"What’s the Economy for Anyway?" John de Graaf asks.

“What’s the Economy for Anyway?” John de Graaf

With an economic down turn to the economy, the United States trying to push more money into the economy (read that in terms of printing money), many citizens of France protesting the rise of the retirement age from 60 to 62, Britain reminding her citizens that their will need to be some serious cuts, one wonders how John de Graaf would respond after this article. Yet, it seems that the European countries are looking at what the cuts, etc. mean for them as a whole, while here in the USA we tend to reflect on what this means for us as individuals. The reality is that both systems are in trouble.

And I still think the question is worth asking:

What’s the Economy For Anyway?

Again, this article comes from the anthology Less Is More.

Originally this was first published in The New American Dream, "What's the Economy For Anyway?", or watch it on YouTube "What's the Economy For Anyway?". I’m merely posting tidbits/sound-bites to get you interested in reading the entire article.

When positing any alternative to the status quo, often the first question asked is “What will that do to the economy?” de Graaf asks if they really believe that the economy’s purpose is to achieve the grossest domestic product and allow the richest among us to multiply their treasures without limits?

But what happens if we frame the question in different terms, like those used by Gifford Pinochot (first chief of the US Forest Service) did a century ago: “The greatest good for the greatest number over the long run”?

After increasing social equality and greatly improving health and other quality-of-life measures (including major increases in leisure time) from World War II until the mid-1970s, the United States abruptly changed its economic trajectory.

“It will be a hard pill for many Americans to swallow," Business Week predicted in October, 1974, "the idea of doing with less so that big business can have more. Nothing that this nation or any other nation has done in modern history compares in difficulty with the selling job that must now be done to make people accept the new reality."

Emboldened by Richard Nixon’s landslide 1972 victory, extreme conservatives moved to reduce the responsibilities (and increase the wealth) of wealthy Americans, while cutting back on public services for the poor and average working Americans. These policies accelerated during the 1980’s and early 1990’s and are now enshrined in the “you’re on your ownership” attitude of the present federal policies.

Meanwhile, Western European nations took a different course, maintaining their social contracts and at least modestly improving their safety nets for the poor. Their provision of more public goods – health care, education, transportation, common space, etc. – supported by higher and more progressive taxation measures than in the United States reduced the need (or desire) of individuals to maximize their own incomes (pp. 236-7).

Productivity per worker hour: On average, in 1970 Western European workers were producing 65% as much as American workers. But by 2000, Western European workers was 95% of American workers.

Consumption of Goods and Services: Western European (measured in GDP per capita) remained close to where it was in 1970 – roughly 70% of that of Americans (year 2000).

Working hours: 1970 – European working hours were slightly longer than Americans, but by 2000 dropped to 80% of American working hours.

We could say that Europeans traded major portions of their productivity increases for free time instead of money, while Americans – consciously or otherwise – put all their gains into increasing their per capita GDP.

Pose the question, ‘What did that do to the economy?’ and the answer appears clear – Americans, with a much bigger GDP, are the obvious winners.

But ask instead, ‘What is the economy for anyway?’ and a different answer emerges. For most of the final quarter of the 20^th century, Europeans improved their quality of life relative to Americans in almost every measure (237-8).

Heath: The United States once ranked near the top in terms of overall health, Now the US rates below that of every other industrialized country, despite spending more on health care.

Equality: The US was near the median among industrialized countries in terms of economic equality in 1974, now has the widest gap between rich and poor.

Savings (a key indicator of security for many people): 1970 – American personal savings rates (10%) slightly higher than Europeans, “Last year” [2007?] Americans (-1.6%) were much lower than European EU members (12%).

Sustainability: “EU countries require only half the energy consumption per capita as that of Americans, while producing 70% as many goods and services. The average American has an ecological footprint (the productive land and water necessary to produce his or her lifestyle) of 24 acres; for Europeans, the average is 12 acres” (239).

Genuine Progress Indicator (an alternative to GDP that measures 24 quality-of-life indices): “shows a fairly consistent decline in well-being in the United States since a peak in 1973. Similar indices for Europe show consistent improvement in most areas of life, even if increases are sometimes slow or spotty” (239).

Economic Competitiveness: “According to the World Economic Forum, the United States ranks second in world economic competitiveness. So it’s possible to do things our way – reducing government, slashing taxes, cutting the safety net and widening the divide between rich and poor – and be competitive.

“But is it necessary? Consider that the other four most competitive nations are Finland (ranked first), Sweden, Denmark and Norway. In fact, European nations make up most of the top ten. All are far more globalized and far more subject to international competitive pressures than we [USA] are and have been for years. And all of them are far more egalitarian than the United States.

“Finland has, in fact, the smallest gap between the rich and poor of any nation. The Finnish social safety net is a generous one, and workers enjoy a great deal of leisure time – an average of 30 days of paid vacation. The story is similar in other European countries. Clearly, it is possible to have a more just and people-friendly economy and compete globally” (240-1).

____

Page numbers refer to Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska’s Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness. New Society Publishers, 2009.

Lagom

To continue our discussion ... another article.

The following is from Alan AtKisson's “The Lagom Solution” found in Andrews & Urbanska. Less Is More. 2009.

Lagom is a Swedish word that has no equivalent in English, yet appears “often in Swedish conversation. For many people here [in Sweden], it captures something essential about Swedish culture as well. Lagom has to do with quantity, with the “how muchness” of something. Lagom is neither too much nor too little, but neither is it just ‘enough.’ (There is another word for that.) Meaning ‘exactly the right amount,’ it can be applied to anything: stuff, people, the size of a room, the food on your plate … even the atmosphere at a party. If it were a place, it would like somewhere north of sufficiency, but south of excess. It is hard to say exactly how much it is, but you know it when you experience it. When something is “just right,” it is lagom. …

“Understanding lagom will help you understand why Scandinavian design tends to look minimalist. Materials should not be wasted. Function precedes form. Nothing is gained by excess; and very likely, something important is lost.

“The general belief about the origins of lagom dates back tot eh Viking era. When a bowl of beer was passed around the circle, it was expected that everyone would drink exactly the right amount for them…and leave exactly the right amount for everyone else as well. Lagom is two worlds together, lag (‘team’) and om (‘around’). Embedded in the concept is a sense of togetherness, or ‘social solidarity.’ …

“What if our economic aspirations were organized not around the concept of ‘growth,’ but around the concept of having exactly what you need – lagom? Not that all of Sweden is organized that way; … There are plenty of cases of modern-day ‘affluenza’ here, including a creeping incursion of SUVs on the roads. And Sweden does have a history of occasionally taking a bit more than it needs. (Imagine the Vikings taking only lagom when they plundered!) …

“Lagom may be tricky for English-speakers to pronounce. But it has an attractive quality that ‘enough,’ ‘sufficient’ and even ‘simple’ often lack. Most people in the world do not want enough. They want more. They certainly want more than the bare minimum, and research suggests they want more than those around them. This desire for more seems to be deeply wired in the human organism. We developed over millennia in hostile environments, both natural and social. To have more than we need has always been our first defense against the vagaries of an uncertain future. Hoarding is the first act to those who believe themselves to be in the path of a storm (or a marauding army of plundering Vikings, for that matter).

“So while there will always be those of us who love the idea of ‘enough-ness’ and ‘Voluntary Simplicity,’ it seems likely that such concepts may never quite be … well … enough to transform the marauding army of global corporations vying to fill our houses with stuff, in a kind of reverse-Viking-plunder operation.

“But it does seem possible to promote a sensible Swedish sense of lagom worldwide – and to find other good words for it – because it speaks more to what people actually want. Let’s admit that it is very nice to have good shoes. No one can be faulted for wanting them. But does a person really need 15 pairs? No. But is one pair enough? Perhaps not. Lagom acknowledges that people have varying needs and desires at different times. They want nice things, and comfort, and security. They want more than the bare minimum, and they might even need it. If their desire for more than enough is accepted, even supported, perhaps they would be more willing to consider how much is too much. …

“Nobody really needs too much, and in fact, most people don’t really want it. But nobody wants too little. Perhaps our vision for a sustainable world should include not just enough for all, but lagom for all, with fewer temptations to take too much” (101-106).

Jim Merkel’s Sustainability Strategy

Jim Merkel (author of Radical Simplicity) has written an essay by the same title included in Cecile Andrews and Wanda Urbanska’s Less is More: Embracing Simplicity for a Healthy Planet, a Caring Economy and Lasting Happiness. New Society Publishers, 2009.

I’ve mentioned Merkel’s ideas before on this blog: Questions of Equity, Interhuman Equity, Interspecies Equity or 4.7 acres, 1978 or Intergenerational Equity, Self-Imposed Limits, and IPAT. (see February and March, 2009)

In this particular article Merkel reflects upon his work with Dartmouth College. Like many colleges, Dartmouth is attempting to reach a carbon neutral campus. “By fall of 2008, 582 campuses had signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, agreeing to establish a date for becoming carbon neutral and completing a carbon inventory and reduction plant. Carbon neutral – that’s right – means no net carbon emissions from campus operations. Now that’s radical” (223). In part, this drive is driven not just by philosophy by also be economics. Around 2005, Dartmouth’s energy bill had increased from four to seven million dollars in just one year (222).

What I found interesting, Merkel shares a strategy that campuses and individuals like us can reduce Green House Gases (GHG) can use to meet or beat the call to cut GHGs by 80 percent by 2050 just by using current technology.

1^st Step: “identify as many independent factor that influence an institution’s or individual’s impact for a given activity. Let’s start with a big-ticket item, the automobile. Independent factors include:

• How many people share the vehicle?
• How many miles per month are driven?
• How efficient is the vehicle?
• How long might this vehicle last?” (223)

How it works in practice: Say you drive alone, getting 20 mpg, spending $160 a month on fuel (translating into a four-acre footprint to sequester CO2 from the tailpipe, manufacture and infrastructure). After thinking about it, “you organize enough ride-sharing to average two people in your car. Determined to halve the miles traveled a month, you make detailed shopping lists, bike and walk more and prioritize visits to nearby friends. From the classifieds, you purchase a used 40-mpg vehicle. Without ecological heroics, you now buy five gallons of gas per month, use half an acre of ecological space and only spend $20.

“But you’re not done yet. You start a logbook for tire pressure, oil changes and maintenance. You drive slower and care for the vehicle enough to double its longevity, halving both its manufacture and disposal footprints. Because it’s an older vehicle, you save money by removing collision from your insurance policy” (223-4).

Merkel calls these “advance techniques” “sharing, caring and conserving contribute to a phenomenon known as multiplication” (224). The above example just reduced the GHG footprint for the vehicle by 80 percent.

Merkel goes a step further to talk about institutional buildings (but the same could be done with houses, and boats, too).

“If we were to assume that over 20 years, a plan would:

A Reduce the area per occupant by 20%

T Upgrade the technology of systems to enhance efficiency by 30%

E Upgrade the building’s insulation and reduce drafts by 30%

O Improve operational sensors and timers to heat/cool/ventilate only when needed by 30%

M Manage building schedule to have less empty space by 20%

U Inspire sustainable user habits to reduce impact by 20%

[As an example: Pacific Lutheran University was experimenting with having recyclable and composting bins in each dorm room, but one or two trash bins per hall in their dorms – to great results]

L Care fro building and extend useful life by 30%

F Use cleaner fuels with lower emissions/BTU by 20%

C Use solar, wind, geothermal, landfill gas and hydroelectric by 30%

“In this example, each fact is relatively independent, resulting in multiplying benefits. In 20 years, this building’s emissions could be calculated as follow:

A (0.8) x T (0.7) x E (0.7) x O (0.7) x M (0.8) x U (0.8) x L (o.7) x F (0.8) x C (0.7) = 0.069 or roughly 7% of the original emissions, a 93% reduction.

“At this point, installing more wind, solar and hydroelectric energy are feasibly ways to bring this building close to carbon neutral. Notice that we haven’t purchased carbon credits yet or made dirty deals like trading toxic waste for reduced carbon (nuclear) or taken land from food production or habitat to decrease dependency on foreign oil (bio-fuels).

“While some argue that the technology is not yet ready, others, including the College of the Atlantic, announced carbon neutrality on December 19, 2007, through the purchase of offsets, low-impact hydroelectric power and on-campus energy reductions. The University of New Hampshire’s COGEN plant reduced emissions by 21 percent, and when its 12.7-mile pipeline to the landfill is complete in 2009, combined GHG reductions are estimated at 67 percent.

“Technical feasibility is not the issue. Willingness is”(my emphasis, 224-5).

How willing are we?

Blue Boat Home

Though below me, I feel no motion

standing on these mountains and plains.

Far away from the rolling ocean

still my dry land heart can say:

I’ve been sailing all my life now,

never harbor or port have I know.

The wide universe is the ocean I travel

and the earth is my blue boat home.

Sun my sail and moon my rudder

as I ply the starry sea,

leaning over the edge in wonder,

casting questions into the deep.

Drifting here with my ship’s companions,

all we kindred pilgrim souls,

making our way by the lights of the heavens

in our beautiful blue boat home.

I give thanks to the waves upholding me,

hail the great winds urging me on,

greet the infinite sea before me,

sing the sky my sailor’s song:

I was born upon the fathoms,

never harbor or port have I known.

The universe is the ocean I travel,

and the earth is my blue boat home.

~Peter Mayer, 1963 - , copywrite 2002

Traveling as Encounters of the Soul

Those of us who travel abroad encounter countries and cultures first hand. With our own five senses we experience how others live, interact with each other, worship, eat, work. We have insights into how their surroundings shape patterns of behavior, culture, and thought processes. It has been my experience that sometimes, things are not as they have been reported through the mass media. Some times these experiences sadden me. At times I wish to cry out, "Why are not these autocracies being reported to the wider world!?" At other times I have found myself stunned into silence by shear Grace. And I find myself marveling, as one person has said, "that all true prayer leads to silence." And I am left with a profound sense of hope.

I am reading William Dalryple's From the Holy Mountain: A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East. He has got me thinking about my own experiences of travel, and of those you are acquiring as I write. May you find yourself amazed at how God is at work.

~ Joel

"[At the convent of Seidnaya in Syria] I too witnessed a miracle, or something that today would certainly be regarded as a miracle in almost any other country in the Middle East. For the congregation seemed to consist not of Christians but almost entirely of heavily bearded Muslim men. As the priest circled the altar with his thurible, filling the sanctuary with great clouds of incense, the men bobbed up and down on their prayer mats as if in the middle of Friday prayers in a great mosque. Their women, some dressed in full black chador, mouthed prayers from the shadows of the exo-narthex. A few, closely watching the Christian women, went up to the icons hanging from the pillars of the church, kissed them, then lit candles and placed them in the candelabra in front of the images. As I watched from the rear of the church I could see the faces of the women reflected in the illuminated gilt of the icons.
"Toward the end of the service, the priest reappeared with a golden stole over his cassock and circled the length of the church with his thurible, gently and almost apologetically stepping over the prostrate Muslims blocking his way, treading as carefully as if they were precious Iznik vases. While I had seen Muslims and Christians praying together on the island of Buyuk Ada, off Istanbul, this was something quite different: a degree of tolerance - in both congregations - unimaginable today almost anywhere else in the Near East. Yet it was, of course, the old way: the Eastern Christians and the Muslims have lived side by side for nearly one and a half millennia, and have only been able to do so due to a degree of mutual tolerance and shared customs unimaginable in the solidly Christian West" (187-8).

A Song for All The Nations

On this USA Independence Day, I wanted to share a hymn that I often included as a part of worship. We who are traveling abroad often get opportunities to experience other cultures, lands, and peoples. I have always been reminded about what makes other peoples, lands, cultures great and not so great, while at the same time being reminded about what makes my own people, land, and culture great and no so great. When I travel, I am reminded that I am able to do so because of the goodwill and hospitality of other peoples. Indeed, my travels and well-being have often depended upon it.

Blessings on your travels.

Joel

"This is my song, O God of all the nations,
a song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
with hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
"My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
and sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight, too, and clover,
and skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh, hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
a song of peace for their land and for mine.
"May truth and freedom come to every nation;
may peace abound where strife has raged so long,
That each may seek to love and build together
a world united, righting every wrong --
A world united in its love for freedom,
proclaiming peace together in one song."
~ Music: Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) "Finlandia"
~ Words: Lloyd Stone 1934

The Journey ~ Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you
kept shouting
their bad advice --
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
"Mend my life!"
each voice cried.
But you didn't stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late
enough, and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world,
determined to do
the only thing you could do --
determined to save
the only life that you could save.

Earth Day 2010

Happy Earth Day, a day late.

I took a trip down to the Padilla Bay Interpretative Center with a bunch of fourth graders yesterday. It is always great to be outside, to explore the tide-flats and take the time to see all sorts of creatures. And when you add 4th graders who are exploring a lot of this for the first time, and are bubbling with excitement, it just makes it all the more blessed.

Hope you had time to explore the out of doors and the bit of paradise where you live.

While at the Padilla Bay Interpretive Center, I ran across this poem that I'll share:

Ish River
like a breath,
like mist rising from a hillside.
Duwamish, Snohomish, Stillaguamish, Samish,
Skokomish, Skykomish ... all the ish rivers.

I live in the Ish River country
between two mountain ranges whre
many rivers
run down to an inland sea.
~ Robert Sund

Questions of Jesus - 13 April - Resurrection

Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Do you love me? Do you love me?
(John 21:15-17)

Questions of Jesus - 12 April - Resurrection

Children, have you caught anything to eat?
(John 21:5)

Questions of Jesus - 11 April - Resurrection

Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
(John 20:29)

Questions of Jesus - 10 April - Resurrection

Have you anything here to eat?
(Luke 24:41)

Questions of Jesus - 9 April - Resurrection

Why are you troubled? Why do questions arise in your hearts?
(Luke 24:38)

Questions of Jesus - 8 April - Resurrection

Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer things things and enter into his glory?
(Luke 24:26)

Questions of Jesus - 7 April - Resurrection

What are you discussing as you walk along? What things?
(Luke 24:17, 19)

Questions of Jesus - 6 April - Resurrection

I am the Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die; do you believe this?
(John 11:26)

Questions of Jesus - 5 April - Resurrection

Concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"?

(Matthew 22:31-32)

Questions of Jesus - Easter - 4 April - Resurrection

Jesus is risen!
He is risen, indeed!

Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?
(John 20:15)

Cyril's Good Friday Service

Just as I gave some historical information yesterday regarding the Eucharist, so I give some today regarding the crucifixion. Again, this comes from Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker. Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire.

Another controversy in Cyril [of Jerusalem]'s community was whether the crucifixion of Christ was shameful. Apparently, as late as the fourth century, the way Jesus died discredited Christian claims of Christ's divinity. The church sought to assign his execution a meaningful place in the scheme of salvation. Cyril argued that the Crucifixion was not shameful because the Resurrection had dispelled it ignominy. In keeping with New Testament texts, he said that Christ's death expiated sin and that his blood could protect against death. He likened Christ to the Passover lamb, which guarded against the angel of death and liberated the oppressed from a cruel tyrant. Cyril refuted those who claimed the Crucifixion was an illusion. He insisted that Christ's death revealed that he was human as well as divine. "Take the cross as an indestructible foundation on which to build the rest of the faith. do not deny the Crucified," he urged.

Though Cyril had a ready theological explanation for the Crucifixion, he consistently emphasized the Resurrection. "Now that the Resurrection has followed the cross, I am not ashamed to declare it." His church read accounts of Christ's resurrection every Sunday of the year, and every evening it observed the ritual of the Lucernare, the lighting of the lamps from the flame that always burned in the Anastasis. The fire symbolized the presence of the risen Christ. By Egeria's [and eye witness who's journal we have] report, the remembrance of the Crucifixion was observed one day a year, on the Friday of Holy Week. The Passion narratives were read on the legendary site of his Crucifixion (132-3).

If you find yourself attending a Good Friday service this evening, remember you are a part of a large and ancient tradition.

But I also find it informative to know that this is one day's focus in the life of Cyril's church, the rest of the year the focus was on Resurrection. And Resurrection is coming.

Questions of Jesus - Holy Week - 2 April - The Cross

For which of these good works are you trying to stone me?

(John 10:32)

Why are you trying to kill me?

(John 7:19)

What should I say, "Father, save me from this hour?"

(John 12:27)

At that time people will say to the mountains, "Fall upon us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" for if these things are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?

(Luke 23:30-31)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

(Mark 15:34, Matthew 27:46)

Maundy Thursday Ponderings on the Historical Eucharist

There is a strong tradition of celebrating the institution of Holy Communion (also called the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist and the Last Supper) at today's Maundy Thursday service. Readings are read from the four gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke account Jesus changing the Passover meal with the sharing of "my flesh and my blood" while John's gospel has Jesus and the disciples gathered for a Passover meal that includes the washing of feet.

I wanted to share an historical take on what is often celebrated today. The following comes from Rita Nakashima Brock and Rebecca Ann Parker. Saving Paradise: How Christianity Traded Love of This World for Crucifixion and Empire. Beacon Press. 2008.

Beyond the doors of its sanctuaries, the church sent people out into the world as agents of life, as those who resisted the exploitation and violence of the principalities and powers of the world. To teach them such resistance, the church immersed them in a ritual of life in paradise. Because beauty in such rituals had great power, it could also have dangerous consequences. If beauty was used to valorized or sanctify what was harmful to humanity, its power could be destructive. In this spirit, the early church avoided focusing on the Crucifixion, not only in its art, but also in its Eucharist. Some even avoided mentioning it (158).

The Didache (the oldest surviving liturgical handbook, from 1st century Syria) makes no reference to Jesus' crucifixion. Rather, "it's Eucharistic prayer gave thanks to God 'for the life and knowledge which you have revealed to us through Jesus your Child.' It explained the cup as a symbol for Jesus, 'the holy vine of David,' and associated the bread with the life of the church. 'Just as the bread broken was first scattered on the hills, then was gathered and became one, so let your Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom'" (158-9).

Clement of Rome (who according to Irenaeus was the 3rd bishop of Rome) said that Jesus Christ, "the high priest of our offerings" had "opened the eyes of our hearts." Clement's prayer doesn't mention the crucifixion either:

Through him you have called us

From darkness to light,

From ignorance to full knowledge of your glorious name

And to a hope in your name,

Which is the origin of all creation.

You alone are the Most High in the heavenly heights,

the Holy One who rests among the saints.

You cast down the insolence of the proud,

You frustrate the plans of the nations,

You raise up the humble and abase the proud.

You enrich and you reduce to poverty

Sole benefactor of spirits and God of all flesh

You have taught us,

Sanctified us and glorified us (159).

Justin Martyr's account (mid-2nd cent.) of the Eucharist does mention Jesus saying "Do this in memory of me; this is my body," and "This is my blood," just as the synoptic gospels recall. However, Justin Martyr does not include the phrase "broken for you" nor Matthew's phrasing for the cup "poured out for the remission of sins." By the way, the phrase "broken for you" "is found in only some ancient versions of 1 Corinthians 11:24 but not in the four Gospels" (159). Justin Martyr explains "that the 'food over which the Eucharist has been spoken becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus, in order to nourish and transform our flesh and blood.' He explained that the liturgy was to take place on the day of the sun, because Sunday was 'the day on which God transformed darkness and matter and created the world, and the day on which Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead'" (159-60).

The first example of a Eucharist prayer that included words of brokenness in the anamnesis (remembrance) was the mid-third-century prayer of Hippolytus of Rome: "Take, eat, this is my body which is broken for you. ... This is my blood, which is shed for you; when you do this, you make my remembrance." But church teachers made clear that this remembrance referred to the living body and blood, the incarnate Christ who made the request before he was broken and who died "to destroy death ... to pour out his light upon the just, to establish the covenant and manifest his resurrection." The holy foods on the Eucharist table nourished those who received them to be "filled with the Holy Spirit" and "strengthened in faith."

In early Eucharistic prayers, when Jesus' crucifixion was mentioned, it was listed among a series of events. It was not the focus of the liturgy and was not the key to its meaning. The entire story communicated the Spirit in life. The Eucharist foods signified Christ's living body, the union of spirit and flesh in his incarnation, and the abiding power of life, manifested in his resurrection. The foods represented his miracles of feeding and healing and his post-resurrection appearances to the disciples, several of which involved meals. During the fourth century, associating the Eucharist with the Last Supper became commonplace, but even then references tot eh Last Supper were not universal. The liturgy of Addai and Mari, which originated in Edessa in Anatolia in perhaps the third century, is still in use today by Christians in the Assyrian Church of the East, once called Nestorian by their opponents. It has no words of institution and makes no connection to "the night before he died."

Eucharistic prayers went out of their way to make it clear that the Christian observance was not about shedding blood of any sort (160).

The political, social, and theological meanings of Christian Eucharist prayers varied over regions and diverse Christian sects, but early Christian rituals consistently placed the accent on Jesus' incarnation, his teaching and miracles of healing and feeding, his baptism, and his resurrection. The remembrance of the Crucifixion was not central to what the Eucharist memorialized; instead, the Eucharist focused on incarnation and Resurrection. The feast remembered how Jesus overcame death with life, never to die again (161).

[The Eucharist] ritual restored humanity's divinity in paradise, providing a basis for relationship rather than division among Christians, pagans, and Jews. The potential was there, even when imperfectly realized, for Christians to recognize all of humanity as created in the image of God. Grafted onto the tree of life and feasting at the wedding banquet through the Eucharist, Christians embraced a world of flesh infused with spirit. They received insight and strength to resist unjust principalities and powers, to live in freedom and responsibility, and to hold to nonviolence in the struggle against evil. They partook of the feast with doxology, praise for beauty and thanks for life. They went forth to live in the world as a life-giving presence. In the Western churches, the Eucharist continued to be understood as a feast of the Resurrection until the ninth century. Eastern Orthodox churches continue to regard it so, and in recent years some Western Christians have revived the ancient understanding and enlarged it in creative new directions (162-3).

Holy Day Blog Schedule

On this Maundy Thursday morning, I wanted to share a few thoughts regarding the blog for these coming Holy Days. I'll continue the questions tomorrow, Good Friday, but on Holy Saturday, I will remain silent in waiting. Fr. John Dear continues these questions of Jesus with ten questions Jesus asks after the resurrection. I will post then post these questions one by one starting on Easter.

I hope these questions have been thought provoking for each of us during this season of Lent to examine our own lives to see where God is moving, probing, beckoning us forth. If you want to look more deeply at these questions, and see what Fr. John Dear has written about them, his book is titled: The Questions of Jesus: Challenging Ourselves to Discover Life's Great Answers. Doubleday. 2004

Wishing you a blessed end of Lent and a glorious Easter,

Joel

Questions of Jesus - Holy Week - 1 April - Arrest and Trial cont.

If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong; but if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?
(John 18:23)

Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?
(John 18:34)

Questions of Jesus - Holy Week - 31 March - Arrest and Trial cont.

Do you not think that I cannot call upon my God and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass this way?
(Matthew 26:53-54)

Why ask me?
(John 18:21)

Questions of Jesus - Holy Week - 30 March - Arrest and Trial cont.

Judas, are you betraying the Son of Humanity with a kiss?
(Luke 22:48)

Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs, to seize me?
(Mark 14:48; Luke 22:52; Matthew 26:55)

Questions of Jesus - Holy Week - 29 March - Arrest and Trial cont.

Shall I not drink the cup that God gave me?
(John 18:11)

Questions of Jesus - 28 March, Palm Sunday - Arrest & Trial

Whom are you looking for?
(John 18:4, 7)

Questions of Jesus - 27 March - Discipleship cont.

Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
(Mark 14:41; Matthew 26:45)

Why are you sleeping?
(Luke 22:46)

Questions of Jesus - 26 March - Discipleship cont.

Could you not keep watch with me for one hour?
(Mark 14:37; Matthew 26:40)

Questions of Jesus - 25 March - Discipleship cont.

Do you realize what I have done for you?
(John 13:12)

If there were not [many dwelling places in my Father's house], would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
(John 14:2)

Questions of Jesus - 24 March - Discipleship cont.

When I sent you forth without a money bag or a sack or sandals, were you in need of anything?
(Luke 22:36)

Questions of Jesus - 23 March - Discipleship

Do you also want to leave?
(John 6:67)

Did I not choose you twelve?
(John 6:70)

Questions of Jesus - 22 March - Discipleship

Will you lay down your life for me?
(John 13:38)

Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?
(Matthew 20:22; Mark 10:38)

Questions of Jesus - 21 March - Obedience cont.

What were you arguing about on the way?
(Mark 9:33)

Who then is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
(Luke 12:42)

Why are you testing me?
(Mark 12:15; Matthew 22:18)

Is it not written: My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples?
(Mark 11:17)

Questions of Jesus - 20 March - Obedience

Why do you call me "Lord, Lord," but not do what I command?
(Luke 6:46)

Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?
(Matthew 15:3)

Questions of Jesus - 20 March - Understanding cont.

Are you not misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?
(Mark 12:24)

Does this shock you?
(John 6:61)

Questions of Jesus - 19 March - Understanding cont.

Are even you likewise without understanding?
(Mark 7:18)

Do you understand all these things?
(Matthew 13:51)

Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
(Luke 12:56)

Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
(Luke 12:57)

New Boat

Sorry, everyone for not keeping up to date over this past weekend. We just purchased a new boat and were sailing her up to Semiahmoo/Blaine from Anacortes. Picture to follow when I get a chance to download the camera.

Now ... to update us on our questions.

Hope you Lent has been going well, and that these Questions of Jesus continue to inspire you.

Joel

Questions of Jesus - 18 March - Understanding

Why do you not understand what I am saying?
(John 8:46)

Do you not understand or comprehend? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear? Do you still not understand?
(Mark 8:17-19, 21)

You are a teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
(John 3:10)

If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
(John 3:12)

Questions of Jesus - 17 March - Truth

If I am telling the truth, why do you not believe me?
(John 8:46)

Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath or not?
(Luke 14:3)

Tell me, was John's baptism of heavenly or of human origins?
(Luke 20:4; Mark 11:30)

Show me a denarius: whose image and name does it bear?
(Luke 20:2; Mark 12:16; Matthew 22:20)

Questions of Jesus 16 March - Faith Cont.

How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?
(John 5:44)

Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?
(John 11:40)

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
(John 14:10)

Do you believe now?
(John 16:31)

Questions of Jesus 15 March - Faith Cont.

But if you do not believe the writings of Moses, how will you believe my words?
(John 5:47)

Why this commotion and weeping?
(Mark 5:39)

Why does this generation seek a sign?
(Mark 8:12)

Then to what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?
(Luke 7:31; Matthew 11:16)

Questions of Jesus 14 March - Faith Cont.

Do you not yet have faith?
(Mark 4:40)

Why are you terrified?
(Mark 4:40, Matthew 8:26)

When the Son of Humanity comes, will he find faith on earth?
(Luke 18:8)

Questions of Jesus 13 March - Faith

Where is your faith?
(Luke 8:25)

Do you believe in the Son of Humanity?
(John 9:35)

Do you believe I can do this?
(Matthew 9:28)

O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
(Matthew 14:31)

Questions of Jesus 12 March - God's Generosity Cont.

How many loaves do you have?
(Matthew 15:34; Mark 6:38, 8:5)

If God so clothes the grass of the field that grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will God not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
(Matthew 6:30; Luke 12:28)

Will not God secure the rights of God's chosen ones who call out to God day and night? Will God be slow to answer them?
(Luke 18:7)

Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?
(Luke 17:17-18)

Questions of Jesus 11 March - God's Generosity

Why are you anxious about clothes?
(Matthew 6:28)

Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish?
(Matthew 7:9-10)

What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?
(Luke 11:11-13)

Questions of Jesus - 10 March - The Reign of God

What is the reign of God like? To what can I compare it?
(Luke 13: 18, 20)

To what shall we compare the reign of God, or what parable can we use for it?
(Mark 4:30)

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
(Luke 12:51)

Questions of Jesus - 9 March - The Meaning of Life Cont.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
(Matthew 6:25)

Are you not more important than the birds of the sky?
(Matthew 6:26)

Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath rather than do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?
(Luke 6:9; Mark 3:4)

Who is greater, the one seated at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at the table?
(Luke 22:27)

Questions of Jesus - 8 March - The Meaning of Life

What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
(Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25; Matthew 16:26)

What could one give in exchange for his life?
(Mark 8:37)

Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life span? If even the smallest things are beyond your control, why are you anxious about the rest?
(Matthew 6:27; Luke 12:26)

Questions of Jesus - 7 March - Compassion

Which one of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robber's victim?
(Luke 10:36)

Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?
(John 8:10)

Why do you make trouble for her?
(Mark 14:6; Matthew 26:10)

Questions of Jesus - 6 March - Vision

Do you see anything?
(Mark 8:23)

You see all these things, do you not?
(Matthew 24:2)

Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit?
(Luke 6:39)

Do you see this woman?
(Luke 7:44)

What if you were to see the Son of Humanity ascending to where he was before?
(John 6:62)

Questions of Jesus - 5 March - Healing

Do you want to be well?
(John 5:6)

Who touched me?
(Luke 8:45, Mark 5:30)

What is your name?
(Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30)

How long has this been happening to him?
(Mark 9:21)

Which is easier; to say to th paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Rise, pick up your mat and walk"?
(Mark 2:9, Matthew 9:5; Luke 5:23)

Questions of Jesus - 4 March - Love

Questions on Love:

If you love only those who love you, what credit is that to you? Do not the tax collectors do the same?
(Matthew 5:46; Luke 6:32)

And if you great your brothers and sisters only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?
(Matthew 5:47)

And if you do good only to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?
(Luke 6:33-34)

Which of them will love more?
(Luke 7:42)

Questions of Jesus 3 March - Conversion

Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, "Let me remove that splinter from your eye," while the wooden beam is in your eye?

(Matthew 7:3-4; Luke 6:41-42)

Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all the other Galileans? Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them, do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?

(Luke 13:2, 4)

Questions of Jesus 2 March - Purity of Heart

What are you thinking in your hearts?

(Luke 5:22)

Why do you harbor evil thoughts?

(Matthew 9:4)

Did not the Maker of the outside also make the inside?

(Luke 11:40)

Questions of Jesus 1 March

O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?

(Mark 9:19, Luke 9:41, Matthew 17:17)

Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you ill or in prison and visit you?Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison and not minister to your needs?

(Matthew 25:37-39, 44)

Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me?

(John 14:9)

Questions of Jesus 14

Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?

(Luke 12:14)

Questions of Jesus 13

Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?

(Matthew 9:15)

Questions of Jesus 12

Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?

(Mark 2:19, Luke 5:34)

Questions of Jesus 11

What is your opinion about the Messiah? Whose son is he?

(Matthew 22:42)

Questions of Jesus 10

Who is my mother? Who are my brothers and sisters?

(Matthew 12:48, Mark 3:33)

Questions of Jesus 9

Woman, how does your concern affect me?

(John 2:4)

Questions of Jesus 8

Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?

(Luke 2:49)

Questions of Jesus 7

Why do you call me good?

(Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19)

Questions of Jesus 6

Why do you ask me abou what is good?

(Matthew 19:17)

Questions of Jesus 5

But who do you say that I am?

(Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20, Matthew 16:15)

Questions of Jesus 4 - Moving into Questions of Identity

Who do people say that I am?

(Mark 8:27, Luke 9:18; Matthew 16:13)

Questions of Jesus 3

What do you want me to do for you?

(Matthew 20:32, Mark 10:36 and 10:51, Luke 18:41)

Fundraiser for Winds of Grace (Sat Feb 20)

The Beer Authority is holding a fund raising event for Winds of Grace this Saturday (Feb 20) from noon 'til 9:00 pm. This is part of their "12 months of giving" campaign. Pints will be around $5.50, with all proceeds from the donated keg going to Winds of Grace. Come lift a pint or two and support us.

If you'd like to support the Winds of Grace ministry, but would be unable to attend, you can always send a donation to Winds of Grace, 1326 North Garden St., Bellingham, WA 98225.

Joel plans on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m.

The Beer Authority: 12716 Lake City Way NE - Seattle, WA 98125

Directions:

Coming from I-5 North
Take the 145th street Exit. Turn Left on 145th Street. Turn right on the Bothell/Everett Highway/ Lake City Way NE. After you pass Fred Meyer on your left, the store will be on the next block. The Beer Authority will be on the left side of the street in the Solara Apartment Complex. Sumo Sushi is right next door and QFC is across the street.

Coming from I-5 South
Take the 130th Street Exit. Turn Right on 130th. (130th turns into 125th). Turn left onto Lake City Way NE. The Beer Authority will be on your right hand side next door to Sumo Sushi and across the street from QFC.

Parking - Street parking is available on the entire block in front of the store. If you are coming from the North, you may want to go around the block so that you can park on the same side of the street as The Beer Authority.

Questions of Jesus 2

Why are you looking for me?

(Luke 2:49)

Questions of Jesus 1 What are you looking for?

During Lent I will be using a resource (Fr. John Dear, The Questions of Jesus) as a study/Lenten discipline by asking the questions that Jesus asks. So, here we start ...

What are you looking for?

(John 1:38)

Ash Wednesday Quote #2

"Where, in our reality, is grace embodied?" Leonardo Boff asks, while encouraging people to meditate on "avenues of grace."

Sounds like a good Lenten discipline.

Ash Wednesday Quote #1

When asked how seriously to take environmental issues brought about by events such as Earth Day, Wendell Berry replied, "I don't think we can take it seriously until people begin to talk seriously about lowering the standard of living. When people begin to see affluence, economic growth, unrestrained economic behavior as the enemies of the environment, then we can take it seriously. But people are saying, 'Give us everything we want and a clean environment,' and this isn't a possibility."

Ash Wednesday Service

Here is a link to the Ash Wednesday Service, or you may check under the prior postings, February 2009, Ash Wednesday Service.

Blessed Ash Wednesday to all of you.

Joel

"God and I are like ..."

God and I are like two fat people in a small boat ...

we keep bumping into each other and laughing.

~ Hafiz

Saturday Fundraiser for Haiti Relief

I'd like to know what people are doing for Haiti relief. And I plan on posting some links to relief organizations when I get a chance. Please let me know. jaosved@pnwumc.org Thanks.

The Beer Authority in Seattle is hosting a fundraising event this Saturday. 2010 will be a year of raising funds for different charities and non-profits (Next month, Feb 20 will be Winds of Grace).

Here is the noticed published in their newsletter:

Once a month on a Saturday to be determined, we'll be hosting an all day event to raise money for a charity or organization. In light of the tragic events in Haiti we are feverishly putting together our first 12 Months of Giving with several of our partners in the craft beer community - Victory Brewing Company, Odom Corporation and Pacific Beverage. We'll be providing a keg of Victory's Prima Pils this coming Saturday (Jan. 23rd) with each pint at $5.50 and all the proceeds going to help the victims of last weeks earthquake. Stay tuned for details.

Directions:

Coming from I-5 North
Take the 145th street Exit. Turn Left on 145th Street. Turn right on the Bothell/Everett Highway/ Lake City Way NE. After you pass Fred Meyer on your left, the store will be on the next block. The Beer Authority will be on the left side of the street in the Solara Apartment Complex. Sumo Sushi is right next door and QFC is across the street.

Coming from I-5 South
Take the 130th Street Exit. Turn Right on 130th. (130th turns into 125th). Turn left onto Lake City Way NE. The Beer Authority will be on your right hand side next door to Sumo Sushi and across the street from QFC.

Parking - Street parking is available on the entire block in front of the store. If you are coming from the North, you may want to go around the block so that you can park on the same side of the street as The Beer Authority.

Happy Epiphany