Author: Daniel Rondeau

I am a husband and father and an Episcopal Priest (now retired) in the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.

Are you ready for a timely word?

In the Forum over the last several weeks we have talked about and learned from Moses, our great ancestor in the faith. Brother Give Us A Word is a daily word of wisdom delivered via email. Here is today’s word, as if Br. Geoffrey was listening in to the Forum discussion:

FRIENDSHIP

“Why have you laid the burden of these people on me…? I’ve had enough. I can’t do it anymore. I cannot carry all these people on my own. They’re too heavy for me. I’m so miserable, I’d rather die…” How is it that Moses…dared to speak to God with such a bold and forthright prayer? It is because Moses had, over time, come to know God in a very intimate way. We are told that Moses walked with God and, a couple chapters later in the Book of Numbers, God says, “I am pleased with you Moses. I know you by name….” Moses talked with God in this way because he was God’s friend.

-Br. Geoffrey Tristram via Brother, Give Us A Word | Subscribe to a Daily Meditation from the SSJE Brothers.

Brother, Give Us A Word | LISTEN

Brother, Give Us A Word is a daily meditation provided by the brothers of the Society of St John the Evangelist (SSJE or the “Cowley Fathers”). As we consider what we do in our Sunday Morning Forum consider today’s (10/21/11) “word.”

Listen

Listening to what God is saying to us in Holy Scripture, in our hearts as we pray and meditate, and as we hear other people speak about God, is important to us as we seek spiritual growth and understanding.

-Br. David Allen

Listen | Brother, Give Us A Word.

Look Father, look on his anointed face

In the Sunday Forum (10/16/11) we talked about the glory of God in the face of God; glory beyond human capacity to assimilate. Mose could only see the backside of God and live (Exodus 33:20-23). David remembered a hymn in which we sing our prayer to God to see the face of Christ when looking upon us (see verse 2). Glory looking upon Glory. Isn’t that a prayer worth singing?

And now, O Father, mindful of the love
that bought us, once for all, on Calvary’s tree,
and having with us him that pleads above,
we here present, we here spread forth to thee,
that only offering perfect in thine eyes,
the one true, pure, immortal sacrifice.

Look Father, look on his anointed face,
and only look on us as found in him;
look not on our misusings of thy grace,
our prayer so languid, and our faith so dim:
for lo! between our sins and their reward,
we set the passion of thy Son our Lord.

And then for those, our dearest and our best,
by this prevailing presence we appeal;
O fold them closer to thy mercyís breast!
O do thine utmost for their soulís true weal!
From tainting mischief keep them pure and clear,
and crown thy gifts with strength to persevere.

And so we come; O draw us to thy feet,
most patient Savior, who canst love us still!
And by this food, so awesome and so sweet,
deliver us from every touch of ill:
in thine own service make us glad and free,
and grant us nevermore to part from thee.

Words: William Bright (1824–1901), alt.
Music: Unde et memores, William Henry Monk (1823–1889)

This is Hymn 337 in the Hymnal 1982 of the Episcopal Church. Lately we have talked a lot about hymns and their role in shaping and defining and encouraging our faith; check these out:

Please continue the conversation begun on Sunday by leaving a comment to share. We welcome your responses.

Then sings my soul …

Over the past several weeks we have talked about music in the Sunday Morning Forum. We have shared how words and music combined in hymns to thrill us, inform us, inspire us, encourage us, and so much more. In the Forum and in this blog I’ll continue to share your musical insights.

Richard wrote to me “It’s true there is a huge amount of power in music. I have several favorites. My first choice would have to be “How Great Thou Art”. When ever I hear it I feel completely at one with the Universe and it’s celebration which never ends.” How Great Thou Art is in our Episcopal hymnal Lift Every Voice and Sing II (No. 60)

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds thy hands have made,
I see the stars I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout the universe displayed.

Then sings my soul, my Savior, God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
Send him to die, I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God how great thou art.

Words: Stuart K. Hine (b. 1899)
Music: Swedish Folk Melod; arr. Stuart K. Hine

Keep sharing your favorites (add a little note about why) and we’ll keep this conversation going. The Spirit is singing now!

Going in Circles, Getting Whole

Walk the Labyrinth at St. Margaret's in Palm Desert, CA

“Going in Circles, Getting Whole” by David Burgdorf (a Forum participant) will set you in motion for the moving meditation that is the labyrinth. Every month the Labyrinth Guild at St. Margaret’s offers a time to experience the labyrinth within a group setting. I invite you to participate in this walk.

Need additional inspiration about walking the labyrinth? I share the wisdom and experience of Macrina Wiederkehr a Benedictine Nun. Hip Deep in Tears opens her experience to you and will serve as an introduction to the power of the labyrinth. This is one tiny example of encounter with the power and mystery of God within the labyrinth. You will have your own story to tell. Come and walk.

God is ready to spend. Are you ready?

Quote . . .

You, made in God’s image,
stamped with God’s likeness,
you are God’s valuable coin.
God intends to spend you
according to God’s desire,
to spend you on life,
on what delights God.

Read Spent, a reflection by Steve Garnaas-Holmes on Matthew 22:15-21
(the Gospel text for Sunday 10/16/2011).

I am grateful for writers, poets, and the power of words. I am grateful for this reflection by Pastor Steve. Let us resolve, fellow travelers, to be spent by God as we journey together through this place at this time.

You’ll want to use BibleMap.org

Here is a resource that’s as easy to use as Google Maps: BibleMap.org. It is still being built, so be patient.

Once on the site, enter a book and chapter in the search panel (usually on the left). As soon as I selected the book (from the drop-down list) and the chapter number the map appeared.

Here’s what I got for 1 Thesslonians 1

Click the map – go to the map

Once you have the map you may navigate it as you do in Google Maps (use the controls on the right side of the map). You can zoom in or out. You can navigate in all compass directions. Clicking on a map pin will give you even more information (and choices).

In addition, you will find Paul’s Missionary Journeys mapped out. In the upper right hand corner click on events (sandwiched between home and report an error). I selected Paul’s 2nd Missionary Journey from the pop-up list and received this map:

Click the map – go to the map

Have fun with this bible map tool. Share your experiences and questions here (Comments and Replies) or in the Forum on Sunday.

The Holy Spirit: Calling out a great cadence

“Will you strive for justice and peace in the world? I will, with God’s help.” –From our Baptismal Covenant

“Green isn’t a fad. We’re not drawn to it because it’s hip. We are called to advocate for the Earth out of a deep sense of love and respect. Love for the generations that we will never know. Respect for the soil that we came from. We are from dirt; and to dirt we will return. (You can quote us – and Genesis – on that.) –Ashley Graham-Wilcox, in Spreading the seeds of eco-justice a reflection on her learning in the Eco-Justice Immersion Experience sponsored by Episcopal Leadership Institute for Young Adults.

Wild Goose LogoThe title of the Sunday Morning Forum (and this blog) is chosen for a purpose: we intend to hear what the Spirit is saying. We intend to hear the Spirit in the readings appointed for Sunday and in the stories of our lives (individually and communally as parishioners and friends of St. Margaret’s in Palm Desert). We intend to hear the Spirit in the news we read or hear and as we listen to the stories of other men and women of faith interpreting the news by their words and actions.

I hear the Spirit leading me, leading us (the people of St. Margaret’s), further along the path of justice and peace in fulfillment of our Baptismal Covenant. Consider:

To respond to the needs of our constantly changing communities, as Jesus calls us, in ways that reflect our diversity and cultures as we seek, wonder and discover together.
To prepare for a sustainable future by calling the community to become guardians of God’s creation

  • Our Rector’s vision that “Justice is at the heart of what God expects us to do and be: “[God] has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 from The Rector’s Desk, November 2011
  • The ongoing work of the St. Margaret’s Outreach Center feeding the hungry and offering the companionship and comfort of our faith to those who struggle

This month our Outreach Commission initiated a prayer service for healing at the Outreach Center and launched a PB&J Ministry to help feed the hungry The October 2011 View

  • In August 2011 young Episcopalians (like Ashley) gathered in Seattle to encourage each other to lead folks like you and me to a sustainable future—as a matter of faithful living in the Reign of God

Ashley’s reflection is straight forward and gives me great hope

  • In September 2011 our bishops asked that every Episcopalian

   … take steps in our individual lives, and in community, public policy, business, and other forms of corporate decision-making, to practice environmental stewardship and justice, including (1) a commitment to energy conservation and the use of clean, renewable sources of energy; and (2) efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle, and whenever possible to buy products made from recycled materials  Read The Bishops’ Pastoral Teaching

  • This summer our Vestry decided to go forward with a solar energy project for the parish (and the community)

Hear what the Spirit is saying? IT SOUNDS LIKE THE SPIRIT IS SHOUTING.

Pay attention!Which leads me to remind you and encourage you to encourage our Forum member, Sherry, and our Deacon Cherry Remboldt, who are advocating for our parish-wide use of Fair Trade coffee and compostable cups in our fellowship. This is a small step, to be sure, “to practice environmental stewardship and justice” using the words of our bishops, but it’s a step in the right direction.

As I write, Cherry and Sherry are helping the Outreach Commission sort through the costs and logistics of this move which, of course, will put us in step with our Baptismal Covenant, our Charter for Lifelong Christian Formation, our Rector’s vision for our parish, the work of our Young Adult Leaders, our bishops’ recent Pastoral Teaching (and invitation), our ongoing work for justice and peace as we serve others (for the love of God) in our community, and our commitment to build a sustainable future (our vestry’s vision—right in line with the vision of our bishops—as we take up a solar energy project).


Let’s stay in step with the Spirit who is calling out a great cadence for us.

How’s your Hebrew?

 

The Great Isaiah Scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls

Some of you may have seen one of the traveling exhibits of the Dead Sea Scrolls (in 2010 the exhibit was in San Diego). Now The Digital Dead Sea Scrolls are available to all.

You can even view the video presenting this latest addition to online biblical study.

With a little effort you can compare portions of the Dead Sea Scroll to the standard Jewish translation in English (if, like me, you don’t read Hebrew). The directions are on each page describing the scroll about to be viewed, like The Great Isaiah Scroll.

You can read more about this online at The Anglican Journal.com

Enjoy. Leave a comment here. Continue this conversation. Be blessed by God’s Word today.

Love your neighbor, love the earth, while sipping your Pumpkin Spice Coffee

With Cherry Remboldt, our deacon, Sherry (our co-facilitator) has approached the Outreach Commission of the Vestry about serving Fair Trade Coffee at St. Margaret’s. The Commission is studying the logistics of the proposal. Stay tuned. Meanwhile …

… Sherry reports that Fresh & Easy is offering fairly traded Pumpkin Spice Coffee for the fall. In her note to me she continues, “The reason I mention this is because, for one, it’s really good, and for two, I’ve never seen a fairly traded flavored coffee before … woo hoo! on behalf of coffee farmers and Fresh & Easy!”

Let us encourage each other (and our friends and neighbors) to purchase Fair Trade Coffee (and other items) to support farmers and other workers and to (better) care for the environment. This is something our bishops have gone on record to support with Bishop’s Blend Coffee and their Pastoral Teaching about stewardship of creation. Let us be “doers of the word.”