Resurrection

Not preaching this week as we are in Seattle having fun with grandchildren. New grandson arrived on the 19th. Wrote a reflection on Holy Saturday for Episcopal Cafe. Here is some poetry for reflection on Easter:



I WANT TO SAY YOUR NAME

a love poem

I want to say your name
the way Jesus said, "Mary"
at the unstopped tomb, when he was
halfway resurrected, unwrapped
but not ascended, spirit and body
in that fragile, persistent mix.

"Mary;" he said, and she knew him.
“Mary," and she must have moved toward him
for he said, do not touch me now
I am between things.

"Mary," he said, and she changed, as if
an hour earlier she had been a child. Her name
held all of her and it was his gift.
He said it once, which was forever.

I would say yours once, to seal
who you are, why I've stayed.
"Mary," he said (I would say your name)

and the wind blew between the letters.
Stars hung low over the peaks of the M
and in the a, a world orbited.

Veronica Patterson Swan What Shores? New York University Press. p. 23 ISBN 0814766846

Painting by Laurie Gudim at Everyday Mysteries.

A little levity in Lent

Grandmere Mimi has posted a "Middle Name" meme at her blog. Here are my answers - if you want to play go to Wounded Bird for directions:

K= Kisses to all my friends
R= Rash and Risk - jumping into things before thinking them through
I= I --as in it's all about me
S= Silliness is fun sometimes
T= Tau - as in cross as I am a Jesus groupie
I= I again!! of course
N= Never is not in my vocabulary any more - as soon as I say never - it happens - as in my children will "never" ....

Click HERE for more info.

Jesus Loves You

Thanks to Elizaphanian.

IV Lent

Readings are here.

I am not preaching this weekend but wanted to share this from John Shea, who writes of Storytelling Theology:

Another time
Jesus smeared God like mud
on the eyes of a man born blind
and pushed him toward the pool of Siloam.
The blind man splashed his eyes
and stared into the rippling reflection
of the face he had only felt.
First he did a handstand, then a cartwheel,
and rounded off his joy
with a series of summersaults.
He ran to his neighbors,
singing the news.
They said,
"You look like the blind beggar
but we cannot be sure."
The problem was never
that he was blind
and could not work out
but that they could see
and did not look in.
"I am the one, the seeing blind!"
They seized him in mid cartwheel
and dragged him to the authorities.
"What do you think
of the man who made the mud?"
But the man born blind
was staring at a green vase.
His mouth was open slightly
as if he was being fed by its color.
"He is a sinner," said the priest
who knew what pleased God's eyes.
"Can one who lights candles in the eyes of the night
not have the fire of God in his hands?"
said the man fondling the green vase.
The priests murmured
and sent for his parents
who looked their son
straight in his new eyes
and said,
"Looks like our son.
But he is old enough
to speak for himself."
Off the hook they hurried home.
"All I know," said the man
with the green vase tucked under his robe,
"is that I was blind
and now I see."
But with his new eyes
came a turbulence in his sould
as if the man who calmed one sea
turned another to storm.

So before those who locked knowledge in a small room
and kept the key on a string around the their neck
he launched into a theology of sin and salvation.
It was then
that the full horror of the miracle
visited the priests.
"You, steeped in sin, lecture us!"
They tore him from the podium
and threw him into the street
where a man was rubbing much from his hands.
"How did it go?"
"I talked back."
The man with the new eyes
took in every laughing line
on the face of the Son
who was as happy as a free man
dancing on the far side of the Red Sea.

John Shea The Son Who Must Die Stories of Faith

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday readings are here.

Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. Isaiah 58

Remember you are stardust
and to stardust you will return

Last Epiphany

A somewhat finalized version of my sermon thoughts:

Mountains are a key theme in our readings today – throughout the world going to the mountains is symbolic of seeking a closer relationship with God and experiencing transformation of life. Those of us who live in the shadow of the Rockies know the holiness we find there: the wildness, the dangers, the adventure, the silence, the apart-ness. Often in the mountains we find out who we really are, our strengths and weaknesses. Revelation of the reality that we can do things that we never thought possible occurs when we go to the wilderness. When we reach the mountaintop we can see farther than when down in the valleys in the midst of the every day.

One weekend in my much younger days when I was a camp counselor – several of us decided we should climb Mount Hood, the highest peak in Oregon. We consulted with a guide and rented equipment. We camped near where we would begin. Early, long before dawn we began our climb. Halfway up the sun rose casting the shadow of the mountain across to the west. Making our way up the icy slopes, and gravely scree, we took a break near a place warmed by both the sun and the magma beneath us. Instantly we all fell asleep – a mix of lack of sleep the night before, the exertion of climbing and the grandeur of the mountain. With a brief lunch refueling our bodies – we made our way to the top. To see the world spread out below us – to have made it to the top – we could only stand in silence. I tucked a small stone into my pack – a sign to myself of something I had accomplished.

The Bible has many stories of the revelation of God on the mountains. The lesson from Exodus tells how Moses met God on the mountain to receive the commandments by which the community was to live. On the mountain with the glory of God all around him he could see more clearly the things that were needed to make their life together as a community better.

The psalm is written in a time of war – when a clear God-view of life and relationships is more needed than ever and we find ourselves in an uproar of chaos, actions and reactions seem to lead nowhere. The psalmist thinks the solution is in the hands of God – and believes only a violent intervention will help. The writer of the psalm cannot see beyond the violence – he needs a mountain top God’s eye view.

The Epistle is a reflection of the story in the gospel – how Peter remembers that glorious day of the Transfiguration when they experienced the revelation of Christ’s true being. He tells us to allow the star that is Christ to rise in our hearts so that we too can experience the fullness of the Christ light in our lives.

In the Gospel Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him --- climbing the mountain, experiencing the fullness of the revelation of who Jesus is. Until then they knew Jesus – the man who taught and healed. – now they see him in the fullness of his eternal self. This self of Jesus is always present but not seen. Like our trek up Mt Hood they learned things about the holiness of all life that they never knew before. They wanted to stay and worship the experience. Like me carrying my little stone – it was so amazing they wanted to hold on to it.

Our readings from the Gospel have moved in these short weeks from infant in a manger, to the escape to Egypt, to Jesus baptism by John and the calling of those who would follow him. The trajectory of these stories move Jesus like a small star appearing in Bethlehem to a super nova at the Mount of Transfiguration - enflaming the hearts of all who encounter him – now bursting in pure light --- as we enter into our Lenten journey with Christ can we feel him pulling us into his orbit? First let us take Peter’s advice and allow that small star to be born in our hearts and give ourselves over to Lent as a time of discovery of who Jesus can be in our lives. Take time to pray, take time to wonder, take time to love.

Tiny star of morning
born in the smallest of stables
spreading from manger to shepherd
to magi to beloved to teacher.
Expanding out into the universe,
calling everyone and everything home to the heart of Love.
Transfiguration reveals what was always there:
a supernova exploding into our hearts and minds.
Now we feel the black hole of gravity that remains
tugging pulling dragging us into the heart of the universe
as we journey through Lent to the fullness of Easter.

Star of morning be born in us this day.

Super Bowl thoughts

RevGalBlogPals plays Friday Five each week. This week's question is about Imbolc/Brigid or the Super Bowl. I love the feast days that intersect with older traditions - like Brigid - who crosses all boundaries of religions showing us that the Source of all speaks across time and culture in many languages.
I am not as sure that the Super Bowl is one of these but it is the great US annunal ritual that draws us together - even if we cheer for different teams. The game from RGBPs is to post 5 things about the topic.

1. It is the great US annual public ritual -even if one does not watch football you hear about it.
2. It has the buying of the ritual food - sugar, salt and grease being the main ingredients, ritual drinks - beer and Dr. Pepper (or soda of choice).
3. The gathering of the people around the glowing screen, expression of strong feelings, and a final dismissal as the credits roll, with a re-visitng of every play during the week. (oh that our weekly worship was discussed even a bit like that)
4. You gather with friends - in private or public spaces although the NFL is enforcing its rule that you can't have a big screen party at church - see here.
5. You can have fun vestments! See above.

Transfiguration

Tiny star
of morning.
Born in the
smallest of stables
spreading from manger
to shepherd
to magi
to beloved
to teacher.
Expanding out
into the universe.
Calling everyone and everything
home to the heart of Love.
Transfiguration reveals
what was always there:
A supernova exploding
into our hearts and minds.
Now we feel the black hole
tugging pulling dragging us
into that heart
in our journey through Lent
to the fullness of Easter.

The story of the Transfiguration makes me wonder if we got it all wrong when we ended up building church buildings instead of building up the "church" -- Jesus sends them all down in the valley to work - refusing Peter's offer to build buildings.

Epiphany 3

Thoughts toward a sermon. Readings are here.

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he
withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,


The frustrating thing about the Gospels is the lack of details about motivation - feelings - etc. I am meditating on how it must have been for Jesus - he and John have been having a big time running around preaching about God -- now the reality of arrest and the future hits him. He moves away from his home of childhood to Capernaum by the sea. I can see him taking a while there - sleeping in, keeping a low profile - walking by the sea, doing a few handy man carpentry jobs for food --- did he get the baptism message right? did he really say those things in the wilderness? It is a transition moment for Jesus - and he steps out on the beach ....

Second Sunday after Epiphany

The readings for 2 Epiphany are here.

Isaiah tells the community that they are to be a light to the world – switching back and forth, in the style of prophetic writing, between a representative individual and the community – he tells them that even though they feel week and outcast – they are chosen by God to be that light.

Paul assures the church as Corinth that they have all the gifts needed to do the work God calls them to do. As we read later in Paul’s letter – they have the gifts but need to look at how they are using them – to build up or to tear down?

The gospel tells us of the call of Andrew – how he had been following John but now is turned toward Jesus by John. Jesus asks them what are you seeking? The 2 ask Jesus where he is staying – but Jesus only says, – come and see – Andrew then leads Peter to follow.

Come and see – that is the invitation we have been offered and that we can offer to others. Jesus wants us to walk with him and see how to find the life God wants for us. He does not tell them what they will find – he allows them to live into it. By the end of the story they have found what it is they are seeking and they have learned to abide (stay) in that presence – the presence of God who is Love

We are called to point the way for others – to invite them to come and see – to find rest for their souls, to find abundant life that is not dependent on material goods, to find that they are the beloved of God.

Tomorrow we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. – he did not start out to be the hero of the civil rights era – he was just being a pastor like his father before him, he started giving sermons on how all are created in the image of God and that all deserved a chance to become the person was calling her or him to be. Then one night he found out he was deep into the scary part of being a Christian. Here is the article from the Montgomery newspaper:

28 January 1957
Montgomery, Ala.

After another weekend of violence in Montgomery, including a failed attempt to bomb King's home with twelve sticks of dynamite, King declares to his Dexter congregation on 27 January that their city is "dangerous to live in--it's no longer safe." For the first time he talks about his experience of a "divine" presence a year before, when God gave him the courage he needed to face escalating threats of violence. A Montgomery Advertiser article the next day included these quotations from King's sermon.

After describing the vision to his almost-filled church a few hours after a dynamite bundle failed to explode on his porch when his family was not at home, King said in prayer:

"I realize that there were moments when I wanted to give up (leadership of the pro-integration movement) and I was afraid but You gave me a vision in the kitchen of my house and I am thankful for it."

The 28-year-old Baptist minister said in his sermon that after Montgomery Negroes began a 381-day bus boycott on Dec. 5, 1955, "I went to bed many nights scared to death" by threats against himself and his family.

"Early on a sleepless morning in January, 1956," King said, "rationality left me." Then, "almost out of nowhere I heard a voice
that morning saying to me:

"Preach the Gospel, stand up for the truth, stand up for righteousness."

King went on, "Since that morning I can stand up without fear. So I'm not afraid of anybody this morning.

"Tell Montgomery they can keep shooting and I'm going to stand up to them; tell Montgomery they can keep bombing and I'm going to stand up to them.

"If I had to die tomorrow morning I would die happy, because I've been to the mountain top and I've seen the promised land and it's going to be here in Montgomery. The old Montgomery is passing away and segregation is dying," King declared.

PD. Montgomery Advertiser, 28 January 1957.

He had his moment of seeing where this journey was taking him – he experienced fear but then he knew that God was with him all the way – and he gained the courage to continue.

We are not all called to be Martin Luther King, Jr. or a Mother Teresa – we are called to ourselves and to take the path that is our to take in the company of Christ. Some days just making it through another day is all that is required. Other days we are asked to speak out for those who have no voice or who are afraid to speak. Some days it is caring for our immediate families and friends - other days it may be seeing to the needs of the world. As Oscar Wilde said “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” The readings today speak to each of us as individuals and to us as a community. The church, hopefully, offers a place where we can "come and see" - a place to have our questions and share them with one another, to learn more about the One we follow. It is interesting that Jesus says "follow me" and never "worship me." We do worship him but not in a static - this is all there is - way --- but to find rest for our souls and as a way to gain strength and courage for becoming followers of Christ. The second part is to invite others to "come and see." Like John and Andrew - once they glimpse the reality of Jesus - they immediately share that experience with others. They do not say others must have the same experience - they say "come and see."

The psalmist says ---

9 In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: *
I love to do your will, O my God;
your law is deep in my heart.

What will be written in the roll of the book about your life? Come and see.

Baptism of Jesus - more

We used this image in our EFM online class last night - it seems to capture that sense of being brought into new life. Painting by Laura James

Baptism of Jesus

Thoughts on Sunday's sermon: Readings are here.

Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." Peter speaks these words following his experience that confirmed to him that the gentiles were full members of the community. Paul had been trying to convince Peter of this -- it was one of the first big fights in the church about who is in and who is out - which continue in many forms up until our day. The reality of the truth that all who fear God and follow in God's ways as demonstrated by Christ - all (as Desmond Tutu says with his arms outstretched - all, all, aaaahhhlllllll) are included. The lessons today do not stop with just inclusion. Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John - the moment where although not in need of cleansing from sin or dying to his old life, Jesus choses to step into the muddy waters of life and join us in the fullness of that life. The response from the heavens echo the prophet Isaiah -- this is my beloved.

This is what the heavens say at each of our baptisms - this is my beloved -- my beloved son, my beloved daughter. With our assent to our baptism and with the community's support we break out of existence into life. We have a call and meaning.

I read an article on The Meaning of Vocation this week that moves us beyond vocation as either the province of the church or the job we hold in our everyday lives. The author speaks of this sense of being baptized into life. "In baptism we are raised from the dead, made alive to the reality that we do not merely exist but are called forth to a divine purpose." It is not a call to move away from the world into a monastery or religious orders nor a call to our particular work.

A.J. Conyers described 4 marks of this kind of call:

1. it is a call from outside oneself - from God through the community.
2. it is often against our will, like Moses - who felt he did not have the gifts of speech to lead, or Jeremiah who complains all the way through his writings that it is too hard, or Jonah who just ran away.
3. there are hardships to overcome in fulfilling the call.
4. it is easy to be diverted or distracted from the goal - maybe why Jesus included "lead us not into temptation" in his prayer.

Always our vocation is for the sake of the community not an individualistic call for our own purposes. The community is the Body of Christ where although all are equally beloved and have equal claim on God's favor - our gifts are not all the same - the Body of Christ affirmed our individual uniqueness and it is in that uniqueness the Body is built up to do the work it is called to do in the world.

Today we will renew our baptismal vows and remember our call as a community and as members of this community. As you come forward during communion dip your fingers in the water -- and reflect on the vocation to which God is calling each of us and the vocation St. James as a community.

As it is written in Isaiah:

Thus says God, the LORD,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the LORD, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.

Painting from Jesus Mafa