G'wan. Go to church.

From the Collect of the Day: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life....

Yep, at last --The altar guild consented, and I finally got me some armor of light!


It's all in the clothes! I will only wear the pink trim on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, by the way....

G'wan, go to church. Even if your priest doesn't pull out her armor....

Spellbound

The Day of the Lord's coming.... So often it is told as a day of devastating destruction and death and judgment. I always resist these images, because I have experienced only a loving God--even when my world was unraveling.

But there is indeed more--the Day of the Lord's coming will be experienced as destruction and death and judgment for those who have banked their life's worth in ungodly systems of power, wealth and authority. Because everything they own, everything they work for will be undone. And they is us.

An example of that undoing is told when Jesus drove the money-changers and merchants out of the Temple. Their merchandise turned upside-down, their money scattered across the floor--everything they work for and with suddenly out of their hands. Kinda like the banking-system collapse recently.... which is still far from over.

Even so, we will find the same one day, with those things we think we depend upon--there will be the time when we either give it over (and then it will be a sacrifice of sorts), or, we will cling and grasp and it will be thrown away and we will experience the devastation of the day of destruction.


So much easier to imagine if it happens to someone else.... But we must also not forget that hope --the spellbinding hope which is promised to us and which we already know deep in our bones. And not for ourselves alone, but for the whole world.

From morning prayer: (Luke 19:45-48) Then he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and he said, 'It is written, "My house shall be a house of prayer"; but you have made it a den of robbers.' Every day he was teaching in the temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.

Needs to be cleaned up a little bit but

Listen to what the choir at the church I serve can do!

This is a non-professional pirated copy taken from the pews on Christ the King Sunday. It is the Wood Gloria. The choir did all the settings for the mass on that day. It was GLORIOUS!

UPDATE: My beloved tried cleaning it up --and he uploaded the Kyrie as well. It is clearer, but still scratchy. We are still working on recording techniques for the choir --which I might say, is pretty way good for our little church. Total listening time: 4:52

Wonder

Yesterday was a good day. Great food, good stories, lots of laughter. Even Mr. Witty was was invited in to the party, and he was quite the charmer, although he was very reluctant to allow anyone to become too intimate and touch him (except me and Joel of course). That is one of the things left from his life before living with us--when we got him from the shelter he had no hair, was starving and sick, and was afraid to be touched. We consider it a miracle that he is affectionate with us. Incredible miracle. I can't--don't want to imagine the person who thought abusing him was fun or whatever....

So, today, after the feast, is a quiet day at home--a rarity. I refuse to participate in the weird "Black Friday" rituals of shopping.... just can't go there. Hate it. Hate everything about it. Shopping like it's a sport.... yuck! And, yes, in the calendar we remember Kamehameha and Emma, King and Queen of Hawaii--bridge builders between cultures and times.


I'll bet they didn't go shopping on this day either....

When things get too familiar, we lose perspective-- I hope feasting, little rescued dogs and thinking of Kings and Queens of distant places and times never lose their edge for any of us. Our world is such a tangled web of sin and glory. Giving thanks and worship are such a part of that....

Part of the lectionary selections for the Feast of Kamehameha and Emma include the selection from Acts where Paul talks about the "unknown god." (Acts 17:22-31)
Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an altar with the inscription, `To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.

This reading reminds me what funny little things thanks and worship are-- such presumptions--in the best sense of the word, to a known yet at the same time mysterious and unknowable God. Such big and serious events--thanks and worship, cascading into antics as wondrous and silly as another king, David, dancing naked before God, as Paul wandering the street of Athens searching for and preaching of God, --as wondrous as Mr. Witty letting a human touch him after God knows what... --as wondrous as honoring two persons who, if dressed as their grandparents dressed --in feathers and woven grass, might be viewed as noble savages by so many who now dress in religious garb interwoven with plastic fibers and speak words of thanks and presumed wisdom in stone and brick buildings under cold and cloudy skies in distant places.... thousands and thousands of years of human experience uttered into the moving air before another altar....

Just strange how it is all connected.
Wonder, after the feast. Gratitude.
Thanks and worship.

Just one of those days.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

The tradition in my family was to go to the mountains near Santa Cruz--to a cabin built by my grandfather. The only heat--a fire place. No phone. No TV. Big redwood forest. Ah --the food! We usually had turkey, scalloped potatoes, string beans with slivered almonds, fresh salad with avocado and many loaves of sour dough bread. Pumpkin pies for dessert. Mind you, the plural was very important. With whipped cream, of course.

When Joel and I had our first Thanksgiving together, I was so surprised to find out that some regions did not share a turkey tradition --Joel's family usually had Smithfield ham, oyster pie, tomatoe pudding and sweet potatoes --either served baked with marshmallows or in a pie. Yeast rolls--or biscuits. Trifle for dessert. Yum!

Right now --off to church. No sermon...I encourage everyone to stand up and share their thanksgivings. Then off to visit those who have no family or those in the hospital. Late dinner with parishioners and new friends. Have no idea what the menu will be! Surprises. Again.

I am using this for the Gospel today:
(Matthew 6:25-33) Jesus said, "I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-- you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, `What will we eat?' or `What will we drink?' or `What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Strive for the kingdom. Give Thanks. Happily!

I hate penance

Penance:
1. a punishment undergone in token of penitence for sin.
2. a penitential discipline imposed by church authority.
3. a sacrament, as in the Roman Catholic Church, consisting in a confession of sin, made with sorrow and with the intention of amendment, followed by the forgiveness of the sin. (Webster's on-line Dictionary)

Well --I guess I pissed some people off.... saying Advent was not a penitential time, and that even during Lent, gratitude was a better attitude than one of penance. I mean, payback just sucks --and in some instances, it is not even possible. And the thought that penance puts us "right" with anything.... I mean, yes, if one steals, pay back makes some sense. But how can one pay back damage done to a life or a soul?

The idea of penance as punishment and retribution absolutely denies the work done on the cross. Both for ourselves and for the one we have hurt. Penance, retribution, and etc. is the heart of atonement theology--which is a bloody mess. And if we live on the penitential side of the cross, we deny or at least don't live like the Resurrection matters.


Zacchaeus was invited to lunch before the idea of payback entered his mind. And when the idea of payback happened, it seems his motives were still warped--the talk of the crowd against him as being unworthy to eat with Jesus jump-started his reaction.

But Jesus took Zacchaeus right where he was, short little thief with warped motives, and loved him.

Too bad Zacchaeus didn't think to do penance for being too short....

From morning prayer: (Luke 19: 1- 10) He entered Jericho and was passing through it. A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. All who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner." Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." Then Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost."

And yeah --"save" comes from salve --same root as "heal".... I hope no one would ever think to do penance for a disease.... just saying.

"What do you want me to do for you?"

I have always read the accounts of miraculous healing in the Gospels with a jaded eye. Can't help it; that's the way I'm made. And besides, always parked in the back of my brain is the line--I have been pregnant nine times and have no living children and was not my faith sufficient to save my babies? And yeah--it's my line and it's true. --little teeny-tiny screwed up and scarred fallopian tubes never let my healthy babies get to my womb. And no amount of surgery seemed to correct my poor plumbing. A blind womb.

This I know: that when disaster hits, one is always most likely to blame oneself or blame God. And that kind of blame game is a cruel game--leading to marionette strings and Calvinist this-is-the-way-it-must-be-for-God's-purpose dead-ends. And I confess, my faith alone was never sufficient;

but there were those who carried me around those blind curves in faith, and I am alive because of their faith, not my own.

When I read and hear about miraculous healing in the Gospels, the best I can do is trust that experience of community which broke open my blind heart striving oh so hard for self-sufficiency and independence.


(Luke 18:40) Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him...

See. He couldn't do it by himself either. It was others that brought him to that place of healing.

(From morning prayer--Luke 18:41-43) [Jesus said,] "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me see again." Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has saved you." Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.

And when the blind man received his sight, did he see the world with a new heart and weep for the blind and hard rich, and the stone-cold blood-red aggressive warriors?

Miracle. From the root --to see.
We are blind. All of us. Others will carry us to that place of healing. That is faith. And it is not our personal blind faith, but the faith of the one who holds all things in being.

Macy's just had a Christmas ad on TV saying they were going to create a million ways (or was it reasons) to believe.... in Santa or Christmas or in something ethereal and obtuse. With the likes of Martha Stewart and Trump to tell us to come buy buy buy and believe.

sigh.......

Wealth is a real problem. It has perverted our politics and warped our priorities as a country. It twists us up in ways that make polluting our environment a casual act if not even necessary. Even the church--if not especially the church has become wealthy in very real and destructive ways.

Wealth is power. And the problem is not to get rid of or just discard the power/wealth, as that just perpetuates the same power/wealth structures. When Jesus knelt to wash Peter's feet, he did not discard his power--he employed it--embodied power in ways to subvert the structures--the system. --not to purchase some unobtainable dream --not to buy kingdoms, bread or the power to throw himself off the temple... but so that we might be reconciled.

Jesus told the faithful young rich man to sell his stuff and come follow him. The young rich man found it too difficult.

Sigh. You know in the movie "The Mission" when the once-upon-a-time warrior hauls his weapons up the sheer face of a cliff and it almost kills him, nearly pulling him off the cliff --saved by a young Indian who cuts him free from his burden.

Perhaps we all need that someone to set us free, as we are incapable of doing it ourselves.

(Luke 18:24-25) Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."

G'wan. Go to church.

Hmmm....
--Lord, when did we see you hungry and naked?


I know--you were afraid of a canned answer!

G'wan. Go to church. And yah --I'll be naked under all those clothes too.

Little dogs are real dogs too

Mr. Witty has a trick he does when he does not want to do something. He takes advantage of his being small. He runs and hides under something, and because he is small, he can hide in places very difficult for the hands to go. Now, if he just hid, that would be one thing--but what he also does is go absolutely limp. Worse than a wet rag. It is like he gets slippery when he goes limp, and it is extremely difficult to get a-hold of him or pick him up. So, when he is in a hiding place and he goes limp, it is impossible to get him.


The rest of the time, he tries to over-compensate for being small. Like--in the picture above, this is Big Witty protecting us while camping. Similarly, he gets all hairy and gruff when he approaches big dogs, for whom he is only a mouthful.... silly boy.

So, at the right times, he uses his smallness to his advantage. Consciously. Otherwise.... he has a vivid imagination.

I suppose there are times when it is advantageous to 'fess up to being a sinner. Just let it go, get all limp and sinful like....

(Luke 18:9-14) He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 'Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, "God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income." But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.'

I never thought little dogs were real dogs. Mr. Witty changed my mind.

Keep knocking....

Dang. This is the Gospel this morning for morning prayer:

(Luke 18:1-8) Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, 'In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, "Grant me justice against my opponent." For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, "Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming."' And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?'

Because today is the birthday of Magritte --here is an image of the judge:


Mind the bruised fist, and keep knocking.

And keep the widow in your prayers:


May her hope continue to take on flesh and blood.

Gospel imperative

The world and its rules.... sigh.

I continued a conversation with my bishop yesterday. I know I have been "heard," --I know that for the most part he "gets it." But he doesn't get that laying a burden upon the back of a minority for the sake of staying in communion with others, without the willing permission and participation of the minority in that decision --he just doesn't get how not right that is. And I was told, in no uncertain terms, that if I stepped over the lines this Diocese has drawn in the sand regarding the blessing of same-sex couples, I would be gone. Gospel imperative or no.

A rampant critique of the Church as institution is about all I can see and hear this morning. Yes, the Church is a Mystery, in the best sense of the word --but when she engages in crusades, pogroms and outright discrimination, and does so for her own sake and glory, there is little health in her.

I guess that means that there is plenty of room for the Gospel to be preached. And I am striving not to be discouraged.

From morning prayer: (Luke 17:20-21) Once Jesus was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, and he answered, 'The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, "Look, here it is!" or "There it is!" For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you.'

Purple Wizards

From morning prayer:(James 3:1-2) Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask.

I ask for your prayers today. I wrote some letters to my bishops this summer--asking them to take a stand and speak out against the anti-gay rhetoric which is so rampant as of late. So, today, I have been invited to the "office" to continue that conversation.

Somehow, I keep remembering Dorothy pulling aside the curtain to reveal the not-so-powerful not-wizard..... where are my ruby shoes....

Playing the game

Catastrophic collapse of ice-shelves. Colonies of animals threatened. Acres of plastic garbage floating in the oceans. The same self-inflicted kind of destructive and garbage wounds degrading the church.

We know it is happening--why aren't we changing our ways? Why are we doing this to ourselves?

I guess for the same reasons that I know I need to tend to my weight gain this past year, and yet I continue to eat chocolate.... sigh.

You know, while I was sometimes good at it, winning a righteous game of chess always left me feeling awkward and empty inside. I liked winning. I liked my cleverness, my moves. I like the game. Ohhh it was good. But winning.... meant some one else losing. Defeat. Their un-doing. Not such a good thing. I always felt cut up inside at their loss.

I think the destruction of our planet is based in the motives of "winning" the game of capitalism, no matter the cost. I think all the cleverness and moves of the parishes and Dioceses "leaving" the church are like a big chess game too. And some are hell-bent on winning, no matter the cost. And we can't not play....

Or.... is there another way out? Not playing the game, I mean....

From morning prayer: (Hab. 3:16-18) I hear, and I tremble within; my lips quiver at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones, and my steps tremble beneath me. I wait quietly for the day of calamity to come upon the people who attack us. Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit is on the vines; though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food; though the flock is cut off from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will exult in the God of my salvation.

Bond and the dance

We went and saw the new James Bond movie last night--and, yeah, I liked it. I found myself screaming and shouting and flinching and groaning with the rest. One of the redeeming questions asked in the movie is how far one can go in to revenge and death before one is no longer able to tell right from wrong. Well, I would say not very far at all, but of course the movie says differently--all the way in to the most awful and terrible circumstances of human construction and an honorable man (Bond, of course) can still find his way out on his own merit.

Bull. Bull. Bull. If you see the dance, enter the dance, you are part of the dance and the dance is you.


So, from morning prayer, we have a prophet yelling at us about the destructive dance of the proud and those who get goods at the expense of others. And this prophet draws no lines between figurative and literal rape and pillaging; one is as destructive as the other.

Too bad the banks and wall street types didn't pay attention before they entered the dance of profit and deceit, raping and pillaging the people.... and now, we will all pay....

--yet, ultimately, the earth will be filled with the glory of God, no matter what.... all our dances shall be redeemed, but will they bring us joy in the meantime?

(Hab. 4,9-14) Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith. "Alas for you who get evil gain for your houses, setting your nest on high to be safe from the reach of harm!" You have devised shame for your house by cutting off many peoples; you have forfeited your life. The very stones will cry out from the wall, and the plaster will respond from the woodwork. "Alas for you who build a town by bloodshed, and found a city on iniquity!" Is it not from the LORD of hosts that peoples labor only to feed the flames, and nations weary themselves for nothing? But the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

G'wan. Go to church.

Read it this way: One master, two slaves who took the money given to them and returned it twice-over, and one slave who buried the money in a hole and gave back only what was given to him so he was thrown away into the outer darkness....

OR

Read it this way: One ruthless master who reaped even where he didn't sow, two cut-throat slaves who played well the same ruthless game, and one honorable slave who was afraid to play that game and so gave back the ill-gotten money untouched the first chance he could. And was thrown into the outer darkness.... such is the kingdom of heaven. Isn't that a relief!

Of course, there are those who would go any distance just to dig a hole!


G'wan. Go to church anyway!

Mercy me.

Today is the fifth anniversary of my being ordained as a priest in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. Me, a tattooed woman.

I think I will go downtown and witness locally regarding marriage discrimination, wrap up a sermon, and speak and act as one who will be judged by the law of complete and radical liberty, because I have it in faith, --mercy triumphs over judgment. But God help the rich.....

From morning prayer: (James 2:1-13) My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, 'Have a seat here, please,' while to the one who is poor you say, 'Stand there,' or, 'Sit at my feet,' have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, 'You shall not commit adultery,' also said, 'You shall not murder.' Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

Some thoughts about the church on this day of Samuel Seabury

The church is such a confusing and sometimes disappointing place.... it is and has been arrogant, deceitful, hypocritical, damaging through abuse of authority and power. And it lies to itself about what it is doing and what it is about.

I mean, on so many levels, the church is and has been far worse than any hotel--right, which I obviously feel compelled to stay out of! Yet, I stay with the church. How? Why?

This question deserves more than a paragraph--obviously. And I do not want to treat it lightly, at all. It needs addressing to the best of my abilities. Constantly.

But my immediate thoughts on this take me here: the church is the only institution/community that I know that will and has told that story of arrogance, deceit, and damage about itself as an "inside job" --and tells it again every chance it gets. This is the story of the Last Supper and Betrayal --whereby it is those insiders at the very same table with Jesus who betray, sell out, try violence, and even deny him and kill him.

Before we do anything--we must know that story is the story of the human condition. And it is true in every facet of our lives. The environment--we are doing it to ourselves; war--we are doing it to ourselves; --keep going down the list of ills both big and small.... we are it. And when we are brutally honest, we will find those acts of betrayal even in our most intimate of relationships. These acts may not look like what we expect--we may not do them consciously---but they are there.

And there is nothing we can do that will help us shed or change this truth about ourselves.

And it is only in the Gospel that a "way out" can be found. Unconditional Love. Working it through in the flesh--not some other ethereal and spiritual place, but in the messy and sticky environment of living. With real bodies. With others. With others being the key ingredient, mind you....

And it is only the church which holds that Gospel of the fragile condition of human betrayal and love.... I know, I know --yes one can find gospel-truth just about everywhere, and godly people engaged in doing God's work everywhere, and perhaps it seems especially outside the church....that's God's business, not mine. But I know of no other place where one might face and speak of and work with that challenge with others--especially those distinctly different from ourselves. Do you?

Which of course brings us to that oh-so-difficult topic of church shopping--finding that church place which suits us, but that is a different topic indeed.

From the Lectionary today. It was the "savage wolves" among us that got me going: (Acts 20:28-32)
Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified.

Milking votes

From a letter from a Father Newman of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Greenville, SC:

...and now our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president. We must also take note of the fact that this election was effectively decided by the votes of self-described (but not practicing) Catholics, the majority of whom cast their ballots for President-elect Obama.

In response to this, I am obliged by my duty as your shepherd to make two observations:

1. Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exits constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ’s Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation.

His other observation is that we must all pray for President-elect Obama.

Wow. First, this is a terrible mis-read of Obama's position. The way I understood it is that Obama would like to see no abortion at all--but he supports a woman's right to choose.

Second--what a travesty. Who said that McCain was plausible? And, mostly, what a terrible "use" of the Sacraments, of authority, of God.

Yep. Makes one real proud to be a Christian.... and in my case, even prouder to be clergy.

If all this is true, the Church is the whore of Babylon.... milking votes for the powers of this world....

FEH!

When is a boycott not a boycott?

Over at Friends of Jake, there is a conversation going about whether or not a boycott at certain institutions is right, correct etc or a firing squad with regard to Proposition 8. I can't help but feel that my POST earlier this week had something to do with all this.... and I haven't had a chance to make all the contacts and tell everyone I'm posting this, but this is where my heart is today.... I posted this there and here; so be it.

Hmmmm --I'm still thinking.

But, there is another view of a boycott, --and it is not to "punish" or change another but to decide how to conduct MY behavior.

I choose not to walk in and do business with an institution which flies a Confederate flag. My choice. When 20 years ago, there was a boycott against all things Nestles' because of what they were doing with baby formula among other things--it was not to punish local innocent merchants, but to get the necessary attention all the way up the food chain--literally. And it worked.

Think globally. Act locally. It's hard. It's messy. The boundaries and margins are not always clear. Innocent people are, indeed, affected.

But if I choose to behave and think one way on a personal level, but conduct my public and professional life in another way in order to make a living, I would consider that nothing short of weird and all sorts of other words I cannot spell.

Mr. Marriott has chosen to fly a certain flag in his personal life which has had unintended consequences up and down the food chain of his corporate and institutional life. It's messy. The boundaries are not clear.

What I do know is this: the institution (a college) which invited me to a function at a Marriott Hotel called and said they have changed their minds and will hold the function some where else....great. Maybe. I don't know. But, I'll still be doing something else at that time --going to the local/national protest against Prop 8. Now --what good does it do to attend such a protest in a State which already has discrimination written in to its Constitution and was the capital of the Confederacy and had nothing to do with Prop 8 in California?

It's not clear. It's messy. I'll be there.

From the morning prayer lectionary today which has be all fired up in abundance:
(Joel 2:21-27) Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green; the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the LORD your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.

God always chooses human agency through which to work. God always redeems our broken works. God, help us to choose and know abundance.

Come on church--quit running.

News. I hear the news of foreclosures and bailouts as I read the Gospel and prepare to sort through the day. It is like I know the whole financial meltdown thing is going to hit close sooner rather than later--but it's not really real yet. We've been taking precautions, like trying to winterize the house to cut down on fuel prices, cut back on groceries, not drive everywhere.... but the whole thing won't be based upon what we do within our own walls, but will be based in the neighborhood, the city, the Commonwealth. We are all so connected.

Can't help but feel that in this we have been betrayed by the richest among us and by those who were supposed to be looking out for the welfare of the nation--most of us will limp along and pay the price, holding our nose, tightening our belts while the likes of Ted Turner lectures us all about changing our lifestyles and living within our means. The desperate will continue to be desperate, and even more cleverly and desperately so.

The same is true within the church, mostly. I am deeply saddened that the church as a whole continues to betray the very ones for whom we should be most concerned--and much of the rest of the church will limp along and hold our nose. The desperate will use our resources, and the spiritually desperate will seek the food they need some where else.

When Peter ran away from the arrested and betrayed man that night in the garden, he was certainly looking for a way out, denying three times that he knew anything about anything or anyone--limped along, holding his nose, tightening his belt, running and looking for food somewhere else... until the desperate women brought unbelievable news from the garden of death: Love wins.

So, Peter got his day of reckoning, and he ate his words of betrayal, ate them one by one and found the language of love instead--'I do not know him--Lord I love thee,' three times. Reconciled. Liberated to love, to feed and tend.

Come on church. Quit running. Betrayal does not become you. Feed the people.

From the Lectionary this morning (John 21:15-17)
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.

My Hero

St. Martin's conversion about says it all for me. Power (as in warrior at this point) shared. NOT power given away--because that just makes more of the same, but a sharing.


Which, of course, drives most folks crazy.

He gave up being a warrior on account of Christ. He was a reluctant bishop too. All the better, I say. And today I'm headed to the Diocesan office to celebrate Holy Eucharist, then off to the old-folks-home, then meetings late into the night.

And today my mantra will be share, share, share.

The Collect for the Day: Lord God of hosts, you clothed your servant Martin the soldier with the spirit of sacrifice, and set him as a bishop in your Church to be a defender of the catholic faith: Give us grace to follow in his holy steps, that at the last we may be found clothed with righteousness in the dwellings of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

While the Gospel is, "do this for the least of these," the OT is over the top today: (Isaiah 58:6-12)
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.

Hot damn! Amen.

Dang that felt good.... and maybe they really did listen

From: Margaret
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 9:29 AM
To: University of Delaware
Subject: Re: UD at Marriott, Richmond - 11/15

Whereas I had decided I might attend this alum event, I have changed my mind. I am boycotting all things Mormon because of their involvement in the passing of Prop 8 in California, and Marriott Hotels are part and parcel of the Mormon empire.

--margaret, M.A. 1993

RESPONSE:

Ms. Watson,

Thank you very much for your email. I made sure to pass it along and see that it is read by my colleagues and superiors. You certainly make a fair point and your boycott of Marriott is duly respected and noted.

Again, thank you for your email. The ideas and concerns of alumni are of paramount importance to us. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any other issues or questions as I'd be more than happy to help.

Kind regards,


Stephen
Office of Alumni Relations
University of Delaware

COMMENT: Yes, I altered his name to protect the innocent.

A Radical Critique

Today is the day we remember Leo the Great of Rome. Why? --Oh, having something to do with working well with Attila and the Huns, or something.... bringing order out of chaos, or something....


Where is the one who will work well with the Attila and the Huns in our world? --especially those Huns who seek to ruin the well-being and stability of others, either through the pillaging and rape of the economy, our environment, or through the imposition of perceived religious values in our legal and social systems....

Or, perhaps the better question is, who is the one who will inspire the sleeping hordes to awake to their own saltiness, the light within --the one who knows and teaches that the Law which our Lord fulfills is a radical critique to the status quo?

Our people and planet starve for righteousness. Our northern glaciers are nearly gone. Even the snows of Kilamanjaro are disappearing.... is this not far more serious than the sacking of Rome?

From the Lectionary for today: (Matthew 5:13-19)
Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."

G'wan. Go to church.

Oh my. I googled "five virgins" and didn't believe any of it.
Found these ladies


but didn't believe they were virgins either!

So, g'wan. Go to church. At least you can hear about 'em and maybe believe something about it.

Everybodys' stinks....

In the wrestling I've done with the preaching angel this week, what with the wise and foolish virgins waiting for the bridegroom, this was part of the gospel for morning prayer today:

(Luke 14:7-11) When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. 'When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, "Give this person your place," and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, "Friend, move up higher"; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.'

I can remember dinner parties at my parent's table with place cards and assigned seating and all that. For some parties, we younger kids were packed off upstairs before guests arrived, or were given a small separate table in another part of the house.

One dinner I remember distinctly--the Bishop (of California) was coming, and we children would be allowed a place of honor at the table, if we behaved all day. Mom cooked for three days in preparation, the table was set, the glass polished, fresh flowers placed. The evening came--the Bishop (yeah--Pike!) arrived all dressed up in purple. At the proper time we all filed in to the dining room and sat at our places. My father carved the meat and carried the heavy platter all around the table. And as he moved around the table, one by one we kids started to blurt hysterically into our napkins and cover our noses at the stench my dad dragged with him. Mom was giving us the "eye" to which we tried to respond--with an unpracticed eye saying 'no--really!'

Somehow, in all of the bustle of preparations, one of his prize basset hounds had added a gift and pooped somewhere, and dad had stepped in it, and was walking it around the table. When he arrived at my mother's chair, he, too, knew something was wrong, and as my mother's eyes watered and her face filled with horror we kids finally began the chorus of lifting our napkins to our faces and howling with glee and we didn't know what else --just that it was a poop joke, the best kind of joke.

It was only a matter of seconds beyond my mother's horror when the Bishop caught the aroma and my mother started to cry, and in a blur I remember my dad looking down and the Bishop taking my mother's hand as she tried to apologize, and the Bishop saying, tenderly, "Don't worry Joan. Everybodys' shit stinks."

At that the whole party moved into a new place, we made dad take his shoes off outside, closed the doors to the dining room, moved into the kitchen, and as my bedroom is above the kitchen, I know the party continued well into the night.

That was the last time I remember having assigned seats at the dinner table.
Amen.

put down the damn lamp. who needs that kind of light at the supper of the lamb

Friday morning.... wanting to take the day off, but I am fussing over the Gospel for this coming Sunday --five wise and five foolish virgins with lamps waiting for the bridegroom.... and the foolish ones run out of oil and have to go looking for it in the marketplace because the wise ones won't share..... and of course the bridegroom comes while the foolish ones are away shopping, and they are left out of the party. Locked out.


You know, if I were queen of the world (unlikely where I worship), I would have sent the wise and very selfish virgins packing for not sharing, and waited for the fools --because, who wants to hold a stupid mistake against somebody for the rest of their lives?

And, you know what else, I think they are all pretty stupid. Why didn't they work together, keep only one lamp lit and save oil that way? Take turns napping....waiting. You know, team work.

Sometimes, who doesn't just want to put the freakin' light down and forget the whole mess? Too hard....

And who the hell wants to preach on "the marriage feast" right now anyway? I would rather join my sisters and brothers protesting in the streets of California....

This is what I know deep in my bones. --This community of Matthew expected the end of times at any moment with the appearance of Jesus. I view that "coming again" thing differently than they did, --not in apocalyptic end-of-all-things terms but in the present participle way in which I might expect my eyes and my whole being to behold my Lord at any moment, presently, in the flesh, in this life, and then it can and will happen again....he is coming and is present again and again and again and again.

And, because I live on this side of the Resurrection, the judgement of the world has already happened, and the answer is always love.

I will hold that thought as I struggle with this parable....

keep the lamp burning
she said groping in the shadows

burning marketplace grease
makes only soot and smoke

put down the lamp
and seek the light
that makes the eyes shine

I see your eyes first in the dark
your lips pressed to mine
flesh to flesh
at the marriage feast

Still wary of teh system....

Well, okay. I haven't voted for a president that actually attained the office since President Carter first ran for office. Because I gave up voting sometime in the mid-80's. I walked away in disgust from the majority rule thing. Mostly because the answers to questions we were supposed to vote upon were already framed up, manipulated, marketed for us--questions I would not have asked in the first place,.... I am still not convinced that majority rule is a good thing--as is evident in our having elected Bush to office twice, and the current majority vote for the denigration and restriction of marriage in California.

But I voted this time--and won. And it is absolutely delicious. And that scares the shit out of me.

Is majority rule any different than a mob?

What a cruel lot we are, we humans.

But here we are. And I am reflecting upon the Countering Pharaoh Bible series we are doing at church (THANK YOU GRANDMERE MIMI!). We have elected an essentially good and thoughtful person as our new Caesar, our Pharaoh. And while he may be a very good or perhaps at best a benign Caesar, the very system itself remains the same--a system based in making wealth for the few on the labor of many, dubbed the pursuit of happiness, but a system none-the-less which has as its foundation a market system which is based upon some in the system panting after goods inaccessible to them, goods defined as desirable by the system itself. If you have never taken a class on economics--do so. Capitalism really sucks. Unless you are in the Pharaoh class.

And it is the "system" itself which keeps us sucking at the teat of wanting more, and the syrup it feeds us keeps us drowsy to all else.

Oh shit, you can take the me out of Berkeley, but not the Berkeley out of me.

When I read the Gospel for morning prayer today, I was reminded that to step outside the Pharaoh system one must start small--as small and hard as a mustard seed. And that the narrow gate is there --sure go for it if you want. The system will support you in doing that.... but I hear only irony in the voice of Jesus when he says "strive" for it... because very few make it. But we will all be asked --where are you coming from--are you on that narrow Pharaoh path, because get off the hard path, get knee deep in the dirt, because the wall on either side of that narrow gate has been obliterated, and all those from the north and south and east and west come and go freely and eat at the feast in the kingdom.... and Pharaoh, --get to the back of the line on this narrow path.

Beware yeast in the hands of a woman.... she will work it in through the whole lot. God willing.


(Luke 13:18-30) He said therefore, 'What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.' And again he said, 'To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.' Jesus went through one town and village after another, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.

Someone asked him, 'Lord, will only a few be saved?' He said to them, 'Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, "Lord, open to us," then in reply he will say to you, "I do not know where you come from." Then you will begin to say, "We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets." But he will say, "I do not know where you come from; go away from me, all you evildoers!" There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrown out. Then people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God. Indeed, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.'

He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence

So, last night there were spontaneous street parties, crowds of several thousand running up and down the streets of Richmond. Of RICHMOND!!! The faces of young men and women on the street ablaze with liberation--of hope. The healing of the nation can begin.

But there is no final word yet about Prop 8 in California. None that I can find. Seems like they are still counting. MAD PRIEST has posted the statement regarding Prop 8 from the Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus. He said in part, If Proposition 8 passes, which I hope it does not, those of us committed to civil rights for all will simply continue to hope, and continue to work. Perseverance, knowing that God continues to travel with those who are disenfranchised, is a path we know. I trust, however, that the great Californians with whom I live will continue their tradition of forging ahead towards what lies before our whole great country.

I am confident that if we had left racial integration in the voting hands of the people, we would not have been able to elect Obama last night. So, yes, we will continue this strenuous and difficult work for liberty and equality. For all.

From morning prayer, Psalm 72:

12
For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.
13
He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.
14
He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.


Lawrence King, February 12, 2008


Matthew Shepard, October 12, 1998
The fence where he was strung up and beaten to death.

We will not forget you.
The struggle for liberty for all will continue.

WHOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!!

Yeah! I couldn't say it better:

In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for. As for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.

H.L. Mencken

Holy Pamoley!

A truly kick-ass editorial, No Currency Left, by John Cusack. Here is a taste, the whole thing can be found HERE at HuffingtonPost:

We are asked to stand over the abyss and experience our own destruction as another political game show -- just another surreal horse race. We watch millionaires and paid Republican hacks appear on television yelling "Socialist!" at Obama as if the Bolsheviks are coming to rape our daughters. These are the same people who oversaw the greatest upward redistribution of wealth in the history of this country. The same people who, through general lawlessness and a privatization frenzy, succeeded in shredding the Constitution, turning war, illegal domestic spying, security, border patrol, interrogation, and even torture into profitable industries gorging on the state.

So define the big lie: free marketers want free markets. Not so, the facts say. They are the biggest welfare freaks on the planet.

These men and keepers of the faith would lecture us with a straight face on the evil socialists/ communists/terrorists /vampires/space aliens who would dare "redistribute wealth" by amending the tax code. Two wars and the only shared sacrifice they want is more tax cuts for the rich and for the U.S. citizenry to continue shopping. As Sidney Falco said, you gotta give it to them, their gall is gorgeous.

He continues thusly:

The final irony of the free-market Darwinist model is instead of the strongest and best surviving, it's really the weakest and the worst. From a moral and spiritual point of view this is hardly in doubt. See George Bush. The gospel he purports to serve tells us this but perhaps he saw Christ as a conqueror. I've always doubted men who call themselves Christians who live by the law of the jungle. The gospels, the Koran and the Torah make no bones about it: wealth is not strength; power often represents not the brightest and the best but the weakest and worst. The beast in the Book of Revelation is not a horn-rimmed devil but Rome. Empire. Any empire. Every empire.

As Bush leaves office, the real truth is this: the new economies of the world disprove everything he ever said. Apparently that doesn't matter.

Neoconservatives will lie in the weeds and gather forces, the same players in a revolving door. They want back in and if history has proved anything, worshiping the markets is not enough. We must actually kill to feed them. A horrible cross-pollination of fundamentalism, dementia and market fever has turned America into a willing enabler of corporate cannibalism. Nothing else to call it when murder is seen as a legitimate extension of economic policy. Preemptive war is not only justified but openly referred to as a market opportunity.

Damn. I think I'm in love.

Love a curmudgeon.... acidic, exascerbating....

Where we have been:

The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956)
Source: Baltimore Evening Sun, 26 July 1920

Where I am right now:

In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for. As for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.

H.L. Mencken

Remember.....

Many of my friends, who are not Christian, say that Christianity is an intellectual religion, that it is an other-worldly faith not based in this world.

I always say --oh, so not true.... Some have tried to practice faith that way --but it is such a denial of where we ought to be. First, there is the incarnation, where God almighty took on human flesh and pitched his tent in the neighborhood. If the 'other world' is so important, why did God do this? God is not found 'out there' but here in our midst. Second, our way of worship is based in natural cycles --daily, with the rising and setting of the sun; and our most important Feast, our Easter, based not in a rigid calendar of human invention, but in cycles of the sun and moon combined.

Today, it is time to remember the big things, and to be restored in the natural order of things..... to remember.

From morning prayer: (Ecclus. 43:1-22) The pride of the higher realms is the clear vault of the sky, as glorious to behold as the sight of the heavens. The sun, when it appears, proclaims as it rises what a marvelous instrument it is, the work of the Most High. At noon it parches the land, and who can withstand its burning heat? A man tending a furnace works in burning heat, but three times as hot is the sun scorching the mountains; it breathes out fiery vapors, and its bright rays blind the eyes. Great is the Lord who made it; at his orders it hurries on its course. It is the moon that marks the changing seasons, governing the times, their everlasting sign. From the moon comes the sign for festal days, a light that wanes when it completes its course. The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself; how marvelous it is in this change, a beacon to the hosts on high, shining in the vault of the heavens! The glory of the stars is the beauty of heaven, a glittering array in the heights of the Lord. On the orders of the Holy One they stand in their appointed places; they never relax in their watches. Look at the rainbow, and praise him who made it; it is exceedingly beautiful in its brightness. It encircles the sky with its glorious arc; the hands of the Most High have stretched it out. By his command he sends the driving snow and speeds the lightnings of his judgment. Therefore the storehouses are opened, and the clouds fly out like birds. In his majesty he gives the clouds their strength, and the hailstones are broken in pieces. The voice of his thunder rebukes the earth; when he appears, the mountains shake. At his will the south wind blows; so do the storm from the north and the whirlwind. He scatters the snow like birds flying down, and its descent is like locusts alighting. The eye is dazzled by the beauty of its whiteness, and the mind is amazed as it falls. He pours frost over the earth like salt, and icicles form like pointed thorns. The cold north wind blows, and ice freezes on the water; it settles on every pool of water, and the water puts it on like a breastplate. He consumes the mountains and burns up the wilderness, and withers the tender grass like fire. A mist quickly heals all things; the falling dew gives refreshment from the heat.

Election Anxiety.....

NAACP had filed suit against the Commonwealth because the state has not made adequate provision for expected higher than usual voter turnout in black neighborhood polling places tomorrow. The suit was dismissed.

However, McCain has filed suit locally, today, because the state did not get ballots out to persons overseas on the proper date...September 20. The state did not receive them from the printer until September 23 and did not mail them until early October. McCain is asking that the dates to receive such ballots be extended until November 14.... And why was this lawsuit not filed on, say, October 15?

Why do I have this gnawing feeling that this will not be over Wednesday morning?

Why do I have this gnawing feeling that there is corruption and madness in this process....

Perhaps we should have U.N. observers at our elections....

Hey--no election anxiety here.

Thinking of a little revolution

There is an exhausted, restless subtext to everything today.... yeah, that's no surprise.

When I announced that the church would be open all day tomorrow, and that God willing and electoral college consenting, on Wednesday, some would be rejoicing and some would be in mourning and no matter what we will be offering prayers for the nation--someone said, 'yeah--but at least we will all be relieved! It's over!' --well, I hope so. My sister said she hopes Obama wins by a landslide so there's absolutely no question.... and I said, well, it would kinda be cool if Obama was actually elected by the Supreme Court--see how well the Republicans handled that! ....I don't really hope that--that's just the snark in me. But I don't think I am alone in that snarkiness, in the many ways it might be experienced.

Neighbors are having an 'election party' tomorrow --invited us over to watch returns with them and drink and eat.... like watching a horse race. When and how and why did this happen?

So, reading this political landscape --fear, anger, confusion, lies and counter-lies, righteousness, exhaustion, lightheartedness... will we continue to limp along or will there be real change?

I think Thomas Jefferson was right--there needs to be a little revolution in every generation.

From morning prayer: (Luke 12:54-56) He also said to the crowds, 'When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, "It is going to rain"; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, "There will be scorching heat"; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

G'wan. Go to church.

Okay --in my head it will look like this


or maybe even like this


.....but Grandmere, where I worship it will look like this--with people of course, and not quite so tilted


like little prayer flags, 149 names--a cloud of witnesses.

G'wan. Be a saint too. Go to church.