house decorated. So, its good our son is coming - he can help! Our plan is to cut a Christmas tree on Wednesday and spend Thanksgiving decorating it.

Anyway, a fun time was had, with more fun to come. I do have much to be thankful for!

That's my week. What about yours?

Eyes, Hands, and Heart, or What it means to have faith with feet...

2011-11-19T15:44:00.001-05:00

A reflection on Matthew 25:31-46

Many years ago, on the exit ramp of I-90/94 in Chicago, I encountered a woman with a sign saying something like, “Unemployed homeless mother with three kids. Need food and money.” A car or two stopped and offered money, but many cars drove by without stopping. With my two young children in the car I felt compelled to give her all the cash I had on me, it wasn’t much. I don’t know why I was so moved by this woman, maybe it was the first time I had seen a young mother asking for a handout? I thought of her many times over the years, and wondered how she was, although I didn't see her again for a very long time.

Some ten years after I first saw that woman on the exit ramp of the highway, I saw her again, with the same sign, asking for money. Ten years later and her life remained unchanged. Or so it seemed. I was startled and a bit dismayed.

A few years later a wild woman appeared at the church I was serving. It was during some event and the place was crowded. This woman, intense and a little abrupt, did not respond well when I told her we had nothing, no gift cards left. She stormed out making a bit of a scene. I was left feeling badly, as if Jesus had come to me and I had not cared for him.

I remember a sermon a friend of mine preached in seminary. She used two illustrations of people she had encountered in AA. One was a man who told a story about his homelessness and addiction, and how – because of the assistance of others giving him money and help – he was able to go into recovery and rebuild his life.

The other was a story of a man who, when homeless and actively alcoholic, no one gave him money or assistance. He hit rock bottom, and in his words, “no one enabled him to continue in his destructive behavior.” His realized life had to change, and from that desperate place he went into recovery and began to rebuild his life.
And so I ask myself this question, “Lord, what does it mean to see you? What does it mean to help?”

You remember this joke: There was a terrible flood and the people in the town were leaving in droves. One man stood in the doorway of his house watching the water rise. A women came by and offered him a pair of boots so he could walk with her through the flooded street to safety. “Oh, no,” he said,” God is going to rescue me.”

The waters rose and the man had to move up to the top of his stairs. A man in a row boat came by and offered him a ride in the boat to escape the waters. “Oh no” said the man, “God will rescue me.”

Soon the waters rose more and the man stood on the roof of his. A helicopter flew over and the crew called out to grab the rope ladder and climb up! But the man once again said that he was waiting for God to rescue him.

Unfortunately the man drowned in the flood. When he arrived at the pearly gates he said to God, “I thought you were going to save me!” And God said, “First I sent you a woman with boots, then a row boat, then a helicopter….”

Not only are we considering what it means to help, but also, what it means to see God. To see the face of Christ in one another and in the people we meet. And, what it means to know that at times we will fail to do this well, even when we are trying.

Jan Richardson, in her blog The Painted Prayerbook, offers this thought:

“….. I think of how my deepest regrets—what few I allow myself—are most often attached to occasions when I didn’t see. Didn’t know how to see, didn’t yet have the eyes for seeing. The realization of it—the dawning knowledge of where my vision was lacking—is itself a kind of punishment. But an invitation, too. To learn to look more closely. To take in what I have rushed past.
When was it that we saw you?”

(The Painted Prayerbook)

Today we celebrate the last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King Sunday, the Reign of Christ, and – as Christ Church – our “Feast of Title” day . It is the day we celebrate who we are and whose we are – We are Christ Church – shaped and formed by Christ, through baptism, through prayer and the Eucharist, through our relationships with others, through coming to this place, through a relationship with God and Christ, which gives us our identity as a people of faith. On this day we are invited to look carefully at who we are, and how we are living out our faith. It’s a call to do three things – to seek to be the hands and heart of Christ in the world, recognize how it is that Christ comes to us, and how we can be more attentive to being, doing, and seeing Christ.

As Christ Church we serve as the hands and heart of Christ in the world through all this food we are generously giving to Crossroads , not just today, but every week, so that others may have food on their table. As Christ Church we serve as the hands and heart of Christ when we participate in the soup kitchen at Spirit of Hope in Detroit. We are the hands and heart of Christ when we give of our treasure so that I can purchase gift cards to Kroger and offer those who come looking for assistance, a chance for some food or gas. As Christ Church we serve as the hands and heart of Christ when we open our doors and welcome the many groups who use our building. As Christ Church we serve as the hands and heart of Christ when we host the Alternative Market today – inviting in thirty artists and local vendors to sell their merchandise. We are not taking a penny in commission – we are offering people a free place to advertise and sell their art, food, and merchandise. (I hope a lot of people come and do their Christmas shopping! And that the artists and vendors have a good time here!). As Christ Church we are hosting this event, greeting people and working to ensure that everyone has a good time. Much work has gone into this event, from many different people. It seems appropriate that we have this event on this day, Christ the King, the Reign of Christ.

There are many ways that we see Christ in others and offer love, compassion, and a helping hand. There are many ways that Christ comes to us and invites us into a deeper relationship – whether it is through the people we know and meet here, or the music and worship we participate in, or some other experience we have.
Regardless of who attentive we are, there are always ways that we can deepen this experience. The liturgical seasons of the church year offer an opportunity to be mindful, attentive. Next Sunday we begin the season of Advent, a season that asks us to ponder how Christ is coming to us anew this year, and how we can be Christ to the world around us.

As we journey through Advent let’s be attentive, wondering -
Lord, when did we see you – and - when did we miss you?

RevGals Friday Five: A Thanksgiving Edition

2011-11-18T08:01:00.001-05:00

Jan, over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

I've been home from Russia for less than a week, and in less than a week it is Thanksgiving Day in the USA (Nov. 24). So for this Friday Five, answer these questions (and if they don't apply to you, list five things you are grateful for):

1. Where will you be on Thanksgiving Day? With whom? I will be home on Thanksgiving with my husband and our son. We plan to grill steaks and twice baked potatoes, watch the Lions-Packers game, and relax. Then, on Sunday our daughter and her boyfriend will join us and we will have a regular Thanksgiving meal and celebration of my husband's birthday.

2. Are there any family traditions or memories associated with Thanksgiving? Watching the parade, going to a movie the next day, putting up the Christmas tree and beginning our decorations. This year we are hosting an open house at the rectory on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, for members of the parish - just coffee, tea, cider, and cookies. But that means the push is on to decorate! Which, we are looking forward too!

3. What will be on your Thanksgiving menu? See above - something very unusual. But then for our traditional dinner on Sunday evening, the usual - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, rolls, pie. I will probably make the apple/pear/cranberry pie that I made a few years ago - its really good!

4. Are you trying anything new this Thanksgiving? Yes, we are going to host the parish open house on the Sunday after, just a 2-4pm gathering with Christmas ornament making for the kids (and adults).

5. What is the weather forecast for this day (next Thursday)? I have no idea.

Bonus: Prayer, poem, song, or whatever you choose to exemplify your image of Thanksgiving (giving thanks).

Monday Morning Musings

2011-11-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

I am taking some time this morning to just rest. I have enjoyed a cup of coffee, listening to Bach Adagios, and reading various Facebook and Blogs.

Now it's time to get going. On the agenda" house cleaning, laundry, exercise, and sanding some furniture I am going to paint.

The rest of this week will be spent preparing for Evensong and Alternative Market the church is hosting. Evensong at 4pm, Market begins at 5. We will have live music, food, and over twenty artists and vendors offering their creations. I hope a lot of people come and do their Christmas shopping before Advent begins, and also shop local!

That's my week. What about yours?

No Country for the Status Quo in God's Reign

2011-11-12T17:15:00.004-05:00

A number of years ago the film, “No Country for Old Men” came up in the queue of my Netflicks orders and Dan and I set aside an evening to watch this film. It had already won two Golden Globes and four Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best supporting actor. Directed by the Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Woody Harrelson, Javier Bardem, and Kelly MacDonald, I anticipated an engaging, thought provoking film.

It’s the story about an ordinary person who discovers two million dollars in the middle of the desert of western Texas. Out for a ride on his horse the man inadvertently wanders into the aftermath of a drug deal gone horribly awry. When he decides to abscond with the cash a violent chain reaction is set in motion. The violence plays out through the hit man, who comes to retrieve the money, and decides the fate of his victims through a coin toss, heads or tails. Critics describe this movie as an examination of fate and circumstances.

Regardless of the numerous awards this film won, I did not like this bleak, violent, and depressing movie. Most of all I dislike it because the violence and corruption prevailed without an ounce of hope.

I am left feeling much same from the news this week. Abuse of young boys, abuse of women, the abuse of one doctor and his patient, and the tragic abuse of a music icon from his own addicted behavior, to occupy Wall Street, and the protests, justified or not, against greed and corruption - all of these stories, in one way or another, are examples of the perpetuation of denial, ignorance, and a blame the victim mentality. Add to these the stories of war and the efforts toward peace that we are learning about in the Women, War and Peace series on PBS, and all told, these unfolding events paint a dismal picture of our world today.

This dismal picture of the world today fits right in with the perspective portrayed in our readings from scripture.

In the Gospel of Matthew we have come to the third in a series of three parables. First, from Matthew 24:45, the story about a wicked slave who mistreats other slaves, then in Matthew 25, the story about the ten maidens, some of whom are prepared because they have oil for their lamps, and some who are not prepared and are left out, and then the story today about the slaves who invest the money given them. One slave turns his five “talents” into ten, the other turns his two talents into four, and the third who buried his one talent and returns only the one, saying; “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” And, as a result, this slave receives a thorough reprimand for being lazy. His one talent is given to the man who now has ten, with the master offering this rationale: “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” The parable ends with the master’s command to throw this “worthless slave…into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

That’s harsh!

So, let’s take another look at the third servant. He knows his boss is wicked, evil, and greedy, and he calls him on it. Whereas the first two did exactly what was expected of them without question, the third person calls it like it is, has the courage to speak up against the corruption. This third person shows courage, integrity, and perhaps a reasonable sense of fear because he knows that he will be ostracized for speaking up and telling the truth.

Then, as now, human beings have a tendency to dislike truth tellers. It often seems easier to just hide or do what one is told to do, do the expected thing and keep quiet. Even if that means perpetuating acts of injustice.

Jan Richardson, on her blog, The Painted Prayerbook writes,

“I find myself wondering, why is it that we most often read this passage as a judgment against the third servant and not against the man who has perpetuated an unjust system? Do we really think that the harsh and reportedly corrupt master of this parable represents God, who, after a period of absence, comes back prepared to throw out those who have not performed as expected? Do I really want to be like the first two servants, willing to participate in and perpetuate injustice?

Much like the wise bridesmaids, the two multi-talented men serve as the foil for the one who proves inept and unprepared. One could say they are the suck-ups who provide a contrast to the screwup. We might wonder at a parable that presents a narrative ecosystem in which the only available choices seem to lie either in perpetuating the master’s corrupt business plan or hiding his loot in the ground.”

Of course we may wonder, are these two choices the only options – perpetuate the corruption or hide? In each of these stories there is a character who chooses to be passive, unwilling to take responsibility, foolish. Which reminds me, again, of the news stories this week. People unwilling to take action, or look for other options, that will enable justice to come forth.

When we hoard, hide, and cling to what feels safe and comfortable we contain God and ultimately limit the fullness of our own lives. When live passively we limit the fullness of our lives and contain God. We can see examples of how these limitations play out in the tragedies of the world around us. People who, for lack of taking risks and acting for justice, have had their lives ruined, not to mention the lives of others who would have benefited from someone speaking up and taking action on their behalf.
This parable calls us to examine and then remove the barriers to our lives. To take seriously God’s call to us. Last week when we renewed our baptismal covenant we were reminded what God’s call to us is:

Will you continue in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? Will you persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

To each of these questions we answered, “I will with God’s help.” Even in our context, in the interfaith culture of Dearborn and this church, where we strive to live with integrity for self and others, where we actively work at hospitality and kindness, and what it really means to love our neighbor, even for us, there are ways we could live with a more expansive awareness of justice and respect for the dignity of everyone.

My friend, Janine in a reflection she wrote on our readings today, ask this:

“Have we acted justly toward God and others? Have we used everything God has given us, not just our money, but our whole selves, wisely and well?”

Because ultimately living that way, completely spent in acts of compassion and justice, having used everything God has given us, is the only hope we have.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-11-07T08:47:00.000-05:00

Life has been full, rich, complicated, and busy. Ten weeks have flown by since the middle of August when I returned from a short vacation. I have had meetings, worked with creative, high energy, good ideas people as we make plans for some fun parish activities. Being on the upswing of the "life cycle" - a time of new life and creativity, is fun. Going with that energy is exciting, even as we recognize the need to channel and focus it, a bit.

So, this morning I am enjoying some peace and quite. It comes after a delightful weekend reflecting on and celebrating our stewardship, the ways we give of our time, talent, and treasure - and the way we hope to give in the future. I am enjoying a cool, cloudy fall morning, a cup of coffee, and a day without a whole lot to do. I have some plans for this day "off." I plan to do some laundry, exercise, walk the dogs, and do some light house cleaning. I may read some of Richard Rohr's book, "Falling Upward."

The rest of the week will include a few meetings, and a fair amount of preparation for our December worship. In particular we will have a Bishops visit and confirmation. But for now, I'll rest.

What about you? Are you able to find some time to rest? Or are you busy with plans and work?

Sunday Prayer:All Saints' Day

2011-11-06T23:01:00.001-05:00

Holy One, Creator of all
To You, we give thanks
For every blessing, for You
Are generous, O lover of souls.

Form within us,
Wisdom,
Sustained and nurtured by your
Holy Spirit
That we might,
have the grace to listen
deeply
and respond with compassion

May we be filled with gratitude
For every gift of life,
For family, friends,
And the Saints who have gone before us.

From those who are peacemakers,
May we learn, and follow their example
From those who are pure in heart
May we become likewise, Christ-like.

Holy One, Creator of all
To You, we give thanks
For every blessing, for You
Are generous, O lover of souls.

For those who suffer, we ask for comfort
For those who are ill, we ask for healing
For those who struggle, we ask for peace
For those who worry, we ask for guidance
For those who are anxious, we ask for solace
For those who are hungry, may we give food
For those who are homeless, may we provide shelter
For those who are poor, may we bring sustenance
For all the worries and cares of this earth,
May we be your heart and hands
May we be generous as You.

Holy One, Creator of all
To You we give thanks for every blessing,
for You are generous, O lover of all.
God of every nation, tribe, people, and language,
God of all creation, this great multitude of life
We give you thanks.

Bless us, that we may be a blessing in return.
Amen.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Friday Five: Time with Friends

2011-11-04T08:31:00.001-04:00

kathrynzj over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

For today's Friday Five please tell us 5 things you like to do with friends. Are they local - do you hit a favorite coffee shop or nail salon? What about the friends who come in from out of town? Do you have a restaurant or museum you like to show off?

1. Yesterday I had lunch with two women clergy colleagues. All three of us are new to this town, new pastors in the churches we serve. We are each from a different denomination. It was our second lunch, but we are planning to meet monthly, to share a meal, pray, share stories, be present for each other. We are also going to read a book together, "Falling Upward" by Richard Rohr.

2. I have a lot of friends that I only speak with via Facebook, blogging, email, or a phone call. We live in different states and time zones. So, we talk as, and when, we can. But that does not diminish the reality that we are friends, here for each other.

3. When friends or family come in from out of town we visit the local museums. In particular we like to visit the Henry Ford. This is a fun museum, with an IMAX and an outdoor exhibit called, Greenfield Village, an entire town filled with houses and business from the past. When our son was here we went to Greenfield Village for the Old Car exhibit and saw a car built in the 1700's in France. It was a great day.

4. I am always content to just relax over a cup of coffee with friends. We can meet at a home or at a local coffee shop.

5. It's also fun to go for a walk and talk. In a previous diocese, at our clergy conference, I use to take a long walk every morning around the lake. Me and another friend, or a group of friends. It was a long walk, close to an hour. But it was beautiful. I have many fond memories of those walks and friendships.

Too Small for Anything But Love

2011-10-29T07:39:00.001-04:00

A reflection on the readings for Proper 26A: Joshua 3:7-14

There is a point in time, in the late afternoon, when the light in the church is particularly beautiful. This time of year the sun, moving south on the horizon, pours in through the stained glass windows. Colored beams of light reflect off the walls with a vibrancy that takes my breath away. This sacred space of prayer, embraced in a mosaic of light.

The first mosaics were made in Mesopotamia, twenty five hundred years before Christ. They were decorative embellishments of terra cotta or mother of pearl. The art died out but reappeared in ninth century Greece as floor decoration. Geometric designs of pebbles were cheaper than rugs. Floor mosaics told stories. Before long the pebbles gave way to cut stone, enabling greater detail in the design. Over time this art form spread from Greece to Turkey and Egypt. Some of the finest examples of mosaics were unearthed from the ruins of Pompeii, buried under the destruction of the volcano Vesuvius in the year 79. In the fourth century the Christian emperor Constantine lifted mosaics from the floor to the ceiling, with colored glass replacing the stone.

In churches, mosaics became the Bible for everyday human beings. One did not need to know how to read nor did one need to rely on words, instead the story was told in images of colored glass.

Terry Tempest Williams, in her book, Finding Beauty in a Broken World, begins with a reflection on mosaic. She is in Italy learning the art of creating mosaics – of carefully placing stone next to stone until it tells a story in picture. From creating mosaics in Italy Williams takes us to Bryce Canyon Utah, where she is studying prairie dogs, and then she takes us to Rwanda, where she is helping a group of artists work with a small village to rebuild after the genocide of 1994. Williams weaves together these three disparate stories into one compelling reflection on life, violence, and hope.

As an author, Williams is an advocate for justice, for healthy relationships between the environment and humankind. Finding Beauty in a Broken World is written in short paragraphs, like meditations in a journal. She reflects on how the natural world and the human world collide and connect in violence and in beauty. From the violence of broken glass and stone, a mosaic, beauty, is created. She writes with gentle emotion, about the intersection between arrogance and empathy, tumult and peace, constructing a narrative of hope.

She says:

“Mosaic celebrates brokenness and beauty being brought together…..A mosaic is a conversation between what is broken. “

Over the last five weeks we have celebrated the Season of Creation, a liturgical invitation to reflect on the world around us and our role as God’s partners in creation. Now we return to the season after Pentecost, also known as Ordinary Time, and to the scripture readings assigned for Sunday mornings. As we reflected on Genesis and stories of land and water, the readings from the Ordinary Time lectionary moved through the story of Exodus. When we left it, six weeks ago, the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea, finding new life as a people freed from slavery. The story continued, revealing their struggle as they wandered for forty years in the wilderness. There were stories of hunger and complaining, of Moses going up the mountain to receive the ten commandments, and then last week, with the promised land in sight, Moses dies, never stepping foot on the land he worked so hard to get too. Now, in this reading today from Joshua, we hear of the people preparing to enter the promised land. It’s a story, on the one hand, of a people preparing for war – to conquer the Canaanites who live in this land. And on the other hand it’s a story of God’s presence. Leaving us to wonder what this means to us. Where is God in the midst of war, violence, and brokenness?

A group of us in the parish gather every Monday or Tuesday night to watch video recordings of the PBS series, Women, War, and Peace. This five part series tells stories about the violence of war, in particular the violence waged against women. It is often painful to watch. But these are also stories of women taking control of an egregious situation and transforming it into hope. One story portrayed the women who testified at The Hague in 2001, the first time rape was condemned as a war crime, and the perpetrators were convicted of this crime. Another story showed women, both Christian and Muslim, uniting in a stance of peaceful prayer, to end the violence of war in their country. A powerful story of non-violent action, led by mothers, grandmothers, and daughters, insisting that the violence end, using only the power of their presence and the power of prayer. This week we will hear the story of women in Afghanistan.

These true stories are like mosaics, out of brokenness comes hope, and the possibility of healing, transformation, and sometimes, forgiveness. They are powerful, beautiful stories.

Sometimes, in the midst of war, people will claim that God is on their side. Certainly that is the lens through which this story in Joshua is told – God, it seems, stands with the Israelites and supports their battle against the Canaanites. But maybe it’s really a story of how we humans want to believe that God is behind our actions. Early Europeans, arriving in this country used the same argument against those who lived here first – claiming that the they were bringing civilization and a just society and a proper religion to the “natives” – a claim that justified violence to oppress people and force them into submission…not to mention the countless other examples we could site where humans claim God endorses their acts of violence.

A social justice perspective of God offers us another perspective, reminding us that God has given us free will. With the gift of free will we humans are free to decide how we will behave. The gift of free-will reframes for us a common biblical phrase, the one where God says, “I am with you.” Free will, considered from this perspective, tells us that God is with us, but that does not mean that God endorses everything we do. In this perspective, a just God journeys with us, hoping that we will align our lives and all we do with what God desires.

Over the last five weeks the Gospel of Matthew has told stories of Jesus being tested by the Pharisees, who want to catch him in an act of treason so he can be arrested. The Pharisees are challenged by Jesus, to change their selfish ways. Last week, had we been following the regular lectionary readings, we would have heard the Pharisees asking Jesus a crucial question: “Lord, which commandment is the greatest?”

This is trick question. In the Bible there are 613 commandments. Regardless of which commandment Jesus claims as the greatest the Pharisees are prepared to argue against him.
Jesus deftly side steps the trap – he responds: “You shall love the Lord your God. This is the greatest commandment, and the second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as your self. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

In other words, Jesus summarizes the intent and content of all 613 commandments into these two. What God desires is that we, love God, love self, and love others!

Toward the end of the book, Finding Beauty in a Broken World, the author quotes the famous William Sloane Coffin, a Presbyterian minister and peace activist. Perhaps his words are words to live by, he said: “The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.”

What Lifts You?....a RevGals Friday Five

2011-10-28T07:27:00.000-04:00

Sally, over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

Over the last few weeks I have been struggling with depression, I know that from reading other folks blogs that I am not alone in this, and from time to time if not suffering from depression that everyone feels down. With that in mind I wonder what lifts you? So I'd like you to share 5 things:

1. A Scripture- it might be a verse or a whole book! When I am struggling I often go to this verse:Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit (Romans 8:26-27)

2. A piece of music. Cello, specifically, YoYo Ma

3. A place A walk usually helps

4. A person/ group of people Sometimes it helps to meet a friend for coffee...

5. Something you do... Yoga

Listen and You Just Might Hear...

2011-10-22T19:35:00.000-04:00

A reflection the readings for Season Of Creation 5A:

The 1992 film, “A River Runs Through It”, directed by Robert Redford, and starring Tom Skillet, Brad Pitt, and Craig Sheffer, tells the story of two fly-fishermen brothers. They are sons of a Presbyterian minister living in rural Montana. The film opens with this:

My father was a Presbyterian minister...and a fly-fisherman. Though it is true that one day a week was given over wholly to religion...even then he told us about Christ's disciples being fishermen. And we were left to assume, as my younger brother Paul and I did...that all first-class fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly-fishermen...and that John, the favorite, was a dry fly-fisherman.

In the afternoon, we would walk with him...while he unwound between services. He almost always chose a path along the Big Blackfoot...which we considered our family river. It was there he felt his soul restored and his imagination stirred.

Long ago rain fell on mud and became rock. Halt a billion years ago. But even before that,
beneath the rocks...are the words of God.

Listen.

And if Paul and I listened very carefully all our lives...we might hear those words.

Listen. The word of God running like a river beneath and through all creation. The word of God, a river of life. The word of God, like water that brings forth life, birthing all creation into being.

The Book of Genesis offers us two stories of creation. In the first story water existed before light. In the second story the garden of Eden rose from a stream of water. In Exodus the Israelites are born anew through the Red Sea waters – reminding us that life often calls us to navigate through challenging waters into new life. Many Bible stories take place at a well including the longest conversation Jesus has in his meeting of the Samaritan Woman at the well – all of these reinforce our sense that from water comes life.

Human life begins in water.

However, not only does life come from water, but water can also take life. Many ancient cultures have stories of a great flood, like this story of Noah in today’s reading from Genesis.

And, water renews life. People travel to bodies of water for rest, renewal, vacation, family and community. Whether lakes, rives, swimming pools, or bubbling fountains in local parks, humans are drawn to the soothing quality of water. When I lived in the desert, the swimming pool in our backyard afford relief – soothing my eye from the stark landscape of sand and prickly cactus, soothing my spirit and body from the 100+ temperatures. And in the movie, A River Runs Through It, water and fly-fishing are the source of inspiration for the spiritual and faith life of this minister and his family.

Water is used to clean our bodies and our environment. In the Eucharist the priest washes her hands before praying over our offering of bread, water, and money – washing as a sacred act, preparing for the coming forth of the Holy Spirit through the words and actions of the Eucharistic prayer.

Christianity uses water in four different sacramental ways: to recall birth, to evoke death, to typify renewal, and to suggest washing.

Baptismal waters are all of these, a sign and symbol of an old life passing away, a new life being birthed, life purified in an encounter with God, an invitation to model our lives on Christ, and an invitation to renewal our commitment to live a life of faith – to love God, love others, love self – to respect the dignity of every human being….

And on this fifth and final week in our celebration of the Season of Creation, we can work for and pray for clean water through out the world. But most importantly today we celebrate the sacrament of baptism - for two little boys: Mason and Maximus.

So, what is a Sacrament? The purpose of a sacrament is to make us aware of a truth that is not readily apparent so that we might benefit from it. Sacraments are ritual acts that reveal to us something about the nature of God.

Sacraments, enable the love of God, that is already present and available, real for us. God’s love becomes real for us in such a way that we are able to fully benefit from it.

Holy Baptism reveals God’s love for us and invites into a particular relationship with God. Baptism makes us aware that God loves each and everyone of us with a love that is merited by virtue of the reality that we are made in God’s image – made good to do good. God’s love is also unconditional and never ending. There is nothing we humans can do or need to do to make that love available to ourselves or anyone else. Baptism is not necessary for a child or adult to receive God’s love. But baptism is the means by which we become aware of a love that we might not otherwise be able to appreciate or benefit from. Baptism gives us our Christian identity, marked with water and sealed with a sign of the cross in holy oil. As Christians we know the love of God as it is made manifest in and through the life of Jesus.

The baptismal rite invites us to celebrate the grace and love God has for our children. It reminds us that our children are in God’s hands and that we are not alone in our love for them. We need to renew our baptismal covenant so that we are reminded that, with God’s help, we are called to reveal God’s love in and through our lives. That we may mirror back to our children, and to all we meet, the nature and character of God’s love.
That we, through baptism, are called to mirror back to the world the love of God, reminds me of a story from “Mary’s Way” by Peggy Tabor Millin. She writes:

I was on a train on a rainy day. The train was slowing down to pull into a station. For some reason I became intent on watching the raindrops on the window. Two separate drops, pushed by the wind, merge into one for a moment and then divide again – each carrying with it a part of the other. Simply by that momentary touching, neither was what it had been before. And as each one went on to touch other raindrops, it shared not only itself, but what it had gleaned from the other….

Let us remember that our lives impact other lives, in ways known and unknown. May we strive, with God’s help, to listen. May we hear the word of God that courses through the river of life, the waters of creation. And, may we live our baptismal covenant in such a way that all that we do and all that are, reveals God’s unending love and compassion.

RevGals Friday Five

2011-10-21T08:57:00.000-04:00

Jan, over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

Since it is almost my birthday and because my spiritual direction peer group is reading Living Fully, Dying Well by Edward W. Bastian and Tina L. Staley, I am thinking of my life in stages. For the latter group, we filled out a form dividing our life into 7-year increments, documenting "significant moments," then "people who guided and influenced me," and ending with the question, "What did this phase contribute to the continuum of my life?" This was a life Review Exercise devised by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.

For today's Friday Five, I am suggesting that we each divide our age into 5 sections. You don't have to say your age or ages for the different parts, unless you want to. In each of the 5 points, please describe a memorable and/or significant event, either good or unpleasant

Well, I think I can divide my life into groups based on the states I lived in.

1. Utah - I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. My father's parents lived in a well to do middle class section of town up on the mountains. My mother's parents had a lot less money, lived down in the valley not far from the Miller Life brewery. I remember seeing the red lights from the sign whenever I spent the night at my maternal grandparents. I have many fond memories of spending time with that set of grandparents, and of that neighborhood. Following my parents divorce, I did live for a year or so with my paternal grandparents. I remember hearing about the assassination of JFK on the school bus radio, the solemn afternoon at school, and then watching the funeral on television. I also remember dancing in grandparents basement to "Puff the Magic Dragon"....I was five and thought it was a sad song about a dragon. Utah still holds my heart - particularly the mountains, the beauty of which is deeply ingrained in my spirituality.

2. Idaho, Wisconsin, and Texas: when I was nine my family moved away from Utah. My mom remarried, our step-father adopted my brothers and me, and then following his career, we moved a lot. Our first move took us to Nampa, Idaho. I remember being struck by the flat tops of the mountains and missed the soaring mountains of Salt Lake. We lived in the country and I loved playing outside, running through hay fields, watching the birth of a foal. But after a year we were transferred to a small town in Wisconsin.

We lived in Waupun, Wisc. for four years - from fifth through eighth grades. These were formative years, living in a small town divided between the natives and those who worked for Carnation - as my dad did. The company did a lot to build community among the employees and most of my friends were kids whose parents worked for Carnation. My dad got a job with another company and we were transferred to Ft. Worth, Texas just as I was entering high school.

Living in Ft. Worth was a cultural shock. The year I was there the high school got its first African-American students. I remember a long preparation process. I remember teachers who told jungle-bunny jokes and made racial slurs. The two African-American students were a brother and sister. The sister sat next to me in band - and the band teacher was the worst offender of racial slurs. I wrote a letter to the principle complaining about the teacher and dropped out of band. It was a big deal, at least for me, the first time I stood up for something I believed in. But, after only a year in Ft. Worth my dad was transferred to Illinois.

3. I lived in Illinois for the next 35 years. I graduated high school, went to college, got married, had my kids, bought and sold homes, went to seminary and was ordained in Illinois. I lived all over the Chicago-land area and know the town and the people really well. It's a great place to live.

4. But after awhile I yearned to return to the west and found a position in southern Arizona. It was a beautiful place, but also a hostile place. I left after two years and returned to Illinois.

5. Now I am in a new phase of life, living in Michigan. I have found a position I really love in a town that is beautiful, interesting, diverse, complex. I've only been here since May, but I already feel like I am home.

Be Wilderness

2011-10-15T18:52:00.001-04:00

Season of Creation 4A: Joel 1:8-10, 17-20; Romans 8:18-27

A couple of years ago I attended a clergy conference that included an opportunity to travel into Mexico to visit some of the ministries that were taking place on the border. We were loaded on a school bus in Douglas, Arizona and transported through the border patrol station into Agua Prieta, Mexico. There we visited the office of a coffee co-op and toured a local addiction rehab facility called CREDO - which has a profound ministry. This humble facility houses 92 people including women and their children, in crowded rooms with bunk beds. It also has rooms for men, similar to the women’s rooms. There are several meeting rooms and a dining area. Most of the structures are concrete walls and floors. In some instances the rooms have dirt floors. Every person in the facility works to keep the place clean, prepare food, support one another, learn about and engage in healthy behavior to support a life of sobriety. No one is turned away, and everyone in the facility has a place to live until they are sober for one year and can prove that they can earn a living and support themselves in an apartment. The quality of support is impressive. But what really amazed me is a story the director shared about a resident who lived in the enclosed section for the mentally ill patients.

One day, about eight years ago, the director received a phone call about a man found wandering in the desert. The Director offered to get the man and bring him to CREDO. The man had no memory of his name or his identity. Barely able to speak, he did not know where he was from or how he ended up lost in the desert of Mexico. Diagnosed as psychotic this addiction facility housed the man, gave him medication, and tended to him for four years. Then, one day, out of the blue, the man told the director that he remembered who he was. He told him his name, the names of his parents in California, their address, and their phone number. The director called his parents who were both astonished and delighted that their long lost son had been found, safe and sound. They too had no idea how their son had wound up in Mexico. Within a few days the parents arrived in Mexico to collect their son and take him home. To this day that family still sends money to assist CREDO in their ministry to those lost to addiction or mental illness. And, as far as I know, their son remains healthy and well.

Today we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Season of Creation, and the theme is, the wilderness. There are a number of ways that we can think about wilderness: wilderness of land, wilderness of spirit, and wilderness of mind.

The wilderness of land is of remote places like the desert areas, mountainous areas, the Alaskan tundra. Places where few humans live, let alone plants, vegetation, or animals.

Not only is there the reality of a wilderness of land, but there is also the concept of wilderness as a metaphor of reality. The man found wandering in the desert, who had no memory of his identity, was lost to reality of time and place. He was in the wilderness of mental illness, a wilderness of the mind.

There is also the notion of the wilderness as spiritual metaphor. When used this way we can think of ourselves as in a spiritual wilderness when life is overwhelming and we do not know where God is in the midst of our despair. This is the wilderness that our reading from Joel expresses – lamenting because all seems lost – the cattle wander about because there is no pasture for them, people mourning in sackcloth, and all around is devastation.

The Book of Joel is found in the section of the Bible known as the minor prophets. There are twelve minor prophets, so called because the books credited to these prophets are shorter than those credited to the Prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. In addition to Joel, the minor prophets include Hosea, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
Joel is believed to have been written sometime in the 4th century, BCE – before the common era, or some 2400 years ago. Joel is lamenting the devastation of the land from a plague of locusts. The book is filled with a sense of grief that God has abandoned the people. But because it is a prophetic book it also looks to the future when God will return and restore the land and the people to the fullness of God’s desire. The prophets use imagery and language that references wilderness experiences – land that has become a wilderness, and the spiritual life of the people lost in a wilderness with out a sense of God’s presence.

When my daughter was little we read a trilogy of books called Julie and the Wolves. It’s the story of a young Eskimo girl, orphaned at the tragic death of her parents and married off to an older abusive man. She escapes the marriage by running away, hoping to make it to San Francisco. Instead she ends up lost in the tundra of Alaska and is forced to learn how to survive on the raw elements of the land: ice and snow, plants and animals. It’s a fabulous series filled with the rich spirituality of a people who have learned to live in the wilderness of snow and ice. Of a people with a deep respect for the land and for all the creatures of the land, and of a young girl who loses her self in the wilderness only to find her true identity in the process.

The Christian story, filled as it is with wilderness experiences is ultimately a story of hope. We believe that in and within every wilderness experience is the profound reality of God’s presence. While there are times when we are unable to recognize exactly how it is that God is with us, our faith reminds us that God never leaves us, is always present, and journeys with us through our grief and despair. God yearns for us to live in peace, to be satisfied with life, whatever it brings our way, and to love others as God loves us.

The wilderness is not only a place of lament and despair, but as our reading from Romans reminds us, it is also the place of hope, for it is hope that rescues us. Hope - where new life begins and through which God’s creative self pours through, awakening us to our true identity, called to be the hands and heart of Christ – to be beacons of hope in the wilderness of life.

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RevGal Friday Five

2011-10-14T08:35:00.001-04:00

Karla, over at revGals, offers this Friday Five:

In the spirit of Scattered-ness, I offer you a scattery kind of Friday Five:

1. I lose my keys all of the time. Even if they are in my hand, I still am looking for them. Sigh! What is something you chronically looking for, if anything? For me, it is less a matter of looking for something I have misplaced, and more a matter of rushing to get ready to leave and needing to tromp up and down several flights of stairs to get clothing (hanging in the basement laundry room), computer (charging in the office), and so on. It leaves me feeling disorganized because I was too tired the night before to get things in order for the day.

2. What movie are you looking forward to watching sometime in the future? (me, the new Footloose!) We DVR'd the season opener of Grays Anatomy...but haven't watched it, so ow are guessing about pieces of the plot as we watch current episodes. I haven't been able to carve out two hours to watch it.

3. What is one of your favorite comfort foods? (me, pizza. hands down). I'm a comfort beverage person, with a fairly consistent daily routine: coffee in the morning, a cup of Earl Grey in the afternoon with some dark chocolate, carrot juice with dinner (or, if I don't have work to do, a glass of wine), and herbal tea after dinner. My latest favorite teas are from the Yogi brand- stress relief and a sage/lavender blend called relaxed mind. Spool delicious!

4. Story time. Tell us a story of one your favorite people that has touched, blessed your life. Many people have blessed my life. I'm living in a time of thanksgiving and gratitude.

5. What do you do to focus or calm or center yourself? (please, I need ideas!!!) I do yoga using a Gaiam DVD for a twenty minute afternoon routine followed by a 30 minute meditation.

BONUS: Share the first thing (or second thing) that comes to your mind after your read this! I haven't played Friday Five for a couple of weeks because I have been too busy. I am grateful to have a slower morning - able to light a fire in the fireplace, enjoy a cup of coffee, and play.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Mirror of God

2011-10-08T16:54:00.000-04:00

Koko the gorilla is the, now famous,230 pound ape that was taught how to communicate using American Sign Language. With a vocabulary of over 1000 words Koko drew two fingers across her cheek like whiskers, signaling to her teacher that she wanted a cat for her birthday. The teacher had been reading, The Three Little Kittens, to Koko for years. And, now Koko wanted her own kitten. So Koko was given her pick of a kitten from a litter of abandoned kittens. She chose one so small that she could have crushed it, with barely a squeeze of her hand. Instead she cuddled the tailless gray male like a baby and named the kitten, “All Ball.” Koko carried Ball like other gorillas carry their babies, she tended to him, tickled and scratched him, and knowing her own strength handled him gently. When asked by her teacher if she loved All Ball, Koko signed, “Soft, good cat.” Sadly, one day the kitten escaped from the sanctuary and was hit by a car. Koko grieved the loss of her kitten, her sadness was clear – revealed in hand gestures, her silent language of grief, and in her crying calls. When asked if she wanted to talk about her loss Koko gestured, “Cry”.

“What happened to your kitty,” her trainer asked.

“Sleep cat.” Pointing to a photo of a cat that resembled Ball, Koko’s big hands spoke again, “Cry, sad, frown.”

In time Koko soon had the opportunity to bond with a pair of new kittens , once again impressing her human care givers with her gentle affection.
This story, well known to many people, appeared in National Geographic Magazine and then again in the book, “Unlikely Friendships” by Jennifer Holland.

Holland writes in the book:

”Less common than a human-pet connection, and at first glance more surprising, is a bond between members of two different nonhuman species: a dog and a donkey, a cat and a bird, a sheep and an elephant. The phenomenon is most often reported in captive animals, in part because we simply catch them in the act more often. But it’s also because, notes biologist and primate specialist Barbara King of the College of William & Mary, that’s where constraints are relaxed, where animals aren’t fighting for their basic needs – which allows their emotional energy to flow elsewhere. Of course, there are cases of cross species bonds in the wild, as well. “Most important,” says King, “we know animals, under whatever circumstances, have that capacity.” Calling these inter-species relationships might be a stretch, by human standards of friendship. But regardless it is evident that animals are capable of emotions similar to ours, capable of forming companionships that improve the condition of life for each animal. Barbara King says, “I believe people crave examples not just of cuteness, and not just of tolerance – but of true compassion and sharing. These stories help us get in touch with the best in ourselves. “ (from the introduction to Unlikely Friendships, Jennifer S. Holland).

Today, on the third Sunday of our Season of Creation, we celebrate the Feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Traditionally celebrated on the fourth of October, this feast days is often transferred to another convenient day in order that we can we celebrate and bless our pets. While St. Francis was a lover of animals, he was actually someone who cared deeply for all creation: for animals, the land, and human beings. St. Francis believed that nature was the mirror of God. A man of deep faith, he lived a simple life, giving up his inheritance and family wealth, and devoting his life to tend to those most in need. His work led to the creation of the order of Franciscans, a monastic order committed to caring for the poor. Living in the age of the Crusades, St. Francis encountered humanity during one of our most violent ages of intolerance. Francis of Assisi maintained close relationships with Muslims, and the order of the Franciscans was the only order allowed to remain in the Holy Land after the fall of Crusades – for his day, a clear example of an unlikely friendship between human beings.
For us, this day is a reminder that we are called to follow the example of St. Francis, to care for all of God’s creation in wild and exorbitant ways – out of gratitude, with generosity, gladness, and with hospitality. Expressing these to land, water, and air, to animals of all kinds, and to all human beings regardless of the many ways we may differ one from another. We humans are uniquely able to recognize and address the imbalances in the world, whether human made imbalances or otherwise. To create circumstances in which, as Holland observes, “the constraints are relaxed, and (no one) has to fight to have basic needs met.” In such circumstances our emotional energy can flow elsewhere – and as the animals show us – this means we have a greater capacity for compassion, for bringing out the best in ourselves, and others.

We have the opportunity, in fact we have the God given command, to care for this world as God cares for the world. Because, according to St. Francis, we, like all creation, are a mirror of God – made good to do good – in the most unlikely of ways.

On Being Accountable, a reflection on snakes and laundry detergent, among other things...

2011-10-01T18:47:00.000-04:00

A reflection on the readings for propers for Season of Creation Sunday 2A: Genesis 3:1-13; and Romans 5:12-21

My sophomore year in college I lived in a house with three of my girlfriends. On hot summer days we’d load up in the car and make a drive out into the country for a swim in our favorite small lake. A remnant from ancient glaciers, this lake was tucked into a crevice bounded on all sides by rock cliffs and hills. Given the terrain we had to park the car some distance away and hike back through a patch of woods, a meadow, another stretch of woods, and down a hill to the lake. Along the way we would occasionally encounter a rattle snake sunning itself on a rock. The tell-tale rattle would give it away as it announced its presence long before we saw it. Always cautious, the humans and snakes would keep a healthy and suspicious distance from one another. The snakes preferred to slither away under a rock rather than attack or be aggressive – although no doubt they could be if we came too close.

When we finally arrived at the lake shore the first thing we would do is throw rocks into the water. Our goal in doing this was to scare away the water moccasins, large black, highly poisonous water snakes, who lived in and around the lake. After a couple of minutes of throwing rocks the snakes moved on and we went for our swim.
One day, upon leaving this watering hole, I had my dog with me, a small poodle. It, like most small dogs, thought he was much bigger than he was, and decided to not only thrush out, but bark and pursue a large water moccasin through the grasses and path. At one point the snake coiled up, and I was certain my dog was going to get bit. But he didn’t, I got him to back away, and the snake moved on.

Looking back over these memories I am astonished that no one was hurt; that neither me, nor any of my companions, nor our dogs were ever harmed. Denial is powerful, blinding us to all kinds of poor decisions. Nonetheless, these memories give me a different perspective on today’s reading from Genesis – of a deceptive snake out to lead the humans down the path of deception and sin. Snakes are not really inclined to approach humans, preferring to be left alone, sunning on a warm rock.

This is part of our Christian creation story – how we, and all the earth, came to be – how God created an interactive world intended for beauty and well being, and well, perhaps a little bit of naiveté. A story of how human beings are not only driven by our curiosity but by our desire for knowledge. And, a story about the nature of free-will, of God’s gift to us, a gift of choice – we can choose how we behave. We can choose to follow God’s desire, or we can choose something else. And, it’s a story of how humans are not always willing to take responsibility and be held accountable for our actions.

I didn’t do it” says Adam. “She did.”

“Well, I didn’t do it” says woman, “The snake did.”

And, if the snake could talk it would probably say,”I didn’t do it, the tree did” and the tree would probably blame the apple, and the apple would blame the seed and the seed would blame the soil, and so forth.

But mostly this is a story that reminds us that whether or not we accept responsibility for our actions, there are always consequences, for better or for worse.

Barbara Brown Taylor, a well known Episcopal priest, preacher, and professor, in her book, “Speaking of Sin” says that sin is not so much a set of prescribed actions and behavior, rather sin, at its most basic element, is about broken relationships. What happens to cause us to become broken in our relationship with God, with self, with others, and even with the environment? How are we contributing to the brokenness of the environment through things known and unknown? The season of creation reminds us that we are accountable for the wellbeing of this earth, and our actions matter.

Today the focus is on the land, its beauty, and our responsibility to care for it. This includes becoming aware of and, more responsible for, the pollution and trash that we humans produce.

On the internet science site, “How Stuff Works” I learned that, according to the EPA, Americans generate trash at the rate of 4.6 pounds per day per person, which translates to 251 million tons per year [EPA]. This is almost twice as much trash, per person, as most other major countries. The trash production in the United States has almost tripled since 1960. Trash in this country is dealt with in three primary ways: put in a dump which is an open hole in the ground where trash is buried. Or buried in a landfill, a more carefully designed structure built into or on top of the ground in which trash is isolated from the surrounding environment, with intent of protecting, more or less, the nearby groundwater and air quality. However, trash put in a landfill will stay there for a very long time. Inside a landfill, there is little oxygen and little moisture. Under these conditions, trash does not break down very rapidly. In fact, when old landfills have been excavated or sampled, 40-year-old newspapers have been found with easily readable print. Landfills are not designed to break down trash, merely to bury it. When a landfill closes, the site, especially the groundwater, must be monitored and maintained for up to 30 years! (science.howstuffworks.com)

And, some trash is recycled. Evidence suggests that recycling reduces landfill trash, increases jobs, helps the economy, and reduces production pollution.
We are challenged today, to think about the way we can reduce the trash and pollution we produce in our homes. For me this means using real dishes, cloth napkins, powered laundry detergent, and dish detergents with a low phosphorus count, and recycling plastic, cans, and paper.

Being accountable for our actions means each of us will do what we can to care for the world, tend to the land, and do our best to reduce the trash we produce and increase our use of sustainable products.

Because the world we live in is interconnected in small and amazing ways. I blog with people around the world, from whom I learn a great deal. One friend is a woman who lives in Zimbabwe. I delight in her descriptions of the landscape of her country. Located in the southern hemisphere Zimbabwe has winter when we have summer, spring when we have fall. The telltale signs of the seasons changing include migrating birds from Europe with names I’ve never heard of. And a cycle of beasts, from elephants to lions, that move through her town. This year I shared with her my delight in the beautiful blooming trees in my new home town of Dearborn, especially the cherry trees. It turns out that at the very same time cherry trees were in bloom here, they were also in bloom in Zimbabwe.

Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us that God’s grace is abundant, for God makes all things well. We are called to participate with God in the protection of and restoration of this world.

We’ve been given a precious gift, this island home called earth, let us care for it as God intends, in much the same way as God cares for us.

Friday Five

2011-09-30T08:04:00.001-04:00

Songbird, over at RevGals, offers this Friday Five:

i've got home on my mind: what it feels like, how we make it, what we carry from the past and how we separate other people's leftovers from objects that really reflect our identity. My family has had one home for the past 13 years, the longest I've ever lived anywhere. As the time when all the children are gone comes closer, I wonder where my next home will be?

So here are five questions about home.

1) Where was your first home? I was born in Salt Lake City. The first house I remember was in "Avenues" near the university. Later we lived further up the side of the mountain in a house with an apricot tree and a view of the valley below.

2) Do you ever dream about places you used to live? I use to dream about my Great-grandmother's farm house in southern Idaho. It was a big yellow house with a turret room where my great grandmother kept all of her sewing materials. I remember playing with her sewing materials in that room and enjoying fresh strawberries from her garden. I have, from time to time dreamed of that house.

3) If you could bring back one person from your past to sit at your dinner table, who would you choose? I'd love to bring back my great grandmother and just listen to her stories and then gather around the piano while she played and sang. She loved music.

4) What's your favorite room in your current living space? I like every room in my current house. The kitchen has a great view of the backyard, the living room has a fire place, and a room upstairs is my yoga and mediation/prayer room.

5) Is there an object or an item where you live now that represents home? I love fireplaces, they speak home! To me. But mostly I love my artwork, created by friends, and my kids. Nothing of great value, except to me.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Monday Morning Musings

2011-09-26T10:23:00.001-04:00

With the start of the church program year I have experienced a significant increase in activity. Many, many meetings. A lot of learning. Lots of activity.

Coming up briefly for air.

This morning is cool, rainy. Perfect for drinking coffee and moving slowly.

On Friday I will host the vestry for dinner at the rectory. That means I have some cleaning to do, and reorganizing of furniture, and setting up extra tables for dining. And prepping and cooking the meal. Looking forward to some time to just relax with this group of leaders, fine people!

Otherwise, a week that should be relatively slower than those in recent past...

What about your week? Busy? Slow? Anything you are looking forward too?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A Strand in the Web of Creation

2011-09-24T17:16:00.000-04:00

A reflection on John 3:1-17 for the Season of Creation 1A

When I was a little girl I lived in a neighborhood on the side of the mountains that rim the southern section of Salt Lake City. Our driveway angled sharply down, providing a great place to skateboard. And from the street I had a fabulous view of the city and valley below. For me it was most spectacular at night, with thousands of bright sparkling lights. I remember that Petula Clark’s song, “Downtown,” was a hit on the radio.

Another of my favorite memories of living there was the apricot tree in the backyard. Now, I know that apricot trees are not very large, but as a little girl it was a big tree for me. I loved to climb up in the branches, high enough that I could see beyond the garages to the city in the valley below. And then I’d settle in on a good branch, remove the book from my pocket and enjoy fresh apricots while reading. These memories are rich in imagery, of the amazing beauty of God’s creation – even now they fill my senses with the sights, sounds, and tastes of those days.

It reminds me of a poem that Mary Oliver, my favorite poet, published in her book, “Thirst”

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness,
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."

(

A few years later we moved to a small town in Wisconsin. It was the time when kids ran outdoors on a summer morning to ride bikes, play hop-scotch, or make up games to occupy time. We’d head home hot and hungry for lunch only to return to the outdoors until dinner. In that backyard my dad built a fabulous tree-house in the branches of a giant oak – providing my brothers and I with hours of play. And then, on the edge of our property was a small wood land area, remnants of what might have been a larger forest, or maybe just a random growth of trees. This wooded area afforded the neighborhood kids a natural play ground, building forts and other games of make believe, inviting us into our imaginations daily. My favorite game in these woods was to pretend that I was Sacajawea, an Indian maiden, and I’d try to walk undetected, silently, leaving no broken twigs or crushed grasses. Of course I was completely unable to do this, but I loved to try.
The poet and author Wendell Berry wrote a poem about this idea:

I part the out-thrusting branches
And come in beneath
The blessed and the blessing trees
Though I am silent
There is singing around me
Though I am dark
There is vision around me
Though I am heavy
There is flight around me

We begin, today, our five week series called, Season of Creation. This liturgical season falls in the middle of Ordinary Time, which begins after Pentecost and lasts until Advent. Created by an ecumenical group in Australia, this season offers us an opportunity every fall to spend some time reflecting on the world around us and our role in creation.

Environmental theologians suggest that God’s household is the whole planet: it is composed of human beings living in interdependent relations with all other life-forms and earth processes.

A theology of environmentally focused worship acknowledges that the earth is God’s home, the place where God enters into relationship with all creation. Our scripture supports this concept.

As I said in my presentation last week: A theology of the environment is a sacramental theology. Sacrament means an outward and visible expression of an inward and invisible grace. Holy Communion, which we share every Sunday around this table, is a sacrament – the bread and wine are outward expressions of an invisible grace, of God’s profound love for us and all creation.

The world is sacramental because it is an expression of God’s self. The world is also incarnational. In the prologue of the Gospel of John we hear that the Word of God, which was with God before creation, is expressed into the world in human flesh, in Jesus – this makes the world a sacramental incarnational reality. As our Gospel this morning reminds us, our role in creation to assist God in bringing forth the kingdom of God. Jesus shows us how to do this.
Acknowledging this in our worship for the Season of Creation provides us with an opportunity to embrace what incarnation means; how – being born of the Spirit - we are invited by God to partner with God in caring for God’s home.

Chief Seattle, a member of Suquamish tribe in the Pugent Sound region near Seattle,WA, known for a famous speech he gave in 1854 on the condition of humanity and nature, offers this:

Teach your children
What we have taught our children –
That the earth is our mother.
Whatever befalls the earth
Befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.
If men spit upon the ground,
They spit upon themselves.

This we know
the earth does not belong to us,
we belong to the earth.
This we know
All things are connected
Like the blood which unites one family
All things are connected.

Whatever befalls the earth
Befalls the sons and daughters of the earth.
We did not weave the web of life,
We are merely a strand in it.
Whatever we do to the web,
We do to ourselves.

Happy Birthday

2011-09-19T18:26:00.001-04:00

It's Ollie's third birthday! What a silly boy-dog. Here is a photo of him during his recent visit. I hope our daughter is giving him dog appropriate birthday cake!

Turning Whine into Grace

2011-09-17T19:23:00.000-04:00

For a time Dan and I lived in the Sonoran desert south of Tucson, Arizona. It was a beautiful place – wide open space, cacti with brilliantly colored flowers and amazing wild life. Our house was on the foothills of the Santa Rita mountain range, which is home to the Madera Canyon. This canyon, plunging some 9000 feet from the mountain peak, is riveted with ravines known as arroyos. The Santa Rita’s are famous for the birds that live and migrate through, especially the seasonal hummingbirds that come every spring and fall.

This mountain range is also one of many passage ways used by undocumented people who cross the border between Mexico and the US, some 45 miles to the south. Some of these people are truly awful –involved in the drug trade and human sex trafficking. But most of the people coming across are simply trying to find a way to make a living. As I understand it the issue is one of a global economic concern – of how corporations, industry and governments have impacted the world markets in such a way that the farmers and local people have lost their financial base. For example, in Mexico and Central America the small local coffee farmer, unable to compete with large coffee corporations, can no longer earn a living wage. Farms that have been in families for centuries are sold, people move to the cities for factory work only find that no positions are available. Struggling and starving, desperate people make the dangerous journey to come across the border in the hope of earning a viable living wage. Most of what they earn will be sent back to Mexico to support the family that remains behind. Fair Trade coffee and tea are effective responses, aiding the local farmers to earn a living wage, stay on their farms, and eliminate a dangerous border crossing.

The desert sand around my house was filled with foot prints of people who travelled only at night. If the desert is a dangerous place during the day, with high heat and dehydration, night is even more dangerous. Snakes, mountain lion, bobcat, and coyotes, prey on human beings and animals alike. But even more dangerous are human beings who prey on other human beings. Leaders escorting people across the desert illegally, have zero tolerance for anyone who becomes injured or ill.

In 2009 I attended a border crossing memorial service, which is held once a week in Douglas, Arizona. People are organized to process down the main street that leads to the border crossing station. Each participant is asked to carry one or more simple wooden cross. Each cross contains the name of a person who died in the desert near that border crossing. As the procession moves down the street the person in front pauses, reads the name of the person on their cross, their age, and the year of their death - “Maria, 4 years old, 2003.” After the reading the cross is set down. Sometimes the people have no identification and so the marker simply says, “male, about 18 years old, 1999” or “female, about 25, 2003”. Then the next person moves ahead and repeats the ritual. Before long the street is lined with crosses, the line goes on for a mile or more. White crosses, plain wood crosses, one after another, all in remembrance of a real person who perished in the desert.
The remains of over 5000 people have been found in that one small region in the last decade.

When I read this story in Exodus, of the Israelites wandering for forty years, getting hungry and discouraged, I am filled with some real life understanding of how difficult this journey was. It’s no wonder they began to grumble to Moses and his brother Aaron, complaining about the lack of food and water and wondering why they ever left Egypt in the first place.

Even if you have never been in the desert each of us has surely had a time in our lives when we have wondered, “Why me?” or, “God, where are you?” times when life is filled with challenges and struggle and difficulty, fear and grief, worry, frustration, and anger, have become so much a part of everyday life that despair is the “new normal.”

Our readings have two themes this morning – “where is God?” And, “what does God’s justice look like?” The point is, how do we remain faithful when life feels unfair?
The Israelites are blaming Moses for their starvation. Moses appeals to God for help and God assures Moses that food will be provided – bread in the morning and meat at night – enough food that the people will know that God is with them. Enough food to help this band of frightened wandering people learn to trust in the goodness of God, for God will always provide.

In our Philippians reading Paul is in prison, facing the real potential that he will be executed by the Roman soldiers for being a follower of Christ. Still he writes this letter encouraging the Philippians to have hope, to trust in the goodness of God.

A journey of faith is one that includes many dimensions. Being a Christian does not mean that we are exempt from the bad stuff. As a person of faith, informed by prayer and scripture and a community of others who have struggled, a community that prayers with and for us, we come to trust that God is with us on this journey, that God intends to sustain us and help us through, even when we have no idea how God is helping, nor even how we are going to manage. But the truth is when we have travelled through a few of these challenging times we begin to understand that God is indeed with us, and somehow we do make it through, and somehow we do come, eventually, to a place of healing and wholeness. Sometimes all that means is we feel at peace and have a sense of wholeness - even when nothing in our lives has really changed, except how we feel. Sometimes God’s grace, God’s presence is being manifested through a transformation of our inner selves, more than in the change of external circumstances. Sometimes God’s grace is made manifest through others, the community, who surround us in prayer like a shawl around our shoulders.

Our readings this morning serve as a reminder that the key, to moving through the challenges and growing in our faith, is three fold: our willingness to walk the journey, our willingness to walk with others in their journey, and our ability to trust in the goodness of God, even when all the evidence is to the contrary. We cannot skirt our problems, nor push them away, nor ignore them, though we may want too. Our gospel reminds us that God’s justice requires us to be attentive to how, as individuals, our actions impact others, and how one culture can affect the rest of the world – to pay attention too and understand how, what we consume, even our cup of coffee or tea, impacts the global economy and affects the livelihood of our sisters and brothers.

In so doing, we will come to know that not only does God hear our prayers, joins us in the journey, sustains us in our struggles, and loves us just as we are – BUT God expects from us that we will do likewise, that we will be attentive to our neighbors. Thus, instead of being lead by our anxieties and apprehensions, we become disciples, we become the hands and heart of Christ, guided by the love of God.

How Many Times?

2011-09-10T11:08:00.001-04:00

A reflection on the readings for Proper 19A:Exodus 14:19-31; Psalm 114; Matthew 18:21-35, on the 10th anniversary of the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2011.

The other night Dan and I were sitting in the family room, watching a movie. Suddenly we heard an odd noise in the wall. A noise that had our cat glued to the spot! Some more odd sounds and some scrambling and scratching took place; all the while the cat was motionless, staring at the spot. Dan and I wondered what was in the wall – a squirrel? A chipmunk? A mouse? After about 40 minutes there was a loud screech and the cat jumped backward! Suddenly there was a mouse running for its life around the family room floor. A mad chase ensued, the cat cornering the mouse, Dan and I overturning furniture to try and grab it, the dogs barking, and the poor mouse, a blur as it ran from corner to corner. Finally, after several failed attempts, I scooped the mouse up in a rag and ran outside to let it go. I know the mice are seeking a warm nest for the winter, but they will soon learn that this house, with these dogs and cats, is not a safe harbor for them.

Playing a game of cat and mouse is what I think of when I read this story in Exodus between Moses, God, and Pharaoh. Remember our dramatic reading last week, God commands Moses to tell Pharaoh to release the Israelites from slavery? Pharaoh refuses, so God sends forth plagues to torment the Egyptians. Frogs, gnats, skin boils, flies, all kinds of pestilence. Ten times Moses asks for release, ten times Pharaoh refuses, ten times God sends a plague, ten times Pharaoh begs for release and swears to be nice and change his ways, and ten times, the reading says – “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” Like a game of cat and mouse. And, the game continues right up to our reading today, ending with the death of many Egyptians, drowned in the very water God separated to rescue the Israelites.

This just doesn’t seem very God-like to me.

So, I went looking for some Midrash, for what the Rabbi’s had to say. One Midrash said that God had to do this, play this game, in order to convince the Israelites that God was God and Pharaoh was NOT God. We even hear that at the end of today’s reading. It was common in the ancient world for people to believe that Pharaohs and Emperors and Kings were Gods. So God took away Pharaohs free will, something only the one true God could do, so the Midrash says. And, thus Pharaoh had no choice.

I think there are some real problems with this Midrash. It makes me think of the book, “Under the Banner of Heaven” by John Krakauer. It’s the story of the murder of a young woman and her infant daughter by her brother in law. The brother in law used, as a defense, the idea that God had told him to do this – he was doing God’s will, he had no choice. Fearing that other criminals would justify violence as doing God’s will, the prosecutors, being people of faith, built a great defensive strategy. They had a Mormon psychologist testify about the difference between God speaking to us in prayer, and someone who, for one reason or another, is incapable of sound judgment, and thus capable of heinous crimes.

Then another Midrash offers this. The Hebrew word for “harden” as in God hardened Pharaoh’s heart can also be interpreted as “strengthen” – God strengthened Pharaoh’s heart. Ten times Moses goes and prays, God releases the plague, and Pharaoh changes his mind. Pharaoh is on a downward spiral, he is out of control. For some reason he is determined to get his way, to do what he wants. We all know people who continue to make destructive decisions regardless of all the efforts to help them make better life choices.

Rachel Kahntroster writing in the Huffington Post, offers this Midrash from a contemporary rabbi -

“The Fast of Tisha B'Av, which (began) this year on the night of Aug. 8, has been a way for the Jewish community to confront and contain trauma through the telling of stories. First established to commemorate the destruction of First Temple in B.C.E. 586, it has become the day to relive the trauma of many other national calamities. … The rabbis tell the story of Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai and Rabbi Joshua visiting the ruins of the Second Temple after it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. Rabbi Joshua bursts into tears, anguished that the place where Israel atoned for its sins (through sacrifice and burnt offerings) had been destroyed. Rabbi Yochanan comforts him, declaring that deeds of lovingkindness (chesed) had more power to achieve atonement and heal a broken world than sacrifice ever could. Chesed is not just something God shows us; it is our obligation to our fellow human beings in light of unimaginable tragedy. Chesed and not hatred or revenge.”

And, then there is this comment on Psalm 114 by Marcia Brown-Ludwig (of the UCC Massachusetts Conference):

“At the time this (Psalm) was written, the God of Jacob supposedly belonged to the Israelite people – but now at least three faiths claim this same God as the One God: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. As we consider how divided people of faith remain at our time of history – especially on the anniversary of a day when so many felt it was one religion against another (September 11, 2001), may we remember that the Earth is home to all of us, these three faiths and all the rest of the people who live on this planet.

These readings, placed in the context of our Gospel reading, remind us that forgiveness is the central focus of the day. Thomas Long, a biblical scholar wrote this about today’s Gospel reading:

"… we are sailing…on a deep sea of grace…. forgiveness is not to be dispensed with an eyedropper, but a fire hose" (Thomas Long, Matthew, Westminster Bible Companion).

The Exodus story was written thousands of years ago in a different language – the context of the story as it was first intended is lost to us. At the very least we can attempt to understand it through a historical lens that reminds us that the societies and cultures were built on different principles. Civil society with laws and rules, with social justice and acts of compassion, were formed as society shifted from nomadic families to diverse cultures living together in larger and larger cities.

As Christians we have come to know the formation of a just society through the life of Jesus – as one who models for us how we are to live. Our Gospel reading points us in that direction, the concept of forgiveness and compassion is present in the story we hear. “Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often should I forgive? Jesus said to him, "… seventy-seven times – in other words, over and over.”

A Litany of Reconciliation from Coventry Cathedral, written in response to the bombing that destroyed the Cathedral in 1940, ends with this:

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

What we take away from these readings, what ever we feel about the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, one thing holds true – we will find our safe harbor in every effort we make to forgive others, to love, to show compassion, for we will be supported by God, who will strengthen our hearts and sustain us. Over. And Over. And Over.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-09-05T14:21:00.000-04:00

I spent the day at the church, leading a special Eucharist for Labor Day and a prayer vigil initiating our Week of Prayer to Transform the Tragedy of 9/11 into a Mission of Unity and Hope.

Here is one of the prayers from the booklet I created using prayers from the Episcopal Tradition, and prayers from other traditions:

Buddhist Vow

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow not to kill.

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not take what is not given.

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not engage in abusive relationships.

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not speak falsely or deceptively.

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not harm self or other through Poisonous thought or substance.

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not dwell on past errors.

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not possess any thing or form of life Selfishly.

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not harbor ill will toward any plant, animal or
Human being.

Knowing how deeply our lives intertwine, We vow to not abuse the great truth of the Three Treasures.

(In Buddhism, the Three Treasures refer to the Buddha, the dharma – teachings, and the sangha – community)

Whether you are laboring this day or resting or feasting with friends and family, may it be blessed.

Sunday Prayer: Proper 18A/Pentecost 12

2011-09-04T20:19:00.000-04:00

Gracious God, who hears our prayers, whoStrengthens hearts (tho we do our best to harden them)who blesses, over and over, Be with those who suffer andBring them peace.Be with those who hunger andNourish them, as only you can.Be with those who weep andWipe away their tears.Be with this who rejoice andshare their joy.Be with us all, however weAre this day. And help usTo be your hands and heartLoving others as we love self, you.Help me to pray for all:
May I be free from danger,
May I be free from fear,
May I be healthy,
May I dwell in peace.

May you be free from danger,
May you be free from fear,
May you be healthy,
May you dwell in peace.

May all beings be free from danger,
May all beings be free from fear,
May all beings be healthy,
May all beings dwell in peace.

(Traditional Buddhist Prayer)

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Pray, It May Be The Last Thing

2011-09-03T20:45:00.000-04:00

Pray for those
who persecute you.

Have you ever
actually
tried to do this?

I did once.

I was having
a very difficult time
with someone
who had a fair amount
of authority and control
over my life
and was causing me
all kinds of challenges.

Because this person
could influence
the outcome
of some work
I was doing
I had to tread lightly.

I wanted
to dislike this person
and rail against them,
but
that would have been
counter productive.

One day
it occurred to me
that
what I ought to be doing
was praying for this person.

Admittedly
the very thought
of holding this person
in my prayers
almost made me ill.

Prayer was my time
with God,
a time for me
to be vulnerable,
to share my grievances,
a time to be silent
and still,
to find peace.

All of that
would be disrupted
if I brought this person
into my prayers.

And so
for a time
I fought the impulse
to pray for this person.

But eventually
I decided to try praying
for this person.

My anger
was so strong
that all I could muster
was to say the persons name
while in prayer,
and nothing else.

Day after day
for months
I offered this person,
by name,
up in prayer.

Nothing else,
just their name.

And a weird thing happened.

After awhile
my anger subsided
and went away.
Somehow
I had the ability within
to no longer
allow the actions
of this person
to manage
how I felt.

Something inside me
shifted
and I was no longer held
in the grip
of that person.

True
the person continued
to be who they were,
not nice.
But their impact
on me
was diminished,
gone.

Inside
I felt a greater
ease and peace.

Praying for those
who wound us
does not mean
that we accept
abuse
or violence
or bad behavior.

We are to love self –
neither
abusing others
nor accepting
abuse of self
are acts of love.

Praying is an act
that invites transformation
because it is an invitation
for God to act
in and through us.

Joan Chittister
in her book,
Scarred by Struggle
Transformed by Hope says,
“The hard thing
to come to understand
in life
is that it is the
becoming
that counts,
not the achievements…
When despair comes
we have to dispel it
with hope,
we have to make
the effort…
holding on
when holding on
seems pointless,
brings us
to that point of
personal transformation
which is the juncture
of maturity and sagacity…
the struggles of life
may indeed shunt us
from mountain top
to mountain top
but
they will not
destroy us.” (pg 110)

Prayer has enabled me
to have hope
when I had no hope,
to take that next breath,
that next step,
prayer holds onto me
until I can take the next one,
to keep on going.

Because prayer
has enabled hope
to live within me.
And hope enables me
to trust
in the ultimate goodness
of God,
even when
all the evidence
is to the contrary.

Today
I invite us
into a week of prayer
with the hope
of transforming
the tragedy of 9-11
into a mission of unity.

This transformation
is not just my hope.

There is a movement afoot,
from the Presiding Bishop,
Katharine Jefforts Schori,
to various agencies
and houses of worship
in the Detroit metropolitan area,
seeking
this transformation
from tragedy
to hope and unity.

Prayer is an action,
a response,
we can make
to an egregious act
of senseless violence.

Prayer is as much about
transforming our hearts
as it about transforming
the hearts of others,
even those
who persecute us.

Prayer helps me
as I strive
to follow the instruction
of Paul
in his letter
to the Romans:
“for the one
who loves
another has fulfilled
the law.”

I invite you
to participate
in the prayer vigil
held here tomorrow,
beginning with a special
Labor Day Eucharist
at 10am,
followed by a prayer vigil
until 7pm.

I invite you
to also take home
and use this
book of prayers
we created for
individuals and families
for a week of prayer.

And,
I invite you
to pray with me now,
opening
the Book of Common Prayer
to page 833,
let us pray
the prayer attributed to St. Francis:
Lord, make us instruments of your peace...

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Friday Five: September

2011-09-02T08:41:00.001-04:00

Headquarters for me is the northeast of the United States. Here school is getting back in session, the tease of autumn is in the air (or the hope for the tease of autumn is in the air) and church life is gearing up to full throttle.

One thing I've learned with blogging and social media is that the where I live is not necessarily where you live. And so I want to know what September means to you, in your place of the world and time in your life.

This week's Friday Five is:

What are 5 things that the beginning of September mean to you?

1. Relief from long hot steamy weather....which I love, but am always ready to move from summer to autumn.

2. Apples, September is apple season where I live, particularly picked fresh from a local orchard. I like sweet apples for slicing and eating with lunch or in my breakfast yogurt, and tart apples for baking.

3. Start up of fall programs and events at the church, and a return to a more formal worship with choir and longer sermon, vestments and chanting the Eucharistic prayer.

4. Time still moves relatively slow in September but the early morning chill reminds me that the busy, fast moving winter seasons are coming...and so, September is an opportunity to remember to rest and breath.

5. The changing light as the sun moves south casting shadows. A sun that has not gone so far south as to lose it's heat, still warm even as the air has a chill.

Bonus: What's one thing you could do without? Yellow jackets craving liquids, buzzing all over?

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Busha

2011-08-29T08:37:00.001-04:00

The first time I met my mother in law was Easter Day at a family gathering. Dan and I were engaged and planning our wedding, but at the age of 28 we had skipped a lot of formalities such as meeting each others extended family, even though we had known each other for two years. We met at Eddie Bauer and were co-workers, then friends, before starting to date. Once we starting dating our relationship progressed quickly to an engagement. There really hadn't been tome to meet family. However, in the years before we met, my husband to be had gone though a rough patch and his family was protective of him. So, this family gathering, and first time meeting, held layers of emotion for everyone. I was fairly positive I'd like all of them, but not at all certain what they would think of me, engaged to their son, brother, uncle, before they'd even met me. I knew my mother in law-to- be had called my mother to inquire her opinion of this engagement and pending marriage. A protective mamma bear looking out for her youngest man-child.

That Easter gathering occurred at my sister-in-laws house. A two story aluminum sided house on the NW side of Chicago, in the same neighborhood they'd grown up in. Just up the street from the St. Paschal's, the family parish and school. The house was filled with people, most of them young, many of them kids. Everyone pitching in, man and woman, young and old, to watch the little kids, prepare the food, and then clean up afterward. I fell in love instantly with every last one of them. Thankfully, the feelings were mutual.

Twenty six Easters have passed since that first one. And, while Easter was grand, Christmas at Busha and Papa's was glorious! The meal included prime rib and an array of German and Polish dishes that have become family favorites, recipes I try to recreate for our kids. In the early days of our marriage Christmas at Busha's was a day long feast of food, homemade cookies, and gifts! Busha spent weeks baking and decorating and preparing for a gathering of her four grown kids, their spouses, and eight grandkids, not to mention the many extended family friends who would stop by. As always, everyone helped. Some of my fondest memories are of washing dishes after that Christmas meal, and delighting in a series of family stories told year after year.

In time Busha had to give up hosting the family meals and then we divided them among us, I had Thanksgiving, others had Christmas and Easter. Bush still cooked what she could and brought it to the meal. But these last few years she has not been well enough to cook. And then since February she has been on a long slow spiral down. She gave up and relinquished her spirit, crawled into herself, and drifted away. Parkinson's had ravaged her body, her mind, and her spirit.

What I remember about my mother in law is her love, her smile, and her caring nature. She loved her family. Even though my kids were the youngest of the grandkids she loved them as if they were her only grandkids, she loved them all that way. In many ways she was more of a mother to me than my own mom. She helped me in the early days of motherhood, assuring me when I doubted, reminding me that the colic would not last forever, watching the kids now and then and feeding them food they still talk about! When my daughter went through a finicky clothing phase, she continued to love anything her Busha bought for her- and would wear it! My mother in law and I could talk together with ease. For a number of years I took her to one of her many doctor's appointments and afterward we would go out for lunch. She loved beef barley soup!

No doubt she could be difficult. But most of her difficult side was spared on us. Dan and I rarely saw that side of her. In fact Dan could almost always make her laugh, or smile. He had a way with her, and she with him. But of course, he was her baby, her youngest.

She loved generously, graciously.

After a long battle, she died on Friday. Tuesday is her wake, Wednesday her funeral. I am not going, although the rest of the family will be there. I am staying in Michigan, caring for our three dogs, working, doing what I have to do. This is a peculiar decision, we know. But it seems to be the decision that puts my husband most at ease. He can be fully present for his mothers wake and funeral without worrying about our dogs. (Of course, our kids will be there, too). My job is to tend to our old dogs, give them their meds, and their walks. My mother in law would have been the first to suggest this. She was always about the practical, the least fuss. Adaptive. She would totally understand.

Honestly, we knew this day was coming when we left Chicago last spring, I said goodbye to her just before ww moved to Michigan, knowing I'd never see her again. But, she lives on, as she was, vibrant, the Busha, in my memories, my heart, my love...

Rest in peace, Busha! And, give Papa my love.

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Life Lessons

2011-08-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

A reflection on the readings for Proper 17A:Exodus 3:1-15, Romans 12:9-21. Matthew 16:21-28

I remember sitting on the counter in my grandmother’s kitchen, talking to my mother on the telephone. Outside the window it was a glorious sunny day, light bouncing off the rock bluffs, scrub trees and pine which define the beautiful mountains that surround the Salt Lake City Valley. I have no idea what my mom and I were talking about, just the usual topics for a five year old and her mom. Suddenly everything began to tremble. My grandmother had decorative soup ladles and dishes hanging on her kitchen walls and I watched them swing back and forth before they crashed to the floor. Perhaps a minute or two passed as the earth shook and things clattered. As far as I know this earthquake in Salt Lake City didn’t cause any wide spread damage, I’m not even sure it was strong enough to be news worthy, but it left an impression on me.

Years later I am the mother of a teen age daughter whose high school sweet heart has joined the army right after graduation. For the next four year we make several trips to visit this young man and support him through basic training, a couple of years of stateside service and then what we could do to support him during the fourteen months he was deployed to Afghanistan. One of our trips to visit him took us to Fayetteville, North Carolina. During that visit my son Peter and I ventured out on our own, leaving Jessi and her boyfriend to wander the shopping malls and visit with friends. Peter and I drove from Fayetteville to Wilmington where we wandered the beach side landmarks of the Civil War, took a long walk up the beach, and had lunch at a fabulous seashore fish house. I remember the sand on this beach was the whitest sand, soft and fine, with lots of shells to collect. I think of that very beach today, ravaged now by hurricane Irene. And I think of all the people afflicted first by the earthquake that hit the east coast, and now by this massive storm.
Our life experiences, regardless of whether they are good experiences or difficult ones, provide the foundation for our ability to understand the joys and sufferings of others. Having experiences in common deepens our capacity for empathy and compassion.

Some Jewish Midrash, which is the process by which rabbis wrestle with stories from the torah, suggest that Moses had to learn about compassion and empathy before he could become the leader of the Hebrew people.

Last week, as our Old Testament reading moved from Genesis to Exodus, we heard the story of Moses’ birth and his subsequent adoption by the Pharaoh’s daughter. In the chapters between last week and the reading this morning Moses has grown up, privileged in the Pharaoh’s home, and yet he knows that he is a Hebrew, not an Egyptian. As a young adult Moses tries to establish friendships with other Hebrews but his rejected. He witnesses an Egyptian beating a Hebrew man and in the process of defending the Hebrew man Moses kills the Egyptian. And for this he runs away and ends up in the countryside, tending sheep and marrying the daughter of the man who owns the flock. It’s while tending sheep that he encounters the burning bush in our reading from this morning. Over and over Moses will learn about human nature, about humility, about following God, and of developing compassion through the challenges life throws our way.

This same theme is echoed in the reading this morning in Romans and the Gospel – we are to show compassion for all people. Our ability to love as God loves comes from our life experiences, which form in us the capacity for compassion.
True, our life experiences can also form in us the capacity to be angry and bitter, always complaining, and never able to give others the benefit of the doubt. We have choices in how we respond to what life deals us. As we move through the Exodus story we will hear how Moses points the way to compassion and faithful living. Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds the congregation to: 9Let love be genuine…. 10love one another with mutual affection; …extend hospitality to strangers. ….15Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16Live in harmony with one another…. And Jesus helps us understand this further with his call that we pick up our cross and follow him. Jesus doesn’t say to pick up his cross and be Jesus, he says to follow him bearing our own crosses – regardless of what life has dealt us to become people who ground our lives in love and compassion for ourselves and for others.

To this end I invite us into a week of prayer from Sept. 5 through Sept. 11. Our Presiding Bishop has asked that churches leave their doors open so that all may come and pray. Pray with the intent of transforming the events of Sept. 11 into a mission of unity and hope. So we will offer a special Eucharist on Monday, Sept. 5, Labor Day, at 10am, followed by a self-led all day prayer vigil. We invited the Dearborn police department and fire department and Mayors office to feel to free to come and pray any time during the vigil. You may come on that Monday for a short while or a long time. We will have booklets available with a variety of prayers for you to pick and choose from, or to pray through the entire booklet.
We will also have, next Sunday, a booklet to take home, with daily prayers for individuals and families. Prayers for morning, noon, the evening meal, and bedtime, which you are invited to use, particularly, during the week leading up to the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Sunday of 9/11 there will be a variety of local opportunities available such as a vigil at the Henry Ford Museum at 6:30pm, and opportunities for work with WISDOM and outreach missions of Detroit – the details will be in our newsletter.
Both booklets contain prayers from the Book of Common Prayer as well as prayers from the New Zealand Prayer book and other faith traditions. Prayers that invite us to see the divine working in and through the world, calling us to live lives of peace, of love, of compassion. Here is one such prayer:

May I be free from danger,

May I be free from fear,

May I be healthy,

May I dwell in peace.

May you be free from danger,

May you be free from fear,

May you be healthy,

May you dwell in peace.

May all beings be free from danger,

May all beings be free from fear,

May all beings be healthy,

May all beings dwell in peace.

(Traditional Buddhist Prayer)

Friday Five: Rainy Day

2011-08-26T09:17:00.000-04:00

Sally, over at RevGals offers this Friday Five, wondering what we do on a rainy day:

1. At home? Sit in a room where I can watch the rain, read, listen to music, drink coffee or tea. Essentially enjoy and rest.

2. In your local area? I often think it would be fun to sit in a coffee shop and read, but in reality I find them noisy with people talking too loudly to one another or on their cell phones. So, if I really have to get out on a rainy day I may go to a movie or the library.

3. If you are away on holiday?If I am in my one of my dad's house in Utah (Escalante, southern Utah near Bryce Canon or Hanna in northeast Utah in the Uinta Mts), I prefer it not rain while on vacation. Although I did once have a lovely vacation on the Pacific shore of south western Washington state, where it rained most of the time, but made for delightful beach walks when it wasn't rainy. We read, worked on a jig saw puzzle, and took a drive down the coast to Cannon Beach, Oregon (it was sunny that day).

4. Name a rainy day read. Any book I am currently reading. Lately I am reading a lot of murder mysteries: the China Bayles series, for example - murders in a small make-believe town in Texas that involve a detective-lawyer who owns a tea shop and sells herbs- delightful books, actually.

5. Is there a piece of music/ a poem/ story that cheers you up? Mozart or YoYo Ma on cello is always a relaxing way to appreciate a rain storm.

Bonus: post a rainy day photo Here is a photo of a monsoon over the Santa Rita mountain range south of Tucson, Arizona...

Listen (adapted)

2011-08-24T13:48:00.000-04:00

Standing in the garden,
left hand laden
with ripe strawberries (or in my case, tomatoes and cucumbers and beans). The sun

beams off the glassy
backs of flies. Three
birds in the birch tree (or in my case, the silver and Japanese maples)

They must have been there
all year.

My mother, my great-grandmother,
stood like this
in their gardens, (picking peaches, or asparagus)

I am 54. (although the poet who wrote this was 43)
This year I have planted my feet
on this ground

and am practicing
growing up out of my legs
like a tree.

(Original version by Linda Lancione Moyer, in WomanPrayers edited by Mary Ford-Grabowsky)

Monday Morning Musings

2011-08-22T08:15:00.001-04:00

We've rounded the bend, so to speak. Although we may have more hot and humid days, the worst is over, at least in southeast Michigan. I do worry about our climate, about global warming, for it seems we seldom have a day of rain. Instead we have severe storms blow through with high winds, causing much damage to trees and homes. These storms carry buckets of rain which in a short amount of time flood basements, window wells, and streets. Then there's the high temperatures and drought in the south and southwest....I can only imagine what winter holds in store...

But on this morning, I am resting. Appreciating the bright sun and cooler temperatures, there's a chill in the air, hinting of autumn. Stirring memory senses of fresh crisp apples, and leaves changes color, of sweaters and jeans, and clogs, and homemade socks. I'm listening to Mozart, enjoying some coffee, and reading Mary Oliver:

"Mozart, for example"

All the quick notes
Mozart didn’t have time to use
before he entered the cloud boat

are falling now from the beaks
of the finches
that have gathered from the joyous summer

into the hard winter
and, like Mozart, they speak of nothing
but light and delight,

though it is true, the heavy blades of the world
are still pounding underneath.
And this is what you can do too, maybe,

if you live simply and with a lyrical heart
in the cumbered neighborhoods or even,
as Mozart sometimes managed to, in a palace,

offering tune after tune after tune,
making some hard-hearted prince
prudent and kind, just by being happy.

-Mary Oliver:Thirst; Beacon Press Boston, 2006

It's a day off for me and I have much to do.... But first a little respite. I hope you enjoy this day too, and share with me a little something that makes you happy!

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In Which God Prevails, again

2011-08-20T16:32:00.004-04:00

A reflection on the readings for Proper 16A, Exodus 1:8-2:10

During my vacation I read a number of books. One of them, Caleb's Crossing, was written by a Geraldine Brooks, a favorite author of mine. It tells the story of the first Native American to attend Harvard University in the 1600's. Brooks, a former corespondent for the Wall Street Journal covering the war in Bosnia, Somalia, and the Middle East, is now a Pulitzer prize winning novelist. Her books deal with struggles in society between the dominant culture and those marginalized by society and seen as threatening. My favorite book is called. "People of the Book." in it she tells the story inspired by the Sarajevo Haggadah. An Haggadah is a book used by the Jewish people at their Seder Passover meal to tell the sacred story of Exodus from Egypt.

I've attended several Seders and even a couple of delightful women's Seders created my rabbi friend Lisa and the female cantor at the synagogue in Illinois. A women's Seder tells the Passover and Exodus story through eyes of Miriam and the women, instead of Moses. Through the eyes of the women who cooked the meals and danced and sang. They were delightful!

The story “People of the Book” is a wonderful fictitious portrait of how the Sarajevo Haggadah may have been created and survived the Crusades, the Holocaust, and the war in Bosnia. It’s a story of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, all working together, even in times of war and persecution, to protect one another and this book.

After a summer of reflecting on the Book of Genesis we have now moved from that book to Exodus. Genesis and Exodus, along with Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy comprise the first five books of the Bible known also as the Pentateuch, or the Torah, or the Books of Moses. At one time it was thought that Moses actually wrote all five of these books, but scholars now know that they were written over hundreds of years by many different people. Nonetheless these five books tell the story of the formation of the Hebrew people, the early followers of Yaweh, the God of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel, and Joseph. The Genesis story concluded last week with a Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel, now grown, living in Egypt and serving as counsel to the Pharaoh. This week the story continues many generations later with this Pharaoh feeling threatened by the Israelites. Once the Israelites were the favored immigrants in Egypt, but now they are seen as a threat.

A tempting political strategy, whether an Egyptian pharaoh or more current examples of genocide such as what has happened in the Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, or Serbia-Croatia, involve trying to solidify power by singling out another group and calling them the enemy. Fear of others can be a powerful source of unity. In Genesis we hear about the blessings God gives the Israelites by way of land and descendants. But now those same descendants are described by Pharaoh as a threat that may endanger Egypt's security and way of life. Pharaoh's responds by trying three different strategies to suppress the Israelites: Pharaoh enslaves them; he commands midwives to kill Hebrew boys at birth, and then he commands all Egyptians to throw Hebrew boys into the Nile River.

Pharaoh tries to turn the Nile River, Egypt's main source of water and life, into an instrument of death. Yet the women in this story succeed in bringing forth God’s desire for justice, for the well-being of all people.

God intervenes and none of the Pharaoh’s strategies work. And, typical of God, God intervenes in the most unexpected ways – through midwives, through mothers, and sisters, and daughters – including the Pharaoh’s own daughter who rescues Moses after his mother and sister contrive a way to save the baby. Such a wild set of “coincidences” could only be of God…

This ancient text from Exodus still speaks to us today through our own issues of race and politics, religion, gender, power, the war on terror, immigration, the global economy, and all that threaten the well-being of our selves, our neighbors, and the world around us. Reminding us that there are many threats in the world today, but in and through them all we are called first and foremost to be a people of faith. To trust that God is and will work in and through us too. But to do that we need to open ourselves up to God and become the vessel through which God can work, the means by which we become the hands and heart of Christ.

portions of this reflction were informed from this commentary by Stacey M. Floyd-Thomas, The African American Lectionary, 2009

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Another perspective on "The Help"

2011-08-18T16:52:00.001-04:00

For another perspective other than mine: go here...it will be worth your time.

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Twenty Six

2011-08-18T08:08:00.001-04:00

Yesterday my husband I celebrated our twenty sixth wedding anniversary. Traditionally on our anniversary we go to a movie and then later dinner in a nice restaurant. Tentatively we had planned to see The Help, but I changed my mind, in part because of the various perspectives critical of the movie. It's given me a lot to think about, but issues around "-isms" always do. Anyway, instead of a movie we went out to lunch, to the local Panera Cares. This is one of a couple of Panera's around the country that uses day-old food from other nearby Panera's, with only a suggested donation, for the coat. The intent is that those who can't afford to pay full price can pay what they are able while others may pay more (like we did) than the retail price. The food is always good, and the place was busy! Afterward ww walked our dogs, one of our favorite activities.

We decided to stay home for dinner, mostly because we haven't found a favorite restaurant, yet. Usually we find a local place that is our "go to" place for breakfast and another place for special dinners out.....but so far none of the places we've gone to have become that. So we stayed home. But we still had a great meal. We bought lobster tail and filet mignon and grilled them with a little olive oil and garlic over mesquite wood chips. We also grilled portobello mushroom caps, and had a side of fresh corn off the cob with steamed green bean from our garden. Dessert was homemade fresh peach oatmeal bars with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

All in all a good day.

The way we spent this anniversary is typical of how we have lived these twenty six years, with simple ordinary pleasures, doing what we can to be attentive to the world around us, and a little indulgence in a homemade meal.

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Wondering

2011-08-15T06:32:00.001-04:00

Yesterday morning I posted a few, still forming thoughts, on "-isms" spurred by the critical acclaim at the box office, and the critiques, of the book and movie, "The Help." And, frankly I was also feeling irritable from watching an interview on "Meet the Press" with Michelle Bachman, who deflected every question with sound bite answers, like a "Stepford Wife," programmed with what to say but without a thoughtfully active brain cell supplying the ability to be insightful. Irritated because I can't believe anyone finds her, or any of the GOP/Tea Party folk, Presidential material. (Harsh words for me, a strident supporter of women in leadership, except her leadership style lacks integrity and intelligence.... really, I have to get off of this trajectory, I have other things I'm thinking about). There was a good YouTube clip floating around Facebook yesterday of a Republican talking about GOP reform, of wanting his party back, the reflective, intelligent, GOP, the party of Abraham Lincoln and the husband of the late great, Betty Ford.

Anyway, I digress, but that's what happens when one is trying to be thoughtful, to think things through from a number of perspectives...

Where I'm really going with my wanderings this morning is this: if one of the critiques of "The Help" is that it's racist, that it's about white folk to the rescue, then I'm wondering about the creative imagination. Thinking like this suggests to me that men should never write about women, or try to articulate a story about women's concerns. And, women should never write about the ideas, feelings, and experiences of men, nor should any ethnic group try to get inside the head of another and write from their perspective. We should stick to only our own experience and not attempt to enter inside the experiences of another. We should not attempt to walk in the shoes of another. Right? Isn't this a logical conclusion of some of the criticism?

And, secondly. "The Help" is just a book, a fictional story that reflects on what life may been like for people like the characters in the book. -"isms" of all kinds - sexism, racism, genderism, marriage rights, etc. are rampant in the world. The dominant group, regardless of color or religion or ethnicity, always has a tendency to enforce it's worldview on the less dominant groups....not that this is right to do, but it happens. In all regards we as human beings are able to live into a better sense of self, other, community, when we embrace fully the Golden Rule, "Do do others as you would do for your self."

Just wondering?

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Telling Stories

2011-08-14T09:31:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking about racism lately. Actually I think about it a lot, along with the other isms. I thought about isms when "So You Think You Can Dance" ended up with two women as finalists. That's a first for these reality television shows, and kind of cool! Made me wonder what's going on? Of course my next thought was, "the white woman will win." I'm convinced that racism and sexism are so pervasive, so unconscious, as a cultural norm, that our group "think" lives into acts of prejudice and then denies it because of how the game is played. As far as that television show, it may be that Melanie really was the better dancer, but as a dance major myself, I couldn't be certain of that.

More to the point I'm thinking of the book, "The Help" and the recently released movie version. I listened to the book on my iPod while driving from Arizona to Illinois in 2010. I wrote about it here. I'm thinking about the comments that the book reflects racist attitudes of "whites to the rescue" and " white people telling a black person's story." And, I suppose there is some truth to that. But, mostly I think white people are getting racism muddled with that line of thinking and as a result failing to see the story for what it is. For me it is a story about women, of different classes, facing similar cultural oppression, forced into narrow expectations for behavior, and devoiced. These women join together to tell their story, using the only means available, risking their safety and security. It is a story about strong women, survivors, who, in telling their stories, find their voices, and become even stronger, more authentic. It's as much about sexism as it is about racism, about the white woman finding her voice, too, not just using her privilege to tell the black woman's story. In that, finding of voice, all the women share something in common.

Which leads me to Michelle Bachman and her comment after winning the Iowa straw vote, about "taking BACK the White House." Is the White House not a government building, owned by the American people who though paying taxes, support that house? And who, by voting, the American people choose who resides there? So she plans to take it away from "us," those who elected a black man to lead us? If you want to talk about racism, let's start with the politics of our country, and the backlash that Obama faces every day. Let's not accept that ridiculous rhetoric and allow it to be the accepted story.

For more thoughts in this direction go here

And, for an interview with Viola Davis, who plays Abilene in the movie here
And here

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Friday Five

2011-08-12T09:14:00.001-04:00

The Place I Want To Get Back To

is where
in the pinewoods
in the moments between
the darkness

and first light
two deer
came walking down the hill
and when they saw me

they said to each other, okay,
this one is okay,
let's see who she is
and why she is sitting

on the ground, like that,
so quiet, as if
asleep, or in a dream,
but, anyway, harmless;

and so they came
on their slender legs
and gazed upon me
not unlike the way

I go out to the dunes and look
and look and look
into the faces of flowers;
and then one of them leaned forward

and nuzzled my hand, and what can my life
bring to me that could exceed
that brief moment?
For twenty years

I have gone every day to the same woods,
not waiting, exactly, just lingering.
Such gifts bestowed,
can't be repeated.

If you want to talk about this
come to visit. I live in the house
near the corner, which I have named
Gratitude.

(Mary Oliver, "Thirst", Beacon Press, 2006)

For this Friday Five I invite you to offer five gratitudes you recognize in your life.

Coming to the end of my vacation I found myself with a little time to jump in and offer this Friday Five on gratitude.

1. Vacation, time to rest, read, renew
2. Summer, garden, walking, shorts and t-shirts and sandals, easy
3. Work, grateful to be where I am
4. God, been through a lot, had my faith tested big time! But as I suspected during the time of trial, God was here all along.
5. Mary Oliver, I am grateful for her poems!

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There's Something About Yesterday.....

2011-08-11T08:29:00.001-04:00

Forty-five days of record breaking heat. Here in South East Michigan that means we just had 45 consecutive days with temperatures over 80 degrees. Admittedly, breaking a record that includes a high temp of 80 or more cracks me up. Especially after living in Arizona, with months of temperatures over 100, being the norm. But also because I am painfully aware of the people suffering through heat and drought in Texas and the southern states of US, where heat and humidity are common, but not months of over 100.

Truth be told, many of those 45 days the temps here were in the 90's and even a couple of days of 102. Working in a church without air conditioning, we felt the heat. I abandoned my alb, that polyester white robe that is tradition in the Episcopal church. I had the altar party wear street clothes, instead of robes they usually wear. Some parishioners were upset about this, I understand.

But yesterday the temperature dipped into the 70's, with low humidity and a low dew point. There was a chill in the air. All day I had this memory-sense of anticipation. Autumn is coming and with it this memory of preparing for the school year to start. Every year of my childhood my mother would make clothes and buy clothes for me, my wardrobe for the start of a new school year. We would buy school supplies and organize binders, paper, pencils, and pens. I'd get my room assignment and teacher. And, I'd be filled with a sense of hope for the year to come! Always excited, always the optimist, I loved school!

All those feelings rushed to the forefront of my senses yesterday, triggered by the coolness in the air, the shift of sunlight moving south, suggesting that fall is near.

No school for me this year. And, at least for this year, neither of my children will be in school either. But the program year at church will start up, and as the families return from vacations and lake homes, and cabins in the woods, there will be much for me to learn. For us to learn, about one another. And so, as I come to the final days of my summer vacation, of two weeks of stay-cation, which have been packed with projects and cooking, and reading, and sleeping, I look forward to returning to work, anticipating the year ahead.

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Cobbled

2011-08-08T08:48:00.001-04:00

Most Friday mornings you will find me at the local farmers market. It's close enough I could walk or ride my bike, but my husband likes to go, too, so we drive. And, anyway, we end up buying a lot. Or at least we did before our crop, from the church's community garden, was ready for harvesting. Anyway, I still go to the market for items I am not growing: sweet onions, Spanish onions, broccoli, fruit jams, and locally made cheeses.

Last Friday we bought a couple of ears of sweet corn, picked fresh that morning, their sign announced. I also bought beets to roast on the grill, delicious in salads. Arriving home I left the corn, in the plastic grocery bag, tucked up high and back on the counter, along with the beets, and a bowl of fresh fruit. Later that afternoon my husband and I took a walk to the nearby summer festival called, Dearborn Homecoming, it's a big deal around here. The park down the street was filled with carnival rides, food tents, artists tables, and two bandstands. The streets between our house and the fair are lined with temporary fences to keep the pedestrian traffic out of yards and on the sidewalks. Dan and I walked the grounds and made plans to return as the weekend progressed, and then made our way home, through the throng of people, amidst the sweltering heat. We were grateful to arrive home, anticipating a cold glass of iced tea. But we were greeted by a huge mess in the kitchen, our dogs had managed to pull the corn off the counter, open the bag, ripe off the husks, and consume two ears of corn, cob and all.

A quick search on the Internet and a call to our vet informed us that corn cobs are difficult and slow to digest, they can cause intestinal blockage requiring surgery and may lead to death. It may take months for all the cob to be eliminated. We had a pretty good idea that one dog, Ruby the Vizsla, was the primary suspect, but it was also possible that our youngest, Emmy, may have "helped." The evidence that appeared on Saturday confirmed Ruby as the problem child, and eliminated the other two, who clearly couldn't have gotten a bite in, as Ruby snarfed up the cobs.

So, my weekend was spent on hyper-vigilant dog watch. Ruby was certainly feeling ill. And, shortly after my husband left for work, taking our only car, Ruby began to purge her belly. Vomiting is one of the symptoms of intestinal blockage. I spent the day walking her around the yard, short ten minute walk abouts, just to keep her system moving. One thing I have learned is that elderly people get intestinal blockages from being too sedentary. So I thought it might help to keep her moving.it also contained most of her elimination process to the outdoors. From the looks of it she was getting rid of the cob, which was in small pieces. I hope she enjoyed chewing those cobs, because she paying for it now. I admit there were moments on Saturday when I thought I was going to have to call someone to drive me to emergency vet. But, aside from the vomiting, she seemed rather normal, able to walk, jump, run, curl up and sleep. She did not seem to be in pain.

By Sunday she seemed much better and has managed to keep down her food and resume a fairly normal bodily function.

We never made it back to summer festival. I was afraid to leave her alone for even a moment. I am grateful she is well. But I have to wonder why, when a bunch of fresh beets, a bowl of tomatoes, apples, and bananas, were much easier to reach, she went instead for the corn, wrapped in plastic, and harder to get at?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that she was bred and born in Iowa? Some remnant of memory of corn, and mom, and siblings? Well, whatever, I learned my lesson, all corn goes into the fridge.

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Quietude

2011-08-07T09:36:00.001-04:00

Bach Adagios are keeping me company this morning. I rose early, fed the dogs, and brewed a pot of coffee. Carrying the steaming mug I plop myself on the sofa to read the NY Times on my iPad. Over the gentle notes of cello, oboe, and french horn, birds chirp and call. It is cool enough that I have doors and windows open, at least for now. Soon the heat and humidity will take over and I will close the house up. But for the time being, with dogs resting at my feet, and a cat curled up next to me, I am enjoying a rare morning of quiet solitude.

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RevGals Friday Five

2011-08-05T08:37:00.001-04:00

WHAT?

It's true, I took a week off of work to clean out the basement. Sadly, to look at a before/after photo would not make it look like my time had been used wisely. Just about everything is still down there, it's just in a different pile. BUT... our church rummage sale this year is going to be very, very blessed.

I'm wondering if anyone else out there takes a week off of work to do a different kind of work:

1) Have you ever 'staycationed' in order to work on a project? If no, would you? YES! I am currently on a "stay-cation!" And, as I live next door to the church I am working hard to not go over and check on things. Actually, I'm sure all is going well. So, I am relaxing, exercising, reading, finishing knitting and cross-stitch projects I started years ago, and doing some work to settle into the house.

2) What project did you or would you tackle first? My first project was to unpack the box of knitting and cross-stitch and organize it an unused dresser, Next I need to get drawer organizers to contain knitting needles and accessories.

3) Any other projects? When we moved in we didn't have furniture for the living room on this stay-cation we found a sofa and a rug. We'll continue to look at estate sales and garage sells for a chaise, or big chIr and ottoman, a wood rocking chair, or some other couple of chairs to finish the room. I may also paint some of the wood pieces and change up the hardware to give them a more contemporary look.

4) What are the pitfalls of a staycation for you? Well, I thought I'd go back to Chicago and see family and friends, but I spent travel money on furniture...so, I need to just appreciate being here. That, I can do.

5) Never mind this staying at home business, where do you want to go and what do you want to do there. Yesterday we went to see Harry Potter at a local IMAX. That was fun! The last movie we saw in the theater was Julie and Julia, in August of 2009. Being un-employed and under-employed, we lived very lean for two years. Still are, but have a tiny cushion, if we are careful.

The other thing I am doing is exploring the neighborhoods on my bike, it's fun, interesting, and good exercise.

Lastly, today begins a weekend long local festival taking place down the street at a park. Our street will host the old car parade (we live in Dearborn, Michigan, right, so home of Ford, and other car companies). tonight, plus we should be able to see the fireworks from our backyard. I have another week of vacation and look forward to more of the above, minus the furniture shopping...
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Zucchini

2011-08-01T09:22:00.001-04:00

The community garden is bursting with veggies. I am eating a cucumber a day and lots of cherry tomatoes. There is hardly anything as fabulous as homegrown tomatoes. And, although I didn't plant zucchini those who did are sharing from their abundance. Being the recipient of some neighborly zucchini decided to begin. My vacation with some baking. I made a hearty wholesome zucchini breakfast bread and a sweet lighter zucchini bundt cake with chunks of dark chocolate. Here's the recipe, adapted from one I found online.

Recipe: Whole-Wheat Zucchini Bread

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached white flour
1/3 cup or more of wheat bran
1 Tablespoon cinnamon ( or more)
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients:

2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup canola oil (or peanut)
3/4 cup plain yogurt (I didn't have enough yogurt so I included some sour cream)
1/3 cup milk
1 cup sugar, white or brown
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups finely grated zucchini
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

8 ounces of cream cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a 9×4 inch loaf pan

In a bowl, sift together dry ingredients and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy; beat in eggs, yogurt, buttermilk, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Combine well. Stir in grated zucchini and apple
Fold flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
Spoon half of the batter into a greased 9×4 loaf pan. Add a line of cream cheese to make a center filling in the bread. Top with the remaining batter. Bake for approximately 65 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes in the pan. Loosen the sides and remove from pan. Cool loaf completely before cutting.

For zucchini bundt cake
Instead of apple add dark chocolate chunks, i used Bliss dark chocolate chopped and use milk instead of yogurt/sour cream/ milk combo. Bake 50+ minutes in a greased bundt cake pan.

Last night we had a piece of the bundt cake topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This morning the breakfast bread was a fabulous accompaniment to our coffee....and, healthy too!

Now to think about what I might do for the rest of this day!...and the two weeks of vacation to come.

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Monsters Under the Bed

2011-07-30T17:51:00.000-04:00

A reflection on the readings for Proper 13A: Genesis 32:22-32

When I was a little girl I had, for a time, this fear that a monster lived under my bed. I was old enough to know that the fear was irrational, so I didn't tell anyone about it, but I was young enough that it still took hold of me every night. The monster only liked the night time, after my bedroom light was turned off for the night. During the day I was perfectly fine in my room. But every night, after I turned out the light I would have to leap into my bed in order to avoid that monster that was suddenly present under the bed.

Now, it wasn't the sort of monster that was going to come out from under the bed. No. This monster laid on its back under the bed and had long arms that would reach out from underneath and grab me! Or at least that was my fear, it never actually got me. Once I had successfully jumped into bed and covered up I had to sleep in the center of the mattress. If I ventured too close to either edge the monster might reach one of its arms up around the side of the bed and grab me. The monster's arms were such that they could even squeeze between the wall and the sideboard and mattress of the bed, and grab me. So, no edges for me, right in the center is where I slept.

I'm amused now, when I think of that childhood fear, and the silly irrationality of it. But fears are often irrational. Fear takes over our logic and grips us in such a way that we are frozen, immobile, and incapable of making sound decisions.

Our recent book discussions on Karen Armstong's book, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life, have considered the idea of fear and the way fear can take over and control us. Karen Armstong says, that we need to recognize our fears and have compassion toward ourselves. And, then, recognize that often the very things we dislike in another person are the same qualities we dislike in ourselves.

Armstrong argues that there is a lot of this going on the world today – a lot of fear, and a lot of finger pointing at others, disliking the behavior of others but not taking ownership for ones own behavior. Just watch the news, and you can see how this is true.

Good gracious, the anxiety in the world around us, not to mention Washington DC, is enough to give anyone nightmares, let alone worry about monsters roaming about!

Jacob, in our reading this morning from Genesis, is also anxious. Last week we heard the story of his time working for Laban, a distant relative of Jacob's mother Rebekah. In the process of working for Laban Jacob has acquired two wives, several servants, a lot of children, and a herd of sheep. He has dealt with Laban's unethical work practices, and negotiated a way to leave Laban and return to Canaan, to be reuinted with his brother, Esau.

But Jacob has no idea how Esau will respond to this reuniting. Last Jacob knew, Esau was mad as a hornet and out for revenge. Still, Jacob yearns to return home. Our reading this morning tells the story of Jacob, enroute to Canaan, anxious and worried as he approaches the land of his brother. Out of fear Jacob sends his family off a few miles away, to wait in safety. Jacob then spends the night alone, preparing to meet Esau in the next day. And in the night, Jacob has this dream, this wrestling with a man, an angel, with God, dream, that leaves him with a dislocated hip and a new name. Jacob has been renamed Israel. Jacob's story is the story of the people who follow this God. A people who are sometimes faithful and considerate and a people who are other times, greedy and cruel. A people who are much like the people in the world today.

What we learn from the Genesis stories is that wrestling and wrangling, struggling, with ourselves, with others, and with God, is part of what it means to be human. But, it is often in the wrestling that God comes and something profound happens. All of the great saints have experienced that their most profound moments of conversion, come from a struggle, of coming face to face with God in such a way that they are forever changed.

So the crux of the matter, for the Genesis story, our lives, and our world today is: how do we manage to move beyond our own individual fears, the stuff we wrestle over, and focus on the common good of all, living as God calls us to live? The story of Jacob becomes the story of the people of God, struggling with life and God, to become faithful, to love God, love self, and love others. Our task, as a people of God is the same, to recognize that our individual selves are only as good as our collective selves, and, that how we care for others in this world is as important as how we care for ourselves.

Friday Five: Repeat Edition

2011-07-29T07:22:00.001-04:00

Sharon, over at RevGals, posts this Friday Five, an updated repeat of one of her favorite Friday Fives.

A decision from history: There is a chair that still sits in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall). Legend has it that it was George Washington's chair, the back carved with a half sun. Benjamin Franklin would look at it and wonder whether it was a rising or a setting sun. Eventually Franklin decided it was the hopeful symbol of the rising sun, a sign of the future of our new republic.

How do you decide? Check out the following pairs and tell which one of each appeals to you most:

1) Sunrise or Sunset: both, although I tend to see more sunsets as I am usually. Ot up early enough to watch sunrises. However when I lived in Arizona I had a great view from my backyard and appreciated many sun rises and sets.

2) To the Mountains or To the Beach: Mountains., born in Utah, mountains are part of my childhood, my spirituality, and a place of awe.

3) Coffee or Tea; both. Coffee in the morning, tea in the afternoon, with some dark chocolate!

4) Advent or Lent; both, Advent for the wreath and candles, the contemplative nature and prayers. Lent as an opportunity to reflect on the brokenness of our world and our lives, and how we can work toward repairing those broken places.

5) "Raindrops on Roses" or "Whiskers on Kittens": uhm, well...I guess whiskers on cats since I have two.

BONUS: Tell more about one of the pairs. Why did you choose it? Difficult or easy choice? A story from your own experience? Perhaps I cam write more, later, bit for now I have to run..a bunch of early meetings this morning.

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Relief

2011-07-26T19:49:00.001-04:00

The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep!
You must ask for what you really want
Don't go back to sleep!
People are going back and forth
Across the doorsill where the two worlds touch
The door is round and open
Don't go back to sleep!
(Rumi)

Like most of the country we have had two weeks of record breaking temperatures and high humidity. We've had bad storms and power outages, no rain or too much rain. It's been a brutal summer.

But today, oh my. Today the humidity broke, and the temperatures dropped to the 80's. It's one of those beautiful summer days that make one's heart sing in harmony with the birds outside. A gentle breeze wafts through the trees, windows are open, and the air is soft.

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Sunday Prayer 12A /Pentecost 6

2011-07-24T15:00:00.001-04:00

Oh God, how are we to understand the tragedies
that befall your creation?
Humans inflicting pain on others -
economic pain,
emotional pain,
physical pain,
even the taking
of life.
Why all this violence?
Why so much anger?
Why?
How are we to pray?
What can we say?
We give it all to you.

To you, O God,
We incline our lives.
Giving you our silent
tears, the screams that cannot
leave our chest, the agony of
grief so deep we do not know
how to pray.
What are we to say?
We give it all to you.

With sighs too deep for words,
we give it all
to you.

Trusting in your Spirit
to do that which we
cannot.
To guide our lives
to turn our hearts
to transform this
broken world
and bring forth
healing,
as only You
can do.

We know not how to pray
but with sighs too deep
for words, Your spirit
births us whole, again.
Amen.

Prayer Primordial

2011-07-23T18:30:00.001-04:00

Our scripture readings this summer are following three primary texts: Genesis from the Hebrew texts, Romans from the New Testaments, and the Gospel of Matthew. We've talked about Genesis being a collection of stories told around the camp fires of nomadic people which were finally collated into a written text some 3000 years ago. Matthew, one of the Gospels is interested in showing how Jesus is the fulfillment of Jewish Law – of what it means to love God, love self, and love others. Our reading this morning gives us images of the kingdom of God – what it looks like when God is active in creation, these are images of transformation and growth.

Paul's Letter to the Romans was written about 57/58, to a Jewish community in Rome that had been followers of Jesus for about a decade. It was written before the Roman Jewish war of 70, which divided the rabbi following Jews from the Jesus following Jews.

As the longest letter written by Paul, Romans is the most complicated and the most influential in the formation of Christian theology – particularly around the issue of God's judgment of humanity, also known as justification. Together our three texts remind us that God is invested in a relationship with human beings, that God poured out the fullest expression of God's love in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and that as Christians we live most fully into our relationship with God when we follow the teachings of Jesus by suspending our temptation to judge others and instead work to actively love God, love self, and love others.

Years ago I was a massage therapist. My primary ministry was working as a volunteer in a local hospital offering massages to parents of sick children. It was while doing this volunteer work that I learned a lot about suspending judgment. In the hospital were all kinds of situations – babies who had been there nearly a year – for whom I never saw the parents; singles moms struggling with failure to thrive infants; anxious parents tending to their sick child – sometimes at the expense of their healthy children at home; any number of situations. But my job, the job of everyone who worked on the Peds unit, was to set aside our judgment and understand that each family was doing the best they could to tend to the situation at hand. We had to understand that there were many details we knew nothing about, but our role was to be supportive of the family and help in every way we could. Setting aside judgment opened me to see the sorrow and fear and heartache of these children and their families.

Anyway, it was during this time of volunteer work that I began to discern a call to the priesthood. Part of that discernment time included praying with this reading from Romans. It was very helpful when I encountered so many tragic illnesses and sad situations.

Who among us has not experienced sighs too deep for words? This description of prayer resonates with my own prayer life and times when I have been so sad or overwhelmed by the injustices of the world, a sick and dying child, tragic violence like that in Norway, that I have no words. It reminds me of a book I once read called, Primary Speech. Written by a pair of Jungian analysts, the book describes prayer as coming from the core of our being. It is “said in our minds, the unvoiced longing rising from our hearts...” It is preverbal. It is “the unconscious voice that exists in us from the very beginning, the moment of birth. . . . [It] starts early in human life, with instincts and emotions.” Primary speech is inherent to human nature, as a primordial, wordless conversation with the divine, and so the authors of this book claim, there is never a time when we are not in prayer.
Everyone prays, whether we call it prayer or not. We pray every time we ask for help, understanding, or strength. The Spirit intercedes because it recoginizes our deepest yearning, she knows what is in our hearts, the Spirit resonates in and through the experience of all creation. The Spirit, as the active ongoing action of God's love enables the “love of God in Christ” to work in us, and nothing can separate us from it—not “hardship, or distress, or persecution,” to quote Paul. Not foreclosure, oil prices, climate change, nor economic collapse.

True, God does not prevent these things from happening— even Paul living in the first century knew this. God does not magically saves us from life’s traumas, rather as people of faith we can choose to put our trust in God who will not abandon us, no matter what we do or what gets thrown at us. God is present. God’s love is unwavering.

Paul says it well: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And God’s love is transformational, it's resurrection, for it is actively engaged in working all things together for good, even if we have no idea how God is doing this in our lives and the world around us.

Friday Five:Overcoming

2011-07-22T08:33:00.001-04:00

Sally, over at RevGals, offers this Friday Five;

Today is the Feast day of St Mary Magdalene, and as I've been pondering her life, and the inspiration she is I find in her a wonderful mix of struggle and devotion. She is both the woman who needed a deep healing and the woman who was declared (by many) to be the first amongst the apostles. She inspires me by the way she overcame so much to become so much. When I stop to think about the folk who do inspire me they are almost always overcomer's in some way or another.

With that in mind I bring you this Friday Five; List five people who inspire you to dare to step out into becoming more: Bonus question, a song or fictional character that inspires you to move beyond boundaries!

1. From a young age I had an active prayer life, and through that a relationship with God. Like any relationship, my relationship with God has had it's challenges. I suppose I have been a challenge for God, too....although God never mentions that. I have learned to trust in God's goodness and God's desire for my life (our lives) to be good, healthy. I have learned to be patient, and to have compassion, even when all the circumstances of life could justify a more angry and bitter response. I have learned to hold tenderly my sorrow and grief but to not wallow to deeply in despair. I have experienced resurrection, new life, in surprising and unexpected ways. I think that my formation as a human being would have been very different if I did not believe in God and if I had not, do not, intentionally work on my relationship with God.

2. My husband. He supports me in becoming the best version of myself that I can be. I trust his feedback, and I know he has my back. This was not always apparent. We have done some hard work in our 26 years, but from that we have both grown.

3. My children. I did not have good role models for parenting. I made a lot of mistakes in raising my kids, but for the most part they had even handed loving parents. Parenting pushed me into learning and growing and working hard at understanding my "stuff" so I could do better for my children.

4. Linda, a priest who mentored me when I was learning about this vocation. She taught me a lot about how to be a priest who is also a woman. I also learned a lot from other priest: Tom, Bob, and Steve, each as different from the other as possible, but formative in deepening my understanding of priesthood.

5. Frances, my mother in law. She is now in the end stages of life, but she was the mom I never had.

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Monday Musings on Tuesday Morning

2011-07-19T08:34:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a day of errands. It began with an early morning dog walk, in a vain effort to beat the heat. It still felt as if we were walking through soup. The air thick, humid, even our windows are steamed. It rained briefly, but that only added to the rainforest effect of moisture heavy air.

Most of the day was spent indoors. I exercised, gave myself a manicure and pedicure, French-tip style. And, I read "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" by Karen Armstrong. We are having a summer book discussion group with our first meeting today. If you are interest in this book you may enjoy this video of Karen Armstrong presenting at St. John the Divine in NYC.

Today, and most of this week will be filled with meetings, and efforts to keep cool. What about you and your work? Stay cool!

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Weeds Crop Up, Sometimes That Is How God Works...

2011-07-16T20:02:00.000-04:00

A reflection on Genesis 28:10-19a and Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43, for Proper 11A
Our reading from Matthew today is another parable. Last week I talked about parables and shared a reflection on weeding my garden. That reflection would not have worked for this reading because last week I talked about the pleasure I find in weeding my garden, but in this parable Jesus suggests that we leave the weeds to grow along side the wheat. Any gardener knows that this is not really good advice – since the weeds will compromise the health and productivity of the crop. But Jesus is not talking about food, he's talking about human beings. In this parable he's suggesting that human beings learn to live together, that we accept our differences, and strive to live without judging others, trusting that God will sort it all out in the end.

Our reading from Genesis continues the story of Isaac and Rebekah and their sons, Esau and Jacob. The battle between Esau and Jacob began in the womb and continues into life, is more than a story of sibling rivalry. It represents the struggle between rival powers in the ancient world – who is in control of this ancient country/land - is represented by the battle between these brothers. As we learn later in Genesis, Jacob is renamed Israel by God – so the story represents a battle between ancient Israel and other nations.

Once Jacob has deceived Esau and received the father's blessing, we learn that Esau is irate. In order to protect her sons from harming one another, Rebekah urges Jacob to leave. Our reading this morning picks up the story with Jacob on a run for his life.

Jacob, upon leaving home, heads east – toward the land of his mother – eventually coming to the home of an uncle named Laban. But along the way he stops to rest for the night and uses a stone for a pillow. That's our reading this morning. During the night he has a dream, a revelation of God – God comes face to face with Jacob – and gives Jacob a blessing. Upon waking Jacob calls the place holy. This land, which he names Bethel, becomes the family burial site, and a place of importance in the unfolding Genesis family story.

Years ago, with another congregation, I lead an adult forum every Sunday between the 8am and 10am service. For this forum, which is what they wanted to do, we usually read and discussed a book. One year we decided to read the entire book of Genesis, and as a companion to that bible study we read Bill Moyers book, Genesis, A living Conversation. For this book, Moyers invited a diverse group of people to read and discuss the primary stories of Genesis – so he had Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists, screen writers, authors, religious people, and non-religious people – who gathered every so often and discussed a story from Genesis. It was so interesting that Moyers made a PBS series out of it. Here's a bit of that conversation that pertains today's reading:

One of the discussion members says: “Rebekah pays a heavy price for her actions. Her life is miserable from this time forward. She tells her younger, beloved son to run away to her family in far off Mesopotamia and puts on a brave face, saying, it's just for a few days. But she knows in her heart that she will never see Jacob again.”

Moyers asks, “Does it occur to you that Rebekah's sacrifice of Jacob is analogous to Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac?

Another member says: “They're both prepared to make sacrifices for a larger cause. What am I or any of us here today ready to do for a....cause we love? How would we respond if our faith was truly tested? This story also shows us that conflicts are inevitable...”

A third member of the group says:“This story...points out that you don't have to get rid of..conflict before God's purposes can be worked out. It is precisely in and through these conflicts that the promise of God is carried out..we can identify with this because it is...in and through the sometimes messy parts of our lives that God's purposes are worked out.”*

Life can be messy sometimes. Weeds crop up. Stuff happens. But our call as a people of God is to stay faithful and trust that when we treat one another with dignity and respect, with kindness and compassion, and when we give each other the benefit of the doubt, instead of judgment, we leave room for God to work in and through us.

*excerpts from Genesis, A Living Conversation, pages 261-262

RevGals Friday Five: Gratitude in a Name

2011-07-15T07:55:00.000-04:00

Jan, over at RevGals offers this Friday Five meme on Gratitude:

A wise person once told me to make an ABC list of things I am grateful for any time I feel sad or depressed. It is a good practice when one is feeling happier than that, too. So for this Friday Five, I suggest that you use your name or nickname of about five letters and express your gratitude about something that starts with each letter. Some people have longer names, so you decide how you will go about this! (Last names, middle names, and nicknames count!)

I'll have to think about this one, gratitudes that begin with T.E.R.R.I.

T - Topsoil, which helps my garden and flowers grow. Tomatoes, which are growing thick in my garden - Roma, Cherry, and Big Boy. Today, a day off. Tomorrow, because I live in hope.

E - Environment, I have lived in a many different environments from cold to hot, from progressive to traditional, but my current environment feels just right. I do worry about the global environment and global warming, the severe storms seem to be a result of our abuse of the environment...so I hope that we can become more sensitive to the way we live. I am grateful for the beauty of this world, which amazes me on a regular basis - from sunrise to sunset, from flowers to trees, to birds, and more.

R - Resurrection, I have experienced the reality of the resurrection in my life. Sometimes it is evident in the grace of God made manifest in my relationships, other times it is God's mercy prevailing through difficulty, often it is just the tenacity of the Holy Spirit to keep me going when all feels lost, enabling me to take the next step, until new life is revealed. It's happened more than once.

R - Roses, we are planning to convert one of our abandoned garden islands into a rose garden. To that end we are researching the best variety of roses for this region. We also plan to convert another island into a butterfly garden, planting flowers that attract butterflys.

I - Interfaith, I live in a community that works hard to maintain good interfaith relationships, intentional relationships that learn from and support one another. Interior, I am paying attention to my interior life these days as stuff from the past gets triggered and as I learn to function as solo pastor. It's been a long time since I have worked without a deacon or another priest to assist. It's ok, but I am working hard. So I am beginning the process of finding a spiritual director near by. I have interior work to do, but it's good work, and for that I am thankful.

Interfaith Worship at Christ Episcopal Church, Dearborn, Makes the News

2011-07-12T13:41:00.001-04:00

This article appeared in the Detroit News today.

Interfaith worship provides education, understanding
The Rev. Terri C. Pilarski,Gail Katz and Eide Alawan

Imagine the primary Sunday morning service in a Christian church that begins with a 9-year-old Muslim boy offering the Islamic Call to Prayer, followed by a woman lighting candles on a table set with bread, wine and grape juice and offering the Jewish prayers that begin the Sabbath worship, followed by an Episcopal priest offering the "collect of the day."

So began the interfaith service over the weekend at Christ Episcopal Church in Dearborn. Parishioners specifically requested the service after reading about the national "Faith Shared" project, organized by Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First. The challenge in planning such a service was in knowing who from the other faith traditions to invite to help organize and participate in the service.

It was a serendipitous coincidence, in which the date scheduled nationwide for the service, June 26, happened to also fall at the conclusion of the 10th anniversary of the Worldviews Seminar, so the Rev. Terri Pilarski of Christ Episcopal Church had the chance to make contacts in the interfaith world and successfully organize the service.

Co-created by Christ Church, Episcopal Relief and Development, the University of Michigan-Dearborn and the Islamic Center of America, the seminar provides a weeklong course on world religions.

The service included portions of Muslim, Jewish and Christian worship, honoring each tradition in the process. Beginning with each tradition's call to prayer and worship, the service included readings from and reflections on the sacred texts of the Torah and the Gospels, plus a reading from the Quran, chanted in Arabic and translated into English.

Gail Katz, co-founder of Women's Interfaith Solutions for Dialogue and Outreach in Metro Detroit and member of Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, brought her family's Sabbath candlesticks, and after lighting the Shabbat candles, she blessed them in Hebrew and welcomed everyone.

Yousif Makki, a member of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, chanted the Muslim Call to Prayer, and his brother, Younes, explained the meaning of the Arabic prayer in English.

Katz also shared the "Parashah" of the week — the Torah portion read that week in synagogues all over the world. Younes followed the sharing of the Torah portion with a reading from the Quran. Prayers over a meal were offered by each tradition, and the bread, wine and juice were shared among the gathered congregation.

Each component of the worship offered the comparable element from each tradition. To us, the only unusual aspect of the service was that the various elements were woven into a typical order for a Sunday morning worship service in the Episcopal Church.

Not every Jewish or Muslim worship experience would include all of these elements in one service, although they are each a component of faithful practice in the life of a Jew or Muslim.

Dearborn is a special community that honors its diversity and enjoys sincere hospitality and compassion among the people of this city. While this worship service was a first for the community, it is just one example of the many ways that Jews, Christians and Muslims work together and learn from each other, for the good of all.

Hearing each other's prayers and learning about our diverse faith traditions are ways to move forward to break down our cultural, ethnic and religious segregation, which is often far too pronounced in greater metropolitan Detroit. The more we learn about the faith-based practices of our neighbors who might dress differently, eat different foods and speak different languages, the more we find our commonality as human beings and underscore our similar missions of unity, peace, community-building and mutual understanding.

The purpose of this service, one of dozens nationwide inspired by the national Faith Shared project organized by the Interfaith Alliance and Human Rights First, both based in Washington, D.C., was not to blend our diverse ways of worshipping God into one common service, nor was it an invitation to create one world religion.

Rather, it was decisively an opportunity to learn from one another and celebrate our differences as we honored our similarities.

The Rev. Terri C. Pilarski is rector of Christ Episcopal Church; Gail Katz is co-founder of WISDOM; and Eide Alawan represents the office of Interfaith Outreach of the Islamic Center of America. Email comments to letters@detnews.com.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-07-11T08:28:00.001-04:00

I am having a good time this summer remembering how to preach without a text. For me this reflects two realities. One is that my inner self is feeling peaceful, and from this peaceful state I can hold onto the points I want to make between scripture and life. Instead of using the pulpit I am coming down into the congregation and preaching from the center aisle. The second reality is that I feel comfortable with the congregation and value being closer to the people, it's more intimate preaching for the smaller summer community. To be this intimate requires a level of trust. And, so the third reality is that I feel a sense of trust building between me and the congregation. From that place of trust I find myself inviting the congregation into a dialogue for some of the sermon time. It's a process for them, too, finding their voice and feeling safe enough to speak up.

Yesterday I planned to walk my dogs and then ride my bike to a yoga class. But after the dog walk, and a 30 minute meditation, I really felt like taking a long bike ride and skipping the yoga class. Even though it was ninety something degrees the huge trees throughout this community provide ample shade. There's a bike trail the follows the Rouge river and through the University of Michigan, Dearborn, campus. It's about 5 miles one way, but if you stay on it you'll come to a longer trail that is 18 miles northwest to another town. I only rode about 4.5 miles of the trail before turning back. I am out of practice, as a long distance biker, and in the heat didn't want to over extend myself. Plus, I am not really sure now safe the trails are for a woman out by herself. Some of the trail feels very secluded. Here too was a test of trust.

But along they way I encountered other bikers out for an afternoon ride. Some of them casual riders, like me. But some of them serious bikers going the distance, despite the heat. I also encountered people walking the trail, most striking was a Muslim couple. She clearly pregnant, noticeable even through her full attire of dress, long sleeves, and head scarf. He holding her arm, and listening and she softly spoke in Arabic. It was a sweet image. The bike ride was wonderful and stirs in me a desire to explore other trails in the area.

This morning I am pondering the interior process in which I am learning to trust again. It will be a relatively quiet week, or so it seems on this morning.

What about you? What are you pondering? And, what's going on with your week ahead?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Sunday Prayer

2011-07-10T15:00:00.001-04:00

For all the blessings of this life,
we give thanks to You, Creator God.
For: families, friends, colleagues,
neighbors, and strangers, who nurture
us, that the love of God may grow
within. That Your love, your Word,
like a seed, may grow to produce
in us, good fruit.

May your love, be like a seed, taking root and growing strong.

For the leaders of various nations
and cities, that they may lead with
strong hearts and gentle hands and
generous spirits, with compassion
and mercy, with wisdom and grace.
May they reflect your will guiding
all their actions and decisions.

May your love, be like a seed, taking root and growing strong.

For those who serve in harms way,
those who live in dangerous places,
those who live in areas of war and strife,
those who live in fear, those who worry
about employment, bills, food, and
struggle just to find dignity in life.
May your grace bring peace and safety
to all people, one to another.

May your love, be like a seed, taking root and growing strong.

For those who suffer from any illness,
or dis-ease - of mind, body, or spirit.
Restore these, and all those we carry
in our hearts, to fullness of health.
Health as only you, O God, can bring.
May your mercy shower each of us
with healing mercy and love.

May your love, be like a seed, taking root and growing strong.

For those who are dying, and
for those who have died. Send
forth your comforting love.
Give solace to those who mourn.
Console those who grieve.
May your grace surround us
like a mantle upon our heads
a shawl upon our shoulders
a hand, to hold our hand.

May your love, be like a seed, taking root and growing strong.
Amen.

Crossposted on RevGalBlogPals and A Place for Prayer

Weeding for Life

2011-07-09T18:03:00.001-04:00

A reflection on Matthew 13:18-23 for Proper 10A

I use to hate weeding. It was one of those nasty projects that I tolerated, and rushed to complete because I found it so tedious and boring. Recently I was unable to tend to the weeding in my plot for more than a week, I found that I had a jungle of weeds. It was overwhelming. One day I went out with the intention of weeding the entire thing, but after an hour I had one small section done, was over heated, and out of time. So the next day I went out again for about an hour. Then each day I went out for about an hour and did what I could do. Eventually I eased into a comfortable rhythm of weeding, the hour time frame fit into my schedule, I was slowly making progress with the jungle, and I discovered that weeding had become a calming discipline – weeding slowed me down, and invited me to just appreciate the act of tending to the garden.

I remember other occasions when I have weeded gardens that I did not plant. Then, looking at some mysterious plant or flower I'd wonder, is this a weed or something that is intended to be here?

Unlike my garden, where I planted everything and can tell a weed from the crops, some flower beds require a more discerning approach, and a certain amount of wait and see.

Our reading this morning from Matthew sounds as if it is about gardening. The parable of the sower is found in three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke, indicating that it is primary to the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew it is the first of many parables about weeds and wheat and mustard seeds, treasures and pearls, and fishing nets.

A parable is a story with many layers of meaning, like an onion, one can peel back each layer to find yet another. Jesus spoke in parable for just that reason, so that people would wrestle with the meaning and move into an ever deeper understanding of their faith and their relationship with God.

For this parable we might wonder: Who is the sower? Who is the seed? Who is the soil? And who or what grows from the seed?

Any thoughts? On the one hand its a parable so there are no “correct” answers. But on the other hand there are some answers that are more likely than others. So, who do you say is the sower....the seed...the soil....the crop that grows....

A typical understanding of the parable is this:

God is the sower, Jesus is the seed – God throws the seed, the word of God, the love of God, known to us as Jesus, - God scatters the word, love, Jesus, broadly across all the world.

We are the soil. Sometimes we are rocky or thorny soil unable to hear the word, receive the love, or welcome Jesus into our lives – in such a manner as to enable that word, that love, Jesus to fully take root and grow inside of us, in such a manner as to become transformative.

But sometimes we are like good soil and God's word, God's love, Jesus can take root inside of us, transforming us into our best possible selves – people who reflect God's love, God's word, the face and hands and heart of Jesus, back into the world – by loving others as God loves. Often, the word of God, the love of God does not look like much, it's like a plain tiny seed. Birds eat seeds that are scattered on the ground, just ask anyone who has planted grass seed....but in the parable, when the birds eat the seed they might represent the distractions and troubles that crop up in life, trying to pull us away from God. But like the birds, who usually redeposit the seed elsewhere, which explains why some plants grow in random places, the Word of God, the Love of God is tenacious and adaptable.

So - regardless of the distractions, or our ability to receive the word or the love – God crops up in our lives over and over, waiting for us to receive God's love into our lives where it can grow – beautiful and hearty, fruitful, and productive – God's grace growing in and through us, creating a community garden of love.

Creative Cooking

2011-07-09T08:48:00.001-04:00

Every Friday I visit the local farmers market. After several weeks of shopping I have found a number of favorite vendors. I try to. Uy a little something from about five or six different stands: bread, cheese, tomatoes, broccoli, lettuce, onions, and so forth.

Yesterday one of the vendors was selling his homemade ricotta cheese, half price since it was about to expire. I stood at his booth and created a recipe in my head, which convinced me to buy a container of the ricotta.

Here is what I made:

Ricotta White Sauce for Pasta

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
1 small sweet onion, chopped
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 can of chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 can of diced tomatoes with juice (or several Roma tomatoes)
2 cups of broccoli flowers, cut smallish
1 cup of ricotta
Fresh basil, I used a good handful of leaves, some shredded, some whole
Fresh oregano, I used less oregano than basil, but still a good amoint
Pepper and salt to taste

Sauté garlic, onion, celery in olive oil in a skillet. When the onion and celery are tender, add stock, tomatoes, and herbs, stir and reduce slightly. Add ricotta and broccoli, continue to cook until thickened. For crisper broccoli add later. Salt and pepper to taste.

Use any style pasta you like. I used large shells and served with a side of Italian sausage, green salad, and a roared garlic bread.

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Friday Five: Summer Fun!

2011-07-08T08:27:00.001-04:00

So, what's up, Rev Gals and Pals? How are you spending your summer? (I know, some of you are in a different hemisphere and it may be chilly...sorry!) Are you experiencing fire or floods or tornados? Vacationing? Working harder than ever? Experiencing change? Longing for change?

Share five things that are happening in your life, personally or professionally or some of each, in this season of life.

1. I am coming to know the people in the parish through small group meetings. Most of these have taken place in parishioners homes. They have prepared tea and coffee, or sangria with fresh fruit, homemade spring rolls, fabulous deserts, and gathered members of the parish to help me get to know them and they, me. We have sat outside in beautiful backyards, or been charmed by lovely homes. They have been a lovely way to come to know one another.

2. Gardening is a source of summer delight. I even enjoy weeding, it's become a calming discipline for me. I try to weed for an hour at a stretch several days a week.

3. Exercising is so much easier during the summer. We take our dogs for long walks and appreciate the beauty of the world around us. I have begun to bike ride again, and ride my bike to yoga class.

4. Long days, because we live at the western end of the Eastern time zone, we have sunlight until after 9PM. It's wonderful to sit on the deck in the cooling night air and unwind with a glass of iced tea.

5. Squirrels, rabbits, and birds are plentiful in our backyard. And amusing too!

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Monday Morning Musings

2011-07-04T07:57:00.001-04:00

"We've broken all tradition," said my husband, as we settled into a morning cup of coffee. I was just thinking the same thing. With our children grown and living in another state we haven't done the usual round of holiday BBQ's and festivals, and fireworks. We didn't even have our traditional Wimbledon brunch on Saturday. Instead, with his work schedule, we grabbed a quick breakfast, saw some of the women's playoff game, and then walked the dogs before he left for work. His schedule most days: the 2-11PM shift. And, he's worked every holiday since we moved, often working closing the store ten days in a row before getting a couple of days off.

That means I am left to my own devices most afternoons and evening. I can manage to fill up that time with yoga, reading, my exercise DVD, a bike ride....and time spent on Facebook or blogging. But, this is not our tradition.

I guess we will begin to create new traditions as time goes on. I am leading a Fourth of July service this morning at the church. That's a first for this place, at least in recent memory. In my first call we offered a Fourth of July weekday service, using the lessons from Lesser Fasts and Feasts. While I am not inclined to make too much of national, secular, holidays at a Sunday morning service, I am ok with adding in a special weekday service for the Fourth of July, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving...

Nonetheless I am pondering the reality that a week ago we held an Interfaith Service, followed by this week a celebration of the Fourth. I think we may be able to describe ourselves as an Expansive Church, one willing to embrace a wide range of liturgical realities, as an authentic expression of this community. Many of the same folks who appreciated the interfaith service are also grateful for a celebration of the Fourth....

This morning finds me reflecting on traditions, old and new. What about you? What traditional things will you do today, this week, or what new things are you creating?

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Sunday Prayer 9A

2011-07-03T15:00:00.001-04:00

Holy and Gracious God,
we give thanks for all
the blessings of this life.
For, the degree to which we
know freedom and justice,
for the leaders of our nations
for the those who strive to
bring peace into the world,
may we know your mercy and
act with compassion.

We give thanks
for family, friends,
and those care for us.
May we know your love
in them, through them.
May those we know and
love, be safe this day,
protected from all trials,
comforted in strife,
healed in illness of
mind, body, or spirit.

We give thanks
for this earth, the various
lands we live in and on,
for water, that it may be clean
for those who need water,
for those struggling with
drought, wildfires, forest fires,
or an over abundance of water,
may they know balance and relief.

We give thanks
for food, that all may be well fed,
that those who are in need, will be
satisfied, that those who have
plenty will share, that all will
filled and nourished.

We give thank
for our health, and ask your blessing
on those who suffer for any cause.
May they be comforted.

We give thanks for the gift
of Jesus, your love in the world,
who comes to share our burdens,
that they may be light.

Amen.

Family Stories

2011-07-02T16:42:00.001-04:00

A reflection on Genesis 24 for Proper 9A

The other night I found myself watching the movie, “Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood,” starring Ellyn Burstyn and Sandra Bullock. Its one of those movies I’ve seen a dozen times but still enjoy.

The plot revolves around a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship, and a group of the mother’s friends who have known one another all their lives.

The daughter, a playwright in NYC has an interview published in the NY Times magazine, and it comes across as highly critical of the mother.

The mother reads the interview and flies into a dramatic rage. Correspondence flies back and forth, cutting the daughter from the will, sending the mother an invitation to the daughters wedding but the date and place have been cut out of the invitation, phone calls where one hangs up on the other.

Finally in exasperation the mothers friends fly to NYC, and with the fiancés help, kidnap the daughter and bring her back to the New Orleans area.

There they spend a week telling the daughter the story of her mothers's life. Its a tragic story but also funny, and well acted by a cast of great actors.

Dysfunctional family stories fill the book of Genesis from which our first reading this morning is taken.
In Genesis we have two stories of creation, the calling of Abraham and Sarah, of children born in old age, of a father who binds and almost kills his son Isaac – a story we would have heard last week if we had stayed with the lectionary.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims, have all had a field day trying to make sense of this Abraham and Isaac story with responses that vary from – it’s a story of child abuse, it’s a story about dependency on God, it’s a story about faithfulness, it’s a story about the ancient practice of human sacrifice.

Regardless of what the story is about what we hear in the rest of Genesis is that the relationship between Abraham and Sarah and Isaac is broken from this point forward – Sarah dies and Abraham arranges for a wife for Isaac, and the plot shifts to Rebekah, who as wife of Isaac, gives birth to Jacob and Esau.
The story of Jacob and Esau leads to other levels of conflict and anguish as Jacob, the second born, maneuvers to steal the birth right of Esau, the first born – and has his mother’s support to do it.
Jacob who wrestles with an angel and ends up with a new name - Israel, Jacob, whose own son, Joseph carries on the family saga, made popular in a musical starring Donnie Osmond.
Genesis is a very old text that has it's origins in stories told around camp fires as tribes travelled across the Middle East, Egypt, and areas of ancient Mesopotamia.
Genesis blends a number of stories that had have taken place over the course of hundreds of years, influenced by a number of emerging cultures.
Which is why we have two creation stories at the beginning of Genesis, as well as other conflicting elements.
But it's a rich text filled with timeless stories about the human condition.
Readings from Genesis will be our first reading through summer, accompanying stories of Jesus that we will hear in the Gospel.
The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy that connects Jesus to David, a descendent of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph.
As I said last week, Matthew is interested in showing how Jesus is the fulfillment of the law of Moses, the fulfillment of what is meant by - love God, love self, and love others.
And in that way Matthew connects Jesus to the family story we hear in Genesis, and ultimately we come to know these stories as our story, the family of God.
Stories that remind us that God has blessed our lives, that we might be a blessing to others.

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RevGalsFriday Five:

2011-07-01T08:25:00.000-04:00

kathrynzj, over at RevGals is lamenting the days when we all did a lot of writing and meme playing and reading of blogs...and wonders about the following:

1) Have your blogging (writing/reading) habits shifted since the days of yore? I still make a daily effort to scroll through my blog roll and read the updated blogs. But every day I lament the number of blogs that haven't been updated in months. Recently I even deleted a couple of them. My blog, never one that received a lot of comments, now can go days without a single comment. I write on this blog about three times a week, not daily. I post something on Monday, play the Friday Five, and usually post my sermon for Sunday. Starting a new call keeps me busy and unable to write daily...

2) Do you have some favorites that you miss? In the early days I read a number of blogs: RevSS and BarbB were regulars, but almost never post on their blogs. I do talk to RevSS on Facebook, but Barb???? sigh. She always had witty blog posts about her cats, her kids, and hiking.

3) Are there some blogs you still put in the 'must read' category? Yes, RevGals and A Place to Pray (the prayer blog for RGBP), plus any blog on my blog roll that has recently posted.

4) If we gathered at your knee, what would you tell us about those early days of blogging? The most significant aspect of blogging is the community that has formed. It's really amazing...and the friendships forged. There have been times in my life when I got by because of the prayers and compassion and friendships of this blogging community.

5) Do you have a clip or a remembrance of a previous post of yours or someone else's that you remember, you know an oldie but goodie? Well, it was fun when Diane, Jan, and I did a poetry share and comment. One of us would post a poem and the rest would talk about the metaphors and symbolism and meaning in the poem. Then someone else would post another one and we'd do the same. It was a fun way to read new poetry and gleam its meaning, while getting to know new blogging friends.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-06-27T12:49:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, at the 10am worship service, the congregation I serve participated in the Faith Shared project by offering an interfaith worship experience. Our effort was distinctively NOT an effort at creating one world faith, as some critics of the project have suggested. Rather, we worked to bring in elements of Jewish, Islamic, and Christian worship. So, we began the service with three openings:a call to prayer in Arabic, the opening acclamation "the Lord be with you..." from the Episcopal liturgy, and the lighting of candles and prayers to begin the sabbath, from the Jewish tradition. We heard a reading from the Torah (Numbers) with a fabulous reflection on hospitality based on the reading. That was followed by a reading from the Qu'ran, which was sung by a nine year old boy, and his ten year old brother interpreted it for us in English. I proclaimed the Gospel and reflected on the reading and the week past, where our church co-sponsored the Worldviews Seminar. We sang and prayed and offer blessings over a meal. We shared the meal of bread and juice and wine. It was not a Eucharist, but it was certainly Eucharistic!

I think we created a service that honored each tradition and enabled us to learn from, and about, one another. It was quite a lovely service. I'm exhausted, though. Last week was so very busy, the seminar, a big funeral, two meet and greets with parishioners (fun! But still, added to the busy-ness), and the interfaith service.

This week should be a little quieter. I hope to finish weeding my garden and finish reading "Twelve Keys to a Compassionate Life" by Karen Armstrong, which will be the focus of our summer reading discussion groups.

That's my week. What about yours? Are you busy? Or finding some time for rest and renewal?

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RevGals Friday Five

2011-06-24T10:00:00.001-04:00

Over at RevGals I posted a Friday Five meme considering the various cultures and religions that we may have, or would like to experience.

In response I offer these quick thoughts:

I have studied yoga for many years, and through that a bit of Hinduism. I have also studied Buddhism and meditation. I am however a faithful practicing Christian. I'd like to know more about the faiths that have grown out of the Abrahamic tradition, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Also, I have had some experience with Hispanic cultures in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico. I've always wanted to explore the Mayan and Incan cultures and visit their ancient lands in Mexico and Central America.

And, lastly, I often dream of being inParis, although I have never been there. I think it would be fun to understand why Paris is a destination of my subconscious and then to visit that city.

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Monday Morning Musings

2011-06-20T09:35:00.000-04:00

This week the congregation I serve is hosting the Worldviews Seminar in Dearborn, Michigan. It is the ten anniversary of this seminar, created as the brainchild of Lucinda Mosher, Episcopal Relief and Development, the former rector of Christ Church, and Claude Jacobs, professor at the University of Michigan, Dearborn. It is a week long continuing Ed opportunity to learn about world religions. My hope, as the rector of this church and a member of the planning team, was to be very present for this seminar.

But it seems that life has other plans. I now have an interment on Tuesday for the sister-in-law of a parishioner and then a wake and funeral for parishioner who has attended this church for over sixty years. The wake is Wednesday and the funeral with interment will be Thursday.

In addition we hosting a number of small group sessions for me to meet parishioners, two of them will be this week.

Then, on Sunday we plan to participate in the interfaith worship scheduled for June 26, by having readings and prayers from other faith traditions incorporated in our Sunday service with members of that tradition present to read and pray. I also hope to show a video clip from the work of Sakeena, Director of Hope International. Hope International has office space in the church building.

BUSY.

It will be an exciting week celebrating the fullness of life.

What about your week?

Trinity Sunday

2011-06-18T21:37:00.002-04:00

(Invite the children to join me).
“So, I have a riddle for you.”

“How do you make the number one disappear?”

“You add a 'G' to it, and it's 'Gone'”

“What kind of a bean can you not grow?”

“A jelly bean.”

“What goes up a stairs but does not move?”

“A carpet.”

“Can you help me understand
what it sounds like
to clap our hands together?” (clap, affirm their effort).

“Now can you help me
understand what it
sounds like to clap one hand?”

“Oh, now that is a
curious riddle isn't.

Thank you for helping me,
you can go sit down now.”

Asking the question,
“What is the sound
of one hand clapping?”
is a spiritual question
used by Zen Buddhist teachers
with their students.

Questions like this
are called “Koans.”

The intent of giving a student
a koan is to aide that student
in deepening
their spiritual awareness
and insight.

A koan is a question
which has no absolute answer,
although sometimes
the meaning is very simple.

For example
the meaning of,
What is the sound
of one hand clapping,
is silence.
It’s a koan
inviting the student
into silence.

But silence
can have all kinds
of meanings and intentions
for the person
entering into it.

Koans are like
a can-opener
for the Heart/Mind (kokoro).

They are like
a door-knocker,
they are of no use,
unless used properly
as a tool
to knock on the door
of one's Heart/Mind.

The only volition appropriate
in Koan work is
calling the question gently
but repeatedly to consciousness.

Do not waste any time
trying to figure the koan out.

Let it stretch your mind
through the questioning alone,
make no effort to solve it.

Any analysis is a waste of time.

Koans are a devilish instrument
because they deliberately tempt us
to make an interpretation,
explanation, imitation or analysis;
and yet,
it is only when we exhaust
or give up these lines of investigation
that a deeper level of inquiry
becomes possible.

Often when we are able
to admit in frustration
that we don't know anything,
can true koan practice begin.

All religions
have words of wisdom, koans.

In the Hebrew tradition
we find these
in the Book of Proverbs
and the Book of Ecclesiaticus.

In Christianity
we know it most fully
in the idea of the Trinity,
that confusing
and mind stretching concept
of one God,
three persons.

The early church
held council meetings
over the course of
about four hundred years
debating the nature of God,
the nature of Jesus,
and the nature of the Holy Spirit.

The debates were often fierce,
with one side winning
and one side losing,
sometimes
losing ones life
in the process.

People were called
heretics and shunned.
It was brutal.

But in the end
the debate
has left us with
the Nicene Creed
as the historical
statement of faith
that attempts
to articulate
what the church means
by one God,
three persons.

In reality
the nature of the Trinity
is like a koan –
not something
we can ever fully
understand
in concrete terms –

but a concept
that is intended
to say something
about the Christian understanding
of God
as a God of relationship.
As Christians
we are called
to enter into the
mystery of the Trinity
and allow it
to grow within,
shaping and forming
who we are
and how we
are in relationship
with ourselves,
with God,
and with others.

Not only
do we celebrate
the Trinity today,
and each year
on the Sunday
that follows Pentecost,
but this day
ushers in
the long season
of Ordinary Time.

From now
until the end of November
we celebrate
the ordinary circumstances
of daily life.

Our reading from Genesis
reminds us
that God created
all the world,
all of life,
in some manner,
and in some way –
perhaps not exactly
as Genesis suggests.

But God
is the source of all creation,
and in creating
all the world,
God also blesses
the world
and us.

And so our koan
for this time
might be
“God has blessed our lives,
and made them good.”

How might we
understand this truth,
even when life feels
like nothing but
pain and sorrow?

How is it
that in fact,
life
is blessed?

RevGals Friday Five

2011-06-17T07:19:00.002-04:00

Jan over at RevGals offers this Friday Five:

I am currently reading a book entitled Stairway of Surprise: Six Steps to a Creative Life by Michael Lipson. His premise is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "I shall mount to paradise by the stairway of surprise." Lipson's book is about practicing or developing six inner functions--thinking, doing, feeling, loving, opening, and thanking.

So these categories of attention are a jumping off point for today's Friday Five:

Pick five of the six actions and write about how you are practicing them today or recently. For a bonus, write about the sixth one you originally didn't choose!

What or how are you

1. thinking? I am thinking about my homily for Sunday. It is my goal to preach without a text as often as possible this summer. I also need tom preach shorter reflections that take in to consideration that our children will be with for the entire service. For me this is an opportunity to engage the kids at the sermon time. So, I'm thinking about how to do that.

2. doing? Drinking coffee, listening to the birds as they wake up, sing, enjoy the bird feeder, and chuckle at my cat who is intrigued by the birds as they land on the deck railing and jostle for a position on the feeder.

3. feeling? Achey. I need a massage. I have started to exercise again, yoga, core work, weights, walking and bike riding. But, I still need a massage.

4. loving? This beautiful morning, where I live, my new call, my family.

5. opening? Meeting new people, learning new ways, growing to love new people and build new relationships.

6. thanking? God. Life has been very difficult, but I feel so blessed right now.

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Monday Morning Musings

2011-06-13T12:15:00.000-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been busy with preparations for a round of rituals designed to honor this new ministry. Now that those are over, and I have a relatively quiet week. Next week the Worldviews Seminar begins so life will get busy again. The church I serve is a host site for the seminar, the former rector being a founding member of it. As a host site we offer a place for the group to gather every day for a catered lunch, an afternoon session, and place for cars to be parked while the group takes their bus tours to the various religious centers in the Dearborn/Detroit area. I'm excited to be a part of this and look forward to the presentations. But, that's next week.

This week will be a bit quieter, and for that I am thankful. I was quite exhausted yesterday afternoon, and found myself grateful for a yoga class within an easy bike ride from my house. This particular yoga class is held at 5pm every Sunday, it's a "Restorative" class - with slow easy postures held for a very long time, maybe five minutes each side? I don't know how long, but slow, with lots of deep breathing, low light level, meditative quality, and a long meditation time at the end. It's delightful.

Today I have made a big breakfast for my husband before sending him off to work. Then I spent an hour weeding the garden. Now I'm going to work out and do some yoga, meditate, go for a bike ride, then spend some time reading on the deck.

It's a beautiful, low humidity, sunny day, here.

What about you? What does your week look like? What fun plans do you? Or is it all work?

Infused with the Spirit

2011-06-11T19:51:00.000-04:00

A reflection on Pentecost, Baptism, and 1 Corinthians 12

12:4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

12:5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord;

12:6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone
12:12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

12:13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Although she was only nine years old she knew that she wanted to be baptized. She went to church, week in and week out, walking herself down the street to the local congregation. Her parents were much more relaxed about church. So she asked them if they would arrange for her to be baptized. At first her parents thought she should wait until she was older. But eventually, as her asking became persistent, they relented, and a baptism was arranged.

The day of the baptism she arrived at the building that held the font. There she changed into the flowing white gowns of baptism and proceeded toward the font. A number of people were being baptized that day, and she had to stand in line. Finally her time came and she climbed the stairs to font. Her baptism would be by full immersion. The pool was a semi-circle, almost as large as an olympic pool, with a mural of Jesus being baptized. As she waited on the ledge, while the person in front of her was baptized, she suddenly realized just how deep the water was. It would easily be up to her shoulders. And she couldn't swim.

She became terrified. What if she drowned in the water? What if her uncle, who would baptize her, by tipping her over backward and under the water, what if he dropped her? And being backward and disoriented she inhaled water and drowned?

For a moment she thought about leaving, but there were people behind her, also waiting their turn. She was had no choice but to walk down the steps and into the pool. The water was warm, and deep. Easily up to her shoulders. Walking to the center of the pool where her uncle stood waiting for her, was slow and challenging in that deep water. Her fear rose higher. Her uncle greeted her, covered her nose with her hand and his, and with the other hand he tipped her backward into the water.

I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Up out of the water she came, alive, and relieved.

Fearing death through baptism might strike us a bit odd, but death and new life are metaphors for the baptismal event. The ancient church taught new members of the church that they were leaving behind, dying to, an old way of life, dying into the death of Christ, and rising again into a new life as a Christian, into the life and body of Christ. The girl was on to something mystical and ancient in this ritual we call baptism.

The ancient church also celebrated the gifts given to the apostles in baptism and again on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit infused the community of people gathered, and called them into a new order, the church, the Body of Christ.

The gifts given were that each would live as God has called us, in Christ, to live: to love God, love others, and love ourselves. Each of us has a special calling from God, infused with gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some of us live out our gifts as musicians, or artists, or executives, or gardeners, or teachers, lawyers, doctors, or parents, or as someone who is ordained a priest, deacon, or Bishop.

On Thursday we celebrated the many ministries of this parish, and renewed our commitment to those ministries. Today we celebrate the a new member being welcomed into our community, our Christian family. We have been praying for P. E. K. for a month, preparing him and us, for this day. We have prayed for him by his first name and two middle names, because today his last name will become the same as ours – Christian. Today he will receive his gifts of the Holy Spirit, being born anew into a life in Christ. Our job, our ministry, is to support P. and his family, in their faith journey, just as it is our ministry to support each other with prayer and acts of kindness, with honesty and companionship, with love.

RevGals Friday Five: Memorable Moments

2011-06-10T08:06:00.000-04:00

Dorcas over at RevGals took her four year old grand-daughter to hear Mozart's Requiem at a live concert venue and offers this Friday Five:

She was hopping with excitement, but we gave her lots of coaching, and when we arrived she gazed about with wonder at the lovely venue, and when the orchestra began to tune up she sat up straight and gazed, enraptured, with her mouth literally open. It was pure delight to watch her enjoying brand-new sights, sounds and surroundings.

This experience led me to remembering times of discovery, of new experiences. Some were my own experiences and some were remembered from my children, or those of others. Share with us today about five memorable moments of insight, discovery, awareness--from childhood or later, something you experienced or something you shared with someone else.

1. Gardening: when I was young we moved to a small town in Wisconsin. In the yard of the house we lived in we discovered a garden of large dark purple grapes, asparagus, and rhubarb. Years later my husband and I created a garden in our yard and grew, among the usual tomato, cucumber, and green pepper, we also grew lettuce and brussel sprouts. I was amazed at the process of growing these vegetables, and loved eating what we had grown. Now we have another garden and this time I am trying to grow garlic, leeks, and chives, along with the usual fare listed above.

2. Dogs: as a little girl I had small dogs, but found as an adult that I was fearful of large dogs. I don't recall ever being bitten or harmed, so I am not sure where the fear came from. Then one day, some twenty years ago, we took in a stray dog. This sweet, abandoned dog, ended up having puppies. We had her for many years, and then when she passed, we got another dog. Now we have three dogs. In her prime, Roxie, our oldest, was over 70 pounds, so a relatively big dog. Now I delight in all dogs, and have many fond memories of walking dogs in dog parks and around the neighborhood.

3. Planes: my first plane trip occurred in 1970 when, along with my parents and three younger brothers, we moved to Ft. Worth, Texas. For this trip my mother outfitted all of us in matching clothes - my dad and brothers in white pants with blue striped shirts, she and I in blue striped dresses and white hats. The photograph cracks me up, and if I could get my computer and scanner to talk to each other I'd post it. Since then I have flown many times. A memorable trip was the small propeller plane I flew from Puerto Rico to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The plane was small, and flew so low over the Caribbean that I could see waves and fish. It was beautiful, but a bit disconcerting to be in such a small plane over that large body of water.

4. Music Concerts: When I lived in Chicago I loved to go to outdoor concerts - we'd bring a picnic dinner, sit on the lawn, and listen to fabulous music. It was in one of these arenas that I first heard YoYo Ma play cello. I now own a number of Ma's CD's, and listen to them over and over. As a result it was with great excitment that I prepared, in the fall of 2009, to go to a concert in Tucson that featured YoYo Ma. I downloaded a version of the piece he would be playing and listened to it until I knew every note - Dvorak's Cello Concerto Op 4. (I can't seem to get a link to work today, but if you don't know it, google it sometime!).

5. The Service of Welcome and Renewal of Ministries we celebrated last night, at the parish where I now serve. The music was stunning! The entire evening was fabulous and a lot of fun! A memorable evening!

Monday Morning Musings

2011-06-06T09:48:00.002-04:00

This morning I am recovering from a busy weekend. My husband and I spent most of Thursday, Friday, and Saturday preparing for a party we hosted Sunday afternoon. (Note to self, a Sunday afternoon party, following two morning services, may not be the best planning - although it turned out well for us).

The party was a thank-you event for the Search Committe members and their families, for the long hard work they did on behalf of this congregation, and my husband and me. We had about 17 people, some of whom do not eat dairy or meat, and one who is allergic to peanuts/nuts. I planned carefully, and served:

Appetizers: homemade guacamole with chunky salsa and organic chips; veggies with a garlic humuus dip.

Dinner: chicken salad with yogurt/mayo dressing, celery, green onions, salt, pepper, and basil. A curry brown rice lentil dish served warm, a salad of organic greens with add your own toppings - mandarian oranges, strawberries, dried cranberries, honey pecans (on the side and ok for the nut-allergy person), croutons, and either a balsamic dressing or a raspberry vineagrette, whole grain bread, or whole grain pita, with roasted red pepper huumus.

Beverages: Pinot noir, chardonnay, ice tea, lemonade, or Pellegrino with slices of lemon and lime.

Desert: cherry pie or mixed berry pie with vanilla ice cream or strawberry sorbet or peach sorbet, and herbal tea.

No paper goods were used. Instead I used my mother in laws china, and my husbands grandmothers china, my mothers silver, and real glass wine glasses for all the beverages. Tables were set with table clothes, cloth napkins, and in coffee cups and saucers I planted flowers for a table decoration - they were really cute.

So, some of you on Facebook have asked for the brown rice lentil recipe. I made enough for 20, so you will have to reduce, but be generous will the ingredients you like most.

Curry Brown Rice and Lentil

1 onion,
oil for sauteing
3 cups uncooked brown rice
1 small can tomato paste
chopped tomatoes or a can of diced tomatoes with liquid
7 cups of water
cinnamon to taste (I used about one tablespoon)
curry to taste (I used green curry, about a tablespoon, maybe more)
salt and pepper
chili powder
1 cup dried uncooked lentils
1 cup of raisins

saute onion in oil until tender. add brown rice and saute for a few minutes, add water, stir to blend. add tomato paste, seasons, lentils, bring to a boil, cover and cook for 30 minutes. pour into a baking dish, add raisins and diced tomatoes. blend well. taste for seasoning.

At this point I refrigerated the dish and baked it the next day so I could serve it warm. But regardless the final step is to cover and bake the dish, making sure that it still has enough liquid in it to finish cooking the rice and lentils - I add another 6oz of water, after letting it sit for a day). Then I baked it for an hour, less time if you make a smaller quantity and bake it while still warm from the pan.

The dish has a delightful blend of sweetness from the raisins and spice from the seasonings, as well as being good for ya!

I took the recipe from Vegetarian Times, but adapted it significantly. In the original recipe they did not use curry or chili powder or diced tomatoes, and added instead pine nuts, which I did not use.

So today I need to finish cleaning up from the party and rest before I return to work tomorrow. This week the Bishop is coming for the official "Service of Welcome" (AKA "Installation"). And then we have Pentecost with a baptism followed by the parish picnic. Another busy week! But then we move into the summer schedule, and hopefully a slightly slower pace.

That's my week. What about yours?

A reflection on prayer for Easter 7A

2011-06-04T17:37:00.000-04:00

A reflection on John 17:1-11

I was two years old when I had to have my tonsils out. Back in those days they kept kids over night. The evening before the surgery my parents delivered me to the hospital, got me ready for bed, and then when visiting hours were over, they had to leave. Parents were not allowed to stay overnight. I remember standing in the crib, in my pajamas, and saying over and over “Let me out of this crib, I am not a baby!” And, when the nurses refused to let me out I started shaking the crib. In my memory, which might be faulty, I shook that crib across the room. And, at some point I managed to climb out of it. I refused the magic fairy juice, which I'm sure was intended to make me go to sleep. I have no idea how long I tormented that hospital staff, but it was daylight when I arrived, and it was long dark when I finally fell asleep. But, what I remember most clearly about that night is my uncle. My mother's only brother, and an “Elder” in the church, came to pray for me. I have a distinct memory of him laying hands on my head and praying. In my memory, I went to sleep right after. Like his prayer calmed me and soothed me to sleep.

My next memory of prayer takes place when I was in grammar school. From about first grade through sixth or seventh grade, I prayed every night before bed. I prayed for my family, and I prayed for every single person in my classroom. I went down the rows, from the first desk to the last, and prayed for each person by name. And, if I happened to know of some concern, I prayed for that too. I prayed for my teachers, too.

I'm fairly certain that I didn't pray much at all in high school, at least not consciously and intentionally. I was a contemplative kid, though. I wrote poetry, and listened to music, and pondered the world around me. Some would consider these to be prayer like activities, and perhaps they were, even though they were not intentionally prayerful.

In 1976, while a sophomore in college, I learned to meditate. Transcendental Meditation was all the rage. A center was established in my college town and I decided to learn. I've been a practitioner of meditation ever since. I even remember my “mantra” although I hardly every use it anymore. I quite enjoyed my mediation practice, and grew to appreciate it even more when I began to practice yoga. Yoga taught me other forms of mediation.

Eventually I found my way to the Episcopal Church and the Book of Common Prayer. True, my first six months or so of worship in the church were very un-worship like, as I struggled to understand the order of the prayer book, and why we flipped back and forth from one section to another. But over time I grew to love the book, and found some beautiful prayers in it. I can't tell you how many times I have prayed this prayer, found in the evening prayer:

Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or
weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who
sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless
the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the
joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.

And, so I learned to pray with words and became dependent on the prayerbook for the words I prayed. It wasn't until many years later that I learned about Centering Prayer, a Christian form of silent prayer, usually done in a group. And then, ordained a priest, I learned to pray with others, using words, but not always frm the prayer book. Extemporaneous prayer, making up the prayer in the moment, took some practice, but is a lovely way to pray. I think this poem from Mary Oliver helped me become comfortable with extemporaneous prayer:

It doesn't have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don't try
to make them elaborate, this isn't
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

The Gospel reading continues the story of Jesus with the disciples, on Maundy Thursday, at that final meal. Jesus is praying with and for his friends. The world, then and now, is full of challenges. And so, "it is critical that the church remind itself that it is the recipient of Jesus' prayer…that God will be present in the life and mission of the faith community," (Gail R. O'Day John, New Interpreter's Bible).

We can understand the prayer more fully if we understand what Jesus means by “glorify.”

In the Gospel of John, the incarnation is about the glory of God: "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). The glorification process begins in chapter 12, with Mary anointing Jesus' feet and he says: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" (John 12:23). Glory (doxa) and glorify (doxazo) appear forty-two times in John, most of them in chapters 13-21. More than one-third of all NT occurrences of the verb "glorify" occur in this gospel.

The rest of the gospel unpacks this notion of glory and, more surprisingly, our own participation in it. So, here's the point: glory is about God's presence, about an intimate relationship between God and humanity, that God created this world,with the intent that all creation should be in unity with God and one another. Jesus, in the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection, reveals this as God's sole intention, the unity of God to all creation. The glorification of Jesus, is the uniting of Jesus to God, and therefore the uniting of us, and all creation, with God.

Jesus' prayer reminds us that the purpose of prayer is to help unite us, very intentionally to God. To build our relationship with God. To let God know our concerns, and to be quiet enough that God can speak to us. As Episcopalians, we are united with God and one another through our common worship. As individuals we hold many different values and understandings of life and politics, country, God, and faith, but gathered in worship we set aside our individual selves and become one in a community of prayer. The glorification of Jesus was for this purpose, that we all may become one body knit together in love.

RevGals Friday Five: Rerun Edition

2011-06-03T09:01:00.000-04:00

Songbird, over at RevGalBlogPals, is commenting on summer reruns for her favorite television shows. She wonders:

In honor of this annual Time Warp, please share five things worth a repeat. These could be books, movies, CDs, recipes, vacations, or even TV shows.

I rarely re-read a book. In fact, I never re-read fiction. (although I may change my mind on that, as I have a few favorites now on my iPod. Listening to audiobooks while knitting is very relaxing. I also listen to audiobooks while driving). I do re-read theology books, liturgy books, Bible "interpretation" and ethics. I also re-read Mary Oliver poetry books, again and again and again.

Some of my favorite, easy breezy, comedy movies, I watch over and over. Usually I catch them on a television movie channel, midway into the movie, but since I've already seen it, it becomes background entertainment while I do something else. That something else is usually blog, or read blogs. The same holds true for a few action or drama movies.

On the other hand, I have little interest in watching television shows in reruns...so in the summer I go looking for new programs, like "So You Think You Can Dance" and "America's Got Talent"...

Recipes are one area that I tend to repeat, often. We have a few favorites in my household, usually simple grilled summer foods with homemade pasta or potato salad (my mother's recipe), salad or corn on the cob. I like to make my grandmother's homemade cake recipe - she called it "boiled raisin cake" - it's a spice cake with raisins and a caramel like icing. I like to use that same icing recipe on a simple white cake. Well, I could go on and on about recipe repeats - sometimes we get stuck in a rut, eating the same foods over and over - and then I have to hunt for a new favorite.

Music is another area where I tend to listen to the same music CD over and over and over. For this reason I really like the shuffle feature on my iPod, which randomly selects the order of music I hear. It amuses me, in the selections made, and usually pulls up an old favorite that I have forgotten. Last Monday I sat outside on my deck, a warm sunny day, drinking peach iced tea, reading, and listening to music on my iPad. The shuffle selection was perfect!

Monday Morning Musings

2011-05-30T09:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, following the two Sunday morning services, I spent an hour and a half working in the garden. It's a community garden, an offering of the church, and I have a plot in it. So far I have planted three varieties of tomatoes, green and yellow pepper, green beans and Lima bean, oregano, sage, garlic, leeks, chives, marigolds and dahlias. Yesterday I added cucumbers and basil. Then, in August I will start broccoli and Brussels sprout seedlings for a fall garden, they will go not the garden in September for a late November harvest.

In addition to tending to my plot I also help weed the entire garden, including the two empty plots. We're hoping to find two more people to take the empty plots, but if not we will plant flowers, just to keep the weeds down.

It's wonderful to be outside gardening. Still, I find myself impatient. I want to rush through the weeding and get rid of them. But I work to slow down, be, mindful, attentive, and appreciate the rich soil, the worms, the sun.

Today I intend to exercise with my DVD for abs, arms, and legs. Then I'm going to do a little gardening. I hope to take a walk into town, mostly for something to do. My husband works all day and I'm alone with the dogs. I think I'll walk to Panera Cares, with my book and have an iced tea. it's a good twenty minute walk, and a good community project to support.

Other than that it will be a quiet day. The rest of the week will include the usual round of meetings, plus mu first(here) memorial service.

That's my week, what about yours?

The Love that Binds

2011-05-28T17:13:00.001-04:00

A reflection on the Gospel for Easter 6A:John 14:15-21

A recent article on MSNBC Today internet news tells this story: “Michelle Feldstein was prepared to provide special accommodations for the blind horse she recently added to the flightless ducks, clawless cats and homeless llamas inhabiting her animal shelter in Montana.

But nothing could prepare her for (what actually happened)....

“Sissy came with five goats and five sheep – and they take care of her,” said Feldstein, the force behind Deer Haven Ranch, a private rescue facility she runs with her husband, Al, on 300 acres north of Yellowstone.

The seeing-eye sheep and guard goats are never far from the white mare, and they never lead her astray. They shepherd Sissy to food and water, and angle the horse into her stall amid blowing snow or driving rains.

“They round her up at feeding time and then move aside to make sure she gets to eat” Feldstein said. “They show her where the water is and stand between her and the fence to let her know the fence is there.”

Feldstein rescued the horse and her companions from another rescue facility in western Montana where they were slated to be put down. She says, “There's a magic involved in sheep, goats, and a horse becoming friends...and you have to wonder, why can't people do that?”

Jesus says, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” Jesus also says, “The greatest commandment is this, that you shall love God, love others, and love yourself.” The Gospel of John, the Easter season Gospel, is all about love. Not the mushy, warm and fuzzy love, but mostly the hard kind of love, extending compassion and care to the least of God's creation, and the human beings that challenge us the most.

In the Gospel of John it is night, we're back to Maundy Thursday. Today's reading is known as his “farewell” address, and is filled with his efforts to assure his disciples and calm their fears. The disciples have no idea of what lies ahead, of the chaos they will witness and live through.

Last Sunday I spoke about the nature of God - as the One who creates life and recreates new life out of chaos, often using human hands and hearts to manifest God's love in the world. As some prepared for the end of the world based on some mathematical equation derived from Noah and the flood, others in this country were dealing with real life struggles and tragedies. This has been the most destructive tornado season on record. Sunday night the massive tornado destroyed portions of Joplin, MO. Tuesday night found me following Facebook and Twitter updates as many of my friends in Texas and Oklahoma sought shelter from several waves of tornadoes. Those same storms blew through Ohio and Michigan dumping buckets of water on us.

One Facebook friend to wrote, “For some, the world ends every day...”

For some the world ends every day.

The disciples knew this feeling. But they also learned what comes after, what comes with love. I don't know if we could call the actions of the sheep and goats tending to Sissy, acts of love. But it could be. I certainly think that animals are capable of emotion. Perhaps on some level they understand that their lives are fragile, that they were facing a sure and certain end, perhaps some aspect of that reality brought them together and formed them into this caring mis-matched troupe of sheep and goats and a blind horse. I also imagine that in some regard, in some way, there is a presence of love between them. And, in that regard, Feldstein has it right, they model for us, how we too are called to love.

In un-predictable ways, in mis-matched ways, with people we least expect. Called to love like this because that is how Jesus loved- with outcasts and sinners, with women and fishermen, with tax collectors, and children, the lost, the broken, the sick, with everyone and anyone.

And now the news is filled with stories of rescue, of people helping other people. My little Facebook and twitter group, are holding in prayer, a string of people across this country from Oklahoma City, to Dallas, Texas, to Joplin, Missouri, to Memphis, Tennessee, to Little Rock Arkansas, to Huntsville, Alabama, to Dayton Ohio – people known “in real life” and those known only through social networks, but all who know the other as “friend.”

I have had the opportunity these last couple of weeks to visit with some of our home-bound parishioners. People, who, in their younger years, were vibrant members of this parish. I bring them communion, I anoint them and pray with them. I take the time to listen to their stories and try to see this church through their eyes, their love. I hope to give them a space to remember, and place to be remembered. I hold their sorrow and sadness as they describe what it is like to be the last of their generation, to have all of their friends gone. I try to bring to them a sense of being cared for, of the love that resides in this congregation, among all of you. And I strive to honor the reality that we are here because they were here, just like those who come after us will be able to do so because we are here now.

Through out time, what binds us together, from Jesus to the disciples, from the founding members of the Christian church to the founding members of this church, and through every generation that has worshiped here, is the love of God. The love of God made known to us through Jesus, through prayer and song, through bread and wine, through hands extended out to share the gifts, where strangers become friends and friends become family, guiding one another through joys and travails of life. A mis-matched bunch, perhaps, but one united, nonetheless, in the love of God.

I think its awesome that Feldstein and her husband are caring for animals who would otherwise have no home. But I think it is sad that she does not know human beings who show the same kind of love and compassion for other humans as she sees in the guidance of the sheep and goats for the blind horse. All around us are human beings doing this, reaching into chaos and, acting as agents of God's love, working to bring forth wholeness, through love and compassion for others. From Japan to Chile, from the Australia to the Gulf Coast, across this country and around the world, people stepping into the chaos and helping, restoring order, a sign of hope, hearts of love. I hear this, too, in the stories of this church through the decades, and I witness it every day as I come to know you.

If you love me, you will keep my commandment, to love God, love others, and love self.

Friday Five: Ah-Choo! Edition

2011-05-27T06:50:00.000-04:00

Mary Beth, our host for today's Friday Five over at RevGals, is allergic to ligustrum. She writes:

Ligustrum is a type of privet hedge and it is very invasive. VERY. It's a spready green bush with leaves of various sizes and tiny white flowers of a head-piercing sweetness.

So, thinking about allergies:

1. Do you experience any seasonal allergies? Are you allergic to anything else? I am allergic to mold, dust, and ragweed, although over the years my seasonal allergy to ragweed has diminished a bit. In the same general family as ragweed I am also allergic to chamomile and echinacea. I can have an occasional cup of chamomile tea, but not every night. I also have issues with vitamin C (canker sores) and all acidic fruits like pineapple, some melons, oranges, etc. I get my vitamin C from veggies, I don't even take a multiple vitamin because they all contain too much vitamin C. Oh, and walnuts also cause canker sores....

2. What kinds of symptoms do you experience during your allergic reactions? Regarding pineapple, citrus, and walnuts:mouth sores and an upset stomach. The other allergies cause breathing issues and congestion, watery eyes, itchy throat. And once, while taking echinacea, I had a terrible allergic reaction and broke out in massive hives that lasted a week and required daily doses of progesterone and benadryl.

3. How do you manage your allergies? (ie: medication, avoidance, alternative therapies, etc) I take a generic version of Zyrtec, and sometimes a small dose of benadryl at bedtime.

4. What is the strangest allergy you've ever heard of? I think I have some peculiar allergies...

5. How do you feel about school and social policies that banning peanuts and other allergens? If, as a parent, my children had had bad allergies to peanuts or some other food, I would have appreciated assistance from others. Mostly, if I am responsible for another parent's child with these allergies I worry about unintentional exposure because I eat peanuts and peanut butter. I'd be very careful. So, I guess I would be ok with the ban.

Monday Morning Musings

2011-05-23T09:24:00.000-04:00

For the first time in a long while, we had two days of sun - Saturday and Sunday. In addition to my usual weekend work preparing for Sunday morning, my husband and I began work on our garden. The church has a community garden on the grounds and we have a plot. Saturday we weeded and tilled and added nutrients. Sunday I planted tomatoes, several varieties, green and yellow peppers, and marigolds. Today we're going to pick up cucumbers, basil, green beans and cilantro. Hopefully I'll get them in the ground before it storms today.

Speaking of storms, I continue to pray for those afflicted by this wild and violent weather we are having...OMG!

The rest of the week includes a lot of meetings...What about your week?

Out of Chaos

2011-05-21T19:15:00.001-04:00

A reflection on the readings for Easter 5A: Acts 7:55-60, John 14:1-14

All week long my colleagues and I joked on Facebook about the pending “end of the world” - which since we are still here, did not happen yesterday. Apparently some mathematical configuration found in the Bible defined May 21, 2011 as the day of the rapture – the return of Christ – potentially leaving the world in upheaval and chaos as “some are taken up to God” and some are left behind.

Charles Hardy, in his book, The Empty Raincoat, has some thoughts on the idea of chaos. He writes:

“Management and control are breaking down everywhere. The new world order looks very likely to end in disorder. We can't make things happen the way we want them to at home, at work, or in government, certainly not in the world as a whole. There are, it is now clear, limits to management....

Scientist call this sort of time the edge of chaos, the time of turbulence and creativity out of which a new order may jell. The first living cell emerged some four million years ago, from a primordial soup of simple molecules and amino acids. Nobody knows why or how. Ever since then the universe has had an inexorable tendency to run down, to degenerate into disorder and decay. Yet it has also managed to produce from that disorder an incredible array of living creatures. Plants, and bacteria, as well as stars and planets. New life is forever springing from the decay and disorder of the old.

At the Santa Fe Institute, where a group of scientists are studying these phenomena, they call it 'complexity theory.' They believe that their ideas have as much relevance to oil prices, race relations, and the stock market as they do to particle physics...(that) the edge of chaos (is) the one place where a complex system can be spontaneous, adaptive and alive....” (The Empty Raincoat, Arrow Books, 1995, pg. 16).

In a way, this describes our Christian understanding of life: that from chaos came life. We hear it in Genesis, and it's the resurrection story too.

Granted, today's reading from Acts gives us a particular snapshot of the chaos, of the struggles of the Christian life. Stephen, who is known as the first Deacon of the church, has run into trouble. Some people have rejected his leadership and the punishment is death. Stephen, as he faces the end of his life, offers us a mystical glimpse of his faith, and his confidence in the love of God. He asks for forgiveness for those who judge him and expresses trust in the life to come. His confidence in the love of God is intended to remind us to invest our selves in this life, this world, acting as agents of God's presence, God's compassion, even when we face challenges, struggles, fears, and chaos. Stephan’s faith believes that out of chaos comes new life.

The stories we hear from Acts of the Apostles are of the challenges of the early church being birthed into life from the tragedy of two events: the crucifixion of Jesus, and the chaos of the Roman-Jewish war that destroyed the temple in the year 72. Those who formed the early church were Jews who worshiped, as they always had, in their home synagogues, creating two branches of Judaism that co-existed for some forty years. That is, until the temple was destroyed and the Jewish people were scattered. The temple was the heart of Jewish faith – the temple was where God lived, where people came to be in the presence of God. The tension of that chaotic time - the death of Jesus and the destruction of the temple - separated the followers of Jesus from those who followed the teachers of Moses. Judaism took on a new life, formed in smaller groups around a single teacher, and the rabbinic tradition was born. The story we hear in Acts reflects the movement of those who rejected the rabbinic movement and followed the teachings of Jesus, giving birth to Christianity. Out of chaos comes new life.

Our Psalm this morning points us in this same direction. It's a beautiful Psalm. One that Jesus clearly knew from his Jewish upbringing. In the Gospel of Luke, the final words of Jesus on the cross are from this Psalm: “Into your hand I commit my Spirit.”

The Psalmist reminds us that in the midst of chaos and confusion and tragedy, God is ever present. God walks with us, God carries us, God abides with us, God never leaves us. But more than that, the resurrection reminds us that God always scoops into the chaos and brings forth new life. But God doesn't do this alone.

In the Gospel reading Jesus expresses a profound mystical understanding of the presence of God, a presence found in this life and in the life to come. Without spelling this out in concrete detail of date and time and place, Jesus speaks with assurance of the comprehensive love of God, now and in the future. As Christians we understand this abiding love of God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. For us, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The opening passages of John's Gospel remind us that Jesus is a particular expression of God's-self. The Word, as an expression of God manifests as Jesus. The prologue to the Gospel of John suggest that the Word is more than a person made flesh, the Word has been part of God's expression into the world since before creation. The Word spoke into the chaos and brought forth order, new life, land and water, sun, moon and stars, and every living creature. The Word expresses God's self into all creation, into the life of Jesus, and continues to express God's love into the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Some believe that the Word expresses God's self into other faith traditions, into Judaism and Islam, and maybe others, as well. Who knows? The Word of God, God's self expression, is mystical and beyond our ability to know fully. As Christians we know God in the Trinity; specifically in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Understanding God and the purpose of our lives through Jesus, through baptism, and through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, shapes and forms who we Christians are as human beings. However, this reading from the Gospel of John is less about our faith and more about how we make meaning of our faith. This reading calls us to not only model our lives on Jesus, but to do even greater things – love even more abundantly, give even more generously, live even more expansively, than Jesus. That is a high calling!

Thankfully the reading reminds us that the power, the ability to do even greater things than Jesus did during his life, does not come from our own ability. Rather, this ability comes from our relationship with God, and is always a God-infused gift of opportunity and ability. Out of the chaos God brings forth new life. Through the incarnation, when the Word became flesh, we learn that God sometimes chooses to do God's work through human life. In the resurrection we learn that God sometimes chooses to renew creation through human life. And, so, likewise God sometimes chooses to use us, to enable us to be partners in co-creating the well-being of the world. We are called to be the hands and heart of Christ, called to respond to the broken places of this world with love and compassion, to heal and to help, generously.

Out of chaos, comes new life.

Friday Five: Words

2011-05-20T09:01:00.001-04:00

Jan, over at RevGal, offers this Friday Five Meme:

So my suggestion for today's Friday Five is to write about 5 words you really like. Please explain why you have chosen each word, in such ways as:

It is a

1. description or attribute of yourself: a Bishop I know from another diocese, one who is about to retire, use to say that I was
humble" - I was never quite sure what HE meant by that, but I like to think that I am humble.

2. activity you enjoy: knitting, walking, yoga, bike riding

3. word that is spelled or pronounced in an interesting way: do you say, "ah" or "A" - as in ah-men, or Amen? or A thing or ah thing? and why?

4. passion of yours: I like many aspects of life, but a passion? Preaching can be a passion, it certainly anchors the rhythm of my week. Daily prayer, especially meditation, is a passion, albeit a gentle one. Healthy living is probably my life-long passion - health of mind, body, and spirit.

5. word that brings you hope, peace, or comfort: "in quietness and confidence shall be our strength" - ok, so several words, a prayer phrase actually...but one I have prayed often.

and, a bonus...

6.word you like to repeat or sing: I often wake up with "ear-worms," phrases of music rolling through my thoughts. Lately it's been Joni Mitchell, "Woke up it was a Chelsea morning: