SUNDAY October 16. We are celebrating St. Francis Day a bit late this year. For the readings click here.
I read an article in The Living Church, by The Rev. Larry Harrelson of Sisters, OR, about Francis that gave me some ideas about how Francis, before his conversion, symbolizes our lives in this day and time. Weighed down with burdens of maintaining our place in the world, our status, we live our lives out of relationship with our true selves, our neighbors and God. We put up masks of "making it." We spend our days busy with activities that in the long run will not matter to us. We don't leave time for that which produce joy. We live in fear that there will not be "enough."
Francis was a wealthy young man, full of himself, his power, his abilities. He rode into battle looking for glory but ended up in prison, abandoned in a crowded cell, in the dark. We cruise along thinking our might as a nation, or our individual abilities will carry us through. It seems only when we find ourselves in disaster do we have to face our true selves - our ultimate powerlessness and hunger, our emptiness of life. Francis heard a call from God "As you go, proclaim the good news, 'the kingdom has come near.' Cure the sick raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics. or sandals or staff, for laborers deserve their food." Matt 10:7-10. He gave up everything and found everything.
Once Francis came upon the wolf, Gubbio, who was terrorizing a village - he spoke to Gubbio about how he could feed his hunger without endangering the villagers. How often our hungers turn us into people that terrify others. Will we find food for our spiritual hungers?
He would carry worms across the road so they would not be injured by the wheels of the vehicles or careless feet. Can we find that kind of tenderness toward the creation and our planet that sustains us?
His father wanted him to return to the family business and said he would cut him off from his inheritance if he did not. Francis stripped off all the clothes that had been purchased by his family's wealth and stood naked rather than give up his sense of what God wanted of him. Can we strip off all that does not make this world a better place? Stand open to God and God's call on our lives? Share rather than hoard? Give up power to empower others?
Today we bless our animal friends, those who are with us and those who are absent. It is a symbol of our care for creation and the gifts that the creation gives us. St. Francis is honored all over the world with ceremonies such as this one. But St. Francis is also more - a person who challenges us to live in truth and witness to the power of God's love for us and for all creation.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Something for fun:
You are Julian of Norwich! It's all about God, to
you. You're convinced that the world has a
happy ending. Everyone else is convinced that
you're a closet hippie, but you love them
anyway.
Which Saint Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
You are Julian of Norwich! It's all about God, to
you. You're convinced that the world has a
happy ending. Everyone else is convinced that
you're a closet hippie, but you love them
anyway.
Which Saint Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
This week I am actually watching the tide and seeing what it brings - we are at Cannon Beach. Took a long walk around the "bird rocks" - usually surrounded by water - tonight while the tide was out. Stopped by the local grill for salmon, lovely. Not thinking things theological this week - just enjoying the grandchildren. Tomorrow I meet by phone with the publisher of my book. It is a compilation of my "poems" on the Daily Office. What a lot of work goes into the final editing of a book - I have more admiration for published writers now. More when we surface from the coast.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Thinking about next Sunday's readings for September 18.
It is sort of a complaining Sunday. The Israelites are complaining about being bored with manna and the workers are complaining about the landowner's unfairness. Even Paul is of two minds about living or dying. He seems kind of tired of being an itinerant preacher, suffering, and trying to build up the faith.
For those who have escaped with their lives from the disaster of Hurricane Katrina or any other disaster, war, or famine - manna, or any sustenance seems like a bounty. Once the immediacy of the tragedy gives way to the day to day awareness of loss of home, identity, photos, not to mention all the other possessions and items that make a place one's own, then complaining about something that is handy, like the food, follows as an outlet for all that grief.
The parable of the landowner had puzzled me for many years until I was confronted by a classmate in seminary with the question "look at it from the point of view of the day laborer." Thinking back over my days as a teen picking beans and strawberries in the Portland, Oregon area - I began to see it in a new way. The strong are chosen to work early - the field owners buses would come by the corner where we stood hoping for work. Later as it became clear they needed more pickers - others would be chosen slowly gathering at last the weakest of us. For me it did not really matter because I would have a home and dinner to go to at the end of the day but for those dependent on these jobs - each day would begin in hope that they would be able to provide for their families, have food for another day, see their children sleep in a bed. As the day wore on - hope would die and families would not be fed more than meager rations. What a parable of the kingdom - the last, the weak, the hopeless, all receive a day's wage - all are given hope.
I was both sad and hopeful when I read this eyewitness account of the days after the hurricane. Sad at the terrible response of those who were supposed to be trained to help and hopeful at the community that formed and how ordinary people reached out to each other to care.
It is sort of a complaining Sunday. The Israelites are complaining about being bored with manna and the workers are complaining about the landowner's unfairness. Even Paul is of two minds about living or dying. He seems kind of tired of being an itinerant preacher, suffering, and trying to build up the faith.
For those who have escaped with their lives from the disaster of Hurricane Katrina or any other disaster, war, or famine - manna, or any sustenance seems like a bounty. Once the immediacy of the tragedy gives way to the day to day awareness of loss of home, identity, photos, not to mention all the other possessions and items that make a place one's own, then complaining about something that is handy, like the food, follows as an outlet for all that grief.
The parable of the landowner had puzzled me for many years until I was confronted by a classmate in seminary with the question "look at it from the point of view of the day laborer." Thinking back over my days as a teen picking beans and strawberries in the Portland, Oregon area - I began to see it in a new way. The strong are chosen to work early - the field owners buses would come by the corner where we stood hoping for work. Later as it became clear they needed more pickers - others would be chosen slowly gathering at last the weakest of us. For me it did not really matter because I would have a home and dinner to go to at the end of the day but for those dependent on these jobs - each day would begin in hope that they would be able to provide for their families, have food for another day, see their children sleep in a bed. As the day wore on - hope would die and families would not be fed more than meager rations. What a parable of the kingdom - the last, the weak, the hopeless, all receive a day's wage - all are given hope.
I was both sad and hopeful when I read this eyewitness account of the days after the hurricane. Sad at the terrible response of those who were supposed to be trained to help and hopeful at the community that formed and how ordinary people reached out to each other to care.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Sunday thoughts. Click here for the Readings
The readings this week seem difficult in light of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and on this anniversary of September 11 destruction of the Trade Towers and the Pentagon. The reading from the Hebrew scriptures is the drowning of the Egyptians so that the Israelite people can be free. The Epistle is on judgment and religious laws and the Gospel is on forgiveness.
There are several ways to approach the Exodus story. One is that we are both the Egyptians and the Israelites. Our care for the poor as a country, in health care, education, and steady employment has been shown in this tragedy to be far short of the standard of the prophets and Jesus. They have been trapped in this event by the lack of choices available. Without funds, transportation, a place to go, and/or a plan for keeping up the levees or for disaster, people were doomed. A 2004 article in National Geographic sketches a scenario of a hurricane hitting New Orleans that is eerily similar to what happened. Like the Israelites asked to make bricks without straw - the Gulf Coast was asked to protect itself without funds.
Another idea that comes to mind is that all journeys begin with birth. The crossing of water is symbolic of new life. We have to leave the womb that protects and feeds us to enter into the wilderness that is our life. With family and community gathered around us - we can launch into life and make the journey. Death of the old and birth of the new are a part of each other. If we can take the disaster that has occurred and turn it to a new life and a new spirit for our country we can in some small way redeem a terrible event.
When Jesus talks about forgiving he shares a story of the one who owes so much and is forgiven but when it comes to others he is hard hearted. This not a story of letting people off from abusing others or forgiving and forgetting. It is one that calls for accountability.
This is the point Paul is making in his letter to the Romans. He is discussing religious laws on diet and worship and our judgments about who is acceptable in the community and who is not. Paul says that we are all brothers and sisters and need to work for one another instead of against each other. Accountability but also compassion for our human failures and our human abilities.
I have heard that "we should just stop talking about who is at fault and get on with the work" after Hurricane Katrina. But it is in the learning and accountability that true forgiveness can happen. Mistakes in judgment, greed, things done and not done are all apart of what happened and we need to bring these things into the light. It is only then that true repentance can occur. This does not mean we get so bogged down that we don't act. Mother Jones said "Pray for the dead and work like hell for the living." I hope for us there is a quality of "working like heaven" - working as Jesus would have us care for our neighbor as we would care for ourselves.
The Psalmist sings of earthquakes and floods - natural disasters. They are the reality of our life on earth. There are many things that can be done to mitigate the effect on life but they will occur. We are God's hands and heart here in this time and this place, we are called to share our gifts and talents in whatever way we can. Some are working on the front lines, some are offering homes to those displaced, some are sending money through relief agencies. Episcopalians are giving through Episcopal Relief and Development where you can be assured that most of your gift goes to help and not for overhead. We have the structures in place to make it happen.
At the end of the day, though, it is only in God that we really "move and live and have our being," who will be with us through fire and flood, bearing us up on eagle's wings when the journey is too difficult. We need only ask for that strength and peace that passes understanding.
The readings this week seem difficult in light of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and on this anniversary of September 11 destruction of the Trade Towers and the Pentagon. The reading from the Hebrew scriptures is the drowning of the Egyptians so that the Israelite people can be free. The Epistle is on judgment and religious laws and the Gospel is on forgiveness.
There are several ways to approach the Exodus story. One is that we are both the Egyptians and the Israelites. Our care for the poor as a country, in health care, education, and steady employment has been shown in this tragedy to be far short of the standard of the prophets and Jesus. They have been trapped in this event by the lack of choices available. Without funds, transportation, a place to go, and/or a plan for keeping up the levees or for disaster, people were doomed. A 2004 article in National Geographic sketches a scenario of a hurricane hitting New Orleans that is eerily similar to what happened. Like the Israelites asked to make bricks without straw - the Gulf Coast was asked to protect itself without funds.
Another idea that comes to mind is that all journeys begin with birth. The crossing of water is symbolic of new life. We have to leave the womb that protects and feeds us to enter into the wilderness that is our life. With family and community gathered around us - we can launch into life and make the journey. Death of the old and birth of the new are a part of each other. If we can take the disaster that has occurred and turn it to a new life and a new spirit for our country we can in some small way redeem a terrible event.
When Jesus talks about forgiving he shares a story of the one who owes so much and is forgiven but when it comes to others he is hard hearted. This not a story of letting people off from abusing others or forgiving and forgetting. It is one that calls for accountability.
This is the point Paul is making in his letter to the Romans. He is discussing religious laws on diet and worship and our judgments about who is acceptable in the community and who is not. Paul says that we are all brothers and sisters and need to work for one another instead of against each other. Accountability but also compassion for our human failures and our human abilities.
I have heard that "we should just stop talking about who is at fault and get on with the work" after Hurricane Katrina. But it is in the learning and accountability that true forgiveness can happen. Mistakes in judgment, greed, things done and not done are all apart of what happened and we need to bring these things into the light. It is only then that true repentance can occur. This does not mean we get so bogged down that we don't act. Mother Jones said "Pray for the dead and work like hell for the living." I hope for us there is a quality of "working like heaven" - working as Jesus would have us care for our neighbor as we would care for ourselves.
The Psalmist sings of earthquakes and floods - natural disasters. They are the reality of our life on earth. There are many things that can be done to mitigate the effect on life but they will occur. We are God's hands and heart here in this time and this place, we are called to share our gifts and talents in whatever way we can. Some are working on the front lines, some are offering homes to those displaced, some are sending money through relief agencies. Episcopalians are giving through Episcopal Relief and Development where you can be assured that most of your gift goes to help and not for overhead. We have the structures in place to make it happen.
At the end of the day, though, it is only in God that we really "move and live and have our being," who will be with us through fire and flood, bearing us up on eagle's wings when the journey is too difficult. We need only ask for that strength and peace that passes understanding.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
OPINION
WILMINGTON NEWS JOURNAL
Mary Thomas Watts
September 6, 2005
mtwatts@cinci.rr.com
754 WORDS
It’s time to pull over and let some people out.
We’ll need a disembarkation manifest, so here’s mine.
Earning the top spot on the list of chuckleheads we gotta lose is Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, swiftly followed out the tailgate by FEMA Director Michael Brown.
The magnitude of Katrina’s destruction was surpassed only by the blundering incompetence of these two Bush-crony bureaucrats who were supposed to know how to respond to a national disaster.
Maureen Dowd, of the New York Times, understated the case when she called Brown, of FEMA, “a blithering idiot,” and Chertoff deserves to go down in historic infamy alongside Nero, who fiddled while Rome burned, and President George W. Bush, who was photographed gaily strumming a guitar on Tuesday, August 30, while the deadly waters rose in New Orleans.
Attention! Will the following high-profile persons please step up and take your exit pass as your name is called:
Vice-president Dick Cheney, who, as of Labor Day, hadn’t uttered the first peep about the cataclysm in the Coastal Southeast.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who took in a Broadway musical comedy and shopped for designer shoes, in Manhattan, while thousands perished.
Rush Limbaugh, who is running lower on the milk of human kindness than the Hattiesburg BP is on regular unleaded.
Karl Rove, who stayed behind in Crawford so he could party with the anti-Cindy Sheehan people.
Next off, any-dadgum-body who ducks, dodges and makes lame excuses for the shameless performance of Homeland Security, FEMA and the White House. We all saw what happened that shouldn’t have and what didn’t happen that should have, and we’re not about to forget it.
The duck, dodge, lame excuse rule goes double for Bush 41 and Bill Clinton, who need to stick to fundraising for the relief effort and leave defending the administration to Karl Rove, who hasn’t met a human tragedy he couldn’t exploit to boost his president’s approval ratings.
I’m also particularly anxious to deposit on the roadside members of the press--print and electronic--who commit the following offenses against our collective sensibilities:
1. Professing shock at the poverty they see in New Orleans and on the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coasts. Matt Lauer, et al., are way too sheltered for their--and our--own good.
2. Telling us how great President Bush is one-on-one. The president hugging hurricane victims is to this unfathomable disaster what his turning up in Baghdad with a plastic Thanksgiving turkey was to the War in Iraq. Save your film.
3. Anointing a super hero prematurely. As inspiring as it is to hear Lt. Gen. Russell Honore cuss in a Cajun accent, barking at the National Guard to put down their blankety-blank weapons, “You’re not in Baghdad,” we’ve just begun to see the faces of true courage, and heroes will be legion.
You gotta hand it to Lt. Gen. Honore, though, he’s already given us some great sound bites, like, “We’re not stuck on stupid,” which somebody ought to put on a bumper sticker. (Or maybe they already have, and that’s where he got it.)
We’ve made a pretty thorough sweep here, so re-assigning the vacated seats is the next order of business.
Everybody responding to the immediate crisis with sacrifices of time, talent and money, come aboard.
Politicians and disaster management experts with the will and expertise to fix what’s so obviously broken at FEMA and Homeland Security, hop on.
It’ll be a squeeze, given how many countries have offered help (Canada, Cuba, Iran, Germany, Kuwait, Great Britain and Afghanistan, to name just some), but nations traveling together is the world’s best hope.
Journalist and author William Greider said, “Everyone’s values are defined by what they will tolerate when it is done to others.”
I don’t know about you, but my hair is still on fire over what my fellow Americans suffered in their darkest hour.
Enough, already, from the White House about “an army of comfort” and “the armies of compassion.”
As Wilmington High School Hurricane Editor Michael DiBiasio asked, “Why does everything always have to be an ARMY with him?” Why, indeed.
We’re way short on competent leadership in this country, and it’s our own fault. It’s also up to us to change the situation.
I guess you might say we’ve got openings for drivers.
How about we give the wheel to somebody with the spirit of that 14-year-old boy, in New Orleans, who sized up the situation, found himself a school bus and drove people to Houston?
###
Mary Thomas Watts lives in Wilmington and writes for “The Gary Burbank Show,” 700 WLW-AM, Cincinnati.
WILMINGTON NEWS JOURNAL
Mary Thomas Watts
September 6, 2005
mtwatts@cinci.rr.com
754 WORDS
It’s time to pull over and let some people out.
We’ll need a disembarkation manifest, so here’s mine.
Earning the top spot on the list of chuckleheads we gotta lose is Michael Chertoff, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, swiftly followed out the tailgate by FEMA Director Michael Brown.
The magnitude of Katrina’s destruction was surpassed only by the blundering incompetence of these two Bush-crony bureaucrats who were supposed to know how to respond to a national disaster.
Maureen Dowd, of the New York Times, understated the case when she called Brown, of FEMA, “a blithering idiot,” and Chertoff deserves to go down in historic infamy alongside Nero, who fiddled while Rome burned, and President George W. Bush, who was photographed gaily strumming a guitar on Tuesday, August 30, while the deadly waters rose in New Orleans.
Attention! Will the following high-profile persons please step up and take your exit pass as your name is called:
Vice-president Dick Cheney, who, as of Labor Day, hadn’t uttered the first peep about the cataclysm in the Coastal Southeast.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who took in a Broadway musical comedy and shopped for designer shoes, in Manhattan, while thousands perished.
Rush Limbaugh, who is running lower on the milk of human kindness than the Hattiesburg BP is on regular unleaded.
Karl Rove, who stayed behind in Crawford so he could party with the anti-Cindy Sheehan people.
Next off, any-dadgum-body who ducks, dodges and makes lame excuses for the shameless performance of Homeland Security, FEMA and the White House. We all saw what happened that shouldn’t have and what didn’t happen that should have, and we’re not about to forget it.
The duck, dodge, lame excuse rule goes double for Bush 41 and Bill Clinton, who need to stick to fundraising for the relief effort and leave defending the administration to Karl Rove, who hasn’t met a human tragedy he couldn’t exploit to boost his president’s approval ratings.
I’m also particularly anxious to deposit on the roadside members of the press--print and electronic--who commit the following offenses against our collective sensibilities:
1. Professing shock at the poverty they see in New Orleans and on the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coasts. Matt Lauer, et al., are way too sheltered for their--and our--own good.
2. Telling us how great President Bush is one-on-one. The president hugging hurricane victims is to this unfathomable disaster what his turning up in Baghdad with a plastic Thanksgiving turkey was to the War in Iraq. Save your film.
3. Anointing a super hero prematurely. As inspiring as it is to hear Lt. Gen. Russell Honore cuss in a Cajun accent, barking at the National Guard to put down their blankety-blank weapons, “You’re not in Baghdad,” we’ve just begun to see the faces of true courage, and heroes will be legion.
You gotta hand it to Lt. Gen. Honore, though, he’s already given us some great sound bites, like, “We’re not stuck on stupid,” which somebody ought to put on a bumper sticker. (Or maybe they already have, and that’s where he got it.)
We’ve made a pretty thorough sweep here, so re-assigning the vacated seats is the next order of business.
Everybody responding to the immediate crisis with sacrifices of time, talent and money, come aboard.
Politicians and disaster management experts with the will and expertise to fix what’s so obviously broken at FEMA and Homeland Security, hop on.
It’ll be a squeeze, given how many countries have offered help (Canada, Cuba, Iran, Germany, Kuwait, Great Britain and Afghanistan, to name just some), but nations traveling together is the world’s best hope.
Journalist and author William Greider said, “Everyone’s values are defined by what they will tolerate when it is done to others.”
I don’t know about you, but my hair is still on fire over what my fellow Americans suffered in their darkest hour.
Enough, already, from the White House about “an army of comfort” and “the armies of compassion.”
As Wilmington High School Hurricane Editor Michael DiBiasio asked, “Why does everything always have to be an ARMY with him?” Why, indeed.
We’re way short on competent leadership in this country, and it’s our own fault. It’s also up to us to change the situation.
I guess you might say we’ve got openings for drivers.
How about we give the wheel to somebody with the spirit of that 14-year-old boy, in New Orleans, who sized up the situation, found himself a school bus and drove people to Houston?
###
Mary Thomas Watts lives in Wilmington and writes for “The Gary Burbank Show,” 700 WLW-AM, Cincinnati.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
September 4 Proper 18 Click here for readings.
For years there have been warnings of how global warming will affect the weather and pleas for lowering the use of gasoline through higher mpg cars and alternative fuels. Now the impact of not paying attention to the sentinels of our time is coming home to us. Hurricanes and rising gas prices may force us to hear what has been ignored so far. It is not just the wicked who are suffering and dying - it is our planet and all of us with it. The words of Ezekiel ring true in our day.
Paul's letter to the Romans gives hope in the midst of despair. "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers." Only when we see that we are one on this "fragile earth our island home" (BCP p. 370) and that each of our actions contributes to either building up or tearing down the community of creation will things change.
Martin Bell says that "messiah" builds community and gives life to individuals (both - not one or the other), the "demonic" tears down community and takes away life. Whose forces will we join?
To donate money to assist those who are suffering Click here for Episcopal Relief and Development. Your dollars can be in the places of need within hours.
Here is the latest news report from ERD:
ERD Responds to Hurricane Katrina
8/29/2005
[Episcopal Relief and Development]
As Hurricane Katrina leaves behind devastation in Florida and Louisiana, and closes in on Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, Episcopal Relief and Development has mobilized in support of communities affected by this disaster.
After tearing through Florida on Friday, the Category 4 hurricane regained force over the Gulf of Mexico, with winds topping 145 mph.
This morning, Katrina touched down again, just east of New Orleans, Louisiana. Hurricane–force winds caused a path of destruction 250 miles across. A million New Orleans residents avoided harm by obeying a mandatory citywide evacuation.
Seventy percent of the coastal city is below sea level, and is protected from flooding by levees and pumps. After pumps failed in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, filling the streets with six feet of water, dozens of people had to be rescued from the roofs of their houses.
Katrina is over Mississippi this afternoon. Storm surges in Gulfport, Mississippi have already plunged the city under ten feet of water. Winds tore the roofs off buildings in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Disaster officials will begin assessing the damage to Louisiana and Mississippi today.
Hurricane Katrina is one of the most destructive hurricanes ever to hit the US. Experts estimate that it could cause between $10 and $25 billion worth of damage. If the higher assessments are confirmed, Katrina will be the most expensive hurricane in US history.
On behalf of Episcopalians, ERD has sent emergency funds immediately to the Diocese of Mississippi. This emergency assistance will help vulnerable people whose homes are destroyed or severely damaged. ERD support will help the diocese provide aid to community members through two mobile response trailers, which are equipped with supplies like chainsaws and generators to assist in the recovery.
We are waiting to hear what kind of aid is most needed in Louisiana. We have also offered emergency assistance to dioceses likely to be affected as the storm moves inland, including Alabama and Tennessee. Forecasters also warn of the risk of high winds, flooding, and scattered tornadoes in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
We offer our prayers for the people affected by this disaster – those whose homes are under 10 feet of water, those who have lost family members, and those whose businesses have been blown down and swept away. Please join us in praying for people affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Episcopal Relief and Development, an independent 501(c) 3 organization, saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. We provide emergency assistance in times of crisis and rebuild after disasters. We enable people to climb out of poverty by offering long-term solutions in the areas of food security and health care, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.
For years there have been warnings of how global warming will affect the weather and pleas for lowering the use of gasoline through higher mpg cars and alternative fuels. Now the impact of not paying attention to the sentinels of our time is coming home to us. Hurricanes and rising gas prices may force us to hear what has been ignored so far. It is not just the wicked who are suffering and dying - it is our planet and all of us with it. The words of Ezekiel ring true in our day.
Paul's letter to the Romans gives hope in the midst of despair. "Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers." Only when we see that we are one on this "fragile earth our island home" (BCP p. 370) and that each of our actions contributes to either building up or tearing down the community of creation will things change.
Martin Bell says that "messiah" builds community and gives life to individuals (both - not one or the other), the "demonic" tears down community and takes away life. Whose forces will we join?
To donate money to assist those who are suffering Click here for Episcopal Relief and Development. Your dollars can be in the places of need within hours.
Here is the latest news report from ERD:
ERD Responds to Hurricane Katrina
8/29/2005
[Episcopal Relief and Development]
As Hurricane Katrina leaves behind devastation in Florida and Louisiana, and closes in on Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, Episcopal Relief and Development has mobilized in support of communities affected by this disaster.
After tearing through Florida on Friday, the Category 4 hurricane regained force over the Gulf of Mexico, with winds topping 145 mph.
This morning, Katrina touched down again, just east of New Orleans, Louisiana. Hurricane–force winds caused a path of destruction 250 miles across. A million New Orleans residents avoided harm by obeying a mandatory citywide evacuation.
Seventy percent of the coastal city is below sea level, and is protected from flooding by levees and pumps. After pumps failed in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans, filling the streets with six feet of water, dozens of people had to be rescued from the roofs of their houses.
Katrina is over Mississippi this afternoon. Storm surges in Gulfport, Mississippi have already plunged the city under ten feet of water. Winds tore the roofs off buildings in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Disaster officials will begin assessing the damage to Louisiana and Mississippi today.
Hurricane Katrina is one of the most destructive hurricanes ever to hit the US. Experts estimate that it could cause between $10 and $25 billion worth of damage. If the higher assessments are confirmed, Katrina will be the most expensive hurricane in US history.
On behalf of Episcopalians, ERD has sent emergency funds immediately to the Diocese of Mississippi. This emergency assistance will help vulnerable people whose homes are destroyed or severely damaged. ERD support will help the diocese provide aid to community members through two mobile response trailers, which are equipped with supplies like chainsaws and generators to assist in the recovery.
We are waiting to hear what kind of aid is most needed in Louisiana. We have also offered emergency assistance to dioceses likely to be affected as the storm moves inland, including Alabama and Tennessee. Forecasters also warn of the risk of high winds, flooding, and scattered tornadoes in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
We offer our prayers for the people affected by this disaster – those whose homes are under 10 feet of water, those who have lost family members, and those whose businesses have been blown down and swept away. Please join us in praying for people affected by Hurricane Katrina.
Episcopal Relief and Development, an independent 501(c) 3 organization, saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. We provide emergency assistance in times of crisis and rebuild after disasters. We enable people to climb out of poverty by offering long-term solutions in the areas of food security and health care, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
August 28 Sunday thoughts - I am not preaching this week but have been thinking about the readings. Click Here to read them.
Moses and the burning bush intrigues me. So much of nature seems to be holy ground. The long sandy beaches with basalt headlands found on the Oregon coast, our church camp near Esterbrook, Wyoming, and many other places evoke a sense of union with the Divine.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning writes:
"Earth’s crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God. But only he who sees takes off his shoes and the rest sit around it and pick blackberries.”
Arthur Ocean Waskow and Phyllis Ocean Berman write: "Moses chased after the dancing lamb just as it disappeared around the mountainside; tripped, cut his knee, lost one sandal in a bramble patch. He rose hobbling, saw another patch of brambles — burning.
Yelling "Oh my God!" he dashed to clear a firebreak lest flames spread to the other dry thorn bushes on the mountain. His other sandal clattered unheeded off the path. He tripped, fell into this blazing bush, moaning, "Oh my God, my God." Click Here for the rest of this meditation.
The burning bush can be seen as Moses' shame of being raised a son of privilege while his sisters and brothers live as slaves. This shame rises up as he tends his sheep in the wilderness. God calls him to use his gifts and life experience to free the people. In this moment of awareness, when shame of life circumstances and choices are turned to gift and opportunity, the ground becomes holy. How can we open ourselves, allowing the Holy One to transform our lives into Holy Ground?
Moses and the burning bush intrigues me. So much of nature seems to be holy ground. The long sandy beaches with basalt headlands found on the Oregon coast, our church camp near Esterbrook, Wyoming, and many other places evoke a sense of union with the Divine.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning writes:
"Earth’s crammed with heaven and every common bush afire with God. But only he who sees takes off his shoes and the rest sit around it and pick blackberries.”
Arthur Ocean Waskow and Phyllis Ocean Berman write: "Moses chased after the dancing lamb just as it disappeared around the mountainside; tripped, cut his knee, lost one sandal in a bramble patch. He rose hobbling, saw another patch of brambles — burning.
Yelling "Oh my God!" he dashed to clear a firebreak lest flames spread to the other dry thorn bushes on the mountain. His other sandal clattered unheeded off the path. He tripped, fell into this blazing bush, moaning, "Oh my God, my God." Click Here for the rest of this meditation.
The burning bush can be seen as Moses' shame of being raised a son of privilege while his sisters and brothers live as slaves. This shame rises up as he tends his sheep in the wilderness. God calls him to use his gifts and life experience to free the people. In this moment of awareness, when shame of life circumstances and choices are turned to gift and opportunity, the ground becomes holy. How can we open ourselves, allowing the Holy One to transform our lives into Holy Ground?
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
| Very Well-Rounded 70% SCIENTIFIC INTUITION and 70% EMOTIONAL INTUITION | ||||
| ||||
My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The 2-Variable Intuition Test written by jason_bateman on Ok Cupid |
Saturday, August 20, 2005
August 21, thoughts for Sunday. Click here for Readings
Jesus says in today's Gospel " I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." I have often wondered what he meant by this until I read an article on the use of binding and loosing regarding the Torah and the Laws contained in it. Instead of the usual interpretation as forgiving of sins or being the gatekeeper of Heaven, the article says Jesus is referring to whether laws apply or not in new situations. His charge to the community of his followers is that they have the responsibility of deciding how to apply the laws of old to a changing world. The metaphor of keys tells of a call to unlock the scriptures in our time. The charge is not to use the the scriptures to lock people in but to open the doors to the liberating power of God.
The midwives of the time of Moses' birth had to choose obedience to pharaoh or their faith in God. Paul in Romans puts it this way - be a living sacrifice - do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. There will always be choices - some have life threatening and life giving possibilities - often the same choice contains both.
A statement I heard this week encapsulates what I think the readings are saying to us as a people of God.
"I tell you with my life that God is good."
Can we witness to this goodness as we live our lives this week?
Jesus says in today's Gospel " I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." I have often wondered what he meant by this until I read an article on the use of binding and loosing regarding the Torah and the Laws contained in it. Instead of the usual interpretation as forgiving of sins or being the gatekeeper of Heaven, the article says Jesus is referring to whether laws apply or not in new situations. His charge to the community of his followers is that they have the responsibility of deciding how to apply the laws of old to a changing world. The metaphor of keys tells of a call to unlock the scriptures in our time. The charge is not to use the the scriptures to lock people in but to open the doors to the liberating power of God.
The midwives of the time of Moses' birth had to choose obedience to pharaoh or their faith in God. Paul in Romans puts it this way - be a living sacrifice - do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds. There will always be choices - some have life threatening and life giving possibilities - often the same choice contains both.
A statement I heard this week encapsulates what I think the readings are saying to us as a people of God.
"I tell you with my life that God is good."
Can we witness to this goodness as we live our lives this week?
Monday, July 04, 2005
Thoughts on the Fourth of July for Sunday July 10
Isaiah 55:10-13
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Today is the Fourth of July - a big day in the life of this small Western town. We have a parade, a buffalo barbecue, and rodeo. Fireworks of all sorts up to almost "dynamite" size are available - so it sounds like a war zone all weekend. On Saturday evening the local orthodontist put on a fireworks display to rival many towns. We can sit on our deck and watch it across the valley. Tonight the town will have another display. We can watch it from our back deck. We are surrounded by festivities celebrating our country's birthday. This year, however, I don't feel like celebrating - I just feel sad. To me the country seems to have gotten off track. We are mired down in a war that was started on false pretenses but cannot really abandon now. We can't leave the people whose lives we have changed until there is more stability and infrastructure in place. We seem to be sliding backwards in the founding ideals of the Declaration of Independence - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some seem to feel that safety comes from restricting rights of individuals and their ability to make personal choices. The current taxation policy is growing the gap between rich and poor, and financing our lavish spending by selling our selves to the Chinese and others willing to lend us money. Health care is a scandal. Basic preventative care is unavailable so people wait until they are desperate to go to the doctor. Children are growing up - sick, uneducated and hungry. What kind of future does all of this portend? Is there Good News anywhere? Does the hope foretold in the passage from Isaiah exist or is it just wishful thinking?
Jesus tells a parable in the lesson from Matthew for Sunday
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23
"Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!"
"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
I have always believed that the "soil" of this country was good - with abundance for all. It seems this year that the soil has become hard and rocky. I think it is going to take some tilling and fertilizing - the difficult work of gardening to get the soil back in shape. The promise of the Statue of liberty burned brightly for my maternal grandmother's family form Scotland and my father's family from Norway as they stepped off the boat just a generation ago. I hope we can continue that legacy for those who have always been here, for those who came unwillingly and for those yet to come.
Isaiah 55:10-13
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
Today is the Fourth of July - a big day in the life of this small Western town. We have a parade, a buffalo barbecue, and rodeo. Fireworks of all sorts up to almost "dynamite" size are available - so it sounds like a war zone all weekend. On Saturday evening the local orthodontist put on a fireworks display to rival many towns. We can sit on our deck and watch it across the valley. Tonight the town will have another display. We can watch it from our back deck. We are surrounded by festivities celebrating our country's birthday. This year, however, I don't feel like celebrating - I just feel sad. To me the country seems to have gotten off track. We are mired down in a war that was started on false pretenses but cannot really abandon now. We can't leave the people whose lives we have changed until there is more stability and infrastructure in place. We seem to be sliding backwards in the founding ideals of the Declaration of Independence - life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Some seem to feel that safety comes from restricting rights of individuals and their ability to make personal choices. The current taxation policy is growing the gap between rich and poor, and financing our lavish spending by selling our selves to the Chinese and others willing to lend us money. Health care is a scandal. Basic preventative care is unavailable so people wait until they are desperate to go to the doctor. Children are growing up - sick, uneducated and hungry. What kind of future does all of this portend? Is there Good News anywhere? Does the hope foretold in the passage from Isaiah exist or is it just wishful thinking?
Jesus tells a parable in the lesson from Matthew for Sunday
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23
"Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!"
"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
I have always believed that the "soil" of this country was good - with abundance for all. It seems this year that the soil has become hard and rocky. I think it is going to take some tilling and fertilizing - the difficult work of gardening to get the soil back in shape. The promise of the Statue of liberty burned brightly for my maternal grandmother's family form Scotland and my father's family from Norway as they stepped off the boat just a generation ago. I hope we can continue that legacy for those who have always been here, for those who came unwillingly and for those yet to come.
Monday, June 20, 2005
A week ago I awoke to find that my voice had gone, totally, even whispering would only start a coughing fit. A marathon week of a meeting, visit with our grandson, a quick trip to Jackson Hole for a funeral service, and services on Sunday in Rock Springs and Eden together with a cold left me voiceless. First thing I learned was - I talk more than I listen (big surprise to my friends LOL). It has been a good time - listening and knowing that I cannot respond. This caused me to listen more fully without preparing my response as the person is talking.
Now I am recovered - will I continue to live the learnings?
Now I am recovered - will I continue to live the learnings?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)