J2A THIS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18

We will meet at our regular time, 4:30-6:30. Don't forget to bring something to drink. Also we need a volunteer to bring dessert---any takers?
This week in the group with Cathy, we will discuss confirmation and go over a list of stuff we need to accomplish before confirmation on May 1. We will also set up a rehearsal time for those acolyting at the ordination. See you Sunday!

Ordination!!!!

Yes, it is true, on December 1, 2007 I will be ordained a transitional deacon. 6 months or so later, I should (God and the People Willing) be ordained a priest. For so long now I have been consciously trying to NOT get excited, as there were hurdles to overcome, committees to meet with etc. But now the invitations are out, the plans are being finalized and it is official: I am VERY excited.
Not being excited reminded me of trying to act very cool when I was younger---you know pretending that nothing was a big deal, taking everything in stride. Well no longer. I am older and I have decided that I can be excited. Now I won't get too excited because that can get annoying really fast, but I will be excited...I am excited. Be excited with me, OK? Several of the youth from St. Paul's have already agreed to help with the service on way or another....I want as many kids and youth there as possible...so mark your calendars for December 1 at 10:30 in the morning, at the Cathedral. Join me, it should be VERY fun!!!!!!!

Relationships

I am working on the sermon for this Sunday and it is turning out to be about relationships. Especially about the primary relationship--The Relationship--of our life: the Trinity. Now before you stop reading, give me a moment of your time, especially if you are preparing to be confirmed. The Trinity, as we express so regularly, is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But how does this work? How can God be One yet be three? The basic answer is: well it is one of the mysteries of faith. But that is wholly unsatisfactory to inquiring minds. So, you inquiring minded folks, try this on for size:
God so loved the world, that God needed to be with us in flesh and blood, because God knew that we needed to see, hear and touch God in the flesh to really understand. That taking on flesh, that God made in human form, is Jesus. It took Jesus to explain to us that even when he was no longer walking upon the earth he would still be with us, because God is always with us. Being human beings though, we need more assurance than that. We need some proof! So, as Jesus explains in the Gospel of John: In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. John 14:19-20.
What is Jesus talking about here? What does he mean?The Holy Spirit--the Holy Spirit is in me, it is in you, it runs between us, it is relationship. When you and your best friend have an excellent time together, that's the Holy Spirit. When you and your Dad or Mom really connect, that is the Holy Spirit. When we laugh and laugh and laugh together that is the Holy Spirit. The good stuff in life is almost always stuff which happens between two people, or in a group of people, a family, a bunch of friends. The really good stuff in life is experienced in relationship. And relationship---connecting---is God---God as Creator (Father); God as Son (Jesus), God as Holy Spirit (grace). On Sunday when we were working at Friends of the Night People and we were laughing and saying hi to all of the guests and helping them get a hot meal God was there--with every "Hi, how are you?" and every, "Thank you" and "you're welcome" and every smile we were exchanging grace, we were instruments of God's love, we were, through our connecting with one another, expressions of the Holy Trinity, expressions of God as Creator, God as Son and God as Holy Spirit. God is huge, so God needs a variety of ways to get our attention.
See you Sunday!
PS check out www.npr.org and look up StoryCorps on the Morning Edition tab. StoryCorps is all about relationships!

Casualties of War--Children

I just saw this in this morning's paper. 2 children killed by US or US supported troops. I am sure hundreds if not thousands of children have been killed in Iraq, but we sure don't hear about it. Children are a gift. To kill a child is the worst type of horror. Pray for the children of our world, those in the path of war, those in the grips of disease, those who will wake up today hungry, scared or lonely.

2 children die in US raid in Afghanistan By FISNIK ABRASHI, Associated Press Writer



KABUL, Afghanistan - A nighttime raid in eastern Afghanistan by U.S. and Afghan troops sparked a gunbattle that killed three people, including two children, and the military said Thursday it is investigating the deaths.


Civilian casualties have incited resentment and demonstrations against U.S. and NATO forces, though officials blame militants who use civilian homes as cover during clashes. President Hamid Karzai has pleaded with Western forces to do all they can to prevent such deaths.

The latest civilian casualties came as U.S. and Afghan troops were raiding a compound suspected of harboring militants belonging to a suicide bombing network. They were fired upon as they approached late Wednesday in Bati Kot district in Nangarhar province, said Maj. Chris Belcher, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition.

After the clash, a militant and two children were found dead inside the compound, Belcher said. A woman and another child were wounded, he said.

"It is regrettable that the civilian lives were put in danger by the militants and our sincere condolences goes to the families of the deceased and wounded," said Belcher, noting the military has launched an investigation.

A policeman also was wounded during the raid, said Ghafoor Khan, a spokesman for provincial police chief. Three other men from the house were detained by U.S. troops, Khan said.

For Parents

In the latest edition of The Chimes, I have an article outlining church as not just a building, but a destination. Lately I have been reflecting a lot on my own childhood---being raised in the church---and how that history has anchored me through my life. I certainly don't mean that if your children attend church regularly they will end up being clergy or that they won't have problems! But I am very sure that they will have an extra place to call home, an extra place to feel safe, an extra place to grow up. Our youth program is called Journey to Adulthood for a very specific reason---our kids are growing up and it is a journey. A journey toward being an adult. Take a good look at our world, don't we need some stable, thoughtful, peace loving adults? To get them, we must raise them. That's what we are doing at St. Paul's Cathedral--we are raising some good solid people who have a foundation of faith to carry them through the rough times and to feed the joy of the good times.
To this end, if your child, ages 12-15 is interested in confirmation, call Cathy Dempesy at 855-0900 ext. 231 ASAP. Or if you are interested in learning more about opportunities for children and youth, call the same number.

Halloween Thanksgiving and Christmas

Tis the season for pumpkins and the witch of Endor, turkeys and thanksgivings for our abundant blessings, Christmas trees and watchful anticipation. Although it has felt a lot more like July than October, in just a few days it will be November and that insidious "holiday rush" will be upon us. The church doesn't slow down at all as we try to keep up with all the secularism of these days. We have already had our Halloween Party (with many thanks to Kelly Giordano, Alma Brown, Kara Schwabel and Ellie Bender who made the day a big success) and we are deep into our plans for the Thanksgiving Eve Eucharist, a St. Paul's contingent at the Turkey Trot, my ordination to the transitional diaconate (thanks be to God!), Advent, that wonderfully anxious time as we await the incarnation, and Christmas. These are the times parents can get caught up in buying the latest fad item for their kids, kids can get caught up in the materialism of an "I need" society and everyone can become irritable and ill at ease. Let St. Paul's Cathedral be an oasis for you over the next 8 weeks--find some quiet time at our 12:05 Eucharists, daily Morning Prayer (9 AM), Tuesday-Thursday Evensongs (5:45 PM), Friends of Music concerts, education hours and, of course, Sunday Eucharist. Our doors are open and our arms spread wide in welcome. Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving and with wishes for a holy, peaceful and mysterious Advent I ask you to take a deep breath and let us, your family at St. Paul's Cathedral, Buffalo, welcome you.
Want to join us for the turkey trot? Want to learn more about our weekday services? Interested in confirmation classes for your youth? Would your children like to participate in the Christmas Pageant? Email me at cathy.dempesy@stpaulscathedral.org

The Question About Health Care

On Sunday, we had an interesting discussion about the S-CHIP controversy. Here's a perspective from the New York Times.

Political Memo
Capitol Feud: A 12-Year-Old Is the Fodder
·
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: October 10, 2007
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 — There have been moments when the fight between Congressional Democrats and President Bush over the State Children’s Health Insurance Program seemed to devolve into a shouting match about who loves children more.
So when Democrats enlisted 12-year-old Graeme Frost, who along with a younger sister relied on the program for treatment of severe brain injuries suffered in a car crash, to give the response to Mr. Bush’s weekly radio address on Sept. 29, Republican opponents quickly accused them of exploiting the boy to score political points.
Then, they wasted little time in going after him to score their own.
In recent days, Graeme and his family have been attacked by conservative bloggers and other critics of the Democrats’ plan to expand the insurance program, known as S-chip. They scrutinized the family’s income and assets — even alleged the counters in their kitchen to be granite — and declared that the Frosts did not seem needy enough for government benefits.
But what on the surface appears to be yet another partisan feud, all the nastier because a child is at the center of it, actually cuts to the most substantive debate around S-chip. Democrats say it is crucially needed to help the working poor — Medicaid already helps the impoverished — but many Republicans say it now helps too many people with the means to help themselves.
The feud also illustrates what can happen when politicians showcase real people to make a point, a popular but often perilous technique. And in this case, the discourse has been anything but polite.
The critics accused Graeme’s father, Halsey, a self-employed woodworker, of choosing not to provide insurance for his family of six, even though he owned his own business. They pointed out that Graeme attends an expensive private school. And they asserted that the family’s home had undergone extensive remodeling, and that its market value could exceed $400,000.
One critic, in an e-mail message to Graeme’s mother, Bonnie, warned: “Lie down with dogs, and expect to get fleas.” As it turns out, the Frosts say, Graeme attends the private school on scholarship. The business that the critics said Mr. Frost owned was dissolved in 1999. The family’s home, in the modest Butchers Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, was bought for $55,000 in 1990 and is now worth about $260,000, according to public records. And, for the record, the Frosts say, their kitchen counters are concrete.
Certainly the Frosts are not destitute. They also own a commercial property, valued at about $160,000, that provides rental income. Mr. Frost works intermittently in woodworking and as a welder, while Mrs. Frost has a part-time job at a firm that provides services to publishers of medical journals. Her job does not provide health coverage.
Under the Maryland child health program, a family of six must earn less than $55,220 a year for children to qualify. The program does not require applicants to list their assets, which do not affect eligibility.
In a telephone interview, the Frosts said they had recently been rejected by three private insurance companies because of pre-existing medical conditions. “We stood up in the first place because S-chip really helped our family and we wanted to help other families,” Mrs. Frost said.
“We work hard, we’re honest, we pay our taxes,” Mr. Frost said, adding, “There are hard-working families that really need affordable health insurance.”
Democrats, including the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, have risen to the Frosts’ defense, saying they earn about $45,000 a year and are precisely the type of working-poor Americans that the program was intended to help.
Ms. Pelosi on Tuesday said, “I think it’s really a sad statement about how bankrupt some of these people are in their arguments against S-chip that they would attack a 12-year-old boy.”
The House and Senate approved legislation to expand the child health program by $35 billion over five years. President Bush, who proposed a lower increase, vetoed the bill last week. Mr. Bush said the Democrats’ plan was fiscally unsound and would raise taxes; the Democrats say he is willing to spend billions on the Iraq war but not on health care for American children.
Mr. Bush’s plan could force states to tighten eligibility limits, but it seemed likely that the Frost children would still be covered.
Republicans on Capitol Hill, who were gearing up to use Graeme as evidence that Democrats have overexpanded the health program to include families wealthy enough to afford private insurance, have backed off.
An aide to Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, expressed relief that his office had not issued a press release criticizing the Frosts.
But Michelle Malkin, one of the bloggers who have strongly criticized the Frosts, insisted Republicans should hold their ground and not pull punches.
“The bottom line here is that this family has considerable assets,” Ms. Malkin wrote in an e-mail message. “Maryland’s S-chip program does not means-test. The refusal to do assets tests on federal health insurance programs is why federal entitlements are exploding and government keeps expanding. If Republicans don’t have the guts to hold the line, they deserve to lose their seats.”
As for accusations that bloggers were unfairly attacking a 12-year-old, Ms. Malkin wrote on her blog, “If you don’t want questions, don’t foist these children onto the public stage.”
Mr. and Mrs. Frost said they were bothered by the assertion that they lacked health coverage by their own choice.
“That is not true at all,” Mrs. Frost said. “Basically all these naysayers need to lay the facts out on the page, and say, ‘How could a family be able to do this?’ S-chip is a stopgap.”