Opening Day - Yacht Club Blessing - 2014, 3 May

As Opening Day for many of us is this coming Saturday, I thought I would share what I have used before as my "pastoral" portion of the ceremonies. May we continue to be renewed and refreshed upon the waters of this marvelous Earth.

Blessed Be,
Joel

I am profoundly aware that we yachtsmen/women stand upon the shoulders of all of those who have gone before us - especially the working fishing fleets. The first pleasure yachts were often recommissioned working craft. As such I would strongly encourage all of us to participate in the Blessing of the Fishing Fleet at ...


We are people who journey as vessels containing wellsprings of hope;
sharing, replacing, and adding new waters
     of proclamation, power, prophecy and prayer
          to the containers of our life and faith.
We pause and reflect on the movement of the tide of this journey,
     as it washes upon our shores* ...

Let us pray:
Blessed are you, Lord our God
     for you have created a wide and wonderful world in which we can travel
          - we can voyage - upon this watery world.
We ask your blessings upon us (and our vessels)
     upon our leavings and comings.
Be our ever near companion, O Holy Guide to all Travelers,
     and spread the way before us with beauty and renewal.
On our voyages may we take with us
     as part of our traveling equipment
          a heart wrapped in wonder and awe
     with which to rejoice in all that we shall meet.**

O Creator God, may the waters that covered us at our birth
once again remind us of our creation in you.
Remind us that we are vessels of the waters of hope
     and that your outpourings have power to heal
          and make whole our bruised world.
Let the living waters of creation, womb, baptism, and Spirit
     encircle us that we may remember we are yours and be thankful.*
Amen.

________
*from Elizabeth Lopez Spence. The United Methodist Book of Worship. (1992) #527 (adapted)
**Adapted from Edward Hays. "Blessing Prayer When About to Leave on a Journey." Prayers for the Domestic Church. (1979) 35.

Living as Resurrection People

This week's Lectionary Texts include the Easter Monday reading of the Walk to Emmaus:

• First reading
  • Acts 2:14a, 36-41
• Psalm
  • Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
• Second reading
  • 1 Peter 1:17-23
• Gospel
  • Luke 24:13-35

In reflecting on this season of Easter that we now find ourselves in, what does it mean to live as Easter - as Resurrection - people? Do we bring a sense of offering repentance to others, and to ourselves? Do we allow our own souls to heal their brokenness? Do we expect to encounter Resurrection?

May it be so. May it be so. Amen and Blessed Be.

Joel

Soup on Wednesday: Food for Thought - Taking What We Learn on Boats to Shore

With yesterday being Earth Day (isn't everyday?), I thought I'd post a link regarding taking what we learn from boating/cruising to our shore lives. So often I see people trying to outfit their boats to reflect their shore lives (i.e. big screen TVs to watch the game, etc.), that I found the post great reading.
The post is over on Simply Sailing (a weekly blog worth following): Simply on Land.
How are you doing with your earth care?
Blessed Be,
Joel

Easter Monday, 2014

On this Easter Monday, Luke's Walk to Emmaus is the text. Two set out on a journey, encounter a third, with whom they share what has happened. It is only after the two beg the third to stay for dinner, and the third breaks the bread of the evening meal, do the two realize it is Jesus, the Risen Lord who has been traveling with them.
Who are you encountering on the road? How are you looking to be surprised? Do you have an opportunity to break bread with someone?
Blessed be,
Joel

Easter - 2014

Happy Easter!

Invitation to Worship

L: Alleluia! Praise be to God! Christ has risen indeed.

P: We bring our joyful alleluias to this place today!

L: The tomb is empty, and new life hovers in this dawn.

P: We praise God for the mystery and the excitement of new life present in this day!

Hymn                    “Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise” #312

Opening Prayer: 

This is the day, Lord God, that you have made! Raising Christ from the dead, and raising us with Christ, you have fashioned for yourself a new people, washed in the flood of baptism, sealed with the gift of the Spirit, invited to the banquet of the Lamb! In the beauty of this Easter morning, set our minds on the new life to which you have called us; place on our lips the words of witness for which you have anointed us. We ask this through our risen Savior, Christ the Lord. Amen.

EASTER ACCOUNTS – “ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK…”

(Note that these accounts are arranged in probable chronological order.)

The First Account: ~70 CE

Words at the Tomb........................................................................................... Mark 16:1-8a

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

HYMN: Christ is Alive (v. 1-3)...................................................................................................................... #318

The First Account, Amended

Continuation ............................................................................................... Mark 16:8b-20

And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation

Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were still mourning and weeping. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after had had been risen. And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of god. Andy they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

HYMN: Christ is Alive (vs 4-5)...................................................................................................................... #318

Another Account: ~80-95 CE

Words at the Tomb...................................................................................... Matthew 28:1-10

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go Quickly and tell his disciples, ‘for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him,” This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

HYMN: Easter People, Raise Your Voices.............................................................................................................. #304

Another Account: ~85 CE

At the Tomb................................................................................................... Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came tot eh tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third ay rise again.” They the remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother o James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

HYMN: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (vs. 1-2)..................................................................................................................... # 302

Two More Accounts: ~ 85 CE

Walking on the Road.......................................................................................... Luke 24:13-35

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded u. They were in the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them all the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which thy were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how the had been made known to them in the braking of the bread.”

HYMN: On the Day of Resurrection............................................................................................................... #309

Yet Another Account: ~85 CE

While they were talking................................................................................ Luke 24: 36-53

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

HYMN: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (vs. 3-4)..................................................................................................................... # 302

Another Account: ~80-90 CE

In the Garden  .................................................................................................... John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have take the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together; but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings laying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings laying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not laying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

            But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” she turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

HYMN: In the Garden (v. 1) ..................................................................................... # 314

Another Account: ~80-90 CE

Evening of the First Day ................................................................................. John 20:19-23

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

HYMN: Christ the Lord is Risen Today (vs. 3-4) .................................................... # 302

Silent Reflection (or Your Account 2012) 

HYMN: He Lives .............................................................................................................. # 310

Benediction:

Hear the Good News – The tomb is empty – Christ has been Raised from the dead. Alleluia, Alleluia.

Go in Peace and Celebration to share the Good News that has happened to us this day!

Go in Peace and with the Spirit as you Love and Serve the Risen Lord.

Amen.

Good Friday Serice of Tenebrae - 2014

This service of Tenebrae is usually done as darkness falls (in the evening) or after it is dark. Candles are lit, and then extinguished as each reading is read. You will need seven candles. People depart in the dark - and by tradition, there is no benediction until the Easter morning service.
May you continue to be blessed by God's movement in your lives over these Holy Days.

Joel

CELEBRATION OF THE LORD’S SUPPER 

      (I have often started with a Lord's Supper communion service for those interested prior to the service starting.)

PRELUDE

CALL TO WORSHIP/INVOCATION

O God, by the example of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, you taught us the greatness of true humility, and call us to watch with him in his passion. Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness, and to enter into the fellowship of his suffering; in his name and for his suffering; in his name and for his sake. Amen.

                                                                        W. E. Orchard, England, 20^th Cent. Alt.

HYMN: O Love Divine, What Hast Thou Done.................................................................... # 287

TENEBRAE – THE SERVICE OF SHADOWS

Introduction

The Darkness of Misunderstanding

Words in the Temple....................................................................................... Mark 11:15-18

Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written,

‘My house shall be called a house of prayer

for all the nations’?

But you have made it a den of robbers.”

And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching.

HYMN: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (vs 1, 2 & 4)........................................ #626

The Darkness of Betrayal

Words in the Upper Room........................................................................ Matthew 26:20-28

When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”

While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

CHOIR: Adoramus Te Christe

The Darkness of Temptation

Words in the Garden............................................................................... Matthew 26:36-46

Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me.” And going a little further, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trail; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See my betrayer is at hand.”

HYMN: Go to Dark Gethsemane (vs 1 & 2)......................................................... #290

The Darkness of Injustice

Words of the Trail...................................................................................... Mark 14:55-64

Now the Chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am; and

‘you will see the Son of Man

seated at the right hand of the Power,’

and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death.

HYMN: Ah, Holy Jesus (vs 1 & 2)........................................................................... # 289

The Darkness of Denial

Words of the Courtyard................................................................................ Mark 14:66-72

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she started at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”  But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for  you are a Galilean.” But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

HYMN: What Wondrous Love Is This (vs 1, 2 & 3)........................................... #292

The Darkness of Rejection

Words Before Pilate.................................................................................. Luke 23:13-24

Pilate then called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any charges against him. Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us. Indeed, he has done nothing to deserve death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.”

Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Baraabas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted.

CHOIR: WHEN JESUS WEPT

The Darkness of Crucifixion

Words on the Cross.................................................................................... Luke 23:33-46

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “he saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.”

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned to justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, while the sun’s light failed; and the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.

 

CHOIR & CONGREGATION: Were You There................................................... #288

Maundy Thursday - 2014

Tonight celebrates the Passover Meal at which Jesus also "initiates" the Lord's Supper / Communion / Eucharist (according to Matthew, Mark and Luke) and at which Jesus washes his disciples' feet (according to John). Below is a service that comes from the United Methodist Book of Worship. May it be a moving event for you.

For a reflection upon Holy Week in general, and Maundy Thursday in particular, here is a past post in which my reflection includes the scriptures and some historical context from Saving Paradise (Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker. Beacon Press. 2008).

       (Hymn numbers refer to the United Methodist Hymnal)

A Maundy Thursday Service

Greeting:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

And also with you.

Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Christ has prepared a Feast of Love.

Hymn What Wondrous Love Is This ....................................... #292

Opening Prayer

O God; by the example of your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, you taught us the greatness of true humility, and call us to watch with him in his passion. Give us grace to serve one another in all lowliness, and to enter into the fellowship of his suffering; in his name and for his suffering; in his name and for his sake. Amen.

(W.E. Ochard, England, 20^th Cent. Alt)

Confession and Pardon

My sisters and brothers, Christ shows us his love by becoming a humble servant. Let us draw near to God and confess our sin in the truth of God’s Spirit.

Most merciful God, we your Church confess that often our spirit has not been that of Christ. Where we have failed to love one another as he loves us, where we have pledged loyalty to him with our lips and then betrayed, deserted, or denied him, forgive us, we pray; and by our Spirit make us faithful in every time of trail; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ. But Christ suffered and died for us, was raised form the dad and ascended into heaven for us, and continues to interceded for us. Believe the good news: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ you are forgiven!

Glory to God. Amen.

Scripture Lessons:

Exodus 12:1-14 ; Psalm 116 ; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ; John 13:1-17; 31b-35

Prayers and the Lord’s Prayer / Our Father

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be your name,

Your kingdom come

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

As we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trail,

And deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours.

Now and for ever. Amen.

Communion / Eucharist / Love Feast

(Now is the time to celebrate the Eucharist. If you don’t have a clergy person present, one could celebrate a Love Feast instead.)

Hymn  Jesu, Jesu  .......................................................   # 432

Footwashing

(The first person comes forward and washes the feet of the next person, who turns and washes the feet of the next person, the last person will wash the feet of the first.)

Stripping the Church (or alter area on your boat, if you so desire)

Benediction

Go in peace. May Jesus Christ, who for our sake became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, keep you and strengthen you this night and for ever. Amen.

Depart in Silence

Soup on Wednesday: Food for Thought - Population

Dick Dorworth has an interesting observation titled Seven Billion Gorillas in the Garden (but don't talk about them). Go ahead and read it, I'll wait for you.

Are you back? Yeah, pretty powerful stuff, no? And what do we make of it?

I think that is the question that the church has actually been asking herself from the beginning. John Dominic Crossan points to a letter found in a garbage dump (aka archeological gold mine) written by the family patriarch while traveling somewhere in the Roman Empire to his wife back home in Egypt. The extent of the letter is this: If it is a boy, lift him up, but if it is a girl, cast her out. One assumes he is speaking of her pregnancy, or the pregnancy of someone in the house hold. This of course strikes us modern readers as cruel. Crossan points out that it likely did to the early church, too, as we have the passages in the synoptic gospels about Jesus' saying, "Let the children come unto me." In Mark's account, Jesus even lifts the children up into his arms. (See the tie in with the above mentioned letter?) So, the church has always been a place (or longed to be such a place) in which children are welcomed and celebrated and cherished.

Yet it was in reading Saving Paradise (Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker. Beacon Press. 2008) that I dawned on me that the celibacy stances of the early church were in fact acts of resistance to the Empire. In order for the Empire to survive, all citizens must give birth to four children. That was just to make sure that the population remained stable - so high was the death rate of child-birth, childhood, from disease, etc.

So, on the one hand, the early church was taking in all and every orphaned and abandoned child, and yet on the other hand, encouraging celibacy. I have been in churches in which some of my proudest moments as the pastor was watching the congregation take on a family of children at Christmas time. The congregation provided gifts of clothing and toys - to each child - so that no one would feel left out or embarrassed. But, so often within our churches, single members don't feel like they quite fit in, that they are on the outside, that activities are based on married couples and especially married couples with children.

I'm unsure of exactly what this is going to mean for the future. For a time, the experts were believing that the population growth was going to continue climbing steeply. After all, everyone you know over 80 was born into a world with only a 1/3 of the current human population. Yet, what I have lately learned is that the experts are expecting the human population to crest at 11 billion.

With that many more mouths to feed, what does it mean to live justly? What does it continue to mean to live with compassion? How do our beliefs about how God is actively engaged in the world impact our daily decisions?


Blessed Be,

Joel

Reflections for Holy Week - Easter, 2014

Coming into Holy Week, I thought rather than doing any reflections on my part, I would instead offer questions to ponder during this week.

During these readings, who is in charge? Who appears to be?
How is non-violent resistance taken? Is it always appropriate?
What are the things you feel so powerful about that you are willing to loose your life?
Are there things worse than death?
How do you experience God when having to make difficult choices and during difficult times?
How is your community supportive, or not?
These disciples - who later become apostles and heroes of the church (if you don't want to use the word "saint") and whom tradition tells us all die for their faith - during this week's readings, all fail Jesus. Knowing that, in what ways is it empowering to you?
Foot washing is an incredibly intimate event (is that why you are shying from it?) in which it takes trust and knowing the other person. What correlations are there in John's Gospel between the disciples asking which one of them is betraying Jesus and his insistence on washing their feet?
There are no benedictions from Thursday until Easter morning, do feel a sense that the services are continuing even when not in church?
What is the difference between Resurrection and Resuscitation?
Where are you experiencing Resurrection in your life?

And finally a poem/saying that struck me as appropriate for this week:

“The moon does not fight. It attacks no one. It does not worry. It does not try to crush others. It keeps to its course, but by its very nature, it gently influences. What other body could pull an entire ocean from shore to shore? The moon is faithful to its nature and its power is never diminished.”
~ Deng Ming-Dao

Have a Blessed Holy Week,

Joel

Soup on Wednesday: Food for Thought - Rowing

One of the themes I seem to come back to quite a bit on this blog is that of "simplicity" - whatever that might mean to you - and how sometimes our simple solutions can be not only sustainable, but also pleasurable. With this weeks texts being about Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and/or the passion narratives, and with what? ... a week and a half of Lent left. I thought it might be worth reflection upon one aspect of how this all might work. After all, the discipline of giving something up for Lent is a way to re-orient (repent = turning around) and develop some new habits.

Rowing
I'm not talking about the 200 meter dash collegiate/Olympic type events - although I enjoyed that in my college days. Nor am I talking about rowing the larger cruiser-type sailboat - although I might mention that I find it interesting that France requires an oar long enough to row/scull said boat as part of each boat's emergency kit, and as such engine use is down. I'm talking about dinghies.

Cheap inflatable boats (the type you might buy for fishing or for the swimming hole) don't row well. I know, I've used them, and yes, I even rowed all three of my kids to shore in one (that' when the used to all fit), turned around, rowed back out to our boat to give my wife a lift. I'll tell you, the advantage is that your upper arms get a great work-out. By the way, we made our black Labrador retriever swim. He enjoyed it. It was ok for a vacation.

Hard dinghies row the best. A couple of years ago we made our own to our own design. The idea was that they could both stack one a top the other, and both store on deck. In addition, I thought it would be great if they could attach together to form a larger dinghy (still haven't done that - nor add the sail rig). We enjoy rowing around an anchorage. We enjoy exploring this way. It allows us a time to show down an see things, to enjoy the challenge of trying a "short cut" through a shallow channel. It has given our kids hands on experience of what happens when rowing for different positions, how the boat handles in waves, current, and breeze. In essence, it has taught us all seamanship. That's been one of the payoffs of rowing. And did I mention it's sustainable?

However, I must admit that we are often one of the few who are actually rowing. Most folks are zipping around with large engines. To each their own. But it is worth thinking through not just in terms of sustainability, costs, and fun, but also in terms of "What is our purpose of being out on the water?" For us, it's about connecting (one again, and again and again) with his natural world - this piece of paradise, the Garden. Rowing helps us to do that.

Blessed Be

Joel

PS - Bob at Boat Bits and VolksCruiser has two interesting posts about rowing, too: Seconds count ... and How Not to Worry about ...

Reflections for the Last Sunday in Lent - Palm/Passion Sunday, 2014

Wow. Hard to believe that Palm/Passion Sunday is this week. The older I become, the quicker the time seems to pass. As my friend Sr. Judith used to say, "It's all due to math, fractions actually."

Here are the readings for this coming Sunday.

Liturgy of the Palms (April 13, 2014)

• Psalm
  • Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
• Second reading
  • Matthew 21:1-11

Liturgy of the Passion (April 13, 2014)

• First reading
  • Isaiah 50:4-9a
• Psalm
  • Psalm 31:9-16
• Second reading
  • Philippians 2:5-11
• Gospel
  • Matthew 26:14-27:66 or Matthew 27:11-54

As a church culture, we seem to have shifted a bit. Among some clergy, on the one hand, there is trepidation about people not participating in the Maundy Thursday - Good Friday - Easter Vigils anymore. On the other hand, there is a concern that we don't want to have people going from one uplifting experience to another (Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday). There fore, we give them the Passion Readings the Sunday before Easter. Might there be a correlation? What happens if we skip the Palm Sunday readings?

For one thing, might we miss out on what they might be telling us? And what might they be telling us? They might lead us into examining what Jesus' ministry was really all about, and they might also bring to mind why it was that the authorities decided to eliminate him. After all, roughly half (1/2) of Mark's gospel occurs after Jesus enters Jerusalem. Something to ponder going into this week.

On the other hand, over the years I have been guilty of letting the narrative speak during the Maundy Thursday - Good Friday services. And I have come to a realization: not everyone sees what I see, or hears what I hear when I listen/read these narrative accounts. Oh the depths to be probed! But that entails taking the time to probe them ... Hmm ... that might give a reason to go with the Passion Narrative.

Well, as you can see, if it were up to me to pick the readings for this week - I'm not sure what I might do. We all might be in for a surprise. But isn't that the best way to enter worship - ready for the Divine to surprise us - indeed expecting it?

Blessed Be

Joel

Soup on Wednesday: Food for Thought - What Binds Us?

It is Spring Break for us, and we are doing some friends a favor by house-sitting and taking care of their sweet 12 year-old golden retriever. They are avid bicyclists, so I wasn't surprised to find Travels with Willie: Adventure Cyclist on a coffee table. Picking it up to browse through, I came up the following little section: "Buying Time." Willie Weir has his own website, here.

I was a thirty-six year-old adventure cyclist facing one of my biggest fears. "The Big M." A Mortgage ... as in thirty-year!
It was always my belief that if I so much as put my toe into the Olympic-sized pool of debt that comes with home ownership, my traveling days would be over. A mortgage was a burden that would weigh down my lifestyle - the equivalent of trying to cycle up a mountain pass with my panniers loaded with bowling balls.
...
In our consumer culture, time is undervalued. From the moment we are old enough to watch cartoons on TV, we are bombarded with ads to sell us things. In the good old U.S.A. it seems that you can never have enough stuff, but you can have "too much time on your hands."
For me, time is one of the essential elements of adventure. Would we have learned about Columbus' voyage in school if it had only taken him four days to sail to the New World? Would authors still be penning books about Lewis and Clark if their expedition had spanned a weekend? I think not.
...
I had always thought the only way I could maintain my adventure lifestyle was by remaining ... If I entered the mainstream it would be all over.
So years later, finding myself married and sitting in a real estate agent's office, there was every reason to believe I would soon be a homebody. ... (Weir, Willie. Travels with Willie. Seattle: pineleaf productions, 2009).

Willie and Kat (his wife) do solve their dilemma, and I'll let you read about it to find out how. The book seems to offer some good advise for some of us sailors to think about, too.

Having said that, how do we manage to find "Time" to do the things that are important to us? Or what does not having time say about what our actual priorities really are? There can be a difference between spoken and acted priorities. Lent gives us a time to put them in alignment - or at least, to realize where acted/practiced might be binding us from our spoken/dreamed of values/priorities.

Blessed Be,

Joel