So this happened

St. John's Episcopal Church

How about that?

Weird Wednesday

You may remember a few weeks ago when I had the pleasure of dealing with the bi-polar alcoholic that ran the gamut from sitting with him in a parking lot from midnight to about 1:15 a.m., taking him to the hospital, listening to him rant about how he hated me and the church while also proclaiming that we were the only place who cared about him.

I dubbed that event, "Manic Monday."

Yesterday we had a very unkempt, scraggly and ragged homeless gentleman who goes by the name of Dust come into the office to talk to me.  During the course of our "conversation," I learned that he was very worried and upset.

"You know . . . there are people who talk in numerical numerals and they're evil.  They've been talking to me about 25 and 47.  Twenty-five isn't too bad, but 47 is really bad and they keep talking to me about that and I just want them to stop talking numerically about numbers because I'm really worried about 47.  Have you heard them talking about that?  Do you know what that means?"

"No, I really haven't.  What is it about 47?"

"I don't know man . . . but I know it's not good.  I need some protection prayers to keep the numericals away from me.  Can you do that?"

"I can do that."

So I flipped through the BCP, found a prayer he really liked, printed it out for him, and sent him on his way with a bottle of water, hopefully that much safer from the people who are speaking in numerical numbers.

Home

Mrs. Ref and I are back home from out trip to Montana, and it was glorious!

We arrived in a rainstorm, but that cleared up the next day and we had daytime temps in the upper '70's to low '80's up until the day we left, when it began to rain again.

We spent Thursday in town seeing a bunch of old friends and getting excited about the many improvements the town has done in our absence -- new curbs and drains, streetlights, lined parking spaces, water meters and other stuff.

And speaking of improvements . . . the former parish replaced the gold-yellow-brown indoor-outdoor carpet with a lovely deep-maroon (wine) carpet, lowered the altar so supply priests will quit falling off the step, re-tiled the parish hall, installed two new stoves and a refrigerator, installed a new back door, painted, carpeted the office and installed a lovely new door giving a clear view into the office.

Friday we had the rehearsal and Saturday was the ordination.  It was spectacular, with about 120-130 people attending.  There were thirteen clergy there, and I would have to say that, other than a bishop's ordination, this was the biggest and most joyful crowd at an ordination that I've ever seen.  And the feast afterward was just as wonderful.

Sunday I concelebrated with the new priest and enjoyed worshiping and being with the former congregation that could.

Like I said, it was a fantabulously wonderful trip and I am glad I got to be there for the celebration.

You want who???

For some time now I've written a short meditative piece for the congregation and a few others that are on our e-mail list.  I do this in time for it to be sent out on Wednesdays and, as such, I call it "The Wednesday Word."

There's a link to it over there on the right if you're interested.

Anyway, these are just short little things that I send out hoping they will be inspiring or insightful or offer the right words when someone needs them.

One of the people on our e-mail list is a retired priest from CA who took a half-time gig for a couple of small congregations in the Diocese of Quincy.  He's been around far longer than I have and he has way more connections than I'll probably ever have.

Apparently one of those connections works at The Living Church and they asked him if he would be willing to participate, or if he knew of anyone who might be willing to participate, in a daily reflection based on the Offices.  This would sort of be like an online version of Forward Day by Day.

He recommended me.

So I have been in conversation with a guy at TLC about this project and it looks like it might take shape and become a reality sometime after General Convention.  So, yeah . . . look for me to embarrass myself on the national stage in a few short months.

What it was like

About a year ago I was attending a conference just east of Portland when I received a text message from one of my parishioners that went something like this:

M just diagnosed with brain tumor.  Transporting to Children's Hosp now.  We are following behind.  Surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning.

So much for my parishioners following instructions about major incidents while I'm out of town.  The good news is that they were going to Children's Hospital in Portland, just 40 minutes from where I was.

I kept in contact with the family during the 4-hour drive and made arrangements to be at the hospital in the morning.  My timing was impeccable as I got to her room about 20 minutes before she was wheeled to the O.R.  After some conversation and prayers, off she went.  The family and I went to the waiting room and I sat with them for about an hour.  Dad eventually released me and said he would keep me updated.

It's been just over a year, and M has recovered nicely.

Her sister has written a dramatic poem and entered to qualify for a national speech and debate tournament.  Apparently the number of youtube "likes" will help her cause.  So, with that in mind, here is Lucy waxing dramatically poetic about what it was like.

Of Homophobic Bakeries

Here in Oregon there's been (yet another) big dust up over a bakery refusing to produce a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.  You can probably find a lot of stories on it; but if you need help, you can start here.

Anyway, the OR Bureau of Labor and Industries found that the bakery did discriminate and fined them for doing so.  The Christian right is screaming, "Persecution!!"  Which, of course, is total bullshit because, really, you aren't being persecuted if your business is required treat people equally.

The owners of the bakery, and others caught in this situation, have consistently claimed, "Hey . . . I don't have anything against gays, it's just that my deeply held religious beliefs tell me a marriage is between a man and a woman and I can't support a same-sex marriage."

In other words: Yes, I think gays are icky and gross and going to hell and I want no part of them.

So, if religious, Christian owners of a bakeries consistently refuse to bake a wedding cake for gay couples on the basis that it goes against their "deeply held religious beliefs," let's see if they are consistent in other areas:

1.  They hold that marriage is a lifetime commitment between one man and one woman.  Have they ever baked wedding cakes for people who have been divorced and are remarrying?  If the answer is yes, then their argument fails.

2.  Conservative sexual ethics maintains that sex outside of marriage is wrong.  Have they ever baked wedding cakes for people who have engaged in premarital sex?  If the answer is yes, then their argument fails.

3.  One of the most "deeply held religious beliefs" of Christians is that there is one God.  Have they ever baked wedding cakes for atheists, agnostics, pagans, Hindus or others?  If the answer is yes, then their argument fails.

4.  One of the most basic tenets of Christianity is the Trinity.  Have they ever baked wedding cakes for a Jewish, Muslim or Unitarian couple?  If the answer is yes, then their argument fails.

Let's be honest here:  Claiming religious persecution over being forced to do business with same-sex couples, or lgbt people in general, has nothing to do with religious freedom or persecution, but it has everything to do with being able to find a legal way to uphold bigoted and homophobic attitudes.

Well this could get interesting . . .

I have been a regular follower of Slacktivist for . . . wow . . . probably twelve years now.  I started reading his blog back in seminary when the issue of end times and the validity of "Left Behind" came up.  One of my professors told me that he did a really good job of deconstructing LB and pointing out why it was all wrong.

So I started reading.

At some point I got brave enough to begin commenting.  I mean, there were a lot of good comments and a lot of deep thoughts that, for a long time, I didn't feel I could measure up to.  But finally I decided to jump in.  And it seems to have worked out.

I wouldn't say I've made "friends," but the experience has been good.  I've learned some.  Been challenged some.  Got people to think some.  And last year when my area was surrounded by wildfires, I was surprised and humbled at the outpouring of prayers and well-wishes from fellow Slacktivites.

Yesterday one of the regular readers posted a response to something I had written and basically said, "Hey, I've got some questions.  Can we chat?"  So I gave him/her (not sure of the gender -- most people use online names that don't identify) my e-mail and said, "Sure, sounds good."

Today there were at least three other requests for the same thing and one person proclaimed it the "Slacktivist spiritual hotline."

I'm thinking about posting up the questions and my answers here, as well as via e-mail chats.

This will either be an extraordinary and wonderful experience, or someone is going to report me to the bishop and I'll be looking for a new job.

The Real Sermon

The earlier post from this morning is pretty much a standard sermon that every preacher gives today.  After all, what else can you say today?

But I did preach a sermon.  I won't post it here because it's unpostable.  But it entails the story of creation through resurrection.

If you can imagine that story, you've got the sermon.

Blessings on this holy day.

Sermon, Easter Day

Alleluia!  Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday is the day we live in every day.

The crucifixion has happened.  Easter day and the resurrection are but the promise of tomorrow.  But today, Holy Saturday, is where we live.

Peter and other disciples went back to work, not knowing what else to do.  We get on with our lives, sometimes not knowing what else to do.

It was during this "getting on with our lives" period when this happened:

Mrs. Ref and I were doing our obligatory grocery shopping this afternoon.  We went shopping after the Holy Saturday service and after we had prepped the church for Easter.  So, like Peter, I was in my work clothes (i.e. wearing my collar). 

The checkout girl was doing her job and making small talk with us.  She looked at me and said, "Are you doing anything for Easter?"

I resisted the urge to say, "Are you serious??" and instead said, "Working."

"Yeah, me too."

It's Holy Saturday.  The crucifixion was yesterday.  The resurrection is but a promise of tomorrow.  And most people get on with their lives as if nothing was changed.

How do the events of yesterday and the promise of tomorrow shape your life?

Something awesomely consistent

I was pointed to this youtube video by Honey Maid (the graham cracker people) today by a link over on Slacktivist.  I thought I'd share:



As we move through the Triduum with it's time of rejection, crucifixion and death and toward Easter day, may this video remind you that Love wins.

The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday

Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!

Thou art the King of Is-ra-el, thou Da-vid's roy-al Son,
who in the Lord's Name com-est, the King and Bless-ed One.
All glo-ry, laud, and hon-or to thee, Re-deem-er, King!
to whom the lips of chil-dren made sweet ho-san-nas ring.

. . . Then all the disciples deserted him and fled . . .

Jesus stood before the governor, Pilate.
"Are you the King of the Jews?"
"You say so."

"Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?"
"Crucify him!"
"Why, what evil has he done?"
"CRUCIFY HIM!!"

They led him away to crucify him.
Then Jesus cried with a loud voice and breathed his last.

Who was the guilt-y?  Who brought this up-on thee?  A-las, my
trea-son, Je-sus, hath un-done thee.  'Twas I, Lord Je-sus,
I it was de-nied thee: I cru-ci-fied thee.

Memories

If you've ever wondered about where I served before where I am now, the Episcopal News Service has a piece about that.  Well, not about me per se, more about where I used to be and the Wood Bank.  When I left, we were just beginning to examine a relationship with St. James in Dillon.

And now it looks like they've become full-fledged branches.

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/03/27/wood-banks-unique-ministry-warms-those-left-in-the-montana-cold/

Letter to the Editor

I don't normally write letters to the editors of papers.  The last time I did was when I felt someone needed to say something against the Family Research Council and their web of lies and hate.

In Thursday's paper there was a letter to the editor discussing the Nye/Ham debate.  You may have heard about that.  Bill Nye the Science Guy debated Ken Ham the Young Earth Creationist Guy.  Actually, "discussing" would be a bit too generous.  What he did was rail against science and that we needed to put an end to teaching its "frog-to-prince fairy tale."

I couldn't let that one go:
=============

So, H.T. believes “science” in general, and evolution in particular, is a “frog-to-prince fairy tale” that needs to be tossed in the garbage (Letters to the Editor, February 20, 2014).

Mr. T and other young earth creationists confuse theology with science. Christians do not need to choose between religion OR science/evolution, because they are not incompatible. Claiming that they are mutually exclusive damages scripture and may lead to a crisis of faith when those indoctrinated into YEC realize that the earth is much older than 6000 years.

The historic Creeds of the church proclaim that God is the “creator of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.” This is a faith claim about the identity of God (Creator); it is not a scientific claim about God's methodology. To do so is to put the creative force of God into a box of our own making and understanding.

Mr. T continually uses scare quotes around the word science, which is a common tactic among the YEC crowd in an effort to throw doubt upon the overall discipline of science. Unlike actual science that uses tightly defined methods of observation, hypothesis, prediction and test, test, test, Ken Ham and the YEC crowd base their pseudo-science on a methodology of conclusion first, working to fit everything into their particular interpretation of the Bible.

Finally, let us never forget that it was the “science” of the church that condemned Galileo; it was the “science” of the church that condemned women accused of witchcraft in Salem, MA; it was the “science” of the church that sanctioned slavery; and it remains the “science” of churches today to oppress those whom they deem different.

When it comes to science, I'll stick with Bill Nye and those who don't confuse it with faith.

Quiet Day

I'm spending the day with our D.O.K. chapter in a Quiet Day retreat that they asked me to lead for them.

Thinking about the time of year, and with Advent right around the corner, I'm taking them on a Marian journey of Already and Not Yet, hope and expectations.

We began with the birth of Jesus, moved to the wedding at Cana, sat with Mary at the foot of the cross, and closed with the Annunciation.

My hope for this day is that they got something out of it other than, "Really?  That's the best you could do?"

Back in the saddle

So I get back into the office this morning at 10 a.m. after picking Mrs. Ref up from the local airport, and I find a note from my secretary on my door:  "Please call J.  Her mother is in the hospital with 'the worst kind of brain tumor' and would like to receive communion from the local priest."

Seriously?  In the words of Vince Lombardi, "What the hell is going on out there??"

I will be making a hospital call this afternoon.

Good News, Bad News

The Good News:  I was assigned to my first playoff game here in Oregon.  The even better news is that I'm working as the Back Judge, the place where I've worked the majority of my varsity games since coming here, and a position which I've learned to like and become passably decent at.  Because, yes, sometimes in playoff games people get assigned to an unfamiliar position.  So I'm happy about all that.

The Bad News:  I can't yet talk about it.  Give me a few days to get things sorted out.  But in the meantime, prayers for M's health and strength for her family would be much appreciated.

I am currently at a continuing ed event just outside of Portland at a lovely retreat center.  The weather has been typically November-ish for this area (so fog, gray, and damp).  That makes it less than ideal to go explore the grounds on our free time, but the company is good and M has a boatload of clergy praying for her.

Ramblings from the Rector

Every month I'm required to write a piece for our newsletter.  This is not one of the more fun things I do as part of my job, but I do it.  This month's article is about hobbies, and I thought it was sufficiently good enough to post up here:
==============================

I was thinking about hobbies recently, mainly because I was expecting my new football packet to arrive in the mail while I was off gallivanting around Montana.

What is a hobby?  Hobby is defined as an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation.  Hobbies are not our jobs, but they can take up as much time as a job.  Hobbies help us keep a balance in our lives between those things we must do (work) and those things that we do for our own gratification.  They can provide a sense of fulfillment that we may not be able to get anywhere else.  They can give us an outlet for energies we are unable to use elsewhere.  They can provide additional friendships among like-minded people.  And hobbies, if we are serious about them, will cost us time and money.

People who carve or quilt spend their money on tools, materials and maybe conventions to pursue their hobby.  Model railroaders, hang-gliders, mountain climbers, knitters, gardeners and almost anything else you can think of as a hobby requires dedication, time and money.  People who are fanatic about turning off lights and keeping the heat down to save money on their power bill will easily spend any amount saved, and then some, on a new toy or tool or class towards a hobby they are passionate about.

I read an article recently about the hobbies of several Episcopal priests, and two of them stood out for me.  The first was a priest from Chicago whose hobby was open water kayaking and pursued it to the point of becoming a nationally accredited instructor.  She has spent a bunch of time and money on kayak lessons, equipment and classes to get to this point.  The other one was a priest from (I think) New York who got involved in boxing.  He also has dedicated time and money to being in the gym and learning to become a competent boxer.

Mrs. Ref got involved in scrapbooking many years ago.  She has spent money on paper, punches, scissors, binders, lettering, stamps and probably more things than I can name as well as her time putting all of her scrapbooks together.  When we were in Montana she connected with a scrapbooking group that met at the school.  They were all taken aback when she first showed up with her big rolling case of scrapbook material – especially when they used laundry baskets.  And now she’s found a new hobby in singing with the Sweet Adelines group in Medford.  This also will require a commitment of time and money.

For my own part, my single hobby is officiating football.  I’ve spent a fair amount of money on shoes, socks, knickers, pants, shorts, shirts, flags, whistles, beanbags, hats and other necessary items over the years.  Some of these things I’ve needed, and some of them I’ve simply wanted.  I’ve also spent money on membership dues, insurance coverage and clinics.  And this hobby of mine has certainly taken its share of my time.  Weekly meetings, weekday afternoon games and Friday night games are the most obvious; but there is also time spent with the rules book in reading, studying, rereading, marking, highlighting, referencing and memorizing.  And with the exception of my time in seminary, my first year in Montana and this year, I think I’ve spent every wedding anniversary on a football field of some sort.

Hobbies, if we are really passionate about them, will take time and money as we pursue them.  We want to improve on our craft simply because we want to get better.  We want to be able to take pride in what we do.  And while our jobs may not always grant us that ability or satisfaction, our hobbies can.  We don’t pursue a hobby in order to be rewarded, but we all appreciate recognition by those involved for a job well done.  If I make a great call on the field you can be sure that at least half the people watching that game will think it was a bad call.  But my peers know it was a great call, and I know it was a great call; and that’s when all of the time, money and dedication I have given to this hobby pays off.

What is your hobby?  What lights your fire, floats your boat or draws out your passion?  What, if you counted up hours and money spent, has cost you more than you want to admit?  And what would you continually and passionately pursue even when faced with a dollar total you can’t quite believe?

What if we behaved as if church were our hobby?  What would it look like if we spent as much time, money and talent on St. Luke’s as we do on our hobbies?  One of the reasons for a hobby is to develop balance in our lives.  St. Luke’s can help to achieve that balance by providing spiritual depth.  Hobbies also provide a place for us to grow.  St. Luke’s, through our worship, education and other activities, can be a place of great growth if we make the effort.  How many people do you tell about your hobby, or how many people have you invited to try your hobby?  This is called evangelism.  Do you talk about St. Luke’s the same way you talk about your hobby?

There is a lot of literature out there about the decline of the church; and there has been some angst here about that very thing as well.  Questions about how to make church relevant again, or how to make church a priority for people abound.  Maybe we’re looking at church the wrong way.  Maybe we need to start thinking about church as a hobby.  Maybe we need to start spending our time, money and talent on St. Luke’s with the same dedication and passion as we spend on our hobbies.

What is your hobby?

Maybe . . .

Maybe it's beginning to sink in.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

"Oh God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth . . . bring the nations into your fold; pour out your spirit on all flesh . . ."

"Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross thta everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace:  So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love . . ."

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Supreme Court today struck down the unconstitutional, prejudicial, segregationist and homophobic Defense of Marriage Act.

All means all.
Equal means equal.

Maybe it's beginning to sink in.

Life

Exactly three months ago I wrote a post about doing three services in one day, one of those services being a wedding.

The wedding was between a woman who was 88, and a man who was 91.  In that post, I said, "I avoided any cracks about 'til death do us part' not being that far off."

It's a good thing.

He died Friday.

I'm doing a memorial service tomorrow.

My his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.