Ordinary 19B (August 12, 2012) Ephesians 4:25-5:2
     My apologies for being 'AWOL' the last 2 Sundays -- I was on vacation!

                 26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,  
                 27and do not make room for the devil....29 Let no evil talk come out 
                 of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is 
                 need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30 And 
                 do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked 
                 with a seal for the day of redemption.         Ephesians 4:26-27, 29-30

Paul (or one of his students) gives us a pretty fair blueprint of how to live the Christian life in this passage, ending with the call to be imitators of God and live in love as did Christ. And it's not anything new or ridiculous, like if he told us to purify our hearts by holding our breath for 5 minutes, or to eat and sleep with pigs as penance for lying to your neighbor!

No, we are simply instructed to tell the truth, told it's alright to get angry (just not to let it fester so as to create an opening for the evil one), stop stealing, no more evil talk, only speak what is edifying and grace-filled (and take care not to cause the Holy Spirit of God any grief!), Don't be bitter, wrathful, don't even think about malice or slander.  No, just be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving of one another. Simple things, right?  

HAH!

     + is there any real hope that a family can exist with little or no 
       gossiping, back-biting, complaining? what about a company?
       a church?
    + can we ever hope to see a positive political campaign again?
    + why are we humans so good at remembering when it comes to
       having been wronged ..... and find it just about impossible to
       truly forgive?

The book that started a whole series of events into motion....

One little psalter and we have both the basis of copyright law that still stands today AND (to my knowledge) the cause of the very first HYMNAL WAR!!!      (A.D. 6th Century)

Watchtower on the wall built to separate the Catholic neighborhood of Boggtown from Protestant Derry. It was here that Columba (Colm Cille) was serving when he  self-imposed  banishment from his beloved Ireland as penance for the lives of those who died in battle over 'his' psalter.

Empty police barracks in Belfast once used for British troops

The River Coe flowing down a few kilometers to what was, in 1692, the highland community of Glencoe, of the clan MacDonald. A surprise attack in the night by lowland soldiers enjoying the clan's hospitality forced the men to attempt escape up along the river. In 'The Massacre of Glencoe' as it is still called, 38 men were murdered, and 40 women and children were left to die of exposure when their homes were burned in the mid-February winter..

 

A colleague touches the marker of paving stones laid out in a W over a G next to a parked car in St. Andrew's, Scotland. At that place George Wishart was burnt at the stake as one of the first Protestant martyrs in Scotland.

The infamous Field of Flodden, where the fairest of Scotland's future were all killed in 1513.

  

Seen in the first half hour after we landed in Dublin, Ireland. Perhaps one day we will listen  just a bit better to Paul or Jesus or at least God! and put a stop to senseless killing -- and just learn to 'get along'.

 

 

Ordinary 16B   (July 22, 2012)   Mark 6:30-34 (53-56)

            [Jesus] said to them, "Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while." 

            For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.            Mark 6:31

How frustrating! To be at work doing good deeds, mitzvahs, and then when you try to take a much needed break just to catch your breath and eat a meal .... the crowds find you and the circus begins all over again. There must have been times when Jesus felt more than a bit like the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, working 12 and 14 hour days, 7 days a week, trying to meet quotas that were not just unreasonable but downright impossible. All those thousands of people needing to be healed, needing food, needing guidance, direction, hope.

And are we not slaves ourselves? Slaves to the 24/7 ability to be contacted by 'the job'; slaves to the fact that we can go online and shop or pay bills or make banking transfers at any point, slaves to the media campaigns that have convinced us we never have 'enough' or our children never 'do' or 'experience' enough. We hike and bike and camp and  take classes and garden and bake bread from scratch and make all the ornaments for the Christmas Tree ourselves and make ourselves crazy over turning 1 day in our life some magical  fairyland experience and only end up costing ourselves the  down payment  on a house  or buy a car outright.  And when they get to the end of the day, the newlyweds are too exhausted to go anywhere and have any memory of it. 

And if we would only obey the 3rd commandment? What then?  "Remember the  sabbath day, and keep it holy."  does not mean "Go to your hour of worship every Sunday and forget  it all the rest of the week! It means: REST and be REFRESHED one day each week (because you cannot GIVE to others what you are totally OUT OF STOCK on yourself! To those slaves in Egypt who worked unceasingly, this was JOYOUS GOOD NEWS!!!! What about us? 
  
     + what 1 thing can you choose NOT to do this week in order to rest and refresh instead?

       + what 1 thing can you choose to DO for yourself this week that you probably would not have 
          done, something that will be restful and refreshing and life-giving for you? 

       + what effect does it have on a person if they consistently ignore the command to observe sabbath?  

For me, looking at the world through my 'lens eyes'. is always Sabbath time. Early one Sunday morning I was in the church and this sight took my breath away. Out came the Blackberry ... frustrated with the inability to get a clear, focused photo with it held high I returned in a moment with my Sony  to capture this. 

Sandcastles are an art form in some families .... or you can admire the ones other people have made!

Catching a sandpiper in a clean shot is no mean feat; managing the reflection took patience and the investment of nearly half and hour!

Seeing the dolphins is enough.... getting them in frame is a gift!

 

the best nap I've had on the beach in years.... helping fussy Meghan have hers

keeping cool closer to home at Ohiopyle with Daughter-in-law's cousins Kelly + Cait

Besides my sister and me, my cousin Nancy also inherited Aunt Lou's photo gene

but I come back to my idea of permanent sabbath --- my shoulders 'untense' at the keyboard just looking at Merle in the sandchair with the water over her ankles... and no worries

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 10, 2010) 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1

              So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, 

              our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary

              affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,

              because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; 

              for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

              For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a 

              building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

              2 Corinthians 4:16-5:1

 
  

So we don't lose heart. That is one bold statement, that we DO NOT lose heart. Do not give up, according to many contemporary translations. 

I received an email 'fwd' from a dear friend who said simply it spoke to some conversations we had been having. And, oh, my, did it ever!  About racial issues in this country, among others things.

I am re-printing the article in full because I feel it deserves the attention. And because I keep being asked, 'Why hasn't the Black /African American community raised a royal ruckus over this repeated slight?' And the only answer I can give is that they have, indeed, LOST HEART.... they have despaired over ever being acknowledged for achievement or good rather than for destruction or evil.

     +when have you personally ever felt as if you have given up, lost heart
             (about a dream job, a relationship, a political candidate)?
     +what does it take for you to feel passionate about a cause or issue?  
     +are you willing to become 'afflicted' for the moment if it would further 
        the end of an issue like that below?

 A friend sent this to me today, I didn't know this!

Wow….so sad….our heroism always goes unnoticed.   Now if he was a brother from the "neighborhood"and killed somebody his picture would be on the front page… I just went on Wiki to read more about him, and here's a photo of his wife and child----

 d here’s a pic of his wife and baby girl….

BLACK PILOT ON 9/11!!!! NOT IN THE NEWS!!

How many knew about the black pilot who crashed his plane in Shanksville, PA Sept 11, 2001?

Maybe not his name or history, but just knew that the pilot was an educated black man who was married and a father. The short bio below will bring us all up to date as to who he was. We should all know and care!

LeRoy Homer, Jr.

In September, America marked the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11. A tragedy that seems as if it only happened a short while ago. One thing that some people might observe and question is what the impact of 9/11 was on African Americans who bravely gave their lives for our country. The majority of 9/11 media focus has been on white families and white children.

Leroy Wilton Homer Jr. was an African-American first officer operating the flight that tragically fell in an act of terrorism in Shanksville, PA on Sept. 11, 2001. Pilot Homer’s plane was the 4th attacked that day.

The Long Island, New York native dreamed of flying as a child. He was only 15 years old when he started flight instruction in a Cessna 152. By the time he was 18, Homer had obtained his private pilot’s license. That same year, he joined the Air Force and became a second lieutenant. He served in Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield and later supported efforts in Somalia . During his tenure, Homer was named the 21st Air Force Air Crew Instructor of the Year. Homer achieved the rank of captain before his honorable discharge from active duty in 1995.

For his actions on board Flight 93, Homer received many posthumous awards and citations, including honorary membership in the historic Tuskegee Airmen, the Congress Of Racial Equality's (CORE) Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, the SCLC Drum Major for Justice Award and the Westchester County Trailblazer Award. 
 
Ironically, Homer was depicted by a white actor in the film, United 93, the drama that told the story of the passengers and crew, their families on the ground and the flight controllers on the day of the attacks.

Homer is survived by his wife, Melodie, and daughter, Laurel.

Time magazine last week published Beyond 9/11: Portraits of Resilience, a photo-rich commemorative edition dedicated to 9/11’s 10^th anniversary. No identifiable African Americans are pictured in its 64 pages.

America just does not get it. There are two kinds of sins: sins of omission and sins of permission. Let's acknowledge and honor LeRoy Homer, Jr. for outstanding accomplishments and heroic deeds. Let's not permit society to ignore this fallen hero. Please share this message with your family and friends.

Faith makes things possible not easy

Trinity Sunday (June 3, 2012) Romans 8:12-17

            For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of

            adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit

            that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—

            if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.             Romans 8:15-17 

 I started yesterday off by telling the children about the supposed vision of St. Augustine regarding his diligent attempts to understand the doctrine of the Trinity theologically.  It is said that he saw a vision of a small child near the edge of the sea, scooping water in her hands and carrying it to a hole in the sand, pouring it in, and repeating the action over and over. He was drawn to her and to warn her of the futility of her actions with her small hands. 'Just as futile as you trying to understand the Trinity with your small head!' the child replied, and vanished. Augustine was properly chastised for his vanity.

I moved on to introduce the meditation by speaking of another saint -- Patrick -- and the prayer become hymn attributed to him called St. Patrick's Breastplate. The prayer is akin to 'putting on the full armor' of the Triune God as one prepares to go on a journey into an unknown and dangerous territory. It has been prayed (spoken and sung) by the saints of the church throughout the centuries since and so has made its way to the PCUSA Book of Common Worship (1993)  as a useful prayer before worship!

The hymn version (also known by its first line: I bind unto myself today) is in the 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship (LBW) which for the ELCA is more than a book of prayers, it includes hymns and sung responses and is a complete 'service book'. And so it came to me for the proclamation this Sunday to share this beautiful prayer by singing it and showing pictures that I felt had some amount of dialogue with a portion of the prayer, and so ultimately to increase our awareness of the constant reminders of the fullness of the Triune God walking every step of our lives with us. 

There are over 2 dozen photos, which will make this a very long posting; yet I am reluctant to 'chop' any of it out nor to only share a portion of it. 

To hear an a capella solo version of the prayer very much as I did it, go to this link at youtube. Note that there are 2 or 3 additional verses to the prayer which are not in the LBW Hymnal I used and the gentleman who sings here does use some pieces of them.
I bind unto myself today
Shall we pray?

Patrick of Ireland (389–461)   “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”
I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same, the Three in One, and One in Three.

I bind this day to me forever,
by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation;
his baptism in the Jordan river;

his death on the cross for my salvation.
His bursting from the spiced tomb;

his riding up the heavenly way;
his coming at the day of doom. I bind unto myself today.

[between verses]

I bind unto myself today the virtues of the star-lit heaven,
the glorious sun’s life-giving ray,

the whiteness of the moon at even,
the flashing of the lightning free,

the whirling winds tempestuous shocks,
the stable earth, the deep salt sea around the old eternal rocks.

[between verses]

I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold and lead,
God’s eye to watch, God’s might to stay,
God’s ear to hearken to my need,

the wisdom of my God to teach, God’s hand to guide,
God’s shield to ward,

the word of God to give me speech,
God’s heavenly host to be my guard.

[between verses]

Christ be with me, Christ within me,

Christ behind me, Christ before me,

Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me,

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

[between verses]

I bind unto myself the name, the strong name of the Trinity,
by invocation of the same, the Three in One, the One in Three,

of whom all nature has creation, eternal Father, Spirit, Word.
Praise to the Lord of my salvation, salvation is of Christ the Lord.

[between verses]

Prayer after St. Patrick’s Breastplate: 
Awesome God, your creative power,
your glory and holiness are beyond our imagining,
yet, you chose to reveal yourself in the person of Jesus Christ,
who graciously showed us the human face of your love. 
He stretched our imaginations over the lengths he was prepared go
to demonstrate the depth of your love for us. 
And, as if that was not enough, you breathe new and everlasting life
into our very beings, through the power of your Spirit.

Triune God, you are the Source of our lives,
and as did Patrick so many centuries ago,
we would worship and adore you by consciously putting you on
in the same way we put on our clothes.
As we take care to notice if our tie or skirt is straight, 
as we would take care not to spill spaghetti sauce on our best white shirt,
so we would take note of your presence with us, your gifts to us,
your protection and guidance and teaching
and leading and life-giving, saving gracious love.

Help us remember that we need not understand,
but we do need to see and recognize it, and experience it. 
Grant us that gift now as well as all the others
you have so abundantly given;
for we ask it all in the Name of your second way of being:
Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord.
Let all your people striving to be present-day saints say: Amen.