Another Poem for the Christmas Season: Let Evening Come

Let Evening Come
Jane Kenyon

Let the light of late afternoon
shine through chinks in the barn, moving
up the bales as the sun moves down.

Let the cricket take up chafing
as a woman takes up her needles
and her yarn. Let evening come.

Let dew collect on the hoe abandoned
in long grass. Let the stars appear
and the moon disclose her silver horn.

Let the fox go back to its sandy den.
Let the wind die down. Let the shed
go black inside. Let evening come.

To the bottle in the ditch, to the scoop
in the oats, to air in the lung
let evening come.

Let it come, as it will, and don't
be afraid. God does not leave us
comfortless, so let evening come.

Kenyon, Jane. Otherwise. Graywolf Press, 1996. 176.

Another Poem for the Christmas Season: Once in the 40s

Once in the 40s
William Stafford

We were alone one night on a long
road in Montana. This was in winter, a big
night, far to the stars. We had hitched,
my wife and I, and left our ride at
a crossing to go on. Tired and cold - but
brave - we trudged along. This, we said,
was our life, watched over, allowed to go
where we wanted. We said we'd come back some time
when we got rich. We'd leave the others and find
a night like this, whatever we had to give,
and no matter how far, to be so happy again.

[found in Keillor, Garrison. Good Poems. Penguin 2002. 283]

Another Poem for the Christmas Season: The Icelandic Language

[Being surrounded by Icelanders (and their descendants) I thought this appropriate. Could Joseph or Mary spoken with a highball in hand, do you think?]

The Icelandic Language
Bill Holm

In this language, no industrial revolution;
no pasteurized milk; no oxygen, no telephone;
only sheep, fish, horses, water falling.
The middle class can hardly speak it.

In this language, no flush toilet; you stumble
through dark and rain with a handful of rags.
The door groans; the old smell comes
up from under the earth to meet you.

But this language believes in ghosts;
chairs rock by themselves under the lamp; horses
neigh inside an empty gully, nothing
at the bottom but moonlight and black rocks.

The woman with marble hands whispers
this language to you in your sleep; faces
come to the window and sing rhymes; old ladies
wind long hair, hum, tat, fold jam inside pancakes.

In this language, you can't chit-chat
holding a highball in your hand, can't
even be polite. Once the sentence starts its course,
all your grief and failure come clear at last.

Old inflections move from case to case,
gender to gender, softening consonants, darkening
vowels, till they sound like the sea moving
icebergs back and forth in its mouth.

[Found in Keillor, Garrison. Good Poems. Penguin, 2002. 202-3.]

Another Poem for the Christmas Season: At Twenty-Three Weeks

At Twenty-Three Weeks She Can No Longer See Anything South of Her Belly
Thom Ward

I'm painting my wife's toes
in Revlon Super Color Forty Nine.

I've no idea what I'm doing.
She asked me to get the bottle,

then crashed on our bed,
muscle-sore, pelvis-aching.

Lifting the brush, I skim
the excess polish across the glass,

daub a smidgen on her nail,
push it out in streaks

over the perfect surface
to the cuticle's edge.

I'm painting my wife's toes.
I've no idea what I'm doing.

The smell of fresh enamel
intoxicates. Each nail I glaze

is a tulip, a lobster,
a scarlet room where women

sit and talk, their sleek,
tinctured fingers sparkling the air.

[found in Keillor, Garrison. Good Poems. Penguin. 2002. 117.]

Another Poem for the Christmas Season: Hope

      Hope
Lisel Mueller

It hovers in dark corners
before the lights are turned on,
     it shakes sleep from its eyes
     and drops from mushroom gills,
          it explodes in the starry heads
          of dandelions turned sages,
               it sticks to the winds of green angels
               that sail from the tops of maples.

It sprouts in each occluded eye
of many-eyed potato,
     it lives in each earthworm segment
     surviving cruelty,
          it is the motion that runs
          from the eyes to the tail of a dog,
               it is the mouth that inflates the lungs
               of the child that has just been born.

It is the singular gift
we cannot destroy in ourselves,
the argument that refutes death,
the genius that invents the future,
all we know of God.

It is the serum which makes us swear
not to betray one another,
it is in this poem, trying to speak.

[found in Keillor, Garrison. Good Poems. Penguin, 2002. 224]

A Poem for the Christmas Season: Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree is
not electrified, is not
covered with little lights
calling attention to themselves
(we have had enough
of little lights calling attention
to themselves). Our tree
is a cedar cut here, one
of the fragrances of our place,
hung with painted cones
and paper stars folded
long ago to praise our tree,
Christ come into the world.

Berry, Wendell. A Timbered Choir. Counterpoint, 1998. 204

Merry Christmas - 2015

As experienced in St. John, USVI Sun Times

We wish you a Merry Christmas filled with wonder and delight.

Hopefully this guy found you?

Enjoy your day.

Blessings,

Joel

Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols - 2015

Here is what is becoming my favorite Lessons and Carols Vesper Service.

Sending you blessing for a Merry Christmas and a Holy New Year.

Blessed Be,

Joel

********
A Choir Service of Lessons, Carols & Readings:
A Vesper Service

Choir - Awake, Awake, A Joyous Noel

Opening Words / Welcome

"God laughed and brought forth Jesus. Jesus laughed and brought forth the Holy Spirit. All three laughed and brought forth us."  ~ Meister Eckhart

Tonight we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child - how God becomes vulnerable to us as an infant, a babe, needing our tender care and nurture and comfort. Tonight as we read Luke's account, we have interspersed readings and carols and choral anthems - sharing some of the ways that this event has inspired others. Tonight as we read and sing these words of inspiration, may our hearts be inspired to look for the Christ in one another and the world at large. May we leave with a new sense of what is important in the world, a new sense at how God is at work, calling us forth to join in with our own hands.

Lighting the 4th Advent Candle  

~ Tonight, Everyone is Displaced 

     ~ Rev. Tom Schade

Tonight, everyone is displaced and homeless.
Tonight, everyone searches for Bethlehem.
On this night, when the darkness comes so close,
We listen, in the stillness, for the songs of angels.
Like shepherds, we aren't too sure of what is happening.
We don't know why we are so expectant.
We don't know why we long so deeply for miracles.
Tonight we pray that we might know the one we are seeking.
Tonight may we kneel like kings,
before that which is greater than any kingdom on earth.
Tonight, may we see the holy family that we are a part of.
And may we hear the music that reminds us of our truest home.

Carol - Joy to the World 

Reading ~ Luke: 1:26-35, 38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! the Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. ..." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

     ~ This Is No Time for a Child to be Born

     ~ Madeleine L'Engle

This is no time for a child to be born,
With the Earth betrayed by war and hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn
That time runs out and the sun burns late.
That was no time for a child to be born
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome
Honor and truth were trampled by scorn --
Yet here did the Saviour make his home.
When is the time of love to be born?
The inn is full on planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn ---
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

Choir - The Angels

Carol - O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Reading ~ Luke 2:1-7

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

     ~ The Maid-Servant At The Inn

     ~ Dorothy Parker

"It's queer," she said; "I see the light
As plain as I beheld it then,
All silver-like and calm and bright -
We've not had stars like that again!
"And she was such a gentle thing
To birth a baby in the cold.
The barn was dark and frightening -
This new one's better than the old.
"I mind my eyes were full of tears,
For I was young, quick distressed,
But she was less than me in years
That held a son against her breast.
"I never saw a sweeter child -
The little one, the darling one! -
I mind, I told her, when he smiled
You'd know he was his mother's son.
"It's queer that I should see them so -
The time they came to Bethlehem
Was more than thirty years ago;
I've prayed that all is well with them."

     ~ A Christmas Reflection

     ~ Thomas Merton

Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it, because he is out of place in it, and yet he must be in it, his place is with those others for whom there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, tortured, exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world.

Choir - Behold That Star

Carol - On This Day Everywhere

Reading ~ Luke 2: 8-12

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for see - I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."

     ~ Mother of God

     ~ William Butler Yeats

The threefold terror of love; a fallen flare
Through the hollow of an ear;
Wings beating about the room;
The terror of all terror that I bore
The Heavens in my womb.
Had I not found content among the shows
Every common woman knows,
Chimney corner, garden walk,
Or rocky cistern where we tread the clothes
And gather all the talk?
What is this flesh I purchased with my pains,
This fallen star my milk sustains,
This love that makes my heart's blood stop
Or strikes a Sudden chill into my bones
And bids my hair stand up?

Duet - Ave Maria

Reading ~ Luke 2:13-14

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favors!"

     ~ Snow in Bethlehem

     ~ Maya Angelou

Thunder rumbles in the mountain passes
And lightning rattles the eaves of our houses.
Flood waters await us in our avenues.
Snow falls upon snow, falls upon snow to avalanche
Over unprotected villages.
The sky slips low and grey and threatening.
We question ourselves.
What have we done to so affront nature?
We worry God.
Are you there? Are you there really?
Does the covenant you made with us still hold?
Into this climate of fear and apprehension, Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from rancor,
Come the way of friendship.
It is the Glad Season.
Thunder ebbs to silence and lightning sleeps quietly in the corner.
Flood waters recede into memory.
Snow becomes a yielding cushion to aid us
As we make our way to higher ground.
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
hope spreads around the earth. Brightening all things,
Even hate which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
In our joy, we think we hear a whisper.
At first it is too soft. They only half heard.
We listen carefully as it gathers strength.
We hear a sweetness.
The word is Peace.
It is louder now. It is louder.
Louder than the explosion of bombs.
We tremble at the sound. We are thrilled by its presence.
It is what we have hungered for.
Not just the absence of war. But, true Peace.
A harmony of spirit, a comfort of courtesies.
Security for our beloveds and their beloveds.
We clap hands and welcome the Peace of Christmas.
We beckon this good season to wait a while with us.
We, Baptist and Buddhist, Methodist and Muslim, say come.
Peace.
Come and fill us and our world with your majesty.
We, the Jew and the Jainist, the Catholic and the Confucian,
implore you to stay awhile with us
so we may learn by your shimmering light
how to look beyond complexion and see community.
It is Christmas time, a halting time of hate time.
On this platform of peace, we can create a language
to translate ourselves to ourselves and to each other.
At this Holy Instant, we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ
Into the great religions of the world.
We jubilate the precious advent of trust.
We shout with glorious tongues the coming of hope.
All the earth's tribes loosen their voices to celebrate the promise of
Peace.
We, Angels and Mortals, Believers and Nonbelievers,
Look heavenward and speak the word aloud.
Peace.
We look at each other, then into ourselves,
And we say without shyness or apology or hesitation:
Peace, My brother.
Peace, My sister.
Peace, My soul.

Choir - Carol for Advent

Carol - The First Noel

Choir - Lo How A Rose

Reading ~ Luke 2:15-20

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

     ~ The Moment of Magic

     ~ Victoria E. Safford

Now is the moment of magic,
when the whole, round earth turns again toward the sun,
and here's a blessing:
the days will be longer and brighter now,
even before the winter settles in to chill us.
Now is the moment of magic,
when people beaten down and broken,
with nothing left but misery and candles and their own clear voices,
kindle tiny lights and whisper secret music,
and here's a blessing:
the dark universe is suddenly illuminated by the lights of the menorah,
suddenly ablaze with the lights of the kinara,
and the whole world is glad and loud with winter singing.
Now is the moment of magic,
when an eastern star beckons the ignorant toward an unknown goal,
and here's a blessing:
they find nothing in the end but an ordinary baby,
born at midnight, born in poverty, and the baby's cry, like bells ringing,
makes people wonder as they wander through their lives,
what human love might really look like,
sound like,
feel like.
Now is the moment of magic,
and here's a blessing:
we already possess all the gifts we need;
we've already received our presents:
ears to hear music,
eyes to behold lights,
hands to build true peace on earth
and to hold each other tight in love.

Choir/Congregation - Hames um Bole / Silent Night

Closing Reading 

     ~ The Work of Christmas 

     ~ Howard Thurman

When the songs of angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
     to find the lost,
     to heal the broken,
     to feed the hungry,
     to release the prisoner,
     to rebuild the nations,
     to bring peace among the brothers and sisters,
     to make music in the heart.

Benediction

     ~ Night Has Fallen 

     ~ Rev. Tom Schade

Night has fallen.
Stars beckon in an indigo and velvet sky
Somewhere a baby is being born.
Tonight, the world lazes in a love of goodness
while glories stream from heaven afar
God is meeting us, tonight, where we are.
So be not afraid, and be of good cheer,
We wish you, each and all, Very Merry Christmas -
The hopes and fears of all the years have been met,
so Rest beside the winding road
and Hear the Angels Sing.

Choir - Alleluia Chaconne

The Giving of Gifts

I've been impressed whenever I hear the little radio commercial on CBC Radio 2 recommending giving the gift of a goat or bed-net to a family in the developing world. It wasn't all that long ago when these type of gifts only happened in and through churches - often by getting people to focus on the work of Heifer Project.

But it does bring to mind an experience we had while serving a rural church in North-Central Idaho. There were our very young kids and a few other kids who regularly attended. One of the church members became aware of a family living in the hotel and invited their two kids to come to church. These two children became regular attendees throughout the fall. When the snow came, it became apparent that this family didn't have much of anything, and the kids were in danger of "not having a Christmas."

Unbeknownst to me, their pastor, members of the congregation took matters into their own hands to make sure every child had a Christmas that year. Rather than buying a present or two for these two kids, every child got gifts to open after the Christmas Eve Service. If I remember correctly, one gift was a toy, one was a book, and one gift was an outfit (pants and shirt - with the tags still on them). I remember hearing one of these two kids saying "Wow! Clothes with tags! I've never gotten clothes with tags before!"
What I felt proud about was that these two kids were not singled out. There have been too many instances in which I have seen an act of kindness actually keep the recipients on the outside, in "their place," meaning of course, "not next to me." In this case, the church saw these two children as a part of the larger community, indeed as full members. If they needed something, maybe others did also. The congregation used one need as an opportunity to share  something with everyone. It was an honor to serve such people.
As we share gifts this year, may we also become aware of what others lack, need or want. And in looking for ways to give gifts, may they be given in ways that remind folks that they are a part of a larger community; that their presence matters; that they are loved.
Blessed be,
Joel

A Responsive Reading For the End of Hanukkah

With today making the end of Hanukkah, I thought I'd enclose a responsive reading.
Blessed be,
Joel

Hanukkah Lights

We gather in the chill of winter solstice, finding warmth from each other, nourishing hope where reason fails.

Grateful for small miracles, we rejoice in the wonder of light and darkness and the daring of hope.

Holy One of Blessing
Your Presence
fills creation.

You made us holy with Your commandments and called us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.

Holy One of Blessing
Your Presence
fills creation.

You performed miracles for our ancestors in days of old at this season.

Holy One of Blessing
Your Presence
fills creation.

You have kept us alive
You have sustained us
You have brought us
to this moment.
        ~ Congregation Beth El,  Sudbury,  MA

And Heaven and Nature Sing

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say to you that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28-29)

Sacred writings are bound into two volumes: that of creation and that of Holy Scripture.
     ----- Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274), quoted in Carla Berkdahl, Earth Letter, “Dreaming of Green Parishes,” Sept., 1998, p. 1

     If nature, the cosmos, is the first Book, then being in nature can offer us moments of transcendence, like starting to fall in love. For most of the human population (we are now an urban rather than rural species), especially in developed counties, we spend our time sitting in a car sitting getting to work,  at desks in front of computers, to ride in an automobile on the way home, sit for dinner, and then watch television. We becomes removed from the natural world.
      But it need not cost much to get back on the water, hence the videos and posts regarding open boats that could be home built. Because this type of boating is simple in nature, there are fewer temptations to "bring it all with us" that there might be in larger craft. This simplicity brings one close into direct contact. This type of travel can become not only fun, challenging and engaging but also an opportunity for pilgrimage.
      Just being on the water can bring feelings of transcendence. In the very experience of floating, one realizes that there is a world underneath that mirrors (with differences, mind) the works above. Birds fly through the air, and fish swim beneath. I find it fascinating that in talking about the spiritual life, we often speak of going higher and/or deeper. We live in the middle world.
      This very water flows. This water flows from the skies, to mountain streams and into rivers and lakes, into rivers that feed the sea that lap the shore here and the shores across the world, where some of this water evaporates into the sky to fall on mountains. This water connects us, it ties us together, all of us creatures of the world. It can lead is feelings of mutually and respect and compassion, certainly feelings needed today.
      Transcendence is needed today (when is it not needed?). Transcendence pulls us into greater, deeper, higher states that hopefully become more permanent stages in our spiritual maturity. First we have experiences of falling in love, then come stronger deeper (higher?) feelings of commitment and intimacy.
      During this Advent, may we all be touched by Grace as we explore this wonderful 1st Book.

Blessed be,
Joel

Apprehend God in all things, for God is in all things.
Every creature is full of God and is a book about God.
Every creature is a word of God.
If I spent enough time with the tiniest creature – even a caterpillar –
I would never have to prepare a sermon,
so full of God is every creature.
     ----- Meister Eckhart (1260 - 1327), Sermons

Teilhard writes: "I am not speaking metaphorically when I say that it is throughout the length and breadth and depth of the world in movement that man [sic] can attain the experience and vision of his God."* Teilhard also says: "By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us, and molds us. We imagined [the divine] as distant and inaccessible, when in fact we live steeped in its burning layers."

* Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Divine Milieu (Harper Torchbooks: 1960), 36.

Feast of St. Nicholas - 2015

Happy Feast of St. Nicholas.
Here's to doing things for others anonymously! May we are pick up the spirit of St. Nicholas this Advent Season.
Blessed Be,
Joel

BTW, here are a few items that are with looking for our checking out.

The first is one my father sent along about a local (to him) project for kids. It might be worth looking around to see what's available where you live.

The second is a video from Off Center
Harbor about a saw-horse/workbench and tools for kids/grand-kids. (A membership to OCH might be worthwhile for a Mr or Mrs Claus).

http://www.offcenterharbor.com/videos/kids-in-the-shop-a-work-bench-set-of-tools/

Enjoy and Blessed Be,

Joel

Another Open Boat (Sail and Oar) Link

From "Cured Meats and Soft Cheeses ..."

As promised last week, here is another Sail and Oar Adventure link. This time from Maine, USA:
Cured Meats and Soft Cheeses: Around Great Island - an adventure from Goat Island Skiff Amature Style.
As the weather turns cold (this morning it is clear and sunny where I am, but it is only 25° F / - 4 C°). May the great photos and fun story keep you dreaming about your next time out on the water.
Blessed be,
Joel

Thankful for Little Things

Image from Peter Kovesi and Paul Ricketts Shark Bay Cruise

With the US Thanksgiving Holiday this week, I thought I'd remind us of some of the little things (like open boats) that have often seduced us into sailing in the first place. With that I'm mind, here is a link and photo of an epic open boat cruise. Maybe more next week? Nothing like day dreaming about possible summer plans in the midst of winter.

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving. 

Blessed be,
Joel

Be sure to visit The Old Gaffers Association of WA [Western Australia] Incorporated website for their multi-day trip. You can start with Shark Bay Day 1 by pushing on this link.

The Spiral of Violence

I had originally planned to write about a different topic for today, but in light of the past few days events (thinking especially of Beirut and Paris, but also of the stabbings in Jerusalem, and ..., and ..., ) I think reflecting on this topic of violence a greater need.

I was first exposed to Richard A. Horsley's Jesus and the Spiral of Violence in college. As a class we examined historical cases of non-violent resistance (hence this book, which in part examines Jewish non-violent resistance to Roman Empire prior to Jesus, as well as Jesus' own response) culminating with Martin Luther King, Jr's approach as contrasted to Malcolm X.

The Spiral of Violence refers to both how institutionalized violence can lead into personal/inter-personal violence. When "the System" is violent towards me, and I, in turn, am violent towards you, who, in turn, have a violent response, the violence feeds upon itself and becomes more intense. How does one "break" this spiral of violence?

Compassion and empathy, I believe, are key. When we see the "other" as a person, as "one of us," as someone who also has a stake in the community, might it give us pause in how we respond? Engaging in regular spiritual practices helps feed our compassion and empathy for ourselves and others. It helps us to see the Divine in one another.

Non-violent approaches to resistance lead to healthier communities in the long run. However, the non-violent approach is often longer, non-expedient and messy.  Although on the surface violence appears quick and expedient, violence leads to long smoldering feelings of anger, mistrust and resentment. Non-violence (which respects the humanness of the other as an individual) opens things up for respect, even if it is begrudgingly given.

How does one then respond to the events on the world stage? With empathy and compassion for the victims and their families, of course. This might also be an opportunity for some self-reflection to our own institutions of violence.

Below, is Richard Rohr's meditation on the Spiral of Violence and how it relates to evil and sin.

Blessed be,
Joel

"Healing Our Violence" 

The World, the Flesh, and the Devil:
The Spiral of Violence     

Wednesday, October 21, 2015 

I have used Dom Helder Camara's inspired teaching on the "spiral of violence" for many years, overlaying that phrase with traditional Catholic moral teaching, which states that the sources of evil are the world, the flesh, and the devil--in that order. This model simply illustrates the three sources of evil and thus violence: the world (at the bottom of the spiral), the flesh (in the middle), and the devil (at the top). If evil and institutionalized violence go unrecognized at the first level, the second and third are inevitable.

By "world," I am not referring to Creation, but to "the System." It's the way groups, cultures, institutions, and nations organize themselves to be in control. This may be the most hidden, the most disguised, and the most denied level of evil. We cannot see it because we are inside of it and because we cannot see beyond our own self-interest and self-protection. For example, I have been a Catholic all my life and I have yet to hear a sermon on the tenth commandment: "Do not covet your neighbor's goods." We live in an entire world of manufactured desire or covetousness. It is a virtue to seek to increase your goods. So it's almost impossible for an American to see capitalism or consumerism as a problem or a moral issue, because that is the way our world is shaped. It is in our hard wiring. It's difficult to critique the ground you are standing on.

Thankfully, Pope John Paul II introduced to Catholic theology terms like "structural evil," "institutionalized sin," and "corporate evil." We actually were not free to think this way until the 1960s, which produced hippies, worldwide upheavals, and the Second Vatican Council. Still, only rare prophets like Dorothy Day and Thomas Merton dare to critique systems, groups, and institutions themselves. No surprise that Pope Francis quoted both of these American prophets in his address to the U.S. Congress in September.

Organized religion has put most of its concern at the middle level of the spiral--the flesh. The flesh is not primarily what we think of as sexual sin. Rather, it is individual sin, personal mistakes that you and I make. No one is denying that this is a level of evil and sin, and often the most apparent one. But when we only point our finger at the second level of the spiral, blaming individuals and punishing people, we are largely wasting our time. It doesn't work because we haven't first recognized that culturally we actually admire this vice. Pick any of the capital sins: greed, ambition, excess, vanity, pride, deception, lust. All are on broad public display, and these "sinners" are in fact the cool people. But then individuals are supposed to confess these as private sins, not that they do anymore.

Up to now, there has been little recognition of the deep connection between culture and corporations--which are accepted because they give us our security and identity and wealth--and the personal evil things that individuals do. We are wasting time trying to make people feel guilty about being greedy when, in fact, legitimated greed is the name of the game. We can't reward and promote it at one level and then shame it at the next level. We can't romanticize war, but then rail against the violence in our streets. It will not work. If guns are good in Iraq then guns are good in Idaho."

....

"At the top of the spiral of violence sits "the devil." The word "devil," like "demon," is a personification of a power that is hard to name or describe because it's so disguised and even idealized as good and necessary. If "the world" is hidden structural violence, then "the devil" is sanctified and legitimated violence--violence that is deemed necessary to control the angry flesh and the world run amuck. The diabolical is by definition "too big to fail" and above criticism, which is precisely what gives anything its demonic power. It is a third level of "necessary good" to control all the disorder and violence at the first and second levels. It is sacralized and above criticism. This might take the form of "the military industrial complex," as President Eisenhower called it after he left office, the legal system, the penal system, unjust tax codes and voting rights, the highly self-rewarding medical and banking systems, corporations over people, the idolatry of fame, celebrities, and athletes, and even organized religion itself.

Note the first demon in Mark's Gospel is found in the synagogue (1:23). The only way the devil can get away with being the devil is that he must "disguise himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:15). Devils always look like "necessary evil" or the lesser of two evils, and thus they are "too big to fail" and too important to expose. We need and admire them all too much. So, as we say, they "get away with murder."

If we do not recognize the roots of violence at the disguised structural level, we are largely wasting our time simply focusing on merely individual sin ("the flesh"), and we have almost no chance of recognizing our real devils, who are always disguised as angels of light (Lucifer means "Light Bearer"). The spiral of violence is complete, and much of history has been trapped inside of it, thinking that evil could be eliminated merely by shaming and punishing individuals, who were often just doing what they learned from the system and from the devil.

Reference:

Adapted from Richard Rohr, Spiral of Violence (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2005), CD, MP3 download.

Simple Living & Back to Posting

I wasn't sure how many of you were actually reading our blog, or if anyone was finding it meaningful, etc. However a few of you have commented on how you've missed the weekly postings (even with the typos and auto-corrected wierd sentences). So ... we'll keep going.

In this new era I'm trying to decide weather to stick with a weekly post, a more rambling random style (i.e. posting when something strikes me), or something different.

In the meantime, here is something I ran across last week from Richard Rohr. I think it is something we boat dwellers can relate to - our chosen simplicity - and our simpatico with others.

Enjoy and Blessed be,
Joel

When you agree to live simply, you do not consider the immigrant, the refugee, the homeless person, or the foreigner as a threat to you or see them as being in competition with you. You have chosen their marginal state for yourself--freely and consciously becoming "visitors and pilgrims" in this world, as St. Francis puts it (quoting 1 Peter 2:11). A simple lifestyle is quite simply an act of solidarity with the way most people have lived since the beginnings of humanity. It is thus restorative justice instead of the world's very limited and punitive notion of retributive justice.*
* Adapted from Richard Rohr, Eager to Love: The Alternative Way of Francis of Assisi(Franciscan Media: 2014), 38.
- Richard Rohr's Mediations: Cesar Chavez: Solidarity in Action (Thursday, October 29, 2015)

Ocean Crafts

Here's another interesting video. Interesting in many ways. Enjoy.
Blessed be,
Joel

Resurrection?

Does this give a new insight into resurrection? Maybe it's true that boating doesn't take time away from your life, but only adds time to it?
In any case, enjoy.
Blessed be,
Joel

Docking - An Art Form

Enjoy the wacky video. If only all of us could dock our boats with such panache!

Blessed be.
Joel

Because, Isn't Boating Supposed to Be Fun!?

Saw this anchor this morning and smiled. The teeth go all the way around the plow.

Blessed be.
Joel

A New Temple

With Pentecost this coming Sunday, I thought the following insight might be helpful.

A few weeks ago, I was reading one of Richard Rohr's email meditations when he got to talking about Paul's influence on his (Rohr's) faith. Humans being a temple for the Spirit is part of Paul's theology that has influenced him. Rohr pulls in part from N.T. Wright's two volume study on St. Paul in which Wright declares: the new temple of God is the human person.

Rohr writes:

On the day of the dedication of "Solomon's Temple," the shekinah glory of Yahweh (fire and cloud from heaven) descended and filled the Temple (1 Kings 8:10-13), just as it had once filled the Tent of Meeting (Exodus 40:34-35). This became the assurance of the abiding and localized divine presence of Yahweh for the Jewish people. This naturally made Solomon's Temple both the center and centering place of the whole world, in Jewish thinking.

This is the Temple that is destroyed when Israel is taken into Babylonian captivity. In Nehemiah and Ezra we read of the construction of the second Temple.  However, Rohr points out that the shekinah doesn't appear (ever) during the second Temple period. 

What do the disciples/apostles experience in the upper-room on Pentecost? Sounds to me like the shekinah entering them, they (we) become Temples.

This gave me such a new insight into Pentecost that I just had to share it with you.

Blessed be.
Joel

Cultural Differences

The other day, Bob at Boat Bits posted this delightful video. He was thinking in terms of different sailing rigs. I got to thinking about cultural differences. As a resurrection people, can we even function as before? Or even in terms of becoming people of the water rather than people of the land, how do we relate?
Enjoy. This really is delightful.
Blessed be
Joel

Concentric Circles Of Care

I've had some recent conversations regarding boundaries and caring for others. In essence what these conversations have boiled down to is this: how do I (as a caregiver, a pastor, a nurse, a friend, a ... etc) deal with my own issues and not bring them to bare (as a bear?) to the "person of need"? Most of the people, no all,  I've been in conversation with (myself included) strive to keep our own stuff in check. We all grant that we are not always successful, but we persist onward. 

Then my wife asked if I'd seen following LA Times article? I found the imagery so helpful I'm posting the link here: "How Not to Say the Wrong Thing." I hope you find this helpful as you continue to share your compassion with others.

Blessed be,
 

Joel

Nepal Aid

I just wanted to make a quick plug for those in Nepal. May we continue to keep them in our prayers. If you'd like to like to help beyond prayers through a monetary donation, the Aid organizations on this page's tab (to the right) have a long history of working with the local populations over the long haul.
Blessed Be,
Joel

If First Justice Then Peace Follows

In preparing to preach for a colleague of mine yesterday, I was doing some reach on a quote from John Dominic Crossan. I could remember him saying something about Justice and Love but I could only remember part of the quote: "If we have justice with out love then we have ..., and love with out justice is ..." Well, I found it (and some other things I'd forgotten, too) thanks to the internet!

Here is the quote:

"Love and justice cannot exist alone," he replied. "Justice without love is brutality. Love without justice is banality. They go together like body and soul." 

 But what also struck me was Crossan's discussion of Roman peace versus what Jesus was arguing towards:

The Roman Peace might have the following slogan: First Victory, then Peace. To establish peace, conquer the people, move the Empire's troops through the area, and peace will follow. I should mention that in many ways this did work. A person could move from what is modern day London to Alexandria on the Roman roads, staying in Roman towns and do so unmolested. But this peace came with enormous consequences for the local populations.

Jesus argues instead for what might have the following slogan: First Justice, then Peace. And the kind of justice that Jesus is arguing for is distributive justice (rather than a justice of retribution/vengeance). I think (though Crossan doesn't mention it in his talk) that restorative justice is also at play. By that I mean, restoring people to the large community.

Please see “PeaceThrough Justice: Reflections on a Lecture by John Dominic Crossan” by CandaceChellew-Hodge for more of her notes on this lecture. 

With the events unfolding in Baltimore this week, the above seems all the more apropos than ever.

Blessed Be,

Joel

Earth Day, 2015

Happy Earth Day.
I hope you are able to enjoy time outside, especially today, in what many theologians regard as the first book, or first Bible (creation itself).
In that light, I share a few quotes from Meister Eckhart. Enjoy.
Blessed be,
Joel

All creatures are words of God. My mouth expresses and reveals God but the existence of a stone does the same and people often recognize more from actions than from words. (Sermon 1)

When God is efficacious in the soul, he loves his deed. Now wherever the soul is in which God accomplishes his deed, the deed is so great that this deed is nothing other than love. Again, love is nothing other than God. God loves himself and his nature, his being, and his divinity. In the same love, however, in which God loves himself, he also loves all creatures, not as creatures but he loves the creatures as God. In the same love in which God loves himself, he loves all things.
     Now I shall say something I have never said before. God enjoys himself. In the same enjoyment in which God enjoys himself, he enjoys all creatures. With the same enjoyment with which God enjoys himself, he enjoys all creatures, not as creatures, but he enjoys the creatures as God. In the same enjoyment in which God enjoys himself, he enjoys all things. (Sermon 3)

Saving Coral

I continue to send you Easter wishes of finding Resurrection around you. I'm currently knee deep in projects, how about yourself? Seems to be that time of year.

Speaking of Resurrection, I flung the following article intriguing and thought I'd pass it along.

"Scientists Have Found a New Way to Save the World's Coral Reefs, And It's Pretty Fishy," by Katie Valentine

Blessed be,
Joel

Easter - Service of Readings and Hymns - 2015

Happy Easter!

Christ is Risen!
Below is an Easter Service of Readings and Hymns that might parallel a Christmas Eve service. Enjoy the readings. May you also experience Easter mystery, awe and wonder.

Joel

An Easter Service of Readings and Hymns

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.