What’s in a name… and, does a more real Nativity scene still smell as sweet?

First, what’s in a name. 

Actually, what’s in two names – “Emmanuel” and “Jesus”?  We hear both this time of year as we approach the Nativity.  What did our ancestors hear when these names were used – what did they mean to them?  What do they mean to us today?

Oh come, oh come, Emmnauel.  How else did our ancestors hear this name?  What did it mean to use the ancient prophet Isaiah’s words, “Look, the virgin (young woman) shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel”? 


In Isaiah, these words were being spoken by God to one of the earlier kings of Judah (Achaz) who wasn’t so strong in his faith, had fallen off the wagon you might say, and who needed some assertive reminding that evil plans against God’s people would fail, empires trying to dominate the kingdom would not endure, and the earthly king (and his subjects) needed to stand firm in their faith and trust God.  To signal the imminent truth of God’s promise, he would send a sign… not a miraculous sign, but a rather ordinary one – the birth of a child in their community with a special name. 


Emmanuel. It means “God is with us.”  In it’s original context, that was reassurance that God was with the faithful of Jerusalem, even when they seemed to be doomed under attack.  When we hear it today associated with the Nativity, what does it mean to you and me, here in the midst of our modern lives, that “God is with us”?


Invoking of the name Emmanuel at Christ’s birth is a way of calling forth a reminder of God’s covenant, God’s divine pledge of assistance and protection.  If you read the lyrics of the popular song from the Middle Ages, “Oh come, Oh Come, Emmanuel”  it’s clear that invocation of this name is meant to call to our minds liberation from oppression, salvation from all things hellish, and light breaking through any dark shadows.


“Jesus” Both Mary and Joseph, in their own separate encounters with the divine, are told to name their soon-to-arrive child, Jesus – Joshua / Yeshua.  “For he will save his people from their sins.” 


Indeed, “Jesus,” or Yeshua in Hebrew means Yaweh (God) saves.


In contrast to this child being simply a sign of God’s promise, as in the case of the coming of a child named Emmanuel in Isaiah’s time, we’re lead to see that the child being given this special name – Jesus – is divine, an incarnation of God with us in a very intimate and imminent form to save us.


Now, does a real Nativity scene still smell as sweet?


Recently, I was invited into the home of Charleen and Dale Shipps to enjoy a tour of their inspiring collection of nativity scenes from all over the world.  Their joy and discipline in collecting and displaying these hundreds of representations of the Nativity really got me thinking about how we imagine that night. 


Perhaps like me, when you first imagine the Nativity, there’s this quiet, still image of Mary and Joseph neatly robed and calmly posed by a clean, smiling baby staring up at us from nicely tucked swaddling.  All of this set in still relief while there’s calm Christmas music in the background, perhaps “Silent Night.”


Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright… Really?   What if we were to imagine the Nativity scene more realistically as it might have been… and what might that tell us about God’s relationship to us?


Yes, surely this night was holy.  But was it silent, calm, or bright?  I doubt that it was calm and silent considering what was happening.  And I wonder how bright it was literally or figuratively, considering the pain, noise, dirt, perhaps momentarily panic, and oh so many smells surrounding them in this dark place. 


In other stories (Luke), we’re told that an angel had earlier appeared to Mary, a woman of simple means who has yet to consummate her marriage to her husband, and announced that she would bear a child of God who will become great and reign over the “house of Jacob” (read: Israel) forever.  We honor Mary for faithfully accepting this role… but imagine what anxiety and concerns the soon-to-be mother might have carried with that faithful choice to serve the Lord.  She’s not yet married and she’s got to somehow explain to her husband how she has become pregnant and risk everything – her reputation, her security, her relationships, and her life (Deut 22:20-24).  And tonight she is somewhere unfamiliar on a dark roadside about to give birth to God-knows-who; what does she imagine this will mean to her marriage, what is true about who this child will become, and what this might mean to her and her community. 


I wonder how silent she was as she contemplated the implications of all this.


In today’s story, we see part of this scene from her husband’s perspective.  Joseph is an honorable man, we might imagine.  He has been given the same name as the famous son of Jacob who was sold into slavery by his brothers, but eventually rose to become a powerful, albeit flawed, leader of exiled people in Egypt.  But we don’t know much about the Joseph who is with Mary on this fateful holy night.  Who knows how he reacted when Mary first spoke to him about her pregnancy? 


Exposing the apparent truth of this situation would expose both of them to ridicule and shame, and actually put Mary’s life in danger. The laws at the time (Deut 22:20-24) might have lead Joseph to at least kick Mary to the curb… is would have been justifiable, in fact, to take her to the gate of the town and have her stoned to death.  But we imagine that Joseph loves and honors Mary and wants to favor his compassion for her more than subjecting her to harsh judgment. 


We’re told that his initial plan is to “dismiss her quietly” – perhaps handing her off to strangers somewhere outside his community where she wouldn’t be judged too harshly and might have a chance at a decent life. 


But just as he had decided to do this, he received a message from God in a dream (not so coincidental that this message comes in a dream, as the more famous Joseph was known to be an interpreter of prophetic dreams).  God’s message is not a harsh admonishment or threat; like the message delivered to Mary, it begins with “Do not be afraid.”  The angel in his dream explains that the child in Mary’s womb is blessed and has a very special mission – to save people from their sins. 


When Joseph awoke, he had enough faith to follow these holy instructions…. but, like with Mary, I can only imagine how he also had to manage his own ambivalence about what was going on, his fears and concerns for the wellbeing of Mary, this child, and their future together. 
“Away in the manager, no crib for a bed…”  Here we have Mary and Joseph who have come to this strange, uncomfortable place in their lives.  They’re huddled together in an unfamiliar place along a roadside, where animals are kept.  It’s cramped, not particularly comfortable, and doesn’t smell so great.  Amid the harsh circumstances they’re in and the possible risks of their situation, they’re being held together by love for each other and faith in words of reassurance from God.


As Mary went into labor, a mother is gritting her teeth and perhaps screaming as she gives birth. A supportive husband is there with both worry and wonder on his face. If any of you have experienced a natural child birth, you can imagine what this scene must have been like, there in a dark barn, near the animals and their feeding trough. Curious animals are coming near to sniff, and the smells and mess are about to increase. 


I imagine this Nativity was neither silent, nor calm.  But was is it bright?


God came to them, and to us, humbly and innocently amid the visceral messiness of childbirth, in an awkward situation, and in less-than-ideal circumstances.


There’s amazing grace and hope in knowing that God comes to us like that – chooses to come to us particularly amid the messiness in our lives, acknowledging our fears and doubts, while also assuring us that we need not fear.


Is there anything going on in your life, or around you, that you experience as a stinking mess?  Have any of you been given unbelievable news in the last nine months?  Have any of you been told recently that “there’s no room for you here” and been forced to make do with whatever shelter and safety you can find?  Are any of you moving forward with some faith, but also wondering how it’s all really going to turn out? 


This week, invite ourselves into a more realistic Nativity and recognize what this means for God’s relationship with us.  No matter what situation you find yourself in, see that Emmanuel comes, Jesus is be born into your lives amid the messiness… and there need be no shame or fear in that – it’s as God intended it.  


See that our Emmanuel comes to us with the wonderment and innocence of a tender child amid all our adult anxieties.  We can’t help but be awe struck by this Christmas gift – God’s love coming to us tender and mild, even when we’re in pain and stressed out.


 I invite you to close your eyes so that it’s dark for a few moments.  Take a deep breath.  Imagine the reality of this Nativity in your own life. 


God is coming to you - a light piercing through even the distance and darkness of this winter solstice…


Jesus is being born - a flame of hope that continues flickering even when worldly circumstances are otherwise very dim…


The Spirit is with us – giving us enough light to see hope through any darkness and witness the birth of our redemption and salvation.


“Son of God, love’s pure light.  Radiant beams from Thy holy face, with the dawn of redeeming grace.”


Christ our savior is born.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come… and calls us to action.

We are called today by church tradition to a break from any sober reflections and penitential proclivities that might be a part of our Advent awaiting.  Granted, for many of us ‘modern’ Christians here in the United States, today’s break will be more likely from holiday hurriedness or seasonal stress.  Our lighting of the rose/pink candle today, rather than another purple candle, is symbolic of calling our attention to something else.

Today is the midpoint of our Advent season.  It’s a Sunday that has come to be known as guadete Sunday (gaudete is Latin for ‘rejoice’, the first word of the Indroit often sung on this day).  Some communities might also refer to this day as “Stir up” Sunday because of the first words of the Collect for today:  “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us…”

"Rejoice" by sculpture D.E. McDermott

Outwardly, we are fast approaching the midpoint of the winter season – the winter solstice – a moment in time when the earth’s axis is tilted farthest from the sun; the time of the shortest day and the longest night. 

Yet, inwardly, it is at that very moment in late December, when it’s the darkest, that church tradition has placed the remembrance of the birth of our Savior Jesus, calling us to celebrate a new light breaking into our dark world.  To paraphrase a popular adage attributed to a 17^th Century Theologian (Thomas Fuller), it’s darkest before a new day dawns.

We’re called today – midway in Advent – to pay attention to the stirring up of God’s power through the reign of Christ our King.  We’re called to action in his new kingdom.  And, we are to rejoice in this.

We might say that the stringent and strong prophet John the Baptist was born to preach in anticipation of the coming messiah.  We’re told that even while he was still in the womb of his mother, he leapt with joy when he sensed their proximity to his yet unborn cousin, Jesus, in the womb of Mary.  

John rejected the conventional world to thrive and preach from the wilderness against corrupt and hypocritical religious royalty, ceaselessly calling people to repentance in preparation for the coming of a new judge and king who would restore God’s honor and reign over Israel. 

Near the end of his life, John reencountered Jesus who had come to him for baptism at the Jordan.  Again recognizing something special about Jesus, John proclaims that it is, in fact, Jesus who should be baptizing him.  John’s sense is validated later as he hears more about what Jesus is up to and how this rabbi’s movement is growing.  John must be thrilled at the thought that the long awaited messiah has come to restore Israel.

But, soon after baptizing Jesus, John finds himself in prison.  In the darkness of his jail cell, shadows of doubt begin looming – is Jesus of Nazareth the messiah we’ve been waiting for, or are we to wait for another?

Jesus hears of John’s questioning and answers him not with a simple yes or no, but by addressing his concerns through invoking prophetic visions from Isaiah and psalmist poetry that would have been familiar to John and asking his followers to then witness to what they’ve seen and heard as they’ve journeyed with Jesus.  Essentially, his message to John is, in the words of Isaiah, “say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear!’ God is among you.”  And, the witness of his followers offers evidence of this.

Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia: Saint John the Baptist in Prison visited by two Disciples

Jesus then speaks to the crowds gathered near him, affirming John as the greatest prophet and telling them that John has prepared the way for the kingdom that has indeed come.

What did the prophets and psalmists say happens under God’s reign?  The blind and the lame are healed; the deaf are made to hear again; the poor and hungry are fed; the imprisoned set free; the barren lands blossom again; and a Holy Way is established, along which no danger lurks, and upon which no traveler is ever be led astray again.

Indeed, the followers of Jesus gave witness to such miracles and this must have gladdened John’s heart – bringing light amid the darkness of his cell, even as he faced his own death.

Interestingly, the next chapter of story of Jesus doesn’t match expectations of the messianic, conquering king that John might have imagined.  The rule of those in power in their time was based on domination by fear and violence – so, it could have been easily imagined that the coming messiah was supposed to conquer Rome with political and military might. 

However, the kingdom of heaven as lived and proclaimed by Jesus, was about victory in the mind and heart through peace, acts of good will, and radical inclusivity.  This counter-cultural vision of a new type of kingdom, in the short term, seemed to only infuriate those in power and earned our Lord a crown of thorns and death on a cross.

Of course, for us, the story doesn’t end there.  We believe that our Lord was raised from the dead so that he might lead a spiritual kingdom in this world, but not of this world.  He leads us now through a reign of repentance where goodness and mercy prevail, and justice is delivered through charity and forgiving love.  Amid any earthly darkness, he comes as divine light with the power to stir up new life within us and restore well being among us.  This is worth rejoicing, indeed.

Jesus reassured John and his followers that the kingdom of God had indeed come.  And Christ continues to work through us to advance the kingdom today.

Every time we come to this table, we are reminded that we’re living members of his body.  We feed on him in our hearts with spiritual food and are sent into the world in peace, with new strength and courage, to love and serve our neighbors as Christ, with gladness and singleness of heart.  God’s kingdom is come when we accept Christ into our hearts.  God’s will is done on earth when we act with Christ to fix our world, starting with the repair of broken relationships. 

This morning we take a moment to step out of the hurry “the holidays” and potential stress of the season.  We’re here to acknowledge that we’ve been called to action as disciples of a newborn king.  We rejoice for what is possible in our families and communities when God’s love is stirred in and among us.

Profound transformations are possible in our lives, the lives of our loved ones, and in the lives of our neighbors when we, following our Lord, share the gift of patient faith, remain steadfast with hope amid pain, and, even when it costs us something precious, compassionately work to relieve suffering and restore dignity. 

Amid the darkness of the approaching winter solstice, let us celebrate the light that has come into the world… a perpetual light that lives in and warms our hearts. 

I invite you to close your eyes. 

Take a deep breath.

Imagine that we’re in the stable with Mary and Joseph.  Coming into the world is life that will bring greater joy than we’ve ever known. 

As this newborn king grows in our hearts, may we will be stirred to action in his name by his example. 

May we love God with all of who we are and with everything that we have. 

As we truly begin to love our neighbors as Christ loves us, imagine what gifts are possible through our actions in his kingdom:

• All around us, people can be restored to health and wellness.
• Those who could hear nothing before can begin listening to the living Word.
• Those who fear they have nothing can learn of the abundance available to them.
• Those who are stuck can be made to move again.
• Those who can not see can be given vision.
• Those considered unclean can be redeemed and made acceptable again.
• Those suffering hunger can be fed.
• Those thought to be dead can be resurrected to new life.

AMEN.

Business leaders teach church leaders. Trinity Wall Street? Nope... Willow Creek.

Excerpt from the article: "If you ask organizers and attendees why corporate types, especially non-Christians, have any business telling church folks how to run their organizations, they repeatedly cite a popular paraphrase of John Calvin -- "all truth is God's truth." (Reading Calvin's actual words in his seminal Institutes, you can see why they paraphrase: "If we believe the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth, we shall neither reject nor despise the truth itself wherever it shall appear, unless we wish to insult the Spirit of God.") "The church has been closed to the world for too long," says Caine. "Jesus learned from everything and everyone. He says in John 17, 'My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.' We need to dialogue with those who are not of our faith, and bring our brains to the table.".... Willow's openness to leaders from outside Christianity -- whether Hindu, Buddhist, agnostic, or atheist -- attracts consistent criticism from some conservative Christians. "What they bring is knowledge of organizations that do not have biblical truth as their driving force," says David F. Wells, a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary near Boston. "Willow Creek has confused what leadership is in a company and what it must be in a church. We're in a very different orbit from the corporate world. Our objective is night-and-day different.""

Ready to Learn: Some 7,000 pastors and laypeople filled the Willow Creek sanctuary for its Global Leadership Summit in August. | Photograph by Saverio Truglia

WWJD? See what Dusty Garner organized this week at Kansas State

Bless you, Dusty, for your courage and fortitude in following the Spirit in love in organizing such a powerful witness to God's inclusive love for us all amid voices and forces that make it difficult to experience that truth.  

A little lost in time this morning

Awaking to recognize that 4 month ago (Aug 3) I came to Kansas for interviews; 3 months ago (Sept 3), I spent the first night in my new home in Kansas; 2 months ago (Oct 2), I was back in California co-presiding for 1st time at a wedding; and 1 month ago (Nov 3), O was participating in my 1st clergy gathering with new colleagues here in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas. 

Kairos and Chronos dance together at times :-)

(visual resonance around this with works of two Spanish painters from different periods)

Salvador Dali

Antonio de Pereda

Thanksgiving for Christ our King

Thanksgiving for Christ our King

What type of king is Christ?  What's the meaning of our thanksgiving?  What should be said, or left unsaid, as we gather around tables with family and loved ones this week? 

It’s that time of year.  Christmas lights out on shelves right after Halloween, even before we’ve begun building our shopping list for Thanksgiving.   The colors are changing around us along with the time and the temperature – it’s darker sooner and we seek warmth.  There’s a mix of rush and anxiety in the air, along with anticipation and expectation.  Seems like Halloween launches us into two months of concerning ourselves with others, but not always in a way that’s healthy for them or us.  Perhaps we worry about the politics of family gatherings.  Perhaps we fear what will happen when everyone gets together again, particularly if the food, décor, and gifts are not just right.  What will we talk about?  What will be said this year?  What will go unsaid this year?  And what about the people who are separated from their families and loved ones during these holidays?  What are they to do?  What are we to do? Our marketing friends at the stores, online, and on television are quick to stoke our concerns – pointing out what our holidays can’t be without and assuring us that things will be better if we buy the right stuff at the right price at the right time.  The newspapers and news shows tend to exploit our fear of scarcity and inadequacy – we don’t have enough money or time.  We’re barraged with dismal economic indicators while also almost sadistically reminded of the impending shopping deadlines, the final countdown to the holidays, the pressure to make sure everything is done and prepared on time.  We don’t want to be last, to miss out, to disappoint.  We must, at all costs, be prepared.  But prepared for what?!

In contrast, the Holy Spirit is also leading us into a special time of year.  Our church tradition is also encouraging us to prepare - to prepare for something profound that happens in the stillness of a dark, cold night.  Something divine that takes place by the dim light of embers glowing in the hearth and stars twinkling amid an otherwise dark sky.   Today is the last Sunday after Pentecost; the final feast of ordinary/proper time; a Sunday when we proclaim with joy that the resurrected Christ is King as we look ahead toward the beginning of Advent (next Sunday), a season of divine expectation as we start our church year again, anticipating the arrival of our newborn king. 

In the 1920’s, this special feast day for Christ the King was established as antidote to the rising primacy of secularism.  It is to remind faithful Christians, amid prevailing commercial and secular culture, that Christ is to reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies.  And, the origin of our national holiday this week – Thanksgiving – is also rooted in faithful tradition… not only the faith and perseverance of our pilgrim predecessors who originally gave thanks to God and their native American neighbors for bringing them through early hardships, but also the faith of one of our great presidents, Abraham Lincoln, as he turned to God amid a time of great civil unrest.   Hear these words delivered by President Lincoln nearly 150 years ago (October 1863), the same year as his Gettysburg Address, as part of his “Thanksgiving Proclamation” that served as another precedent for the national holiday of thanks we’re preparing to observe. 

Listen for what the Spirit invites us to hear in Lincoln’s words… listen for what we should be thankful for:

… No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the most high God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility, and union. (http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/source/sb2/sb2w.htm)

And what are we to hear in our scriptural lessons today?  On the heels of All Hallows, All Saints, and All Souls – a triduum through which we’re reminded of our relationship with the communion of saints of the promise of resurrection in the face of death… On the heels of last week’s lesson – through which we’re foretold of eventual judgment and destruction while also encouraged to endure in our Christian faith… This week, our lessons reinforce the message that although we might be lead astray by false prophets, scattered as a flock, or even find ourselves being nailed to a cross in our guilt, Jesus reaches us with mercy in our suffering and, as the risen Christ - our good shepherd, our king, and head of our church - he remembers us and has prepared places for us in his kingdom of grace, where there’s no need to be rushed or anxious in any season.  The Spirit is telling us that we can expect redemption and anticipate salvation through the greatest Christmas gift of all.  This is good news for which we can be truly thankful this week.

In his letter to the disciples at Colossae, Paul insists that they worship no other lords than the one Christ, our true lord and king.  To be clear, just as it did back then, the nature of Christ’s rule as king is surprising to us because it’s not a rule of violent domination, military might, worldly possessions, or victory through oppression. 

In today’s Gospel lesson – a part of our Lord’s story told in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - we find Jesus hung on a cross alongside other convicted criminals.  We’re told that above him was a sarcastic sign naming his as ‘King of the Jews’ and that people mocked his title – here’s the savior king, showing the power of his reign as he hangs dying upon the cross.  Surely, this is not the long-awaited political, warrior messiah in the family line of King David who was supposed reclaim Israel from those who has dominated and oppressed her people?  What kind of king is this?  What does he rule? Where is his power? 

In the Gospel according to Luke, we catch a glimpse of a new kind of kingdom in the humble confession of one of the criminals hanging up there with Jesus and in our Lord’s response.  One of the men being crucified alongside Jesus taunts him, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”  In contrast to this arrogant and angry thief, the person being crucified on the other side of Jesus confesses his guilt and recognizes that Jesus is a lord of mercy, praying in faithful humility, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” (a statement of faith that has become a popular Taize chant).  Amid what must have been excruciating pain and agony, Jesus hears the confession of this man’s heart and comforts him with the assurance, “today, you will be with me in Paradise.” 

Paradise.  We encounter this concept initially in Genesis in the form of the Garden of Eden – a place of divine perfection. Over time, some Jewish notions of paradise held that it was a timeless place – a parallel, yet sublime and ‘hidden’ state of blessedness into which one is invited to dwell in bliss near life giving trees cultivated by God.  Paul alludes to this in his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 12:3) when he spoke of a man being taken into paradise with Christ, where another reality was revealed to him.  We hear of it one other time in the book of Revelation (Rev 2:7) when it’s written that those who endure victoriously in their faith will be invited to eat of from the tree of life in God’s garden paradise.  Even while enduring a painful earthly death himself, Jesus gracefully reassures a repentant sinner that they will enjoy paradise together that very day.  Staring out over a barren, desert landscape while agonizing in pain up on a cross, this invitation into bliss in a lush garden with Christ must have been refreshing – worthy of thanksgiving.  In our sometimes barren emotional landscape, when we feel otherwise hung out to dry, vulnerable in the cold, this image of paradise as Christ’s kingdom is refreshing to us as well.  Our King invites us to dwell among trees that offer life, rivers that flow with refreshment, and light that shines away all darkness. 

Is this only something we’re able to enjoy with Jesus in another world after our bodily death?  Amid the noise and haste of a sin-filled marketplace around us where material things tempt and taunt us, promising to pleasantly distract us from the pangs of our deeper yearnings and longings, what if we dare to surrender to sweet silence, even if only for few brief moments when we gather with friends. What if, in our momentary, prayerful death to the distractions of this world, it’s possible to taste paradise with Christ and the saints?  What if we surrender the game of political gain and embrace the reign of sacrificial love?  How might this even brief experience of Christ’s kingdom come, change our wills for what must be done in our world here and now?

As we enter this holiday season, is it not real life with each other that we’re really longing for?  The beauty of the twinkling lights at night; the smell of crackling wood burning warm inside; the table prepared for us with loving care… are these not merely signs that invite us to the feast that we’re really hungry for – more perfect communion with God and our loved ones.  How can we make our gatherings this week more of a foretaste of the heavenly banquet that has been prepared for us by Christ our King? 

As we leave church this morning, we’ll again be among the busy secular world preparing for the stressful holidays and the cunning commercial demands for our time and attention.  When you feel yourself getting caught up following other lords, worshipping idols, and eating of the bread of anxiety, step back, close your eyes, breath deeply, and remember our Lord’s supper and the paradise kingdom he calls us to.  If you hear people saying harmful/hurtful things to each other in the coming weeks, recall that we’ve been called by our Lord into a place of peace, a time of thanksgiving, and into a reign of reconciliation.  Our King has given us an example of offering merciful love and forgiveness, even from the cross.  The power of Christ’s rule is over hearts and minds.  And his reign that he calls us into is a kingdom of justice and love.  This something worth being thankful for this week as we gather in his name around our tables.

Let us pray. 

Oh God, we’re thankful that you’re calling us into a counter-cultural time of true thanks-giving, Spirit-filled stillness, pregnant waiting, and joyful expectancy.  Holy Spirit, we pray that you be with us and our loved ones this week and during the special weeks to come.  Help us to know more deeply how through pain, humiliation, vulnerability, and ultimate sacrifice we can participate with you in redeeming justice and a principality of peace and perpetual love.  Christ, our king, we are thankful for the mercy and love you have freely given us.  Remember us as you come into your kingdom. Quicken us as we express our gratitude by surrendering to your rule of justice and charity in our hearts.  Strengthen us as we boldly seek to help build your kingdom paradise by being unexpectedly generous in our forgiveness and love toward others. 

AMEN.

Mapping 'well being' indicators across the United States

From the American Human Development Project of the Social Science Research Council -- an interactive online mapping tool of health, education, and income indicators across the U.S.. Funded by the Conrad N. Hilton and Lincy foundations. Thanks, Fast Company, for encouraging us to "futz around with it."  


I'm not yet confident about how to best make meaning out of this amalgamation of data... but it's certainly intriguing.


Fun to explore by ZIP code and compare the data to my own impressions of 'quality of life' in various places.  Provocative to ponder what the data reveals (N=??) versus what our personal experiences (N=1).

It Gets Better... when we make it better, with God's Help

SERMON (delivered Oct 18, 2010 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Manhattan, KS): Keep faithfully praying... and working together for justice in charitable love, with God's help.

Where, or where, are all the believers going?

Although this article is focused on membership trends in the Roman Catholic church specifically, it highlights for me the peril we all face if we isolate into idolatrous institutionalism or digress into demanding denominationalism... but, then, of course I identify as an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church.   Jesus, really, c’mon, you can tell us… just how far off course are we in pursuit of your kingdom here-n-now?

The 'had it' Catholics

A study released in 2008 by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life appears to support that common wisdom. It reported that while Americans in general “change religious affiliation early and often,” Catholicism has especially suffered from the trend, experiencing “the greatest net loss” of any major religious group. The picture, it turns out, is more complex than the bare figures might indicate. But the figures, however they are viewed, are alarming:…

http://ncronline.org/news/faith-parish/had-it-catholics

L.A. Bishops agree, it gets better...

there's welcome and room for everyone at Christ's table. where else do we find such grace, peace, and hope for healing together?

what are we told that Jesus did as a crowd lifted stones to cast at another child of God in their midst?

thank you, +Jon, +Diane, and +Mary

The Los Angeles Bishops, in a mutual message to bullied teenagers and those looking for support during difficult times: "The Episcopal Church is a safe place for you."

p.s., and here's a pretty direct message from Bishop Robinson on the same subject.  Thank you, +Gene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPZ5eUrNF24

no alternative way so far discovered (Friedman's view of capitalism)

something to nosh on over lunch today... A relative recently sent me this 30+ year-old clip of Milton Friedman on the Phil Donahue show. Still timely, no? Two phrases that echo for me from Friedman's lips are, "...no alternative way so far discovered..." and "...where in the world do you find these angels who are going to organize society for us...." It'd be great if we could find a forum in which Friedman, said to be an agnostic, discussed his take on the economic implications of the Gospel, particular the relationship between freedom, choice, and justice.


(See also:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1lWk4TCe4U&feature=related)
(See also: http://www.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=736)

INTERNSHIP: 2yr Youth Ministry opportunity in Diocese of Arizona

(an offering from the Episcopal Diocese of AZ): "A 2-year youth ministry training program in which the apprentice deepens character, develops competency and discerns calling.The program is ideal for recent university graduates or those in their twenties, who are exploring or pursuing a career in youth ministry."

Secular Student Alliance reports increased 'secularism' on campuses

“The secular student movement is growing faster than we ever expected," said SSA Executive Director August Brunsman. "It's a challenge to keep up with the demand for services. That's a nice problem to have."


Waddaya think?  What does this mean to us as campus ministers and evangelists?

(from the World Future Society weekly update) 
CAMPUS SECULARISM: A U.S. organization supporting nonreligious student groups reports a  growing number of such groups on campuses at the start of the fall 2010  term.  According to the Secular Student Alliance, a record 219 groups offered   atheist and agnostic students an alternative to religious ministries on campus. There were 159 such groups in 2009 and 100 in 2008. The trend toward increased secularism on campus reflects a broader   trend in U.S. society, according to the Alliance. The 2008 American Religious Identification Survey showed that the secular demographic was  the only group to have grown in every state since 1990.   SOURCE: Secular Students Alliance   

http://www.secularstudents.org/recordnumbergroups2010   

eyeing the Palestine-Israel conflict on your iPhone

interesting... thanks, Fast Company, for highlighting this.  This would have been a handy hand-held tool during our pilgrimage earlier this year.  it's very sobering to experience this reality on-the-ground there.

The Palestinian Conflict, Settled on Your iPhone

BY NEAL UNGERLEIDERWed Sep 22, 2010

A new app called Facts on the Ground lets users track settlements in the West Bank -- and pushes the app world into political advocacy.... Data used in the project comes from a variety of sources, with the methodology clearly explained. They range from the Israeli government (the Israeli Ministry of Defense provided the jurisdictional boundaries of settlements; population statistics were obtained from the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics) to the United Nations and Shalom Achshav field researchers.

What is Episcopal

Attached are some talking point notes from last night's Monday dinner and discussion lead by our Peer Ministers and Intern at the KSU Canterbury House.  After a brief overview of the Episcopal Church, we began Q&A and then followed with sharing some of our stories about 'how we came to be here' and the impact that participation with Campus Ministry of the Episcopal Church is having on our Christian discipleship.  Kudos to Nic, Amanda, Kathryn, and Hannah for facilitating this... and for the great comfort food :-)

What is Episcopal?

(some notes from Monday night discussion at the KSU Canterbury House, 20 Sept 2010)

From the Greek episkopos and Latin episcopus (translated as ‘overseer’ and/or ‘bishop’) alluding to the ‘episcopate’ structure of the church and the bishop as a sign/symbol of authority and unity in each diocese.  “E/episcopal” is an adjective. “Episcopalian” is a noun.

The Episcopal Church (TEC), formerly the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States and legally known as the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, emerged in the 18^th Century in the U.S. (after the American Revolution) from Church of England (CofE) roots and has continually evolved/adapted, as have other churches of the Anglican tradition that were once part of the Church of England. E.g, both our polity and our Prayer Book have evolved from CofE origins. Today, TEC is one of the provinces of the global Anglican Communion (with Archbishop of Canterbury as a symbol of unity). TEC today maintains a ‘wide tent’ of spirituality/practice encompassing Anglo-Catholic as well as Protestant worship styles and beliefs (ref: history of the emergence of the CofE in the 17^th Century).  Ethos includes Anglican emphasis on creative interplay of Scripture, Tradition, and Reason (this is sometimes referred to as our three-legged stool) that some say resists religious absolutism.  TEC is also creedal, utilizing both the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds in our liturgies, highlighting Trinitarian belief as well as belief in “one holy catholic and apostolic Church.”

Over 2.4 million members in 110 dioceses within 9 provinces throughout the U.S., Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Venezuela, the Virgin Islands, part of Europe, and in the Navajoland Area Mission.  Bi-cameral in polity – clergy and laity collaborate in decision making.  Orders of ministry are laity, deacons, priests, and bishops.  Primary sacraments are Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist.  Sacramental rites (pastoral offices) also include Confirmation, Marriage, Reconciliation of the Penitent (similar to Confession), Ministration to the Sick, and Ministration at the Time of Death and Burial. In communion/common mission with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and Eucharistic sharing relationship with the United Methodist Church.

The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, formed in the 1850’s, is comprised of nearly 12,000 members in 50 church parishes between Kansas City and Wichita.  The Cathedral (seat of our Bishop) is in Topeka. The KSU Canterbury House is a mission and ministry of the diocese*, overseen by a Campus Missioner and a Bishop’s Committee that enables the local leadership of a resident intern and peer ministers (students).  *The vision of the Campus Ministry of the Episcopal Church is to welcome students on every campus in the Diocese of Kansas and invite them to grow in the knowledge and love of Christ through fellowship, worship, and service.  For more information about the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas: http://www.episcopal-ks.org

TEC “shield” and flag design.  The red cross (representing sacrifice on the cross and blood of martyrs) on a white field (representing purity) alludes to cross of St. George, patron saint of England.  The nine, white x-shaped crosses represent the nine original dioceses of TEC and are in the form of a St. Andrew’s cross, recalling the influence of the Scottish Episcopal church through the ordination of the first bishop in the U.S..  The crosses rest on a field of blue,   traditionally associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary and symbolic of the human nature that Jesus received from her.

For more information: www.episcopalchurch.org

Recommended Reading on history of the Episcopal Church and Anglican tradition:

Frequently Asked Questions covering many topics:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/infoline_87500_ENG_HTM.htm

  

The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church (1979: Church Publishing Inc) *particularly note pp.845-880 – “Outline of the Faith” and “Historical Documents of the Church”

The Episcopal Handbook (2008: Morehouse)

Chapman, Mark. Anglicanism: A very short introduction (2006: Oxford Univ Press)

Holmes, David L. A Brief History of the Episcopal Church (1993: Trinity Press, Harrisburg, PA)

Moorman, J.R.H. A History of the Church of England, 3^rd Ed. (1980: Morehouse)

Prichard, Robert.  A History of the Episcopal Church (1999: Morehouse)

Ramsey, Michael. The Anglican Spirit (2004: Church Publishing Inc)

Sachs, William L. The Transformation of Anglicanism: From state Church to global communion (2002: Cambridge Univ Press)

Schmidt, Richard H. Glorious Companions: Five Centuries of Anglican Spirituality (2002: Eerdmans)

Sykes, Stephen, et al. The Study of Anglicanism (2004: Fortress)

Sachs, William L. The Transformation of Anglicanism: From state Church to global communion (2002: Cambridge Univ Press)

Webber, Christopher L. Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship (1999: Morehouse)

Westerhoff, The Rev. Dr. John H. A People call Episcopalians: A Brief Introduction to Our Peculiar Way of Life (1998: Morehouse)

d365.org

"...d365.org, a daily online devotional series, was created and is produced by Passport, Inc. Passport is a student ministry organization focused on creating meaningful experiences and resources for students. From Youth and Children's camps, to international awareness and youth leader training events, Passport, Inc. gives students a chance to see and experience their world in new ways."

Farewells and New Beginnings… The Journey Continues

(a letter to my friends at St. Augustine by-the-Sea)

Just two weeks ago, we were celebrating together the Feast of our parish patron Saint Augustine of Hippo while also bidding me farewell.  This is a little note to highlight how my vocational journey continues in Manhattan, Kansas, and to, again, offer my heart-felt thanks to our St. A’s family. 

First, a little context on the seemingly seminal nature of Septembers in my life.  After our Sunday services, and after a nice send-off lunch with Fr. Mark, I loaded the last few things into my car, spent a few more moments privately in our sanctuary offering tearful farewells to a place that has meant so much to me, and began my four-day drive to my new home.  The drive through Nevada, Utah, and Colorado provided for plenty of nourishing, contemplative silence as I passed through awe-inspiring landscapes in these states.  There were many conversations with God about transitions in my life, with musing about the significance of September in this regard.  


We’ll skip a full recounting of the many transitions that Septembers have represented in my life, including the major life changes immediately following September 11, 2001 when I found myself unemployed, shell-shocked, and grieving in New York City (memories still as fresh this past Saturday as they were nine years ago).   But, let’s look back just four years ago.  Four years ago this month, I was beginning a new job in Santa Monica, having just relocated from the Big Apple (Manhattan / New York City), where I had lived and worked for nearly ten years and where I had begun my initial vocation discernment with the Episcopal Church.  Three years ago this month, I had just returned from a month-long intensive Spanish-language immersion program in central Mexico (something I chose to do the month after I ended employment with Pfizer) and was heading to Nevada for several months to care for an ill relative.  Two years ago this month, having returned from the Lambeth Conference in England, I was relocating to the Burbank area, beginning what would be a short-term job with Kaiser Permanente, and initiating my course of study at the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont.  And, this month last year, having completed my Clinical Pastoral Education experience downtown at Good Samaritan Hospital, I was wrapping-up a project management job for our General Convention and beginning a new short-term job as parish administrator at St. John’s Pro-Cathedral downtown.  Whew – hard to believe all that has happened in these past four years. 


Now, September 2010 finds me beginning a new job in the Little Apple (Manhattan, Kansas) after having been recently ordained to the [transitional] Diaconate and returning from an amazing pilgrimage to Israel and Palestine.  Indeed, for me, turning the soil and planting seeds in September makes perfect sense, as this process has consistently yielded interesting new fruits in life.

Last week, I began feathering my new nest in Kansas (yes, I’m now a home owner, for the first time in my life) and preparing to commence my new job this week as Campus Missioner here in the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas.  As one of two such missioners on Bishop Wolfe’s staff, my/our mission is to cultivate ministerial leadership in Episcopal communities around every college and university campus in the diocese in order to facilitate welcome and nourishment of those who seek a loving relationship with God and compassionate fellowship with others (be they Episcopalians who work or study at the schools, or seekers in the college/university communities who are curious about our way of Christian discipleship).  


Although based in Manhattan, the home of Kansas State University (who beat UCLA during the opening game of the football season last week, to the pleasure of over fifty thousand cheering, purple-clad fans in the stadium), I’ll be traveling a lot, preaching and celebrating the Eucharist different places most every Sunday, and meeting and planning with laity and clergy all over the diocese.  The diocese has equipped me with a car, laptop, cell phone, and a broad network of earnest evangelists, many of whom have been in engaged in good work with the colleges and university communities for the past four years since this new model for campus ministries was introduced in this diocese.  Our collective work for this next phase will be to evaluate how things have evolved and set course for the next four years.  


To prepare for this field-work, I’ve been re-reading Acts and some of the letters of Paul to the early Christian communities, filling my heart and mind with missionary spirit.  As many of you noted when you learned about the particulars of this job, this work will well leverage my prior experiences in business consulting and higher-education student affairs as well as afford me rich continuing education and additional formation as I venture into my new vocation as an ordained minister of our church.  I’m so grateful to be gainfully employed in a full-time position within our church and even more thrilled that the job is such an amazingly good fit for who I am, where I am in my journey, and what the community desires.  Thanks be to God!  The words from Frederick Buechner’s book Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC are salient, “The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done....The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet.” 

And, thanks be to you, too.  Over these past three years of my active involvement with you at St. A’s, so many of you have helped form me and my sense of ministry in ways that will benefit the wider church.  I’ve learned to let go of a lot of things, both literally and figuratively in my time at St. A’s, and I’m better for it.  In surrendering many of the things associated with “I”, I’ve traded up, so to speak, to a greater strength and peace found in the “we” with Christ.  You’ve helped me till much September soil, healing and reconciling a few wounds, cultivating seeds of new faith, hope, and joy in the love that emanates from a church alive with people committed to spiritual health through enduring fellowship, compassionate inquiry and study, and meaningful worship.  Your prayers have buoyed me through the crucible of discernment and preparation that has been these past three years.  Your very generous expressions of affection, affirmation, and support for my ordination, for my pilgrimage, and upon my departure two weeks ago were nothing short of profoundly humbling and moving at the core of my soul.  


As I write this, my fingers have paused over the keyboard as I remember conversations I’ve had with many of you – on the Altar Guild, through the Healing Prayer Team, on parish retreats, during the Men’s Dinners, in discernment committee meetings, in and around special services, in the church office, and casually over meals.  These moments of authentic connection were rich and remain vivid and informative.  As I attempted to say on my last Sunday (I’m not sure how articulate I was on that very emotional day), rather that hastily trying to thank each of you individually, I chose to leave with you two symbolic gifts at the altar to better communicate my love for St. A’s – a new Gospel Book for use during worship services and a chalice and paten made for you while I was in Canterbury in 2008.  May the book containing the written Gospel of our Lord serve as a symbol of our desire to come to know and love God with all our heart, mind, and spirit.  May the chalice and paten serve to remind us to continually feed and nourish each other out of the abundance of what God provides to us.  Perhaps I’ll have occasion to be back at St. A’s in the coming years and will have the opportunity to again read from this Gospel Book and/or celebrate with this chalice and paten.  Regardless, I leave them with you as tokens of my gratitude… and as anchors in the St. A’s soil that has nourished me as I’ve grown.

Speaking of celebrating with a chalice and paten, I’m still awaiting word from Bishop Bruno and Bishop Wolfe about whether my ordination to the priesthood will be in Los Angeles or Topeka on January 8.  I’ll let you know as soon as I know.  Until then, know that you are with me in my heart as I begin new life and ministry here in the ‘heartland’ of America.  Peace of our Lord be always with you!

With Love, --michael 

Konza Prairie | Manhattan, Kansas | 2010 | Photo by Jen-Kuang Chang