conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

we may try to learn this tune

The streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around their hearths and tables
Giving thanks for God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus

They call him by the "Prince Of Peace"
And they call him by "The Saviour"
And they pray to him upon the sea
And in every bold endeavour
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worship in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus

We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should sieze us
But if anyone of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus

But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgement
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In a life of hardship and of earthly toil
There's a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus

The Chieftans and Jackson Brown have recorded it on the Bells of Dublin cd. It is a great tune, but it may prove to be a mite heavy.

flowing bible

This is one of AKMA's Flickrphotos. I have been looking around for a way to thank him and Carol McVetty from North Shore Baptist Church for attending our worship service. AKMA, as some may have gathered, served at the altar. Carol was in the pews. I felt her support very deeply.
There is something intangible about the two of them, the way the word is outpoured through them. Is this too high a compliment? Perhaps they would think so, but I am inclined to suggest that it is true in spite of their plausible protestations. I have gained so much from their examples...as clergy, as scholars, as married people and as parents. I feel so very fortunate to know that they are supportive of the church plant. Their very existance only strengthens my resolve to allow for different traditions to speak in one community.
Pax et bonum...peace and all good things to you both.

urban shrine

I am hoping for snow.

I know that some may think that mad, but I love the snow. It makes me very happy. I find that the snow creates a comtemplative space. In the city, especially, I treasure moments of contemplation. I have great difficulty quieting myself.

One of the things I have been doing to learn to quiet myself here in the Big City is sitting in bed with my wife in the morning reading through the little liturgy from Iona.

I discivered Iona while I lived at Richmond Hill. The picture is from Richmond Hill. I have been in this shrine many times for prayer, for spiritual direction, and for friendly conversation. I hope to discover a place like this for myself again. It is a great gift...not one to be taken for granted.

wow

You know, some people need to get out more, but I am glad they don't. The entertainment value is too great to let reality sink in.

Thanks to Bob for this bit of wayward humor.

si and laura

Be warned. These two are nothing but trouble. They show up at your house, loiter on your couch, drink your fizzy, sugary beverages and generally demonstrate the "good Christian upbringing" that you read about in those odd Victorian novels. It is sad, really, to find two people as these.

So pleasant.
So polite.
So dern lovable.

What has gone wrong in this world that this kind of thing can happen?! Where are all the cynical and jaded children I grew up with? Where are the tattoos? What happened to taking six or seven years to find a major in college? Ah, the halcyon days of my youth are but a fleeting whisper. Now we have but cute people, lovable and endearing, intelligent and articulate cute people. I think I'll install some sort of "well-raised retardant" in my livingroom in case they come over again.

(Is that better, guys?)

monday musings: the day after the beginning

AKMA has a great post about the emergent church. Check it out. I will give a post of my own in a day or two about what I think of the movement. I seem to find myself within it by some people's definitions, though that is not the original intent of the pastoral vision of Reconciler. But then again, maybe I wasn't paying attention. Heh. I certainly value what the emergent folk are up to. And I see it as a resource. But are we emergent? I don't know. You tell me. Please understand that any dispute I have has nothing to do with any negative feelings I have toward the emergent movement in evangelical christianity. I have none that I am aware of. It is a curiosity to me that we are falling into that column with our new church.

The sermon is posted in its entirety on the church blog. It is long-ish so be prepared to print it up or to take a few minutes staring at your computer screen. My third is edited a bit. You will find it in the middle of the sermon.

Today is a coffee day. I forsee just a little caffeine to get me rolling this morning. Wah. After the service several of us went out to a local diner to get food and to celebrate the officioal start of our congregation. It was a good time. I volunteered to give Justin a ride home since his car has been in the shop. On the way we picked up Trish, I missed my wife and thought a little drive would be nice. On the way home from dropping Justin off at his digs we stopped at T's. Trish was hungry. Her shows keep her very active. It seems the late night burger is just what she needs. So, we finally arrived at about 11:00. Cats were switched out. We donned our respective pink pj's. All was right with the world.

Sadly, however, this was interrupted when the alarm went off this morning.

Happy Monday, everyone. Have a blessed Advent.

shared sermon

Here is my third of the combined sermon. The whole sermon will eventually go up on the church blog.

Our coming together has not been without challenges and questions along the way. One challenge has been the one of timing; the when�s. At first, it was �When do you meet?� This was hard to answer, but became less so. When did you start this project? Oh, my�this is a question that is responded to with another question: Which beginning?

There was that day when David Gortner and I cornered one another. Did it begin then?

We had a Disciples of Christ pastor, Jennifer Kottler, involved briefly as well. She and David have been acquainted for years. Did it begin then?

One night there were several of us gathered around a table in the lounge at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary for our first dinner together trying to figure out what we might be called to. Did it all begin then?

When did the congregation begin? When will it come to fruition and what will it look like? I simply have not had answers to these questions.

Tonight, as we officially begin the life of this congregation I am aware of how we have been worshiping together for many months at the Community of the Holy Trinity. There are some in this room who have been waiting, dreaming if you will, for more than a year. Tonight is hardly the beginning.

Our dreams have collided with one another: dreams of monastic community in an urban setting; dreams of ministry to young adults in Chicago; dreams of ecumenical communities attempting to bridge great distances within and without. We have been living into this vision, we have been waking dreamers our entire lives. As we gather tonight, I am aware of how this beginning, no matter how much energy we have behind it, is still living into the question of �When?� This is not the beginning, but a point on a journey. Or, perhaps, it is one beginning among many.

And is that not the precarious joy of Advent? We await the coming of the Lord, he who has come, he who has been present since the beginning. Is it not true that this dream, this waking dream for some, has been with us since the beginning?

2:3 Many peoples shall come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

2:4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

This is Isaiah�s hope, a proclamation of things to come that is revealed in the present but are not yet�an old testimony to a present reality.

13:11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;

13:12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works
of darkness and put on the armor of light;

Once again, our brother Paul brings our attention to this quandary of a nearby salvation. Our salvation is near to us, but not in our grasp. It is near to us, we can feel the warmth of it, we may even change how we live, proclaiming Emmanuel, God is with us, and yet it is not ours.

This congregation is near to us. We are in the midst of it, this ecumenical vision, our own attempt to live into the saving grace of God. It begins tonight. It began many months ago. It will continue in our waking dreams. So too will it be always out of reach, not quite complete.

advent

You have perhaps waited for years to be freed from some need. For a long, long time you have looked out from the darkness in search of the light, and have had a difficult problem in life that you have not been able to solve in spite of great efforts. And then, when the time was fulfilled and God�s hour had come, did not a solution, light, and deliverance come quite unexpectedly, perhaps quite differently than you thought? - Eberhard Arnold

Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Take heart.

U2

As this piece of bread was scattered over the hills
and then was brought together and made one,
so let your Church be brought together
from the ends of the earth
into your Kingdom.
(The Didache 9:4)

Sitting here in my livingroom...thinking about a sermon that Jane and Larry and I are writing together. It is quite a trick this work. For inspiration I have a U2 cd playing that I received from camassia. It is a series of live recordings that come with Get Down on Your Knees. She burned a disk for me. They are free recordings. If you have the chance to come by my place, I just might let you burn a copy yourself. It is a great cd. Camassia also mentions the latest cd in light of a wider conversation about Yoder.

How I love this band.

Love And Peace Or Else

Source: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Year: 2004

Lay down
Lay down
Lay your sweet lovely on the ground
Lay your love on the track
We're gonna break the monster's back
Yes we are
Lay down your treasure
Lay it down now brother
You don't have time
For a jealous lover

As you enter this life
I pray you depart
With a wrinkled face
And a brand new heart

I don't know if I can take it
I'm not easy on my knees
Here's my heart you can break it

I need some release, release, release

We need
Love and peace
Love and peace

Lay down
Lay down your guns
All your daughters of Zion
All your Abraham sons

I don't know if I can make it
I'm not easy on my knees
Here's my heart and you can break it
I need some release, release, release

We need
Love and peace
Love and peace

Baby don't fight
We can talk this thing through
It's not a big problem
It's just me and you
You can call or I'll phone
The TV is still on
But the sound is turned down
And the troops on the ground
Are about to dig in

And I wonder where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Where is the love?
Love and peace

Yeah. It is like that sometimes. There is a good article on U2 in Spin magazine this month. Bono is quoted as saying this: "We can write songs about God and have them right next to songs about girls. I think we weave God, sex and politics together in a way that is very unusual in white music." Good to know. It is what makes them a great band. Bono says so himself in his way being objective about the band. The Tribune panned the new album. I have not purchased it yet, but I will. I heard it all on XRT. They have a program where they play one or two tunes offf of new albums. They played the entire cd all the way through that day. Wow. It is on my Christmas list to be certain. I will probably melt the dern thing. Of course, now I want an i-pod even more. Bugger that covetous nature of mine.

Right.

Anyway...laundry, food, laundry, vacuum, dishes, more laundry...nap? Maybe. Sermon for sure.

Consensus is rooted in the communion built on Jesus Christ and the witness of the apostles. As a gift of the Spirit it is realized as a communal experience before it can be articulated by common efforts into words. Full consensus can only be proclaimed after the churches reach the point of living and acting together in unity...

post-turkey bliss

Need to put laundry in the laundry machine.

Need to snuggle with cats.

A chai latte is in my near future. Mmm...Christmas in a glass.

There will be cleaning of the apartment and writing of the sermon. We have church Sunday. I hope y'all come. AKMA is presiding at the altar. Larry, Jane and I are sharing the sermon. It should be quite the adventure.

Pax et bonum!

Oh...Thanks Heather.

VIOLET You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and belive strongly in your personal morals. Find out your color at Quiz Me!

corruption

Well, Explorer has been corrupted somehow. I do not know what happened. But there it is. So, a friend emaild me in response to an e-outcry to the digiverse I had made, "Get ye to Mozilla."

Indeed.

Hear ye the truth. Mozilla Firefox is wondrous keen. To summarize: It works. Explorer does not. Hear ye the truth. Go ye therefore and do likewise.

snowing!!!!!

It is snowing here in Chicago.

Well, at least by the hospital it is. It is possible that there is little to no snow 10 miles east of here by the Lake, but I am hopeful that there will be snow. I do not find it prohibitive to drive in the white mush...and it gets me in the holiday spirit.

I am from Virginia (Everyone knows that by now). I think that because we seldom ever see snow in November or even December, that I bought into the postcard images even more so. I wanted it to be the truth...to be real. And here we have some snow, some real live winter weather. It is about time. I was beginning to wonder if the snow gods had forgotten us since I stopped sacrificing to them. Now that I am ordained I figured I should stop my pagan practices.

This is why I will put together an 8' fake pine tree in my livingroom and decorate it with glass baubles and little red men with beards, gnomes, elves, tinsel, sugarplumbs and lightbulbs with feet. Yeah. Good thing I gave up the paganism. Whew!

Ha!

Trish and I will be spending the holiday with Charlie and his new bride Christina. It should be a lot of fun. Hope, Andrew and Beth will be there as well as some others. It should be great fun. I am going to bake bread. Lordy, but how that makes me happy!

So, there will be two kinds. One will be your basic cranberry rolls. There are some pinenuts in them bad boys that kick 'em over the top of yeasty goodness. Then I will make some big ol' wheat breat, something large and ungainly so we can all tear hunks off of it. Yum.

Happy Holidays y'all! Enjoy your weather, whatever it may be.

turkey day

You know, this has always been one of my favorite holidays...not because of the sentiment, but the food. It is all about the food.

My favorites: pumpkin pie...ooo...and oyster stuffing...mmm

Yours?

accordions, god and transpersonal psychology

I asked the professors who teach the meaning of life
to tell me what is happiness.
And I went to famous executives who boss the work
of thousands of men.
They all shook their heads and gave me a smile
as though I was trying to fool with them
And then one Sunday afternoon I wandered out
along the Desplaines River
And I saw a crowd of Hungarians under the trees
with their women and children and a keg of beer
and an accordion.

- Carl Sandburg

So, let's talk about music therapy for a moment. I had an interesting experience yesterday that I thought I'd share. I was invited by one of the other chaplain residents to go with her to a local nursing home to sit in on a music therapy session with one of the hospice patients. I figured that observing would make for a simple introduction to the art and would not push me around too much. It ended up being a very different experience than I imagined.

"Abigail" has dementia and is dying. She spends a lot of time in a "transpersonal" space. This is fairly typical of people who are in the late stages of dementia. She sees people where you and I perceive none. She is in her own memories. Shades appear to her and are real. Music therapy is a means of entering that space with her.

Sue, the other chaplain, introduced me to Laura, the hospice music therapist. I shared with her some of my thinking and how I was trying (struggling really) to integrate music into my pastoral ministry at the hospital. When I was done filling her in on the whole thing she smiled and declared, "You need to be a music therapist."

Yay.

I went into the room with Laura Sue. I was introduced to Abigail who was lying on her bed with a severe headache. Laura had brought some hymns to sing for her. I thought I was going to observe, but Laura suggested we all sing. "On Eagle's Wings" is one of my favorites, so I agreed. Besides, it is just a hymn or two, right? "No big deal." I thought, " I can do this."

Sue and Laura have developed this way of reading to Abigail that she seems to respond to. Sue reads from scripture or the Book of Common Prayer while Laura improvises on the harp (A small Irish harp is a regular tool of the music therapists I have met.). It was beautiful. Laura changed her tempo with the rate of Abigale's breathing. This process is called "entrainment." Simply, it allows the therapist to join the patient at their emotional/stress level. There are other ways of doing this that we chaplains are exploring, but this is the first time I have seen such a deep entraining before. I will have to remember how she did it. I'll write more on entrainment some other time.

While Sue was reading, Laura improvised a simple hummed melody over the harp's music. At this point I have been sucked in to the space and timing of it all. I was relaxed and willing to go wherever Laura needed me to go. Darn harp and its wicked way with me. I was an easy mark, I know ("Easy like Sunday morning" does apply to me after all, Susie.). I find myself spontaneously improvising counter-melodies and harmonies with Laura's music. Laura nodded her approval and smiled.

We did this for an hour, humming, listening; Laura would sometimes stop humming and ask Abigail who was in the room with us. We were introduced to Jenny, someone from Abigail's past. The headache lessened. Sue was wonderful, simply holding hands with her and stroking her arm. Abigail is very much alone. Our presence, I hope, was some solace to her. Laura did a great job of leading Abigail through her visit with Jenny and the others. I do not know much about transpersonal psychology, but it was very interesting to witness. Unfinished business does indeed find us, even when we are seemingly lost to the world.

Our session ended when the hospice nurses came in to take Abigail to lunch. Laura welcomed me to my first experience with transpersonal psychology and commended me on my willingness to improvise along with her. I was a little embarrassed at my own forwardness, but thanked her. Then she and Sue dropped the bomb, "So, next Monday good for you to do this again?" What? Again? Hello, baby steps...hello! But there I was saying, "Yes." Laura said she would bring her guitar with her and we could play both the harp and guitar for Abigail. The more richness we can add to the music, the more likely Abigail can articulate her emotions and let the music help her deal with whatever/whomever is visiting her. Unreal. Next Monday, I will help out again.

Wow. I will be contacting the hospital's therapist to let her know what is happening and ask for her guidance as well. It felt so good to help out with the session. It felt right somehow. This is a great affirmation and encouragement to me that I may be on the right path with my ministry in the hospital, as a musician and pastor. This skill could prove invaluable in church work. I am stunned by my own willingness to continue and I feel a little stupid.

Of course I was going to play along or sing along if given the opportunity. Who was I kidding? No one but myself. It was so obvious to me once I started humming. Duh. Oy. Sheesh. What else was I gonna do? Was I really just going to sit there? No. Not a chance in hell. So, there you go, gang, my first time out and I was caught singing. I am a happy camper. I'll keep writing about this whole process. I think it will be my yearlong project to simply see how music therapy can be a useful part of my ministry in the hospital. It makes sense to me now...or at least more sense to me now.

Incredible.

sunday

I had a busy night at the hospital, snoozed a little this morning when I got home and finally got rid of some nasty viruses on my computer. St. Gregory strikes again. He has been my salvation more than once. When St. Bruce can't help me (He's a mac specific saint after all.), he forwards my prayers on to St. Greg.

O Antiphon, indeed.

So, if you get the chance, come to church this evening. I am going to watch a little football and snooze some more. See you all there.

are you ready for the holiday show?

Oh yeah...Trish is in a doozy!

link
Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer

Chicago�s favorite cross-dressing reindeer is back, and more fabulous then ever! Hell in a Handbag Productions is proud to remount David Cerda�s parody of the classic children�s television special �Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer� (back for its SEVENTH holiday season!) �Rudolph, The Red-Hosed Reindeer is a story very near and dear to my heart. I immediately related to the original story as a child, as did any kid who felt �different�,� says Cerda.

Rudolph 2004 opens Thursday, December 2 at 8:00 PM, then runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00 PM through December 31st. Regular admission is $15, and admission for the special New Year's Eve performance is $30 and includes a post-show gala.

At the Loop Theater, 8 E. Randolph Street, Chicago. For reservations call (312) 744-5667 or visit www.ticketweb.com.

Posted by tripp at 04:51 PM |

dante has a test in his honor!

Here are my results. Props to LLCoolP for the hot tip. It would seem that I am one of the lucky ones.

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Moderate
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Moderate
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Moderate
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Low
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

psalm 27 and friday musings

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

The first picture is from Richmond Hill. They have rennovated the chapel. What they did was remove all sorts of facing and odd construction that had obscurred the original space. This image is glorious.

This second image is also from Richmond Hill...the chapel as it was. I spent four years (five?) praying and growing in this space. I am looking forward to an opportunity to see it soon. Trish and I will be in our Chicago home over the holidays. I hope that we can get back to Richmond this winter. I don't know what the realities are. With Reconciler now up and running (Come to our Advent services this year! Jane, Larry and I will share the sermon at First Advent. We may have talked someone into serving at the altar that evening as well. I just eel that I should not reveal whom until the time is right. We are excited about our "Grand Opening."If you feel like contributing to the musical efforts, let me know.), I fell a pull to stay here. Trish has shows and other committments. It is hard to be in two places at once. I never did well in the bilocation classes at SWTS. Sigh.

Our final evaluations for the term are all done. I have a little tweaking to do with mine. I find the brand of sharing we do during these things taxing. Honesty can be rigorous. It should be. But then I am a weary honest man tonight.

Liturgy abounds on the units. There are solemn processions as a patient is wheeled into the SICC. There can be a triumphal exit as someone is wheeled out of the hospital. All of these moments are enshrouded with the presence of God. I find that liturgical language helps me articulate God�s presence in the midst of the chaos. As L�Engle said, being able to give voice to the cosmos in the chaos is the task of the artist. To live into chaplaincy as an art is to live into that task.

There is a place for prayer and preaching in the patient rooms. Theological education has its turn as well. These are naming exercises, truth telling exercises. Testimonies are given as a patient shares their diagnosis, their hopes and their fears. Music has its place in the liturgy. If only I had the courage. That too will come.

I will probably fall asleep here in the office this afternoon for an hour so I can be fresh for my evening with Trish. We are picking up a new TV from Target and some pizza from Gullivers. It will be nice to view a dvd that does not change colors randomly. Yeah. It has gotten that way with the old TV.

It seems applaince woes are the norm these days. Sarah expressed some frustration and some humor about her woes. I will take a different route. It sucks. I have to reformat my hard driev. It is screwed my little computer is. So very sad! I will be learning how while I do it. If you have pointers please use the phone number and not the email. I will not be able to retrieve email as my computer will be in small fragments spread generously down the hall.

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold* of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers assail me
to devour my flesh�
my adversaries and foes�
they shall stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
yet I will be confident.

4 One thing I asked of the LORD,
that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.

6 Now my head is lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.

7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 �Come,� my heart says, �seek his face!�
Your face, LORD, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger,
you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will take me up.

11 Teach me your way, O LORD,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they are breathing out violence.

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

I was reading this psalm this morning with my Iona liturgy. I have been thinking of what an enemy is. You know, I am not certain that I have any. Really. How do you all define enemies? Do enemies have to be persons? I guess that if we can say that habits, trends, systems, attitudes, policies and the like could also be enemies, then it stands that I have many. Otherwise, I have none.

You?

holly hunter

I simply think that Holly is sexy. Wow. But sha has never looked better than she does in this film.

Ah...the Incerdibles. Holly is a flexible mom. Somewhere there is a site dedicated to Elastigirl, but I dunno where it is. Ideas?

christ, reconciler

Jane Ellen took the photo. Justin posted it as well. This is how things look at a coffee shop when you move your church in.

Larry painted the icons.

Wow.

This is a cool ride to be on...and I am glad I am sharing it with these people.

mooooooo! -or- cow tipping in a med/surg unit

We have cows.
Several really.
They stand there, like cows do, minding their own business.
But you really can't call it grazing. It is more like loitering.
They just stand...until you need them.

Cows.

C.O.W.

Computer On Wheels.

Yeah...we have a new data base system at the hospital and it demands more computers be available to employees. So they have developed the "cow." Nurses and chaplain make happy lowing noises as they walk the halls visiting patients. I like cows. So far only two nurses have been cought "cow tipping." Yep. They were trying to tip said heifer. I was using it at the time, so it was not in secret, but a distracted cow is worth tipping. That is the truth of it. Interesting social dynamics.

In other news, I am still trying to piece my sermon together. In the mean, why don't you read two excellent sermons on this weekend's lectionary. Susie and Todd have posted. Mine will be posted at the church blog. It will have nothing to do directly with cattle.

I can see you...the weekend in review

Well, it was quite a weekend.

Friday night One of the Girls played in a concert at Heartland Cafe to raise money for our friend Amy to go to the Middle East with the Christian Peacemaker Teams. It was a looooong night. Thac0 and Greenlight rocked the house. Lots of rockers throwing guitars. I was tempted to throw my mandolin, but, you know...maybe not. I was in bed by 2:30 am. Oof.

Saturday I was up early enough to meet with Larry about a presentation we were doing on Sunday at North Park ECC. Later, Trish and I visited a friend in the hospital for a little while, met with Cliff and Anna for dinner and then passed out on the couch around 8pm.

Sunday was a very full day. Larry and I had the most wonderful time at North Park. A full review is due the Reconciler folk, but asuffice it to say that I believe we have advocates at North Park for our work at Reconciler.

I had my final meeting as the "intern" with Doug and Carol from North Shore. I share their sentiment...I hope that we can let this relationship blossom into something even more fulfilling and dear. They are wonderful people who have set a great example for me in ministry.

We also spoke of the work at Reconciler, and I think that North Shore will prove to be an advocating congregation of our work. Doug and Carol already plan on attending worship at our kickoff service on November 28th. This is a great ting. Feel the love! Heh.

And last night was our first night in the new space. I think that it is going to serve us well. We had a visitor from North Park...Kurt and his son, Emmet. Dan brought a friend, Bill, who is a musician and rides one of the coolest bikes ever. I preached. I have almost no recollection of what I said...I had a "baptist preacher momemnt" where I let the notes disappear and responded to the moment. So strange. So unlike me. And, according to the throngs gathered, a good sermon, challenging and deep. Nice to know. I am hoping that those gathered can tell me what was said. Heh.

Okay, I need to shower and get some breakfast. This is the next to last week of this first CPE unit. There is much paperwork to be had. Wow. But after this week I will spend the rest of the callendar year on my unit devoted to our shared work. This feels very good.

Have a great day!

birthday

Today is the 104th birthday of Aaron Copland.

How I love Aaron Copland.

Peace upon his soul.

irish church music news

Greetings!

So, some of you know this already, but here are a couple of reminders. I am excited about both of these pieces of information.

Firstly, you need to come out to the Heartland Cafe tonight. It should be a great concert. Here are the details. The other bands are good. I especially enjoy ThacO. One of the Girls will be on stage, though late in the evening...perhaps 11:00. We will have a demo cd for you all. It ain't bad! Who knew? We encourage you to pick one up. The suggested donation is $3.00 since this is a fundraiser, but if ya can only give a buck or if you simply want to take a copy, feel free. The band is not interested in making money on these cd's. We just want to help out Amy.

Secondly, but as important, the Church has a new home! Justin reported on it, and the blog has the new address listed as well. We will no longer be meeting at the Community of the Holy Trinity. I'll miss the agape meal, but this is a better place for us. There is room to grow and the location cannot be beat. Welcome to the Chase Cafe! I am preaching this weekend. I'll post the sermon at the Reconciler blog. This is my first sermon as an ordained Baptist minister. Come and see if it makes a difference. Heck, invite your friends!

And, with that, have a great weekend. I need to fix coffee, take a shower and get breakfast ready for the loverly wife and myself.

thinking of arafat

Casting a Vote for Peace
By JIMMY CARTER

Atlanta

For more than 40 years, Yasir Arafat was the undisputed leader of the fragmented and widely dispersed Palestinian community and the symbol of its cause. His pre-eminent role was not perpetuated by his boldness or clarity of purpose, but was protected from challenge by his status as the only common denominator around which the disparate factions could find a rallying point.

It was very frustrating to deal with Mr. Arafat in seeking a clear position of the Palestinians, because he was very careful to avoid making a final decision that, when revealed, might arouse intense opposition or rebellion from one of the many competing groups that accepted him as its spokesman. At the same time, his sensitive political antennas endowed him with the ability to enunciate a consensus with reasonable accuracy.

When given a chance by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Israel, Mr. Arafat responded well by concluding the Oslo Agreement of 1993, which spelled out a mutually satisfactory relationship on geographical boundaries between Israel and the Palestinians. The resulting absence of serious violence by either side was broken when a Jewish nationalist assassinated Mr. Rabin. Mr. Arafat later rejected a proposal devised by President Bill Clinton and Prime Minister Ehud Barak of Israel, but its basic terms have led to positive initiatives between private groups of Israelis and Palestinians, in particular one known as the Geneva Accords. This proposal addresses the major issues that must be resolved through further official negotiations before a permanent peace can be realized.

In effect, peace efforts of a long line of previous administrations have been abandoned by President Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. For the last three years of his life, Mr. Arafat was incapacitated and held as a prisoner, humiliated by his physical incarceration and excluded by the other two leaders from any recognition as the legitimate head of the Palestinian community. Recognizing Mr. Arafat's failure to control violence among his people or to initiate helpful peace proposals, I use the word "legitimate" based on his victory in January 1996 by a strong majority of votes in an election monitored by the Carter Center and approved by the occupying Israelis.

Lately, with Mr. Arafat politically and physically debilitated, the resulting leadership vacuum has been filled by factions, some of which have resorted to unconscionable acts of terrorism. The Israelis have used this political interregnum to impose their will unilaterally throughout Palestinian territories, with undeviating support from Washington. When the widely respected leader Mahmoud Abbas was chosen by the Palestinian governing authority to act as its alternative peace negotiator, his effectiveness was undermined by both Mr. Arafat (who saw his authority threatened) and by Mr. Sharon (who preferred to make decisions without considering a strong Palestinian voice).

If a respected successor to Mr. Arafat can be chosen by the Palestinians (not by the Israelis or Americans), then there is a new opportunity to initiate peace negotiations. While Mr. Abbas was elected by the organization yesterday as the chairman, it is unlikely that he or any other leader can achieve political legitimacy unless chosen through a democratic process.

Moreover, serious obstacles exist now that were not present in 1996. At that time, Palestinians were permitted to move freely, to campaign and to vote throughout Gaza and the West Bank. This included East Jerusalem, despite a last-minute altercation about whether votes were being "cast in" or "mailed from" voting places in post offices. Now, many more illegal Israeli settlements have been built throughout the West Bank, a road system connects them like a spider web, and a wall is being constructed that encroaches in substantial ways into Palestinian territory from the internationally accepted boundary.

Another deeply disturbing change is the decision by Hamas and other militant factions to resort to suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism, whereas the hope for peace and justice discouraged such violence eight years ago. After that election, Hamas representatives rejected my efforts to have them accept Mr. Arafat as their political leader, and they continue to act independently.

Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain has stated recently that peace in the Middle East is the most important international issue. It is to be hoped that, in Washington and Jerusalem, there is also recognition that a bold and balanced move to achieve this goal will help to attenuate the Middle East tension and hatred that exacerbates the global threat of terrorism.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, is chairman of the Carter Center and winner of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize.

thursday morning prayer

Huh.

This goes well with the Oreos and coffee I have been enjoying in stead of breakfast. I would like Pop Tarts, but they aren't healthy.

This service should be familiar.

"You show me the path, O Gog. In yuor presense there is fullness and joy." (Psalm 16:11)

Be still and aware of God's presence within and all around

Opening Prayer

As the light of dawn awakens Earth's Creatures
and stirs into song birds of the morning
so may I be brought to life this day.
Rising to see the light
to hear the wind
to smell the fragrance of what grows from the ground
to taste its fruit
and touch its textures
so may my inner senses be awakened to you
so may my senses be awakened to you, O God.

Scripture and Meditation

You satisfy the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9

Jesus said "I am the bread of life." John 6:35

Prayers of thanksgiving and Intercession

That you formed my body in the darkness of the womb
and fashioned every creature from the soil of the earth
thanks be to you, O God.
That you knitted into my senses
a thirst for water and a hunger for food
and wove into every living being
desires for life
and pleasure in their satisfaction
thanks be to you.
Let me be alert
to the yearnings that you have placed within me
and let me know what will truly satisfy the desires of my heart.
Let me be attentive
to the yearnings that you have planted in every human being
and let me be sure of what will fulfill them.
Let me be guided by your wisdom, O Christ,
let me be guided by your wisdom.

Pray for the coming day
and for the life of the world

Pray for the soul of Dale S. Pray for healing for Alejandro and Gerardo. Pray for guidance from the Spirit for Carol.

Closing Prayer

The vitality of God be mine this day
the vitality of the God of life.
The passion of Christ be mine this day
the passion of the Christ of love.
The wakefulness of the Spirit be mine this day
the wakefulnes of the Spirit of justice.
The vitality and passion and wakefulness of God be mine
that I may be fully alive this day
the vitality and passion and wakefulness of God
that I may be fully alive.

evening prayer

Hey. I am on call for the a.m. shift. It begins at 12:30 a.m. and ends at 8:30. So, to prepare, I though I would send this liturgy out to the digi-ether.

My frame was not hidden from you when I mwas being made in secret intricately woven in the depths of teh earth Your eyes beheld my unformed substance (Ps 139:15)

Silence
Be still
and aware of God's presence
within and all around

Opening Prayer and Thanksgiving

You are the love
of each living creature O God
You are the warmth
of the rising sun
You are the whitness
of the moon at night
You are the life
of the growing earth
You are the strength
of the waves of the sea.
Speak to me this night, O God
Speak to me your truth.
Dwell with me this night O God
Dwell with me in love.

Free Prayers of Thanks The Lord's Prayer Scripture Readings Ps. 13 Luke 17:20-25

Reflect on the gospel
and on God
as the well-spring of all life

Intercessions

You are above me O God
You are beneath
You are in air
You are in earth
You are beside me
You are within
O God of Heaven,
you have made your home on earth
In the broken body of Creation.
Kindle within me
a love for you in all things.

Recall the events of the day
and pray for the care of the earth

Closing Prayer

May the grace of the love
of the stars be mine
May the grace of the love
of the winds be mine
May the grace of the love
of the waters be mine
In the name of the Word
of all life.

diversion and deception

This is an article that I wish I had discovered before our elections written by Ben Campbell, Pastoral Director of Richmond Hill, an ecumenical retreat center in Richmond, Virginia.

In the crisp, clear air of the first fall morning, it is time to talk frankly about the Presidential election and Richmond. The reason is this: it is the only major political event being talked about by the citizens of our metropolitan city.

So the question we must ask is this: What does this Presidential election have to do with the Kingdom of God and God's desires for metropolitan Richmond?

Persons favoring each candidate feel that their support is based upon their Christian understanding of what God wants. One candidate's supporters believe that their man is a man of prayer and divine vocation who is working to prevent abortion, strengthen marriage, support religion, and protect the nation against an attack by forces of evil. The other candidate's supporters believe that their man is a man of divine vocation who is working to insure domestic economic justice and solvency and constructively engage the nations and cultures of the rest of the world.

Both are matters of emphasis, and both are matters of Christian vocation.

There is the whole issue, as well, of who is telling the truth about what, and the extent to which the ferocious nonsense of media-driven campaigning is obscuring real issues, making liars of us all.

To say that this campaign has nothing to do with the future of metropolitan Richmond and the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven would be nonsense. But despite all its compelling and emotion-grabbing fervor, it is also an enormous diversion.

The state of affairs is this: The Kingdom of God in metropolitan Richmond, today and for the rest of this metropolitan City's existence, has more to do with nine jurisdictional governments, with what is preached in our churches, and with the sincerity of our prayer life than it does with the presidential election. It's just that no one wants to get the real local issues talked about.

It is economic injustice in metropolitan Richmond that should be concerning us. It is relations between the races in metropolitan Richmond that should call us to account. It is the immorality of keeping separate jurisdictions to insure the privilege of some and the misery of others that should be the subject of our preaching. It is the spiritual heresy that says nothing will ever be done about our racial and economic segregation that is a sign of our sickness unto death. It is the adamant refusal of residents of Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, and Richmond to see themselves as one society, one culture, one city, one community that should demand our concerted attention.

To know why these critical symptoms of our spiritual disease do not compel constant attention, preaching, teaching, coverage on the television news, and editorial content is to understand why the forces of misery have such a hold on us, despite our church-going and frequent prayers. We have excluded from public and religious conversation the fundamental sins of our common life, and therefore have nothing really to talk about.

Evil prospers by deception, by promoting ignorance, and by deflecting attention. In the absence of proper, spiritually-motivated concern about the mutual welfare of our people and the true state of our community, myths prosper. The truth is never told.

It is almost two generations since the segregationist-dominated General Assembly of Virginia passed legislation decisively isolating the central jurisdiction of metropolitan Richmond -- Richmond City -- from the rest of the metropolitan area. That action, and subsequent legislative actions, insured racial segregation. The tax laws, debt structure, distribution of low-income housing, provision of public services, state aid formulas, provision of transportation monies, and economic incentive structures insured that the central city would remain at an extreme disadvantage for the foreseeable future. Poverty would be concentrated, reflecting racial lines still in place from the time of Richmond's defeat in the Civil War. Schools would remain effectively segregated by race and economic level. Crime would be concentrated. Nothing which well-meaning Christian people could do through personal relationship could have a serious effect on the legislated inequity written in the laws of the state.

It would be impolite or unhappy, inconvenient or distressing, to talk about these issues regularly in media or in church. They are complicated. A divided community has no vehicle to talk about them. It would destroy the myth that the ostensible success of the suburban parts of our city and the difficulties of the central part are due to the virtue and competence of the parties governing the differing jurisdictions -- rather than inequities written into law by a dysfunctional legislative body.

But the trauma of the centuries will not let metropolitan Richmond alone. It cannot be ignored, even if we are raising our children ignorant of it. We have lost the local school of community -- the local effort for equality and justice -- and absent that, how can we ever be a part of this nation's vocation in the world? America is composed of 100 metropolitan Richmonds. Each has its own issues, its own challenges. It is in the facing of these challenges by the citizens of each city, in the inescapable particularlity of their own history, that the future of each city, and ultimately of this nation, will be decided.

Jesus' words on these matters are quite clear. Whether or not he will forgive each of us and accept us into his heaven regardless of our sin -- a prospect in which I place my hope -- there is no question about the criteria which he wishes us to apply to this earthly life. They are supremely local. Our first responsibility is local. If we are concerned nationally and internationally as well, he is pleased -- but it is impossible for us to be effectively international if we are the kind of people who ignore our local brother- and sisterhood.

The parable of the sheep and the goats -- the Last Judgment -- is Jesus' statement about Local Responsibility (see Matthew 25). For us in a democracy, local responsibility deals with local government and local policy as much or more than it does with personal charity. If you segregate schools, neighborhoods, and economic benefits by local law, what then do you mean by turning around and giving charitable contributions to those whom you have oppressed? If you inspire or collude in ignorance, anger, separateness, and implicit racial hatred in your churches, how can you then call on God to have mercy on your sinfulness?

The Kingdom of God is local for everybody. For people who live in the City of Metropolitan Richmond, with its 9 to 14 jurisdictions, the Kingdom of God is Metropolitan Richmond. Here is where the sheep and the goats live. Here is where we must be accountable. Here is where our attention needs to be focused, no matter what happens in the national election.

The devil uses important things for diversion.

This article was originally published in the October 2004 edition of the Richmond Hill newsletter.

ordination photo

This is a great shot from my ordination. There was a reception after the service and someone had the bright idea to gather the SWTS people together.

kneeling: Andrew
front row: Charlie, me, Jane Ellen, Susie and Micah.
back row: Trevor, Bob, Si, Laura

Thanks for this, Jane Ellen! This is a great shot. I believe that Justin was the photographer, no? Very cool.

he posted it

Trevor posted the sermon. You can read it at his blog or here at mine.

Planing the Grain of the Universe
A Sermon Given at the Ordination of George Vincent Hudgins III
Sunday, November 7, 2004
North Shore Baptist Church

This is a time of confusion. It is a time of divison, of missed opportunities, of lack. It is a time of deceit, miscommunication and indifference. This is the time of the superabundant polyvalent aporia, waiting, empty, yearning to be filled.

There are places in which people know exactly what ordination means. They have appropriate symbols, rituals, processions, and liturgies. This is not that place.

There are times in which people know exactly what ordination means. They have the appropriate context, environment, attitude and history. This is not that time.

We stand, poised over the ruins of the church, with our backs glued to each other, searching among embers for some sign of that steady, secure, knot-free pattern which once knit us together in praise, worship, unity, and grace.

We crane our necks, our lips purse.

We search for the grain of the universe.

Theologian Stanley Hauerwas introduced this metaphor in his Gifford Lectures a few years ago and has since turned the metaphor into the book "With the Grain of the Universe." This metaphor indicates that the universe has a distinctive grain to it just like the distinctive grain we find in a piece of wood - oak, maple or cedar - and that when one tries to go against the grain, we run into difficulties. When we attempt to recognize and work with the grain things go much better.

Hauerwas, ever the slippery theologian, spoke in these lectures about nothing other than Natural Theology - the idea that God's plan for the world is revealed in nature and that human reason can access this truth - while maintaining all along his continual emphasis on how the church must be the church, theology must be theology and Christian witness must be Christian.

Now, natural theology and what is sometimes called dogmatic theology are not usually brought together in this way. When we argue that Christian witness must be decidedly Christian we don't consider this a natural statement. It makes much more sense to us to argue that when Christian witness is intelligible, when Christian witness fits itself to society's ways of thinking and knowing, when Christian witness meets the best insights of science, reason, and logic that only then is it natural. An argument that Christian witness be Christian is considered dogmatic and unnatural. An argument that Christian witness be intelligible and reasonable is natural. This, sisters and brothers, is why I have named our time as a time of confusion. I believe, with Hauerwas, that the real grain of the universe is the pattern of life showed most decisively in the sudden pounding of nails into wood through flesh.

This is a story that many people are not particualry interested in hearing. Still, it is the distinctive grain of the wood of the cross, not the grain of the judge's walnut gavel, not the grain of the banker's mahogany meeting table, and not grain of the mahajua floor of the oval office that lines up with the grain of the universe.

So this is a story about wood and the people that work with it. It is a story abour recognizing that grain. It is a story about working with that grain. And often, when that grain is buried under layers of lacquer, paint, when that wood becomes encrusted with gold or bedecked with jewels as it has in much of today's world then it becomes a story of using the right tools to find that grain again. This is when we are called to plane the grain of the universe. Tripp, this is what you are being called to do today; to work with wood. Sometimes their work is obvious and predictable; sometimes it is surprising and counterintuitive. But I've gotten way ahead of myself, stories are best when they are told from the beginning.

So let's start closer to the beginning. Not with Eve and Adam and their trees, Not with Abraham and the sacrifical pyre he bound Isaac too. Let's start with Moses and the bush he found burning out of control. Moses is a good character to emulate if you are getting ordained. He is nervous to the point of angering God. Listen to him, "O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." Moses here demonstrates a keen ability to speak in statements which contain their own proof. But eloquence is not what God wants in a leader. Eloquence gets you a golden calf. What God wants is faith. Faith that is not contained in the logic of this world or its speech. Faith and the ability to recognize the grain of the universe. The particular qualities of faith that Moses highlights for us are curiosity and trust.

Moses is open to the impossible and the bizarre. How many of us presented with Moses' burning bush would stop to investigate? It's easier to believe that this must be a particularly dense bush and therefore it's just taking a long time for it to be consumed. It's easier to believe that there is a bigger bush behind it that creates the effect of the lack of consumption. It's easier to believe that a small leak in a natural gas deposit has been ignited right in front of the bush giving the impression that the bush is burning. How many of us when walking by a burning bush like the one Moses saw would even notice that it was not consumed by the fire?

When God talks, Moses is willing to trust. Not at first, and not without alot of questions, although as a good professor I'm going to say that all the good questions where one of the things that drew God to Moses in the first place. This is a beautiful trust, in part because it is a trust which has at its centre the simple revelation of the divine name. I AM WHO I AM. Moses recieves his orientation to the grain of the universe in the simplest of revelations; a name - and a self referential name at that. But this simple revelation is also the most powerful gift God could give Moses for rather than any confidence in worldly wisdom, rather than laws or concepts, rather than debates or decisiveness this gift teaches Moses the absolute priority of trust.

This is important to the concept of ordination that I want to develop this afternoon. Ordination is not a special ontological status although you can count on yourself to change if you dare to speak for God. Ordination doesn't give any special ability to speak for God, about God, or in lieu of God. Ordination is not about exaltation, or victory, or confidence. The beautiful wood in this church was built to flow with the grain of the universe but there is no guarantee that it does. Too often the wood of the preacher's pulpit betrays its allegiance to the ways of this world instead of to the pattern of God. Too often the wood of the altar hides the justice it is meant to proclaim. Nothing about our buildings, our churches, our institutional structures guarantees anything. No denomination or confession has any special access to the divine, furthermore, and this is the important part, even if ordination or adherence to a specific creed or confession was revelatory of the divine, it would be nothing more than a hint of the grain of the universe, a name, something that only refers to itself. Nothing about our divisions is emancipatory. We sit this afternoon, surrounded by the ruins of the church, with our backs glued to our pews, searching among embers for a sign of that steady, secure, knot-free pattern which once knit us together in praise, worship, unity, and grace.

Anyways, this is the story of Moses learns the grain of the universe. Some of you may be frustrated with me by now. C'mon Trevor you are thinking, if you know me, or who the heck is this guy, if you don't. This is supposed to be a time to celebrate the church, to celebrate Tripp and to speak of the important role that we are ordaining him into. Instead you have taken us on one big thirteen hundred and seventy word downer. Well, I'm probably not going to be able to resist getting positive before the end of this sermon, but I am going to need to resist it for a while longer. Because the next chapter in our story is all about confusion.

It's the story of Nicodemus, the pharisee, a leader of the Jews. The grain of the universe is difficult to spot in this passage. It's not at all clear that Nicodemus is working with wood. Jesus points us to it, but only cryptically, in the wood that is hiding in the serpent that Moses picked up in the wilderness. You remember that in the calling of Moses, Moses had a staff and that God told Moses to lay it down on the ground and then it turned into a snake. Do you see how slippery the grain of the universe can be? Slippery and dangerous, for God tells Moses to pick up the serpent. Fortunately for Judeo-Christian history it turns back into a staff. This oblique reference to wood is really the only concrete example that Jesus gives Nicodemus. The rest of this conversation only indicates how little Nicodemus knows and Jesus seems fairly dim about the possibilities that Nicodemus will ever know more. The question is again one of belief. Can Nicodemus learn to trust the strange statements that Jesus spins out in this passage? "Are you a teacher of Israel and still you do not understand these things?"

Clearly the stern indictment of how workers in the world work with wood needs to take its turn resting on me. The grain of the universe does not become more discernible when it is mashed into a pulp, dried out in thin sheets, glued and sewn together, and printed with the words of academic discernment. The wood in my office isn't even wood. It's paper, and there is too much of it.
So how do we find the grain of the universe?

"If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind"
If there is anything distinctive about ordination, any reason why we should name Tripp as a character in this story, any hope for the church in the divided, postmodern milieu in which it finds itself in this third millenium, it is unity. Unity and humility.

For even Christ "who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death - even death on a cross." Here the grain of the universe is made more obvious by a crimson stain.

Leadership in the church of the third millenium is, if it conforms to the grain of the universe, is no different than leadership has been in any church at any place at any time. The ordained person is marked not for glory but for humility, not for masterfulness but for servanthood, not for distinctiveness but for unity.
I used the word, "aporia," at the beginning of this story. Us postmoderns love this word. It stands for wonder and amazement at the intricate holy mysteries, puzzle and confusions of existence. Aporia denotes a definite lack, like the lack we feel about the state of Christianity today, but it also denotes an attitude towards that lack which is eager to engage it.

We may not be able to be confident that we are working with the grain of the universe but our form of servanthood is a bold one nonetheless. It still seeks to take the plane into its hand and strip away that which distracts us from God's pattern. It still seeks to make that grain evident. It still looks for places where that grain is bursting forth. And at its most excited and hopeful it switches the meaning of the word. It ceases being a planing which strips away layers of deceit and, suddenly recognizing the grain, lifts off its surface and surfs along - like a hydroplane on a smooth lake.

I've seen Tripp work with wood in this way. In his curiosity, trust, and humility, yes, but even more decisively when his plays his mandolin or guitar. Tripp's music is a working with wood that surfs the wood's surface working with the grain and bringing praise to God. And Tripp's concern for the unity of the church is another obvious example. His work with the church of the reconciler, or my presence among you today is ample evidence of this. Not that the presence of a Mennonite is totally surprising among Baptists. But it bears remark when a Baptist goes of to an Episcopalian seminary, befriends a bunch of converts to orthodoxy, meets the Catholic trained Mennonite professor and is able to hold it all together.

Especially since this is a time of confusion. A a time of divison, of missed opportunities, of lack. A time of deceit, miscommunication and indifference. Our postmodern milieu doesn't hide the grain of the universe behind fire or snakes or legalism. It doesn't enhance the grain with a crimson stain. But the grain is there, waiting. We must look for it. We must find it. We must live our lives according to it.

This is the time of the superabundant polyvalent aporia, waiting, empty, yearning to be filled. Tripp this is your space. Grab your mandolin and start working the wood.

come hear us play!

One of the Girls is playing this Friday for a benefit at the Heartland Cafe. Here are the details.

Heartland Cafe 7000 North Glenwood Chicago, IL USA, Planet Earth, 60626 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12 folk musician Dave Martin Local pop-punk (great harmonies!) band THAC0 alternative garage band Greenlight & Irish folk band One of the Girls

The cover is 10.00 and all procedes go to help the Christian Peacemaker Teams send one of our own, Amy Knickrehm, to the Middle East for two weeks. This is a great cause. I hope you will come and support this cause. The monies donated will go directly to helping her pay for her trip.

Pax et bonum!

that's reverend anglobaptist to you

Unreal...

Incredible...

Fantastic...

There are so many words and there are no words. I am honored and touched deeply by the expresssions of love and encouragement from all who were able to attend last night and those who could not but sent their love nonetheless.

Thanks to my mother, my step-mother and Trish's parents. Thank you to all the North Shore people who participated in the servcie and to those who fed us all afterward. Doug and Carol prayed and led me through vow after vow. Omar and Evelyn were present. Omar actually came forward at the laying on of hands. This was a generous gift...a great gift.

Seabury-ites were present, some in the congregation, some in the choir. Ruth Meyers prayed. Sometimes that is all a thesis advisor can do. Friends and colleagues from here at the hospital were present. Nothing like a nun from Tanzania to make certain that everything is on the up and up. There were Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, UCC and other traditions present. The laying on of hands was the most tremendous moment. The ordained came forward. All sang "veni sancte spiritus." The congregations extended their hands in accord with those whom have also been called to follow the way of Jesus Christ through ordained ministry. The congregation ordained me. The clergy touched me. And then there was Nicholas. His grandfather is a minister who came forward for the laying on of hands. Nicholas is three. He would not be left out. I was oblivious, but his small hand reached out with the others to call forth the Spirit. His grandfather lifted him up. Nicholas blessed me.

I was blessed with two bibles...one Oxford Annotated NRSV and one KJV (from a Filipino family who wanted me to have a real bible), a communion set and the most beautifu red, gold and purple stole ever.

And then there were bloggers...

Trevor preached. My did he preach. He brought Stanle Hauerwas into the congregation. I hope Stanley does not mind. I certainly enjoyed the challenging voice of His Theological Crankiness. Excellent preaching, brother Mennonite. Thank you.
Susie, Luke, Justin, Si and Jane Ellen sang.
Wes, Sarah, Laura, Micah (who also read the gospel) Jennifer, Dave, Kate and Larry sat in the congregation.
AKMA, yes, He Himself, was present. He was a gentleman, a scholar and a spinner of yarns. After he left, my in-laws spoke of him in only the most flattering of terms. "He was your professor in seminary? He was a lot of fun."

Being asked to bless a friend after the service as s show of sincerity and respect to vocation and difference moved me more than I can express.

There were many blessings last night. And the blessings have only begun.

Thank you all.

When there is a sermon to post, I will do so. When there are pictures to post, rest assured they will be here.

Pax et bonum.

adieu

I will not be blogging until Monday. Family is in town for the Big Day.

See y'all on the other side!

intellectual property

My brother has this on his site. Creative Commons better look out!

The contents of this web site are protected under United States copyright laws. Unauthorized copying and/or distributing of the material contained herein is expressly forbidden except in the following circumstances. If the day of the week on which this site is viewed is named after a Norse deity, then the content may be used, but only with the permission of the owner and only with the sole intent of doing bodily harm to those who tend to ridicule northern Europeans. If the day of the week on which this site is viewed is named after a Greco-Roman deity, then the content may be used, if and only if one of my two cats is currently lounging in the back yard. These two criteria may be superceded by the fact that there is absolutely nothing of intrinsic value contained in this site, and the fact that there is absolutely nothing original about it either. Furthermore, you may be held legally responsible for any copyright infringement that is caused, conceived of, dreamed of, or loosely conjectured about, whether directly or indirectly (indirectly is here defined as spatiotemporally contiguous by up to 6,087,531 degrees of separation, with causation defined in strict accordance with pre-1630 Cartesian thought and Newtonian physics) by your failure to abide by the terms of this license agreement. *
*Not True

hoy dia

Shitte, what a day. Cancer, parents fearing not being around to love their small children, their adult children...people in a foreign country told that they may only have weeks to live...tears of grief and sadness, of bitterness and outrage at our mortality...It bears on me today.

Renew me this night in the image of your love
renew me in the likeness of your mercy, O God.
May any refusal to forgive
that lingers with me from the day
any bitterness of soul
that hardens my heart
be softened by your graces this night.
Renew me in the image of your love, O God,
renew me in the likeness of your mercy.

white robes of baptism

So, I have been sharing this story with some people over the last several months, but I thought I'd share it on my blog as well.

I will be wearing my grandfather's white preaching robe this Sunday for my ordination. It is a lightweight summer robe he used to wear when it got hot. He was a very tall man with white hair, so it was an impressive sight. I recall one visit in the late 80's after the SBC had gone insane - Old Paul was deeply disappointed in his SBC brothers and sisters - I asked him why he wore the white robe. He looked down at me and said, "You will understand. White is the color of baptism. We Baptists have forgotten what it means to be baptized. We have forgotten what it means to be Baptist. So, I wear a white robe in the pulpit to remind us all."

In speaking with my step-mother, Judy, she has no memory of such an intention on her father's part. Maybe I dreamed this conversation. I am certain I did not. Maybe he was showing off. I really don't know, but the conversation stuck with me.

I will be ordained wearing a baptismal garment. All of these things are starting to sink in.

I heard my Savior say "Thy strength indeed is small. Child of weakness watch and stay, give to me thine all in all." Jesus it paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.

I imagine that the sentimentality will only grow worse as the day approaches. Be ye warned. Then there will be this crushing post-event depression. Be ye doubly warned. So, wear your whining hat and hip waders when you visit. Ha!

Trish's parents fly in tonight. Tomorrow my mother arrives at 11-ish and my step-mother is to arrive at about 4:30. There will be dinner and foolishness. Excellent. Today should be a good day to be on the unit. Fridays are meeting free. I can give all my time to the 4th floor.

Pax et bonum.

information highwayman strikes in evanston

Have you seen this man?


He is lurking about public libraries and using their wireless signal in a subversive attempt to upload digital photos to Flickr. Be warned. He is photogenic and theological.

He is wanted, ontolgically or virtually.

a change of subject and tone: morning prayer liturgy

I am making this public for some reason I cannot comprehend, but there you go. On Sunday I am to be ordained. I have been praying my way into this for years. This morning I thought I would offer up a little of that online.

Peace and all good things to you. Feel free to use this liturgy for your own devotions this day. The prayers are from Celtic Benediction by J Phillip Newell.

My usual ritual involves my commenting after whatever moves me. I write letters to friends about what strikes me, where my thoughts and prayers lead. If you are so inclined, I invite you to do the same in the comments on this blog. It is an invitation. I'll return later today and share my own.

You show me the path of life, O God.
In your presense there is fullness of joy.
Psalm 16:11

SILENCE
Be still and aware of God's presence within and all around

Opening Prayer
As the light of dawn awakens Earth's Creatures
and stirs into song birds of the morning
so may I be brought to life this day.
Rising to see the light
to hear the wind
to smell the fragrance of what grows from the ground
to taste its fruit
and touch its textures
so may my inner senses be awakened to you
so may my senses be awakened to you, O God.

Scripture and Meditation

You satisfy the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things. Psalm 107:9

Jesus said "I am the bread of life." John 6:35

Prayers of thanksgiving and Intercession

That you formed my body in the darkness of the womb
and fashioned every creature from the soil of the earth
thanks be to you, O God.
That you knitted into my senses
a thirst for water and a hunger for food
and wove into every living being
desires for life
and pleasure in their satisfaction
thanks be to you.
Let me be alert
to the yearnings that you have placed within me
and let me know what will truly satisfy the desires of my heart.
Let me be attentive
to the yearnings that you have planted in every human being
and let me be sure of what will fulfill them.
Let me be guided by your wisdom, O Christ,
let me be guided by your wisdom.

Pray for the coming day and for the life of the world

Closing Prayer

The vitality of God be mine this day
the vitality of the God of life.
The passion of Christ be mine this day
the passion of the Christ of love.
The wakefulness of the Spirit be mine this day
the wakefulnes of the Spirit of justice.
The vitality and passion and wakefulness of God be mine
that I may be fully alive this day
the vitality and passion and wakefulness of God
that I may be fully alive.

blogging from someplace other than a livingroom

Bush won. Kerry conceded the election.

Trevor summed it up for me. MSNBC also provided some global reaction. In spite of what some others might be inclined to think, I believe that international reaction is extremely important in any American election. Welcome to a global economy, people, it creates a global politic that influences and shapes our elections. We are not an autonomous nation. We have never been. Unilateralism is a lie...or at the very least an abuse of power.

And, to get me to stop talking, I'll send you to these links so you can read how they are responding to the election. Not all are lefty blogs.

Fiendish Plot: Kerry conceded. Bush won. He won both the popular vote and the electoral college. Even though the margin was relatively small, he's got to think he's got a mandate to pursue the policies he's set up, and even, god forbid, be more extreme than he already is.

My immediate impulse is to break out the vodka and the Ben & Jerry's, and let the crippling depression take hold.

Wandering Wonderer: I have cried, felt nauseous, been angry, but now I am fired up. We have a job to do. It is time to fight.

Fluid Pudding:
Me: And if George W. Bush wins?

MC: If He Who Shall Not Be Named wins, I�m afraid I�m going to have to get wasted and head North.

Dean's World: All parties have crazy people in them. There are people who are so viciously partisan that they'll say and do anything solely for partisan political advantage. It's not unique to either party. The Democratic Party has to get their crazy people off the front porch.

Queen of All Evil: Somebody please drink a toast for me!!!!!!

live blogging from my own livingroom

6:28am
Chicago, IL

"The vote count in Ohio has not been completed," Mary Beth Cahill, the Kerry campaign manager, said early today. "There are more than 250,000 remaining votes to be counted. We believe when they are, John Kerry will win Ohio."

Yeah. It is like this now. We have a new American political tradition. It is not over until the candidates say so. I am doubtful that Ohio will go to Kerry.

269 to 238

31 to be determined

Provisonal ballots are the new pregnant chads.

I hve a sinking feeling that something went horribly awry last night. It is not that I think Kerry won. I think he lost. Bush is our President for the next four years. I do not cry "foul play." Still, something has gone deeply wrong in this country.

Wow. I have stronger feelings about this than I expected.

According to NPR, the so-called sleeper issue was "moral concerns." Exit polling suggested this. How this is a sleeper issue, I do not know. It is clear that the country is deeply divided in this. Bush may have won the popular vote, but those who did not vote for him may, if the sleeper issue is the guiding issue, be a sourse of discontent on a scale we have not seen in a while. It should be an interesting four years, folks. I think this country will split even more strongly between ideologies. No data to support this. Just my gut.

In clean sweep, 11 states pass bans on same-sex unions

California gives go-ahead to stem-cell research: Proposition 71 provides $3 billion in state funding over next decade

AKMA had this to say:

If the Democratic Party can�t win in a year when the incumbent President is administering an unpopular, unsuccessful foreign war, when a blockbuster semi-documentary made millions of dollars exposing that President�s short-comings, when the economy is uncertain, when the Red Sox won the World Series � under what circumstances can it win?

Yeah. It is like this.

Paolo had this reflection:

Maybe this is amazing because of the reality distortion field in which we live in the blogosphere. Suddenly we realize that most of the voices we hear are actually coming from a minority while a silent majority is choosing again a world leader who has already started cruel wars based only on lies, a majority totally unaware of what's going on in the rest of the world and and scared to death.

live blogging from rene's livingroom

Evanston, IL

Justin and I are live at an election night party. We are watching CNN right now and it is showing W ahead with 164 electoral votes to Kerry's 112 electoral votes. As it stands, none of the states have gone in a different direction than in 2000. Huh. I love these predictions.

Rene, Andrea and Abby are looking at the proofs from the wedding photographer. I keep napping on the fl