Category: General Interest

Items of General Interest about liturgy, the liturgical calendar, church customs and culture, our unique “Episcopal vocabulary,” the intersection of faith and culture, and all other items not fitting into the other categories (or fitting into multiple categories).

Wind Chimes: 21 Feb 2013

As I listen to the chimes I hear a constantly changing melody. It is a delight and a wonder which leads to contemplation. And contemplation leads to remembering. What do you hear?

Do you believe this?

The original context of the question is a meeting between Jesus and Martha on a road near Bethany with both Jesus and Martha grieving the death of Lazarus. Jesus declares some pretty amazing things about who he is and what he has to offer and concludes by asking Martha, “Do you believe this?” (See John 11 especially verses 17-27)

His question is the one my heart hears over and over again, “Do you believe this?” On Sunday we heard these pieces of scripture:

When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; (Deuteronomy 26:6-8 NRSV)

[God says] Whenever you cry out to me, I’ll answer. I’ll be with you in troubling times. I’ll save you and glorify you. I’ll fill you full with old age. I’ll show you my salvation.” (Psalm 91:15-16 CEB)

And this puts me in mind of this confession of faith (which sets a pattern, don’t you think):

Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey…. (Exodus 3:7-8 NRSV)

And the question I heard Jesus ask on Sunday and the question I hear today is “Do you believe this?” Today I continue to work out my answer, how about you?

Wind Chimes: 19 Feb 2013

On Sunday (2/17/13) we heard about the Temptation of Jesus. Periodically that same tune plays through the chimes we hear. What does such a tune stir up in you?

Temptation. A reflection by Pastor Steve.

In our Sunday handout I included this meditation. For those of you not able to be around the table in real life (= irl), I share the beginning of Steve’s meditation here:

Dear Gentle God,

I am not tempted to turn flint into rye, to be able to fly—or even drift nicely—or to bow down to some guy in a red suit and a tail so the kingdoms of the world worship me. Jesus knew he couldn’t do magic, defy gravity or make people like him. But I do want to have power and to be in control of my life, to avoid suffering or struggle, and to manage what other people think of me. I am tempted to make of things something that they aren’t. I’m tempted to take the comfortable route. I’m tempted to expect that you should protect me from difficulty. And I really want to make people like me.

In this sere land of desire, God, rip these idols from my hands.

You’ll want to read the rest; you can find the complete meditation here: Temptation by Steve Garnaas-Holmes, February 15, 2013, on his blog, Unfolding Light.

Image: Leo za1 on Wikimedia Commons

Wind Chimes: 18 Feb 2013

Once again the chimes are sounding a song of change. I know you hear it too. What are we to make of this song?

Resignation: “The most powerful gift of [Benedict’s] papacy.”

Here are “sounds from the chimes” offered by Joan Chittister. These words came in an email today (2/18/13) and are also posted on The Huffington Post in the Religion Section. I encourage you to read her entire essay, “On the Pope’s Resignation” and consider what she says. I find her insights powerful. ALL of Christianity, that is, the “one holy catholic and apostolic Church” of the creed, will be strengthened or weakened by what happens in its ‘Roman Catholic’ household. What do you hear?

The Church whose identity has been forever Western and European is less Western every day and barely European thanks to its declining numbers everywhere. …

Issues of collegiality are simmering everywhere, the voice of the laity is clear, the integrity of the church itself is suspect. Its total disregard for the contribution of women to it, either as an institution or as a spiritual system, has rent the cloth right down the middle. …

The attitude of the church toward gays has done as much to distance their families from the church as it has the GLBT community itself. …

These are not business-as-usual organizational questions in a changing world. These are issues that touch the very core of what it means to be human, to be holy, to be Christian, to be church. They are not going to disappear when this pontificate disappears. They have not been addressed by this pontificate in any way that gives hope for their resolution. But they have been exposed.

The fact that Benedict XVI has very humbly admitted the immensity of the present moment for the Church and decided to step out of it in favor of someone whose energies are fresher and, hopefully, more in touch with the pastoral problems of this transition from one era to another is, perhaps, the most powerful gift of this papacy.

The entire post: Benedict’s XVI’s Most Powerful Gift to the Church in “Religion” on The Huffington Post by Joan Chittister, 2/15/2013.

Image: Jarekt on WikimediaCommons

Wind Chimes: 16 Feb 2013

Joshua_tree_forrest_in_Arizona-croppedListen. Do you hear it? Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. That’s what it sounds like as the wind blows through the chimes today. What do you hear?

Can you hear God’s tender mercy?

Your words of mercy echo in my spirit:
“I forgive you for what you have done.”
“You can start over. Begin again.”
“I’ll be there as you recover.”
“Trust that there’s a better way.”
“Try your best to not do that again.”
“I know you can change your ways.”

May I also speak your words of mercy
In my response to those who stray,
Fail and fall, and attempt to start over.

Bernadette farrell in  Joyce Rupp. Fragments of Your Ancient Name:
365 Glimpses of the Divine for Daily Meditation. Kindle Edition.

Image: Laslovarga on WikimediaCommons

Wind Chimes: 15 Feb 2013

Courage. Courage. Courage. That’s what it sounds like as the wind blows through the chimes. What do you hear?

As we consider the temptation of Jesus (and our many temptations)

We are all asked to do more than we can do. Every hero and heroine of the Bible does more than he or she would have thought it possible to do, from Gideon to Esther to Mary. Jacob, one of my favorite characters, certainly wasn’t qualified. He was a liar and a cheat; and yet he was given the extraordinary vision of angels and archangels ascending and descending a ladder which reached from earth to heaven.

Madeleine l’engle “voice of the day” on 31 Jan. 2013

Image: Stan Sheba on WikimediaCommons

Wind Chimes: 14 Feb 2013

Listen. … What do you hear?

Listening to the creativity and spirituality of others and …?

One of my favorite blogs simply bears the title of its author: Rachel Held Evans. You can learn more about Rachel here. Have you ever tried

  • making a Thorn Wreath, a Way of Light Wreath, or an Easter Tree?
  • giving up all drinks except water and donating the money saved to an organization providing clean and accessible water in a place far from your home?
  • spending 10-20 every day OUTSIDE in prayer and meditation?
  • walking barefoot (as much as possible) for the 40 days of Lent?

You’ll find elaborations on all of these ideas, book recommendations, and prayers in Rachel’s 2013 version of 40 Ideas for Lent. Here is her introduction to the Ideas:

As has become a tradition here on the blog, I’ve compiled a list of 40 ideas that I hope will help you make the most of this season of reflection, penitence, and preparation. […] Thank you so much for your input and ideas! They made this year’s list one of the best. 

Rachel held evans

Go to: 40 Ideas for Lent (2013) by Rachel Held Evans (and friends).

Perhaps you will better hear the Holy One as you explore one (or more)
of these ideas.

Image: Man-ucommons on WikimediaCommons

Thoughts and Songs for Ash Wednesday

To my surprise, I have really been looking forward to the season of Lent this year. I used to dread it, because it felt like a time where we all just felt guilty and mournful about what horrible people we all are, and why do we make Jesus suffer so, and aren’t we just the worst?

But this year feels different to me. This year, I am seeing Lent as a time to (quietly! contemplatively!) celebrate the deep, wide, vast, unfathomable love that Jesus has for us. This year, I am viewing Ash Wednesday as, yes, a time to reflect and repent, but also as a time to hit a spiritual reset button. It’s a chance to re-accept God’s grace and re-affirm our faith. It’s a chance to revise and renew, and that makes me excited!

We won’t be attending a service today, as Chris and I are sick, but that’s ok. God is here, among the diapers and dirty dishes. And whatever you’ve got going on today, He’s with you too.

My prayer for this season:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Psalm 51:10-12

Some songs for your worship:

Blessings and joy as we begin our Lenten journey!

Ash Wednesday and Lent 2013

Here’s a quick summary of Ash Wednesday and Lent. Produced by bustedhalo video ministries the perspective is Roman Catholic but the teaching is, well, catholic (as in universal) in its scope.

Wind Chimes: 12 Feb 2013

Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

Luke 9:35 NRSV

“Listen, listen, listen,” it is the music of the chimes this week. What do you hear?

What we most need to hear

Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, “Prove that you are a good person.” Another voice says, “You’d better be ashamed of yourself.” There also is a voice that says, “Nobody really cares about you,” and one that says, “Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful.” But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, “You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you.” That’s the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen. That’s what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us “my Beloved.”

Nouwen, Henri J. M. (2009-03-17). Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith (p. 14). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Let us practice listening to the Chosen One this week.

keep-learning

You may want to read Beloved! Can you believe it? a previous post (with additional links) exploring both Scripture and what Henri Nouwen learned while listening for the still small voice.

Wind Chimes: 11 Feb 2013

Cloud_touching_the_tip_of_the_mountainx640

How often the chimes sing out, “Listen, listen, listen.” What do you hear?

Listen: a theme of the week

Last week I shared the opening words of The Rule of St Benedict, “Listen carefully, …” Through his words and the example of Anne Hutchinson we were invited to listen. This Sunday (2/10/2013) we heard the account of the Transfiguration as shared by Luke. The voice from the cloud picked up the theme of the previous week and sets on a course for this week:

Then from the cloud came a voice that said,
“This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

Luke 9:35 NRSV

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Let us practice listening to the Chosen One this week.

Image: Veera.sj on WikimediaCommons