conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

wisdom

Teresa, the young woman Trish and I are "minding" the next couple of days, said someting interesting during Sleepy Hollow. As the headless horseman is being dragged hither and yon resulting in the carriage breaking on top of his head she said "That is one durable dead guy."

Indeed.

Is this a budding Christology at work? Hmmm...you tell me.

And here is something for AKMA. Frank may enjoy it as well.

satreday post

It is Saturday and I actually have access to the internet. Is this a good thing? I am not entirely convinced. I am enjoying borrowing someone else's connection, however. This is cool. Wireless is a joy. I like wireless. All I need is my own card and I too can get rid of the digi waterwings. This would be good.

On the docket for today: Best buy and the possibility of a new stereo in the car; a trip to Bally's (Trish wants to check out family memberships...I know. Hush.); a trip to Target perchance; and a movie date with Teresa who is the 14 year old we are watching after while her parents are out of town. She asked me. I was flattered. I think I must be easily flattered.

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Sarah, Justin and Wes have this on their sites. I had to include it. I have not gotten around near as much as I would like. But there it is.

Sunday is the Super Bowl. I think we are all gathering at Cliff and Anna's. This should be a good thing. Yay!

prayer

Mmm...what a day. Intense conversations about church, preaching, the social security system with a homeless guy, leadership issues with my pastors...I am beat. So, now I go home, eat, turn around, go to rehearsal...whoo!

My soul's Healer,
Keep me at even,
Keep me at morning,
Keep me at noon,
On rough course faring,
Help me and safeguard
My means this night.
I am tired, astray and stumbling,
Shield me from snare and sin.

worship wondering

I have been wrestling a bit. What do you guys think of the Apostle's Creed? How does it stack up to the Nicene Creed? I can read, so try not to state the obvious, please. I am wondering, for example, how they are interchangable in the ECUSA, what the ELCA uses etc. I know that the A.C. is a reformed creed. The Orthodox churches certainly do not use it. Nor do the RC's. The East and West split 1000 years ago about the "filioque clause" ("We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son.") in the Nicene Creed. Creeds have a way of throwing people for a loop.

My questions stem from two sources. One, Cliff has a bit of a dialogue going on at his site about what the purpose of worship is.

Premise:

Worship is solely directed God-ward.

Corollary:

Thus, worship is for the Church and not for those outside the Church. The gathered community at worship is not to be used as a tool for evangelism.

I responded to his post in agreement for the most part. And I suggested that a didactic component is questionable as well. I have been thinking since about why we include a creed or any other statement of faith in our liturgies if worship is not to be didactic. Maybe our liturgies are didactic. Recitation of salvation events or praying the Our Father are also didactic. Jesus teaches us to pray using the Our Father. We use it in worship for a reason. Is that simply devotional or is it also didactic?

Two, yes two, is an ongoing conversation with Megan about ABC faith claims. We should be able to claim the Apostle's Creed. We in the ABC, however, give a lot of room for questioning, growth and the stretching that the Spirit may demand of an individual or community. Thus there are more and less little-o orthodox stances. There are liberals and conservatives. There are polemics within polemics. We try to allow for variation...especially within worship. This is a struggle to say the least.

So, do you guys think that worship is didactic. Is this a good thing? How is the didactic nature of worship more than glorified brainwashing? Or is this where we fail in our worship? Is this where we fail in our evangelism/catechesis?

Let me know what you think.

noteworthy

AKMA is blogging about how one enters into dialogue without modernist binary polemics. I like what he is after. I just hope it is not misconstrued as "just trying to be nice.

Family Letter is working through issues of inclusive language. Is this gutsy for a curate? Maybe it is. I am interested in where the conversation will go.

Skandalon is working through modalism and the failing of some attemots to avoid patriarchal language. What she has suggested comes from reading Coakley's take on Gregory of Nyssa.

In his seventh Homily, the mother of the groom is associated with the Father, and Gregory explains that the names 'father' and 'mother' are effectively the same and quotes Galatians 3:28. Coakley states that this linguistic play with gender is not a rhetorical flourish, but that Gregory is showing us that "gender stereotypes must be reversed, undermined and transcended if the soul is to advance to supreme intimacy with the trinitarian God."

This is fun.

Fiendish Plot is wrestling with the very cold weather we have here in Chicago. It seems to be playing with her satellite reception. This is a sad thing, indeed. Hang in there, Sarah! Heh.

a quick prayer

Preaching today at school. Gonna talk about fear, truth and lies. Yay.

So, here is a prayer that may work for some...

I send witness to Mary
Mother who aids men;
I send witness to Brigit,
Pure tender Nurse of the Lamb;

I send witness to Peter,
Apostle of fear and of sleep;
I send witness to Columba,
Apostle of shore and sea;

I send witness to Heaven,
To the City on the high;
I send witness to Michael,
Noble warrior triumphant;

I send witness to Father,
Who formed all flesh;
I send witness to Christ,
Who suffered scorn and pain;

I send witness to Spirit,
Who will heal my wound,
Who will make me as white
As the cotton grass on the moor.

- Celtic Prayers Alexander Carmichael

what a cool day

I have to say that yesterday was a great birthday.

Yesterday was a great birthday.

Trish fixed pancakes for breakfast. This is always a good thing.

Doug took me out to lunch before the meeting. This was good.

The meeting went swimmingly. I was challenged stongly to respond to my psyche eval from Midwest Ministry Resources. Yay. That was less than fun, but the committee member (John) framed the question in an interesting way which opened up the conversation into something helpful.

There was laughter and good theological musing. Most of the meeting was about my life and continuing "self-care" issues. It was almost fun. Really. Who knew?

The most entertaining moment for me was this:

I was asked about my prayer life, specifically if I had a chance to explore contemplative prayer as a discipline. I replied "Yes, but you might think me a bad Baptist." I refered to my icon wall and the agnus dei that I pray every morning. As I was explaining myself and formulating a theological response to what I thought would be objections. Instead there were all these knowing smiles around the room. It seems that most of the members of the committe have their own collections of icons. You know, I love this denomination.

After the meeting, Doug and Carol took me out for birthday pie. I love pie.

Trish took me out to dinner. About 18 people joined us. It was great. Indian food and lots of friends. It was a great time. I was given a bingo cage, you know, one of those very important tools for my future ministry, and a picture frame that defies explanation and I love it. Very thoughtful gifts.

It was a very good day. I think I will like 34.

tuesday evening post

Here is something for Tuesday, an evening prayer, really. I assume I will not post on the actual Tuesday, so I am playing with the time stamp on my blog.

Pray for me, a sinner.

You are behind me and before me O God You lay your hand upon me (Ps. 139.5)

Be still and aware of God's presense within and around.

Opening Prayer and Thanksgiving

As I utter these prayers
from my mouth, O God,
In my soul may I feel your presence.
The knee that is stiff
O healer make pliant
The heart that is hard
make warm beneath your wing
The wound that is giving me pain,
O best of healers, make whole
And may my hopes and my fears
Find a listening place with you.

Scripture: Mark 4:1-9

Again he began to teach beside the lake. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the lake on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: �Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.� And he said, �Let anyone with ears to hear listen!�

Thank you, God, for this day. This is my birthday and in spite of some of my best efforts, I am still here to tell the tale. Bless my parents. My father has given me his personality...for better or worse. My mother her compassion. My stepfather has given me hope. My stepmother wisdom and courage. I am the product of many hands, dear Lord. It is my prayer that this will always be. Bless those hands, those of my friends and family. I am the work of your hands. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. This is your gift to me. Redeem my life, O Christ. In you may I take heart, preaching truth to the world. Breathe through me, O Spirit, that your love may heal the world through me. Heal me from pride and all infirmity.

Intercessions

O God of the stars
and the night skies
May your light be coming through
thinck clouds this night
On me and on everyone
coming through dark tears
On each one in need
and in suffering.

Bring health to the homeless. Grant us the courage to give them what we have too much of. Heal those who need your touch, God. Be with Cameron. He has a fever. Be with his mother, Susan, who will give birth any day now.

Be with the members of the ordination committee, that they may be witnesses to your truth and honesty. Help us all to discern your will. Help me to hear your word in their's.

Closing Prayer

Christ stand before me
and peace in his mind.
Sleep, O sleep
in the calm of all calm
Sleep, O sleep
in the love of all loves
Sleep I this night
in the God of all life.

oh my

Jane Almighty posted this thing on her blog. Simply put your name in the appropriate field, click the button and it does the rest.

This feels good knowing what I am to do today.

Become a God or Goddess. by zerogirl
Name:
God/Goddess of	The Moon
Element:	Lightning
Animal Companion:	Griffon
Weak against	Water
Weapon:	Two handed sword
Created with quill18's MemeGen 2.0!

Then there is my horoscope.

The astrological omens suggest that you currently have an aptitude for extreme gardening(oh, yeah...that's me!). In its literal sense, the term refers to the cultivation of flowers and vegetables in places like desert oases or frigid terrains above the tree-line. Interpreting it metaphorically, I'd guess that you have a knack for creating something out of nothing. You could probably coax cautious people into helping you nurture daring plans, or jumpstart a project that seems to have little more going for it than hope.

Yeah, I know. These are all great helps toward my ordination interview today. I think of them as theological Cliff Notes. But this is my birthday. I will be as heretical (read: entertained) as I wish to be!

Oh, yeah. Go here while you are at it. Wack that penguin! Click the mouse once and he jumps. Click again and the yeti wacks him. Yes, yeti.

Pax et bonum!

theatre review

God see Trish's show. But read the review first.

and finally...

Pray for me. Not only is tomorrow my birthday, but it is the day of my first interview with the ordination committee. It is from 1:15-2:45. You can schedule me in then. I am appropriately nervous about this. Doug, Carol and I went through my application Friday to see what may potentially cause some frustration among members of the committee.

1. I was baptised as an infant and never as an adult.
2. I have been at Seabury and not a Baptist seminary.
3. I have connections with the SBC in my previous ecclesial life.
4. I am a recovering alcoholic.
5. I hold a sacramental theology. Though not uncommon in ABC life, it will still draw questions.

And some other potentially "interesting" things may pop up. I am not all that secure in myself in this. I know it will go well, but...aaarrrrrgh! Sigh.

other stuff to know or ignore at leisure

I am always honored when upyernoz links to me. I like getting more hits on this blog. Now, if I can only get those people to post. He also linked to someone named Amy who had some interesting things to say about Christianity and politics. I love that debate.

Oh, I have been looking at the John Kerry site. Somehow I am drawn to this guy. Am I just getting old? Is it a sign of age that I like that the guy has experience as a senator? Dear Jesus, I hope not.

Jane Ellen has some stuff on her blog about scriptural interpretation and ethics. Hey, Jane Ellen, tell me more! Really. I want to know how you interpret scripture specifically.

I stumbled across Killing the Buddha for the first time. This is good stuff, gang. Intelligent. Irreverant. Challenging. And edited for spelling errors, unlike this site. Go now.

I am setting up a couple of links today. One will be to the Baptist World Alliance. BWA Day is February 1, 2004. This is an organization/ministry that encourages and supports unity among the world's baptists. It is only slightly less organized than the Worldwide Anglican Communion (sorry). I think some of you might find it all interesting. There has been some strife as of late. The SBC, not nearly as pluralistic and certainly more dogmatic than the other strains of baptists, has withdrawn their money and support from the organization. This should very well cripple those who remain. What fun. Money. Power. Yep. This is what Jesus envisioned, I think.

I also will be posting a link to the World Council of Churches.

Also the ABC/USA.

monday musings

Greetings, all. I hope the weekend was a good one.

Jennifer celebrated her birthday and I somehow negected to get off the couch. Formal and public (is this public?) appologies, my friend.

Saturday, said natal day, Trish had an audition in South Bend. We decided to make a day of it. There were however a few hitches in our plans. First, we left early, but not as early as we had hoped. It takes a little over two hours to get there from our place in Chicago. We gave ourselves just enough time. Then we ran into this snow storm in Gary, IN. Lake effect blizzards are cool. Then we realized, as we got off at the South Bend exit, that there was this whole time change issue that we did not consider. Doh! So, um, Trish was an hour and fifteen minutes late for her audition. Yay. She was a mightily frustrated.

We got home around 5pm or so, Chicago time. I collapsed.

All in all, a grand day. I just wish I had the wherewithall to get off the couch and to Evanston to Jen's birthday.

In other news, my birthday is tomorrow. 34. Wah.

Oh. This is cool, too.

create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

dammit

Okay, I was hoping to avoid a rant. It seems that I am not so fortunate today. And, being Friday, I will not be able to respond to any of the usual thoughtful remarks that frequent this page from my friends and various digital aquaintances until Monday as I have no internet at home.

Here we go...

Roe vs. Wade. Yeah, I know. It is the anniversary or some such thing like that. I hate the polemics that abound surrounding this issue. They friggin' piss me off. Who is right? Who has rights? Who is alive? What is "viable" anyway? Can I shoot the doctor? It is all so frigging silly when it gets down to it.

Often the more conservative voices call us to treasure every life...every one. The SBC is one of the few denominations whose leadership at least was not against the war. That killing is okay. Moslems and other "Un-American people" have no rights in God's eyes it would seem. Often, though not always, extreme patriotism couple with religious conservativism in America. This is something I will never understand. Are you Pro-Life unless the GNP is threatened!? Shitte! Think about that, rich young man, when God asks for your money and your life.

Now, the left has some troubles as well. Hauerwas is right, I think. Those of us on the left often leave no choice for people. Abortion can be perceived as the only option. This is plainly not the point of a freedom of choice!

And it is all so much more complicated than this. The only opinion I can muster is this: I have two good friends who have had abortions that I know of. There may be more. I even took one firend to have this done when I was 19. Were we scared? Did we feel there was a choice? Not at the time. Would I assist again? I just might, but I don't know for certain. See, now I have the option to say "Hey. I will help you raise this child." If there is to be a choice, we have to rid ourselves of the judgment that further isolates a woman during this crisis. To scream "murder!" will only isolate. Why not weep, and cry "child!" meaning the woman struggling who is a beloved child of God? This should be the response of Christian community.

And if a woman decides that she will have an abortion, well, shitte again, love her. Love the living bejezus out of her because she has just gone through hell and back. Standing on a corner in Richmond VA with pictures on a picket sign does not show her love. It only shows another person's hatred. Instead, weep with her. Instead, find the father and weep with him. Perhaps he is waiting in the clinic lounge with tears in his eyes depending upon some clueless 19 year old for answers. Perhaps he is in jail.

The work of Christ is the reconciliation of the world...but in LOVE.

God weeps for us all. It is that simple. We all sin. We all fall short. If your rhetoric cannot contain sin, repentance and forgiveness from God and one another, then you need to revisit your thinking.

Aaaargh!

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us.

"We must remember that as Christians we do not believe in the inherent sacredness of life or in personhood. Instead we believe that there is much worth dying for. Christians do not believe that life is a right or that we have inherent dignity. Instead we believe that life is the gift of a gracious God. That is our primary Christian language regarding abortion: life is the gift of a gracious God. As part of the giftedness of life, we believe that we ought to live in a profound awe of the other's existence, knowing in the other we find God. So abortion is a description maintained by Christians to remind us of the kind of community we must be to sustain the practice of hospitality to life. That is related to everything else that we do and believe." - Hauerwas

deanishness

Cliff has provided some good links about Dean. I disagree with his assessment, however. It has only just begun.

He also has something to bemoan about Roe vs. Wade. My friend, you have "Frustrated White Male" down to a High Art. Whoof!

Jennifer, too, has something to say that, honestly, I find a little more easy to read.

I personally will shy away from any polemic in this instance. Thanks.

some casual musings

I lit a candle and some insense this morning. This is not all that unusual for me. What is new, however, is that there are now icons on the east wall where I do this little ritual. I pray for the coming day. I light a candle. I muse over some concerns, sometimes simply sending my anxiety to God and nothing else.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us.

That is my usual prayer. Now I have some company. It is not very baptist of me, but I am not alone. There are baptists that I know that have icons around. That means something somehow.

St. Benedict, St. George, St. Vincent de Sales, Mary and Elizabeth, Mary Magdelene, the Baptism of Jesus, The Naming of the Animals by Adam, the Last Supper, the weding feast at Cannaa and an icon to the Holy Spirit...I am in very good company. I would like to add St. Cecilia to the roster some day. That will come.

When I light the candle, the shadows trace across the surface of the images. Smoke winds its way up the wall, living for a short time in the corner where the ceiling and wall meets. The corner is otherwise dark. A statue of Mary, the Mother of Jesus stands watch. It belonged to my grandmother. She was Catholic. Converted to the Episcopal Church after she married my grandfather. She gave my my first prayer book. The statue reminds me of her. It reminds me of Mary and her desire to fulfill God's will for the world. She stands, praying for me. I love this little statue.

Prayers today for all of us, knowing that we are upheld by the arms of God. God's Love is revealed through icon and song, breeze and friendships, struggle and peace.

news around the blogosphere

Well, Micah wants us to think about the Pope and Anglicanism. This is a good thing, I think. I just hope that the Anglican Communion (as schitzo as it be) does not reunite too quickly. It needs to think of its own ecclesial children like the ABC/USA.

The Corner is asking for book recommendations. This is a good thing. Chime in.

Upyernoz has some thoughts about the State of the Union address that he has shared. What are other people thinking? I did not watch it. I have been paying attention to the news, however, and from what I have gleaned none are too impressed, but he did not embarass anyone...I think.

Jennifer is worried that she does not sound like she would rather.

By the way, do I sound even remotely Wesleyan anymore? I'm not sure I completely agree with what I just wrote - just putting it out there for argument's sake - but on the cooperation with grace scale I'm sliding down quite a bit lately.

Ah, how I know this slippery slope.

tuesday

Hey guys. Good conversation about Christianity and community down below. I will work up another post about this soon enough.

I hope everyone had a good weekend. I know I did. If you are going to be in Chicago, go and see Trish's plays. I saw both on Sunday. They are well done.

I have a meeting and tons of email to get through. Not having an internet connection at home is a bummer.

something for cliff

Here is the entire text of an article about evangelicals and the church fathers.

friday's daily prayer

Here is the stuff from Fosdick and Newell for this day.

Opening Prayer and Thanksgiving

I awake this morning
In the presence
of the holy angels of God.
May heaven open wide before me
Above me and around me
That I may see
the Christ of my love
And his sunlit company
In all things of earth this day.

I Peter 2:21-24
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.
�He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth.�
When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Luke 23:33-34
When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[Then Jesus said, �Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.�]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

Again, Fosdick speaks. I don't know about you, but it is interesting to hear what was said almost 100 years ago.

When we speak of unselfishness we generally mean a generous spirit of service that is willing to sacrifice. But not only do we act on other people; other people act on us; and selfishness in receiving other people actions on us is more common that refusal to serve them. Touchiness, petulance, supersesitiveness, readiness to have one's pride hurt and to be insulted, all these are forms of selfishness. They reveal vanity, self-consciousness, a desire to be noticed, and an irritable and peevish fear of being slighted. Consider the marvel of Jesus' character in this respect, as revealed in to-day's passages. Test your own life by it. (p. 20 Fosdick)

Reflect on th egospel and remember that we belong to the whole company of saints both past and present.

Intercessions

O God of life, of all life, of each life,
I offer you my prayers
I nthe love of Christ
In the company of Christ.
As your own household
desires in heaven
So I may desire on earth this day.

pray for the coming day and for the church throughout the world

Continued prayers for Ella and her parents. Bless and keep those who serve her, the medical staff and the family and community that surrounds them. Hold all children in your arms this day. Heal the sick. Bless the dying. Give solace to those who suffer. Help us all to not enter into bitterness and cynicism.

Closing Prayer

The love and affection
of the angels be with me
The love and affection
of the saints be with me
The love and affection
of heaven be with me
To lead me and to cherish me this day.

oh no...more on community

Megan has posted a good question.

Where does Jesus say, "You HAVE TO belong to a group in order to follow me"?

Okay, I like this question because it forces me to own up to a few assumptions on my part. One such assumption is that Christians are a distinct group of people...or at least are supposed to be. Currently there are over 20,000 denominations, so a distinct singular group is perhaps an impossible argument unless we are willing to posit a "spiritual church" that undergirds all these traditions. I am more willing to say that there are relationships that exist, histories that define connections like a large family tree. Even estrangement does not completely sever a genetic tie. Maybe the same can be said for denominationalism.

But that is another blog.

Another assumption called into question is that Jesus mandated the formation of a Church...a specific community. There are certainly ways to spin scripture to get there.

To Peter: "On this rock I will build my church"
To the disciples after his resurrection: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..."

In both of these passages, I get a very clear picture of an existing and expanding community. But this is not really Megan's question. And, Megan, correct me again if I am missing the mark. I think I am finally getting you, but you know these bruised brain cells can handle only so much...

It is not that one has to belong to a group to follow, Christ. It is that one does already if one follows.

I am a HUGE fan of intentional Christian community. I find it supportive and challenging. It can be frustrating, a sort of intinsifying microcosm of all that is messed up with humanity, but I love it. Does this mean that it is necessary, a mandate? This is a good challenge for me.

I often play with the idea that the Church, if you are speaking of an incorporated public entity with scheduled meeting times etc., is un-necessary for God but necessary for many of us Christians. You know, like the sabbath...created for us and not for God. I think there is a wisdom in this.

Yet, I also think that much of what is Christian has to be worked out in community, whether that is your local chess club or an organization calling itself "the church." There is a healthy distinction there with benefits and problems.

Some of the benefits to the distinction are as follows...

If one is a Christian amidst a chess club (I find the example humerous somehow), you may be there with other Christians who may or may not be living intentional individual lives of discipleship. You may also be with people who do not share the same fiath or any faith at all. This is not a bad thing necessarily. Christians are not to draw that distinction. This is not a purity cult. If God has redeemed the world, we Christians are to behave as such, living lives where love of the other for the sake of Christ is everything.

Now, when we gather in intentional Christian community, like a church (if one can classify a church as such - sometimes we fail, but that is part of being Christian...why else do we need forgiveness?), there is another dynamic intriduced. In my mind this is a teaching/study/preaching dynamic that supports the relationships at the chess club. Our growth and support within this community allows for our success as individual Christians.

This is not the same as saying that Jesus mandated that we be in a church. It is that Jesus gathered the second kind of community around him. In fact, Jesus was already in this kind of community as a Jew. It was an assumption on the part of the disciples as Jews. Synagogues and the Temple, monastic communities of Essenes running about...it was part of who they were. We have inherited all this.

This is not a mandate...but it raises interesting questions. Throughout history there have been solitary Christian, some by choice (desert monastics?), some because they were "Christians in exile" like Bonhoeffer described himself in Life Together. Certainly both kinds of Christians, solitary and communal, exist today. Yet they are all, but their claims of allegiance to Christ, their belief in him, unite them as the Body.

Rats...there is Paul. Okay...I'll get back to this.

wednesday meetings and other assorted fun

I am off to do a hospital visit with a member who has been suffering with lukemia for years. He has just been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. Typically this is the last thing that happens to lukemia patients before they die. It is going to be a sad visit. After the visit, Doug and Carol and I will go to the supervisor's meeting for this whole field ed stuff with Seabury. It will make for an interesting day. I have to say that this whole process is making me draw distinctions between the ABC/USA and the ECUSA that are a mite uncomfortable. Ah well, so it goes.

Here is today's morning liturgy...

It was you who formed my inward parts. You knit me together in my mother's womb I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Ps 139: 13-14

Opening Prayer and Thanksgiving

O Sun behind all suns
I give you greeting this new day.
Let all creation praise you
Let the daylight
and the shadows praise you
Let the fertile earth
and the swelling sea praise you
Let the winds and the rain,
the lightening and the thunder
praise you
Let all that breathes
bothe male and female, praise you
And I shall praise you.
O God of all life
I give you greeting this day.

Mark 11:25
�Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.�

Matthew 6:12-15
And forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,but rescue us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

(Again, Fosdick p. 18)

Have you ever tried to pray and found that your cherrished bitterness against some unfriendly person made real praying impossible? So when Macbeth tried to pray after his murder of Duncan the prayer "stuck in his throat." Try to-day to pray for the one whom you most dislike. Really desire for them the deepest good. Pray for them so sincerely that, in all honesty, if you had a chance to help them the next moment you would have to do it. Then consider yourself bound to forgive them fully when the opportunity comes, to make it come now if you can, and meanwhile to let no bitterness interrupt your fellowship with God.

Intercessions

There is no plant in the ground
But tells of your beauty, O Christ.
There is no creature on the earth
There is no life in the sea
But proclaims your goodness.
There is no bird on the wing
There is no star in the sky
There is nothing beneath the sun
But is full of your blessing.
Lighten my understanding
of your presense all around, O Christ
Kindle my will
to be caring of all Creation.

pray for the coming day and for the care of the earth

For wisdom for and from our supervisors.
For those suffering from illness this day, that your courage may strengthen them. For those who are dying, that your love my enshroud them. That all may be blessed with your Peace this day, O Lord.

For reconciliation in the church.

Closing Prayer

Bless to me O God
My soul that comes from on high.
Bless to me O God
My body that is of earth.
Bless to me O God
Each thing my eye sees
Each sound my ear hears.
Bless to me O God
Each scent that goes to my nostrils
Each taste that goes to my lips
Each ray that guides my way.

singing a sermon

You know, I have never sung within a sermon. That may change soon.

Here is a little more Fosdick and Newell.

If I ascend to heaven you are there O God
And if I make my bed in hell,
still you are with me. Ps. 139.8

Opening Prayer and Thanksgiving

In the begining O God
You shaped my soul and set its weave
You formed my body
and gave it breath.
Renew me this day
in the image of your love.
O great God, grant me your light
O great God, grant me your grace
O great God, grant me your joy this day
And let me be made pure
in the well of your health.

Matt 18:21-24, 27-30

Then Peter came and said to him, �Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?� Jesus said to him, �Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
�For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, �Pay what you owe.� Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, �Have patience with me, and I will pay you.� But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt.

(This is from Fosdick, p. 18)

Jesus says that an unforgiving, grudge-bearing spirit is not simply a fault, but an unutterable mean. Think over all that people have had to endure in you; remember the patience and forgiveness of your parents, the way your friends have overlooked your blunders and ill-nature; consider how your hope of any chance to retrieve past mistakes in your moral life rests on God's mercy and willingness to pardon. Then think on how mean it is to cherish grudges against those who wrong you. Face squarely all your nourished spite against anyone and see how contemptible it is.

Intercessions
O Christ of the road
of the wounded
O Christ of theh tears of teh broken
In me and with me
tthe needs of the world
Grant me my prayers
of loving and hoping
Grant me my prayers
of yearning and healing.

pray for the coming day and for healing within and among people
For Ella, Willie and Scott...For Ben and Annie, their family in this time of loss...

Closing Prayer

God before me, God behind me,
God above me, God beneath me.
I on your path O God
You, O God, on my way.
In the twistings of the road
In the currents of teh river
Be with me by day
Be with me by night
Be with me by day and by night.

preaching class

Putting together my sermon for my preaching class. I am specifically interested in the Acts passage.

Acts 10:34-38
Peter began to speak to Cornelius and his relatives and close friends: "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. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ-- he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Somehow this conversation seems familiar. You know? I am hearing "exclusive claims" echoing around in my head. It is good to know that no conversation is new. Ha!

Here are the other readings.

Isaiah 42:1-9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
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.

Psalm 89:1-29 or 89:20-29 Page 713 or 715, Book of Common Prayer
Misericordias Domini
1
Your love, O LORD, for ever will I sing; *
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2
For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; *
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one; *
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4
'I will establish your line for ever, *
and preserve your throne for all generations.'"
5
The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O LORD, *
and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones;
6
For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?*
who is like the LORD among the gods?
7
God is much to be feared in the council of the holy ones, *
great and terrible to all those round about him.
8
Who is like you, LORD God of hosts? *
O mighty LORD, your faithfulness is all around you.
9
You rule the raging of the sea *
and still the surging of its waves.
10
You have crushed Rahab of the deep with a deadly wound; *
you have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11
Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours; *
you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it.
12
You have made the north and the south; *
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your Name.
13
You have a mighty arm; *
strong is your hand and high is your right hand.
14
Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne; *
love and truth go before your face.
15
Happy are the people who know the festal shout! *
they walk, O LORD, in the light of your presence.
16
They rejoice daily in your Name; *
they are jubilant in your righteousness.
17
For you are the glory of their strength, *
and by your favor our might is exalted.
18
Truly, the LORD is our ruler; *
the Holy One of Israel is our King.
19
You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people: *
"I have set the crown upon a warrior
and have exalted one chosen out of the people.
20
I have found David my servant; *
with my holy oil have I anointed him.
21
My hand will hold him fast *
and my arm will make him strong.
22
No enemy shall deceive him, *
nor any wicked man bring him down.
23
I will crush his foes before him *
and strike down those who hate him.
24
My faithfulness and love shall be with him, *
and he shall be victorious through my Name.
25
I shall make his dominion extend *
from the Great Sea to the River.
26
He will say to me, 'You are my Father, *
my God, and the rock of my salvation.'
27
I will make him my firstborn *
and higher than the kings of the earth.
28
I will keep my love for him for ever, *
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
29
I will establish his line for ever *
and his throne as the days of heaven."

Luke 3:15-16,21-22

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

continuance

AKMA is getting a wee tied up in some liberalism and religiosity stuff. It may be interesting for some.

Trevor wants us to know that he is not alone in thinking about community. Fitting.

I am going to do some internish stuff now.

monday, monday...

I woke up a little sore and sluggish this morning. No good reason, just slept funny I guess. But it is taking its toll on my mood. I am so easy that way.

So, to remedy my funk, I turn to Fosdick and J. Philip Newell. Fosdick, I have been told, is my grandfather's favorite preacher. My grandfather (My step-mom's dad) was a pulpit preacher until he was 80. He lives in a nursing home in Richmond now. Rev. Dr. Paul B. Watlington, Jr. is a good man. I have learned some about what to do, and not to do, as a pastor and preacher from him and his kids.

Newell is one of my favorites. He is tied in with the folk at Iona and has authored several worship books for them. Some of his stuff is a little Celtic-cheesy, but most is really good. If you wish to read through today's office, feel free to continue with this post.

Ps 139: 1-2
O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.

Opening Prayer and Thanksgiving

Thanks be to you O God
that I have risen this day
To the rising of life itself.
May it be a day of blessing,
O God of every gift,
A day of new begining given.
Help me to avoid every sin
And the source of every sin to forsake
And as the mist scatters
from the crest of the hills
May each ill haze clear
from my soul O God.

Scripture Reading
This is and the meditation are from Fosdick

Luke 6: 27-28, 32-38�But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

�If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

�Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.�

"Think of these words first, not as difficult commandments laid on us, but as revelations of the Master's own spirit. What a wealth of generosity! What a lavishness of goodwill! Read the passage over, using it as a window to look into Jesus' own heart. Remember that He both really felt and actually lived what these words expressed. Compare your own life now with the boundless magnanimity of the Master, and consider what it means that you cannot help being instinctively ashamed of yourself in the presense of such a spirit." (p. 17 The Manhood of the Master)

Intercessions

O Christ of the Poor and the yearning
Kindle in my heart within
A flame of love for my neighbour,
For my foe, for my friend,
for my kindred all.
From the humblest thing that lives
To the name that is highest of all
Kindle in my heart within
A flame of love.

Pray for the coming day and for justice and peace.

Closing Prayer

This day and this night
may I know O God
The deep peace
of the running wave
The deep peace
of the flowing air
The deep peace
of the quiet earth
The deep peace
of the shining stars
The deep peace
of the Son of Peace.

yeah, i'm so smart

Whatever.

You know, I talk a pretty good game for the most part. I even like that about myself. Usually that ability gets me into places where I am way over my head and a I learn a lot. This is a good thing.

Church work, however, just cannot work this way. I am glad I am seeing that now as opposed to ten years from now. Today Pastor Doug and I visited a couple of people in the hospital. Oddly, they have had similar surgeries.

"Andy" is coming through very well. He will have a stage two operation so that he will not spend his life with a colostomy bag. This is great news. He was drugged up and tired. We stayed only a minute.

Then we saw "Agnes." No one knows how old she is. Some say 88. Some say 96. Even her kids do not know. She is old. We saw her a couple of days ago in the ICU following a partial colostomy due to cancer. Today she was talking and lucid in spite of her age and the severity of her illness. She is an amazing woman. When I asked if there was any specific scripture she wanted to hear, she said, "I like it all. Just read. It is all God's word."

These two experiences bookend my saying all sorts of dumbass things to Doug about my frustrations here at North Shore. None of them are unfounded frustrations, certainly. And none of these frustrations are particularay heavy. Yet I can sound like such an arrogant s.o.b. at times. I appologized to Doug. He said he did not notice. I like that about Doug...always willing to lie to save face.

You cannot "act as if" in the church. Where souls are on the line, you cannot make it up asd you go along. Humility demands that you let God work. This is not the same as winging it. Help me get out of the way, Jesus. Help me get out of the way.

Anyway...let the lessons continue.

so much to say

Gave a professor a ride last night. It was nice to hang with Trevor knowing that I did not have an assignment overdue for one of his classes. Not that it is ever unpleasant to see Trevor, but you know...

He reminded me that there is a conference today on Christian Ethics. How I wish that I could be there. And yet, my not being there is probably a more profound lesson in Christian Ethics and pastoral responsibility. I am going to the hospital to be with a man (40-ish) that has undergone radical surgery. A full colostomy is no small thing. He and his wife have been telling their children, "Daddy is having a faucet put in." This family is surrounded by friends, family and the church. "Andy" has been going to this hospital for a while now and the staff knows him well. They too have been incredibly supportive. This, though certainly not limited to a church community, is what Christian ethics can look like. It is the gathering of community to support one another at all times, not just in times fo struggle and challenge. This is an Incarnated Love.

Come, lovely Lord, outdazzle day;
come clear our clouded sight to see
your coming deep in every deed,
in labor's love, eternity!

Come nurture what your hand has made;
come bring to term what you have sown.
In all creation Christ be seen:
The seed and sum of all we own.

Come, Sov'reign, in your simple gifts,
come seal us with integrity.
Your birth in flesh once wedded earth:
come now in new nativity! Amen.

(from Hymns for Morning and Evening Prayer by, Aelred-Seton Shanley)

Here is Fosdick's quote for the day:

When we give up an immediate pleasure for character's sake, we are impressed with how much we have sacrificed. Jesus was impressed with how much [we] have gained. Consider what you have gained by any sacrifice you ever made for character: The approval of God through conscience, the satisfaction of overcoming your mortal enemy, the greater power to conquer next time, the approbation of those who care most about you, increased power of usefulness to others. How much more you gained than you sacrificed! Ought not all such sacrifice be mae with joy? Nobody ever found any real, solid and permanent satisfaction in doing wrong. - The Manhood of the Master p.8

Here is someting in a similar vein from Trevor.

This is really what our work in the church should be about. It's good to think about things and its great to find some clarity and definition about our lives as Christians. But our first job should always be to praise God. We should always be about lifting things up. Theology is more like a prism than words etched in stone.

Brothers and sisters, no matter what strife may afflict us, joy is a posture of the Christian. It undergirds our suffering. It undergirds our thinking. All is praise fo God. This is the opposite of denial and rationalization. This is realization of the truth in the Gospel. God so loved the world...do not worry for your life.

Slept very poorly last night.

Slept very poorly last night. Yuk.

However, I have reconnected with a college friend recently. Here is to shared insanity and shared growth! I hope to get together with him soon.

harry emerson fosdick

A good sermon is an engineering operation by which a chasm is bridged so that the spiritual goods on one side-the 'unsearchable riches of Christ' - are actually transported into personal lives upon the other. -Fosdick

For the preaching class, one assingment is to do a brief report on a favorite preacher. I think that we even have to sum up/preach one of their sermons. I am thinking that Fosdick may be fun. I have a couple of small books he published including a devotional book entitled, The Manhood of the Master. It is, one, not PC and, two, an interesting journey through the personality of Christ presented through scripture. This first lesson is The Master's Joy.

First Day, First Week (I probably should be looking at the the third day, but whatever)
Matt. 9:10-15

And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, �Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?� But when he heard this, he said, �Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, �I desire mercy, not sacrifice.� For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.�
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, �Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?� And Jesus said to them, �The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Have you thought of the Master largely in terms of sorrowful self-sacrifice? Then note carefully today's picture of Him, as He sits at dinner. He is plainly happy. He is with His friends and is helping people who need help, and He so rejoices in His work that He compares his disciples and Himself to a bridal party on a honeymoon. Even when we turn from such a scene as this to think of the days of Jesus' persecution, we find the note of joy unquenched. "Rejoice in that day, " He says, "and leap for joy." "The fruits of the Spirit," according to Paul, "are love, joy, peace." Is your life by its radiation of real good-cheer and goodwill bearing testimony to your friendship with the Master?

H.E. Fosdick was an interesting guy.

wednesday musings

I have been enjoying our wee debate about Trevor's ideas around community. It is an important conversation. You can see the beginnings of another conversation at The Corner.

I have been struggling with some scheduling difficulties. As some may know, I have a full-time internship at North Shore this term. So, roughly 40 hours a week I am here doing stuff...sometimes pastoral stuff, sometimes thumb-twiddling stuff. Well, part of the assignment (this internship is for school) is to meet in small groups with other students and their supervisors. What someone failed to do was to check to see if any of us were registered for another class...like, say, preaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon. Yay. Already we have scheduling woes. I think now that maybe this whole dual degree program at Seabury is a bad idea. At every turn something goes a little haywire. Sigh. If someone would just ASK THE STUDENT from time to time what their schedules were like, I think all this would go more smoothly.

In other news, I had a very nice dinner with Angie last night. Her son, Alex, is a blast. She calls him MaGoo. Yes, after the famed Mr. MaGoo. Last night Alex lived Mr. "Poo" MaGoo wholeheartedly. It was...um...fun. Ha!

some thinking of community

Trevor is at it again. I like what he says. I think it stands amidst scripture well, too. Who knew the both could match up so well.

Megan, if you are reading this, check out his thinking. Let me know what holes you perceive. Trevor is wiser and "mo betta" at this than I. As he is one of the professors at Seabury, I would like to start from what he proposes about community and see where that takes us. What say ye?

the sermon

Here is the sermon, guys. Thanks for the feedback from the last post.

Megan: I may very well be very Catholic in some things. I would not deny that. Baptists come from somewhere. We ride the fence between Quakerism and Catholicism. Ha! I love this mess.

Today is my first day on the job, so I am blogging. That figures. Actually, I am on my way to the regional offices to drop off some paperwork. Then I will hang out and wait to hear if I need to visit one of our congregation today. We have a member who is 96 and is going in for surgery. Yep, she is that old and that strong. I may be making a hospital visit today.

If you want to read AKMA's sermon, go here.
If you wish to read Jane Ellen's sermon, go here.

Also, my friends at Seabury begin the General Ordination Exam. Urf. Pray for all!

Epiphany, 2004

Has anyone else here seen The Lord of the Rings films? I hope so. They are great movies.

I have seen the third movie now two times. I assume I will see it again and probably in the theatre, too. Who knows how many times I will watch it on video or DVD. I am already looking forward to the extended version. I have seen the two preceding films several times each. I have even read and reread the books over the last twenty years. I love these stories. They are epic in scope. They speak of hope and despair. They are tales of overcoming impossible odds to defeat an evil threatening to destroy everything.

I don�t know about you guys, but I love this stuff.

What makes these films so popular? What is it about these stories that draw people? Is it simply a very astute marketing scheme? I am sure that has something to do with it, but this story has been popular in America for almost 50 years. There is something to this story of hobbits, elves, the Nazgul (undead kings of ages long past), dragons, orcs and talking trees. I have been struggling to figure out what it is.

Is it the drama?
Is it the fantastic creatures?
Is it that Tolkein simply spins a good yarn and I am drawn to that?

It is probably all three. Listen to this passage from the book The Return of the King. p. 125

In rode the Lord of the Nazg�l. A great black shape against the fires beyond he loomed up, grown to a vast menace of despair. In rode the Lord of the Nazg�l, under the archway that no enemy ever yet passed, and all fled before his face. All save one. There waiting, silent and still in the space before the Gate, sat Gandalf upon Shadowfax: Shadowfax who alone among the free horses of the earth endured the terror, unmoving, steadfast as a graven image in Rath D�nen. �You cannot enter here,� said Gandalf, and the huge shadow halted. �Go back to the abyss prepared for you! Go back! Fall into the nothingness that awaits you and your Master. Go!� The black rider flung back his hood, and behold! he had a kingly crown; and yet upon no head visible was it set. The red fires shone between it and the mantled shoulders vast and dark. From a mouth unseen there came a deadly laughter. �Old fool!� he said. �Old fool! This is my hour. Do you not know Death when you see it? Die now and curse in vain!� And with that he lifted high his sword and flames ran down the blade. Gandalf did not move. And in that very moment, away behind in some courtyard of the City, a cock crowed. Shrill and clear he crowed, recking nothing of wizardry or war, welcoming only the morning that in the sky far above the shadows of death was coming with the dawn. And as if in answer there came from far away another note. Horns, horns, horns. In dark Mindolluin�s sides they dimly echoed. Great horns of the North wildly blowing. Rohan had come at last.

Wow.

This is amazing. I do not know how many of you have seen the films or read the books, but this moment is one of my favorites. When things are at their darkest, there is always the miraculous. Tolkien was not afraid of miracles. He was not afraid to grab the reigns of his own tale and allow the impossible to happen. The story is full of moments like these. The movie adaptations are no different in this respect. Every time you think that the good guys are down for the count a miracle happens. There would be elven archers�scores of them coming to the aid of a doomed army. In the passage I read to you we have a cavalry of thousands of the fiercest horsemen in all of Middle Earth appearing at the last minute to stem the tide of battle. There is a living forest that moves from one part of the countryside to another just to help out in the Battle of Helms Deep. Tolkien even employs giant eagles that appear just in the nick of time to turn the tide of another battle.

As implausible as this seems, Tolkien makes it all work. I find that he so quickly draws me into the story that I accept all of it. Sure! Why not? Giant eagles? That�s great! Wahoo! Where can I get one? This is great! I just love it.

Now, a lot of people want to say that the Lord of the Rings trilogy is a Christian allegory. There is even a book on the Theology of Tolkien. I can see where they are coming from. I can see the ideas of death and resurrection. Hope is a consistent theme. Again, in the passage I read, he employs a cock crowing to signal hope. In scripture, it may signal Peter�s defeat, but we know it signals Christ�s victory in death as well. The devil will be cast down. What appears foolish is, in reality, the deepest truth.

I think, however, that Tolkien was not writing such an allegory. He was a scholar of lore who was trying to create another mythical world simply in order to create the elvish language, a language that has never existed. They are great stories, but they are not a Christian allegory.

Nevertheless, it is an interesting idea. Tolkien was Christian. He and C.S. Lewis were close friends. They debated theology and shared their stories and a love of lore and myth. However, Tolkein was shaped by his Christian beliefs and I think that we may need to pay attention to what he is showing us about ourselves through his tales.

It may be true to say that we are more readily drawn to the fantastic than to the ordinary. Some of us would rather read about the slaying of thousands of orcs at the hands of mythical knights, rooting them on all the way then to deal with the issues that plague our own world. We would rather escape. We would rather hear a tale where evil is something plain to discern and good triumphs in the end. I think Tolkien knew this. I do not think that he held it against us. It is human nature to seek solace. It is human nature to want a break from all that plagues us. It is normal to want the good guys to win.

But, brothers and sisters, today is the day we celebrate Epiphany, the day that the three wise men, the Kings of Orient, follow a star, visit an evil king and find God incarnate as a small boy child. They have dreamed dreams. They have dared dangerous roads. Prophecies are brought to the fore. This is a mythic tale of its own. I think that the author of Matthew shares this story with us for several reasons. One is that he knows that human beings are drawn to the epic tale. This is a part of the life of Christ that evokes the epic.

Yet, Matthew is not spinning a tale to entertain us. Matthew wants to tell us something about Christ and what it means to be Christian. What draws the three wise men? Is it a star? Is it a prophesy? This may be what initially grabs their attention. But where they lay their gifts, where they bow and kneel is before a baby boy in swaddling clothes. This is a cooing, crying baby boy who hungers for his mother�s breast. This is God. There is no greater miracle. There are no number of giant eagles that can equal this miracle, for this child is the salvation of all creation. There is no greater epic. The Lord of the Rings pales in comparison. Matthew wants us to know that this child is God.

All divinity and all humanity are enshrouded in this: all joy and all pain.

So, what I want to know is this: does this epic, this incarnation grab our attention in the way that Tolkien�s epic does? Should it?

Certainly slick marketing is successful at getting the attention of the masses. Maybe we should try that. We have all the elements of an epic story. We have wizards, prophecies and an evil empire. We have a child in danger, a young mother and her brave husband. There is war and terror. To be completely honest, I get frustrated sometimes because I perceive that we are more excited by tales like Tolkien�s than Matthew�s. But Matthew and Tolkien are not telling the same type of story, are they? I am not certain that it is right to even compare the two. Perhaps Matthew�s tale should not attract us in the way that Tolkien�s does.

The difference between Tolkien and Matthew is this: Matthew is telling us a true story that redefines all of creation. Tolkien, no matter how much Christianity he may or may not include in his story, is not telling us something real. It is an escape. It is entertainment. No matter how much of human endeavor may be illustrated, Tolkien�s Middle Earth is a place where we can go to hide from the world. Matthew offers no such escape.

Matthew brings God into the world. This is the truth about Christ. This is Emmanuel. This is how God is with us. He is born in the same manner as the rest of us. There is doubt, mystery and suffering all around. There is love, joy and complete self-giving. When we read about the Christ child, we should also be thinking about baptism, the last supper and the resurrection of Christ. This birth foreshadows all of the ministry of Jesus. Every encounter that Jesus has with the people of Israel, with the poor, the ill, the sinner and the powerful, whether miraculous or ordinary, is wrapped up in the child Christ. Every encounter with God lies with Christ in swaddling clothes. We in our identity with Christ, through our encounters with him, lie with Christ in swaddling clothes.

This is why we cannot sell Matthew�s story like we sell a movie because scripture takes us into the world. It leaves us as vulnerable as the infant Christ. It is no escape from the world. It is meeting the world head on.

This is the truth about Christian life as well. Today we witnessed the baptism of a new believer. We have heard the confession of faith. We know the promises of rebirth and renewal through Christ. These promises are true promises. They are not empty. But they are promises with a purpose. Our renewal is a sign of the renewal of the world through Christ. Yes, it can bring solace and great joy. Nevertheless, it is also a reminder to us of the ministry of Christ. It draws us closer to the world so that we can proclaim God�s great gift of love, God�s desire to be in the world with all creation.

Again, baptism is no escape from the world. This is the opposite of escape. This is an embrace.

So too it is with the table that we celebrate today. Here is another quote from Tolkien.

�Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament�there you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves upon earth, and more than that: death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, that [everyone�s] heart desires.�

Tolkien would have made an irregular Baptist to be certain, but he does illuminate the truth of the Gospel for us and the reason why we gather at this meal. It may contain all that makes for an epic and yet it is more than a story. It is more than an epic. It is truth. It is truth that lands us firmly in the world, vulnerable and weak, desperate and joyful and clinging to the promise of God�s love for all.

Christian life is no escape. Tolkien�s story, no matter how much I may love it, and I do love it, is not the truth. As we observe this day of Epiphany, as we pray and think upon the gifts the magi bore to the infant Jesus, let us enter instead that epic. Let us allow it to transform our lives so that we, like Christ Jesus, may embrace the world in vulnerable love.

Amen.

new year, new digs

Haloo.

I am in the office at North Shore right now looking over my new diggs. It ia a sad state of affairs. I know that I should not be so picky, but there is not interenet connection that I can find in the space. The office is part storage room, part communications center (read: fax machine is hidden here). I think it will be fine for 10 weeks. I just know that some of my time will be spent twiddling my thumbs and "being available" for pastoral visits etc at church. I would rather I spend some of that twiddling online. You know?

New Years day was good. We come home around midday. I napped on the couch. Watched Georgia win. Saw most of Michigan's eggregious arsewhoopin'. I feel divided about that one. One one hand I want to support MI because Susie and myriad others are fans. On the other hand, the BCS polls are useless. It was good to see that proven in such a clear way. Huzzah.

Sorry, Susie.

I have been playing with sermon ideas. I do not want to beat a dead horse, but what do you guys think...using Tolkein's quote about the drama and humanity of the Blessed Sacrament, I am thinking that we typically do not perceive it that way. It is a duty and no more. It is an obligation, an ordinance for us Baptists, and no more. We do not bring ourselves to the table. the manger, the cross in any way because we do not realize what it is that has been done on our behalf.

We get more into BCS polls and mega-million dollar blockbuster films than we get into God. I feel like David Cunningham here. That is not alltogether bad, is it?

I do not expect roaring crowds at the elevation. What I would like to proclaim, however, is that the Lord's Supper is a transforming event in our lives. All of who we are, all of who God is, is wrapped up in this event. This is birth, life, death and resurrection in a single moment. Do you need more to move you? If so, maybe you are not paying attention.

Perhaps this is too strong a statement reflecting more of my own frustration and less of what God wants to tell God's people.

blogging from indiana

Hey ho!

I am sitting in Jane Ellen's livingroom. Susie is here too...as is my fiancee, Trish, and Susie's husband, Luke. I think he is still asleep, but maybe not. We are a little rowdy this morning.

I am looking forward to breakfast this new year. Mm...eggs, bacon, pancakes.

I am sitting here using Jane Ellen's wee mac. I like a Mac. Sigh. A Mac with wireless...nice. Some day this too will be my life. It is a digital theosis of some sort.

Happy New Year!