My Mother is a Father

Sermon-All Saint's San Francisco

2012-01-08T18:28:00.003-05:00

There is some recycled material here, but it was wonderful to be able to preach at the church that sponsored me for the diaconate and then the priesthood and to see familiar and new faces. I also got to accomplish one of the aims of the Society of Ordained Scientists, that is, "To offer to God in our ordained role the work of science and technology in the exploration and stewardship of creation." The quotations are from Swimme and Tucker's book.

"Wherever the interstellar clouds of the two galaxies collide, they do not freely move past each other without interruption but, rather, suffer a damaging collision. High relative velocities cause ram pressures at the surface of contact between the interacting interstellar clouds. This pressure, in turn, produces material densities sufficiently extreme as to trigger star formation through gravitational collapse. The hot blue stars in this image are evidence of this star formation."

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Photo ID: GL-2002-001105

Sermon:

There are three reasons I am in California: first to inter my friend David's ashes in the columbarium, which we did yesterday; second to see my children and some friends; and thirdly to go to Tucson on my home to Maine for a retreat/meeting of the North American Chapter of the Society of Ordained Scientists. I've watched a lot of news programs and commentators in motels on my stops across the country with Izzie. The voices get pretty strident and I find myself driving long distances with no radio or iPod music, so I can enjoy the silence and listen to the memories in my head.

Today’s readings made me pay attention to the use of the word “voice” and the presence of the Holy Spirit: God’s voice as power and God’s Holy Spirit as life giver or the one who spurs us to action. “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth” is such a simple statement for some very complex processes. Scientists sometimes refer to this beginning of space-time as the “Big Bang.” In the book "Journey of the Universe" by Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker, the authors instead the start of our universe as “the great exhalation.” That’s another way to describe the forces of expansion (from the big bang) and attraction (gravity), to remind us that the universe is "shaped by these two opposing and creative dynamics" and that we who are alive are also shaped by processes of expansion and contraction such as breathing and the beating of our hearts.

Just like in our Psalm, the voice of God is powerful and majestic, controlling all of nature but I can't help but wonder what the "great exhalation" sounded like. Big Bang doesn't really have the elegance or the awe or the wonder that the term "great exhalation" does. Could it really be a great shout of joy and love and unimaginable power that started all that we know and began time and space? And if the Holy Spirit is inspiration, then we have the breathing in and out of the universe in both exhalation and inspiration.

Thinking about God breathing out the universe is reflected in the prolog to John’s Gospel "In the beginning was the Word." as well as the beginning of Genesis that we heard today “God said let there be....” And God didn't just separate the light from darkness there was much more creating going on. After the initial "bang" particles began to collide and interact; sometimes bonding, sometimes separating. The formation of increasingly complex communities, started with elementary particles and seems to be the way of the universe. In order for bonding to occur, the particles have to give up part of their mass and release it as energy. "Even from the first moments, our universe moved toward creating relationships.....This bonding is at the heart of matter."

Forming a complex community is what churches are all about. Becoming part of a complex community is what baptism is all about. It’s not just this one place, All Saints’, but it is about becoming a part of the whole Body of Christ. In Maine, I’ve spent time trying to help some small parishes figure out new ways of being church. Part of that is helping them think about what it would mean when churches are willing to give up something, and what kind of energy could be released that will benefit both the churches and the communities in which they exist. What kind of new relationships can be formed?

Because there is the relationship part of bonding too. It seems as though God created the whole universe, not just us, in God's image. If bonding is at the heart of matter, then bonding or relationship has a lot to do with how we related to God and how God relates to us. I would like to think that relationships or bonding are as critical to the nature of God as to the nature of the universe God created and giving up a bit of mass to create energy is part of this.

So far I’ve used images to describe the universe and ourselves as breathing lung, an expanding heart, and a system that becomes increasingly complex. There is another image that can apply and that is of a developing seed. The process is complex, but orderly: first roots, then leaves. The universe started out focusing on building nuclei, then it stopped and other processes began. “The astonishing fact is that if the universe had continued building nuclei all the way up to iron, for example, iron nuclei would have predominated for all time.” But what happened instead was when all the light nuclei were formed the conditions for building the nuclei changed. And this stopping and changing happened again and again over the fourteen billion years it took to get to us. As with seeds developing one process stopped so something new could take over. Something that would eventually become living, breathing creatures to could contemplate the awesome complexity that the mind of God is holding in existence.

God’s power is manifest in the Holy Spirit received after Paul laid his hands on some disciples in Ephesus. And we see God’s power in our gospel when we again hear the voice and see the action of the Holy Spirit. “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

How many times have we said of a baby “he or she is the spitting image of .....” Well we are the spitting image of the voice that said “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” God is not just well pleased with his Son with a capital S, he is well pleased with all his sons and daughters. Just as God proclaimed the first day good, he proclaimed the creating of humankind good as well.

As think about the renewal of our baptismal covenant this morning, I challenge you to remember that it is our voices bonding with voices of Christians around the globe, that allows for the creative work of the Holy Spirit to start something new. The Holy Spirit, the Creator and the Son are all bound together in a relationship dance and because of their relationship, we are bound in our baptism to God and to each other.

Hallelujah Corporations: Or I Can't Resist a Hallelujah Chorus

2011-12-14T07:39:00.001-05:00

With all the anger about corporate excess and the brave actions of the OCW people across the US I recommend this YouTube video for those who love Handel as well as the Capital Steps.

Wade sent the link this morning.

Hallelujah was conceived, rehearsed and filmed in Tamworth, NH, a small town with a population of 2556 that has as its backdrop Mt Chocorua, the most photographed mountain in America. Tamworth is part of Occupy The Mt Washington Valley. Tamworth was the summer home of President Grover Cleveland

Nicely done. Clever writing too.

Moses and the Northwoods Park

2011-08-21T08:00:00.007-04:00

Mt. Katahdin, Maine
Photo from Wikimedia Commons

Next Sunday will be my last one at two lovely churches, one in the shadow of Mt. Katahdin and the other near the lovely Lincoln Lakes. I have decided that with everything else going on in my life, I do not, physically or emotionally, have the strength to do this for a year. The bishop supports me in this.

Last Thursday I attended a somewhat contentious meeting at the local high school. Proponents and opponents of a feasibility study for a Northern Woods National Park met with Secretary of the interior Salazar. He was a generous listener and I hope opened up some hearts to listen to the possibility and to decide on information rather than fear and emotion.

Sermon

What a difficult time it was for the descendants of Joseph and his family when there was a Pharaoh who did not know Joseph. They had really grown in numbers and were probably viewed as a threat to the Egyptians. What if, they became so numerous they would took over the place? Not something any self-respecting dictator would put up with. So they were put to work as slaves making bricks for Pharaoh's projects.

That didn't stop the Israelites from finding ways around this oppressive system. When Moses was born, his mother had him hidden in the reeds of the Nile near where Pharaoh's daughter bathed and had his sister watch the whole scene so she could recommend a wet-nurse, who was really Mose's mother. Moses was fortunate enough to be raised in Pharaoh's household. God was watching over his people, silently providing for a leader.

Watching the evening news about the struggle the Libyans and Syrians are having trying to overthrow their dictators can't help but make me think of Moses and the Israelites. And then this past spring we watched as Egyptians freed themselves from their dictator. It is no longer a group of strangers kept captive in a foreign land struggling to be free, but people native to a country oppressed by their own brutal leaders. There is something in the human spirit that yearns to be free. My home state tells it well: "Live Free or Die." Now I know some wags say that slogan is a threat, but there is something about not being free that can kill bits of your soul.

I wonder what it is like to overcome the fear of being beaten or killed or having your family members put at risk to fight for freedom. Fear is a powerful emotion--one of our most basic and primitive ones. It gets the adrenalin going so we can fight or flee. I think I am the type who would flee, but I don't really know. When we are fearful, or have any other powerful negative emotion all we seem to be able to do is act instinctively: creative solutions go out the window.

I remember telling a fractious Vestry some years ago, that I was going to show episodes of The Vicar of Dibley (a British comedy) to them for the first half hour of our meetings so they could do problem solving instead of bickering.

God must have given the Israelites a sense of humor so they could come up with creative solutions to Pharaoh's edicts. Like the midwives saying the women were so healthy they gave birth before the midwives arrived.

I was thinking of the need for a sense of humor at the meeting on the Northwoods Park last Thursday. I know there is a lot of fear in the town over the mill closing and the lack of good paying jobs, or jobs of any kind. An unemployment rate of over 20% is frightening. I wonder if that fear is keeping some people from being able to look at possibilities other than a mill. In situations like this, it is hard to view any change as having the potential to be positive. And I know there is a lot of history that complicates matters.

If we look a bit forward into Moses' story after he gets Pharaoh to "let my people go"--what happens--they complain bitterly that things were better in Egypt. God had a plan for these stiff-necked people, but it was in the future and neither Moses, nor that first generation would get to see the promised land. That is a bit like doing interim ministry, you can lead people for a bit, but the future is in their hands. Someone else will lead them into the future with God's help. We never do any of this alone.

Our Epistle this morning tells us "For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function,so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness." What a great image of a church or any community of people!

Each one of you has a special gift that this church and this community needs to form a strong body. Each one of you is different and special in the eyes of God, and, I hope, in the eyes of each other. Imagine the power of a smile to a stranger. Imagine the power of a hand of friendship to someone who has no family or whose family is far away. Imagine the power of a gentle sense of humor when there is a tense situation. Imagine the strength of shared experiences to build bonds between people. Imagine the satisfaction of guiding someone else's child find the security that comes in learning that God is love. Imagine the gratefulness of finding other people who share your love of this church and this area and joining with them to serve.

In Matthew, this morning, we hear Jesus say to his disciples, "But who do you say that I am?" And "Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven."

If we believe that Jesus is the anointed one of God -- the one sent to show us the way, then like the Israelites of old, we may grumble and complain, but as long as we keep struggling to break free from whatever bonds keep us as slaves to our Pharaohs, God will be there. As the psalmist tells us: "Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth."

It's No Fun Without David

2011-07-30T12:30:00.000-04:00

I love doing interim or transition work, at least I used to. I did not realize, though, that my ability to speak with David nearly every day, helped make this exhausting work fun. I know it may become fun again, but I'm concerned that right now I cannot do the work these two congregations need for me to do.

Yesterday I was in a real blue funk. I kept wanting to reach for the phone to speak with him. It's not that we often spoke of what was on my plate, but after patiently listening to his latest ideas on medicine or (his latest) how he could contribute to the issue of overpopulation in the world, he usually had some uplifting things to say about me or us or nothing in particular.

Resurrection of a Galaxy

2011-07-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

Sermon

July 24, 2011 Millinocket and Winn

NASA Hubble
Spiral Galaxy

The second chapter of Journey of the Universe by Swimme and Tucker, is about the formation of galaxies. When the universe was about a half a million years old, it was like a huge cumulus cloud growing ever larger. You know, the big puffy kind of cloud we’ve seen in the summer sky over the last week. But, instead of just continuing to grow and expand, the gigantic single cloud split into many smaller clouds. Each of these clouds collapsed into itself and formed a galaxy of stars. After each galaxy “jelled,” it started on its own unique journey: moving farther and farther apart from the other galaxies.

In some ways you could also say this is the story of St. Thomas’ and St. Andrews’. Years ago there was only St. Thomas’, but as the Magic City rose out of the woods in the early 1900s, St. Andrews’ started its life joined to St. Thomas. I wonder if you could look at this phase as the marriage of Jacob to Leah. Maybe not exactly what was wanted, but necessary at the time. It wasn’t long though, before Jacob was able to marry Rebecca. Jacob was then able to separate his family from his father-in-law’s.

But in to the story of the universe: we might well ask the question: “What broke this initial cloud so it could form galaxies”? Scientists have discovered that there are waves that were present from the initial exhalation at the birth of the universe: waves that are fluctuations in the density of matter that also grew as the universe expanded and eventually got large enough to break the cloud apart so smaller clouds could form. We can think of these waves as something like the sound waves we create when we speak or when we make music, or when we jackhammer concrete. These waves go from our mouths or our instruments and disturb the air around us so that the waves hit our eardrums making them vibrate and so we hear. Sometimes these sounds can be disturbing, grating or loud. Sometimes we hear the vibrations as music, sometimes as a whisper. Some people have called these waves in the universe the “music of the spheres.” Try to imagine this cosmic music as what “moved the universe into the next phase of its journey.” The phase of galaxies forming. The natural next phase of St. Andrew’s and St. Thomas’ was as separate parishes with separate identities in separate communities. And that has brought your two parishes to where they now are. This brings up the question of a center. Where can the center of these two parishes be? I know it is not in the middle of the Penobscot River or in Medway.

Let’s answer this by looking at where the center of the universe lies? In times past we humans believed it to be here on our lovely blue planet: in Jerusalem, or Mecca or on a special mountain in Tibet or Africa. Each culture has its own explanation of where the center was, but over time, we realized this was not literally true. The center of the universe was not a city, nor the earth itself, nor our sun, nor our galaxy the Milky Way. In fact, we have learned that the Milky Way is just one galaxy in an universe that has millions of galaxies and the Milky Way is part of a supercluster of galaxies that revolve around each other. This is a concept that is very difficult to grasp: each supercluster of galaxies is at the center of the expanding universe. In other words, there are millions of centers in our universe. Not only is that concept a hard one to understand it goes against all the logic we’ve been brought up with. How can there be multiple centers, yet one expanding universe. All we can do is say with the psalmist (Psalm 105:5a) “Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, ... “ The more I learn about the wonders of God’s creation, the more I am awestruck by the complexity and creativity that is present in all of God’s creation.

What might be useful for us is to consider today is what it means to have multiple centers. For St. Thomas’ and St. Andrew’s it is a fact of who you have become. The communities in which you exist are different centers, yet there are lots of things in common. Multiple centers seems to be a way of being in the universe.

But going back to our own galaxy, the Milky Way: we know it has spiral arms, and those spiral arms turned out to be important. Density waves pulsing through our Milky Way causes the cloud to condense in certain places. This condensing forms stars: stars which burn brightly for millions of years then either explode or die out. Spiral galaxies are the birthing places for new stars. On the other hand, elliptical galaxies are doomed to die out because they cannot produce new stars: it takes those spiral arms like those in our Milky Way, reaching out, to form new stars. Creativity in our universe is not uniform, but it is there.

NASA Hubble Photo
Large Magellanic Cloud—Star-birthing Area

But don’t think that is all there is to the creativity of our universe. We have a satellite of our Milky Way, called the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). Some think it was once a spiral galaxy that experienced a major calamity. What that calamity was we don’t really know, but whatever happened, the LMC could not produce new stars and was dying. But then, something truly amazing happened. After billions of years it came within reach of the gravitational pull of our Milky Way and the two galaxies interacted: the LMC was able to produce new stars again. Both the Milky Way and the LMC were changed by the interaction. The creativity present in one led to creativity in the other. It wasn’t just the creativity either, there was a generosity in sharing.

All of Jesus’ parables this morning about the kingdom of heaven speak of God’s incredible generosity. Generosity in the smallest of seeds growing to the size of a tree. Generosity in a huge amount of leavened flour that would make enough bread to feed a small army. Generosity in a treasure found in an unexpected place or a pearl of great price and even generosity in fish from the sea, even though some will not serve as food. The story of universe is also one of incredible generosity, creativity and awe. A galaxy has come to life again. The story of God’s people is always one of coming to life again. The story of Jesus’ resurrection is pre-eminent among them. Jacob didn’t give up on marrying Rebecca, even though he was tricked by Laban. Although, I must admit I do hear a common refrain in Laban’s words “this is not done in our country--giving the younger before the older.” makes me think of the frequently used: “that’s not how we’ve always done it.” And yet there is always the possibility of resurrection. God doesn’t give up on any of us.

Matthew reports Jesus as saying” “And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’” All of you here at St. Andrew’s and St. Thomas’ are scribes being trained for the kingdom of heaven and I challenge you both to look at your treasures of time, talent and money to bring something new out of the old Like mustard seeds, new leaven, new treasures in unexpected place this is also resurrection.

I say with Paul: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor the present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

David W. Gregg, Ph.D., RIP

2011-07-18T10:16:00.005-04:00

My friend David died on July 6. He had open heart surgery and was in the hospital for a week. They agreed to his request to go home, although they recommended he go to a skilled nursing facility to get stronger. David was insistent. He loved watching the deer and foxes and turkeys and quail that came on his patio and the majestic views of the hills beyond his home. We had decided to get him at-home help after I left, but it was clear over the course of the day that he really needed to go to a facility and he said he would do it in the morning. Morning never came. He dropped dead in front of me as he was getting back to his chair for the night. The paramedics couldn't revive him. I'm still processing my loss. I already miss our nearly daily phone conversations.

Let me tell you a bit about our relationship. I met him in 1974 when he was working on Underground Coal Gasification at Lawrence Livermore National Lab and at a meeting on that topic at Fallen Leaf Lake, we went sailing together and got drenched from a sudden rainstorm that appeared over the Sierra Nevada, but he insisted on sailing the small boat back to shore in spite of wind and rain and the offer of a tow. We dated briefly, but I moved on to Denver, then Washington, DC then Vienna. David needed to have someone in his life every day. He couldn't be alone after dusk and he did not want to marry again after two failed marriages and a failed live-in relationship, but he really needed someone to be present with him at that time of day.

When I returned from Vienna he had just started going with a lovely woman. They each had their own homes, but he had someone to spend the evenings with, to go out to dinner with and to travel with. He even rented a room in her home so he had a place to stay overnight. Since her health began to seriously deteriorate a few years ago, he found other ways to fill this need like taking friends from his church to dinner and/or dancing.

David and I began our weekly brunches after my return from Vienna. On Saturday, after he played tennis, we would meet for food and conversation, and what conversations they were. David was interested in researching health issues and I designed a web site for him to put his findings. It turned out I also had to upload his files for him as well, although I could manage to get him through the process over the phone as well. He had quite a following and was active in holistic health circles.

David came to my graduation from Seminary and to my ordinations and when I moved around to do my interim ministry we started what became daily phone calls to continue our conversations. Since I've been in Maine he has talked about moving here, but he really didn't want to leave his beautiful home. We spoke about traveling together after he recovered from his surgery and I finally retire from ministry, but alas that is not to be.

Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone.
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling in the sky the message He is Dead,
Put crêpe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever, I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

David was a unique character: full of enthusiasm and boundless energy. He was constantly thinking outside the box and when he decided something was right, you couldn't get him to change his mind. The world has lost a very good and very creative man. Did I love him? Yes.

Heaven has gained another saint. David was generous with his friends and unlike Auden, I do believe that love lasts forever and that good can come from the most difficult and trying times. The stars and sun and moon and ocean and wood will come to good. To quote Julian of Norwich "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." It will just take time.

Farewell my good and faithful friend. Let light perpetual shine on you and there be no more fear of the night.

Bonding and Creativity

2011-07-17T06:58:00.000-04:00

Sermon for Sunday, July 16

St. Andrew's and St. Thomas'

These four images are among the first observations made by the new Wide Field Camera 3 aboard the upgraded NASA Hubble Space Telescope.

The image at top left shows NGC 6302, a butterfly-shaped nebula surrounding a dying star. At top right is a picture of a clash among members of a galactic grouping called Stephan's Quintet. The image at bottom left gives viewers a panoramic portrait of a colorful assortment of 100,000 stars residing in the crowded core of Omega Centauri, a giant globular cluster. At bottom right, an eerie pillar of star birth in the Carina Nebula rises from a sea of greenish-colored clouds.

My summer reading includes Journey of the Universe, by Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker. I was struck in reading it the parallels between the story of the universe and the story of ourselves as created beings. In fact, that is one of the points of the book. and maybe as the summer goes along those parallels might strike you as well.

Since the Pentecost season has begun we’ve been hearing some of the foundational stories of our faith, especially if you’ve been reading the Genesis option for the Old Testament. If this is so, you have heard the story of the near sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham. The story of how Isaac married Rebecca. The story of the birth of Esau and Jacob and how Jacob stole Esau’s birthright. Now we have Jacob at the beginning of his adulthood and his encounter with God in a dream. Stories are important, they help ground us and remind us of who we are.

So I think if we look at the story (or the journey) of the Universe and use it as a springing off point for the stories of St. Andrew’s and St. Thomas’, we might be able to find ideas and ways that will help us in what the authors call “The challenge of creating a shared future.”

At the start of the book the authors describe the beginnings of the universe, with the forces of expansion (from the big bang) and forces of attraction (gravity), reminding us that the universe is "shaped by these two opposing and creative dynamics" and that we who are alive are also shaped by processes of expansion and contraction such as breathing or the beating of our hearts. To quote them: "At the very least we can say that because of the great exhalation at the start of the universe, life and humanity have emerged and are breathing within it now."

After the initial "bang", or exhalation, particles began to collide and interact; sometimes bonding, sometimes separating. This bonding, which resulted in the formation of increasingly complex communities, started with elementary particles and bonding seems to be the way of the universe. In order for bonding to occur, the particles have to give up part of their mass and release it as energy. "Even from the first moments, our universe moved toward creating relationships.....This bonding is at the heart of matter."

Forming a complex community is what we will be about over the next year. I’ve been pondering what it would mean in terms of giving up some mass, but more than that, what kind of energy will be released that will benefit both churches and the communities in which you exist.

And then there is the relationship part of bonding, as well. Did God create the whole universe, not just us, in God's image? If bonding is at the heart of matter, then bonding or relationship has a lot to do with God. I would like to think that relationships or bonding are as critical to the nature of God as to the nature of the universe God created.

This bonding and separation are not without cost. In Romans we hear Paul saying: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Patience doesn’t seem to be a characteristic that is much in use in our culture. But look at the patience of a God who waits for his universe to unfold and display its glory. We tend to want things now. We want to know what the outcome will be and go for it. Yes, we are looking to be set free from bondage to decay, but the more we learn about the creativity involved in our universe, the more we need to look at the creativity within ourselves and to recognized the need for relationship to help that creativity along.

In today’s story, the promise that God made to Abraham is repeated to Isaac in a dream: "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.” And we are blessed as part of God’s family as inheritors of the tradition starting with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and a long-long line of faithful followers of that tradition of which Jesus was a part and so are we.

In the morning we are told that Jacob was afraid: “and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’ With the vision of angels going up and down a ladder I guess we would all think of that place was the gate of heaven. But what of our new perspective of the universe. We can say of the universe God created too, “How awesome is this place.” This is a universe that has created stars and galaxies and a world that can support we human beings. It is an awesome place with fiery deaths and exploding life continuing to be created. It is an even more awesome place that Jacob could have ever imagined. He, like you and me, was made of stardust. Imagine that!

So far the images used to describe the universe were a breathing lung, an expanding heart, and a system that becomes increasingly complex. The authors give us a fourth image: that of a developing seed. The process is complex, but orderly: first roots, then leaves. The universe started out focusing on building nuclei, then it stopped and other processes began. “The astonishing fact is that if the universe had continued building nuclei all the way up to iron, for example, iron nuclei would have predominated for all time.” But what happened instead was when all the light nuclei were formed the conditions for building the nuclei changed. And this stopping and changing happened again and again over the fourteen billion years it took to get to us. As with seeds developing one process stopped so something new could take over. Something that would eventually become living, breathing creatures.

In Matthew’s gospel we hear: Let both of them (wheat and weeds) grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.' Now Matthew goes to great length to explain what this means, but we could also interpret it to include not just people, but what it is a church or a community does. Every place has weeds and wheat and telling the difference isn’t always easy, but when the time for harvest comes it will become clear. There are dead ends in God’s creation.

I think what is important for the coming year is summarized in this quote: “We can begin to contemplate an idea that is remarkable: perhaps the nature of the universe as a whole is shaped by the creativity of its parts.” I think the one thing a parish needs, especially in transition times, is creativity and I pray that together we will be able to contemplate and tap into the creativity that is already in these two places. Maybe this is one of those stopping points where something new begins to happen. Where with Jacob we can say a year from now: “How awesome is this place.”

"Journey of the Universe" and Trinity Sunday

2011-06-19T00:10:00.002-04:00

A Rose Made of Galaxies
NASA Hubble Telescope
Wikimedia Commons

I have started to read "Journey of the Universe" by Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker. I've been waiting to see the film they made of this, but haven't been near a showing. The prose is striking and poetic and for a "geek" like me, the story of the universe is compelling reading.

In the first chapter while describing the forces of expansion (from the big bang) and attraction (gravity), they remind us that the universe is "shaped by these two opposing and creative dynamics" and that we who are alive are also shaped by processes of expansion and contraction such as breathing and the beating of our hearts. "At the very least we can say that because of the great exhalation of the universe, life and humanity have emerged and are breathing within it now."

After the initial "bang" particles began to collide and interact; sometimes bonding, sometimes separating. The formation of increasingly complex communities, started with elementary particles and seems to be the way of the universe. In order for bonding to occur, the particles have to give up part of their mass and release it as energy. "Even from the first moments, our universe moved toward creating relationships.....This bonding is at the heart of matter."

The words above had me pondering once again The Trinity. Thinking about God breathing out the universe makes me contemplate 1John "In the beginning was the Word." I wonder what the "great exhalation" sounded like. Big Bang doesn't really have the elegance or the awe or the wonder that the term "great exhalation" does. A great shout of joy and love and unimaginable power that started all that we know and began time and space. And if the Holy Spirit is inspiration, then we have the breathing in and out of the universe in both exhalation and inspiration.

But there is the relationship bit too. Did God create the whole universe in God's image? If bonding is at the heart of matter, then bonding or relationship has a lot to do with God. I wouldn't dare try to explain The Trinity, but I would like to think that relationships or bonding are as critical to the nature of God as to the nature of the universe God created.

I know I'm only on the first chapter of this book, but I needed to stop and think a little about the relationship between the faith I profess and the science I love.

Limestone and Living Stones

2011-05-23T13:11:00.002-04:00

I gave this sermon at Good Shepherd, Houlton, Maine yesterday. It was a gorgeous sunny day,the first sunny day in what seems like forever rain. Izzie and I took the long way home down Route 1. When we stopped for dinner in Machias, I think Izzie had had it with being in the car, but after a short walk and some dinner, she settled in the back seat for a snooze.

The Sermon

Moritzbrunner Altar (limestone)
Wikipedia Commons

There is a bit of a chemistry lesson in this sermon. Don’t panic. There’s not going to be a quiz and I think the lesson will be relatively painless. After all if we’ve managed to get past the second coming yesterday, and I don't know of anyone taken by rapture at 6 pm, then thinking a bit about how living stones get formed shouldn't be nearly as fearful. In a very physical and scientific sense, as well as a metaphoric one, we are all living stones. Our own bodies, especially our bones contain a lot of calcium. So does limestone.

Limestone is a form of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) called calcite. It is often made out of coral or the bodies of other living things, although it can also be precipitated out from groundwater depending on several factors, including the water temperature, how acidic or basic the water is, and what the concentration of CaCO₃ is in the water.

Limestone is a common building material, and you can find it in many landmarks around the world, like the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. Many medieval churches and castles in Europe are made of limestone. It is easily available and relatively easy to cut into blocks or carve into statues. It is also long-lasting and stands up well to weather, but not acid rain. Train stations, banks and other structures from the 19^th century are often made of limestone. Limestone was also a very popular building material in the Middle Ages since it is hard, durable, and often is found nearby in easy to quarry surface deposits.

But all of this is about dead stones. They may be stones made out of the skeletal remains of living creatures, but dead never-the-less. Peter calls us living stones, and we are. Now I know that this building is made of wood, but imagine it as being built of living stones: you and all those who have gone before you. You are the building blocks of this body we call the church. Some of you are the solid stones that form the walls and keep out the storms, some of you are a bit fancier and might have been carved into interior spaces, fluted to please the eye or made into chambers that resound with music. Yet no matter what your function is, it is needed. It is needed because it is part of this foundation of living stones that started with the disciples including Stephen, and his stoner Saul, and with the words of Peter, we are called to become a holy priesthood, building this spiritual house we call the church.

And Paul, that Saul who persecuted the followers of Jesus, speaks of Jesus as being the cornerstone for our living stones. Now when you make a stone building, the cornerstone (also called the foundation stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a stone building. This stone is important because all the other stones are to be set in reference to this stone. So the position of the corner stone impacts the whole building. In our New England, the corner stone is more likely to be made of granite, a more common type of stone, rather than limestone as it is stronger and not so subject to erosion from acid rain and so many of our churches are made of wood instead of stone, but the cornerstone is there non-the-less, only it is usually more of a ceremonial stone set in a prominent place on the outside of the building with an inscription on it usually with the date the building was constructed. Sometimes there is a time capsule included and sometimes the ceremony of laying the cornerstone includes placing an offering of grain, wine, or oil under the stone, reminiscent of both Old and New Testament times.

The grain, wine and oil were symbolic of the produce and the people of the land and how they earned their livings. This in turn derived from the practice in still more ancient times of making an animal or human sacrifice that was laid in the foundations. I learned that this practice wasn't so ancient in a cultural center in Fiji where we were told of how enemy warriors used to be buried under the four corners of the foundation of a building. Their strength would make the foundations strong.

While looking up materials about cornerstones i came across this report from The Cork (Ireland) Examiner of 13 January 1865: (Wikipedia)

“...The Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Munster, applying the golden square and level to the stone said ; " My Lord Bishop, the stone has been proved and found to be 'fair work and square work' and fit to be laid as the foundation stone of this Holy Temple".' After this, Bishop Gregg spread cement over the stone with a trowel specially made for the occasion by John Hawkesworth, a silversmith and a jeweller. He then gave the stone three knocks with a mallet and declared the stone to be 'duly and truly laid'. The Deputy Provincial Grand Master of Munster poured offerings of corn, oil and wine over the stone after Bishop Gregg had declared it to be 'duly and truly laid'. The Provincial Grand Chaplain of the Masonic Order in Munster then read out the following prayer: 'May the Great Architect of the universe enable us as successfully to carry out and finish this work. May He protect the workmen from danger and accident, and long preserve the structure from decay; and may He grant us all our needed supply, the corn of nourishment, the wine of refreshment, and the oil of joy, Amen. So mote it be.' The choir and congregation then sang the 100^th Psalm.”

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, and in some Western Churches as well, the cornerstone is a solid stone cube upon which a cross has been carved. In the top of the stone a cross-shaped space is hollowed out into which relics may be placed. If no relics are inserted in the stone, the inscription may be omitted, but not the cross. We are reminded as we look at these buildings that Jesus is the cornerstone. And he is the cornerstone of how we build our lives and our communities. If we try to use some other cornerstone, we risk putting up a foundation that is not true and risks falling down.

Auden speaks of limestone in his poem, In Praise of Limestone, where he mentions geology, and history and ends up with a religious questioning. I'll only recite a part of the poem, but I recommend the poem to those of you who like to wrestle with layers of meaning.

“In Praise of Limestone” by W. H. Auden (1943).

................. these
Are our common prayer, whose greatest comfort is music
Which can be made anywhere, is invisible,
And does not smell. In so far as we have to look forward
To death as a fact, no doubt we are right: But if
Sins can be forgiven, if bodies rise from the dead,
These modifications of matter into
Innocent athletes and gesticulating fountains,
Made solely for pleasure, make a further point:
The blessed will not care what angle they are regarded from,
Having nothing to hide. Dear, I know nothing of
Either, but when I try to imagine a faultless love
Or the life to come, what I hear is the murmur
Of underground streams, what I see is a limestone landscape.

Christ, the cornerstone of our faith, is a faultless love; a love whose resurrection made a promise of our own resurrection to come. Christ is the cornerstone, whose resurrection promises us a home, a dwelling place, with Him and with the Father: a place prepared for each of us, where the foundations have been well and truly laid. We, the living stones, are called to build block by block the church, which grows in spite of our own imperfections. We, the living stones, are called to become perfect because the cornerstone was laid true. The cornerstone in whom we are able to get a glimpse of God our creator. Our precipitation or laying down of our own calcium carbonate into the underground stream of living water leaves a legacy of our faith to those who follow and the pattern of the divine architect will continue being built until it reaches perfection when we are in God’s time.

Yoga for Yankees

2011-03-31T17:26:00.000-04:00

Fred Marple has us Yankees down pat. I needed a bit of laughter today. His "class" looks to me like the usual suspects in any New England town.

The Maine Labor Murals-a more "balanced" perspective

2011-03-31T10:09:00.002-04:00

Our governor, Mr. LePage seems to think that the murals, depicting the labor history of Maine and which used to be in the Labor Building are too one-sided and had them removed. This YouTube video tries to correct that.

Hope you enjoyed that. It lets us see all 11 panels, even if some of the faces have been replaced. I've been following the controversy in daily posts on Facebook, but this is too good not to share more widely.

Marmelade, the Dead Sea, and Masada

2011-01-03T10:59:00.001-05:00

The day started with Doug making marmalade with kumquats and lemons from his yard. He asked me about his "ornamental orange" which turns out to be kumquats and with the number he has, marmalade was in order.

We then headed off toward the Dead Sea to have a look at Masada. We stopped at one viewing spot where the smell of sulfur was very strong. Saw a yellow trail going into the sea, just like some hot springs in California. In fact the whole area reminded me of the Salton Sea area, only with really high hills on both sides of the sea. The sky wasn't completely clear, so seeing the hills on the Jordan side was problematic.

Lunch at the cafeteria in Masada, then up the cable car to the top. It's hard to believe that Herod built a palace here. What amazing views! I will add to this a bit later.

Unlike many of the tourists, especially youth groups, we took the cable car back down. Stopped at En Gedi to see people swimming in the Dead Sea, then back to Jerusalem for a Gin and Tonic and cheese.

Sunday at St. George's Cathedral

2011-01-02T09:21:00.001-05:00

Doug and I went to the 11am Eucharist. Good message. It was about walls and the city of Bethlehem. The Palestinians there, both Chrstian and Muslim, are walled in by a thirty foot high wall. It is almost impossible for them to get out to visit relatives, to get medical care or to tend lands that are outside the city. The message was the difference between our ability to go in and kiss the star in the Church of the Nativity, in essence to "see" Christ, and our inability to see Christ in all of God's people.

We talked a bit about this over a beer. Doug works for UNICEF and he says Palestinians, who are behind the walls have little access to medical care, since it is primarily in Jerusalem and the Israeli authorities won't give permission for people to leave. Nitrates in drinking water is a big problem for the little ones. There are inadequate amounts, and pollution control is negligible. Many of the children under two are "blue babies". The US Center for Disease Control is getting involved, but it is hard to get them into the West Bank or Gaza because of security issues, so much of the work needs to be done remotely. Can you imagine your doctor not being able to see your child. In addition, schools are not being built because they can't get building materials in, so kids are not being educated.

Addendum: Since I cannot directly add photos to my web page via the blog, you'll have to go to Facebook to see any pictures. If that changes, you'll see it here.

After church, we walked through many bazaars, bought some Zatar (a spice I just live on bread), and then went into West Jerusalem, with it's fancy shops for a sandwich. Quite a contrast. We passed David's tower and two gates to the old city, did a quick run through the Holy Sepulcher (crowded,but I'll go back during the course), then stopped for the beer before heading back.

First Day in Jerusalem

2011-01-01T21:10:00.001-05:00

It is fascinating that on one side of the highway the homes have black tanks on the roofs to hold water in case the supply is shut off. The other side doesn't have to worry about whether they will have water. And this is in the city of Jerusalem.

Robert Frost said something like "something there is that doesn't like a wall." well I was completely offended by a walled-in Jewish settlement we accidentally came upon while trying to drive up to the Mount of Olives. The settlement walls at one spot seemed far higher than those across the way for the old city walls across the valley and are of ugly concrete.

The views at the top are lovely. Some peaceful gardens of olives going down the hillside, the gilded-domed Russian Orthodox Church of Mary Magdalene, the old walls with Lion's Gate, the Dome of the Rock, and little boys trying to sell olive branches and a man with his camel selling rides (or getting money to take a picture). Tour busses would have gone a totally different way so tourists would not likely have seen what we did.

I left my camera behind, but I'm sure we will return during the Palestine of Jesus class which starts Wednesday at St George's College. I'm curious what we will learn about the settlements, though, if anything.

My friend, and host for the next couple of days, Doug, cooked us a wonderful slow cooked roast beef dinner. That and a glass of wine knocked me out. Of course I had been up for over 24 hours with some sleep on the plane.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-11-06T09:13:00.001-04:00

I think that only daring speculation can lead us further and not accumulation of facts.
Now that's a quote that I'm sure makes more sense in its context. So much of what I hear in the media is from people who are really good at speculation and not looking at facts. Or maybe it's because people don't really make "daring speculations" at all, but merely take other people's misuse of data, or refuse to consider data at all and make pronouncements that are garbage. (I'm still grouchy over the election results.)

Sermon, Millinocket and Comments on Convention

2010-10-25T11:02:00.002-04:00

I drove Izzie up to Millinocket on Wednesday afternoon, so I could drive down to Diocesan Convention and have her there for the Sunday service. It is over three hours driving each way and I wasn't willing to drive home from Convention Saturday night and have to leave at 5:30 in the morning to celebrate. I will let Izzie tell you about her experiences. Convention was great. It was nice having most everybody in the same place rather than having to drive from all over town. The food was good. And, even though there were 17 resolutions, we managed to get through them all and ended up finishing on time. It is wonderful having our work bracketed by the Liturgy of the Word, at the beginning and the Liturgy of the Table at the end.

Me and the Jr. Warden, Feast of St. Andrew 2006. We were piped into the church that morning.

My sermon at St. Andrew's, Millinocket October 24, 2010. A congregation I served as an interim a while back.

Psalm 84 which has the verse "How lovely is your dwelling place, oh Lord of Hosts" was, I think, written with St. Andrew's in mind. You have no idea how many people I have told of your beautiful church and it is so nice to be back with you. It doesn't seem as though it's been over three years since I've celebrated at your altar. God has blessed you with Fr. Bob's ministry among you for this time.

At convention, the bishop spoke about how we needed to change to thrive as church. Notice I said thrive, not survive. In the Press Herald this morning a columnist said Mainer's were not good at adaptive change, they preferred evolutionary change. I know You have survived many things, from your priest’s sudden death, to the impacts on your numbers with the mill closures, and now with your current priest’s decision to leave at the end of the year. Surviving is good, but thriving is better. That's what adaptive change is about.

So how do we move from surviving to thriving. A lot of it has to do with blessings. The blessings we receive from God and one another and the blessings we give to others.

The Pharisee in today's gospel is acting in a way that curses rather than blesses. He says: "God, I thank you that I am not like other people, thieves, rogues, adulterers or even like this tax collector." what a way to pray to God! And its not just God who hears. People who look down their noses at others for whatever reason make the recipient of their scorn feel badly. That's what curses do. Sometimes the people scorned feel so bad, like the rash of young people bullied so relentlessly they took their own lives.

Most of the time though even though our curses may seem milder, they can hurt just as much. Like the mother who tells her daughter, "it's a good thing you're bright, because you certainly aren't pretty." Or the uncle who thinks teasing is funny, but it often makes the nephew feel inadequate. I think it is when we cannot accept ourselves for who we truly are, that we lay our own imperfections on others. The tax collector knew who he was and offered himself to God, just as he was. He knew that God's mercy is wider than the sea and that God welcomes all of us sinners.

So how do we move from the way of curses to the way of blessing? There is some help in the title of convention. It was: "there’s a wideness in God's mercy." That is a blessing for all of us! And all of us need blessings; from a mother's first kiss on her baby's cheek, to the holding of the hand of an aging parent on their dying day. We humans thrive with blessings. Sure, some of them are formal ones that pronounce God's blessing on a newly married couple, or on all of you as you leave this place on a Sunday morning, but we are called as Christians to bless each other on our way, every day, and in lots of tiny and not so tiny ways.

I wrote some notes during the bishops address at convention that might help St Andrew’s as you think about your future in ways that could bless you, and your town of Millinocket and I recommend that you take home a copy of his address to read and discuss.

Preserve mission not church—church is more than buildings it is the people and if we are not a mission oriented church we will not thrive. Our mission to the local community and to the greater world is necessary to thrive. It is a blessing.

Need to collaborate and share—many churches in Maine are declining in attendance and creative ways of collaboration and sharing will need to be thought through and tried. Imagine sharing as a blessing rather than a burden.

Ministry sites for a regional church—not every church needs to do every thing. Giving to the church through the things you are passionate about is a blessing.

Move from mine to ours—imagine viewing ministry done here as part of the greater ministry of the Diocese of Maine. What a blessing that could be.

Adapt while maintaining episcopal way of worship—the “we’ve always done it that way” mentality doesn’t help adaptive change. Creative ways of worship, while keeping to the prayerbook are not mutually exclusive, they are blessings.

Priest should be into Christian formation and education, rather than administration—imagine what blessings to individual congregations would come out of that thought. More people with an understanding of what it means to be an Episcopalian and a Christian means more people for the mission of the church.

Mutual ministers of the good news rather than consumers— In the hymn, “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,” it states if our love were but more faithful we would take him at his word and God’s blessings would spread out into a world that sorely needs blessings.

Beacons of love in a hurting world—that’s a phrase I just loved. Again in the hymn it tells us that God's justice is kind, in fact it “is most wonderfully kind.” A blessing from God to us and from us to the world. Becoming beacons of love in the midst of injustice, hate, distrust and fear is part of our mission.

So take a copy of the bishop’s address, read it, discuss it, because what is in there is important to St. Andrew’s and to its future.

I am closing with the blessing used at the end of convention Eucharist.

Life is short,

And we do not have much time

to gladden the hearts of those who make the journey with us.

So.....be swift to love, and make haste to be kind.

And the blessing of God,

who made us,

who loves us,

who travels with us

be with you now and forever.

Amen.

A Sermon

2010-10-19T12:12:00.001-04:00

Photo by Brian: This is how Izzie and I travel

I was asked to supply last Sunday at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Bridgton. It's a lovely new church with very friendly people. They even put up with Izzie during coffee hour, although she seemed content to stay in the car during the service. Izzie was delighted to find that they were serving some cheese. Driving there takes about two hours so that meant leaving our place about 6:30 for a 9 am service. Here's what I told them in my sermon:

“Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” This week of wonderful news about the rescued 33 miners in Chile, has touched a lot of hearts and praying a lot has been part of this story. I’m sure that some of them did lose heart during the 17 days in that rock prison, until they were found alive, and we will hear the stories in the weeks to come, but it is clear that faith in God, faith in each other, and faith that they were being searched for helped them through those dark days.

But this parable that Jesus told is more than just praying always. It is a parable about justice, both human justice and God’s justice. Justice for people like the widow, who along with orphans and the stranger were to be cared for, not taken advantage of.

I think children have an innate sense of what justice is. I remember my daughter around the age of 5 or 6 when we went to see a re-run of Disney’s Cinderella at the local theatre. The scene when after the animals had made her a beautiful ball gown, the nasty step sisters tore it to shreds. My daughter yelled at the top her lungs, “that’s not fair!”. Of course it wasn’t. I remember saying that the world is not always fair. Almost forty years later, I know the world isn’t always fair, in fact, I see more and more injustice rather than less.

What would you have done if you were in the sandals of the widow. If you were told that no one cares about justice any more and that you would have to fight it out by yourself with your neighbor. Just by taking on the widow’s case, she won. In Jesus’ first century Eastern Mediterranean country, taking someone to justice was a serious matter of honor. In modern street speak, the widow “dissed” her opponent just by having the matter heard. She had enough faith to believe that God was on her side and that keet her going.

Perseverance is important in faith and in society. If we take part in the justice system in our country we need faith and persistence. It's not easy and it costs money. A person needs to be tough and determined to get through the justice system. You really do need to believe that God works for a just society because the whole system is not only cumbersome, but the wheels of justice run slowly.

And if you are one of the brave people who work to change an unjust society, faith and perseverance are two qualities you will sorely need. Entrenched positions are really hard to shift. Economic advantage or privilege and a network of injustice is hard to penetrate. And people usually have mixed motives, wanting the change, but not wanting to change themselves. I’m reminded of the speech the President of Chile made about changing the contract with the miners to make the mines more safe and thinking how difficult that is likely to be. The mine they were working in produces gold and copper. And in a contest between money and safety, safety doesn’t always win.

Even when we try to solve conflicts in our families, faith and perseverance are needed, Broken relationships are hard to mend and people don’t like admitting they might have been wrong. And if we think God has a quick fix for the wrongs of the world, think again. Look at the cross. God knows that Justice, Truth and Reconciliation are costly. But in the parable, Jesus makes it very clear that God is on the side of justice and God does care.

The judge in this story has no respect for God or humanity. What a contrast this is to the God of mercy and justice who needs our hands and minds and hearts to bring about God’s kingdom on this earth. That will certainly take persistence and faith.

Notice that at no time have I talked about justice as retaliation or vengeance. So often on the TV news we listen to people whose family members have been killed speak in their grief about outcomes that sound more like vengeance than justice. I don’t know how I would react in such a situation, but I wonder if our justice system could do with a bit less of vengeance and more of God’s justice, which is about fairness and truth.

Today's gospel is story that challenges us and encourages us. And not only us, this challenge and encouragement was needed by those in the early church who heard Luke’s gospel. After all Christ had not yet come back in glory to usher in the kingdom where peace and justice and truth would be the norm. In the scheme of Luke's gospel, this parable is told to the disciples as they were on their way to Jerusalem with all its conflicts and the shadow of the cross looming. They needed encouragement to stay the course. Of course, we know the story doesn’t end with the cross; there is the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit to sustain us. I don't know if you heard that many of those miners spoke of their rescue as a resurrection. How their future will play out will depend on their listening to the Spirit working in their new lives.

Pete Seger wrote a folk song, called "If I had a hammer." The hammer is the hammer of justice, hammering in the morning and in the evening all over the world. Justice in that folk song hammers out danger and warning and love. God’s will for everyone is for justice: the sorting out of what is good and true in our world, it requires our cooperation and our faith in God and each other. After all the prophet told us to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.”

Amen

Climate Change is Real, People

2010-09-11T13:45:00.001-04:00

Watch this Nissan commercial. It was aired at the New Orleans Saints' football game and it really nails the global warming issue. Besides, polar bears are beautiful creatures to watch. Makes me want to consider a Leaf as my next car.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-08-05T11:08:00.002-04:00

I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.

How very true. I do wish I could say I never think of it, though.

Last Sunday in the North

2010-07-27T10:56:00.004-04:00

Sermon for St. John's, Brownville Junction and St. Augustine's. Dover-Foxcroft

Sunday, July 25, 2010

The Rev. Amelia Hagen

I returned from a trip to the UK earlier this week. The primary purpose was to attend a gathering and retreat of the Society of Ordained Scientists. Of course, I also spent some personal time going to some places I've always wanted to see, York (not Maine), Whitby, the Isle of Iona and Durham. Like many people I'm drawn to the early saints of Ireland and England. My own sense of adventure, which is one of my core values, is why I love doing interim work. Iona was founded by St. Colomba and 12 followers by getting into little boats and sailing from Ireland to the Scottish Islands. From there Christianity came into Scotland and northern England. And then of course, Whitby is associated with St. Hild and the Council of Whitby where a decision was made on how to calculate the date for Easter (among other things), and then St. Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede in Durham.

Cellist and Pianist—Iona Abbey Church

But back to the gathering of The Society of Ordained Scientists. Our retreat leader used science fiction as a peg to talk about theological subjects. You'd be surprised at the number of members who are closeted sci-fi fans. One of the short stories was by Arthur C. Clark written in 1953, called The Nine Billion Names of God. In this story some Tibetan monks are trying list all of the possible names of God. They believe that once the naming is done, the universe will be complete and God will bring it to an end. The monks had been working on this for three centuries ever since they created an alphabet that could encode all the names of God, and an algorithm to throw out the nonsensical ones(they believed that all the names had less than nine letters). They had been doing this by hand and had estimated it would take another fifteen thousand years to complete the work. To speed things up, they decided to use a computer. So they hired two western computer programers and rented a computer.

The computer programers don't believe that listing all the names of God would do anything, but it's a job. The monks take the print-outs and paste them in the books they've been putting together for the last 300 years. After about three months the job is about ended and the programmers were worried that the monks would blame the computer, and them, when nothing happens. They bid the monk goodbye, who, by the way, gives them a strange look, and the programmers leave just before last print run. As they ride down the mountain path on ponies, under clear star-filled skies, they stop briefly. One of the programmers looks at his watch and says that it must be just about the time that the monks are pasting the final printed names into their books. As they gaze at the stars, they notice that one by one, the they went out.

In some cultures, to know God's name is to know God's nature. So what nature of God, does today's gospel reading, with Jesus teaching his disciples the Lord's prayer, point to? So when we pray to "Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name," what kind of Father pops into our mind. You know all of our names for God are metaphors. God is like a Father who is both strong and caring, that is maternal as well as paternal. For Moses, God is the Great I Am (Will Be) who is present and promises to be present always with God's people. The New Zealand Prayer Book in an alternative Lord's Prayer says it by using lots of metaphors: Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven.

We really get a clue to the part of God's nature, Jesus is talking about, in the second part of the gospel reading. It is about generous hospitality. Some people think it's about pestering God until you get what you ask for, but there are other translations of the word that we get today as persistence. Shamelessness or impudence are two of them. (thanks to Bosco Peters for this idea) The neighbor asks only once, so persistence doesn't really seem to fit too well. We know that hospitality is important in that first century culture, and still is, in the Middle East. And avoidance of shame is also extremely important in that culture. These first century people lived hand-to-mouth and the extravagant hospitality expected to be given to strangers could put a family in real economic trouble, yet if they didn't show hospitality they would be shamed. Quite a predicament. But, I would suspect that it's really not about us, although it could be, as much as it's about God. It's about Jesus showing us what kind of God, the Father is.

We know that Jesus, the icon of the Father, was himself a radically hospitable person. Just remember the feeding with the loaves and fishes, his healings, and his welcoming of sinners to the table. Jesus points to a God who really is a Mothering-Father; who wants good for all of his creation. In the words of one of my favorite scientist/theologians, John Polkinghorne, "A creator who is rational, joyful, good and holy." Jesus points to a God who is not only rational, joyful, good and hospitable and generous and holy, but a God who is the source of hope. Hope to those who have so little; whose daily bread is not assured. Hope to those who are not welcomed and know nothing of hospitality and generosity. We are called to put our hope and anticipation of God's kingdom come into action every day of our lives.

We are to be the impudent, shameless ones who ask, knock, seek and find until all of God's children have the bread they need for the day.

Trip to the United Kingdom and SOSc Meeting

2010-07-22T15:06:00.002-04:00

Although there's a lot of putting away to be done, I've finally got all my belongings (except for my cross country skis and snowshoes) into the apartment. It was quite an undertaking and just barely accomplished the transfer before I left for a trip to the UK and the annual gathering of the Society of Ordained Scientists.

My first stop was York. This is one of the most charming cities in England. I love the old streets and ability to see so much by walking. Although very tired from my flight I walked over to the minister and wandered around, guidebook in hand. I realized I had left my camera at home, so I took no pictures of the place. They were getting ready for a concert that evening, but I was way too tired to even contemplate buying a ticket. I went back to my hotel, ordered tea (sandwiches and sweets) around 6 pm, took a bath and crawled into bed. I know I was asleep by 8 pm and slept until 8 the next morning.

After breakfast I bought a camera, all the while listening to the York town pipers practically outside the door of the camera shop. So, of course, that was the first picture I took.

York Pipers

After that I walked through the city park and then along the city walls.

You can walk on top of the wall in York.

The hosts at The Willows B&B in Whitby, suggested that I take the bus rather than the train from York. It was fascinating going over the moors and through little villages. It was a long ride though. They made me a pot of tea when I arrived and I sat and watched a steam-powered bus go by, shooting flames as it came to a stop. Took a walk through the town to orient myself, but saved going up to the abbey and its 198 steps until Sunday, the next day. The ruins are not of Hild's original abbey, but much later.

Ruins of Whitby Abbey

It was blowing gale force winds on the headlands, but it was sunny and warm enough. I went to church at St. Mary the Virgin which is just outside the abbey grounds. It was Morning Prayer, led by a lay person since the clergy, we were told, were off at Oberammergau. The church itself is very strange. The arch into the choir and sanctuary is cut off by white-painted pews which form a sort of balcony around the church. It is very difficult to see the altar. There is one of those three-tiered pulpits in the center of the church, with the clerk's desk on the lowest level. Reminded me of colonial-era churches in the US where preaching rather than communion was considered to be most important. The people, however, were very pleasant and the coffee hour nice. The view of the town on the way down from the abbey is quite impressive.

Old Town of Whitby from Abbey Steps

After a rest I walked over to the West Cliffs (the abbey is on the East Cliffs), another headland and peered down on the bathing beach below. The brightly painted cabins are quite a treat to view. Since it was fairly late in the day on a Sunday there weren't many people left enjoying the sunshine (and wind). Off in the distance was a replica of Cook's sailing ship.

Whitby, West Cliffs Bathing Cabins

The next day it was supposed to rain, and it did. I had decided I wanted to take the North Yorkshire Moors Steam Train. It was lots of fun and the scenery fascinating, especially going through deep valleys in the moors. The line is run entirely by volunteers and I was told they have no problem getting them.

Steam Train from Whitby to Pickering

The next day I met some colleagues at the bus station and we were taken to Sneaton Castle (a former school) where our gathering and retreat of the Society of Ordained Scientists was held. I didn't take any pictures there. Whitby Abbey was visible at a distance when the fog and rain didn't hide it. Walking the grounds of the Castle was pleasant. The place is run by sisters of the Order of the Holy Paraclete, who are basically a teaching order. There is no longer a school, but a lot of their work in done in Africa. What was a school is now a conference center, and quite well run. The chaplain, new to the place, was originally a scientist and decided to join us for our meditations and at the admittance Eucharist, became a member along with four others. One of the new members is Moira, from Scotland. She and I both studied chemistry and math. Since she offered me a lift to Edinburgh, I accepted. That was my next stop, where I spent the night with Fiona, a friend from long-ago time in Vienna. Her condo overlooks the Firth of Forth and this is the view I woke up to in the morning. I sat and watched the fog lift a bit while I sipped coffee.

Firth of Forth

It was then off to Oban and Iona. I booked a tour across the Isle of Mull. The bus driver gave us a great history of the place as we went along. It was about a two-hour ride. The scenery was beautiful—high, green, rounded mountains with waterfalls coming down from great heights; shaggy highland cattle and of course, lots of sheep of all sorts. The little ferry to Iona runs every 15 minutes, but the big one to Oban, not so often. Because the weather had been so bad, the last ferry of the day had been canceled and we needed to be sure we caught the three o'clock one off Iona. It was raining when we arrived, but the sun was out when we left.

Oban to Mull Ferry

St. Colomba's Shrine

You can read the words.

Iona Abbey Buildings

Nave of Church

There were a cellist and pianist rehearsing in the nave crossing for a concert to be held in a couple of days. I sat down and basked in the beauty of the music and the place. Next pictures are from the cloisters.

The Cloisters at Iona

Abbey Bell

I was getting hungry so I decided to go have lunch when it decided to rain quite hard. The sheep in the next picture looked like it was trying to get a bit of shelter from the rain.

After lunch I went for a walk along the shore in the opposite direction of the abbey. The sky went from grey to blue over the course of my walk. Here are a few of the things I saw.

As you can see the sky has begun to turn blue by the last picture. I then started to walk back to the ferry terminal. Both the sky and water are much bluer. People were sitting on the rocks eating their lunches and waiting for the ferry to come. I am even more amazed now that I've seen the place that St. Colomba and his 12 companions safely made the trip from Ireland to Iona and that this lovely little island became such a place of learning an pilgrimage.

The next morning I went to church at the Episcopal Church of Scotland cathedral in Oban. They're in the process of searching for a new bishop, so the bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness celebrated and preached. He had just spent some time camping on Mull (lots of rain) and said he probably didn't look much like a bishop that morning. The people really like him. One woman told me she hoped they could find someone like him to be their bishop. The sermon basically said we need to be both Martha and Mary, not one or the other. The bishop asked what would a church be like if everyone were Marys? Interesting thought. I got a really warm welcome and am glad I went. I then grabbed my suitcase and took the noon train to Glasgow, then Edinburgh and finally to my destination, Durham.

I really did get steeped in the early saints of Ireland and Britain. First Colomba, then in Durham, Cuthbert and Bede. I loved the Norman towers of Durham and the history is fascinating.

Durham Cathedral

Too short a time in Durham, just like it was too short a time in York. The train was not nearly so interesting from Durham to London as it was between Edinburgh and Durham. I loved the vistas out to the North Sea. Got to my hotel near Victoria Station just in time to meet Doug's train from Bristol. We had about 2 hours for dinner and talking. Not nearly enough time. The next morning I went for a walk to St. James Park and took a stroll. The duck and the flowers were little treasures, but most of the treasures were in my mind. The first time I went to London for the IAEA I stayed on the other side of the park and went for a stroll through it. The memories were of all the wonderful scientists I got to meet and work with: Mike Bewers, Bill Templeton, John Shepherd, George Needler, Geoff Webb, Dennis Whitehead, Jan Pentreath, Chris Garrett, Gunnar Kullenberg and so many others whose names escape me at this time like Marion's last name.

Duck in St. James' Park

Flowers, St. James' Park

Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-05-31T16:52:00.000-04:00

Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
Jesus showed us how true that is. It's a good quote for Memorial Day as well.

No Voice in Government

2010-05-29T10:54:00.001-04:00

I fell asleep watching television last night. I had a very strange dream. I was in a room where we were supposed to take turns discussing something very important. What the subject was I don't know, but it was important, and it was as though I was totally ignored. Everyone else was given time to have their say, but no matter how much I screamed and carried on and asked for my turn, it was as though I wasn't even there. The moderator completely ignored me. I then went to another room, different people, but the same thing happened. By-the-way, the people in the dream were clergy I know here in our diocese and that made it even more frustrating. When I woke up, the Republican candidates for governor were just finishing their spiels on Maine Public Television.

Wonder what this means about my thoughts on not having a voice in government? Hummmm.

A New Place to Live

2010-05-26T17:28:00.000-04:00

I found a nice apartment with two bedrooms and one and a half baths in downtown. It has nice views of the harbor and is over a coffee shop and across the street from a restaurant I enjoy going to. I'm going be moving in during the month of June so I'll be settled before I take my trip to England to the meeting of the Society of Ordained Scientists.

Celebrating Frances Perkins

2010-05-13T07:36:00.002-04:00

Today, if it were not The Feast of the Ascension, we in the Episcopal Church, would be remembering Frances Perkins, the first woman cabinet member (under F.D.Roosevelt). As Secretary of Labor, Frances was responsible for much of the social programs of the New Deal.

Frances was a summer member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Newcastle,where I am attending while waiting for my next interim. I'm enjoying singing in the choir and this coming Sunday there will be a lecture at 2 pm on her life called "Frances Perkins, heart and soul of the New Deal" by Donn Mitchell and Evening Prayer at 4 pm celebrated by our bishop, Stephen Lane. The choir will be singing and there will be a quartet of fine voices as well.

At last General Convention, Frances was included in Holy Women, Holy Men, the revision of Lesser Feasts and Fasts. For more information on both Frances and the commemoration go to St. Andrew's website.

Collect
Loving God, we bless your Name for Frances Perkins, who lived out her belief that the special vocation of the laity is to conduct the secular affairs of society that all may be maintained in health and decency. Help us, following her example, to contend for justice and for the protection of all in need, that we may be faithful followers of Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Fire Over the Earth from Mass on the World

2010-05-12T14:41:00.000-04:00

Photo: Sunrise from Wikimedia Commons.
To continue on with Teilhard's Mass on the World from Hymn of the Universe—after the Offertory is a section called Fire Over the Earth. Teilhard speaks of God as Power, Word and Fire. The uncreated Light with which the Orthodox grace their icons, is the "blazing Spirit"called upon to transform us each and every day to new work, renewed and evolved .

Fire, the source of being: we cling so tenaciously to the illusion that fire comes forth from the depths of the earth and that its flames grow progressively brighter as it pours along the radiant furrows of life’s tillage. Lord, in your mercy you gave me to see that this idea is false, and that I must overthrow it if I were ever to have sight of you.

In the beginning was Power, intelligent, loving, energizing. In the beginning was the Word, supremely capable of mastering and moulding whatever might come into being in the world of matter. In the beginning there were not coldness and darkness: there was the Fire. This is the truth.

So, far from light emerging gradually out of the womb of our darkness, it is the Light, existing before all else was made which, patiently, surely, eliminates our darkness. As for us creatures, of ourselves we are but emptiness and obscurity. But you, my God, are the inmost depths, the stability of that eternal milieu, without duration or space, in which our cosmos emerges gradually into being and grows gradually to its final completeness, as it loses those boundaries which to our eyes seem so immense. Everything is being; everywhere there is being and nothing but being, save in the fragmentation of creatures and the clash of their atoms.

After reading this wonderful description of how the Light of the World eliminates our darkness, slowly and over God's time, not ours, I realize how impatient I tend to be over the smallest of things. It also speaks to evolution as part of God's time and timing— patient and sure—growing to "its final completeness." This very long view of time and creation must come naturally to geologists who see the earth layered in its millions of years of change. And then to end the section with these most beautiful words of blessing over the living world and words of mystery for the evil around us — all living things are God's Body given for us and that the Blood shed for us are all those things bringing us to death.

Do you now therefore, speaking through my lips, pronounce over this earthly travail your twofold efficacious word: the word without which all that our wisdom and our experience have built up must totter and crumble — the word through which all our most far-reaching speculations and our encounter with the universe are come together into a unity. Over every living thing which is to spring up, to grow, to flower, to ripen during this day say again the words: This is my Body. And over every death-force which waits in readiness to corrode, to wither, to cut down, speak again your commanding words which express the supreme mystery of faith: This is my Blood.

Hymn of the Universe by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

2010-05-10T08:02:00.002-04:00

All of the talk last week on geology reminded me of this picture I took a few years ago of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Wyoming,

And, some of Jim Skehan's quotations from Teilhard got me interested in finding out more about his (Teilhard's) "Mass on the World." I found a link to Chapter 1 of the book Hymn of the Universe and am putting down just a few quotes to get you interested. It is a gifted, spirit-filled piece of writing. Teilhard wrote it while doing geological (paleontology) research in China in the 1920's and is truly incarnational in its view of the world. Teilhard starts with an "Offertory":

Since once again, Lord — though this time not in the forests of the Aisne but in the steppes of Asia — I have neither bread, nor wine, nor altar, I will raise myself beyond these symbols, up to the pure majesty of the real itself; I, your priest, will make the whole earth my altar and on it will offer you all the labours and sufferings of the world.

Over there, on the horizon, the sun has just touched with light the outermost fringe of the eastern sky. Once again, beneath this moving sheet of fire, the living surface of the earth wakes and trembles, and once again begins its fearful travail. I will place on my paten, O God, the harvest to be won by this renewal of labour. Into my chalice I shall pour all the sap which is to be pressed out this day from the earth’s fruits.

My paten and my chalice are the depths of a soul laid widely open to all the forces which in a moment will rise up from every corner of the earth and converge upon the Spirit. Grant me the remembrance and the mystic presence of all those whom the light is now awakening to the new day.

Offering ourselves to God through our labors is something I keep forgetting when I am not "employed." For a few years, while working at the Lab in California, I would walk down hill to pick up my van pool. The walk was through a cemetery and had views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. On sunny mornings it was easy to thank God for all I had been given and to pray a walking meditation. But even on foggy mornings, the memory of the views was still there and God's presence in that silent place gave me joy in a wonderful start to my day. At the bottom of the hill was Fat Apples with hot coffee and wonderful pastries to eat while waiting for the van to show up.

My habit when I drove myself to work was to recite the Jesus Prayer (Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner). It helped the 40-mile commute go by quickly and make the sometimes insane traffic bearable. And also, at certain times of year, I would marvel in the sun coming up over the hills. When I got to my office I would turn on the computer and say the daily office with The Mission of St. Clare. I've learned that routines make it so much easier to pray and meditate.

One of the rules of the Society of Ordained Scientists is that we pray for each other and there is a daily list of names. This year I'm on day 10, which is today. It is wonderful to know that I am being prayed for on the tenth of each month along with Stig, Michael and Robin. I keep the card on my bedside table so when I do morning prayer I can pray for them. I still use the Mission of St. Clare site.

For me, my God, all joy and all achievement, the very purpose of my being and all my love of life, all depend on this one basic vision of the union between yourself and the universe. Let others, fulfilling a function more august than mine, proclaim your splendours as pure Spirit; as for me, dominated as I am by a vocation which springs from the inmost fibres of my being, I have no desire, I have no ability, to proclaim anything except the innumerable prolongations of your incarnate Being in the world of matter; I can preach only the mystery of your flesh, you the Soul shining forth though all that surrounds us.

North American Province of the SOSc Inaugural Meeting

2010-05-09T22:18:00.002-04:00

Photo: Barbara Smith-Moran, SOSc

It is going to take me forever to catch up on my blog reading and I'm sure people have thought I've dropped off the face of the earth. Last week was the first meeting of the North American Province of the Society of Ordained Scientists (SOSc). We had a lovely retreat near Boston and our meditations were based on the ideas of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, led by James Skehan, S.J., a geologist and Teilhard scholar. It was wonderful installing five new members and five new associates, getting to know people better, and praying together .

I intend to get out my yellowed copy of the Divine Milieu and tackle it again. I also want to get started on "Praying with Teilhard de Chardin" by Jim Skehan. He also introduced me to "The Mass on the World" which the quote below comes from. The Mass on the World was written while he was working in China and unable to celebrate the Eucharist on a regular basis.

"Glorious Christ,
you whose divine influence is active at the very heart of matter,
and at the dazzling centre where the innumerable fibres of the multiple meet:
you whose power is as implacable as the world and as warm as life,
you whose forehead is of the whiteness of snow,
whose eyes are of fire,
and whose feet are brighter than molten gold;
you whose hands imprison the stars;
you are the first and the last, the living and the dead and the risen again;
it is to you to whom our being cries out a desire as vast as the universe:
In truth you are our Lord and our God! Amen.” (The Mass on the World, 1923,
XIII, 131-132)

Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-04-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

Laws alone can not secure freedom of expression; in order that every man present his views without penalty there must be spirit of tolerance in the entire population.

Where is Einstein when we need him. A spirit of tolerance is sorely needed in our country now. People are so angry and unwilling to listen to the other. And it doesn't seem to be just here—in our Anglican Communion listening is in short supply too.

2010-04-19T10:28:00.006-04:00

I spent six days in Northern California, mostly staying with my long-time friend Dave. The first few days were sunny and warm, and then the rain hit. This rainbow appeared during a break in the weather. It is springtime and everything was so green.

The primary reason for the trip was to see my advisor at CDSP about my thesis for a D. Min. I am not happy with the data I've collected and proposed some additional work. The thesis is on preaching in the interim time and has two parts, the first is how I use what is happening in the congregation to inform my preaching (the easy part) and assessing the feedback (if any) to see if my message is getting across. (the harder part). I also needed to find someone to replace a member of my committee who is now at another seminary.

I also got to go up to Sebastapol and spend a day (and night) with my friends Rod and Mary. Rod is recently retired, but seems to be working as hard as usual, finishing up work on committees for the diocese and his Rotary presidency.

I also got to go over to Sausalito to church. It's been over five years since I did the interim there and they seem to be doing quite well. They've put in a brand new kitchen in the parish hall that came in under expected cost and it's beautiful and so much more useful than the old one. Of course I was there the week after Easter and there was no choir and a somewhat depleted congregation, but that's Low Sunday for you. It was fun speaking with parishioners I knew and basking in their praise.

I really do love the San Francisco Bay Area, but the prices are still out of reach. David took me out for some wonderful meals while I was at his house. The most memorable of which was at a fantastic Chinese restaurant in Lafayette.

When I returned to Maine, I discovered that the forsythia was in full bloom. The weather, which had been quite warm when I left, had turned seasonally cool and the yellow against the red barn was quite wonderful. The lilac outside the kitchen is leafing, but there won't be any flowers until late May. The daylillies are up about a foot, although it will be a few months before we see the orange flowers.

The week that I returned has been a very busy one. I did a workshop with a group in a church in Auburn. I was training them to facilitate small group meetings to start an Appreciative Inquiry process. They are working to discover what God is calling them to be at this point in their life as a congregation and make plans on how to get there.

Then yesterday I drove to Brewer to start working with the search committee. The fastest way to get there is to drive up the coast, and even though it was a drizzly morning, the views of the ocean along the way and the wonderful yellows of forsythia and daffodils and the occasional white blossoms on fruiting trees was soothing to the soul. The willows are nearly in leaf and have that pale green haze on their hanging branches. My Izzie enjoys car trips so I had her squirmy company on the two hour journey. The committee and I decided that it would be far more efficient to work with me via Skype than for me to make a lot of trips up to Brewer. That suits me.

Here is a blessing for times of search:

The God of Truth bless you with the discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficiality so that you live and make decisions from deep within your heart. Amen

The God of Understanding make you tender in the face of pain and rejection so that others can know the comfort of your acceptance. Amen

The God of Justice make you fierce in the face of oppression and exploitation so that others can live with dignity in the midst of your respect. Amen

The God of all Wisdom bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can lead other to do what many claim cannot be done. Amen.

And the Blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer and Life Giving Spirit keep you as Jesus' friends, in your search for a new leader, and forever. Amen.

(The blessing is from Rob Voyle's "Assessing and Discerning Calls.")

Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-04-10T10:12:00.000-04:00

If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.

If you want to know what I've been doing the last few days, go to Izzie's Blog where you'll find an inelegant answer.

Chrism Eucharist and Countryman's "Living on the Border of the Holy"

2010-03-31T12:30:00.004-04:00

I don't remember where I got this image of Marc Chagall's crucifixion, but it's a reminder to me of the need to learn from people whatever their belief. During this Holy Week, when historically, Christians have incited the persecution of Jesus' people, the Jews, it is most apt.

Yesterday I drove to Portland to St. Luke's Cathedral to renew my ordination vows, pick up some blessed oil for baptisms and anointing the sick and to have lunch with my colleagues. The service was wonderful as always, but it seemed more meaningful this year. Lay people were specifically included through our renewal of our baptismal covenant. Bishop Steve spoke of how strange it felt for him to renew his vows as a bishop [at the last meeting of the College of Bishops] with only bishops present because as Episcopalians we acknowledge four orders of ministry: lay, deacon, priest and bishop. At the altar were two deacons (both female), three priests (two men, one woman) and, of course, the bishop at the altar. There was also the Verger, the Cross Bearer and Two Torch Bearers (lay). All four orders were visibly present.

After we renewed our baptismal vows, the bishop addressed the deacons: "Deacons, do you reaffirm your promise to look for Christ in all others, being ready to help and serve those in need?"

Then he addressed us priests: "Priests, do you reaffirm your promise to minister the Word of God and the Sacraments of the New Covenant, that the reconciling love of Christ may be known and received?"

And then all the people (lay and ordered) addressed the bishop: "Bishop, do you reaffirm your promise to share with your fellow bishops in the government of the whole church; will you sustain your fellow presbyters and take counsel with them; will you guide and strengthen the deacons and all others who minister in the Church, so that they may join in the evangelization of the world?"

Then we ALL said together "May almighty God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins, give us the grace to uphold and perform our vows."

What this service brought to my mind was Bill Countryman's book "Living on the Border of the Holy: Renewing the Priesthood of All." I spent about 15 minutes looking for it on my bookshelf, and when I found it discovered I had put a sticky note on page 186. I'm not sure why I marked this page before, but what struck my eye this morning and that seems so appropriate for Holy Week is on the next page:

It is love that permits us to accept the services of others as our priests [Countryman is using the term "priest" here in its most general sense]. We can trust others as priests only if we are persuaded that they have a genuine reverence for us and care more for our well-being than for their own authority. The priest who is mainly interested in a fee of some sort is not a true priest. The fee in question may be material, or it may be emotional or spiritual. The priest may want to get rich, for example, or to gain intimate power over the lives of others, to get and hold a reputation for being always right or to be praised as superhumanly supportive. There is a multitude of such temptations in the path of the priest, and the priest who loves the fee rather than the neighbor has failed an essential test of priesthood.

Love demands its own integrity.

Countryman goes on to explain that it is what we do in love, for the good of the other that is important. When we try to get a "fee" of any sort (money, respect, compliments or reputation) we end up trying to control the other person, attaching them to ourselves rather than to God.

Love implies reverence for one another. In every person, ourselves included, we see one who God has created, chose, loved, forgiven, welcomed, and celebrated. We therefore see each person as a complex and beautiful mystery, worthy of all this outpouring of God's gifts......The mystery is to be honored in both of us. Love in the honoring of it.

The honoring of the four-fold orders of the church is the honoring of the love that comes from the Creator. Each of us have gifts and, in community, those gifts can help bring about God's kingdom. The more we see the gifts in others (and ourselves) and recognize that we all each called to be priests to each other, the more we live into the life as a follower of the Christ, the great High Priest. We all fall short of that ideal, but with God's grace we can make a difference in our broken and needy world.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-03-30T19:14:00.001-04:00

One thing I have learned in a long life: All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike - and yet it is the most precious thing we have.

Einstein said this about science, but you could say this about all knowledge, yet I wonder if even knowledge is the most precious thing we have. I would say that the most precious thing we have is love. And the source of that love, in my humble opinion, is a God who gave us all there is, including knowledge. I have no doubt, however, that our love, measured against the love that God has for us is truly primitive and childlike.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-03-25T12:45:00.002-04:00

Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.

2010-03-24T17:47:00.000-04:00

I just love this cartoon that accompanies an article on the Climate Progress blog: Joe Bastardi can't read a temperature anomaly map and so spins another conspiracy theory: Accuweather's "expert long-range forecaster" Joe Bastardi has now firmly established himself as the least informed, most anti-scientific meteorologist in the world. Climate Progress suggests that the video from Accuweather is more suitable for The Onion or April 1st.

Bastardi misunderstands a map of temperature anomalies for a temperature map.

"Bastardi tells his viewers, “The picture you see here is the Goddard Institute for Space Studies temperatures for the winter and you can see it was a torrid winter according to this.” He then spins a long conspiracy theory suggesting that these numbers can’t be true and must be due to a “magical readjustment” because sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic aren’t at record lows.

But the picture is NOT of temperatures. It is not warmer in the Arctic than in the United States, as Bastardi seems to imply. The picture is of temperature anomaly — the local temperature compared to the 1951-1980 mean — as anybody looking at the original can tell."

Comment: I don't use Accuweather, I use Weather.com for weather information, so I had no idea this character exists. Apparently some people call it (in)Accuweather. One of the comments on the post suggested: "Anyway, it seems Bastardi’s and/or AccuWeather’s M.O. is to trash all government weather/climate services to spread uncertainty and doubt and to build up AccuWeather’s business." Someone else suggested that since Bastardi is paid he is a "professional idiot." In some ways he reminds me of the "bimbos" who used to present the weather forecast on the evening news, except they were they to be pretty, not to pontificate on conspiracies or misuse science. Presenting the weather versus forecasting the weather and climate research are quite different areas of endeavor

Maine's RC Bishop Agrees with Glen Beck???

2010-03-24T11:42:00.002-04:00

This mornings Portland Press Herald has a long article about the Maine Roman Catholic Diocese withdrawing funding from a social justice program for the poor and homeless. The group supported No. on 1 last year, supporting same sex marriage. The Preble Street's Homeless Voices for Justice group has lost $17,400 this year and will lose $33,000 next year. The money not only comes from Maine, but also from a Washington-based Catholic Campaign for Human Development.

The group Catholics for Marriage Equality is starting to replace the funds by raising $17,400 for Homeless Voices for Justice. One of the group's co-founders, Anne Underwood, said Bishop Richard Malone is punishing the homeless because of politics.

"This is petty vindictiveness," she said. "After the election is over, suddenly the money is revoked from poor people because of a political opinion held by the bishop."

Underwood said that many Catholics in Maine will now think twice before donating money to the church to help fight poverty. "People who are homeless should not be used in political games," she said.

..... Preble Street decided to join the coalition that opposed Question 1 because issues of sexual orientation are the single greatest cause of homelessness among youths.

Comment: I just shook my head. I think perhaps the good bishop is listening to Glen Beck. He seems to be agreeing that the church shouldn't preach social justice.

Climate Crock Video: Flogging the Scientists

2010-03-16T14:09:00.000-04:00

This video is a bit long (about 10 minutes), uses dry humor (I like that sort of thing), and it is fascinating. Peter Sinclair makes it his business to "de-crock" the anti-science crowd. In this video he uncovers the lies in The Daily Mail (not a newspaper I would go to for news anyway) and the outrageous people calling for violence against climate scientists. In a March 2, 2010 article Climate Progress cites a Scientific American piece on cyber bullying subheaded:

Researchers must purge e-mail in-boxes daily of threatening correspondence, simply part of the job of being a climate scientist

This is part of the nastiness that is so rampant in the religious right too. If you read the article from Scientific American you will see not only do scientists get volumes of e-mail, they are called things like frauds, deceitful, or criminal. Sometimes they get threats. All of this is fueled by media like Fox News and the Daily Mail. Makes me so angry.

Sermon on the Mount: à la Beck

2010-03-15T21:30:00.000-04:00

Found this in the Washington Post. I like Tony Auth's style. Beck's audience seems appreciative. I wonder if Beck has ever read the Screwtape Letters?

Couldn't Resist Another Cartoon on Anti-Science Stupidity

2010-03-14T16:08:00.000-04:00

Climate Change posted this Tony Auth political cartoon along with an article entitled "The Dark Ages return: Texas Board of Education rewrites the Enlightenment". They agree with the magazine Nature that "science is in a street fight with anti-science." And the Texas State Board of Education seems to be leading the anti-science charge. The Board has removed Thomas Jefferson as one of the Enlightenment's leading thinkers on political revolution and replaced him with Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin. They've also removed the reference to Enlightenment ideas.

Comment: I do hope this isn't what post-modernism is all about. Science is, of course, built upon facts, logic, reason, testing hypotheses, and a lot of other ideas that come from the Enlightenment. We've moved a long way since then and our understanding of our world has grown, but it's scary to think we could go back to where superstition and the loudest voices win the day. We are called to love the Lord with all our hearts, minds and souls. Leave out our minds and there's a great big hole left to be filled with nonsense. One commenter asked if Jefferson wasn't being replaced by Calvin and Hobbes (instead of Aquinas).

The Best Argument Against Climate Change

2010-03-13T11:09:00.000-05:00

From Climate Progress.

Here is the best argument against global warming:

. . . .
Oh, right. There isn’t one.

Glen Beck and Sister Marie Claude

2010-03-11T18:00:00.000-05:00

Joan Chittister's newest post on her blog is called "The Nun and Glen Beck: a Standoff," It's about a nun from Syria who is here to receive an award from our State Department as one of ten "International Women of Courage." Her work for 50 years has been to help marginalized women reintegrate into society, by providing shelter for battered women no matter what race, religion or nationality. Joan spoke with her and quoted Glen Beck's comment: "Yes but ..." I asked finally. "Should you be doing these things as a nun, as a religious? A commentator here advised his television audience last week against 'social justice programs in the church.' "

"I beg you," he said, "look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words (for socialism.) Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!"

I heard Marie Claude Naddaf, a Sister of the Good Shepherd, gasp on the other end of the phone. "Noooooooo," she squealed. "This is the work of God. The spiritual life gives us the energy we need to do justice. There is no contradiction! It's a circle!"

Then she said, "Invite this man to come and see me in Syria. I will show him." And one more thing. "Tell your government that it must do something to help the Iraqi refugees in Syria. They need resettlement programs and financial support for widows and children." Her meaning was clear: The United States started the war that put millions of people adrift "but Syria has borne the whole expense of it."

From where I stand, it's clear why the Glenn Becks of the world would not want to hear anything about 'social justice' from a church. Certainly not about women and war. Or about Sister Marie Claude either. Let's hope he takes the invitation.

Comment: I can just imagine Glen Beck accepting her invitation (not). Can you imagine him going to Syria and speaking with a nun, even though she's Christian and not Muslim? I can, however, hear him scoffing at the idea that Syria is paying the expenses of displaced Iraqis. I also hear him scoffing at the notion that Christians are called to care for the helpless, the poor and needy of the world. Social and economic justice are what Jesus was about. Our loving God, loves indiscriminately and abundantly. God Bless Sister Marie Claude's work.

Anti-Science Disinformation and How it Works

2010-03-10T08:35:00.003-05:00

If you have an hour and are really interested in how anti-science disinformation works, listen to this University of Rhode Island lecture by a gifted woman professor from UC San Diego (Naomi Oreskes)who speaks on "Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscure the Truth About Climate Change." She has an upcoming book (late May) with that title.

Merchants of Doubt tells the story of how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades. Remarkably, the same individuals surface repeatedly—some of the same figures who have claimed that the science of global warming is “not settled” denied the truth of studies linking smoking to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole. “Doubt is our product,” wrote one tobacco executive. These “experts” supplied it.

Comment: Oreskes says we need a more realistic view of science and I agree. Just because we say things are complicated or lack certainty, doesn't mean the data are not real and that we don't need to pay attention. We work through the issues and if the data do not support our hypothesis, the hypothesis goes away and does not survive. If the evidence is there, the science is accepted by consensus. This does not mean that every scientist is on board, but it does mean that most are.

We have released increasing amounts of carbon and other pollutants into the atmosphere since the industrial revolution began and have exceeded the capacity of our planet to cope. We in the industrial world have benefited greatly from this development, but if we do nothing, our children and grandchildren are going to pay a terrible price.

It's All the Same: Climate Change and Health Care Reform

2010-03-10T08:12:00.004-05:00

This was posted by Climate Progress and comes from Toles of the Washington Post, but it applies equally well to the Health Care debate.

Climate Progress refers to it as "Senators vs. the species homo sapiens sapiens."

Actually, we have most of the 60 now. It’s probably 6 to 12 swing Senators that will determine whether we have a domestic climate bill and hence a global deal (see “The central question for 2010: Will anti-science ideologues be able to kill the bipartisan climate and clean energy jobs bill?“

Just change science to heath and ask the question about the health care bill, which unfortunately is not in the least bipartisan.

Good Advice: How Not to Be "Swift-boated"

2010-03-05T11:19:00.002-05:00

Climate Progress has summarized the advice of Juan Cole, a University of Michigan history professor to climate scientists on how to avoid being "swift-boated" by those who do not believe climate change is real. To share a platform with people who promote falsehoods is to give un-truth credibility.

Cole's advice includes:
1. Summarize your research in a blog, so the data are accessible to a wider audience.
2. Falsehoods in the media are not the fault of the scientists because:

a. Very, very wealthy and powerful interests are lobbying the big media companies behind the scenes to push climate change skepticism...

b. Powerful politicians linked to those wealthy interests are shilling for them, and elected politicians clearly backed by economic elites are given respect in the US corporate media. Big Oil executives e.g. have an excellent rollodex.....

c. Media thrives on controversy, which produces ratings and advertising revenue

d. Journalists for the most part have to do as they are told.....

e. Journalists for the most part do not know how to find academic experts.....

f. Many journalists are generalists.....

3. "Going public also makes it likely that you will be personally smeared and horrible lies purveyed about you in public (they don’t play fair– they make up quotes and falsely attribute them to you; it isn’t a debate, it is a hatchet job) ..... But if an issue is important to you and the fate of your children and grandchildren, surely having an impact is well worth any price you pay."

Comment: You will need to go to the article to see what the author said to complete each point. I do know some journalists who are well-trained in science, but they seem to be fewer and fewer of them employed by the media; e. g., CNN got rid of Miles O'Brien, their journalist who specialized in space and technology.

I remember a particular "hatchet job" done by a scientist years ago to "prove" his point that reputable scientists in oceanography agreed with his position. He took sentences from the start of a paragraph and the end of paragraphs from peer-reviewed journals to completely twist the meaning of the work to his own ends. One of the scientists whose work was misused took him to task in a public forum. In that case it worked, but it was done in a meeting of scientists and politicians. It doesn't always work out that way.

We do have a responsibility to future generations. In addition, we have the responsibility to be honest stewards of this earth that was given into our care.

Stop Calling it Global Warming

2010-03-04T07:59:00.000-05:00

Today's NY Times has an article called "Darwin Foes Add Warming to Targets"on how the climate-change skeptics are pretty much the same people who don't believe in evolution. They're trying to change laws about what is taught in schools (again). They want children to be taught critical thinking. Well so do I, but I doubt we mean the same thing. The only critiques they seem to want are those that support their faulty reasoning. They don't seem to want to look at data, but only their own prejudices. By linking other issues to evolution they think they can bypass the criticism that they are teaching religion. One example from a well-written article.

In Kentucky, a bill recently introduced in the Legislature would encourage teachers to discuss “the advantages and disadvantages of scientific theories,” including “evolution, the origins of life, global warming and human cloning.”

I may add some more to this tonight, but I have a busy day ahead. There's much more worth saying on this topic.

Communicating Climate Change and Accepting Ambiguity

2010-03-01T14:22:00.008-05:00

Aptenodytes forsteri Emperor penguin Adults and chicks Dawson-Lambton Glacier, Antarctica. Source: Fritz Polking / WWF

Climate Progress' Blog and today's headline is about how a huge new iceberg calved in Antarctica bumped into and broke off the tongue of a glacier to form a second huge iceberg. It's summer there now and the impact of these icebergs on penguins and the local ocean circulation is potentially huge. Antarctica is, on the whole, contributing to rising ocean levels because is is loosing about 24 cubic miles of ice annually. So this gets me to a second article of interest to me there written by Clive Hamilton, an Australian ethicist and author. He calls it Manufacturing a scientific scandal" It's about the horrible accusations and pressure experienced by some of the scientists caught up in what the press calls "Climategate."

And the emails reveal the enormous external pressure they were under. They show they were constantly accused of being frauds and cheats; their work was twisted and misrepresented; and they were bombarded with vexatious freedom of information requests orchestrated by denialists.

In short, they were caught up in a hot political debate that they did not really understand or want to be part of, yet they were the target of savvy, secretive and ruthless organisations ready to pounce on anything they said or wrote.

This is the real story exposed of “Climategate”. Instead, the scientists in question have seen their professional reputations trashed in the world’s media for no cause, to the point where Phil Jones has been on the verge of suicide. It has been the most egregious and unfounded attack on the integrity of a profession we have ever seen.

Yet the science remains rock solid
Since the leaking of the CRU emails the worldwide press have reported a series of “mistakes” in the IPCC reports that have allowed the denial lobby to claim that the entire IPCC process and the body of climate science should be junked. It turns out that almost all of the mistakes are fabrications. How could this have happened?

The first and only significant error identified in the IPCC report is the claim that 80 per cent of Himalayan glaciers are very likely to disappear by 2035. This was a serious mistake for a scientific report that should not have got through the review process. (It took two years for this deeply burried error to be corrected)

Other errors are discussed at Realclimate website.

(Hamilton goes on to discuss what science has found out since "Climategate")

Perception versus reality

........let me make mention of a number of developments in climate science that have been published or reported in the five months since the leaking of the Climategate emails. It is evidence that warming is more alarming than previously thought yet which has been buried in the avalanche of confected stories claiming that climate scientists have exaggerated. We have just had the warmest decade on record.

A new study concludes that an average warming of 3-4°C (which means 7-8°C on land), previously thought to be associated with carbon dioxide concentrations of 500-600 ppmv, is now believed to be associated with concentrations of only 360-420 ppmv, a range that covers the current concentration of 385 ppmv, rising at 2 ppmv per annum. If confirmed by further research, the implications of this are terrifying.

While news reports allege glacial melting has been exaggerated, the best evidence is that the rate of disappearance of glaciers is accelerating. The University of Zurich’s World Glacier Monitoring Service reports that “new data continues the global trend in strong ice loss over the past few decades”.The rate of flow into the sea of Greenland and Antarctic glaciers is accelerating, adding to sea-level rise. This augments the evidence that IPCC cautiousness led to significant underestimation of the likely extent of sea-level rise in the 21st century.

The East Antarctic ice-sheet, previously believed to be stable, has now begun to melt on its coastal fringes. The West Antarctic ice-sheet continues its rapid melt.

Sharply rising temperature in the Arctic has, over the last five years, caused a rapid increase in the amount of methane being emitted from melting permafrost. The limit of the Arctic permafrost has retreated northwards by 130 kilometres over the last 50 years in the James Bay region of Canada.

I have tried to find some new studies that go the other way in the hope I can counterbalance this bleak story, but have not succeeded.

Over the last five months, a vast gulf has opened up between the media-stoked perception that the climate science has been exaggerated and the research-driven evidence that the true situation is worse than we thought.

Just when we should be urging immediate and deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions, the public is being lulled into disbelief, scepticism and apathy by a sustained and politically driven assault on the credibility of climate science. For this we will all pay dearly.

Comments: Scientists are their own worst enemies when it comes to communication with the public. Like all people in specific fields, we tend to use language that may use the same words, as the general public, but mean different things. For greater detail see Susan Joy Hassol's article "Improving How Scientists Communicate About Climate Change."

When I was taking oral exams many years ago the Chair of my department asked me to explain my work in language a six-year old could understand. I must have done a good job, because he complimented me on my ability to do so. Of course I had young children at the time and maybe that helped. I wonder though how well I really did, because when my daughter was in kindergarten she informed her class that her mother was a "radiator." (Actually I was a health physicist—i.e., someone who worked the field of radiation protection)

One of the hazards, though of communicating with non-scientists, is that you can simplify too much and lose the nuances so important to getting at the truth of what you are talking about. Our world seems to want "black and white" answers, whereas shades of grey are more likely to better describe the situation. Climate change is complicated. Lots of snow in New York City and none in coastal Maine does not mean climate change is not happening. It just means that it's far more complicated than most people are willing to deal with.

Maybe why I like being an Anglican is that I can embrace the shades of grey and the ambiguity and live with unanswered questions.

The Anglican Church in America—Not TEC

2010-02-03T08:27:00.002-05:00

I got miffed enough at the Roman Catholic Bishop of Maine when he spent so much money to support Question 1, but this news item, which was on the morning news (see it on OCICBW), and is in the Bangor Daily News, really annoyed me. I feel as though it's a slap in the face to our wonderful Bishop Steve. The article is titled "Anglicans and Catholics Pray for Unity." Sounds good, right? Well, the unity is not with Episcopalians but with the Anglican Church in America. The article goes on to say that there are about 300 members of the Anglican Church in America in Maine.

When I did my interim in Millinocket, I learned there was a group of about 10 people who left the Episcopal Church after +Gene was consecrated and formed a mission, but no one seemed to know whether they were still meeting. One couple, who still did gardening at the Episcopal Church, but wouldn't come to services there, had rejoined the Roman Catholic Church. I wonder if some of those who left to form the mission suffered from the terrible blow of the mill closing and left town for other places. Anyway, when I went to the diocesan web site of the ACA I discovered that Millinocket isn't on the list of "find a parish." My guess is that 300 members in Maine is an exaggeration. In addition, I doubt the 7 pm service on a week night is a Eucharist. I'm sure that would be going much too far for +Malone. It may be a way that the "Anglicans" are thinking how they can grow however. Sounds to me like two churches grasping at straws.

I know the Roman Catholic Church in Maine is loosing members and the our Episcopal church has been blessed with some new members, especially some of our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters who have found a warm welcome in many of our churches. I know that the Roman Church in Maine (and elsewhere) doesn't have enough priests. I really wonder if just maybe +Malone is working out of Bennie's playbook: welcome in disaffected Anglicans and then make them toe the line.

A Shout Out for St Andrew's

2010-02-01T11:13:00.002-05:00

Heidi Shott put this video on Facebook. It's all about Damariscotta and the pictures were taken during the Pumpkin Fest last Fall. Izzie didn't make it, but we might be in the last frames at the pumpkin drop. The camera angle is about where we were standing.

There are lots of good reasons to like this town, but I thought it quite wonderful when I first walked down the street, perfect strangers said hello. Toward the end a boy holds up a sign that says "St. Andrew's" (officially in Newcastle, but without the bridge connecting the two towns it would be impossible to tell where the border was.

Heart and Soul is a planning exercise involving people in the town.

House Hunting

2010-01-30T09:46:00.000-05:00

I looked at a house yesterday. I'd like to find a place of my own by mid summer, but I'm beginning to wonder if I can afford a place in Damariscotta. Most of the houses for sale more than I can afford and most are not "in town." The house I looked at was very small and had been badly remodeled in the past. The good thing is its location. Since it's only a block from where I'm renting, it means I could continue to walk to the downtown. The stairs to the second floor, where there are two small bedrooms, are impossibly narrow. They in no way meet building code. I would guess they were originally attic stairs. The bathroom is miniscule (on the ground floor) and the living room has space for a small sofa and maybe one chair. The kitchen space is more than adequate and the bedroom space is ok. I wonder if the amount of money it would take to redo the house so I would be comfortable there would be worth it. At my age I don't really want to take on a major re-modeling project. I'm still thinking about it though, since the price was pretty good.

A Girl's Best Friend

2010-01-23T13:10:00.003-05:00

In my year at MIT (1957-58) the coeds, as part of the spring follies, did their version of Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend, but in those long-ago days it was "slide rules are a girl's best friend." My slide rule (given to me by my uncle) and Burrington's was all we were allowed to use in exams. (The picture is from Wikipedia) Now we use our lap tops and desk tops, which seem to have replaced the hand-held calculators that came so soon afterward. Bob Whalley found this gem on YouTube, but here it is "the prayerbook is a girl's best friend." I wonder how many other parodies of this song are out there. Enjoy.

Prayers and Part III of the Isabelle and Amelia Grand Adventure

2010-01-19T18:38:00.000-05:00

So many bloggers have asked for prayers for loved ones with Alzheimer's and I need to do the same. I had been trying to get ahold of a dear friend both before and during my trip, via phone, Facebook and e-mail. When she finally answered she told me she has been diagnosed with an early stage of the disease. So Izzie and I made the trip to Dunedin to see her. Now she's been in a wheel chair for years because of an MS-like disease, so this is a double whammy. Connie is a dear. When we both lived in the Bay Area we were prayer partners and most Sundays had lunch together after church and frequently saw each other during the week. When I moved to Michigan for my first interim, she moved to Florida to be closer to her daughter who has four young boys. Now she is planning on moving to Albuquerque to live with her son. He has bought a house with an in-law apartment for her to live in, so that should work for the near term.

I could see some changes: repeated questions like forgetting that she had asked me to check her mail and asking me a number of times and much confusion about past events. It was still wonderful to see her and much of our conversation was quite normal. I had hoped to take her out for dinner, but the elevator in her condo wasn't working so she couldn't get out. Izzie and I used the stairs. We ordered pizza instead. She is so much more frail than she used to be and that is sad as well. Please pray for Connie and her family.

We spent two nights there. When we arrived Izzie took off after Squanto and he disappeared under the bed. The second night we thought he was in the living room when we went to sleep, but it turned out he was under the bed we were sleeping in and in the middle of the night I heard a scratching at the door. Then there was this lovely cat face staring at me from the bedside table. I got up quietly so as not to disturb the queen (Izzie) and let Squanto out. I think by the time we left, they were beginning to get along. Connie got Squanto in Berkeley and he's always been an indoor cat and NOT used to dogs (or even other cats for that matter).

After leaving Dunedin, we drove northwest across Florida, past Orlando toward I-95. That interstate is pretty boring, although it does lead to places I've never stopped at like Cape Canaveral. A cousin of mine used to live near there in the late 60s and 70s and his mother and father, my Uncle Don and Aunt Claire became snow birds for a while, spending the winter months close to their son and playing contract bridge. I was living in California at the time, so unlike my younger brothers and sisters, I never visited. Izzie and I spent the night in South Carolina and then went on to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Charlottesville is where Anne, a deacon from Maine spends November through April. She is a hospice chaplain, a retired physician, a lover of opera ( really all kinds of music), an oboe player, and an avid golfer. Anne is great fun to be around. After my GPS sent me off to Ruckersville, I called and got directions. Izzie decided that Desi and Luci, two standard poodles, were just too much and decided to pee on the floor at least three times. It could also be that she was worried I was going to leave her there. Anne and I went to her gym for an exercise class, had a great late lunch in downtown Charlottesville and then drove out to Monticello. We were too late to take a tour, but we explored the gallery and gift shop. Izzie stayed in the car. I really need to get back there as well as the long list of other places I've mentioned in earlier posts.

The last day I had planned on stopping somewhere in Massachusetts, but decided to continue on. The weather was good and I felt fine. It was only when I pulled in at the house and got out of the car, that I realized my legs were really weak. I got my two walking sticks and used them until I got my balance back. It was nearly ten pm, so I took the necessities out of the car and decided the rest could wait until the next day. I didn't go to church Sunday because I was way too tired. Since then we've had snow and more snow. In fact it's still snowing.

The warm Los Angeles weather seems so far in the past, although I'm not sure I'd like to be there right now with all the driving rain.

Thus ends the tale.

St. Andrew's, Newcastle and Haitian Art

2010-01-18T18:06:00.002-05:00

There has been a long-standing relationship between people at St. Andrew's Newcastle (Newcastle is the twin city to Damariscotta and is across the river) and Haiti. One of the ways they raise money for the schools they support is by selling Haitian art. The local NBC station interviewed some of the people involved with Haiti and aired the story last Friday. You can get a glimpse of some of the art in the interview.

As you can well imagine. People here, like they are everywhere are saddened and want to do something. We were encouraged to bring checks made out to Episcopal Relief and Development to put in the collection plate on Sunday so that it would be a community offering.

The Trip Home—Part II

2010-01-18T12:19:00.004-05:00

I took the photo at Saguaro National Park. After we left Tucson, we headed east on I-10. I was surprised that El Paso was in the mountains. I loved the views from the road both south toward Mexico and north toward New Mexico. It was a wonderfully clear and sunny day. Izzie and I stopped for another check by the border patrol (the first was near Yuma). I guess Maine plates, a very anglo face and no trace of a foreign accent (if you don't count the fact that I sound like a Candadian) was enough. All I was asked if I was a U. S. citizen, and that's much like the old days crossing the border from either Canada or Mexico, except the check points were on the interstate. Izzie found the stops interesting and she made sweet faces at the border patrol guys.

We stopped for the night at Van Horn, Texas. The motel staff were complaining about the cold. When they saw I was from Maine, they assumed (correctly) that I didn't think it was too bad. I didn't need to put on gloves (my criteria for how cold it is). I wondered what there might be to do if you stayed in Van Horn. Turns out trips to Carlsbad Caverns (go north back into New Mexico) and the McDonald Observatory are easy day trips. When we left the next morning, Izzie started barking and I pulled off at the McDonald Observatory exit and let her walk a bit. Just off the road was an old abandoned stone schoolhouse with only the walls left. It's quite a drive to the observatory from the interstate, so I decided not to do it. Hope I get back to that area again. I love the guy on Star Date on PBS who tells us what to see in the night sky.

We then drove and drove to the east side of San Antonio where we spent another night. The desk clerk asked if I was going into town that evening, but all I wanted to do was see the bed. One of mother's cousins, Pauline, married someone from Texas and they lived in San Antonio. They came to New Hampshire once when I must have been about 12 or 13. I think they were selling Pauline's family home and business. We spent one day visiting the old family homestead. They had an apple orchard and juice and cider processing mill. There was a stream near the house with a dam that made a great swimming hole. Those were the days when swimming in near freezing water was a normal occurrence for me. If the air was warm and sunny, I didn't care how cold the water was. That evening, Pauline's husband tried to teach me how to do some western dance steps. So memories from a place I had never seen, and again, a place to visit in the future.

The drive the next day took us through Houston, a place I had visited once for a professional meeting where I went to the one and only rodeo I've ever seen. A roommate from college days, Lynne, I assume still lives there. She married Gordon Mutchler who taught physics at Rice and who died a few years ago. Gordon and I were engaged to be married once, but it didn't work out. I really think Lynne was the right choice for him. I wish I knew how to get in touch with her, she doesn't seem to be on Facebook.

So through Houston and on to Louisiana. I had heard of bayous, but really never had seen any. That part of the country has water everywhere: lakes, bays, canals and bayous. Fascinating drive. Izzie and I arrived in Thibodaux and Grandmère's around supper time. It's a lovely place where they raised their children. I was given a glass of wine, a plate of shrimp creole and rice while Izzie explored the house. Grandmère, Izzie and I have all blogged about our visit there, so I won't repeat things. I really enjoyed our conversations which ranged all kinds of subjects including theology and the state of the church. I can't remember much of the first night's conversation since I was quite tired after driving a bit over 500 miles and two glasses of wine did me in. Conversation continued the next day and evening interspersed with church, lunch (yummy oyster spaghetti) in Houma, and a nap. Grandpère is a great guy and a really good cook. Izzie especially appreciated getting bacon fat on her kibble.

We left pretty early the next morning. The drive took us past, but not through New Orleans. The only time I've been there was when I was seven. My mother, sister (nine), two brothers (one of them 6-months old and the other 18 months) and I took a train from Boston to New Orleans to board a ship for Panama. My uncle drove us to Boston. We had a meal at the Union Oyster House and I had a fruit cocktail as a appetizer. I thought it great that I got desert first. I also remember Grand Central Station, where we changed trains and was greatly impressed by the size. We had gotten all kinds of immunizations in New Hampshire, except for Yellow Fever shots, so my memory of New Orleans is great huge concrete buildings near the wharfs. In one of them we got our shots, then boarded the ship. Poor mother suffered from motion sickness and the train ride was a nightmare for her as was the sea voyage. In addition my youngest brother was suffering from the aftermath of the shots, probably the typhoid one. He probably also had a cold, since I remember he had a runny nose. I know those shots always made me cranky too, every time I got one. The train porter from New York took pity on her and since it was a military transport ship, other people helped out with us kids. I don't remember much about the trip myself. I think we spent a lot of time in the cabin. Mother had numerous operations on her ear as a young woman, but nothing helped. I think I need to get to New Orleans to really see the city. Driving by on the interstate just doesn't do it for me.

I thought we might stop in the Florida Panhandle, but I ended up driving the whole way to Dunedin. What I did accomplish that day was to go through Mississippi and Alabama. They are the only two states (in the lower 48) I had never been in before. Ken refused a transfer to Pascagoula, Mississippi in the early 70s, deciding to go back to work for Aerospace Corp (he spent a year or so with Litton Ship Systems in California). I did enjoy the views of the Gulf from the road. Again it was a sunny, but chilly day.

To be continued.

The Trip Home—Part I

2010-01-17T20:12:00.004-05:00

My drive back from California was full of memories. The whole trip was about 4300 miles. The remembering started while I was driving east on the San Bernadino Freeway (I-10). That was the freeway we used when I lived in Hermosa Beach in the mid to late 60s and early 70s to go to the desert for hiking, rock climbing at Joshua Tree (I hated it) and winter mountaineering (going down a snow field on my back trying to get the ice axe to dig in is also in the I hated it category).

Passing exits signs for Banning and Cherry Valley brought memories of my Aunt Gaby, my mother's sister,and her husband Uncle John who lived in Cherry Valley and Uncle Amedee, her brother, and his wife Aunt Augustine who lived in Beaumont. We didn't see them often during my years there as our lives revolved around our children and Ken's mother in San Diego. Our lives had a regular schedule of one weekend in San Diego, one weekend camping, hiking or sightseeing, and two weekends doing household things.

Wiki photo of white pelican

I had decided that I wanted to see the Salton Sea. I had never gone further south inland than Indio and I was curious as to why people liked the Salton Sea so much. There were lots of birds there, and although I wanted to stop, the areas to turn out were closed. This was really off-season, so maybe there weren't enough people to warrant keeping them open, on the other hand it could have something to do with ecologic concerns. The sea is below sea level, quite saline and the home of white pelicans in addition to being on the Pacific Flyway for migrating birds. Lots of environmental issues around contamination due to agricultural use and water usage.

Izzie and I spent the night in Yuma, Arizona. I had never seen Yuma, nor driven east on I-8, so that was a new experience. I guess we could have gone on to Tucson that day, but I didn't want to be tempted to just drive through and not see the Saguaro. I was unaware that Yuma is such a big railroad town. The motel we stayed in was very dog friendly, the Oak Tree Inn. Many of the rooms are reserved for railroad people. I've stayed at Oak Tree in Elko, Nevada and Green River, Wyoming. Breakfast was at Penny's Diner next door. They give you a voucher and it buys a good meal. I sat at the counter and chatted with someone who works for the railroad. He had just come off an overnight run and was going to sleep after his breakfast. He asked where I was from and when I told him Maine, he said "that must be your van outside." People seem to find it odd that it's just me and Izzie.

After breakfast we started for Tucson. Right after Gila Bend I began to see saguaro cacti. They are really limited in their range living only in the Sonoran desert of Arizona, Mexico (and a little of California). To see whole hillsides of these magnificent beauties was quite spectacular. (Wiki photo) I was warned not to let Izzie out since she could easily pick up a nasty prickly on her paw. She actually did pick up something sharp on one of our walks outside the motel. Fortunately I caught it right away and removed it. I never did get to the Desert Museum. Time was running out, but I saw enough to know I'd love to go back. I bought some cactus candy, something I hadn't had in years. Love it.

While near Tucson, I saw a roadside sign, you know the kind that tells you who is paying for keeping the trash picked up along the roadside, that said Lazy K Bar Ranch. In high school one of my girlfriends would go to Arizona for spring break. Her father eventually ran that particular dude ranch and they moved to Tucson I think in our junior year. In Nashua they ran the Howard Johnson's so obviously they knew what they were about. My friend competed in barrel riding and I think became a nurse, but I lost track of her so I have no idea where she is now, but it's odd how a little sign can trigger memories. From Junior High on four of us would walk to and from school together. We'd all meet at one house and go on from there. In really bad weather someone's parent would drive us (not mine since we didn't have a car).

Science Humor

2010-01-17T10:17:00.001-05:00

I cannot resist posting this. A friend put it on his blog. After all the heartache of Haiti and all the nastiness from some on the religious right on how those poor people brought the disaster on themselves, this should bring a smile to the faces of those of you who are a bit geeky like me. God has many surprises for us as we explore this marvelous universe, and I don't mean natural disasters.

CERN is the European Centre for Nuclear Research. They're the ones some people thought might create a black hole and end the world as we know it. Enjoy!

We're Home

2010-01-16T22:38:00.000-05:00

Arrived in Damariscotta a little before ten pm. Partly unpacked the car. Izzie has been running around the house like a crazy dog. I think she's glad to be home. More tomorrow.

Izzie's Got Her Zip Back

2010-01-13T18:08:00.000-05:00

We left our dear friend Connie this morning and hit the road again, although only after gassing up and getting the car washed. We have stopped in Georgia for the night and Izzie has been racing down the halls of the motel as though she were a puppy again. Since she's on a leash, I have to run as well. She's going to keep me young. I'm so grateful that the surgery has worked so well. Tomorrow night will have us near Charlottesville, Virginia and spending a little time with Anne, a deacon from Maine who winters in Virginia and Izzie spending some time terrorizing Anne's two standard poodles, Desi and Luci.

Visit With Grandmere Mimi

2010-01-12T19:12:00.001-05:00

It was so much fun to meet the esteemed doyenne of bloggers, Grandmere Mimi and her very dear husband Grandpere. They are a lot of fun to be around. It was so nice to be invited to their home and arriving in the early evening, was treated to some shrimp creole and rice. It was GOOD. Izzie spent the first bit of time exploring the house and making herself at home. Both Grandmere and Grandpere were very nice to her even keeping their own dog Diana outside, except at night when she sleeps in the laundry room. Izzie was royally pampered.

Grandmere's church, St. John's is quite lovely. I like the white walls and the clear windows. It's a very old church and in some ways reminds me of a small version of St. Paul's in Boston. The pews seem to give a nod to those from the colonial era which were more like family boxes. The organ was acting up because of the cold, but the organist shifted to the piano and all was well. I would have loved to have heard the pipe organ, but only if it were in tune and all the stops worked, which was not the case. I also enjoyed talking to members of the congregation afterwards. They are a hospitable bunch. Izzie would have loved coffee hour. There was cheese.

Mimi describes the wonderful meal we had after church on her blog. I promised them a good lobster dinner to encourage them to come up to Maine, but I don't think we would eat any better. The hors d'oeuvre of spinach and artichokes on cheese toasts was yummy and the oyster spaghetti was to die for.

I feel so honored to have met this wonderful woman.

Another Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-01-07T20:15:00.002-05:00

I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details.

I'm too tired to write a post after all the driving. I have been doing a lot of thinking about God, however, not about God's thoughts, but about to what extent can we say that God has a plan. I believe that there is a grand plan for the universe, but not a detailed plan for my life or yours. I've got to find the time to put my thoughts onto paper.

For those who might be interested, I'm on my way east. Today is the first day I've experienced really cold weather since I left Maine. It's below freezing and there's a strong wind blowing. Tonight I'm in Van Horn, Texas (you can drive to Carlsbad Caverns and the Mac Donald Observatory from here). Tomorrow I should be near Houston.

Museums and Food

2010-01-05T11:41:00.001-05:00

The Getty on Sunday was wonderful. The weather was perfect: sunshine and clear skies so we could see out to the Pacific and Catalina and east to the mountains near Palm Springs with snow on their peaks. We had a lovely brunch before we saw the Rembrandt and his pupils exhibit. The drawings were fascinating. Of course each of the artists were studying under Rembrandt at the time the drawings were made, but Rembrandt is obviously the master. His drawings have such an energy about them that seemed to be missing from those of the students. What that man could do with a few simple lines and some washes is amazing. They had magnifying glasses available so you could look at the details.

After we walked through the garden, we saw another exhibit—Irving Penn's photographs called Small Trades. If you go to the link some of the photographs are on display. I found them fascinating.

Working in Paris, London, and New York in the early 1950s, photographer Irving Penn (American, 1917–2009) created masterful representations of skilled tradespeople dressed in work clothes and carrying the tools of their occupations. A neutral backdrop and natural light provided the stage on which his subjects could present themselves with dignity and pride. Penn revisited his Small Tradesseries over many decades, producing evermore-exacting prints, including platinum/palladium enlargements. In 2008 the J. Paul Getty Museum acquired the most comprehensive group of these images, carefully selected by the photographer—155 gelatin silver prints and 97 platinum/palladium prints—that are being exhibited in their entirety for the first time.

Then last night we went to Atch-Kotch in Hollywood, our favorite Japanese restaurant. Yosh and Yuri, as usual served a wonderful meal of small dishes for us to enjoy. You don't have to order off the menu, they'll just feed you. My daughter is a vegetarian and there was plenty for her to eat as well. One of my favorites is spicy tuna sashimi. There was also his tofu triangles, which we can't seem to replicate at home, even though he's given us the recipe. The problem is that you need a very high heat source and our home stoves just don't do it. The other tofu dish has scrambled eggs in it. My daughter takes the left overs home for breakfast the next day. (We know that and wouldn't dare take more than a taste ourselves) For veggies there were separate dishes of eggplant, okra, and mushrooms, each with their own flavors. The okra was lightly steamed and still a bit crunchy. i loved it. I also liked the shrimp and chicken dishes. We ended the meal by tasting five different sakes. At least my daughter and I did. Son-in-law was driving. A great way to end our trip to LA

Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-01-04T10:23:00.006-05:00

I love to travel, but hate to arrive.
That seems apt. Although I think I really will enjoy arriving home.

Christmas Day

2010-01-03T20:55:00.001-05:00

From left to right, me, my daughter, my son, and my grandson. Izzie's legs may be seen between me and my daughter. There are pictures of her at my daughter's on her blog. This was Christmas morning in my son's little house in Sierra Madre.

Another Einstein Quote of the Day

2010-01-02T15:14:00.002-05:00

I don't pretend to understand the universe - it's much bigger than I am.

Yea for New Hampshire!

2010-01-02T15:12:00.002-05:00

I posted a link to this story in the Nashua Telegraph on Facebook, but didn't even think to put it on my blog until I read Leonardo Ricardo's latest post. For some reason I couldn't comment on his post, but I decided that I would try never to be silent on the issue of equal rights for all. I don't want to be insulated from reality. Had enough of that in the years my children were tiny.

I grew up reading the Telegraph and I follow it on-line, mostly to see if any old classmates have passed on. New Hampshire now allows gay marriage and this lesbian couple tied the knot the very first minute they could. Maine may have dropped the ball for now, but they are bordered by a state that hasn't.

NASHUA – In a candlelit church brimming with family and friends, Jennifer Morton and Michelle Morrison heard an announcement they’ve waited 13 years for: they were, at long last, married.

At the stroke of midnight, the couple joined in a rousing chorus of “Auld Lang Syne” at their church, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua, and then rang in the New Year by observing the moments-old law allowing gay couples to marry in New Hampshire.

My First Rose Parade

2010-01-01T19:13:00.001-05:00

Never mind that I lived in the LA area for 11 years in the 60s and 70s and that I would sometimes visit the LA area in the years after that. I always watched the Rose Parade on TV. My ex didn't want to travel from Hermosa Beach to Pasadena to stake out a place and he would never dream of paying for a bleacher seat. So today, my son and grandson and I went to the end of the route and watched the bands and floats with the crowd that was there. It was lots of fun, not one that I would do every year, but I think that at age 70 it was time. Grandson was a bit of a pain to watch a parade with though. He is classified as a high-functioning autistic and any little thing can cause him to scream. We had hot dogs from a street vendor (there were a lot of them) and that helped get us through the two hours and the walk back to the car.

Now I'm back at my daughter's house. Izzie had to stay there while we went to the parade, because I didn't think she could do all the walking. There were lots of dogs about, though. Probably none a month out of back surgery. All very well behaved. After the parade I had Thai food that my son-in-law ordered for take out. Izzie and I are stretched out on the couch.

The next thing I'm going to do is to go the the Getty on Sunday. We have brunch reservations at the restaurant and I'm looking forward to seeing the Rembrandt and His Pupils exhibit. According to the Getty website:

"Telling the difference between drawings by Rembrandt and his pupils is a centuries-old problem. A popular teacher with more than 50 documented students, Rembrandt taught all of them to draw in his style. Together, they produced thousands of drawings, and even immediately after Rembrandt's death, there was confusion about who made them. In the last 30 years scholars have made major strides in their ability to recognize Rembrandt's drawings from those of his students."

The last time I was at the Getty was for their Mt. Sinai icons exhibit, which was fabulous. It's become a tradition for my daughter and me to enjoy a meal at the restaurant there. This year her husband is joining us, I think because they have crab cakes on the menu.

Another Einstein Quote of the Day

2009-12-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.

Izzie, the Bad Habit Rabbit

2009-12-29T10:46:00.000-05:00

Since Christmas I've been shuttling back and forth between my daughter's home and my son's. Izzie has to do stairs at my son's but they are carpeted and she seems to do just fine. It's more than four weeks from her surgery and she's beginning to take to walks again. She doesn't want to go out in the back yard unless my daughter, Buttercup and I go as well. At my son's she will join Zephyr and Eva in the back yard, but she's known those two dogs for a long time. Eva came to visit us in Wyoming when she was a pup and Izzie, although four years old, was new to me.

Izzie is teaching Buttercup very bad habits. My daughter and I went out to look for a red dress (they're going to a wedding in Colombia at the end of the month and was told everyone was to wear red). We found some possibilities, but she's very tiny and the one she liked the best didn't come small enough. I wish I had that problem. Anyway her hubby stayed home and when he came into the house, both Izzie and Buttercup were snoozing on the couch. He took a picture which I will post as soon as he gives me a copy. Izzie also has Buttercup hovering around the table hoping for food. My bad. It will take them weeks to recover from our visit.

This morning she and hubby are going to the garment district to look there for the dress. Buttercup is going to doggie day care (so Izzie doesn't teach her anything else new while they're away). I'm going over to REI since I have a small rebate from last year and need some socks.

Health Care and Christmas Eve—A MoveOn Video

2009-12-24T11:12:00.000-05:00

This video is from MoveOn.org. It's worth passing on. Health care reform may have passes the senate, but it has a long way to go, before even a minor change will happen. The public option may not be dead, but it seems quite moribund.

A Christmas Sermon I Doubt I'll Ever Give

2009-12-24T10:56:00.001-05:00

The hymn, A Stable Lamp is Lighted, from a poem by Richard Wilbur, as sung by The Miserable Offenders in their album "Keeping the Baby Awake" is one I never hear sung at Christmas. First of all, few people know it, and the tune in the hymnal isn't nearly as good as the one used in the album. The words too, must put a lot of people off. At Christmas time we don't want to offend people by reminding them that the lovely little baby boy, born in a humble stable grows into the man who is crucified on a cross, and people like to sing what they know.

People who come to church only on Christmas and Easter don't want to be disturbed by the reality of a world where the stones cry out against violence, injustice and stony hearts, they want messages of peace and goodwill. Those are not bad things in and of themselves and I do believe in preaching the good news, only I don't think it should be sugar coated. I can, however, imagine the words of this poem making a pretty good Advent sermon though and a really good one for Palm Sunday. A barn harboring heaven and the stones on which the palm branches are strewn remind us of the kingdom that boy-child was to usher in. It hints at the Magnificat with "the low is lifted high" and that at the end, the worlds will be reconciled.

For those who aren't familiar with the words:

A stable lamp is lighted
Whose glow shall wake the sky
The stars shall bend their voices
And every stone shall cry
And straw like gold will shine
A barn shall harbor heaven
A stall become a shrine

This child through David’s city
Will ride in triumph by
The palm shall strew its branches
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
Though heavy, dull and dumb
And lie within the roadway
To pave the Kingdom come.

Yet He shall be forsaken
And yielded up to die
The sky shall groan and darken
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
For stony hearts of men
God’s blood upon the spearhead
God’s love refused again.

But now as at the ending
The low is lifted high
The stars shall bend their voices
And every stone shall cry
And every stone shall cry
In praises of the child
By whose descent among us
The worlds are reconciled.

A very joyous Christmas to all.

Visiting the Navaho Nation

2009-12-21T22:18:00.001-05:00

I made an unplanned trip into the Navaho Nation today. I-40 was completely blocked after Grants, NM. I don't know what happened, but they routed us off the interstate and there was no detour marked for going west. After following the big rigs, we were told to turn around. I decided to see if there was any alternate route and since I couldn't look at my map, I called my daughter and her husband looked up a route for me. It worked, but it took a while. I went though Navaholand to the north of the interstate. There was a police woman at one intersection who was there to direct those like me who were taking this route. She told me how to get back on I-40 at Gallup. She also told me where I could get gas, which I really needed.

This is a very sparsely populated area. I did pass one mine, either coal or uranium, I don't know which and a number of empty ore-carriers. The state road was really good and the speed limit was 65. The Navaho road (N-9) was pretty good too. I'll have to do some research into the area later. The last time I was near there was in the 1970s when I visited both the Hopis and Navahos to talk about coal gasification.

When we finally got back on I-40 there was very little traffic. I decided to drive past Flagstaff to Williams. Stayed in a Days Inn there a couple of years ago. They are a very dog friendly chain. In Amarillo the fourth floor seemed to be the doggie floor. We met a Newfie and a Golden there. Izzie wasn't interested. Right now she's sound asleep.

Not Blogging

2009-12-20T07:21:00.000-05:00

I left the book I was going to read on the coffee table, so I really can't continue the last blog. Also, I'm pretty tired when I get to a motel at night. Driving across the country in the winter means being constantly vigilant and so the tiredness after about 8-9 hours on the road. Today may be a bit longer since I'd love to get into New Mexico on I-40.

Climate Change V

2009-12-16T22:53:00.000-05:00

The LA Times has a headline: Climate Talks Deadlocked as Clashes Erupt Outside

I think we were very fortunate in the 1980s. Of course the stakes weren't so high and the issue was hardly as global. When I was going to meetings in London to amend The Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by the Dumping of Waste and other Matter based on the International Atomic Energy Agency's work to revise criteria for the disposal of radioactive waste into the oceans, Greenpeace organized active protests in front of the building where we met. One morning I was greeted with 55-gallon drums with the words "dump the IAEA" on it. I thought it pretty clever wording, but it had little effect, I still continued to serve as the IAEA representative.

The protesters in Copenhagen want to dump the official delegates and do the work themselves. It's an interesting concept and has some things of merit, but not likely to work very well. The reason international agreements are so difficult is that so many interests are at stake. Our Bishop has a book discussion going on-line with the book Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope by Brian D. McLaren. I rather like McLaren's somewhat simplistic Three Subsystems in Society that help to form a "suicide machine": the prosperity system, the security system and the equity system. When these systems are not functioning in an interactive way with each system checking the others, bad things happen. He goes on to point out that there are of course other factors, our environment, for example. We take in heat from the sun and we generate heat from other sources. The heat needs to go somewhere. We pollute in lots of other ways, too. I do wish I had more time to write about this, but it will have to wait at least until I get going on my trip west.

In the article quoted at the start of this post i was taken with the following statement: "Much of the uncertainty in the Copenhagen talks stems from how slowly the first U.S. legislation to cap carbon dioxide emissions is moving through Congress. Passage of a U.S. climate change bill is expected no earlier than next spring -- and many other nations are unwilling to make their final commitments until the U.S. does."

Climate Change IV

2009-12-14T14:32:00.000-05:00

Huffington Post has this fascinating article on Copenhagen and global warming called COP 15: Accepting Responsibility. It starts:

Imagine you're a well-to-do person attending a dinner of your peers. The food is top-rate and there's plenty of it. Course after course is laid upon the table.

A group of less-advantaged people has been watching from the sidelines. When the dinner is done, you invite them to join you at the table. After the restaurant staff has served coffee, the bill comes. You and your rich peers insist that everyone now at the table must share in paying the entire bill.

The author, William S. Becker, Executive Director of the Presidential Climate Action Project, uses this story to make the position of delegates from emerging economies clearer. They want reparations to help them deal with anticipated changes. The US negotiator is using a "blissful ignorance" defense. Later in the article it says

Every U.S. president since [1965 when President Johnson's science advisors told him] (words in brackets mine) has known of the risks of climate change. Every president and Congress since has failed to adequately mitigate or manage that risk. Although then Vice President Al Gore signed the Kyoto Protocol on behalf of the United States in 1998, the U.S. Senate made clear it would not vote in favor of ratification. As a result, President Clinton didn't bother to try.

The climate change negotiations are about money, but they're also about responsibility. The US and other nations need to step up to the plate. I personally don't care if the money used is called a reparation payment or not.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2009-12-14T08:06:00.000-05:00

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
It doesn't make much sense, but I fear we all do this; ergo we all have insanity in us. I wonder if the real problem is that we are unaware that we are repeating our old ways. We see it in people who tend to marry the same kind of person over and over and get divorced over and over.

Marriage Equality in Maine— Question 1 Redux

2009-12-10T10:52:00.003-05:00

Question 1 passed and overturned the legislature's vote on marriage equality. This morning's Bangor Daily News has an article on how the same people who poured tons of money into the state to make this happen are going to target legislators in next year's election. The National Organization for Marriage has indicated in court filings that it plans to make gay marriage an issue in the coming races for governor and legislative seats. The organization would apparently target legislators who voted in support of a same-sex marriage bill that was ultimately repealed by voters.

And in another paragraph it says:

The intentions of the National Organization for Marriage to stay involved in Maine politics came to light as part of a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Portland focusing on the substantial financial role that the organization played in defeating same-sex marriage at the polls on Nov. 3.

They still refuse to say where the money came from to support Question 1. In the most recent court filing that included the sample campaign materials, the National Organization for Marriage argues that requiring disclosure of all donors to a political action committee “will deter donations to NOM from those who otherwise would donate.”

Dr Johnson may have said that Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, but I think secrecy might be just apt in our day. After all Sydney can appoint bishops that way and they can enable the Jensens to stay in office that way. Just see Nobel Wolf's post today.

Climate Change III

2009-12-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

From the Bangor Daily News

Einstein Quote of the Day

2009-12-09T10:38:00.000-05:00

If I give you a pfennig, you will be one pfennig richer and I'll be one pfennig poorer. But if I give you an idea, you will have a new idea, but I shall still have it, too.

The Most Terrifying Video

2009-12-09T10:27:00.003-05:00

If you have about ten minutes to spend, look at this. It helps if you're a nerd like me, or if you want more information on the various positions on climate change. It's a few years old (2007), but is right on. It's about decision making and climate change. Greg Craven, the author has written a book, "What's the Worst that Could Happen," based on this.

Climate Change II

2009-12-09T09:48:00.002-05:00

Photo: Campbell Shelf Ice (NOAA) from Wikimedia
Andrew Revkin and James Kanter have an article in today's NY Times "Climate Conference Begins to Feel Pressure of the Clock." Having been a "sherpa"/ observer on international agreements on marine pollution, I feel a great deal of sympathy for those people who are working so hard to come up with an agreement that the politicians can sign. National interests, both economic and political are always there and especially in the case of climate change the question of who pays is always there. The authors say:

The main points of contention remain as they have been for years, with a gulf to be bridged particularly on four points:

How much and how fast rich countries should cut their emissions or pledge to limit the rise in planetary temperature.
How much emerging economic powers like China and India should rein in the growth of their emissions, and how they should prove they have diverted from “business as usual.”
How much rich countries should compensate poor ones to limit vulnerability to climate extremes that are expected to worsen in many regions near the Equator as greenhouse gases build in the atmosphere and seas continue rising.
How those money flows can be guaranteed, given that past commitments under earlier climate pacts have largely gone unpaid, and which bloc gets to manage and administer the money.

And, as expected, the Republican right is leading the charge denying that there is such a thing as global warming citing some questions on data from a British center. It's just a red herring. The article goes on to say:

Senator James M. Inhofe, Republican of Oklahoma, has led that charge, proclaiming over the weekend that the climate proposals of China and other large industrialized countries were a smokescreen for what was really an economic battle. Over the weekend, his official blog quoted him as saying, “China, India, Mexico, they’re all champing at the bit for America to ration our energy, because they know they’ll get our manufacturing jobs.”

Of course this battle has an economic component. However, study after study seems to show that saving energy saves money in the long run. Both the World Meteorological Organization and our NOAA say that the decade we are now in is warmer than the 1990s. But it looks like economics will triumph. I only hope that whatever the proposals are they do take scientific data seriously. Trying to redress all the ills of the world by tying it to this one issue will not work.

Controlling marine pollution is a piece of cake compared to climate change. But even then, we worked till the wee hours to get a final draft done. It took four years and five-10 day meetings to come up with a regional agreement, so I can just imagine the background work it has taken on this issue which is global.

Rich countries, like the U.S., really will have to belly up to the bar. Denying that we've not contributed to a problem that is far more likely to affect the poorer countries of the world so flies in the face of the message that Jesus brought. Pray for all who are working to bring about an international agreement and pray that this time the U.S. will sign on in spite of Inhofe and his ilk.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2009-12-08T20:55:00.001-05:00

"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."

Anybody think I should send this one to Mad Priest?

Climate Change, Gordon MacDonald and Some Thoughts on Science

2009-12-08T20:50:00.003-05:00

Photo from Wikimedia Commons.
Some years ago, in the mid 1980s, while I was working for the International Atomic Energy Agency, I was asked to attend the first meeting on global warming held in Geneva as an observer from the IAEA. It was the only meeting on that particular subject that I attended, but it really opened my eyes to the particularly myopic view of the United States on global warming. Finally that vision seems to be sharpening and I do hope that the meetings in Copenhagen are fruitful.

Some years before that I worked for Gordon J. F. MacDonald, then at the MITRE Corporation, and he was so concerned about global warming that he posed for a picture on the cover of People Magazine where he stood on the steps of the US Capital building showing where water could rise to if global warming did become a reality. Even though Gordon was first and foremost a scientist and believed that scientific literature was the place to publish data, he thought the issue serious enough to use a popular magazine to try to promote his point of view. He was somewhat embarrassed by this. [People Magazine only goes back to 1990 on line, so I can’t find a copy of the photo]

After my years in Vienna he became the head of IIASA (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis). Global warming was still a concern of his. If he were still alive, I’m sure he would still be pushing for people to pay attention. The National Academy of Sciences published a review of his scientific work which may be found at: http://ulmo.ucmerced.edu/~westerling/pdffiles/gmacdonald.pdf

Gordon was a holdout against the theory of plate techtonics for many years, but the evidence eventually convinced him, albeit grudgingly. If only those who do not accept that we humans are responsible for global warming would keep open minds to the data. So few people take the time to look at the data for themselves and the number of people who have taken sufficient science and math courses seems to have dwindled.

While I worked at the IAEA on the control of deep sea disposal of radioactive waste, one particular issue bugged me (and some other scientists as well). That was whether the long-held assumption that if humans are protected against the negative effects of ionizing radiation, so would other [read lesser] organisms in the environment. Some of us asked if this really was true for radioactive materials placed into the deep sea (deep meaning 4000+ meters). We know so little about the interchange of deep sea organisms with those we harvest for food, and most of the calculations and criteria involve protecting our food supply. So we made some simple assumptions and used a fairly simple model and concentrated on what might be the impacts on organisms that might live at such depths. What the modeling showed was that the assumption was likely false. If we want to protect future generations the same way we protect our own, we need to pay attention to the potential of negative effects.

Global warming has gone beyond the realm of potentiality for me. I believe it is a real threat and that future generations will suffer or benefit from what we are doing now. Do I think that Copenhagen will come up with a workable plan. I hope so. I pray so. I am also realistic. It is very complicated and countries don’t act against their perceived economic self-interest. So I am both optimistic and pessimistic. God created a wonderful world for us and gave us stewardship over it. God also gave us brains to figure out and create solutions. I sometimes wonder if God wonders if we are worth it, and then remember that God’s son came to show us we are.

Einstein Quote of the Day

2009-12-05T10:29:00.000-05:00

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."

Advent Calendar-Day 1

2009-12-01T09:49:00.003-05:00

Gracious and loving God, bless us, your children, as we begin our Advent journey. Give us eyes to see the world as you see it and ears to hear your Word afresh that on our journey toward Bethlehem we may see and serve you in every person we meet.

Pay Attention

2009-11-30T12:14:00.004-05:00

While reading It's Margaret's blog, Leave it Where Jesus Flang it this morning, I was reminded of the Miserable Offender's rendition of "Pay Attention" on their Album "God Help Us." The words and music were written by Deborah Griffen Bly, half of the duo (Ana Hernandez was the other half). It's Advent and we all need to Pay Attention. It's part of the Advent Message. Every Advent I listen to their album "Keepin' the Baby Awake" and wish they were still recording. I find myself wanting to sing the hymns in church the way they recorded them.

Pay Attention (words and music by D.G. Bly)
Are we almost there!
How much longer till I'm safe in bed at home!
How much money do I owe for what I own!
How much left to pay!

Chorus:
Pay attention
Pay attention
This is it, more or less
Who would ever guess
This is the best of times
This is the worst of times
And it's passing
Pay attention.

Is it over yet!
How much longer does the hidden road go on!
How much farther till I cross the Rubicon!
How much toll to pay! [Chorus]

This isn't where I thought I'd be—
I ignored my own design
But if you're here, if you're with me
I like it fine. I like it fine...
Someone tells a joke
Someone marries, someone else is giving birth
Someone's praying, someone's buried in the earth
All of us will pay—[Chorus]

We tend to just go through life, not paying attention and life just goes on, so Pay Attention, notice, think, act, serve. We're waiting for the baby Jesus to come, but not really paying attention that he already has come and is here with us.

Izzie— Sunday Morning

2009-11-29T09:54:00.004-05:00

The vet just called. Izzie is complaining about being caged. When they let her out to walk and pee and such, her tail wags and wags. She wants to be around people. In the cage "she vocalizes." I assume that means she's either whimpering or barking. Probably both and she's very likely pawing the bottom of the cage. The vet said she would be better off at home since she's walking pretty well. They will give me instructions on her care.

Instead of going to church, I'm going to go get her, even though I love the First Sunday of Advent. I finished Morning Prayer an hour ago, so that will have to do.

UPDATE: Sunday evening. Well she's home. I had to wait a bit to pick her up. I have no idea what they were doing. The vet tech told me they had separated Izzie out from the other dogs and that she was quite a character. She just needs to be around people. I was shown how to do physical therapy with her. We tried it out at the hospital and Izzie was less than cooperative. Mainly it's massaging her back and back legs and working her legs four times a day. She has two medicines she has to take. One is prednisone and the other an antibiotic. You should see her. She has a rectangular bald patch on her back with seven staples in the middle. I just took this picture of her battle scar. You will have to click on it to see it in its full g(l)ory.

We took a little nap after we got home and now she's resting after a bit of food. She won't let me out of her sight. Her activities are supposed to be restricted, but mine are too. She's worth it. Right now she's resting on the floor at my feet.

Update on Izzie's Surgery

2009-11-28T10:17:00.003-05:00

The vet just called. Izzie is walking, although her back legs are a bit weak. She has urinated, which is a good sign as well. The vet said she didn't eat much and thought it might be the pain killers. However, as most of you know, Izzie likes human food and she's not getting any of that. Besides, breakfast isn't her thing (unless it's a piece of bacon). A snack at lunch time and a good meal in the evening are more her style.

She will be on IV painkillers until this evening at 6. They'll then give her pain meds orally. I told them that she really doesn't complain unless it really hurts. The only sign that I've noticed is that when she's in pain, she pants. The harder the panting the more the pain. The doctor said she'd write that in Izzie's chart for the night vet. They told me I can call at any time to find out how she's doing even in the middle of the night (I'm not going to do that—I've done too many 24-hour on-calls in the hospital to call in the middle of the night just for information). They will call again tomorrow morning.

Cribbage, Pecan Pie and Izzie

2009-11-27T19:34:00.001-05:00

Izzie and I drove up to Millinocket, about three and a half hours from here. We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving dinner with our friend Pat at her son's house. Pat and I played some Cribbage afterwards and I beat her 2 out of 3 games. I'm always amazed at how competitive I get when I play games. It must be a residue from my childhood. Of course back then we played Hearts after the Thanksgiving dinner, using two decks of cards because there were so many of us. Canceling out the Queen of Spades so you didn't have to take it was always a time of great hooting and carrying on. There was also a coffee table cribbage board that always had takers. Somehow playing cards goes with Thanksgiving. It's also a signal that a hot turkey sandwich or a second piece of pie will follow. I had pecan pie. I think it's my favorite, although I wouldn't turn down pumpkin or apple.

This morning I drove Izzie down to Scarborough for her surgery. The vet called me later to say she thought Izzie came through it quite well. She also said there was a lot of material that had oozed out of the damaged disc that she had to clean out. Izzie will be there until Monday. It takes approximately four week for recovery. In the mean time she needs to walk on level surfaces (no stairs). Go outside only on a leash and if she is not supervised, she needs to be confined.

Izzie is a VERY stubborn dog. She doesn't take to pampering very well (except for food). This is going to be a tiring time and I do hope it's worth it. I asked if she would be able to travel after a few weeks and the answer was yes. So, at least right now, I plan on driving the two of us to California for Christmas. Of course, the next two weeks will tell.

It's Not Cancer. Yea!

2009-11-24T17:15:00.001-05:00

Thank you everyone for your prayers for my sweetie. BUT I just got a call a few minutes ago from Izzie's neurologist. The tumor under her tongue is benign. I feel sooo relieved. It's a good reminder that our eyes can sometimes mislead us and jumping to conclusions before the data are in is never good. I'm grateful though for all of your wonderful concern.

Today Izzie was rebelling against my picking her up to get on and off the couch. If I say "mommy help" she runs away from me as fast as she can go. She has also decided to sit on the back cushions of the sofa. Something she hasn't done in years. Her back leg still doesn't function well though.

My friend David, from California, suggested that I give her Vitamin D-3 and for the last two days, I've given her some. It can only help. David's friend, who is developing Alzheimer's, accidently took 5 x 5000 IU of D-3 a few weeks ago and her ability to do complex tasks improved dramatically and quickly. She normally takes 5 x 400 IU a day. This led us to doing some research on the web as to the safety of such a large dose. 25,000 IU is still well within the safe amount, if not taken at that level every day. Anyway, it's good for bones and muscles so David and I decided that Izzie should start taking 5000 IU to see if it would improve her back since we didn't think surgery would be an option. I will continue her on it until she goes in on Friday morning.

Again, thank you all for your prayers for both of us.

Robert Whalley's "Poem for Monday"

2009-11-23T08:20:00.004-05:00

My friend Robert Whalley (from All Saints' San Francisco and Berkeley days) now from Australia, will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in less than 15 days. Bob is a wonderful, gentle soul and has spent a good part of his life as a college chaplain. He writes beautifully and this poem from his blog, called Poem for Monday really spoke to me. It seems I needed to hear the words of "stretching into the present." Izzie's cancer has me off-balance and living in today is so important to get through this.

Poem for Monday
We don’t have to have a past today
Could simply follow the sun like certain plants
Face the light, turn to what is bright and warming; or, conversely,
Like a more delicate potted plant, move into the softer shade for the filtered light
Humankind cannot bear very much reality, nor should many other growing things.

Find the place that suits for this morning,
the ecology that supports enough growth,
(the life of significant soil), between reseeding (receding) and bloom.
But not being caught, rooted too deeply, in either of those beds.

Instead, stretch into the present like cats do, relaxing and
Letting the spine of the moment open like a shy smile,
An intake of breath, an increased delight, a touch of dancing
While you silently stay exactly where you are.

And all that carried history and expectation,
Heavy potential and the weight of undone deeds
Unfinished stories and long-dead parents and people
We never liked all that much; make it compost, treat it like dung.

To be left behind, discarded in a pile to decay, mulch,
To ripen into something that can feed new
Unthinkable, unspeakable growth that may
Bloom into possibilities in another spring

photo from Wikipedia.

My Isabelle

2009-11-19T07:29:00.005-05:00

As Izzie has posted on her own blog, she has had a difficult time recently. Over the last few days she really struggled going up stairs and got half way down and wouldn't move any further. So I carried her down. Then she whimpered whenever I picked her up. We've been sleeping on the futon in the study since Sunday evening. I increased the medication she was taking for joint pain and swelling to the original dose, and although it helps, wasn't doing the trick. I also noticed that her left rear leg would splay out when I set her on the ground. But, once she got herself steady, she seemed to walk ok, if stiffly.

Yesterday she saw her vet again. The vet thinks that a disk in her back is causing the problem. She had an x-ray taken of her spine while we were still in Rangeley, and although at the time it wasn't really obvious, the vet here said she saw that one of the disks was not like the others. She warned me that Izzie could get paralyzed if it broke. Our vet thinks it's early enough to do something about it and give Izzie a few more good years. Izzie is now off her NSAID and on pain killers (she will probably need diagnostic procedures like an angiogram) and has an appointment this morning with a specialist.

Please pray for her and for me. Izzie has been my partner in ministry. She breaks the ice in a new parish and keeps vestries from taking themselves too seriously. If people go on and on, she lets out a VERY loud snore which always gets a laugh. She has also been known to snore in the middle of my sermons. Which keeps me from taking myself too seriously.

I will update the blog when we (I) return from Scarborough. When I posted this, the ad on the side was for "herniated discs." Weird!

UPDATE: 2 pm (Thursday, 19 November) I just returned from the vet and the news is not good. Even though the disk is quite repairable and Izzie would likely come through that just fine, they discovered a tumor behind her tongue. The vet said it looked like squamous cell carcinoma, although a biopsy is needed to be sure. The vet said she would hate to do surgery on a dog that might live just 6 months or so and I agree. I will pick her up in the morning and she will get medication for pain for her spine and other meds and I will just wait and watch. I'm devastated and need to rest a bit.

UPDATE: 4 pm (Friday November 20) Izzie is snoozing on the couch. She's on pretty strong pain meds. I am not to let her jump on furniture or go up and down stairs for the next four or five days and she has to be confined when I'm not around. The only procedure she had was the injection of contrast media to look at her spine and a biopsy of the tumor. They found the tumor when they were prepping her for surgery. She seems to be her stoic, cheerful self, although very sleepy. She shared my lunch (bits of turkey and ham from a chef's salad and ate a few treats when we got home. She'll be on soft food for a while (a bit cheer from Izzie, since she detests kibble anyway). I've decided to pamper her (even more) for as long as I can. When she gets to the point where she can't eat properly or her back legs really go, then I'll have her put down. I pray that is months off.

Bad Nativities

2009-11-05T09:54:00.006-05:00

Already frustrated by the Christmas decorations going up. Take a look at Going Jesus. It's not new, but now that the stores have the Christmas stuff going full bore, I think we all need to be prepared to have our aesthetic senses refined. The post is called: It Came Upon a Midnight Weird: Cavalcade of Bad Nativities 2007, I rather like the rubber duckies, myself. The angel is kinda cute.

No Gay Marriage in Maine, Alas

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

I am really upset that Maine did not reject Question 1 and allow marriage for all couples, GLBT or straight. I've shed a few tears this morning in anger and frustration. I've looked up the voting statistics in the various counties and I do believe what people have told me is basically true. There are two Maines. The only two big(ish) cities, Portland and Bangor voted No, while rural Mainers tended to vote Yes. Although the town I live in voted NO, the county did not, although the county vote was nearly 50/50. In addition, the Roman Catholic church still has considerable influence in spite of progressive groups that don't hesitate to question their authority. I am truly sorry for all gay and lesbian Mainers who wanted the choice of marriage for themselves and their families. I am truly sorry that an opportunity was lost to show the rest of the country what "justice for all" really means.

All Souls Day

2009-11-02T10:53:00.008-05:00

I'm reading a mathematics book called "Does God Play Dice" by Ian Stewart. It's not a new book, although I have the second edition, but like most people I tend to throw around the term "chaos theory" without really knowing what it entails and this book is about the mathematics of chaos. I'm trying to do something about my limited understanding. There's something very intriguing about the idea about the underlying order in chaos and the chaos in things that seem quite orderly. This loving and wonderful God whom I believe created all there is made a most amazing universe. I know there's a sermon in here somewhere. But for the moment I need to put the book aside and work on other things.

There is something very solemn for me about this day. All of my mother's generation has passed away (she was the youngest of her family and the last to go) and even though it's been over ten years, I do miss her. She wasn't the easiest mother to get along with, especially when she was depressed, but she did have a good sense of humor, was a great cook and until toward the end, up for adventure.

I'm listening to the Tallis Scholars singing Byrd's The Great Service. It has the right tone for me today to help me while I spend some time working on a paper. You Tube doesn't seem to have any of the wonderful music from the this album which contains:

Venite
Te Deum
Benedictus
Creed
Magnificat
Nunc dimittis
O Lord, make Thy servant Elizabeth
O God, the proud are risen
Sing joyfully unto God

However, I did find this glorious piece: Vigilate (Keep watch) which also seems appropriate. It was recorded at Tewekesbury Abbey.

We Will Be Sure Your Money Feeds Non-Gay Famine Victims?

2009-10-28T14:08:00.002-04:00

This is from The Onion. Just discovered their site and love it.

Christian Charity Raising Money To Feed Non-Gay Famine Victims

Who Are We?

2009-10-26T19:30:00.003-04:00

Linda Clader posted this on Facebook and I liked it enough to grab it. It's really worth repeating here and lots of places. We are hope.

The Cost of Following

2009-10-25T06:54:00.005-04:00

Today, I'm serving at St. Matthias in Richmond, Maine as supply. I've used the hymn "Will you come and follow me" a number of times in sermons and it seemed to fit today's lessons too, so here's another version. As usual, the sermon is as written, not as delivered.

Picture from Wikipedia.

In his address to the Diocesan Convention on Saturday, our bishop, Steve, talked about the changing fortunes of the parishes in the Diocese of Maine over its history. Among the things he said was: “We know that we are in the midst of massive change both economically and culturally. We know that 1959 (when our Sunday Schools were chock full and everybody went to church on Sunday mornings) will never come again. We know that the economies that built and supported our communities are gone or going. We know that the things that we keep trying to do aren’t really working, haven’t worked for a long time... but we keep wishing it weren’t so and keep trying to make them work. We keep thinking that if we could only do it right, then we’d get back on top of things, and our congregations would flourish again.” He then spoke of the difference between tweaking things, which he called “technical change” something we all tend to do, and “adaptive change” which means working at learning new ways to be church.

When Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho with a big crowd, they encountered Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the side of the road. Bartimaeus shouted out to Jesus quite loudly asking for mercy. Now a lot of people in the crowd didn’t like this dirty beggar disturbing the order of things, but that didn’t stop Bartimaeus from shouting until Jesus took notice nor did his blindness didn’t keep him from running over to Jesus as fast as he could go.

When Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" Bartimaeus answered "My teacher, let me see again." Jesus told him it was his faith that made him regain his sight and followed him on the way. This following Jesus on the way is church. Bartimaeus joined the group of followers . Not only did he see again, he saw the path opened for him. He obviously wasn’t born blind because he said to Jesus “My teacher, let me see again.” And after his healing we hear that “he regained his sight and followed Jesus [him] on the way. The shouting until he was heard and the following were both adaptive changes. It was pretty dramatic stuff.

I don’t know if a song from the Iona Community in Scotland is familiar to you. It’s starts: “Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? One tune is found in Wonder, Love and Praise, the supplement to our hymnal, but most people know it with this melody.

1. Will you come and follow me if I but call your name. Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?  Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,  will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

Jesus does call us by name, but often we seem reluctant to listen. Naming is important. Naming a new baby. Maybe choosing a new name as an adult, or choosing to use our middle name instead of our first, or when a woman chooses to use her husband’s name after marriage or when a couple decides to hyphenate both surnames. In some cultures real names are kept secret, because knowing someone’s name gives you power over them. Names are important. We don’t know the names of all the people Jesus healed, the gospels don’t always tell us, but we do of know the name of the blind beggar, Bartimaeus because he became one of Jesus’ followers.

2. Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?  Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?  Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?  Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

The God who created us both individually and collectively as church wants us to follow his Son. When we do that, we can see there is a way that is different from the way of the world. We, who are so often blind, see. One of the things we can see clearly is this world we live in that is so often marked by cruelty, vengeance, deceit, injustice; a world where so often people and governments alike lie about what is really going on in order to hide the truth of unfair dealings, exploitative relationships, and oppressive policies. When we follow the way and let God answer prayer in us we become like Bartimaeus unafraid to speak out. Because of God’s faithfulness that never lets go of us, we are set free to be the people we are called to be. This is the God who never turns away from us, even though we really never stop being sinners as long as we live in this world. Jesus sets us free to look at our lives and our communities with the point of view of the kingdom of God, where love is primary. Where love requires us to put everything on the line, to love those who are difficult to love just like we love those who are easily lovable, and to answer our unique call. We are called to adaptive change.

3. Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name?  Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same?  Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen,  and admit to what I mean in you and you in me?

I’ve often wondered what letting the blind see really means. Does it mean we are called to remove barriers to others seeing what God’s kingdom is about? What does that mean in a small church like this? It’s scary to admit to what Jesus means to us. If we admit to what he means we might have to go out and follow like Bartimaeus did. In discipleship, Jesus leads us down many paths of service in life, many activities, occupations, and roles, but the disciple is always playing as serious game of “follow the leader.” Our leader provides not only direction but the power and grace to persevere.

4. Will you love the "you" you hide if I but call your name?  Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?  Will you use the faith you've found to reshape the world around,  through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me?

How do we stop the fear we feel when we’re called to reshape the world around us? We’re all so much more comfortable with things when they don’t change, yet they change in spite of ourselves. Our prayers in community, our breaking bread together, our listening to God’s world will help us not to hide. Every time we take communion together, remember it is first and foremost, God’s hospitality to us present in the person of Jesus. All the inhospitality in the world is looked at straight in the face in the awesome mystery that Christ gave himself for us. It signals that in God’s kingdom there is room for everyone, even blind beggars.

5. Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.  Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.  In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.  Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.

Jesus calls us ordinary people to follow him and leave their old selves behind just because he called them by name. Jesus calls us to serve him no matter what our work is, whether we’ve retired, or if we’ve just started out. I know that there are events in our lives that make everything else seem trivial, at least for a time. These events can be negative such as the loss of a job, or the death of a loved one, or a huge natural disaster, or a major economic crisis like we’re now in. They could be positive too, like a chance at a new opportunity or getting ready for marriage or welcoming a new baby into the family. When we think about how these events take over our lives, our minds, our feelings, we can appreciate how important being in community is. Facing these things alone is daunting, but we’re not alone. To be in community with each other, with our families and with others in this dioceses will help us live in anticipation of Christ’s coming is to live in faith and hope. It will take all of you to find out what God is calling you to become, so you can live and move and grow in Jesus as he lives and moves and grows in each of you.

Hunter's Orange: Hiking at Dodge Point

2009-10-15T15:39:00.006-04:00

The four of us took a hike at Dodge Point near the Damariscotta River. We bought sandwiches and ate them in the car because it was so chilly out. Just as we were about to embark on our walk, we noticed a sign saying to wear orange because there could be hunters in the woods, so I drove back to town (10 minutes) to Reny's (a Maine institution) and bought us each an orange watch cap and Izzie an orange band for her collar. Izzie's band doesn't show in this picture, her hair is hiding it. This is at the start of our walk. Fortunately I'm not in any of the pictures. I would imagine that my purple jacket with orange hat would make me look quite odd, or festive, depending on one's PoV. We should have gone home to get Izzie's pumpkin outfit (hah).

The air was was cold, and there wasn't much sun, but the woods were quite lovely. Grandson is supposed to go on a nature walk and collect things to share at school, so we found some birch bark, acorns, pine cones, rocks and red and yellow maple leaves. We will iron the leaves between pieces of wax paper to preserve them. He can take a copy of this picture along too. We can't take living things with us out of the woods, but pictures are a great way to keep memories alive. Izzie loves hiking and had a great time being off leash. I'm glad we found this place. I saw it while driving down the road to pick up a pottery chalice and paten for Rangeley's new deacon.

2009-10-15T15:11:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we drove up the coast to the Penobscot Narrows Observatory. Four-hundred feet above the Penobscot river on the top of one of the piers you get a great view of the town of Bucksport upriver and the sweep of the river as it moves down to the ocean. An elevator takes you to the top. It is on the site of Ft. Knox, built in 1844 to protect the river valley against possible British invasion. Maine was involved with border disputes with Canada both during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The fort, seen at the top of the point of land to the bottom left of the photo, was named after the first U.S. Secretary of War, Major General Henry Knox, who was born in Boston, but retired to Thomaston, Maine, just a ways down the coast.

My grandson loved the canons at the old fort far more than going up the elevator to the observatory. I found a book called "You wouldn't want to sail in the Spanish Armada!" and he has had his father read it to him a number of times already. He especially likes the parts where things get blown up.

Something Silly

2009-10-13T16:19:00.004-04:00

The Bangor Daily News covered the Pumpkinfest with the headline "'Something Silly' hits Damariscotta." The photo is from them as well. It's the founder of the fest on his motorized pumpkin. Grandson really enjoyed the pumpkin drop, though. Watching a 300+ pound pumpkin drop on a junker car from 200 feet is quite a sight. Silliness indeed.

Damariscotta Pumpkinfest

2009-10-12T08:11:00.005-04:00

Well, judging by the number of people walking downtown yesterday, Pumpkinfest must have been a success. The pumpkin boats raced and artists carved or painted pumpkins in front of businesses and they were quite imaginative. Izzie was a hit in her outfit. You can tell how thrilled she was to wear it in the picture on the left. She got her picture taken by so many people, she'll be famous around the country (one lady said she was from Colorado) and a man from Texas asked where we bought it so he could get one for his dog for Halloween.

The next photo is my son and grandson and Izzie on the way downtown. We'll take more pictures today.

The pumpkin drop is this morning. I have no idea what that means. It's also the last day that the homemade ice cream place (Round Top Farms) will be open until next summer. I do love their ice cream even though I'm lactose intolerant. They have vanilla lactose free ice cream, but some of the flavors are so tempting that I make sure I have Lactaid with me.