Theological Friday: Reflections for the 3rd Sunday in Advent

The lectionary reading for the 3rd Sunday in Advent: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6 (Psalm); Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18.

What shall we do?
Bear Fruit!
How?
Rejoice!
Sing!
Shout!
Give away.
Be content.
Share.

This weeks readings seem to be filled with actions, or with people wanting to know what action they should take.

I have long held that it is easier to "believe" than it is to "follow" or to "act," especially on that belief.

During this Holiday time we, as a culture, are reminded of those in need. We act in such ways to help them - to provide succor: giving trees; food baskets; and supporting our food, clothing, and homeless shelters. And we often do so with out any recognition - as a true gift. In that way we act like St. Nicholas. But what about the rest of the year?

How do these Sustainable Wednesdays encourage us to act?
Do they invite us into the Kingdom / Kin-dom of God? In what ways?

Again, the fiery John the Baptist reminds us that we are connected. And that while we wait for the one who will baptize us with fire, there are things to be done.

This is one of the reasons I placed the reflection about the global potluck as this week's Sustainable Wednesday reflection. What is enough? How much do we need? These are questions that you cannot answer for me, just as I cannot answer for you. Rather, each of us can point to examples of others who have reached a point of "enoughness." We can each remember times in our own lives in which we, even if briefly, reached "enoughness," too.

Next week's Sustainable Wednesday, I plan on highlighting some people who have been examples of living out a sustainable life-style. You can decide if they are reminders of the nearness of God's Kin-dom.

Blessed Be

Joel

Sustainable Wednesday: Potluck

We are in the midst of Advent, and in the midst of the secular Christmas holiday time* with holiday parties for the staff at work, for the neighborhood, for the volunteer associations we belong to, for the ... As some one once said, it may not be so important what we eat between Thanksgiving and Christmas, as it is what we eat between Christmas and Thanksgiving. Indeed, we are in the midst of celebrations and parties. Maybe this is why I find Jim Merkel's question phrased in the midst of an imaginary potluck so moving.

     Imagine you are at a potluck buffet and see that you are the first in line. How do you know how much to take? Imagine that this potluck spread includes not just food and water, but also the materials needed for shelter, clothing, healthcare and education. It all looks and smells so good and you are hungry. What will you heap on your plate? How much is enough to leave for your neighbors behind you in the line? Now extend this cornucopia to today's global economy, where the necessities for life come from around the world. Six billion people,** shoulder to shoulder, for a line that circles around the globe to Cairo, onto Hawaii over ocean bridges, then back, and around the globe again, 180 times more. With plates in hand, they too wait in line, hearty appetites in place. And along with them are giraffes and klipspringers, manatees and spiders, untold millions of species, millions of billions of unique beings, all with the same lusty appetites. And behind them, the soon-to-be-born children, cubs, and larvae.
     A harmonious feast just might be possible. But it requires a bit of restraint, or shall we say, a tamed appetite, as our plate becomes a shopping cart, becomes a pickup truck - filling our house, attic, basement, garage, and maybe even a rented storage unit with nature transformed into things. As we sit down for a good hearty meal with new friends and creatures from around the world, what is the level of equity that we would feel great about? At what level of inequity would be say, "Wait a minute, that's not fair"?***

What level of equity feels right? What level of inequity has us crying "Foul!"?

Merkel encourages us to live globally. "'Global Living' was defined as an equitable and harmonious lifestyle among not only the entire human population, but also among the estimated 7-25 million other species, and the countless unborn generations. When one practices global living, each of our daily actions improves the health of the whole - locally and globally. The ecological, social, political, and spiritual systems at all levels are then able to regenerate and flourish."***

Here's to the big questions in life.

Blessed Be

Joel


___________
* For the Christian Church calendar, the Christmas season starts with Christmas, runs the 12 days of Christmas (like the carol) and ends on Epiphany.
** As of 31 October 2011: the world population reached 7 billion. The Worldmeters gives a real time count of the worlds human population and facts about estimated population.
*** Jim Merkel. Radical Simplicity: small footprints on a finite Earth. New Society Publishers. 2003. 1st quote: p. 2-3. 2nd quote: p. 2.

Musical Monday: Whup Jamboree

We continue with our Advent fun of posting some sea shanties. Enjoy this connection to those who have gone to sea before us.

Blessed Be

Joel

Lyrics:

Whup Jamboree - trad cotton screwing shanty

Whup Jamboree, whup jamboree
Oh a long-tailed sailor man comin' up behind
Whup Jamboree, whup jamboree
Come an' get your oats me son

The pilot he looked out ahead
The hands on the cane and the heavin' of the lead
And the old man roared to wake the dead
Come and get your oats me son

Oh, now we see the lizzard light
Soon, me boys, we'll heave in sight
We'll soon be abreast of the Isle of Wight
Come and get your oats me son

Now when we get to the black wall dock
Those pretty young girls come out in flocks
With short-legged drawers and long-tailed frocks
Come and get your oats me son

Well, then we'll walk down limelight way
And all the girls will spend our pay
We'll not see more 'til another day
Come and get your oats me son

Theological Friday: Reflections for the 2nd Sunday in Advent

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the Second Sunday in Advent:

Baruch 5:1-9 or Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79 (in place of the Psalm); Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6

Reflections:

Who do we listen to?
     Pop stars? Movie starts? Economists? Political pundits? Those who have come from the desert? Those to eat strange things, and dress bizarrely? And do we as a culture tend to listen to men more than women?

What does it take to be an expert?
     Eduction? Money? Experience?
          Experience at what?

The Desert, the Mountain Top, and the Sea are all places where theophanies take place. In the biblical world view, if one wanted a direct experience of God, of the Divine, of the Source of all, one went to the wilderness. Maybe it is why we need wildernesses today. Wildernesses remind us that we are not in control and that God can never be domesticated.

Here are three sea examples:

H.W. (Bill) Tilman

H.W. (Bill) Tilman climbed mountains (Himalayas) and then went to sea to climb mountains. (Does he count twice then: the sea and the mountain experiences?) Most of these climbs were done in the high latitudes (either south or north) with a small crew on a series of British pilot cutters, the most famous one being MISCHIEF.

Moitessier during the Long Way

Bernard Moitessier was the first to sail from Papeete, Tahiti to Alicante, Spain non-stop by way of Cape Horn with his wife, Francoise. Later, he became the only (as far as I know) person to sail 1 1/2 times around the world via the great capes, alone, and with out stopping: Leaving Plymouth, England and eventually arriving in Papeete, Tahiti.

Capi Blanchet

M. Wylie "Capi" Blanchet is another example who traveled into the British Columbia, Canada wilderness as a single mother with her 5 children aboard their 25 foot motorboat CAPRICE starting in the 1920's. Their adventures are wonderfully told in The Curve of Time. To my thinking, Capi's accomplishments are just as wonderful as these other two's.












Did anyone every listen to what these folks coming from the wilderness might have to say? Perhaps momentarily. Moitesier caught the public's imagination, only to be soon forgotten, but mainly for his refusal to finish the race. All three wrote and as authors kept an audience, but manly in their specialty area (sailing, cruising, mountaineering).

There is a wildness about John.
Is that what causes people to listen to him? Something about the inner fire that burns so fiercely catches the public's attention?
Or is it that he, himself, is listening?

Who do we listen, too?

Where is the Spirit calling us?

Blessed Be

Joel

Feast of St Nicholas - 2012

National Museum of Medieval History, Korca Albania

Happy Feast of St Nicholas to you.Did you find anything in your shoes this morning? If you left them outside where we are, you'd have found water. Nothing like more rain.

On this Feast Day of the patron saint of sailors and voyagers, children and marriageable maidens, paupers, and others,  you might think about ways you can secretly help out others, following in his example. The St. Nicholas Center has lots of history and resources. If nothing else, the sailing community has always been a friendly compassionate bunch who helps one another out. I've been on the receiving end, and I continue to try and pay it forward, too. Hmmm, what to do this year?

So here's to Saint Nicholas!

May Saint Nick be at your tiller!

Blessed Be,

Joel

Sustainable Wednesday: Water Issues

The Saturday after Thanksgiving I had the blessing of baptizing Sarah. As has long been my tradition, I return the holy water to the earth as a blessing. When possible, I like to involve any older siblings, cousins or even just other children witnessing the event. Part of my hope is that by participating in the blessing of the earth with the holy water, they will remember the baptism and their involvement with in it. Part of my hope, is that these children through this ritual act will grow into people who continue to bless, as they are blessed by, the wonderful globe we all live upon.
As we were near a river, I asked the four year-old brother and six year-old cousin if they would like to help me. When asked if they knew about the water cycle, both of them nodded their heads, explaining that water came from clouds, into rivers and into our drinking water. Great. I took the opportunity to explain that "this river went out to the sea, where the water cycled and eventually evaporated forming clouds that rolled into the land. When the clouds hit the mountains, the clouds rained, forming streams that flowed into rivers and down to the sea again. So when we pour this holy water into the river, we will bless the entire process, and in tern participate in blessing the world." Both were excited to participate and very carefully poured the holy water into the river.
They watched the river current and noticed a floating pumpkin. "Hey there's a pumpkin!" The pumpkin had all their attention now: wondering what would happen to it? How long would it continue to float?
But for a moment I had their complete attention!

At Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (June 20-22, 2012) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon mentioned that there are not 1.5 billion more people in the world today than in 1992, and we will need 50% more food and 45% more energy in 2030.

Food is closely connected to water. 92% of humanities water footprint is agriculture.* How does this break down? The chart at the right gives the amount of water needed per food source. Water needed is "defined as the total volume of fresh water used to produce each item:" in terms of animal production this means the volume of water used for feeding, drinking and maintenance.

I don't know about you, but I suddenly wonder what this all means about my food choices. As Nancy Shute writes: "Many farmers already struggle to get enough water for their crops. Foods like beef, which people crave as they become more affluent, take far more water to produce than fish or plants. Water-efficient techniques like drip irrigation, conservation tillage, and mulching help make the most of a dwindling resource. New, less thirsty varieties of crops will help too. But ultimately we will have to learn to sip where we once gulped."*

If nothing else, it reminds me to be thankful, gracious and gentle with water.

Blessed Be

Joel
___
*Shute, Nancy. "Next: Future of Food: Precious Water" National Geographic Magazine. September 2012. page 26.

Musical Monday: Goodbye, Fare Thee Well

For Advent, I thought I would add something on the fun side ... some sea shanties. Enjoy the music and the fun lyrics, as we remember those who have gone to sea before us.

Blessings,

Joel

A note on the lyrics:
First note that The Exmouth Shantymen sing this slightly differently than the two lyric choices below. As pulling the anchor up might take quite a bit of time and is dependent upon how much scope would be out, there are countless verses to this shanty. It's no wonder that the Exmouth Shantymen sing a different variation. Please see additional notes below the lyrics.

Louis Killen sings Goodbye Fare Thee Well

Oh, we're homeward bound to Liverpool town,
    Goodbye fare the well, goodbye fare the well,
Well them Liverpool judies they are welcome down,
    Hurrah, me boys, we're homeward bound!

Them gals there on Lime Street we soon hope to meet,
And soon we'll be a-rolling both sides of the street.

We'll meet those fly girls and we'll ring the old bell,
With them judies we'll meet there we'll raise bloody hell.

Then I'll tell me old women when I gets back home,
The gals there on Lime Street won't leave me alone.

We're homeward bound, to the gals of the town,
So stamp up, me bullies, and heave it around.

Oh, we're homeward bound, we'll have yiz to know,
And over the water to Liverpool we'll go.

Waterson:Carthy sing Goodbye Fare You Well

Our anchor we'll weigh and our sails we will set,
    Goodbye fare you well, goodbye fare you well,
Our friends we are leaving, we leave with regret,
    Hurrah, me boys, we're homeward bound!

We're homeward bound, oh joyful sound,
Come ready the capstan and turn quick around.

We're homeward bound, we have you know,
And over the water to England must go.

We're homeward bound to Liverpool town,
The boys and the girls to the pier flock down.

Oh, then one to the other you hear them all say,
Here comes I and Jacky with eighteen month's pay.

So heave with a will and heave long and strong,
And sing a good chorus for it's a good song.

So, it's now we come home from the far foreign lands,
Where the bottom's all fishes and fine yellow sand.

And the fishes all sing as they swim to and fro,
She's a Liverpool packet, oh Lord, let her go.

So tell my old mother that I get back home,
The girls upon Lime Street won't leave me alone.

The above verses are found on the link above. That webpage also has the following comments regarding this shanty.

Louis Killen and chorus sang this fine capstan shanty accompanied by Dave Swarbrick on fiddle in 1964 on the Topic anthology Farewell Nancy: Sea Songs and Shanties. This album was reissued with bonus tracks in 1993 as the CD Blow the Man Down: A Collection of Sea Songs and Shanties. A.L. Lloyd commented on the album's liner notes:

Traditionally, this one was sung at the capstan when the anchor was raised for the homeward run, a big moment for men who might have been away for a year or more. W.M. Doerflinger says that when the shantyman led the gang in this song, “cheering from other vessels in port rang across the water to wish the homeward-bounders luck.” There are countless verses to this song. Those sung here are mostly from Stan Hugill's Shanties from the Seven Seas.

Waterson:Carthy sang the less raunchy verses of Goodbye Fare You Well with Eliza in lead on their fifth album, Fishes & Fine Yellow Sand. This track was also included on the anthology Evolving Tradition 4. The original album's notes commented:

The album is topped and tailed by Goodbye Fare You Well and Twenty-One Years on Dartmoor. Liza put the former together from the mountain of verses to be found in Stan Hugill's master collection Shanties from the Seven Seas and had to leave out some beautiful verses otherwise we would have been at it all night. It's the one song on this CD which has no baddies in it and instead has singing fishes. Who needs Walt bloody Disney I say. (OK, Finding Nemo was fun).