conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

waking dreams

Iawoke this morning still dreaming. One of my patients appeared in my dreams. So had my old High School sweetheart. My patient is dying... this is both a dreaming reality and a living reality. The sweetheart was attending her daughter's first communion. This is only a dream. I know she has a daughter, but I doubt seriously that she is attached to any church. She was never particularly interested. But who knows...I cannot say for certain. We have not had a significant conversation in years.

But in my dreams, these people are living throught important moments, transforming moments. Writing all of this out is helpful. I see now that I am experiencing death in each instance.

Relationships change and die. People change and die. Death may be the Great Change. I do not know. Theology fails me here. Baptism is a death of sorts. I imagine that first communion can be such a great shift as well. Through dining with Christ I am forever changed. Holy remembrance can, over time, shift my reality, changing how I experience the universe. Perhaps, in some small way a part of me is sloughed off with each communion meal. Aquinas would be proud.

I am struggling with ideas of reality and experience. Sometimes I read about the trouble of experience based faith claims. I have been criticized by people who use the logic that experience fragments faith, that it can serve individualism and relativism. But this morning, I am not so certain that it has to be that way. Experience is essential to the Christian walk. Communities have experiences. Individuals wthin those communities interpret those experiences.

This seems like such an obvious point to me as I type it. Of course it does. Of course our experiences shape us. "Tell us something we do not know." I am not certain I can do that. This post mostly for me, it seems.

Revelation is experience.
Tradition is the articulation of experience.

In speaking with Megan about the nature of church and whether or not Jesus has asked us to create such an institution, I have been trying to get past my own experience of the church, of the tradition handed on to me. I have been trying to get past my own experience of God, of people and of the world. I realize that I have not been simply arguing some idea or debating some nuance of theology, but that I have been trying to articulate my experience of life and that experience has so shaped me that I cannot read scripture without thinking that this is to and for a group of people, an intentional community that claims a specific identity for itself. That community has structures and institutions that do its work. My experience of Christianity keeps me from doing more than imagining what Megan is articulating.

This does not make either one of us right or wrong. Maybe I am hopelessly relativist. This is probably the case. But as we struggle in the blogosphere with identity and how it rubs with or against the grain of the universe, I am constantly reminded that experience matters. I think it may very well be the thing that matters most.

If one experiences something as hurtful, then that is reality.
If one experiences a thing as life-giving, then that is reality.

Sometimes, like with the church or government or school or the dentist, our struggles come when it is the same thing experienced differently. I know, state the obvious, AngloBaptist. It is my job, I guess.

Back to the dreams...How Tom dies matters. How I experience his death will shape what death is to me. That i dream of his dying is significant. How Tom experiences his death and shares that experience will shape what death means to me and many others. There are layers upon layers with this. Community within community and all individuals engaged will shape this. This is shared revelation.

How Lynda raises her child, how she shares her faith or does not will be reality to her daughter. That I have Lynda attending her daughter's first communion in my dreams shows how I experience the universe. I dream about communions and deaths. They are the language of my psyche. They are God's revelation to me.

I am blathering a lot here. I am sorry if you read this whole post and found it confused and muddled. I am not really trying to state a certainty. I am muddled and a little confused today.

Perhaps, I am still dreaming.

last night's fun

Last night was a great deal of fun. I do not know how many people were here at our apartment to celebrate with me. Someone suggested that it should be one person for each year I have been alive. It would seem that I am older than I thought. I am a grateful and honored man. Thank you all for coming.

There were people from Trish's theater troupe, Tri Arts, and some other shows that she has been in like Rudolph and Cinderella. There were people from North Shore, Reconciler and Seabury. There was even a surprise appearance from someone at the hospital. Wow. It was great. Trish made this amazing coconut cake. The general consensus was that the cake should be a regular fixture here. I could not agree more. I will, of course, be diabetic before I am forty, but it might be worth it.

One of Trish's old theater buddies gave me a pipe and some tobacco. I have not owned a pipe since I was twenty-five. I bought it for myself on my birthday that year thinking that I was old enough to be pretentious. Ah well. It failed miserably. I looked like I was trying to be older than I was and I stopped smoking tobacco in it. Somehow other, less traditional, substances would find their way in. So, I got rid of the pipe. The new gift, however, feels different. I am wary of the possibilities, but thus far the gift has come with a footnote: We will get together at Alan's for conversation, sharing of our art and writing and the enjoyment of good company. Still pretentious, but I think I can hack it now. We shall see.

There were some people from the blogiverse as well. Cliff and his family were here. It is always good to see my friend. His daughter did her best to eat anything that came her way...even if it had peanuts in it. She also tried to make friends with two of our cats. That was not as successful as Sofie may have wished. Sarah was here as well. Fiendish plot or no, she braved the outside world with fizzy water in hand and closed the place down at about 1:00 am. She lasted long enough to sit and sing with Trish, Sean and myself. We played through some Irish tunes. We have a few favorites and some new ones. It was a great way to end the evening. Thank you, all, for coming out.

The irish music was the perfect way to end the night and is what inspired the title of the post. Last Night's Fun is a great book. It is about the life of an itenerrant musicain in Ireland. Life was always about last night's fun. Music, conversation...I had always wanted my life to be punctuated by these things, to be known for it, really. I want people to be able to come over, share a meal at our table and speak from their hearts, share their latest artistic endeavor and simply spend time. It would appear that God has been generous.

Excellent. Thank you!

html test

This is a test. Were this real hyml artistry, then you would be reading someone else's blog as mine is not html savvy. Actually, the blog may be quite savvy and only tolerating my own ineptitude. That is sad.

Well, I am enjoying this anyway. It is great fun. Go to www.mandarindesigns.com for more html fun. The code is easy.

sharing

Perhaps you will get some idea of it if you think like this. You may have been in a room in which there was a window that looked out over a lovely bay or sea or a green valley that wound away among mountains. And in the wall of that room opposite the window there may have been a looking glass. And the sea in the mirror, or the valley in the mirror, were in one sense just the same as the real one: yet at the same time they were somehow different - deeper, more wonderful, more like places in a story: in a story you have never heard but very much want to know. - C.S. Lewis

Here are the readings for today prescribed by the Northumbria lectionary:

Psalm 141:1-2

1 I call upon you, O LORD; come quickly to me;
give ear to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.

I Kings 17:6-16

6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the wadi. 7But after a while the wadi dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

8 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9?Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you.? 10So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, ?Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink.? 11As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, ?Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.? 12But she said, ?As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.? 13Elijah said to her, ?Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.? 15She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah.

Matthew 10:38-42

38and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. 40 ?Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet?s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple?truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.?

My habit to is to read each of these passages, pause for a moment and invite the Spirit in. Given these lessons, inviting the Spirit seems wise, no? This is a rule of life, I believe, inviting the Spirit. "Come, Holy Spirit! Veni Sancte Spiritus!" It can be that. There is s knock on the door and we can open it or not.

Come Holy Spirit
From heaven shine forth
With your glorious light
Veni Sancte Spiritus

Come from the four winds, O Spirit
Come Breath of God
Disperse the shadows over us
Renew and strengthen your people
Veni Sancte Spiritus

Father of the poor
Come to our poverty
Shower amon us the
Seven gifts of your grace
Be the light of lives - O Come
Veni Sancte Spiritus

Kindle in our hearts the fire of your love
That in the darkness of the world
It may row and reach to all forever
Veni Sancte Spiritus

Come in, brother. Come in, sister. Come, Holy Spirit. They are one in the same. The thing about the Trinity that amazes me so is that all of what we think of as parts of Christian life, prophesy, discernment, gentleness, love, fervor, passion, Spirit, Son...all are One and all are in relationship with one another. The prophet is mute without discernment. We are all, as believers, in need of one another to be the Body. Without the other, there is not body. The shunning of another, condesension, strife...all that divides the Body is a tragedy for without one another, in praise before God, recieving communion from the hands of a brother or sister (Do this in remembrance of me), the Body ceases to be and Christ is not proclaimed.

This has been my journey at least. I think that the discipline of hospitality is that important. Opening our doors to the stranger is a salvific act. When Jesus sends out the apostles two-by-two to witness to the messiah, is tells them to offer peace to those they visit. "Peace to this house." they are to proclaim. If that peace is returned, then they may enter. If not then they are to wipe the sand from their feet and move on. This is the disicpline one must have as the stranger. The story from I Kings is the discipline in welcoming the stranger. Perhaps two disciplines...closely joined.

Peace. Peace. We all bring the Spirit with us. Paul shares a kiss of peace with his followers to share the Spirit. Once upon a time, when a new believer was baptised, the bishop would greet them with a kiss. That exchange of breath was the sharing of the Spirit from the bishop to the newly initiated. In our weekly liturgies, in many churches at least, we share a sign of peace...a hug or a kiss...a handshake. This is a reinactment, a rehearsal of the invitation in Matthew and in I Kings...as well as being an actual invitation. We welcome one another in worship, in fellowship, so that we might learn to welcome the stranger. The stranger frightens us. I wonder if the lesson is that we are all strangers...and fear is the enemy.

Peace!

a good birthday

Before I begin the Birthday Recap: THE TABLE IS HERE!!!! HUZZAH!!!!!

Whew! Moving on...

Things went well on the 27th. Work was fruitful. Trish gave me a great gift! It is a little box that can hold my penny whistles and the like. On the cover of the box is an illustration of the Last Supper. It is cool and somehow irreverant all at once. How it manages this, I cannot say. But it is a great gift. She also took me out to dinner at the Silver Cloud bar and grill. I had meatloaf, gralic mashed potatoes and green beans. It was comfort food done well. I commend it to all who come to Chicago.

I received several cards bearing well wishes, a little money and a whole lot of love. My father's card made me laugh out loud. Here is what it said:

I relly like being Old
and I think you will, too!
35!
Old enough to be
U.S. President!
Too bad there is no
Leftist/Pacifist/Baptist Party!
-Yo DaddyHe's a good man. I like my father.
Saturday evening we are havinga party here. Trish informs me that several people are coming including some of the cast from Rudolph. It should be a grand time!

In other news, we have been introducing the cats again. There is a new strategy afoot. Mike and Lily, the orginal feline denizens of this apartment have run of the place. Sly is introduced from time to time...until the tension is thick enough to scoop with a spoon, and then we put Sly away. We then pet all three cats, congratulating them on their good behavior. Then we let Sly out again.

Rince and repeat.

This may take a month before we can let them out for indefinate unchaperoned visits, but tonights foray went well. There was some hissing and a little howl from Lily, but overall it went swimmingly. I remain hopeful.

Also, I am typing this post at my desk in my office. Since Mike and Lily have run of the whole apartment, I now have my office back. This is great news! Huzzah! If for no other reason, I am willing the cats to get along. Please, Jesus do help my cats get along. Urggle.

Well, I will now return to my mint tea and my book. I think I will read in my office. No. Wait. Maybe I will read at the dining room table. Oh no! The decision is very difficult. Whatever shall I do?

the day after

Oh how I do not wish to go to work today.

I wish to drink my coffee by the window, to await the arrival of the table with John Calvin in hand.

Thanks to all for the well-wishing and encouragement. My agedness, I hope, will not be a hindrance to my readers as I continue to spout heresy after confused theology after heresy.

Ah, and on that note, here is an interesting little article from the Nueva Cantora. She emailed me the text. Continue reading if you wish.

Ecumenism can be key to breaking violent cycles, says Kearon

By Sean McConnell

[ENS, San Francisco] A pyramid of violence, built on the fears of ordinary people and topped by the terrorists who express those fears, is what needs to be dismantled for peace and reconciliation in the world?and though people of faith are part of the problem, they can also form a major component of the solution, according to the Rev. Kenneth Kearon, newly appointed Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, speaking in San Francisco January 24.

Kearon, born in Dublin in 1953, was keynote speaker at this year's Wattson Lecture at the University of San Francisco, a private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit tradition. The Wattson lectures, named for Paul (James Francis) Wattson, the Episcopal priest who founded the Franciscan Society of the Atonement, are conducted each year around issues of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue.

A medical and bio-ethicist, Canon Kearon was director of the Irish School of Ecumenics from 1999 to 2004. The School of Ecumenics, with campuses in Dublin and Belfast, combines peace and reconciliation studies with interfaith and interchurch studies. It was his role as director that prompted the invitation to keynote the Wattson Lecture.

His lecture, titled "Ecumenism: Reconciliation and Overcoming Violence," centered on the foundations for sectarian violence and conflict, and the support structures that legitimate extremist religious and political views, and the ultimate extreme response of terrorism. Graphically represented as a pyramid, Kearon explained, sectarian violence begins with ordinary citizens (the base of the pyramid), "People who might express mildly sectarian opinions or actions." These support the next level: "the leaders, who either through the pulpit or political platform, express stronger and clearer versions of those same negative attitudes."

At the pyramid's next level are the "paramilitaries," who offer armed protection for those who express a sectarian difference, and draw their support from the clarified rhetoric of the religious and political leaders below them. At the top of the pyramid are the terrorists, whom the Irish call "the mad dogs," who take the thinly voiced expressions of the ordinary citizens, clarified in the rhetoric of the religious leaders and politicians, legitimated by the force of the paramilitaries.

"Breaking that sort of cycle," says Kearon, "is easy in any normal society. "What gives the dynamic permanence is the division in a given society which enables the other, the source of your fear, to be embodied in your neighbor." The majority of citizens might not approve of a violent expression toward their own neighbors, but the fact that there are those on both sides of the sectarian divide who do visualize their own neighbors as other, provides enough incentive for the leaders to draw upon those fears in support of their own power.

If the 'neighbor as other' dynamic gives the system of sectarian division and violence its permanence, the role of religion provides its fortitude. There is a sense that "religion in general is inevitably wound up with division, because religions and Christian denominations make truth claims which are often incompatible with each other."

Kearon looks deeper into the religious under-girding of sectarian division by pointing out what appears to be a positive aspect of Christian churches, especially in the context of Northern Ireland. "All of the churches in Ireland have a very strong pastoral base, and as such are deeply bound-up in the lives of their people. Very close pastoral relationships such as that can preclude, or at least make very difficult, a prophetic stance that outsiders would demand of the Church."

Because of the ingrained belief systems and the 'neighbor as other' dynamic, Kearon feels that the churches of Ireland, working together, have had to fulfill their capacity as agents of reconciliation. But, "if churches are going to preach the Gospel of peace and reconciliation in a context such as Northern Ireland," Kearon stated, "they must first hold up their hands and acknowledge their own contributions to the situation." Not so much because it would be a good public relations move on the part of the churches, but because "this naming and admitting of personal involvement has been a liberating experience for countless individuals, and it can be so for institutions also."

Kearon did not claim that his analysis of Northern Ireland easily describes all terror situations in the post-September 11th world, but he said it does point to a deeper understanding of the role the church can play in building and strengthening sectarian division. Even more, it illuminates the steps that a church must take once it has been involved in giving power to such a system, to name its own complicity, reverse the process of divisions, and move toward reconciliation and peace. Ecumenism can begin the process of reconciliation at a macro level, and model for the citizens, leaders, and maybe even the paramilitaries and "mad dogs," a path to reconciliation and peace.

--Sean McConnell is editor of Pacific Church News, the official newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of California.

today is my natal day

I am 35.
Yep. By some scales I am now middle-aged. If I live this much again, I shall be 70. This is quite the thing, no? Huge, I tell you! Huge! So, on such an auspicious occasion, I have turned to the font of all wisdom to make certain that I start my new year rightly....the hososcopes.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Emily, Madison, and Kaitlyn were among the most popular names for new baby girls last year, whereas Jacob, Ryan, and Nicholas were top choices for boys. Thevoiceofreason.com website notes that on the other hand, Condescensia, Crumpet, and Bucket were some of the least popular girl names, and Beelzebub, Humpty, and Scratch were the least favorite for boys. I hope you will ignore both extremes, Aquarius, as you select an additional new nickname or tag for yourself in the coming days. While the astrological omens suggest it's a good time to expand your self-concept, it's a bad time to be overly influenced either by the trends or by knee-jerk rebellions against the trends.

Yeah, its certain. I am pretty much lost.

Well, whatever. Y'all be good to one another today. I'm gonna get a cup of coffee. That should even things out.

For the remainder of the week you may call me Buttercup.

News Flash!

[07:10 - Chicago, IL]

Micah jas informed me that today is the Feast Day for St John Chryostom! Holy cow! I had no idea. How fortuitous!

O God, you gave your servant John Chrysostom grace eloquently to proclaim your righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of your Name: Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching, and faithfulness in ministering your Word, that your people may be partakers with them of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

He and John Calvin (His Name Be Praised!) are quite important to this arminian, sacramental Baptist.

prayer request

I have in my posession a great little book abut John Calvin. Actually. I have several now. But the most recent addition arrived in the mail yesterday...B.A. Gerrish Grace and Gratitude: The Eucharistic Theology of John Calvin. It is lovely.

The prayer request is that i finish this thesis. I have allowed myself to drag it out far too long. I have battled Demon Apathy long enough.

Thanks.

has christ been divided?

This is the sermon I preached at North Shore Baptist Church this morning. I will post the one I preached at Reconciler some time on Monday. It is a similar sermon, but I tinkered to make it more appropriate for the congregation.

Anyway, here is the Baptist-specific one.

lectionary

Good morning. God?s peace to this house from the Church of Jesus Christ, Reconciler. It is good to be back in this familiar pulpit. It is good to see friendly faces.

And I commend all of you for being here. Do you think Doug and Carol picked a good weekend to be gone or what? The snow kept Trish and I from venturing out much at all yesterday. There is something about snow that makes me sleepy. I don't know what that is, but it is a pleasant lethargy. I hope to have the same opportunity again soon?both the lazing around and preaching in this pulpit.

So, let?s begin, shall we?

For those of you who may not know, I am a member of the pastoral team of a small ecumenical church plant in the Rogers Park neighborhood. The pastoral staff consists of an Episcopal pastor, an Evangelical Covenant pastor and myself. Our hope, to put it as succinctly as possible, is to put wheels on some of the thinking by ecumenical organizations. We want to live what these men and women have been formulating for all of these years. This is the end of the week of prayer for Christian unity and as a congregation we at The Church of Jesus Christ, Reconciler wish to live into this ecumenical vision.

This past Wednesday, the pastoral team from Reconciler, and one lay member of our congregation came before the evening study group to present our vision and share what we have been up to in Rogers Park. We shared our testimonies about how we became involved in ecumenical ministry. We spoke of the worship life of our congregation and how it has become the focal point for our growth and identity. This was surprising to me. With so many options available to us, differing ritual styles, theologies and traditions, I have to confess that I was worried about the worship life of our little congregation. I was worried that we would be frustrated or stymied by our differences.

How many times will we have communion?
Wine or grape juice?
Common cup?
How long will the sermon be?
Will we use a lectionary?
Whose prayer book will we use? Will we use any?
What about a hymnal? Will we use praise and worship music?

These and many other questions weighed heavily on my mind. In my experience, these are the things that can cause rifts in a community. The varying traditions given witness in our little church all have specific answers to all of these questions. There are theologies behind each tradition that lend weight to our habits. How will we ever allow for these traditions to speak? How would we worship without offending each other? How would we worship without creating a service that said nothing in an effort to avoid offending one another?

For me, at least, the answer came from Paul. I think I need to revisit the epistle to the Corinthians again and again. It is full of wonderful wisdom, creative solutions to problems that have always plagued the church.

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

1:10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

1:11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.

1:12 What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ."

1:13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

1:15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

1:16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)

1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

1:18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

I have to admit that this passage always makes me laugh. What is Paul talking about? Did he baptize those people or not? It is like Paul is showing his age or something. He wearily goes off on some tangent about who he might or might not have baptized. He sounds confused. A couple of the commentators I read preparing for this sermon suggest that Paul is so flustered by the situation at the church in Corinth that he is incapable of remembering who he baptized. He?s just that mad.

When I read this passage, I can almost hear him saying "I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else...but that's bedside the point. Gosh. What was I talking about? Boy, you people! You see... Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and, apparently, not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

It is not a great leap when we are already thinking about ecumenism to think that Cephas, and Apollos or even Paul himself could be John Calvin or Martin Luther or any number of Baptists?the list could go on and on. It should be an easy leap to hear ?denominationalism? or ?factionalism? when we are presented with the troubles at Corinth. Like the church then, the church today is divided.

And in response to that disunity. Paul suggests a means for unity. He recognizes the disunity. He understands how it happens. Paul recognizes the temptation to turn our faith into a club or an association of some kind where we are concerned about allegiances to a patron (Cephas, Apollos or even Paul himself) or an allegiance to an institution above all else.

For Paul, the means for unity in the church is the cross. It is through foolishness, through humble submission to Christ that we can achieve unity. In chapter three of the letter to the Corinthians Paul sums it all up for me. ?21So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, 22whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future?all belong to you, 23and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.?

For our new church, it is this attitude that we attempt to live into. It is not that Paul is suggesting we ignore Cephas or Apollos or, heaven forbid (!), Paul himself. Oh no. Paul has too much more to say to all involved to care to be ignored. But he does tell us whose we are, and, in the end, to whom we belong.

The discipline I am learning at Reconciler is to not brag about being Baptist, to not insist that being Baptist is the best and only way to be Christian. Or even the only way I can be Christian. I am having to reshape my thinking. It may be that, though I am Baptist, and I express a certain loyalty to being Baptist, the fundamental reality is that the church is about Christ. Paul says that the church is Christ. I cannot proclaim Baptist identity, as precious as it might be, as if it were a substitution for being Christian.

This has been my work as a pastor in an ecumenical congregation. To bring about unity, to bring about reconciliation, I have had to sacrifice some of my identity as a Baptist in order to claim my identity as a Christian. Perhaps this is not your stumbling block, but it has been mine. I must confess that this was a revelation of sorts to me. I realize now that I have spent far too much time arguing and debating. I cannot tell you how many times I said in seminary ?But as a Baptist?? It has been hard to learn to speak about Jesus and not about being Baptist.

In ecumenical work, this, I believe, is the task we must all take on as our own. The Princeton Proposal for Christian Unity says it better than I can:

If the ecumenical project of modern Christianity is to move forward. Unity will require our churches not only to renounce the selfishness and insularity that we all dislike and easily see as sinful. It will also require our churches to embrace a spiritual poverty that has the courage to forego genuine riches of a tradition for the sake of a more comprehensive unity in the truth of the gospel. [The disciplines of unity are penitential. As St. Paul teaches, for the sake of unity, we must be willing to suspend gospel freedom and conform to the limitations of the weak. This process will be ascetical; it will necessarily involve that sacrifice of real but limited goods for the sake of the greater good.]

Like Christ, we must lay down our own lives, our institutional lives in order to serve one another and to bring unity, a real and present unity.

The fruits of this discipline have been numberless. This humility and self-giving has been nurturing to us at Reconciler. Through what may appear foolish, worship life is enriched, deepened, by our willingness to let go of our particular (and perhaps peculiar) identities and seek that which is of Christ and one another as members of Christ?s body. It is not as if Paul and Cephas and Apollos are going anywhere. They too are members of the one body. The riches of our traditions are embraced by Christ himself. Now they do not serve as stumbling blocks but as stepping stones. Now they are gifts to one another for the sake of our shared salvation through the cross. This is good news!

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.
God has multiplied the nation,
God has increased its joy.
Rejoice before God as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of our burden, and the bar across our shoulders, the rod of our oppressor, has been broken as on the day of Midian.

That light that shines is the light of Christ.

That light shines into the dark places of the world.
That lights shines into places of disunity
That light shines into places of oppression.
That light shines into denominational offices.
That light shines into regional offices, diocese and conferences warming hearts and enlivening minds.
That light shines into this congregation.
That light shines into our homes.
That light shines into our hearts long made hard by fear and distrust.

Disunity cannot stand. Have hope in the cross. Have hope in the way of Jesus. Let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Aquinas or Luther or Calvin or Bonhoeffer or Fiorenza or Barth or King or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future?all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.

No church is a utopia. No denomination is either. No home, no family?strife exists. But we, we who follow Christ know how to meet strife and disunity. Humility and self-giving are God?s gifts to us so that we may be Christ to one another, in our homes, in this place and in all the world.

May God grant us peace and unity now and always.

Amen.

thanks, cliff

Here is a thought for my sermon. I think it has unblocked my thinking about some of this...Cliff helped a ton. Thank you, sir.

The disciplines of unity are penetential. As St. Paul teaches, for the sake of unity, we must be willing to suspend gospel freedom and conform to the limitations of the weak. This process will be ascetical; it will necessarily involve that sacrifice of real but limited goods for the sake of the greater good. We are convinced, however, that the ascetical dinension is necessary if the ecumenical project of modern Christianity is to move forward. Unity will require our churches not only to renounce the selfishness and insularity that we all dislike and easily see as sinful. It will also require our churches to embrace a spiritual poverty that has the courage to forego genuine riches of a tradition for the sake of a more comprehensive unity in the truth of the gospel. - p. 58 In One Body Through the Cross: The Princeton Proposal for Christian Unity edited by Carl Baaten and Robert Jenson

As this is the final service in North Shore's observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, I think that this will be an interesting place to start. The attitude of humility and self-sacrifice, the way of the cross, is essential for a Christian community and the proclamation of the Gospel. Whether the dialogue be between tradions or between families within a single congregation, the disciplines proposed can be a powerful guide and an instrument of healing. I think that this what Paul may be after in his first letter to the Corinthians. What do you all think?


link
So let no one boast about human leaders.
For all things are yours, whether
Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death
or the present or the future?all belong to you,
and you belong to Christ,
and Christ belongs to God.

why I am a liberal

- a poem by Robert Browning, penned in 1885

"Why?" Because all I haply can and do,
All that I am now, all I hope to be, -
Whence comes it save from fortune setting free
Body and soul the purpose to pursue,
God traced for both? If fetters not a few,
Of prejudice, convention, fall from me,
These shall I bid men - each in his degree
Also God-guided - bear, and gayly, too?
But little do or can the best of us:
That little is achieved through Liberty.
Who, then, dares hold, emancipated thus,
His fellow shall continue bound? Not I,
Who live, love, labor freely, nor discuss
A brother's right to freedom. That is "Why."

twice baked sermon

My hope is that this is not half-baked. I am preaching twice this weekend. I will be the guest preacher at North Shore and I will be preaching at Reconciler. Since Jane is taking a brief leave of absense, I will be preaching more frequently. I am looking forward to the opportunity.

The lectionary readings can be found here. I will be focusing on the epistle reading. I even gave North Shore a title.

Has Christ been divided?

There you go. Here is the epistle text. Tell me what you all think about this stuff. I would be very interested.

1 Corinthians 1:10-18
1:10 Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.

1:11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.

1:12 What I mean is that each of you says, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to Christ."

1:13 Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1:14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius,

1:15 so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

1:16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)

1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

1:18 For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

In other news, the table finally arrives this weekend. We have been waiting since our enhitchment to have it in our posession. Thank you again to all who contributed to this very generous gift...especially Amy who pulled it all together. Outstanding!

Okay, I am off. The other critical care chaplain is out today, so I have all 133 beds to myself. Oy ve! Later, y'all!

more like musing than pontificating, really

I am giving a presentation today at the hospital with another chaplain and the music therapist from the local hospice. I am supposed to have something written up. No luck thus far. I am utterly blocked. I am going to try to skip and romp through some things here. Maybe something will wake me up.

She was lying in her bed, barely cognizant of what was around her. She spent more time speaking with the visions in her mind. I had come to watch as Sue and Laura work their magic. A lot is riding on this introduction for me. I have been struggling to integrate music into my pastoral care and have been praying for a little insight. I asked Laura if I could just sit back and watch. Her response was to give me sheet music...Christmas carols. "You can sing along."

Laura played her harp.
Sue read scripture.
I sang along. That is all. It was that simple. That is what we did. But so much more than than happened, so much more became possible for us and for the woman lying in bed. We would meet several times over the following weeks. In the process we would meet angels.

******************

There you go. Unstuck. Thanks.

pixie devil? she brought me a book!

I have yet another book. It arrived today.

Carmina Gadelica: Hymns & Incantations Collected in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland in the Last Century, by Alexander Camichael (1832-1912), is a book I have wanted for a very long time. It is a great catalogue of Christian and non-Christian prayers. Much of what Iona and Northumbria are about stems from this collection and others like it. Very sweet it is! Here is a sample for you.

The bairnies of this townland,
This townland, this townland,
The bairnies of this townland
Will be romping on an knoll.

Romping, romping,
Romping on a knoll,
Romping untiringly,
Romping without pause.

I will not give my laddie
My laddie, my laddie,
I would not give my laddie
For twenty white kine.

I'd rather have thee in the meadow,
In the meadow, in the meadow,
I'd rather have thee in the meadow
Than any of my kindred's bairns.

Dainty and cream I'll give to thee,
And the white milk of the gentle cows;
Wine of the wort I'll give to thee,
So thou come home with me to the knoll.

This is a great book! According to the end notes, "this fairy song was heard in a fairy mound on Mingulay." Who knew?

Isle of Mingulay

pieces parts

Here is post one to "individualism is good."

Post three will be about relativism and individualism. There I will speak to relativism being a good thing. Run away. Run away now.

In other news, the pastoral staff at Reconciler will be teaching about ecumenism and our little church plant at North Shore Baptist Church. Class begins at seven. Come one. Come all.

individualism is good - post two

[Okay, I am having a slow afternoon. I went ahaead and drafted the second post. The first will appear shortly...as soon as I can get home and post it.]

This is the second of what might be several posts on this mess.

CPE Speak Warning: "communities of interpretation" is a term I have picked up. For the purposes of this post, and the thousands following, the term signifies traditions or denominations or congregations etc where interprtetation of scripture and its influence on day to day life is shared and discerned. I will use it in lieu of writing "denominations/traditions/churches." You get the point, I hope.

Here is a good essay on some differences between Baptists and Episcopalians. It is with this overarching hope, a quote from the essay, that I procede:

I believe that Christians everywhere have more in common than they have differences. It is impressive, but not surprising, that the human genome project discovered that all human beings are nearly identical, genetically. That what appear to be huge differences in personality, race, or gender are explained by less than 1% difference in our genetics -- that the two most different people in the world are more than 99% identical. So it is with the Christian Churches. The two most different churches in the world have far more in common than in difference. - Rick Laribee

I am hammering out a particularity and not the whole.

There is a tendancy in some blogging that I have noticed. That is the tendancy to proclaim stongly that individualism has no place in the Faith. It is a product of western philosophy and theology, a Cartesian falsehood. It is consumerist. It is capitalist. It may very well be anathema. On the flip side there is this building up the notion of communities of interpretation that have been standing firm for decades or millenia and how we are subsumed into it, gently cradled into our conversion, changed by a community. I think that this polemic is problematic and misguided. I am not convinced that it is an intentional polemic by those of us with Opinions to Share. But it seems to come up from time to time. I feel it is my duty (A deontological change? Ah, the baptist priesthood!) to point it out.

One of the things that Thomas said in his post, the individualist paradox (1, 2, 3), has me thinking. Actually several of them do, but one thing in particular has me musing and wondering. He suggests that it is a sign of our cultural individualism that there are converts to Catholicism or Orthodoxy at all. These are often not communities that convert (though some have) but individuals...individuals that are sometimes from free church traditions where individualism is espoused and admired. So, when converts land in Orthodoxy or Catholicism or find themselves "emerging" somewhere, there may be a knee jerk reaction against individualism....because individualism is not held as an optimal expression of faith. Conversion can sometimes be accompanied by a wholesale rejection of the tradition that led to the conversion...including individualism. This makes sense, certainly. So, not to make too little out of it or diminish what is often a profound conversion for people, the very individualism that becomes despised is often what gets people to leave their communities of origin to find another. Their individualism, their autonomy is what "saved" them. Who knew?

I have never had the cajones to say that before. Thomas' saying it first helped. He will probably not go as far as I will, but that's okay. I don't expect him to agree with me. He just got the ball rolling. So don't blame him for my insanity.

Nothing is more individualist than conversion...even conversion into a communal understanding, into a body. This has certainly been my own experience. I have to extricate myself from one community of interpretation, individuate myself, in order to land in another. My own autonomy plays into the dialogue between communities of interpretation and the individual decision I made to allign myself with one, my individual choice I made to respond to the revelation of the Spirit proclaimed by a specific community. I must value my individual self in order to desire one community over another...to even bother to seek another community of interpretation. The individual response is one of seeking a beneficial relationship in community where the individual may be nurtured. This is individualism. It is inescapable, even within a body.

Now, recall that the title of this post is "individualism is good." I am not about to slap around these people or their conversions or their reliance upon individualism to get them to a communal understanding of faith. I would be slapping myself around (Maybe not a bad idea after all). Individualism is good. So too is "communalism" for that matter. One cannot exist without the other...I think...heh. Maybe this is a false dialectic, but I think it is worth playing with. I say this again because we have consigned individualism to the flames, striking a polemic that may be untenable. If there is one pole, there must be another. The poles are most likely individualism and communalism.

The dialectic is essential here. To be a body, to have requisite parts completeing a whole means that there must be self-aware parts! Function, gift, participation...all are individual. As a Christian, I understand this as part and parcel of Paul's understanding of the Body of Christ, the spiritual gifts (We don't get 'em all, folks!), working out our own salvation with fear and trembling, Christ's individual call to the apotles and the prophet John's challenging of his community of interpretation. There are more.

The individual persons, saints, prophets and martyrs are what guide the community of interpretation. They are individual models of what the community seeks...person by person. One cannot be an individual unless one is in community. One cannot be in community unless one is an individual.

Maybe I should change my tone and play with the terms a bit. This may be several posts. So, I will shy away from the comment section except to clarify. I want to post this stuff more than comment on it. Y'all should feel free to comment! I know you will.

So, um, next I want to talk about indivdiualism and autonomy. They ain't the same. I oft try to conflate them. This is bad. Maybe I am not the only one who does.

*tap* *tap* is this thing on?

Hello?

Is there anyone there? Can you hear me, now?

Chattablogs experienced a little difficulty, but it all seems to be working again. I have a couple of posts I saved on the computer at home, but they are at home. I am at the hospital, not at home. I will post it later...and backdate it as is appropriate.

Just know that I am gonna talk about the place of individualism in the Christian walk and how it is a good thing.

Oh, yeah. You heard me.

Individualism is Good

st anthony of eqypt: rugged individualism (individualism is good: post one)

I mentioned a day or two ago that I know own the Northumbria prayerbook. As today is the 17th, I thought I would share a little of what they have in store.

The readings:

Psalm 17:5-7

My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.

I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words.

Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

Isaiah 40:3-5

A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Markk 1:15-18
�The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.�

As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea�for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, �Follow me and I will make you fish for people.� And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Last night at church Jane preached a great sermon, or so I surmise from the conversation that followed. I was distracted by my own thinking about the body of Christ and how much influence an individual can have. I have missed Jane's presence at worship. GOE's etc have kept her away. Her fiedl sites will keep her busy for the next couple of months as well, so she will continue to be in and out. One person makes a huge difference. The individual matters.

Thomas (three posts) has been posting about individualism and the church lately. He is not so thrilled by the movement of some Orthodox and Catholic...and even Emergent "converts" to try and erradicate individualism from our theological vocabulary. I think I get where he is coming from. In a sense these modern conversions are all fruit of our individualism. If one were not individualist, one would have never challenged one's tradition in the first place to move from it. The church has forever and will always be guided by individuals from within the community that give voice to and aid in shaping the community.

St Anthony is a great example. What he did is remembered. He wished to be a hermit...to live alone. He taught others, established monestaries etc...what the one did is remembered by the community. There is a certain both/and in this. Anthony, by being concerned for his own salvation, was lifted up to help shape the salvation of a community. Many still hold him us as an icon to the truth of God's grace, hoping that Anthony's wisdom will guide.

This is the thing about church...we are not a collective like the borg, we are a gathering, a fellowship...heck, a royal priesthood. We are individuals who have been gathered by God to be the Body of Christ. The submission of our individuality (perhaps an impossible thing) is not what is wished for by God. It is not the same as losing one's self to Christ. The former is a denial of our createdness and salvation. The latter is the process of salvation. St Anthony may be an individual who demonstrates this. His singular journey as a member of the Body is still spoken of, prayed for and admired. His singularity is within the tradition, but it is still singularity. Both. And. (Hush, Susie.) It may actually be "un-Christian" to hold either the community or the individual above the other.

It is early and I am only touching the tip of an iceburg...and not well either. Those are some thoughts that came to mind when I read this mornings liturgy in light of some other stuff going on in the blogosphere.

It is by God's grace that our feet don't lose contact with the path we set our to follow. We say "Here I am Lord" when he calls. He calls continually to the willing and the unwilling. It is not so much our ability he has need of, but our availability. - p.315 Celtic Daily Prayer

a book! a book!

One of my books arrived this week. Celtic Daily Prayer should be a fun resource. It is from the Northumbria Community. I think I'll like it. The Saliers' book appeared as well. I will post on that after I am done posting on Jordan's book. I will probably email Professor Saliers to see what he thinks about music and pastoral care before the year is out. He's a nice guy and always is willing to share.

elca and other news about sex and dating

A task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommended yesterday that it retain its policy against blessing same-sex unions and ordaining gays, but suggested that sanctions could be avoided for pastors and congregations that chose to do so.

It would seem that the Lutherans are wrestling about homosexuality now. This has been on-going for them as well. The Methodists made their claim against openly gay/partnered gay clergy a while ago. Didn't the Presbyterians also state their position last year? We ABC folk are debating it again in our usual slipshod way. The interesting piece about the Lutherans is that they have not taken such a hard line. I know that his is only a committee recomcendation, but it is affirming to a much greater degree than many other positions out there. I wonder if this has to do with the communion that exists between the ELCA and the ECUSA. I have heard nothing about that connection in the news, but it may be part of the reason for the decision to come down like it did. Larry posted several days ago about public and private interpretations and spheres regarding homosexuality and the church. It is a thoughtful post...and the comments have been thoughtful, missing some of the rancor of other conversations. It is worth a look.

You can read the NY Times article here. The article is okay, I guess. Why it ends with a quote from Griswald still befuddles me, but there you have it.

In the blogosphere, AKMA posted again on marriage. And Ryan, our beloved softball coach, had a question about inter-faith dating. It is interesting as well. Somehow all of this talk about sexuality sent camassia on a rant. Anyone interested in idolatry? Her's is a post about our culture's worship of Eros. Her second post on it also interesting.

There you go, gang. I hope you find these posts helpful, interesting, challenging or simply entertaining. Remember to say your ma'am's and sir's when you visit. Say "thank you" and "please." Don't put your feet on the furniture. Just because your brother does it does not make it okay!

Sorry. Flashback.

*cough*

Move along. Nothing to see here.

a test

I like it.

Huh. Cool.

When Descartes said, �I think, therefore I am,� he did us no favor, but further fragmented us, making us limit ourselves to the cognitive at the expense of the imaginative and the intuitive. But each time we read the gospels we are offered anew this healing reconciliation and, if we will, we can accept the most wondrous gift of the magi.

To me, the glory of the heavens is most evident at night--a cold, clear night when the stars are more brilliant than diamonds. The wise men looked at the stars, and what they saw called them away from their comfortable dwellings and toward Bethlehem. When I look at the stars I see God�s glory in the wonder of creation.

The stars can become idols when we look to them for counsel, which should come only from God. For the magi, astronomy and astrology were one science, and it is probably a very sad thing that they ever became separated. That is yet another schism which looks for healing, and we have not been as wise as the three magi who came from their far corners of the world, seeking the new king, the king who was merely a child.

Surely if the world is as interdependent as the discoveries of particle physics imply, then what happens among the stars does make a difference to our daily lives. But the stars will not and should not tell us the future. They are not to be worshiped. Like the wise men, we no longer bring presents to the moon and the stars, for this child made the moon and the stars.

Source: "Glimpses of Grace: Daily Thoughts and Reflections" by Madeleine L'Engle.

did I do this in november?

I dunno if I posted this. It is the prayer that was said over me at my ordination. It is wonderful and says more than I could about how I understand my ordination.

Peace to all.

Most holy God,
Before you today kneels one who has heard your call in his heart. Before you kneels one in whom this faith community has seen evidence of that call and gifts for ministry. One we have chosen to trust for leadership saying: "teach us, lead us, care for us, minister to us and to others with the Word and Table."
And so now we lay our hands upon him, setting him aside for the work of the Gospel ministry... Knowing that he cannot do this through his own power.
Holy God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, look upon your servant Tripp and grant him the spirit of your grace and the wisdom of a pastor, that he may guide your people with a pure heart.
May love for you and love for your people be the only motives for his ministry.
Grant him the fortitude of Moses, and the joy of Miriam.
May he have the courage of Deborah, and the insight of Paul..
Bless him with the trusting faith of Mary and the enthusiasm of Peter.
May he encourage others like Barnabas, and serve them like Martha.
Lord God,
May Tripp have the confidence to lead and the humility to admit his mistakes. Let him never substitute preaching and teaching for his own life of prayer. Surround him with friends and loved ones who will encourage him when ministry is difficult, and who will keep him honest.
Let him nover forget, in the midst of this high and holy calling, that he is...first and forever...your beloved child.
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.

the musician's soul

I am working through another book for CPE. I have been through two thus far. The L'Engle book took us to some interesting places. I have spent some time with Paul Westermeyer lately through email and his book entitled Te Deum. It is a great book on the history of church music. It is a significant romp through two thousand years of chant, polyphony, hymnody and Jesus freaks. I would encourage anyone who is a professional church type or takes their church music seriously (not always a common pairing, sadly) to read that book. The Church Musician by Westermeyer as well is a good book. Read it and then write your job description. Wow.

I am now reading through James Jordan's book entitled The Musician's Soul. It is not written with a Christian audience in mind, so some translation is needed to make it apply to what I am after. But CPE is not about being Christian per se, so it will be a good addition. An inter-religious voice may be useful when I present my project in August. Jordan is a musician at Westminster Chior College. I once had fantasies about attending there. That was many moons ago, but I held on to the cd that comes with the orientation materials. Anyway, let us look at the first chapter of his work.

I believe that within every artist in contained, deep within the "soul," a fundamental set of truths; without it, he or she would probably not be an artist. I do not believe that persons who do not practice expression have them, too, but they continually slip away if not uesed. Hence the reason why people sing and play and have a basic love of music and the arts. Innate sensibilitiesabout fundamental profundities of life: birth, re-birth, struggle, separation, trust, compassion, hope and the contemplation of the end of one's life, death. To quote the old hymn, "Give me some old time religion."

The usual line of our conversations on this blog often go deep into the specifics of Christian faith. We are going to have to put that on hold for a while to speak with Jordan. Jordan's main focus in this book is to get musicians, especially his undergrad students, to start thinking in terms of their spiritual lives. Being a good technician is very important, but there are other things at work in the midst of performance and musical creation. He suggests that young artists are hung up on the "how" or "why" of music, but not the "who." He is not speaking of incarnation like L'Engle was, though I am tempted to take him down that road. What he wants artists to do is to bring themselves to the artistic endeavor. Though one might presuppose that this is unavoidable, it is still a concern. According to Jordan, musicians can become too task oriented. This is a pedagogical failure and a cultural failure (chicken/egg). Still, the student needs to learn to bring who they are to the music, to learn who the composer was/is through the music.

His next section is about the regionlessness of faith. I think he is steering away from a polemic, but it is interesting to note.

The fact that one practices their faith as a Fundamentalist Christian, Catholic, Jew, or Buddhist is a matter of choice. What one brings to one's artistic life is one's faith, or more directly put, one's spirituality. If one examines the lives of Bach, Britten, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, Vaughn Williams, and Ives, one can study how they chose to practice their faith. However, if one listens to their music, one hears their faith and their spirituality, never their religion.

How can a musician care for themselves in such a way as to bring their deepest selves to teh art? This is what he next asks. The reason why the faith of these composers is apparent to the listener and performer is because they brought themselves to their music. My thought is that the artist always does this. Thus, sometimes we have drivel. Sometimes profunditiy graces us. Does it matter? Are we ever constantly in league with God, expressing our deepest selves? I am not so sure. That would be sainthood achieved, no?

Maybe if Jesus wrote music, we would get a sense of it. More realistically, I think of Hildgard von Bingen. She prayed with and through her compositions. Taize is a great current example. That is more what I think Jordan is after. Bach had this same gift. Thus he makes the list. Byrd, Tallis...not Rorem (ha!)...Is there anyone else that comes to mind?

Jordan continues with a few thoughts on faith brought to music: "wonder and awe." I could post a quote, but a summary may be better. Unless you have a spiritual life of your own, the spiritual life that is ithe community of composition and performance will never be available to you. Unless you bring yourself, a spiritually enlightened and disciplined self, to the conductor's stand then all you will do will be empty, technical and "soul-less." Somehow our own awe in the face of mystery must be explored. This is both an individual and communal discipline.

If choirs are taught to sing from the origin of their own spirituality, then composers will be given the voice that they truly deserve.

frustrated

I am frustrated. There is much to post on right now, and I just do not have the time to devote to it. Let me just throw a few more links your way and hope that they edify.

AKMA has posted about fonts. Yes, fonts. I like it. I downloaded a bunch. Somehow I need to figure out how to post in them. I would love to change the font on this blog to some of the 17th Century looking fonts that are out there. That would be great!

The good professor has also posted on Christian marriage. This too is interesting and worth a gander.

Now, I have two articles I want Upyernoz or someone like that (political and likely to have an opinion to express) to look into. The first comes from Inc. magazine. It is a good rag. It is not so conservative as to offend me but no so liberal that I can predict its next move. I like it. It is a good challenge. This open letter to the President of There Here United States of America is an interesting read. [Dern! It is in the Feb issue and the Jan. issue is online. Rats! Ah, well, keep yourself alert. I'll try to do the same.]

The second article is from Newsweek, The Salvador Option. It is an intriguing notion. How do people feel about this? I think it is awful, but I am not surprised. This is a war we are in. What would make this one different from any other?[editor: Noz had this to say.]

links of note

Todd said it well. It is a good thing to recall what it means to be Baptized.

We have been buried with Christ. The waters of baptism have washed over us as we died to the world. We share in Christ�s resurrection, and are reborn by the Holy Spirit. It�s a new life, with new responsibilities. We have been given much, in our way of life, in our income, in our health and our families. To whom much is given, much is required. And right now, the people of Indonesia require our help.

Cliff is talking about marriage again. It is an interesting post.

M. Scott Peck has called marriage a "monastery of two." And the Orthodox call the marriage and the home a "little church." The proper understanding of Christian marriage is that the spouses help each other rid themselves of sin and pursue Christlikeness. I submit to you that until you've stayed with the same "ol' bastard" or same "ol' nag" for something more than thirty years, you don't really have an understanding of the sort of life-giving sacrament marriage is.

Thomas is still talking about Hart's article on suffering. It is a post that is a day or three old. Sorry for the late notice.

Those who remain fascinated by death and hell, who are in fact perishing, more and more dwindle into nonbeing so that they come to resemble the one they serve. To them, the majesty of God, who is love and the fullness of life, must be wrath, sheer terror, for he abhors this ridiculous joke of a no-thing that has presumed to usurp and destroy his good creature made after the Incarnate Son. Wrath, however, is not an attribute of God, essential to his nature, and so he requires no darkness, no reprobate mass, through which to manifest this for all to see.

the university adds more faculty

The University of Blogaria - Sjlbvdnzv Campus would like to welcome the following to the faculty. Some are long time participants in the life of our little campus. Others are newcommers. In either case, welcome to all.

To the Arminian and yet Reformed Theological Seminary of Sjlbvdnzv we welcome:

d.sinden
the jean julius christian sibelius chair of musicology and christian polemics

camassia
the j.h. yoder chair of seeker theologies and sectarian politics

hugo schwyzer
pilgrim marpek chair for gender studies and chincilla husbandry

To the Phillips Brooks Episcopal Seminary faculty we welcome:

richard laribee
professor of anglicanism and free church polity
(rector of st mark's parish, highland, md)

si adam
arthur dent chair of propretonic reduction and church polyphony

To you all God's blessings and best of luck. This is a silly place. We can be cranky and argumentative...well, at least I can be so. Feel free to chime in and play along. To all the others, please pay a visit to the new faculty. There is good stuff to be found on their blogs. I don't agree with all of it, but that is partof the joy here.

Go Puffins!

novitiate

This is a picture of the novitiate at Richmond Hill. I spent many hours in this room. I wanted to share it with you all...it seems the novitiate is the place where I must return again and again. I have these orders, if you will, my ordination vows. I should tattoo them on my body somewhere. I forget them too easily.

Leader: You have come here today to stand before God and these people, your community of faith in this church, in the wider American Baptist family and in the ecumenical body, in an act of love and submission to your God and as a declaration of your willingness to serve the Lord Jesus Christ as an ordained minister within the American Baptist Churches. Before God and these people, you are called to answer, in all sincerity of heart, these questions now asked of you.

Are you persuaded that God has called you to be ordained a minister in the church of Jesus Christ and are you ready to take upon yourself this holy ministry and to serve faithfully in the responsibilities of that calling?

Candidate: By the grace of God, I am.

Leader: Do you affirm your commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord and your commitment to allow God's Spirit to transform your life by the renewing of your mind, heart and soul?

Candidate: By the grace of God, I do.

Leader: Will you promise to be faithful in prayer, in the reading of scriptures and through study to deepen your knowledge of divine truth, human experience and the love of God?

Candidate: By the grace of God, I will.

Leader: Will you be faithful to the work to which you have been called: in preaching and teaching the Gospel, administering the Word and Table, and in exercising pastoral care and leadership?

Candidate: By the grace of God, I will.

Leader: Will you endeavor to reconcile those who are estranged, to bring individuals to a realization of their need for God and to declare to them God's acceptance? And will you work toward greater understanding, love and trust between all God's people throughout the world?

Candidate: By the grace of God, I will.

Leader: Will you offer your loyalty to the American Baptist Churches and as a minister in this denomination, will you work toward the unity of the whole body of Christ?

Candidate: By the grace of God, I will.

Leader: As a minister of the Gospel, I beseech you to walk worthily of the calling by which you have been called with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, giving diligence to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything, give thanks; hold fast that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. Give heed to reading; study to show yourself a minister approved of God rightly handling the Word of Life. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought; but think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every person the measure of faith. Never be overcome by the evil around you but overcome evil with good. Do these things and you will be a good minister of Jesus the Christ.

Back to the novitiate I go.

saturday shipping and shopping

This morning Trish and I went to the Heartland Cafe, that disorganized bastion of progressive politics, to hear Luke be interviewed on their morning radio show. The broadcast on 88.7 FM here in Chicago. Luke is a bright and knowledgable person, so he did very well. He spoke of some of the issues plaguing Chicago politics right now such as fair housing and the exisiting welfare programs. He was great. It was cool. I had pancakes. All was well.

I just bought some books online using some Christmas gift certificates:
Celtic Daily Prayer: Prayers and Readings From the Northumbria Community by the same; A Song to Sing, A Life to Live: Reflections on Music as Spiritual Practice by Don E. Saliers and Emily Saliers; and Carmina Gadelica: Hymns and Incantations from the Gaelic by Alexander Carmichael. All three look good.

The first is something I just wanted to expand my collection of liturgical resourses. The second will be helpful, I believ, for my work at the hospital. I love Professor Saliers' work. He has been at Emory for lo these many years and is quite gifted. Emily is his daughter. She is an Indigo Girl. She too is quite gifted. They will bring to very interesting perspectives to the discussion for me. I am looking forward to it. Finally, Carmina Gadelica is something I have wanted for a very long time. If there is anything orthodox about my Christianity it comes from exploring Celtic spirituality and the specifically Christian manifestation. It is one way for someone to get from the New Age-ish stuff I so loved in High School and college to more orthodox Christian thinking. How I found my way from there to here I really don't know.

B.A. Gerrish has a book about Calvin's eucharistic theology that is intriguing as well. When payday rolls around, I will use the remainder of a gift certificate to purchase it. I will have to shell out a little myself, but it will be managable I think. I am looking forward to that one.

Trish and I will go out this afternoon to Le Target and Trader Joe's. More gift certificates, yay! Finally some picture frames and kitty litter and food....all needed.

baptist principles

Here is a more recent assertion of those principles as they relate to current frustrations within the denomination. It appears that we live in interesting times.

The Judson Declaration

From the beginning of the Baptist movement in the 17th century, Baptist men and women have prized freedom both for individual believers and for church communities. While Baptist churches have willingly combined their resources to form denominations, the freedom of the local church to work out its own forms of ministry has remained a hallmark of the Baptist movement. The result of this freedom has been a wide range of theology as well as diverse ministries. We affirm our commitment to such freedom.

We further affirm that Christ is the Lord of the individual and of the church, and both are free to follow where Christ may lead without permission or approval from an ecclesiastical structure.

The Coalition for Baptist Principles calls on all Baptists to reaffirm those principles that have been dear to us as Baptist Christians.

Article I:
the living Christ is the final judge of our belief and actions.

The call to faith by Christ is rooted in the repeated call, �Follow me.� We, therefore, reject all attempts to impose a creed or creed-like structure to be used as a litmus test for orthodoxy. We declare that we follow Christ. We do not believe that because a vote has been taken, the will of Christ has been discerned.

Article 2:
the Bible is a dynamic, not a static document, that needs to be interpreted for every age.

No one person or group can faithfully interpret the Bible for every age or every other group. We affirm the freedom of the community of faith to read and interpret the Bible under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. We declare that this freedom is central to Baptist life and thought. We reject the attempts of some to impose their interpretation of the Bible onto others. We affirm our need for dialogue and kindness in our differences, but we still stand by our own freedom to read and interpret the Bible, relying on both the historical understanding of the church and on the best methods of modern Biblical study.

Article 3:
the separation of church and state is good both for the church and the state, and it promotes the common good of all citizens.

We declare our belief that the historic core of Baptist thought resides in liberty of conscience apart from any coercion by the state. Generations of Baptist forebears have lived and suffered for this conviction, and we affirm the conviction that religious liberty is best served by a separation of church and state. The church does not need the state to prop it up, and we reject any attempts by the church to dictate policy to the state. At the same time, we affirm our responsibility as citizens to have our voice heard and our moral concerns expressed.

Article 4:
non-conformity to majority opinion is part of the Baptist heritage, and to submit Baptist theology to majority vote is to betray the heritage of people called Baptists.

From Roger Williams to Martin Luther King, Jr., Baptists have been free to stand for unpopular positions. We reject the efforts of some to force all Baptists into a single position on controversial issues. Baptists have always had diverse theological, political and social positions.

Article 5:
the local church is free to make its own decisions under the Lordship of Christ.

A local Baptist church need not ask permission from any judicature to venture out on faith in any ministry of love. A given ministry may not be the ministry of choice for another Baptist church, but to threaten disfellowship due to a church�s choice of ministry is a disservice to the Baptist heritage of local church autonomy. Baptist churches cooperate in associations and regions, not because they all agree, but because there are some things they can do better through pooling their resources.

Article 6:
theological diversity among Baptists is a strength.

Theological conformity among Baptists has never been a goal. The diversity of our theological positions has strengthened Baptists throughout the world. In an environment of freedom, Baptists continue to find free inquiry into biblical, social, political, and economic issues of importance a gift from our heritage. Intimidation and exclusion of dissenters are outside the boundaries of the Baptist spirit.

We declare that these are principles for which we can and must take a strong stand. The Coalition of Baptist Principles calls on all American Baptists to affirm these principles as true to our heritage, and to live them out with respect for one another�s differences.

who knew?!

This is from the University of Richmond. Maybe I should have studied more. No, let me rephrase...Maybe I should have studied.

Move over, Harvard

The Princeton Review has rated the University of Richmond ahead of Harvard for academics in its 2005 edition of The Best 357 Colleges.

Each year, The Princeton Review ranks the top 10 percent of colleges nationally in four categories�academics, campus life, selectivity and financial aid. On a scale of one to 99, Richmond scored 96 for academics, while Harvard scored 94.

Each college�s ratings are based primarily on surveys of its students and administrators, according to the publication: �Factors weighed included how many hours students studied and the quality of the students the school attracts as measured by admissions statistics; we also considered students� assessments of their professors� abilities and helpfulness.�

In addition to its impressive academic rating, Richmond earned exceptionally high marks for campus life (94) and student selectivity (97). The University�s financial aid rating was 79.

The University continues to gain recognition in other surveys, too. For the 11th straight year, U.S. News & World Report has rated Richmond No. 1 in its category within the magazine�s �America�s Best Colleges� issue. Richmond topped the �Best Universities-Master�s-South� category by a wide margin, as it has since 1994. The category includes schools in Southern states that offer undergraduate- and master�s-level programs, but not doctoral programs.

U.S. News & World Report measures colleges and universities in seven categories: peer assessment, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, graduation rate and alumni giving.

�We are pleased to be ranked so highly by America�s college guides once again,� says President William E. Cooper, �especially in the areas of academic quality, outstanding faculty and students, and loyal alumni.�

link (scroll down)

emergency or emergentcy?

Pay no attention to my spelling.

AKMA has been posting on the emergent church movement again. Here are some links.

bredth and depth
people are involved in a shared life (this is from the same post as above)
a kind of leadership
worship

His final post is also interesting. Once, a few weeks ago I posted on this stuff and Megan asked me what emergent was. I could come up with no firm definition. I am sure someone has one that is brief and to the point. But then again, I think that the phenomenon that AKMA alludes to makes this whole thing hard to get at. The whole point is that the people who are entering/re-entering the stream of tradition from evangelical ciricles are doing so as a movement of heart and soul. When emergent becomes formula, an "evangelical tool", then it is no longer emergent but marketing. Not that there is anything evil or wrong about marketing and getting people in the church, it is simply not the same thing. The Spirit moves in unexpected ways. That may indeed include posters and demographic surveys. It may also be the simply desire to have a Mary Chapel in the corner of a Baptist church's sanctuary. Stranger things have happened. But posters are marketing, the other is more like that thing that is called "emergent."

Bob Carlton resopnded to a queerie on the definition with this link. I have not had a chance to really read it through, but I will and I will post. I guess my interest is peaking becuse there is an assumption that Reconciler is up to an emergent thing. I am not certain if we are or if we are not. It may be so. I just do not know for certain.

the twelve days of christmas - caroling

It was fun to post hymns/carols for the twelve days of Christmas. I think I may have to do that again.

Here are the final two. Yes, I know. This means that I have, what, fifteen carols for the twelve days? When this is your blog, you can get picky. Ha!

Today we have two. One for the Three Wise Guys and one for the weather. It is snowy and windy and cold and I would rather stay home today. I am praying for a phone call that I know will not come. Sigh. It is a blowing mess out there. I will be late for certain...unless I leave now.

I guess I will be late.

I have been thinking about which Epiphany carol to share. I guess this one will do. It is the classic. But Henry Willan has a piece that is stunning. I was unable to google the lyrics. The Three Kings is a lovely piece which often floats around in my head this time of year. Don't get me wrong, I love the traditional hymn. It was my first experience of the three kings. They seem like good people, you know? They bring stuff for Jesus. It's real nice.

We Three Kings

We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Born a King on Bethlehem�s plain
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never,
Over us all to reign.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising, voices raising,
Worshipping God on high.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom;
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone cold tomb.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

Glorious now behold Him arise;
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Sounds through the earth and skies.

O star of wonder, star of light,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.

As I type this, I am sitting on the floor in our bedroom. Trish has been trying to find a place to put our poor little laptop. My office is not appropriate because it is the cats' room. They are out only every other day. The Other Cat is out the other days. So, we have had the computer on the dining room table or on the livingroom coffee table. This will not do. So, now we have it in the bedroom. I had to ask about my morning posting. She said she would sleep through it. So far, so good! Amazing my woman is.

The snow is blowing. The cold sneaks through the window somehow. It always does on days like this.

In the Bleak Midwinter

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, Whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, Whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

homeless

This is another great photo by BombDog. I enjoy his work even if it does frighten me at times. I see this a lot in Chicago. I saw it a lot in Richmond. It is every city...in every country.

I have not posted on the tragedy in Indonesia simply because it has completely overwhelmed my senses. Well it should. It is beyond imagining. If you are inclined to help, here are some organizations and links to their websites.

CARE
151 Ellis St.
Atlanta, Ga. 30303
800-521-CARE
www.care.org

American Red Cross
International Response Fund
P.O. Box 37243
Washington, D.C. 20013
800-HELP NOW
www.RedCross.org

Catholic Relief Services
Tsunami Emergency
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
800-736-3467
www.CatholicRelief.org

Doctors Without Borders
P.O. Box 1856
Merrifield, VA 22116-8056
888-392-0392
www.doctorswithoutborders.org

Oxfam America
Donor Services Department
26 West StreetBoston, MA 12111-1206
800-77-OXFAM
www.oxfamamerica.org

Save The Children
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
800-728-3843
www.SaveTheChildren.org

new year's eve and an eleventh day carol

I posted several photos taken with Laura's new camera on Flickr. This one of Trish with some new friends is fun. Take a peek if you get a chance.

I guess this is as good a post as any to share a carol for the eleventh day of Christmas. I think I'll take a more secular route this time, no ships, but still fun.

Oh the weather outside is frightful
But the fire is so delightful
And since we've no place to go
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

It doesn't show signsof stopping
And I've bought some corn for popping
The lights are turned way down low
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

When we finally kiss good night
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight
All the way home I'll be warm

The fire is slowly dying
And, my dear, we're still goodbying
But as long as you love me so
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Can anyone name the movie this carol comes from? I have always associated this song with Christmas. It could be any wintry day, but it is a Christmas tune nonetheless.

What the heck, let's make this a two-fer!

Sleigh bells ring are you listening in the lane snow is glistening A beautiful sight we're happy tonight walking in a winter wonderland

Gone away is the bluebird
here to stay is a new bird
He sings a love song
as we go along
walking in a winter wonderland

In the meadow we can build a snowman
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown
He'll say: Are you married?
we'll say: No man
But you can do the job
when you're in town

Later on
we'll conspire
as we dream by the fire
To face unafraid
the plans that we've made
walking in a winter wonderland

In the meadow we can build a snowman
and pretend that he's a circus clown
We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman
until the alligators knock him down

When it snows
ain't it thrilling
Though your nose gets a chilling
We'll frolic and play
the Eskimo way
walking in a winter wonderland
Walking in a winter wonderland
walking in a winter wonderland

It is Monday. Somewhere in

It is Monday. Somewhere in my neighborhood there is free coffee if you buy an expensive and delicious scone. It is tempting this morning, but I am already behind. I should have gottne up earlier. I allowed myself to sleep unitl six. That is too late for me. I enjoyed getting eight hours of sleep. Make no mistake about that. *stretch* That was great. BUt I am slow going otherwise.

Vertigo, one of those newer U2 tunes, has a great line in it, "Your love is teaching me how to kneel." So many homiletical directions to go with that one.

On that note...the sermon went well last night. I think I will preach about chocolate mousse again. It really grabs everyone's attention. It was quite funny, really. Almost all of us went out for dinner afterward. The preacher had to get a chocolate milkshake to satisfy his craving. Nothing subtle about the sermon at all. You can read it here or there. Let me know what you think about it.

Some people have been posting about New Year resolutions. I seldom make them. I find that keeping them is rare and I only frustrate myself. Also, I try to to live into that whole one-day-at-a-time thing. It means I can make a new resolution every day or as necessary. So I do. But you will see two or three things come together here.

Firstly, I will be working on my thesis again. This needs to get done. You SWTS folk will probably be seeing me in the library from time to time. I will hopefully be working in th elibrary and not throwing things at Micah.

Secondly, this blog will change...well, be supplanted. I am finally getting www.anglobaptist.org together. It has been my ignored project for the last year, but I think I am ready to move forward.

Today I start work in the Critical Care unit of the hospital. So, as most employers suggest, my boss is absent on my first day. Dern Kiwi. So, I will have a busy day before me. This afternoon the resident group gets together for the first time in a month as well. Processing. Wuff. It will be interesting. I am looking forward to working with the new group supervisor as well. Two new supers for the new year. Huzzah!

Okay, time for coffee and a quick shower. Y'all have a great day. Here is the carol for the day. I have had fun gathering these.

I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas Day in the morning.

And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day?
And what was in those ships all three,
On Christmas Day in the morning?

The Virgin Mary and Christ were there,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
The Virgin Mary and Christ were there,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

Pray, wither sailed those ships all three,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
Pray, wither sailed those ships all three,
On Christmas Day in the morning?

O they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
O they sailed into Bethlehem,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

And all the Angels in Heaven shall sing,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
And all the Angels in Heaven shall sing,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

And all the souls on earth shall sing,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
And all the souls on earth shall sing,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

Then let us all rejoice again,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day;
Then let us all rejoice again,
On Christmas Day in the morning.

listening bar: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb