What a whirlwind for everyone at St. Paul's. From Lessons and Carols to the Christmas morning service, we had a lot of things happening at the Cathedral this past week. Kudos to the acolytes, chalice bearers, choirs and pageant participants.
Below is my Christmas morning sermon:
"An extraordinary ordinary event"
My favorite Christmas book is called The Nativity-- Some of you may have seen it—a children’s book it’s best known for Julie Vivas’ whimsical illustrations. One of my favorite drawings is of the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel is wearing combat boots and he and Mary are having tea at the kitchen table. Another fun illustration shows Mary and Joseph leaning against a rock, looking exhausted and thrilled in what appears to be moments after Jesus’ birth. I just love the normality of the book---the Holy Family in regular poses, as regular people, enjoying a perfectly ordinary event…the birth of a child. Children are born everyday and most of these births go off without a hitch. Of course many others do not go so routinely but by and large the miracle of birth comes to many in a very regular way. In so many ways, so did Jesus’ birth. We don’t hear much about the normal parts, the labor pains, the anticipation, the fear and excitement of first time parents, the indescribable joy of Mary and Joseph when they first see their son, the instant love they have for this little fragile human being. But it surely was all there---I mean to really embrace our incarnational faith—our belief that God took on human form—we must believe that this birth, while special in so many ways was, like most other births, ordinary. Because all births both the seemingly ordinary and the extraordinary are special. Ask the most hardened of birth experts-- any biologist, fertility specialist, obstetrician, midwife or maternity nurse---each and every birth no matter how routine, how normal how run-of the mill is unique-- miraculous. Because every birth represents the depth of God’s genius, the reach of God’s creativity and the breadth of our awe at being a part of this wonderful creation. Every birth is a joyous and brilliant event. ..and when a baby is born, everyone wants to hear about it-- is it a boy or girl? How much does he weigh, how long is she? It is a great event and we want to announce it right away….and this birth, this birth of God made man wasn’t any different. God wanted to let the world know. And boy, what a birth announcement it was!
Across the fields of Judea, some shepherds are blinded by the brilliant light of heavenly hosts, a band of angels who have come to tell them the good news of this birth in a barn in Bethlehem. This is where the story of an ordinary birth of this extraordinary baby to willing able and blessed servants takes a turn toward amazing. And awe-inspiring.
No doubt just as Mary and Joseph were getting their bearings, Jesus had been fed, Mary had rested and they were ready to gather their things and head back home, the shepherds arrived. Suddenly the angelic visits to Mary, the dreams of Joseph and the predictions of Elizabeth all start to coalesce. These weren’t fantasies, these weren’t hallucinations, this wasn’t craziness-----this baby, this Jesus, was someone like none before or ever after. This baby, brought to Mary through the Holy Spirit, entrusted to Joseph by God and born like any other baby, was not like anyone else. The birth Jesus shows us the immense power of God—a huge lesson for each and every Christian—and it is easy to get caught up in all the fanfare of the miracle…but we must be reminded, much as Julie Vivas’ teaches us with her simple book of the Naticity, that God is with us always and everywhere---even in the most mundane, the most ordinary of daily events. This is the gift of the incarnation--God is here, and there, and everywhere. We are here and so is God. This simple point, made manifest in that barn, renders life as we know it, changed, forever.
That, to me, is the miracle of this blessed morning. An ordinary event encased in an extraordinary truth: God is here. God is among us. God has brought us His son to be with us…not because we were bad, not because we were worthless, not because we were out of chances. No God came to dwell among us in the flesh to remind us, to teach us, to show us that God is and always will be, right here, right now. In the ordinary things of life, not just the extraordinary.
Yes God is here among us in this beautiful Cathedral on this extraordinary of days with wondrous music, fabulous liturgies and families joined after many months, years or maybe decades apart. And yes, God is among us at those moments of great sadness and loss, when a loved one dies and we gather to say good-bye. And yes, God is with us in the breathtaking sunsets, fall colors, spring blooming and winter peacefulness of fresh fallen snow. But and here is the point of this extraordinary story of an ordinary event—the Christmas story---God is also with us at the grocery store, at work, and in the dreary rainy days which fill our lives.
God is always with us, our job isn’t to find God, our job is to realize that in the midst of all things, God is there….in our best times, in our worst times and most importantly I think, in our most mundane times. Maybe Mary and Joseph were clean and fresh and angelic looking right after Jesus; birth. Or maybe they were sweaty, exhausted, dirty and wide-eyed. I don’t know, but I do know that in their utter humanness, in their utter faithfulness, in their utter willingness, God chose to make an ordinary event an extraordinary gift for all of humankind---a reminder that Emmanuel, God is with us, (Matthew 1:23) has been brought to dwell among us, not because we earned it, not because we deserved it, not because God wanted to teach us a lesson. No God is with is because he so loves us, he just can’t stay away.
So Merry Christmas to you all and may you always remember: Emmanuel, God is With Us.
Amen
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
The Light Increases
Today's sermon, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, NY
The spotlight can be seductive.
After my oldest nephew was born my family spent an inordinate amount of time just watching him on the floor. Being a somewhat smart-alecky teenager at the time, I remarked, “what in the world did we do before we had him?” As if to say, really folks is this how we are going to spend our time, watching a baby? Of course we all do this, a baby draws us, we are attracted by their newness, their innocence, the shear miracle of conception, gestation and birth. We can spend a lot of time in awestruck wonder, watching this little human. And this is perfect for the baby because she learns about the world through us. In her world, she is the center and all that exists exists within her field of vision and touch. So with our undivided attention her belief that she is the center of the universe is repeatedly reinforced. A baby is, by her very nature, ego-centric. There is a certain sadness when a child learns that they aren’t actually the center of the universe. Of course there is also sadness…and annoyance…. when a child never accepts that they aren’t the center of the universe. And we all know adults for whom this revelation remains elusive. We all know ego maniacs, we all know people who seek the spotlight, who hunger for power and rejoice in being the top, the number one.
Our society actually encourages ego-centric behavior. It is as if American culture is developmentally still a toddler.
The spotlight is seductive and it takes a rather mature and restrained person to resist that seduction.
Now I don’t know about you, but I have never thought of John the Baptist as mature and restrained. But upon reflection I realize that in today’s Gospel this is exactly what
he was exhibiting---mature restraint. He was being proclaimed a prophet and thought by many to be the messiah. He had the ear of the rich and powerful, he could have taken that attention, that spotlight, and kept it all for himself. Yet he didn’t. When pushed to tell the authorities who he was, John demurred. He wouldn’t talk about who he was-- proclaiming instead who he wasn’t. “I am not the messiah” “I am not.” “ No. “What do you have to say for yourself John?” And even when he finally answers them, he uses the words of Isaiah not his own. He doesn’t toot his own horn, he steps out of the spotlight—to prepare the spotlight for the actual Messiah, the true and full light of the world. John dims so that Jesus will fully shine. He decreases so the Light of the World can increase.
The Gospel of John is full of this light imagery. For the evangelist darkness is the enemy of light and the coming of Jesus Christ is the ultimate defeat of all powers of darkness. The shining light vs. the encroaching darkness. These Advent readings of Jesus and John the Baptist , come during a time of great darkness---December brings us the shortest of our days. Daylight is in short supply leading up to the winter solstice, but there is hope amidst the dreariness, for with the passing of the winter solstice our days actually begin to lengthen…the light begins to win out over the darkness. [many thanks to Fr. Paul Lillie for the insight into the relationship between the solstices and the nativity dates]
While the arrival of the Christ comes amidst a darkness which is beginning to wane, in an interesting juxtaposition, the Nativity of John the Baptist is celebrated in June, just a few days after the summer solstice, or the day our daylight begins its slow trek downward….when the long brightness of summer daylight begins to wane.
John and Jesus are inextricably linked with light. From his leaping in Elizabeth’s womb at Mary’s visitation, the role of John the Baptist is as a witness to the light and just as the daylight lessens leading up to the darkest and coldest December day John decreases leaving the spotlight for the true Light of the World, Jesus the Christ. A Light which to be fully experienced, must be shared. Our role as we witness the coming of the Messiah, the Light of the world is to share this light---to invite others into the warming rays of salvation. Yes, to fully experience the true light of the world, we must give it away.
. John the Baptist teaches us a hard lesson today—a counter cultural message of voluntarily stepping aside, of humility. A counter cultural message of minimalism decreasing so that others may increase. A counter cultural message of staying true to a vision, regardless of the seductions in one’s path. My nephew did not grow up to be an egomaniac. He learned that he was not the center of the universe, he learned that the spotlight was not for him, he learned that he was part of a much greater whole whose task it is to be a witness to the true light of the world.
It’s a tough transition to make—to realize you are not the center of the universe….but generally we all make that transition and assume our supporting role in the greater whole.
We don’t quit and say “hey if we can’t be the star then forget it, we won’t play..” No, we learn to find our place in the greater community and fulfill our role in that community the best we can. This is what John is teaching us today---yes he needed to step aside so that the light of the world, Jesus Christ, could shine without cloud or blemish---but he did not disappear, he did not quit. He continued to witness to the light, all the way to his death.
To be a Christian Community we cannot hog the spotlight proclaiming to the world like so many of the fallen from grace tv evangelists that we ourselves are the way and the truth--but we also cannot sit passively by just wondering at the miracle and blessing of it all. As a Christian community we must witness this light. As a community we must determine our roles within that witness and then fulfill those roles to the best of our ability. As witnesses to the miracle in a barn in Bethlehem and as witnesses to the miracle of the empty tomb we must prayerfully discern how best to proclaim the gifts God so graciously bestows upon us, not to glorify ourselves, but to glorify the Light of the World.
Amen.
The spotlight can be seductive.
After my oldest nephew was born my family spent an inordinate amount of time just watching him on the floor. Being a somewhat smart-alecky teenager at the time, I remarked, “what in the world did we do before we had him?” As if to say, really folks is this how we are going to spend our time, watching a baby? Of course we all do this, a baby draws us, we are attracted by their newness, their innocence, the shear miracle of conception, gestation and birth. We can spend a lot of time in awestruck wonder, watching this little human. And this is perfect for the baby because she learns about the world through us. In her world, she is the center and all that exists exists within her field of vision and touch. So with our undivided attention her belief that she is the center of the universe is repeatedly reinforced. A baby is, by her very nature, ego-centric. There is a certain sadness when a child learns that they aren’t actually the center of the universe. Of course there is also sadness…and annoyance…. when a child never accepts that they aren’t the center of the universe. And we all know adults for whom this revelation remains elusive. We all know ego maniacs, we all know people who seek the spotlight, who hunger for power and rejoice in being the top, the number one.
Our society actually encourages ego-centric behavior. It is as if American culture is developmentally still a toddler.
The spotlight is seductive and it takes a rather mature and restrained person to resist that seduction.
Now I don’t know about you, but I have never thought of John the Baptist as mature and restrained. But upon reflection I realize that in today’s Gospel this is exactly what
he was exhibiting---mature restraint. He was being proclaimed a prophet and thought by many to be the messiah. He had the ear of the rich and powerful, he could have taken that attention, that spotlight, and kept it all for himself. Yet he didn’t. When pushed to tell the authorities who he was, John demurred. He wouldn’t talk about who he was-- proclaiming instead who he wasn’t. “I am not the messiah” “I am not.” “ No. “What do you have to say for yourself John?” And even when he finally answers them, he uses the words of Isaiah not his own. He doesn’t toot his own horn, he steps out of the spotlight—to prepare the spotlight for the actual Messiah, the true and full light of the world. John dims so that Jesus will fully shine. He decreases so the Light of the World can increase.
The Gospel of John is full of this light imagery. For the evangelist darkness is the enemy of light and the coming of Jesus Christ is the ultimate defeat of all powers of darkness. The shining light vs. the encroaching darkness. These Advent readings of Jesus and John the Baptist , come during a time of great darkness---December brings us the shortest of our days. Daylight is in short supply leading up to the winter solstice, but there is hope amidst the dreariness, for with the passing of the winter solstice our days actually begin to lengthen…the light begins to win out over the darkness. [many thanks to Fr. Paul Lillie for the insight into the relationship between the solstices and the nativity dates]
While the arrival of the Christ comes amidst a darkness which is beginning to wane, in an interesting juxtaposition, the Nativity of John the Baptist is celebrated in June, just a few days after the summer solstice, or the day our daylight begins its slow trek downward….when the long brightness of summer daylight begins to wane.
John and Jesus are inextricably linked with light. From his leaping in Elizabeth’s womb at Mary’s visitation, the role of John the Baptist is as a witness to the light and just as the daylight lessens leading up to the darkest and coldest December day John decreases leaving the spotlight for the true Light of the World, Jesus the Christ. A Light which to be fully experienced, must be shared. Our role as we witness the coming of the Messiah, the Light of the world is to share this light---to invite others into the warming rays of salvation. Yes, to fully experience the true light of the world, we must give it away.
. John the Baptist teaches us a hard lesson today—a counter cultural message of voluntarily stepping aside, of humility. A counter cultural message of minimalism decreasing so that others may increase. A counter cultural message of staying true to a vision, regardless of the seductions in one’s path. My nephew did not grow up to be an egomaniac. He learned that he was not the center of the universe, he learned that the spotlight was not for him, he learned that he was part of a much greater whole whose task it is to be a witness to the true light of the world.
It’s a tough transition to make—to realize you are not the center of the universe….but generally we all make that transition and assume our supporting role in the greater whole.
We don’t quit and say “hey if we can’t be the star then forget it, we won’t play..” No, we learn to find our place in the greater community and fulfill our role in that community the best we can. This is what John is teaching us today---yes he needed to step aside so that the light of the world, Jesus Christ, could shine without cloud or blemish---but he did not disappear, he did not quit. He continued to witness to the light, all the way to his death.
To be a Christian Community we cannot hog the spotlight proclaiming to the world like so many of the fallen from grace tv evangelists that we ourselves are the way and the truth--but we also cannot sit passively by just wondering at the miracle and blessing of it all. As a Christian community we must witness this light. As a community we must determine our roles within that witness and then fulfill those roles to the best of our ability. As witnesses to the miracle in a barn in Bethlehem and as witnesses to the miracle of the empty tomb we must prayerfully discern how best to proclaim the gifts God so graciously bestows upon us, not to glorify ourselves, but to glorify the Light of the World.
Amen.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Pizza night at Casa Di Pizza
We had a great time last night--the photos show a chicken wing with a thyroid condition, Allie and Casey peering over the table after too much pizza and the boys being boys.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
SCHEDULE CHANGE
The Casa Di Pizza outing has been changed from November 2 to November 16. we will meet at Casa Di Pizza from 5:00 pm -6:30 pm. THANKS!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Ordination
Well it happened. I have posted a couple of photos.
It was a whirlwind of activity and I am very thankful to all of you who helped out--the girl choristers who sang, Juliette, Doug, Cullen and Greyson who served. Allie who read....it was great, thanks, Cathy+
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
UPDATES UPDATES UPDATES Sept. 2008
Hello to all,
Today I mailed out a letter to all the J2A parents. Yesterday a letter went out to all the Godly Play parents. I have enclosed both below.
J2A letter:
9 September 2008
Dear ,
Welcome to the 2008-2009 youth program year at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This year our youth programming will have some added features. For those of you new to the youth group, and for you returning veterans, read carefully as the schedule is full!
Sundays during the education hour (10:15 am-11:00 am) meet in the youth room at 128 Pearl Street. Those who have been confirmed will meet with Allie to read the paper and discuss current events. Those who have not been confirmed will meet with Deacon Cathy in her office to discuss the Gospel of the day.
On the third Sunday of every month (September 21, October 19, November 16 and December 21, January 18, February 15, March 15, April 19 and May 17) we invite all the youth to attend the 11:15 Eucharist and immediately following the service we will go to Spot on Delaware for coffee and conversation.
On the first Sunday of every month ( October 5, November 2, December 7, January 4, February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3) we will have an evening gathering, meeting from 4:30pm-6:30pm for social and service time. Once every few months we will serve at Friends of the Night people, but the other months we will go bowling, skating, to the movies or whatever else we come up with. We ask for a parent to volunteer for each of these evening outings (including FOTN). The volunteer parent will help organize the event, arrange transportation, figure out costs etc. Please email, call or talk in person to Deacon Cathy about signing up for your Sunday.
Ongoing The cathedral is going to host a number of activities for the youth of the Liberian Refugee Community. We will offer tutoring, cultural literacy events, pot lucks and movie nights. Any youth who needs to complete community service hours will get credit for participation in these events, in addition to the satisfaction which comes from reaching out to those in need. This program is in its infancy so more information will become available soon. We’ll keep you posted.
Enclosed you will find a short write up about our youth programming philosophy.
Please do not hesitate to schedule an appointment with you to discuss the youth programming at St. Paul’s.
Faithfully,
The Rev. Deacon Cathy Dempesy
J2A Insert:
What in the World is J2A?
J2A is short-hand for Journey to Adulthood. Our job, as a congregation, is to walk with our young people as they take this journey from childhood to young adulthood. It can be a precarious, exasperating and scary journey, but it can also be surprising, refreshing and amazing. Everyone takes this journey, every child, every parent. Even Mary and Joseph took it with Jesus, as wonderfully related in Luke’s Gospel:
When Jesus was twelve years old, he and his parents went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. (Luke 2:42-52)
The Journey to Adulthood Program operates on two basic premises:
1. Manhood and Womanhood are free gifts from God to be celebrated, explore and cherished.
2. Adulthood must be earned.
Our goal, here at the cathedral, is to offer our young people (grades 6-12) a safe space to explore their identity and a nurturing place in which they can grow into a mature faith. This is accomplished through the development of a community, study of scripture and application of basic Christian tenets in day to day life.
J2A is based on the principles of relational youth ministry which maintains that ministry with youth is based on adults taking an interest in the young person, being interested in who they are, what they think and what they feel. Additionally this ministry acknowledges that as adults we are role models for our teens and that by being faithful members of this faith community, we model a Christ-centered life for them. All of us at the Cathedral must take an active interest in our youth, they need us and we need them.
Today I mailed out a letter to all the J2A parents. Yesterday a letter went out to all the Godly Play parents. I have enclosed both below.
J2A letter:
9 September 2008
Dear ,
Welcome to the 2008-2009 youth program year at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This year our youth programming will have some added features. For those of you new to the youth group, and for you returning veterans, read carefully as the schedule is full!
Sundays during the education hour (10:15 am-11:00 am) meet in the youth room at 128 Pearl Street. Those who have been confirmed will meet with Allie to read the paper and discuss current events. Those who have not been confirmed will meet with Deacon Cathy in her office to discuss the Gospel of the day.
On the third Sunday of every month (September 21, October 19, November 16 and December 21, January 18, February 15, March 15, April 19 and May 17) we invite all the youth to attend the 11:15 Eucharist and immediately following the service we will go to Spot on Delaware for coffee and conversation.
On the first Sunday of every month ( October 5, November 2, December 7, January 4, February 1, March 1, April 5, May 3) we will have an evening gathering, meeting from 4:30pm-6:30pm for social and service time. Once every few months we will serve at Friends of the Night people, but the other months we will go bowling, skating, to the movies or whatever else we come up with. We ask for a parent to volunteer for each of these evening outings (including FOTN). The volunteer parent will help organize the event, arrange transportation, figure out costs etc. Please email, call or talk in person to Deacon Cathy about signing up for your Sunday.
Ongoing The cathedral is going to host a number of activities for the youth of the Liberian Refugee Community. We will offer tutoring, cultural literacy events, pot lucks and movie nights. Any youth who needs to complete community service hours will get credit for participation in these events, in addition to the satisfaction which comes from reaching out to those in need. This program is in its infancy so more information will become available soon. We’ll keep you posted.
Enclosed you will find a short write up about our youth programming philosophy.
Please do not hesitate to schedule an appointment with you to discuss the youth programming at St. Paul’s.
Faithfully,
The Rev. Deacon Cathy Dempesy
J2A Insert:
What in the World is J2A?
J2A is short-hand for Journey to Adulthood. Our job, as a congregation, is to walk with our young people as they take this journey from childhood to young adulthood. It can be a precarious, exasperating and scary journey, but it can also be surprising, refreshing and amazing. Everyone takes this journey, every child, every parent. Even Mary and Joseph took it with Jesus, as wonderfully related in Luke’s Gospel:
When Jesus was twelve years old, he and his parents went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor. (Luke 2:42-52)
The Journey to Adulthood Program operates on two basic premises:
1. Manhood and Womanhood are free gifts from God to be celebrated, explore and cherished.
2. Adulthood must be earned.
Our goal, here at the cathedral, is to offer our young people (grades 6-12) a safe space to explore their identity and a nurturing place in which they can grow into a mature faith. This is accomplished through the development of a community, study of scripture and application of basic Christian tenets in day to day life.
J2A is based on the principles of relational youth ministry which maintains that ministry with youth is based on adults taking an interest in the young person, being interested in who they are, what they think and what they feel. Additionally this ministry acknowledges that as adults we are role models for our teens and that by being faithful members of this faith community, we model a Christ-centered life for them. All of us at the Cathedral must take an active interest in our youth, they need us and we need them.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Calling all Youth Group Parents
An informational meeting about J2A will be held at my home Thursday September 4 at 7pm. Call or email me for directions. See you then!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Black Knight
I saw this film the other day and I was blown away. I have never gotten into the DC Comic characters and my closest association with Batman was the tv series which was a lot of camp and little substance. This movie had a lot of substance---the commentary on the ability of just about all of us to turn to the "dark side." It was an uncomfortable movie to watch because in the name of good a tremendous amount of bad occurred.
Anyone else see it? It is quite violent so I don't think some of you should see it, but the older ones I am sure have seen it and have comments, right?
Anyone else see it? It is quite violent so I don't think some of you should see it, but the older ones I am sure have seen it and have comments, right?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Slated to begin on Monday, VBS is cancelled. Why? No one registered. I am sad, but what can you do? I needed to order supplies and food so I needed to make a decision today. Mother Liza and I decided to cancel.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Lambeth Conference
An excerpt form Bishop Robinson's Blog:
"I began Thursday morning in prayer with the Franciscans, and continue to feel blessed by their hospitality and their witness. It's a good thing I began that way, because what next befell me was one of the agonies.
Since arriving in Canterbury, I had not yet visited the Cathedral. I went nowhere near the place on Sunday's opening service. The ever-anxious leadership had provided the Cathedral security guards with a large photo of me, posted at the security checkpoints, presumably to keep me from "crashing the gates" of the opening service. No one believed that I would be true to my promise to the Archbishop not to attend.
On Thursday, knowing that the conference attendees would leave early in the morning for London -- for the MDG walk, lunch at Lambeth Palace, and tea with the Queen -- it seemed like a good, low-profile time to make my own pilgrimage to our Mother Church. I told no one of my intentions to attend -- except I had my security person follow the properly courteous protocol of alerting the Cathedral to my visit. I had him also seek permission for a videographer to accompany me on my visit for a documentary to be released sometime in 2010. We were informed that the videographer could NOT accompany me or film me inside the Cathedral. Fair enough. We were told that he could accompany me to the gate onto the Cathedral grounds, and, standing in the public street, could at least film me walking into the Cathedral through the gate's archway.
We contacted Cathedral security to let them know of our imminent arrival, as had been requestd. When we got there, we were met by a gentleman, representing the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral, I think. He intercepted me and told me that I could not be filmed walking into the Cathedral (even from the public street outside) after all. The reason he gave took me by surprise, rendering me speechless (an uncommon experience for me!). "We can't have any photographs or film of you entering the Cathedral," he said, "because we want this to be a church for ALL people." Presumably he meant that my being seen walking into the Cathedral would cause others not to want to come.
This was one of those breathtaking moments when you just can't come up with the right thing to say. The rest of the day I thought of all the things I SHOULD have said. Like, "so you mean that I am not included in 'ALL people?!'" Or, "isn't this MY cathedral too?!" Or, "so what am I, chopped liver?!" The moment was so surprising, after having been so forthright in our notification of our visit and going through all the channels to ensure courteousness, I just couldn't come up with anything to say except, "okay," and accede to his wishes.
We were taken to the Cathedral's visitors office, where we were introduced to Theresa, a competent and warm guide who provided me with a wonderful, informative and hospitable tour of the Cathedral. But I simply couldn't shake the feelings engendered by the previous "welcome" a few minutes before.
The Cathedral, of course, has its own voice, and its towering arches, art, altars and promenades tell a wonderful story of Christian witness over the centuries. Three distinct architectural styles attest to its construction over a very long time. Its Augustine's Chair points to the first Archbishop of Canterbury's primacy at a much more precarious time than our own. The ancient nature of this building points to the Church's survivability over time, and I found this particularly moving and comforting, that even through THESE times, God promises to protect the Church such that "even the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
As for nearly every other pilgrim, I found the altar at which Thomas a Becket was slain particularly moving. Since I had last been there, some thirty years ago, a modern sculpture had been added above the alter. It depicted the sword, used to accomplish this "murder in the cathedral," broken in the act of doing its dirty deed, flanked by two other swords. The three of them together formed a kind of three-cross Golgotha on which our Lord was slain. An already poignant place, made even more powerful by the work of an artist. I knelt to pray there and found it hard to leave. The witness of the saints, standing firm against the powers of this world, continues to inspire.
Young people, from all over the world, staffing their own version of the Stations of the Cross, implored me to come down to their witness in the crypt of the cathedral. True to my experiences with countless young people "on the Fringe" here, they shake their heads and wonder why the Church is tearing itself apart over an issue that is simply not an issue for them. Their comforting words of support mean the world to me, and in that moment, provided the REAL welcome at Canterbury Cathedral I needed."
(From: www.canterburytalesfromthefringe.blogspot.com)
For those of you who don't know, Bishop Robinson was not invited to the Lambeth Conference of Bishops, a once a decade meeting of the Anglican Bishops from across the globe. He has traveled to Canterbury to be in the area and to be a witness for all people who have found themselves marginalized over the two millenia of the Church---people of color, women, people living with disabilities, children, gay and lesbian people etc etc. This excerpt explains an interaction the Bishop had with a staff person at Canterbury Cathedral, presumably sent out by the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral.
The message Jesus gave again and again in the Gospel was that the people on the fringe, the outcast and the "assumed by others to be sinners," were the people in whom the Kingdom of God could be found, alive and well.
God bless Bishop Robinson and the people of New Hampshire, for having the courage to do that which always needs to be done----walk the walk and hold your head high, knowing that you (us, ALL OF US) are loved by the Creator God. Yes, God loves the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishops who feel hate and terror, Bishop Robinson and everyone people don't like, don't understand, don't value and don't want to consider. Everyone.
Thanks for listening to me vent. For 40+ years I did not think I could pursue my dream and deeply held desire to be a priest in the church. Because of thousands of people who had the courage to say no to exclusion, I will, God willing, be made a priest in this broken church which is trying to forge its way through this broken world. By alerting you to +Gene Robinson's words, I am saying, thank you.
Cathy
Other really interesting blogs from Lambeth include:
www.ourlettersfromlambeth.blogspot.com (The Maine Bishops write reflections each day)
Episcopal Life online also offers a variety of views from Lambeth www.episcopalchurch.org/episcopal_life.htm
"I began Thursday morning in prayer with the Franciscans, and continue to feel blessed by their hospitality and their witness. It's a good thing I began that way, because what next befell me was one of the agonies.
Since arriving in Canterbury, I had not yet visited the Cathedral. I went nowhere near the place on Sunday's opening service. The ever-anxious leadership had provided the Cathedral security guards with a large photo of me, posted at the security checkpoints, presumably to keep me from "crashing the gates" of the opening service. No one believed that I would be true to my promise to the Archbishop not to attend.
On Thursday, knowing that the conference attendees would leave early in the morning for London -- for the MDG walk, lunch at Lambeth Palace, and tea with the Queen -- it seemed like a good, low-profile time to make my own pilgrimage to our Mother Church. I told no one of my intentions to attend -- except I had my security person follow the properly courteous protocol of alerting the Cathedral to my visit. I had him also seek permission for a videographer to accompany me on my visit for a documentary to be released sometime in 2010. We were informed that the videographer could NOT accompany me or film me inside the Cathedral. Fair enough. We were told that he could accompany me to the gate onto the Cathedral grounds, and, standing in the public street, could at least film me walking into the Cathedral through the gate's archway.
We contacted Cathedral security to let them know of our imminent arrival, as had been requestd. When we got there, we were met by a gentleman, representing the Dean and Chapter of the Cathedral, I think. He intercepted me and told me that I could not be filmed walking into the Cathedral (even from the public street outside) after all. The reason he gave took me by surprise, rendering me speechless (an uncommon experience for me!). "We can't have any photographs or film of you entering the Cathedral," he said, "because we want this to be a church for ALL people." Presumably he meant that my being seen walking into the Cathedral would cause others not to want to come.
This was one of those breathtaking moments when you just can't come up with the right thing to say. The rest of the day I thought of all the things I SHOULD have said. Like, "so you mean that I am not included in 'ALL people?!'" Or, "isn't this MY cathedral too?!" Or, "so what am I, chopped liver?!" The moment was so surprising, after having been so forthright in our notification of our visit and going through all the channels to ensure courteousness, I just couldn't come up with anything to say except, "okay," and accede to his wishes.
We were taken to the Cathedral's visitors office, where we were introduced to Theresa, a competent and warm guide who provided me with a wonderful, informative and hospitable tour of the Cathedral. But I simply couldn't shake the feelings engendered by the previous "welcome" a few minutes before.
The Cathedral, of course, has its own voice, and its towering arches, art, altars and promenades tell a wonderful story of Christian witness over the centuries. Three distinct architectural styles attest to its construction over a very long time. Its Augustine's Chair points to the first Archbishop of Canterbury's primacy at a much more precarious time than our own. The ancient nature of this building points to the Church's survivability over time, and I found this particularly moving and comforting, that even through THESE times, God promises to protect the Church such that "even the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
As for nearly every other pilgrim, I found the altar at which Thomas a Becket was slain particularly moving. Since I had last been there, some thirty years ago, a modern sculpture had been added above the alter. It depicted the sword, used to accomplish this "murder in the cathedral," broken in the act of doing its dirty deed, flanked by two other swords. The three of them together formed a kind of three-cross Golgotha on which our Lord was slain. An already poignant place, made even more powerful by the work of an artist. I knelt to pray there and found it hard to leave. The witness of the saints, standing firm against the powers of this world, continues to inspire.
Young people, from all over the world, staffing their own version of the Stations of the Cross, implored me to come down to their witness in the crypt of the cathedral. True to my experiences with countless young people "on the Fringe" here, they shake their heads and wonder why the Church is tearing itself apart over an issue that is simply not an issue for them. Their comforting words of support mean the world to me, and in that moment, provided the REAL welcome at Canterbury Cathedral I needed."
(From: www.canterburytalesfromthefringe.blogspot.com)
For those of you who don't know, Bishop Robinson was not invited to the Lambeth Conference of Bishops, a once a decade meeting of the Anglican Bishops from across the globe. He has traveled to Canterbury to be in the area and to be a witness for all people who have found themselves marginalized over the two millenia of the Church---people of color, women, people living with disabilities, children, gay and lesbian people etc etc. This excerpt explains an interaction the Bishop had with a staff person at Canterbury Cathedral, presumably sent out by the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral.
The message Jesus gave again and again in the Gospel was that the people on the fringe, the outcast and the "assumed by others to be sinners," were the people in whom the Kingdom of God could be found, alive and well.
God bless Bishop Robinson and the people of New Hampshire, for having the courage to do that which always needs to be done----walk the walk and hold your head high, knowing that you (us, ALL OF US) are loved by the Creator God. Yes, God loves the Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishops who feel hate and terror, Bishop Robinson and everyone people don't like, don't understand, don't value and don't want to consider. Everyone.
Thanks for listening to me vent. For 40+ years I did not think I could pursue my dream and deeply held desire to be a priest in the church. Because of thousands of people who had the courage to say no to exclusion, I will, God willing, be made a priest in this broken church which is trying to forge its way through this broken world. By alerting you to +Gene Robinson's words, I am saying, thank you.
Cathy
Other really interesting blogs from Lambeth include:
www.ourlettersfromlambeth.blogspot.com (The Maine Bishops write reflections each day)
Episcopal Life online also offers a variety of views from Lambeth www.episcopalchurch.org/episcopal_life.htm
Monday, July 21, 2008
Are you able to read this?
If so, you are better off than a lot of people in Western New York. Not being able to read is a huge handicap--it is completely preventable and, thankfully, completely treatable. Helping with literacy is not just for older people. Youth can help too. And, as a matter of fact, we NEED youth to help. On Wednesday July 30 at 6:30 pm J2A will meet at Literacy Volunteers of America (1313 Main Street, Buffalo) to have a game night with the Bantu Youth Council AND learn how we can help other youth with tutoring. Join Us!
More specific information about all the literacy opportunities can be found in the post below. Thanks.
THE GATHERING IS FROM 6PM-8PM, my mistake, sorry!
More specific information about all the literacy opportunities can be found in the post below. Thanks.
THE GATHERING IS FROM 6PM-8PM, my mistake, sorry!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
LITERACY PROGRAM
Lots of people have inquired about becoming a volunteer for literacy. The "Steps to Becoming a Literacy Volunteer" exceprted below is from www.literacybuffalo.org:
Tutors Section
Becoming a Literacy Tutor - Requirements & Benefits - Steps to Becoming a Literacy Volunteer - Tutor Forms - Orientation Schedule
Steps to Becoming a Literacy Volunteer:
Step 1:
Contact Literacy Volunteers
Call us at 716.876.8991 to register for a new tutor orientation that will familiarize you with what we do and why we do it. You can also stop by our office at 1313 Main Street in the city of Buffalo to sign up or email us at info@literacybuffalo.org
Step 2:
Attend an orientation.
During the brief orientation (1.5 hours), we’ll share some of our many, inspiring success stories and explain the many ways you can choose to get involved with our organization. At this orientation, you will be asked to sign up for a training workshop for Adult Tutoring or Youth Mentoring. (This orientation is optional if you wish to become a Youth Mentor. You must, however, pre-register for the training workshop.)
Step 3:
Attend the workshop training (16 hours total).
At Literacy Volunteers we provide you with the knowledge, skills and materials to help you tutor a student in a one-to-one setting. Workshop dates and times are scheduled with the convenience of the tutor in mind (flexible hours and weekend workshops are readily available). We ask tutor trainees to kindly pay a $35 registration fee for the workshop. This fee helps us continue to offer the programs and services of our not-for-profit organization. (The Youth Mentoring program does not require a workshop fee.)
Step 4:
Coordinate your schedule and get matched with a student!
Our staff will match you with a student based on your preferences (time, location of tutoring, etc). During the workshop training, you will be asked to specify these preferences.
Tutors Section
Becoming a Literacy Tutor - Requirements & Benefits - Steps to Becoming a Literacy Volunteer - Tutor Forms - Orientation Schedule
Steps to Becoming a Literacy Volunteer:
Step 1:
Contact Literacy Volunteers
Call us at 716.876.8991 to register for a new tutor orientation that will familiarize you with what we do and why we do it. You can also stop by our office at 1313 Main Street in the city of Buffalo to sign up or email us at info@literacybuffalo.org
Step 2:
Attend an orientation.
During the brief orientation (1.5 hours), we’ll share some of our many, inspiring success stories and explain the many ways you can choose to get involved with our organization. At this orientation, you will be asked to sign up for a training workshop for Adult Tutoring or Youth Mentoring. (This orientation is optional if you wish to become a Youth Mentor. You must, however, pre-register for the training workshop.)
Step 3:
Attend the workshop training (16 hours total).
At Literacy Volunteers we provide you with the knowledge, skills and materials to help you tutor a student in a one-to-one setting. Workshop dates and times are scheduled with the convenience of the tutor in mind (flexible hours and weekend workshops are readily available). We ask tutor trainees to kindly pay a $35 registration fee for the workshop. This fee helps us continue to offer the programs and services of our not-for-profit organization. (The Youth Mentoring program does not require a workshop fee.)
Step 4:
Coordinate your schedule and get matched with a student!
Our staff will match you with a student based on your preferences (time, location of tutoring, etc). During the workshop training, you will be asked to specify these preferences.
Monday, July 14, 2008
THIS WEDNESDAY JULY 16
Meet in front of the cathedral at 6:30 pm for a walking tour of downtown, we will end at the marina and fly kites, eat ice cream and relax. We will be joined by my friend Sherry Byrnes who does literacy work with the Bantu Youth Council. Members of the council will be our guests. Email or call me ASAP to tell me if you will be coming. Thanks!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
An Article About the Literacy Program
"These are people who are incredibly strong and have survived unbelievable things.” Sherry Byrnes, family literacy coordinator
Somali Bantu teens find a welcome in Buffalo
By MADELEINE BURNS NeXt Correspondent Updated: 06/25/08 7:11 AM
Imagine... You’re a young teenager. Your country has erupted into civil war, There’s fighting, violence, genocide, enslavement, and you witness unspeakable horror. You make it to a faraway refugee camp, but may find yourself separated from your family. Finally, in a desperate international relief effort, the United Nations rescues you. You’re sent to another country, and although you’re finally out of danger, everything about your new home is different and bewildering. You cannot read, write or understand your new language, and nobody understands the language you speak. How can you possibly survive?
You no longer have to imagine.
This story is a reality for thousands of Somali-Bantu children and their families. They fled their native Somalia to Kenyan refugee camps and have ultimately been placed in the United States. More than 13,000 Somali Bantu refugees now live in the United States, and some call Buffalo their home. The majority of the Buffalo families reside on the East and West sides of the city, and their school-age kids attend Buffalo Public Schools.
Omar Mberwa, tall, athletically built and soft-spoken, reflects upon adapting to the United States. “When we first started out here, it was hard for me to make friends,” he says. “It was hard to communicate with people, with American people.” Now wearing jeans and a brightly colored T-shirt, he looks like any American teenager.
Maryam Bakar still wears her traditional African dress and headscarf, called a hijab. She agrees with Omar. “When we came here, everything was different. The houses, the people, the clothing, the food,” she says. “So we had to get used to it, and it was really hard.”
“When I came here, I was shocked,” says Yusuf Abdi in excellent English. “I was like, ‘Hey, this is not what I was told back there!’ I was told that in America, you pick up money off the ground!”
“These are people who are incredibly strong and have survived unbelievable things,” says Sherry Byrnes, family literacy coordinator at Literacy Volunteers. “To come halfway around the world from a tropical country, and land in Buffalo, with snow up to their eyeballs.”
Last September, in an effort to assist the acclimation of Bantu teens, Literacy Volunteers teamed up with the Junior League of Buffalo to create the Somali Bantu Youth Council, a committee for those who are a part of, or who care about, the Bantu community.
For the first time in their lives, they have had to “cope with public transportation, health care systems, education systems, you name it,” says Byrnes. The committee focuses on “fun education” through outings, as well as college prep, job readiness, tutoring and leadership skills. So far, there are 14 Bantu teens who meet weekly and make up the Council. They have played indoor soccer, gone to the movies (a first experience for many), attended a play at the University at Buffalo, taken a computer class at D’Youville College and toured the Buffalo News, WBFO radio, Roswell Park and UB.
Unlike many American teenagers who have been raised in a privileged culture, these kids, coming from refugee camps that are grim places, do not take anything for granted.
Ask a typical American teen what are some of the best things about the United States, and you may get answers that range from iPods, to Facebook, to the mall on Friday night. But ask one of these Somali teens what they most appreciate about being here, and the nearly unanimous answer is a real eye-opener: “Water.”
There’s tap water everywhere in the United States, but it’s a huge luxury in Somalia, where clean water is a rarity and people must stand in long lines extending from wells that house the precious resource.
Shaban Muktar is a talkative boy with a great sense of humor who good-naturedly takes ribbing about his height from his peers. One of his favorite parts about living in the United States is the washing machine. “Every time you want to wash your clothes, you just put them in the laundry,” he says. “You do not have to go to the river to wash them, you do not have to use your hands.”
Many other aspects of assimilation into U. S. culture have been enjoyable for the Somali kids. You can find them on the soccer field, the baseball diamond, the football field, at the bowling alley and in the swimming pool. You might spot them at the Anchor Bar, wolfing down Buffalo chicken wings. Maybe you’ve heard them playing piano and violin, or have read something they’ve written. Perhaps they’ve even told you how much they hate snow.
“This project is so amazing. Doors are opening. These kids are going to succeed,” says Byrnes. As part of the Council’s agenda, the teen members created a presentation for the Junior League, to tell their story. They declared, “You need knowledge to succeed.” To gain that knowledge, they believe, schooling and education is of the utmost importance.
“I didn’t know English. It was hard to understand English. It was difficult to learn English,” says Ali Mohamed, a polite teen with a mile-wide smile who attends Grover Cleveland High School. “But here, in the United States, every
day we go to school. We get books, we read, we understand, we learn.”
With education comes a chance for success, believes Yusuf, who is enrolled at Lafayette High School. “I’ve gained a lot of opportunity in the United States,” he says. “There is communication, the opportunity to be educated. I have the right to go to school, I have dreams that here I can accomplish. Everyone has their own goal, and it’s possible,” he continues, “That’s what I love about the United States.” Yusuf aspires to be a neurosurgeon, and has received recognition for his volunteer work in the community.
The teens realize that not all in the United States are fortunate. Maryam believes the fabric that makes up communities is actually stronger in Africa than it is in the United States. “In Africa, there are not as many homeless people” she says. “It is easier to be taken care of and be a part of a community [in Africa] even if you do not have an education.” The teens also have observed that crime and violence exist here, as it does in Africa.
On the positive side, Salim Musa points out that most American food is delicious. He also likes the easy mobility here. In contrast to the need to walk everywhere in Africa, he observes, “you can drive, just get in a car and visit people! There are good roads here, so you can travel easily.”
Bilal Musse discusses something almost every American has access to: a telephone. “When you wanted to talk to somebody, there were no phones,” he says of Africa, “you had to go and get the person.”
As the Bantu Youth Council grows, its message of acceptance remains strong and clear.
“One can look at them and think of them as so exotic and different from us because of their experience and where they come from – and if you’re really small-minded, because of the color of their skin,” says Byrnes. “But guess what? They’re just like us.”
Madeleine Burns is a sophomore at City Honors.
Somali Bantu teens find a welcome in Buffalo
By MADELEINE BURNS NeXt Correspondent Updated: 06/25/08 7:11 AM
Imagine... You’re a young teenager. Your country has erupted into civil war, There’s fighting, violence, genocide, enslavement, and you witness unspeakable horror. You make it to a faraway refugee camp, but may find yourself separated from your family. Finally, in a desperate international relief effort, the United Nations rescues you. You’re sent to another country, and although you’re finally out of danger, everything about your new home is different and bewildering. You cannot read, write or understand your new language, and nobody understands the language you speak. How can you possibly survive?
You no longer have to imagine.
This story is a reality for thousands of Somali-Bantu children and their families. They fled their native Somalia to Kenyan refugee camps and have ultimately been placed in the United States. More than 13,000 Somali Bantu refugees now live in the United States, and some call Buffalo their home. The majority of the Buffalo families reside on the East and West sides of the city, and their school-age kids attend Buffalo Public Schools.
Omar Mberwa, tall, athletically built and soft-spoken, reflects upon adapting to the United States. “When we first started out here, it was hard for me to make friends,” he says. “It was hard to communicate with people, with American people.” Now wearing jeans and a brightly colored T-shirt, he looks like any American teenager.
Maryam Bakar still wears her traditional African dress and headscarf, called a hijab. She agrees with Omar. “When we came here, everything was different. The houses, the people, the clothing, the food,” she says. “So we had to get used to it, and it was really hard.”
“When I came here, I was shocked,” says Yusuf Abdi in excellent English. “I was like, ‘Hey, this is not what I was told back there!’ I was told that in America, you pick up money off the ground!”
“These are people who are incredibly strong and have survived unbelievable things,” says Sherry Byrnes, family literacy coordinator at Literacy Volunteers. “To come halfway around the world from a tropical country, and land in Buffalo, with snow up to their eyeballs.”
Last September, in an effort to assist the acclimation of Bantu teens, Literacy Volunteers teamed up with the Junior League of Buffalo to create the Somali Bantu Youth Council, a committee for those who are a part of, or who care about, the Bantu community.
For the first time in their lives, they have had to “cope with public transportation, health care systems, education systems, you name it,” says Byrnes. The committee focuses on “fun education” through outings, as well as college prep, job readiness, tutoring and leadership skills. So far, there are 14 Bantu teens who meet weekly and make up the Council. They have played indoor soccer, gone to the movies (a first experience for many), attended a play at the University at Buffalo, taken a computer class at D’Youville College and toured the Buffalo News, WBFO radio, Roswell Park and UB.
Unlike many American teenagers who have been raised in a privileged culture, these kids, coming from refugee camps that are grim places, do not take anything for granted.
Ask a typical American teen what are some of the best things about the United States, and you may get answers that range from iPods, to Facebook, to the mall on Friday night. But ask one of these Somali teens what they most appreciate about being here, and the nearly unanimous answer is a real eye-opener: “Water.”
There’s tap water everywhere in the United States, but it’s a huge luxury in Somalia, where clean water is a rarity and people must stand in long lines extending from wells that house the precious resource.
Shaban Muktar is a talkative boy with a great sense of humor who good-naturedly takes ribbing about his height from his peers. One of his favorite parts about living in the United States is the washing machine. “Every time you want to wash your clothes, you just put them in the laundry,” he says. “You do not have to go to the river to wash them, you do not have to use your hands.”
Many other aspects of assimilation into U. S. culture have been enjoyable for the Somali kids. You can find them on the soccer field, the baseball diamond, the football field, at the bowling alley and in the swimming pool. You might spot them at the Anchor Bar, wolfing down Buffalo chicken wings. Maybe you’ve heard them playing piano and violin, or have read something they’ve written. Perhaps they’ve even told you how much they hate snow.
“This project is so amazing. Doors are opening. These kids are going to succeed,” says Byrnes. As part of the Council’s agenda, the teen members created a presentation for the Junior League, to tell their story. They declared, “You need knowledge to succeed.” To gain that knowledge, they believe, schooling and education is of the utmost importance.
“I didn’t know English. It was hard to understand English. It was difficult to learn English,” says Ali Mohamed, a polite teen with a mile-wide smile who attends Grover Cleveland High School. “But here, in the United States, every
day we go to school. We get books, we read, we understand, we learn.”
With education comes a chance for success, believes Yusuf, who is enrolled at Lafayette High School. “I’ve gained a lot of opportunity in the United States,” he says. “There is communication, the opportunity to be educated. I have the right to go to school, I have dreams that here I can accomplish. Everyone has their own goal, and it’s possible,” he continues, “That’s what I love about the United States.” Yusuf aspires to be a neurosurgeon, and has received recognition for his volunteer work in the community.
The teens realize that not all in the United States are fortunate. Maryam believes the fabric that makes up communities is actually stronger in Africa than it is in the United States. “In Africa, there are not as many homeless people” she says. “It is easier to be taken care of and be a part of a community [in Africa] even if you do not have an education.” The teens also have observed that crime and violence exist here, as it does in Africa.
On the positive side, Salim Musa points out that most American food is delicious. He also likes the easy mobility here. In contrast to the need to walk everywhere in Africa, he observes, “you can drive, just get in a car and visit people! There are good roads here, so you can travel easily.”
Bilal Musse discusses something almost every American has access to: a telephone. “When you wanted to talk to somebody, there were no phones,” he says of Africa, “you had to go and get the person.”
As the Bantu Youth Council grows, its message of acceptance remains strong and clear.
“One can look at them and think of them as so exotic and different from us because of their experience and where they come from – and if you’re really small-minded, because of the color of their skin,” says Byrnes. “But guess what? They’re just like us.”
Madeleine Burns is a sophomore at City Honors.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Ceasar's Work or God's?
In today's New York Times the Opinion section has a blog on campaign issues. Today's installment has an interesting piece on the religious views of John McCain and how his perspective is often in conflict with the more reactionary views of the conservative, right wing "Christians" who make up a vocal portion of the republican party. While a prisoner of war, Mr. McCain lead many worship services for his fellow prisoners. One day, preaching on the Gospel, he said this, regarding the work of God and the work of humanity (Caesar):
One day I talked about the parable of when they asked Christ whether they should pay taxes and he held up a coin and said, “Render unto Caesar, etc.” My point was and still is that when we were flying in combat, we weren’t doing God’s work. We were doing Caesar’s work. So for us to go to prison and then ask God to get us out was not fair to God, to our religion, to our beliefs and to ourselves. It wasn’t a miracle that sent a SAM [surface-to-air missile] to hit my airplane. It was a guy, a technician at a SAM site.
I think it was important, a little bit for the stability factor, that it wasn’t God who was going to perform a miracle, end the war and bring us home. It was men. It was Caesar. I think the majority of those guys felt the way I did but we just had some, just as people turn to faith healing and that kind of stuff, we had some of that. A lot of times I would pray for strength and I think sometimes I got it. Pray for patience to get through the next minute when things were bad. I just don’t think it’s fair to expect too much out of what is basically not the Lord’s business."
Here’s Mr. McCain’s description of a sermon he delivered :
One day I talked about the parable of when they asked Christ whether they should pay taxes and he held up a coin and said, “Render unto Caesar, etc.” My point was and still is that when we were flying in combat, we weren’t doing God’s work. We were doing Caesar’s work. So for us to go to prison and then ask God to get us out was not fair to God, to our religion, to our beliefs and to ourselves. It wasn’t a miracle that sent a SAM [surface-to-air missile] to hit my airplane. It was a guy, a technician at a SAM site.
I think it was important, a little bit for the stability factor, that it wasn’t God who was going to perform a miracle, end the war and bring us home. It was men. It was Caesar. I think the majority of those guys felt the way I did but we just had some, just as people turn to faith healing and that kind of stuff, we had some of that. A lot of times I would pray for strength and I think sometimes I got it. Pray for patience to get through the next minute when things were bad. I just don’t think it’s fair to expect too much out of what is basically not the Lord’s business."
Interesting.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Bisons Game and Sunday
Hi all,
The Bisons game is this Friday. I have the tickets so you caneither pick them up from me before Friday or meet us at the cathedral at 7pm.
On Sunday, Fr. Paul wants to discuss icons with you, meet in his office at 10:15 AM.
I was approved for ordination the priesthood (yahoo!) so mark your calendars for September 28 at 3pm. I am looking for volunteers to serve as acolytes, let me know if you are interested!
The Bisons game is this Friday. I have the tickets so you caneither pick them up from me before Friday or meet us at the cathedral at 7pm.
On Sunday, Fr. Paul wants to discuss icons with you, meet in his office at 10:15 AM.
I was approved for ordination the priesthood (yahoo!) so mark your calendars for September 28 at 3pm. I am looking for volunteers to serve as acolytes, let me know if you are interested!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
UPDATES UPDATES UPDATES
- This Sunday is the Unity Walk. Father Paul and I are walking and we would love some company. We'll leave from the cathedral after the 11:15 Eucharist.
- Bisons Game is Friday the 27th at 7:35 pm. I have the tickets so if you want to meet us at the game, pick your tickets up form me on Sunday or stop by the office during the week. So far I know that the following folks want to attend: Allie, Fr. Paul, Jayson, Kathie and Tim, Eli and his step-dad John, Doug, Casey and their folks,Cullen and maybe two friends of his, Juliette, Ellie, Greyson, Jordie and their mom and dad, and two new people at the cathedral, Chris and Jen. anyone else? all it costs is a $10 donation to the National Federation for Just Communities. Call or email me ASAP if you want to attend.
- It's summer and I would love to see you in any of your sports events---but I need your schedules!
Monday, June 2, 2008
well it rained. And I cried
Clearly we are snake bit when it comes to kite flying....but after all the hoopla only two of you came last night, so I guess our Sunday evening gatherings need to be retired for awhile.
We will next gather for the Bisons game, against the Scranton/WB Yankees on June 27 at 7:35 pm. If you are planning on attending, let me know ASAP. Thanks.
We will next gather for the Bisons game, against the Scranton/WB Yankees on June 27 at 7:35 pm. If you are planning on attending, let me know ASAP. Thanks.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Go Fly A Kite
We have Youth Group this Sunday, June 1 from 4:30-6:30. We will fly kites. If it rains, I'll cry.
Hey I am preaching Sunday morning, so come to church too and let me know what you think.
Allie completed the Buffalo Marathon. 3 cheers for her!
Hey I am preaching Sunday morning, so come to church too and let me know what you think.
Allie completed the Buffalo Marathon. 3 cheers for her!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
An interesting quotation
Nothing is so important as human life, as the human person. Above all, the person of the poor and the oppressed... Jesus says that whatever is done to them he takes as done to him. That bloodshed, those deaths are beyond all politics: They touch the very heart of God.-
Oscar Romero
March 16, 1980
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
J2A Information
Hi all,
Too bad we got rained out of our kite-flying extravaganza, but never fear we have rescheduled for June 1 at 4:30.
On June 22 we will join Father Paul and some of the 20's 30's group in the NFJC Walk for Unity. The NFFJC is the National Federation for Just Communities and it works locally to combat racism, bias and discrimination in schools, the workplace and the church (yes even the church has racism bias and discrimination. Sad but true.) It is a 3.5 K walk around Elmwood Village. see me on Sunday for brochures and pledge sheets.
Also, the Bison's game outing for this year has been set: June 27th. It is a Friday night so there will be fireworks afterwards. I will have a notice in the Bulletin beginning this week.
Finally, THIS SUNDAY May 18, Mother Liza will present the adult forum on the differences between Rite I and Rite II. Instead of meeting in the Youth Room, we will meet in the Walker Room to hear her presentation. The Youth Room will not be open during this time.
See you Sunday!
Cathy
Too bad we got rained out of our kite-flying extravaganza, but never fear we have rescheduled for June 1 at 4:30.
On June 22 we will join Father Paul and some of the 20's 30's group in the NFJC Walk for Unity. The NFFJC is the National Federation for Just Communities and it works locally to combat racism, bias and discrimination in schools, the workplace and the church (yes even the church has racism bias and discrimination. Sad but true.) It is a 3.5 K walk around Elmwood Village. see me on Sunday for brochures and pledge sheets.
Also, the Bison's game outing for this year has been set: June 27th. It is a Friday night so there will be fireworks afterwards. I will have a notice in the Bulletin beginning this week.
Finally, THIS SUNDAY May 18, Mother Liza will present the adult forum on the differences between Rite I and Rite II. Instead of meeting in the Youth Room, we will meet in the Walker Room to hear her presentation. The Youth Room will not be open during this time.
See you Sunday!
Cathy
Monday, May 5, 2008
Hi everyone,
two more days of school for me! It has been an incredibly busy few weeks, but a lot has happened. Most importantly, Confirmation! I was very proud of all of the youth who were confirmed. Few people know how much work you put into getting ready...but Allie and I know, as do your parents and Fr Paul and Mthr Liza.....and we are all exceedingly proud. Way to Go!
I have two things to post today. One is an article from this morning's Buffalo News. Think about living on $9.25 a day--read the article and then try it. Here it is:
Understand poverty by living in it
Charity Vogel Buffalo News May 5, 2008Updated: 05/05/08 6:37 AM
Nine dollars. One quarter. That’s what it looks like up close, this horrible, hydra-headed beast called poverty that casts its malevolent shadow over Western New York.
Nine dollars. One quarter.
Wake up in the morning with that much money to last a whole day, and you’ll quickly realize how far it doesn’t go.
It’s not even three gallons of gas.
It’s not enough to feed a family on fast food.
It’s not enough for a pair of kids’
shoes at Target.
It’s the bread and the milk and maybe
the lunch meat, but not the strawberries or the cottage cheese or the vitamins.
Yet in Western New York, that $9.25 figure is the harsh reality that many people — too many — live with, day in and day out.
Buffalo, today, is a city of the poor. One in three adults lives below the federal poverty line, which is in the $10,000 range for a single person and $21,000 for a family of four. (Dividing the first number by 365 days yields the $9.25 per day sum, after deductions are made for the average Buffalo rent payment and per-diem clothing cost.) Right now, 43 percent of children in Buffalo are growing up in households that are poor.
But knowing those facts and really understanding them are two different things. Which is why this week presents us a tremendous opportunity.
Starting today, the Homeless Alliance is asking regular folks in Western New York, for the first time, to conduct a grand experiment in what being poor is really like.
The challenge is to live on a poverty-line budget. To see for yourself what being poor looks and feels and tastes like.
You get $9.25. Subtract a few bucks if you plan to drive a car, another few if you want to watch cable TV or have Internet at home. (For complete rules for the challenge, see http://wnyhomeless. org/sitepages/programs_education. html.)
By the time you factor in your daily routine — which, let’s face it, most of us take for granted — you’ll have a dollar or two left for meals, if you’re lucky. Because I have health insurance and a cell phone, I sank $3 in the hole before spending a cent on food.
“It’s frightening,” said Devan DeCicco at the Homeless Alliance. “Some people think poverty here isn’t as dire as it is. Folks are going to find that if you attempt to live on this budget, you just can’t do it. And that’s scary.”
Poverty is peculiar. It reveals its ugliness in the biggest things, and the smallest.
It’s not having a roof over your head, or ignoring a chest pain because you don’t have health coverage. Or, as novelist John Scalzi wrote, “having to keep buying $800 cars because they’re what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there’s not an $800 car in America that’s worth a damn.”
But poverty is in the little things too. Like thin sweaters from the dollar store that pill and sag after one washing. Peanut butter on white bread for lunch, every day, because anything else won’t get you and your kids through the week.
And $9.25 in your pocket, morning after morning, with nothing else to get you through until bedtime but stamina.
“Beans,” said Caroline Degnan, coordinator of the South Buffalo Food Pantry, as she watched a senior citizen in a red sweatshirt and a young man in blue jeans put a few rolls into a plastic bag. “Beans you can do a lot with. Or macaroni and cheese. You can make French toast for breakfast, it’s cheaper than cereal, even though eggs are $3 a dozen now. You can maybe buy a bottle of syrup for it, at the dollar store.”
Nine dollars. One quarter. For you it’s a challenge. For them, it’s called life.
Secondly, here is my sermon from yesterday:
Easter 7 Year A
Newcomer Sunday, St Paul's Cathedral, 4 May 2008
Are we there yet?
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddd how much longer?
Drive faster. Aren’t we there yet? Don’t talk, drive!
Those were the pleas of my sisters and I as we drove along on our yearly family vacation south to the Ozarks, or north to Wisconsin. We would leave before day break, I think in the hopes that we four girls would sleep away half the drive. That never worked and before the sun was all the way up, we were chomping at the bit, ready to get to where we were going. We wanted to be there now. We were done. Done riding, done waiting.
Take a breath, enjoy the view my dad would say. He’d invent games for us---who could see the state capitol dome first , how many cows are in the field. How many different state license plates could we spy. It didn’t work. We weren’t buying this waiting game. We had a goal and we wanted to reach it. Now.
I don’t know about you, but I haven’t changed that much. I am impatient. I want it now. When I began seminary, graduation and ordination seemed a lifetime away. And here I am, two more days of school, one ordination down and God willing, one to go. The time of preparation is ending, I am almost at my destination. Almost, not quite yet. One thing the ordination process has taught me is patience. Patience with a process which is completely out of my hands.. This process has taught me a major lesson: it isn’t just about the destination, it is about the journey.
That’s what my dad tried to teach us 40 years ago and it’s what Jesus tried to teach the apostles---pay attention to the journey, realize that the getting there is just as important as the goal. The getting there is not to be rushed through, not to be hurried, it’s not something to endure, It’s something to experience. Because within the journey one finds grace.
Do I remember the specifics of those vacation destinations? Nope. But I sure do remember those journeys. I can recall the taste of cold water in a thermos, of buying bottles of Pepsi from a gas station vending machine. The poking and prodding of the four of us in the back seat. The smell of mile after mile of corn fields in downstate Illinois. All of those memories are full of grace.
And one day, one day I hope the youth who were confirmed Thursday night will reflect on their journey which led them to that night. Perhaps one day those will be grace-full memories. Perhaps one day they’ll realize it wasn’t just the goal of confirmation, but the journey of faith they took to get there.
Think about the apostles. What a journey they had been on. From the first murmurings about this itinerant preacher proclaiming a new way, to the gathering of the twelve, to the debates about who this Jesus was, to the frustrating parables and riddles with which Jesus taught. The miracles, the healings, the feeding, the preaching. The questions. And then those final days in Jerusalem, the trial and crucifixion, their teacher, dead and buried, and then remarkably resurrected to walk, talk and teach them some more. And now this, after 40 days Jesus again says good-bye. This time for good. But not before leaving them with the promise of one last gift: the Holy Spirit will fill and fuel them as they spread the Good News to all the nations. With that they were ready to go.
Not so fast, Jesus says, not so fast. The journey will be long, the journey will be hard. Strengthen yourselves through prayer; nourish yourself within your community before heading out to do the work you have been given to do.
Take time to enjoy the view, to contemplate the next step, to savor all that has happened on this journey. Getting ready is all part of it.
No doubt this was annoying. Like us kids on the drive to vacation, like our youth preparing for confirmation, the apostles had their sites set on the goal and they wanted to be there. NOW. He gets them all riled up and ready to go and then tells them to wait. Jesus knew that waiting, pausing, gathering strength through prayer is a key part of the journey.
How often in the Gospels are we left with, “and then he went off to pray.” In the middle of chaos and uncertainty, when any reasonable person would have panicked, Jesus would retreat, regroup and refresh through prayer. And this is what he wanted the disciples to do—to regroup, to reflect, to honestly consider what was to come, to pay attention to the journey instead of just focusing on the destination.. He didn’t want them to miss a thing.
I don’t want us to miss a thing either. All of us are on a journey, collectively we , as this Cathedral parish ,are on a journey with very specific goals: affordable housing, a literacy program, a thriving music program, a continuation of glorious liturgies. Individually we all have goals, to get a promotion, to see our kids do well, to have the wedding go off without a hitch, to be healthy and happy.
Our journeys to this place have been varied too. Some of us have been part of other churches,other denominations, other faiths or none at all. Some of us were born and raised in Buffalo, others are later transplants. Some of us are here for the first time today, others are long-time members. Regardless of how we got here , we are here now and although it may not be our final destination, we may have many more goals to meet, many longer journeys to take, we are here right now and you know what?. right now, gathered in this glorious house of prayer, at the corner of Church and Pearl, We’re right where we need to be. All of our journeys have brought us here where, together, we are pausing to pray, to refuel before heading out to do the work we have been given to do, We may want to hurry up and get to where our plans are taking us, we may want to hurry and resist the honesty which comes through pausing and praying.
We may not want to wait. But Jesus is calling us to do that. Jesus is calling us to embrace the gift of today, a life in Christ where the destination may not be clear, the journey may be long and the wait hard to take, but before we get caught up in all of that Jesus is telling us to gather, pray and wait.
Are we there yet? No we aren’t, but just look at the view.
two more days of school for me! It has been an incredibly busy few weeks, but a lot has happened. Most importantly, Confirmation! I was very proud of all of the youth who were confirmed. Few people know how much work you put into getting ready...but Allie and I know, as do your parents and Fr Paul and Mthr Liza.....and we are all exceedingly proud. Way to Go!
I have two things to post today. One is an article from this morning's Buffalo News. Think about living on $9.25 a day--read the article and then try it. Here it is:
Understand poverty by living in it
Charity Vogel Buffalo News May 5, 2008Updated: 05/05/08 6:37 AM
Nine dollars. One quarter. That’s what it looks like up close, this horrible, hydra-headed beast called poverty that casts its malevolent shadow over Western New York.
Nine dollars. One quarter.
Wake up in the morning with that much money to last a whole day, and you’ll quickly realize how far it doesn’t go.
It’s not even three gallons of gas.
It’s not enough to feed a family on fast food.
It’s not enough for a pair of kids’
shoes at Target.
It’s the bread and the milk and maybe
the lunch meat, but not the strawberries or the cottage cheese or the vitamins.
Yet in Western New York, that $9.25 figure is the harsh reality that many people — too many — live with, day in and day out.
Buffalo, today, is a city of the poor. One in three adults lives below the federal poverty line, which is in the $10,000 range for a single person and $21,000 for a family of four. (Dividing the first number by 365 days yields the $9.25 per day sum, after deductions are made for the average Buffalo rent payment and per-diem clothing cost.) Right now, 43 percent of children in Buffalo are growing up in households that are poor.
But knowing those facts and really understanding them are two different things. Which is why this week presents us a tremendous opportunity.
Starting today, the Homeless Alliance is asking regular folks in Western New York, for the first time, to conduct a grand experiment in what being poor is really like.
The challenge is to live on a poverty-line budget. To see for yourself what being poor looks and feels and tastes like.
You get $9.25. Subtract a few bucks if you plan to drive a car, another few if you want to watch cable TV or have Internet at home. (For complete rules for the challenge, see http://wnyhomeless. org/sitepages/programs_education. html.)
By the time you factor in your daily routine — which, let’s face it, most of us take for granted — you’ll have a dollar or two left for meals, if you’re lucky. Because I have health insurance and a cell phone, I sank $3 in the hole before spending a cent on food.
“It’s frightening,” said Devan DeCicco at the Homeless Alliance. “Some people think poverty here isn’t as dire as it is. Folks are going to find that if you attempt to live on this budget, you just can’t do it. And that’s scary.”
Poverty is peculiar. It reveals its ugliness in the biggest things, and the smallest.
It’s not having a roof over your head, or ignoring a chest pain because you don’t have health coverage. Or, as novelist John Scalzi wrote, “having to keep buying $800 cars because they’re what you can afford, and then having the cars break down on you, because there’s not an $800 car in America that’s worth a damn.”
But poverty is in the little things too. Like thin sweaters from the dollar store that pill and sag after one washing. Peanut butter on white bread for lunch, every day, because anything else won’t get you and your kids through the week.
And $9.25 in your pocket, morning after morning, with nothing else to get you through until bedtime but stamina.
“Beans,” said Caroline Degnan, coordinator of the South Buffalo Food Pantry, as she watched a senior citizen in a red sweatshirt and a young man in blue jeans put a few rolls into a plastic bag. “Beans you can do a lot with. Or macaroni and cheese. You can make French toast for breakfast, it’s cheaper than cereal, even though eggs are $3 a dozen now. You can maybe buy a bottle of syrup for it, at the dollar store.”
Nine dollars. One quarter. For you it’s a challenge. For them, it’s called life.
Secondly, here is my sermon from yesterday:
Easter 7 Year A
Newcomer Sunday, St Paul's Cathedral, 4 May 2008
Are we there yet?
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaddddddddddddddd how much longer?
Drive faster. Aren’t we there yet? Don’t talk, drive!
Those were the pleas of my sisters and I as we drove along on our yearly family vacation south to the Ozarks, or north to Wisconsin. We would leave before day break, I think in the hopes that we four girls would sleep away half the drive. That never worked and before the sun was all the way up, we were chomping at the bit, ready to get to where we were going. We wanted to be there now. We were done. Done riding, done waiting.
Take a breath, enjoy the view my dad would say. He’d invent games for us---who could see the state capitol dome first , how many cows are in the field. How many different state license plates could we spy. It didn’t work. We weren’t buying this waiting game. We had a goal and we wanted to reach it. Now.
I don’t know about you, but I haven’t changed that much. I am impatient. I want it now. When I began seminary, graduation and ordination seemed a lifetime away. And here I am, two more days of school, one ordination down and God willing, one to go. The time of preparation is ending, I am almost at my destination. Almost, not quite yet. One thing the ordination process has taught me is patience. Patience with a process which is completely out of my hands.. This process has taught me a major lesson: it isn’t just about the destination, it is about the journey.
That’s what my dad tried to teach us 40 years ago and it’s what Jesus tried to teach the apostles---pay attention to the journey, realize that the getting there is just as important as the goal. The getting there is not to be rushed through, not to be hurried, it’s not something to endure, It’s something to experience. Because within the journey one finds grace.
Do I remember the specifics of those vacation destinations? Nope. But I sure do remember those journeys. I can recall the taste of cold water in a thermos, of buying bottles of Pepsi from a gas station vending machine. The poking and prodding of the four of us in the back seat. The smell of mile after mile of corn fields in downstate Illinois. All of those memories are full of grace.
And one day, one day I hope the youth who were confirmed Thursday night will reflect on their journey which led them to that night. Perhaps one day those will be grace-full memories. Perhaps one day they’ll realize it wasn’t just the goal of confirmation, but the journey of faith they took to get there.
Think about the apostles. What a journey they had been on. From the first murmurings about this itinerant preacher proclaiming a new way, to the gathering of the twelve, to the debates about who this Jesus was, to the frustrating parables and riddles with which Jesus taught. The miracles, the healings, the feeding, the preaching. The questions. And then those final days in Jerusalem, the trial and crucifixion, their teacher, dead and buried, and then remarkably resurrected to walk, talk and teach them some more. And now this, after 40 days Jesus again says good-bye. This time for good. But not before leaving them with the promise of one last gift: the Holy Spirit will fill and fuel them as they spread the Good News to all the nations. With that they were ready to go.
Not so fast, Jesus says, not so fast. The journey will be long, the journey will be hard. Strengthen yourselves through prayer; nourish yourself within your community before heading out to do the work you have been given to do.
Take time to enjoy the view, to contemplate the next step, to savor all that has happened on this journey. Getting ready is all part of it.
No doubt this was annoying. Like us kids on the drive to vacation, like our youth preparing for confirmation, the apostles had their sites set on the goal and they wanted to be there. NOW. He gets them all riled up and ready to go and then tells them to wait. Jesus knew that waiting, pausing, gathering strength through prayer is a key part of the journey.
How often in the Gospels are we left with, “and then he went off to pray.” In the middle of chaos and uncertainty, when any reasonable person would have panicked, Jesus would retreat, regroup and refresh through prayer. And this is what he wanted the disciples to do—to regroup, to reflect, to honestly consider what was to come, to pay attention to the journey instead of just focusing on the destination.. He didn’t want them to miss a thing.
I don’t want us to miss a thing either. All of us are on a journey, collectively we , as this Cathedral parish ,are on a journey with very specific goals: affordable housing, a literacy program, a thriving music program, a continuation of glorious liturgies. Individually we all have goals, to get a promotion, to see our kids do well, to have the wedding go off without a hitch, to be healthy and happy.
Our journeys to this place have been varied too. Some of us have been part of other churches,other denominations, other faiths or none at all. Some of us were born and raised in Buffalo, others are later transplants. Some of us are here for the first time today, others are long-time members. Regardless of how we got here , we are here now and although it may not be our final destination, we may have many more goals to meet, many longer journeys to take, we are here right now and you know what?. right now, gathered in this glorious house of prayer, at the corner of Church and Pearl, We’re right where we need to be. All of our journeys have brought us here where, together, we are pausing to pray, to refuel before heading out to do the work we have been given to do, We may want to hurry up and get to where our plans are taking us, we may want to hurry and resist the honesty which comes through pausing and praying.
We may not want to wait. But Jesus is calling us to do that. Jesus is calling us to embrace the gift of today, a life in Christ where the destination may not be clear, the journey may be long and the wait hard to take, but before we get caught up in all of that Jesus is telling us to gather, pray and wait.
Are we there yet? No we aren’t, but just look at the view.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Hi everyone,
Sorry it has been awhile since I posted, school is heading down to the wire so I have been swamped. a few updates:
Sorry it has been awhile since I posted, school is heading down to the wire so I have been swamped. a few updates:
- the 30 hour Famine run by the Niagara Youth Group was great. They had a good time and we talked about doing something together with them in the coming year
- Speaking of lock-ins and overnights, would any of you be interested in doing a lock-in overnight this summer? We would pick a theme, like world hunger, world peace or some other topic and we would do activities related to that topic while staying overnight in the Cathedral. Let me know.
- Doug Giordano is doing Happening next weekend (May 2-May 4) so we need to reschedule the youth group social gathering. Does May 11 work for folks?
- On May 4 we will have a newcomer's brunch, if you have any friends who might be interested, bring them that day. We'll have a table just for us and I am preaching that day. Food and a sermon, what more could people want?
- This Sunday, April 27, Grey, Jeremy and John are serving. Grey does bells, Jeremy serves and John is crucifer.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Several Things
- The 30 Hour Famine is NEXT weekend. We had a mis-print on our calendar at the Cathedral.
- I am now on Facebook. I feel like a complete nerd. But there you have it.
- I think last week's cookout and walk were fabulous--thanks for making it fun.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
THIS SUNDAY'S J2A
We're having a BBQ and croquet. OK, I know it isn't that warm out yet, but let's cook out anyway. Hot Dogs Hamburgers and Veggie Burgers. I'll provide the pop, Ellie already bought the food, so all we need is dessert!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Myesha and Noel wanted to be at J2A. That's why we scheduled it for last night. Then they realized that they couldn't be there last night, and last night was a really terrible time for both Cathy and Allie. So we changed it to next Sunday, April 6, which would be our regular time anyway. Confused? Me too. Next Sunday 4:30 pm-6:30 pm.
HELP!!!!
I need someone to help in the nursery on Sunday April 13. Noel will be the only nursery worker in town and we need to have at least one other person. Contact me if you are interested. The nursery is open from 8:30-12:30.
PIPER
We batted around some ideas for fundraisers to help Piper. The ideas on the table are: A Garage Sale, A Book Sale, A BBQ, a Recylcing Drive. We need to decide by next Sunday so think about it and be ready to discuss it Sunday morning.
Also it is time to firm up your confirmation sponsor--it cannot be one of the clergy (although I will stand with you as a clergy representative) and it cannot be a family member (although you can have siblings or cousins, you just need another person from the Cathedral congregation.). Email or call me if you have any questions--thanks!!!!!
HELP!!!!
I need someone to help in the nursery on Sunday April 13. Noel will be the only nursery worker in town and we need to have at least one other person. Contact me if you are interested. The nursery is open from 8:30-12:30.
PIPER
We batted around some ideas for fundraisers to help Piper. The ideas on the table are: A Garage Sale, A Book Sale, A BBQ, a Recylcing Drive. We need to decide by next Sunday so think about it and be ready to discuss it Sunday morning.
Also it is time to firm up your confirmation sponsor--it cannot be one of the clergy (although I will stand with you as a clergy representative) and it cannot be a family member (although you can have siblings or cousins, you just need another person from the Cathedral congregation.). Email or call me if you have any questions--thanks!!!!!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Phew!!!
Sorry I have been a bit out of touch. Holy Week was really busy and this week I am at school Monday through Friday.
A couple of things:
Sunday is our monthly social gathering--4:30 pm-6:30 pm in the parish house.
Saturday (I know I am working backwards) is the EYE event at St. John's Grace--it is a dance and it costs $5 to get in. It runs from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. Cullen and John are going.
Hope to see you all this weekend!
Finally, I gave a sermon on Holy Saturday, here it is:
JESUS IS DEAD
Jesus is dead. He has been laid in the tomb.
Where is the good news in that?
Surely disbelief filled all those who loved him.
Peter plagued by his guilt of being the denier.
Judas dead by his own hand.
The beloved disciple, wracked with grief.
Mary of Magdala, inconsolable.
And then there’s his mother. Is there a pain worse than that of a parent who has lost a child?
Where is the Good News in that?
It is all so sad.
But this morning we aren’t here to lament, we aren’t here to weep, we aren’t here to mourn.
No, we gather this morning to marvel at Jesus. Not at his miracles, not at his stirring rhetoric, not at his parables. Not at Jesus, Son of God. No, we gather in our quiet exhaustion to marvel at Jesus the man. For today Jesus has made the most human of journeys. Jesus
has plunged into the depths of death. He has fallen into the abyss of nothingness, of desolation and of loneliness so that, once and for all, we will never be alone. Because Jesus has been, is and will be everywhere we could ever go.
Think about it. Feeling abandoned? Jesus has been there. Been spit upon? Jesus has been there. Been denied by your own? Jesus has been there. Raged in frustration? Jesus has been there. Jesus, on this Holy Saturday has been everywhere. For today he has descended to the dead. Today he looks death square in the eye and says, no
more, no more will death be a thing to fear, a thing to worry about, a thing to hate.
Never again do we have to feel the loneliness of Mary. Never again do we have to feel the abandonment experienced by Job. Never again will we be shrouded in the darkness of Jonah. Never again will we wail our laments alone. Because today Jesus has filled the last of our emptiness, today Jesus has plummeted himself into the abyss of darkness, despair and death so that each of us, when we inevitably fall into those dark spaces of our minds, into those hells of our humanity, into the depths of grief, is not alone. Jesus has been there. And Jesus remains there.
For Jesus, the son of the living God, the Word made
flesh, the author of our salvation has been to the heights and the depths of our human existence so that we will never again be alone. So today in the quiet solitude of this day of rest, be comforted in knowing that even as his body lies in the tomb, Jesus is with us. Tomorrow, next week next month or next year when you feel the desolation of pain, the fear of abandonment or the despair of grief,--the ups and downs of our human existence--know that you are not alone for Jesus, our Jesus, has been there too and will not, no matter how much we resist his love, abandon us. And today? Today that is good news indeed.
Amen.
A couple of things:
Sunday is our monthly social gathering--4:30 pm-6:30 pm in the parish house.
Saturday (I know I am working backwards) is the EYE event at St. John's Grace--it is a dance and it costs $5 to get in. It runs from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. Cullen and John are going.
Hope to see you all this weekend!
Finally, I gave a sermon on Holy Saturday, here it is:
JESUS IS DEAD
Jesus is dead. He has been laid in the tomb.
Where is the good news in that?
Surely disbelief filled all those who loved him.
Peter plagued by his guilt of being the denier.
Judas dead by his own hand.
The beloved disciple, wracked with grief.
Mary of Magdala, inconsolable.
And then there’s his mother. Is there a pain worse than that of a parent who has lost a child?
Where is the Good News in that?
It is all so sad.
But this morning we aren’t here to lament, we aren’t here to weep, we aren’t here to mourn.
No, we gather this morning to marvel at Jesus. Not at his miracles, not at his stirring rhetoric, not at his parables. Not at Jesus, Son of God. No, we gather in our quiet exhaustion to marvel at Jesus the man. For today Jesus has made the most human of journeys. Jesus
has plunged into the depths of death. He has fallen into the abyss of nothingness, of desolation and of loneliness so that, once and for all, we will never be alone. Because Jesus has been, is and will be everywhere we could ever go.
Think about it. Feeling abandoned? Jesus has been there. Been spit upon? Jesus has been there. Been denied by your own? Jesus has been there. Raged in frustration? Jesus has been there. Jesus, on this Holy Saturday has been everywhere. For today he has descended to the dead. Today he looks death square in the eye and says, no
more, no more will death be a thing to fear, a thing to worry about, a thing to hate.
Never again do we have to feel the loneliness of Mary. Never again do we have to feel the abandonment experienced by Job. Never again will we be shrouded in the darkness of Jonah. Never again will we wail our laments alone. Because today Jesus has filled the last of our emptiness, today Jesus has plummeted himself into the abyss of darkness, despair and death so that each of us, when we inevitably fall into those dark spaces of our minds, into those hells of our humanity, into the depths of grief, is not alone. Jesus has been there. And Jesus remains there.
For Jesus, the son of the living God, the Word made
flesh, the author of our salvation has been to the heights and the depths of our human existence so that we will never again be alone. So today in the quiet solitude of this day of rest, be comforted in knowing that even as his body lies in the tomb, Jesus is with us. Tomorrow, next week next month or next year when you feel the desolation of pain, the fear of abandonment or the despair of grief,--the ups and downs of our human existence--know that you are not alone for Jesus, our Jesus, has been there too and will not, no matter how much we resist his love, abandon us. And today? Today that is good news indeed.
Amen.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Palm Sunday
This week Cullen and Eric are the two youth acolytes at 9 am.
At Confirmation we will finish our discussion of the Eucharist by going through the Eucharistic Prayer. Be prepared--you may be asked to play the role of priest---
Below is the sermon I was supposed to preach at St. Phillip's Church last Sunday. But they were closed because of snow so I am preaching it tonight at their Lenten study:
Lazarus Laughed.
Lazarus Laughed?
That’s the title of a play written by Eugene O’Neill: It is the playwright’s thoughts about what Lazarus did upon his resurrection. And the first thing he thinks Lazarus would have done? Laugh.
When my friend Lynn tries to tell a joke she starts to laugh about halfway through. Usually you never hear the punch line but it doesn’t matter if you don’t hear the rest of the joke, you’re laughing right along with her, because laughter is contagious.
My nephew, John, who has cerebral palsy can’t speak. But boy can he laugh. He has this deep down, belly laugh which shakes his entire body. He has tipped over laughing so hard. No one can resist that laugh when he gets going. His laughter is infectious.
People who are depressed have a hard time laughing. The trigger in the brain which causes laughter is broken, so laughter doesn’t come easily.
Can you imagine that? Not being able to laugh? Rarely if ever tossing your head back howling in laughter? Laughter is good for us. It is a medically proven fact. Laughing is contagious, infectious and absolutely necessary to our health
Now, laughter isn’t an unfamiliar action in the Bible, Sarah laughed when she heard God tell Abraham that she—at 90 years old—would have a baby.
Absurd! Outrageous! Ridiculous! How could such an old couple have a baby?
But they did, and they even named him after laughter-----translated
Isaac means “God laughed.” Surely, God laughed, right? After all it was indeed outrageous, unbelievable and quite comical for a baby to be born in such a circumstance.
But babies do that don’t they?
They bring smiles, giggles and laughter.
We call them bundles of joy.
Think about a baby’s laugh-- Isn’t it the greatest thing? The worst day at work melts away at the sound of a baby’s giggle. It is pure and full of delight.
It’s a little bit of heaven right here earth.
So to me it makes sense that Lazarus, upon exiting the tomb, laughed. I bet it was a low guttural chuckle building up to a good ol’ belly laugh. In the play, all Lazarus does for the first day or so after resurrection is laugh.
When he finally speaks Lazarus says he laughed because, after death all he heard was laughter. The laughter of Jesus filled his heart.
Laughing Lazarus proclaims that there is no death, there is no fear, there is only life and that life is full of laughter. Lazarus has been to the other side and what he saw there was a life full of laughter.
Nothing else, just eternal life and laughter.
In the play, Lazarus exclaims:
Laugh! Laugh with me! Death is dead! Fear is no more! There is only life! There is only laughter!
Yes, Lazarus laughed.
But Jesus? Jesus wept.
As Jesus saw the sadness of all those who loved Lazarus, he was overcome with sorrow. Was it remorse for being late, for not being able to save his friend?
Or was it sadness at the lack of faith displayed by Mary and Martha? They both had yelled at Jesus---“if you had been here, he wouldn’t have died.” Talk about guilt. They were laying it on Jesus. But that wasn’t it, he wasn’t guilty or ashamed or remorseful. He was sad…sad that people were still so afraid of death, sad that people still didn’t get it.
Jesus said it as clear as can be:
I am Resurrection and I am Life.
Jesus, through his Father, and through the Holy Spirit, assures us that there is no death, no end, just life eternal.
That’s the whole point isn’t it? Christianity 101: believe in Christ and have eternal life.
But, really, why would Lazarus laugh?
Because it was so absurd that he had been brought back to life?
That could be it.
But in the play he laughs is because that is what heaven is full of: laughter. God laughs all the time, and so everyone else does too. After all, laughing is contagious. But back among the living on earth? Lazarus’ laughter was not funny. Those first few days outside of the tomb everyone was trying to snap him out of it: Lazarus, stop your laughing, there is nothing funny about what happened to you.
But Lazarus says he laughs because there is nothing to fear. Death is not the end; death is not the enemy, death is not scary. Death, says Lazarus, is really nothing at all. Now that is a pretty outrageous thing to hear: death is nothing at all! Death is certainly something for those who have experienced it, those who have lost a loved one or someone who is struggling with the imminent death of a loved one.
So when Jesus calls Lazarus out from the tomb, he is telling him that it isn’t time yet, that he has more to do on earth. So Lazarus comes back. With a new attitude, one free from fear. One free from death. For death is just a human construct, it is of human design. Life, a life in Christ, a life in love with our Creator God—is not complicated. It is simple. Let God’s love wash over us. Be tickled by that love.
I think this story is telling us to die.
We must die.
We must die to death.
Jesus wept because that is what we don’t get .We don’t get that dying is just another step toward the full glory of God.
At baptism, we are figuratively plunged into the deep, into the depths of a life without living, of an existence marred by sin and sorrow and regret. But, during the Easter Vigil when new Christians across the world emerge from those waters and are sealed as Christ’s own forever they are alive in a new way. Christians have died to the old way and been born into the new.
In a little while when we approach the altar for the nourishment of communion we must die to everything we fear-- everything we cling to. At the Eucharist we let go of this world and are transformed into the new world of everlasting life.
When Jesus told Lazarus to come out of the tomb! He was telling him to die, die to the shackles of a life without hope, die to a life filled with fear, die to a life with limited love. And Lazarus did, he died to all of that and was born anew to an everlasting life full of indescribable happiness. He was born anew to a life full of eternal love and never ending laughter.
This is what we are called to do, tonight at communion, tomorrow at work and next week at the grocery store. We are called to die to all the petty jealousy, the fear of each other, the old hurts and resentments Because nothing, not death, not dry bones, not doubt and not despair is enough to keep us from the giggling, chuckling never-ending love and laughter of God. That’s why Lazarus laughed and why we should too, for the joy of a new life in Christ is contagious, infectious and absolutely necessary to our health. So join me in chuckling at death, giggling away fear and embracing a God who laughs and loves us forever. AMEN
At Confirmation we will finish our discussion of the Eucharist by going through the Eucharistic Prayer. Be prepared--you may be asked to play the role of priest---
Below is the sermon I was supposed to preach at St. Phillip's Church last Sunday. But they were closed because of snow so I am preaching it tonight at their Lenten study:
Lazarus Laughed.
Lazarus Laughed?
That’s the title of a play written by Eugene O’Neill: It is the playwright’s thoughts about what Lazarus did upon his resurrection. And the first thing he thinks Lazarus would have done? Laugh.
When my friend Lynn tries to tell a joke she starts to laugh about halfway through. Usually you never hear the punch line but it doesn’t matter if you don’t hear the rest of the joke, you’re laughing right along with her, because laughter is contagious.
My nephew, John, who has cerebral palsy can’t speak. But boy can he laugh. He has this deep down, belly laugh which shakes his entire body. He has tipped over laughing so hard. No one can resist that laugh when he gets going. His laughter is infectious.
People who are depressed have a hard time laughing. The trigger in the brain which causes laughter is broken, so laughter doesn’t come easily.
Can you imagine that? Not being able to laugh? Rarely if ever tossing your head back howling in laughter? Laughter is good for us. It is a medically proven fact. Laughing is contagious, infectious and absolutely necessary to our health
Now, laughter isn’t an unfamiliar action in the Bible, Sarah laughed when she heard God tell Abraham that she—at 90 years old—would have a baby.
Absurd! Outrageous! Ridiculous! How could such an old couple have a baby?
But they did, and they even named him after laughter-----translated
Isaac means “God laughed.” Surely, God laughed, right? After all it was indeed outrageous, unbelievable and quite comical for a baby to be born in such a circumstance.
But babies do that don’t they?
They bring smiles, giggles and laughter.
We call them bundles of joy.
Think about a baby’s laugh-- Isn’t it the greatest thing? The worst day at work melts away at the sound of a baby’s giggle. It is pure and full of delight.
It’s a little bit of heaven right here earth.
So to me it makes sense that Lazarus, upon exiting the tomb, laughed. I bet it was a low guttural chuckle building up to a good ol’ belly laugh. In the play, all Lazarus does for the first day or so after resurrection is laugh.
When he finally speaks Lazarus says he laughed because, after death all he heard was laughter. The laughter of Jesus filled his heart.
Laughing Lazarus proclaims that there is no death, there is no fear, there is only life and that life is full of laughter. Lazarus has been to the other side and what he saw there was a life full of laughter.
Nothing else, just eternal life and laughter.
In the play, Lazarus exclaims:
Laugh! Laugh with me! Death is dead! Fear is no more! There is only life! There is only laughter!
Yes, Lazarus laughed.
But Jesus? Jesus wept.
As Jesus saw the sadness of all those who loved Lazarus, he was overcome with sorrow. Was it remorse for being late, for not being able to save his friend?
Or was it sadness at the lack of faith displayed by Mary and Martha? They both had yelled at Jesus---“if you had been here, he wouldn’t have died.” Talk about guilt. They were laying it on Jesus. But that wasn’t it, he wasn’t guilty or ashamed or remorseful. He was sad…sad that people were still so afraid of death, sad that people still didn’t get it.
Jesus said it as clear as can be:
I am Resurrection and I am Life.
Jesus, through his Father, and through the Holy Spirit, assures us that there is no death, no end, just life eternal.
That’s the whole point isn’t it? Christianity 101: believe in Christ and have eternal life.
But, really, why would Lazarus laugh?
Because it was so absurd that he had been brought back to life?
That could be it.
But in the play he laughs is because that is what heaven is full of: laughter. God laughs all the time, and so everyone else does too. After all, laughing is contagious. But back among the living on earth? Lazarus’ laughter was not funny. Those first few days outside of the tomb everyone was trying to snap him out of it: Lazarus, stop your laughing, there is nothing funny about what happened to you.
But Lazarus says he laughs because there is nothing to fear. Death is not the end; death is not the enemy, death is not scary. Death, says Lazarus, is really nothing at all. Now that is a pretty outrageous thing to hear: death is nothing at all! Death is certainly something for those who have experienced it, those who have lost a loved one or someone who is struggling with the imminent death of a loved one.
So when Jesus calls Lazarus out from the tomb, he is telling him that it isn’t time yet, that he has more to do on earth. So Lazarus comes back. With a new attitude, one free from fear. One free from death. For death is just a human construct, it is of human design. Life, a life in Christ, a life in love with our Creator God—is not complicated. It is simple. Let God’s love wash over us. Be tickled by that love.
I think this story is telling us to die.
We must die.
We must die to death.
Jesus wept because that is what we don’t get .We don’t get that dying is just another step toward the full glory of God.
At baptism, we are figuratively plunged into the deep, into the depths of a life without living, of an existence marred by sin and sorrow and regret. But, during the Easter Vigil when new Christians across the world emerge from those waters and are sealed as Christ’s own forever they are alive in a new way. Christians have died to the old way and been born into the new.
In a little while when we approach the altar for the nourishment of communion we must die to everything we fear-- everything we cling to. At the Eucharist we let go of this world and are transformed into the new world of everlasting life.
When Jesus told Lazarus to come out of the tomb! He was telling him to die, die to the shackles of a life without hope, die to a life filled with fear, die to a life with limited love. And Lazarus did, he died to all of that and was born anew to an everlasting life full of indescribable happiness. He was born anew to a life full of eternal love and never ending laughter.
This is what we are called to do, tonight at communion, tomorrow at work and next week at the grocery store. We are called to die to all the petty jealousy, the fear of each other, the old hurts and resentments Because nothing, not death, not dry bones, not doubt and not despair is enough to keep us from the giggling, chuckling never-ending love and laughter of God. That’s why Lazarus laughed and why we should too, for the joy of a new life in Christ is contagious, infectious and absolutely necessary to our health. So join me in chuckling at death, giggling away fear and embracing a God who laughs and loves us forever. AMEN
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
For Sunday March 9
This past Sunday we didn't have Confirmation class, because of some scheduling sanfus. This coming Sunday, March 9, Fr Paul will discuss the Eucharist as I will be at St. Philip's Episcopal Church. Youth preparing for Confirmation will meet with Fr Paul in the Youth Room, youth not being confirmed meet with Allie in my office. 10:15 am-11:00 am.
Our next social gathering will be March 30 from 4:30 pm-6:30 pm. Any ideas for an activity are welcome--let me know.
Our next social gathering will be March 30 from 4:30 pm-6:30 pm. Any ideas for an activity are welcome--let me know.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
This week's social gathering
We have a request to make our own pizza this week----so we will meet in the Walker Room to make pizza. 4:30 pm. I need folks to bring ingredients!!
Also, bring your favorite board game. I have Monopoly, Outburst (my personal favorite) and Pictionary.
HAPPENING!
Happening #23 is May 2-4, 2008. It is open to anyone in High School. If you are interested, see me, I have registration forms.
Also, bring your favorite board game. I have Monopoly, Outburst (my personal favorite) and Pictionary.
HAPPENING!
Happening #23 is May 2-4, 2008. It is open to anyone in High School. If you are interested, see me, I have registration forms.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
For Parents of Confirmation Kids
I know you all would like a copy of our curriculum. I am not using a curriculum beyond The Book of Common Prayer. All the confirmands have been given their own copy of the BCP and I want them to bring them to class each week. I have emphasized with them that the Confirmation Liturgy is an adult re-affirmation of the Baptismal vows taken on their behalf when they were infants (or young children) To that end we have reviewed what I am calling The Examination portion of the Baptism Liturgy (BCP pages 302, 303). We have defined what each question is actually asking and then tried to answer the questions. It would be useful to review these questions with the kids as their answers (and the struggle to get there) were profound and thoughtful.
We will now embark on an investigation and explanation of the Eucharist.
Please provide me any and all feedback! Thanks.
God's Peace with You All,
Cathy
We will now embark on an investigation and explanation of the Eucharist.
Please provide me any and all feedback! Thanks.
God's Peace with You All,
Cathy
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The next social gathering has been changed to March 2 at 4:30 pm.
Remember, we are doing J2A lessons at 10:15 every Sunday morning and the Sunday evening gatherings are just for fun. Confirmation now meets in the Youth Room at 10:15 am and the older kids meet with Allie in my office at the same time.
Servers this week: John and Jeremy Fithian. Meet me at the altar by 8:40 am for instructions. Thanks.....Cathy
Remember, we are doing J2A lessons at 10:15 every Sunday morning and the Sunday evening gatherings are just for fun. Confirmation now meets in the Youth Room at 10:15 am and the older kids meet with Allie in my office at the same time.
Servers this week: John and Jeremy Fithian. Meet me at the altar by 8:40 am for instructions. Thanks.....Cathy
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Next social gathering
March 9, 4:30-6:30 we will gather for another relaxed evening. We can watch another Pink Panther movie, we can do something else. What do you think?
Servers for this Sunday, February 17th at 9 am:
Casey, Doug, Juliette and Ian.
Servers for this Sunday, February 17th at 9 am:
Casey, Doug, Juliette and Ian.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
latest sermon
Transformed by Darkness
Preached at Parkside Lutheran Church on the Last Sunday in Epiphany, Year A, Transfiguration
Do you remember, as a child, not wanting Christmas to end? I distinctly remember late in the afternoon on Christmas thinking, oh no a whole year before we get this again. I felt the same way on my birthday . I guess it is a human tendency to hold on to the good as long as we can. To keep what feels like the best thing ever locked up in a keepsake box to never let go. We like to capture those moments, don’t we? I can’t help but think this year, wasn’t it just Christmas, how can it almost be Lent? I want Epiphany to last longer. I am not ready for Lent!
Today, in the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, As soon as Peter sees Moses, Elijah and Jesus, he wants to hold onto the moment. He does not want it to get away. He immediately says, ok let’s pitch some tents for them so they can linger here and we can have more and more of this glory. Before Peter can even get one sentence spoken he’ s interrupted.
God says, oh no Peter, you aren’t going to hang onto this moment, this is my Son and I love him You’re going to listen to him on this mountaintop and you’re going to listen to him down there, in the valley, when all the glory and wonder will be attacked and defiled. God knew the joy of this mountaintop experience would quickly be followed by trial and tribulation. Such a quick turnaround was hard to fathom, but it happened.
And here we are, just getting the last of the Christmas decorations put away, the wreath, the crèche, and the last of the lights tucked away in the attic. The wonder of Christmas which folds so nicely into the events during Epiphany—the Holy Name, the Baptism of Christ, The Presentation of the Infant Jesus at the Temple. Christmas and Epiphany were so short, can it possibly be time for that fateful trek to Jerusalem? I don’t want to go! I don’t want to hear anything more about this suffering, this crucifixion, this death. I want to linger in the wonder and joy of miracle births, glorious baptism and fantastic miracles. I am not ready for Lent.
But then again, who is ever really ready for Lent? Lent can be hard. Lent can be sad. Lent is nothing like Advent, when we get to spend a few weeks in hopeful anticipation of a miracle in Bethlehem. No Lent is about absence, it is about denial, it is about suffering.
Or is it?
Lent may be all of those things, we certainly do pare down our ornaments in the church, we stop saying Alleluias…it is not a big party time. But is it really nothing like Advent? I wonder.
Advent is about anticipation, anticipation of how Joseph will respond to Mary’s news of her pregnancy, how a baby born in a barn will grow up to save the world. Advent anticipates the wonder of Christmas. But Lent is about anticipation too. Not the mistletoe and eggnog type of anticipation, but anticipation nonetheless. Anticipation of the long night in Gethsemane, the agony on the cross, the desolation of Holy Saturday all leading to the miracle of the empty tomb.
In Advent we hear many Bible readings about the end of time, battles raging between good and evil, fire and brimstone. In Lent we hear of Jesus’ long trek into Jerusalem, of him getting mad in the temple, of Jesus being disappointed by his friends, of him retreating to the mountaintop for quiet prayer. Advent and Lent are full of difficulties, so why go through this at all?.
Why do we even need this anticipatory time?
Why not, in this age of instant gratification don’t we get rid of the preparation time, the time of anticipation, the waiting? Why don’t we just go right into Christmas and Easter?
Because without waiting, the event loses something. Without struggle the accomplishment doesn’t mean as much, without being thirsty the water just doesn’t taste so good. Without the cloudy days, the sunny days lose a little luster.
In San Diego, it is sunny 360 days of the year. Now that may sound appealing to Buffalonians in February, but my sister, who lives there, says that it can get a little tiring. She likes it when she visits our family home in Chicago where the weather, like here in Buffalo, changes day to day. The sun, she says, seems brighter in Chicago. There is something about the sun shining after days of gloomy clouds which makes the sun seem so much brighter,. So much warmer. So inviting. There is something about putting the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas, instead of at the beginning of Advent which makes Christmas feel more special. There is something about Easter morning when all that we have denied ourselves in Lent, or extra disciplines we have added, feel so worth it. So much like we really worked toward something. The struggle makes the accomplishment that much sweeter.
Have you ever taken off in an airplane on a dark stormy day and a few minutes after take-off the plane enters gorgeous glistening blue skies? Or have you ever been struggling to find the right word, or get a series of numbers to add up just right or struggled with that last ingredient in a recipe? It can seem so muddled so confusing and then suddenly it all becomes clear, that perfect word comes to you, the last digit in-putted adds up to the right answer, a pinch of basil makes the whole recipe work.
Revelation comes out of this confusion, out of this darkness.
Today’s readings are full of experiences shrouded in doubt and darkness suddenly clarified and glorified in brilliant light. Moses climbed the mountain, and came back down, transformed. Elijah, climbed up the mountain and came back down, transformed. Jesus climbed the mountain and came back down transformed. But to get there, to get to the mountaintop they each had to battle through the darkness of doubt and despair.
Mountaintop revelation does not come without its costs. It isn’t easy getting up, it isn’t easy coming down. But life, life happens down here, not on the mountaintop. Life happens between Christmases, between Easters and between Feasts of the Transfiguration. Life happens to you and to me day in and day out. Our lives aren’t full of huge revelations; our lives have clouds and fog, with glimpses here and there of bright light. Yes, our lives have hope but they also have despair… our lives are full of ups and downs. How many of us can say we have had mountaintop experiences? I hope a few of us, but most of us haven’t and quite possibly won’t. So what do the mountaintop experiences of today’s readings have to teach us?
That life is full of paradox-- that good seems to come out of bad, that darkness is followed by light, that confusion leads to revelation.
To get to the mountaintop, Moses had to enter a dark cloud. At the Transfiguration God’s voice came out of a great cloud, Jesus’ resurrection occurred from within the dark desolation of a tomb. There is something about the dark, the gloom, the clouds, the emptiness. It readies us for awareness. A sunny day followed by a sunny day doesn’t have nearly the impact of a sunny day after a cloudy day. To truly appreciate a gift we need to remember what it was like before, what it was like without that gift. The disciples, on the evening of Easter Day were walking along the road to Emmaus lamenting the defeat of their hopes and dreams in the crucifixion of Jesus. As Jesus walked along with them, he let them lament, he let them wallow in their loss and then, after breaking bread with them their eyes were opened and they saw that indeed it was true, He was Alive. Could they have seen him without their lamentations of woe? Sure, but would he have seemed so brilliant? No. If I held onto Christmas, skipping Lent, and moved right to Easter, would Easter happen? Probably. But would it mean as much? I doubt it. Because life just doesn’t happen on the best days of our lives, on the mountaintops , it also happens in the valleys, in the sunshine and in the clouds.
So go ahead, revel in Christmas and Easter, in your birthday and in your memories of glories past. Just remember that in the inevitable darkness of despair, a light will flicker and then-- when you least expect it--flash into the brilliance of your own transformation, your own transfiguration. Because that is what our faith gives to us: a transforming, transfiguring lamp shining in the darkness. AMEN.
Preached at Parkside Lutheran Church on the Last Sunday in Epiphany, Year A, Transfiguration
Do you remember, as a child, not wanting Christmas to end? I distinctly remember late in the afternoon on Christmas thinking, oh no a whole year before we get this again. I felt the same way on my birthday . I guess it is a human tendency to hold on to the good as long as we can. To keep what feels like the best thing ever locked up in a keepsake box to never let go. We like to capture those moments, don’t we? I can’t help but think this year, wasn’t it just Christmas, how can it almost be Lent? I want Epiphany to last longer. I am not ready for Lent!
Today, in the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus, As soon as Peter sees Moses, Elijah and Jesus, he wants to hold onto the moment. He does not want it to get away. He immediately says, ok let’s pitch some tents for them so they can linger here and we can have more and more of this glory. Before Peter can even get one sentence spoken he’ s interrupted.
God says, oh no Peter, you aren’t going to hang onto this moment, this is my Son and I love him You’re going to listen to him on this mountaintop and you’re going to listen to him down there, in the valley, when all the glory and wonder will be attacked and defiled. God knew the joy of this mountaintop experience would quickly be followed by trial and tribulation. Such a quick turnaround was hard to fathom, but it happened.
And here we are, just getting the last of the Christmas decorations put away, the wreath, the crèche, and the last of the lights tucked away in the attic. The wonder of Christmas which folds so nicely into the events during Epiphany—the Holy Name, the Baptism of Christ, The Presentation of the Infant Jesus at the Temple. Christmas and Epiphany were so short, can it possibly be time for that fateful trek to Jerusalem? I don’t want to go! I don’t want to hear anything more about this suffering, this crucifixion, this death. I want to linger in the wonder and joy of miracle births, glorious baptism and fantastic miracles. I am not ready for Lent.
But then again, who is ever really ready for Lent? Lent can be hard. Lent can be sad. Lent is nothing like Advent, when we get to spend a few weeks in hopeful anticipation of a miracle in Bethlehem. No Lent is about absence, it is about denial, it is about suffering.
Or is it?
Lent may be all of those things, we certainly do pare down our ornaments in the church, we stop saying Alleluias…it is not a big party time. But is it really nothing like Advent? I wonder.
Advent is about anticipation, anticipation of how Joseph will respond to Mary’s news of her pregnancy, how a baby born in a barn will grow up to save the world. Advent anticipates the wonder of Christmas. But Lent is about anticipation too. Not the mistletoe and eggnog type of anticipation, but anticipation nonetheless. Anticipation of the long night in Gethsemane, the agony on the cross, the desolation of Holy Saturday all leading to the miracle of the empty tomb.
In Advent we hear many Bible readings about the end of time, battles raging between good and evil, fire and brimstone. In Lent we hear of Jesus’ long trek into Jerusalem, of him getting mad in the temple, of Jesus being disappointed by his friends, of him retreating to the mountaintop for quiet prayer. Advent and Lent are full of difficulties, so why go through this at all?.
Why do we even need this anticipatory time?
Why not, in this age of instant gratification don’t we get rid of the preparation time, the time of anticipation, the waiting? Why don’t we just go right into Christmas and Easter?
Because without waiting, the event loses something. Without struggle the accomplishment doesn’t mean as much, without being thirsty the water just doesn’t taste so good. Without the cloudy days, the sunny days lose a little luster.
In San Diego, it is sunny 360 days of the year. Now that may sound appealing to Buffalonians in February, but my sister, who lives there, says that it can get a little tiring. She likes it when she visits our family home in Chicago where the weather, like here in Buffalo, changes day to day. The sun, she says, seems brighter in Chicago. There is something about the sun shining after days of gloomy clouds which makes the sun seem so much brighter,. So much warmer. So inviting. There is something about putting the baby Jesus in the manger on Christmas, instead of at the beginning of Advent which makes Christmas feel more special. There is something about Easter morning when all that we have denied ourselves in Lent, or extra disciplines we have added, feel so worth it. So much like we really worked toward something. The struggle makes the accomplishment that much sweeter.
Have you ever taken off in an airplane on a dark stormy day and a few minutes after take-off the plane enters gorgeous glistening blue skies? Or have you ever been struggling to find the right word, or get a series of numbers to add up just right or struggled with that last ingredient in a recipe? It can seem so muddled so confusing and then suddenly it all becomes clear, that perfect word comes to you, the last digit in-putted adds up to the right answer, a pinch of basil makes the whole recipe work.
Revelation comes out of this confusion, out of this darkness.
Today’s readings are full of experiences shrouded in doubt and darkness suddenly clarified and glorified in brilliant light. Moses climbed the mountain, and came back down, transformed. Elijah, climbed up the mountain and came back down, transformed. Jesus climbed the mountain and came back down transformed. But to get there, to get to the mountaintop they each had to battle through the darkness of doubt and despair.
Mountaintop revelation does not come without its costs. It isn’t easy getting up, it isn’t easy coming down. But life, life happens down here, not on the mountaintop. Life happens between Christmases, between Easters and between Feasts of the Transfiguration. Life happens to you and to me day in and day out. Our lives aren’t full of huge revelations; our lives have clouds and fog, with glimpses here and there of bright light. Yes, our lives have hope but they also have despair… our lives are full of ups and downs. How many of us can say we have had mountaintop experiences? I hope a few of us, but most of us haven’t and quite possibly won’t. So what do the mountaintop experiences of today’s readings have to teach us?
That life is full of paradox-- that good seems to come out of bad, that darkness is followed by light, that confusion leads to revelation.
To get to the mountaintop, Moses had to enter a dark cloud. At the Transfiguration God’s voice came out of a great cloud, Jesus’ resurrection occurred from within the dark desolation of a tomb. There is something about the dark, the gloom, the clouds, the emptiness. It readies us for awareness. A sunny day followed by a sunny day doesn’t have nearly the impact of a sunny day after a cloudy day. To truly appreciate a gift we need to remember what it was like before, what it was like without that gift. The disciples, on the evening of Easter Day were walking along the road to Emmaus lamenting the defeat of their hopes and dreams in the crucifixion of Jesus. As Jesus walked along with them, he let them lament, he let them wallow in their loss and then, after breaking bread with them their eyes were opened and they saw that indeed it was true, He was Alive. Could they have seen him without their lamentations of woe? Sure, but would he have seemed so brilliant? No. If I held onto Christmas, skipping Lent, and moved right to Easter, would Easter happen? Probably. But would it mean as much? I doubt it. Because life just doesn’t happen on the best days of our lives, on the mountaintops , it also happens in the valleys, in the sunshine and in the clouds.
So go ahead, revel in Christmas and Easter, in your birthday and in your memories of glories past. Just remember that in the inevitable darkness of despair, a light will flicker and then-- when you least expect it--flash into the brilliance of your own transformation, your own transfiguration. Because that is what our faith gives to us: a transforming, transfiguring lamp shining in the darkness. AMEN.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Last week's acolyte training was good, thanks for your participation. For those of you who missed it, we will have a second training in March. Stay tuned!
- This week Greyson, Eric and Doug are the youth scheduled for serving at 9am.
- Confirmation class--we get back together after what feels like forever. This week's question is: what keeps you close to God?
- Youth Group with Allie. We are talking about sharing a Lenten discipline. Speaking of disciplines, tomorrow Lent begins. I know a lot of people give something up for Lent and if that helps you in your relationship with God, great. For me, since I was a teenager I have added something during Lent. One year it was flossing my teeth. I have been doing it ever since. This year I will say Compline every night before bed, and I will buy six mosquito nets from Episcopal Relief and Development (one for every week of Lent). What will you do?
See you Ash Wednesday!
Deacon C.
Monday, January 28, 2008
News for the week of January 27, J2A
Hi all,
What a great turnout last night to watch The Pink Panther Strikes Again. We had a great time. Remember, next Sunday there is no confirmation class as we have the Pancake Breakfast. Check with your parents about buying tickets, if they aren't going to, email me and we will work something out. You can sit with Allie at 10:15 as I will be at Parkside Lutheran Church, preaching. Here's the run-down for this week:
Friday February 1, Candlemas at 700 pm (this is a very cool service and a friend of mine is preaching)
Saturday February 2, Acolyte Training at 1030 am
Sunday February 3, Pancake Breakfast
What a great turnout last night to watch The Pink Panther Strikes Again. We had a great time. Remember, next Sunday there is no confirmation class as we have the Pancake Breakfast. Check with your parents about buying tickets, if they aren't going to, email me and we will work something out. You can sit with Allie at 10:15 as I will be at Parkside Lutheran Church, preaching. Here's the run-down for this week:
Friday February 1, Candlemas at 700 pm (this is a very cool service and a friend of mine is preaching)
Saturday February 2, Acolyte Training at 1030 am
Sunday February 3, Pancake Breakfast
Monday, January 21, 2008
Confirmation and J2A updates
Confirmation youth: remember, the Inquirer's Class meets tonight (MLK, Jr. Day) at Mother Liza's house. The adjunct confirmation class we are holding on Sunday mornings is great, we have had lively discussions about the concept of Satan and evil. (I am emphasizing the Examination portion of the Baptism liturgy, reminding the youth that these promises were made on their behalf at Baptism. They will be confirming their commitment to these promises on May 1.) We will not have the Sunday morning confirmation class on Jan 27 (Annual Meeting) or February 2 (all Parish pancake breakfast). We will back at our Sunday morning classes beginning February 9. Here's the schedule for the next few weeks:
January 21: Inquirer's Class 7:00 pm-8:30 pm at the Dean's house
January 27: Annual Meeting of the parish, 10 am-11 am, no classes
J2A social gathering, 4:30 pm-6:30 pm, Parish House
January 28: Inquirer's Class 7:00 pm-8:30 pm at the Dean's house
February 2: ACOLYTE TRAINING, 10:30 am-12:30 pm Walker Room/Church
February 3: Pancake Breakfast, 10:15 am-11:00 am, no classes
February 4: Inquirer's Class 7:00 pm-8:30 pm at the Dean's house
February 10: Confirmation Class 10:15 am-11:00 am, Scaife Room
J2A class for anyone not in confirmation, 10:15 am-11:00 am, Parish House
January 21: Inquirer's Class 7:00 pm-8:30 pm at the Dean's house
January 27: Annual Meeting of the parish, 10 am-11 am, no classes
J2A social gathering, 4:30 pm-6:30 pm, Parish House
January 28: Inquirer's Class 7:00 pm-8:30 pm at the Dean's house
February 2: ACOLYTE TRAINING, 10:30 am-12:30 pm Walker Room/Church
February 3: Pancake Breakfast, 10:15 am-11:00 am, no classes
February 4: Inquirer's Class 7:00 pm-8:30 pm at the Dean's house
February 10: Confirmation Class 10:15 am-11:00 am, Scaife Room
J2A class for anyone not in confirmation, 10:15 am-11:00 am, Parish House
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Black Eyed Peas Where is the Love
Check this video out. You all probably know about it, but I just discovered it. Fabulous.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJV9EMkv0u4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJV9EMkv0u4
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
YOUTH NEWS
Well it looks like we'll be re-tooling J2A for the rest of this academic year. Following a meeting with the parents last week, it appears that focusing our formal lessons back on Sunday morning and keeping one Sunday evening a month free for just fun--pizza, movies, outings etc. will get us through the rest of the year. So here is the proposed schedule to begin THIS SUNDAY:
All youth interested in confirmation will meet with Cathy in the Scaife Room (the room off the Walker Room in the lower level of the Cathedral) between 10:15 am-11:00 am each Sunday. All other youth will meet with Allie in the youth room at 128 Pearl Street. One Sunday a month we will meet from 4:30-6:30 for a fun event. The next meeting? Stay tuned, I need to check with Allie.
Acolyting. Anyone who is interested in confirmation and is able, is encouraged to acolyte. I know it has been a confusing time for acolytes but never fear--I will be in the acolyte room every Sunday at 8:30. Please be in the acolyte room and robed up by 8:30 am, that way we have plenty of time for a review of your specific duties for that day. Soon, a pamphlet specifically for 9 am acolytes. And a training for you will be held February 2 at 10:30 am. Food will be provided, I promise.
All youth interested in confirmation will meet with Cathy in the Scaife Room (the room off the Walker Room in the lower level of the Cathedral) between 10:15 am-11:00 am each Sunday. All other youth will meet with Allie in the youth room at 128 Pearl Street. One Sunday a month we will meet from 4:30-6:30 for a fun event. The next meeting? Stay tuned, I need to check with Allie.
Acolyting. Anyone who is interested in confirmation and is able, is encouraged to acolyte. I know it has been a confusing time for acolytes but never fear--I will be in the acolyte room every Sunday at 8:30. Please be in the acolyte room and robed up by 8:30 am, that way we have plenty of time for a review of your specific duties for that day. Soon, a pamphlet specifically for 9 am acolytes. And a training for you will be held February 2 at 10:30 am. Food will be provided, I promise.
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