Men's Breakfast and Greening of the Church

Today was the Men's Christmas Breakfast and the Greening of the Church. What a day! Dozens of people participated as we enjoyed our annual festivities.

We started at 8:00 AM with the men's breakfast and gift exchange. Bill Demmon coordinated the breakfast and Bob Hoag ran the gift exchange.

At 10:00 more people showed up and we began the making of the garland, using cuttings of fir, spruce, cedar, and holly tied to a long rope. We brought the garland into the church and hung it up behind the cross, making a frame for the two Christmas banners. We've never hung the garland on the front wall of the church, so this was a new way of doing things for us.

Meanwhile the choir was practicing for tomorrow's Lessons and Carols, and the children came in to practice the Christmas Eve pageant.

And in the barn, Carrie and Debbie were making the big wreath for the entry and two smaller wreaths for the back of the church.

In the parish hall were cookies and goodies with spiced cider and coffee, plus fresh donuts! Kids ran in and out and the music made it a festive atmosphere. My thanks to all who made this a successful parish life event.

Mutual Ministry Review comments

Last night the Bishop's Committee held our annual Mutual Ministry Review. The purpose of the MMR is to assess how the Vicar, Bishop's Committee, and Wardens have accomplished the goals they set, to set new goals, identify special areas that need attention, and celebrate the joys and successes of ministry together.

Sue Clary, a trained facilitator, helped us with our MMR. First she asked for our reactions to the MMR survey. Although the survey contained many positive comments, we inevitably focused on the few negative comments. Some of us felt hurt and were understandably defensive.

Sue pointed out that our survey questions didn't match our goals, that is, they didn't tell us how well we've done in  comparison with the goals we set for ourselves. She suggested that next year we set more general goals.

Sue also pointed out that we on the BC have set ourselves up for failure by taking responsibility for all aspects  of parish life. She suggested that we limit our responsibility to the basic role of the BC: finance and property matters; support of parish initiatives, and support of the Vicar.

She also noted that many parishes do not take an all-parish survey for the MMR, and she suggested that next year we might want to do an MMR with just the BC or with the BC and the leadership circle of the parish.

I think we all came away with a better understanding of our parish and our role as members of the BC. I'm grateful for Sue's leadership with the MMR.

Singing Handel's Messiah

On Saturday night I sang in the Bremerton Symphony Chorale as we performed Handel's Messiah with the Bremerton Symphony Orchestra. It seemed like all the rehearsals and hard work came together in an outstanding performance, and the audience was very appreciative.

I first heard the Messiah when I was a young teen, and I remember the power and inspiration of that performance to this day. I remember taking my sons to hear the Messiah when they were teens, and now for me to sing in the Messiah makes it even more meaningful.

The Messiah tells the story of Christ as the messiah of God, the anointed one who comes to redeem God's people from suffering. The music portrays the prophecy of Christ in the Old Testament, the birth of Christ, the passion and resurrection of Christ, and the eternal reign of Christ in heaven. It is uplifting and joyous.

That said, there are a few problems with the Messiah, namely its triumphalistic view of Christianity. The choice of biblical texts for the Messiah creates the impression that God's triumph at the end of time is also the triumph of Christianity as a religion over other religions, especially Judaism. I'm a little uncomfortable with a text that says, "Thou Shalt Break Them" when it implies that God will crush people of other faiths.

Regardless of that, I think I'll always love the faith and devotion that Handel's Messiah inspires. I'm glad I was able to sing in the chorus last Saturday.
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A Moment of Blessing

Today I attended a Moment of Blessing sponsored by the Kitsap Interfaith Network. It was held at the site of a recent murder and arson. On October 31, Paymela Faye Long was found dead in her trailer home. the coroner ruled that the death was a homicide, having occurred before the fire started.

After a violent death or a suicide occurs, the ministers of KIN (formerly the Bremerton Ministerial Alliance) will gather to perform a blessing with friends and family and neighbors. The purpose is to offer the tragedy up into the hands of God, to bring some closure to those affected, and to do a ceremonial cleansing of the physical place where the death took place.

I arrived a little late for the blessing, and when I got out of my car, I heard the sound of singing. As I approached, I saw a little crowd gathered in front of the burned out shell of a trailer located at the end of a lane in a trailer park.

Our own Sister Kathryn-Mary Little was there in her habit of the Little Sisters of St. Clare, along with local ministers in their robes and a number of Paymela's friends and family members. George Larson, a retired minister, walked around the trailer and sprinkled holy water on the site to cleanse it and heal the emotional wounds represented by the charred remains of the trailer.

Sister Kathryn-Mary Little sounds the bell

He said, "We come together this day to reclaim this space of death as a place of life...this place where violence and despair occurred we are reclaiming as a place of life...this place that causes us fear, anger, and pain, we are reclaiming as a place of hope and beloved community."

We said the 23rd Psalm, the Beatitudes, and some powerful prayers. Friends and family members spoke about Pam. I was privileged to give the closing benediction. I thought the Moment of Blessing was a very powerful ceremony, and I'm glad I could be a part of it.

The liturgy for the Moment of Blessing can be found by clicking here.
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Requiem for fallen police officers

Last night I attended the Requiem Evensong at St. Mary's, Lakewood. Bishop Greg encouraged clergy to go to this service as a show of support for our law enforcement officers and as a sign of respect.

It was a beautiful service with a lovely choir singing classic Anglican chant, with a brief homily by Kendall Haynes, the rector of St. Mary's. The church was nearly full, and included a number of people I assumed were law enforcement people.

The readers for the lessons were two men prominent in law enforcement: Col. Larry Saunders and Sheriff Paul Pastor. It was impressive to see them there and recognize the weight of responsibility they carry, not only for us, the citizens, but also for the lives of their officers on the streets.

The prayers were taken from the burial office in the Book of Common Prayer, and included the names of the three men and one woman who were killed. I thought of their last moments, and of the bravery of the officer who rose up and in his last moments wounded the assailant. I also thought of the families of these officers and what it was like for them to hear the tragic news.

The New Testament reading was from Revelation 7:9-17, and included the description of the scene in heaven where the martyrs surround the throne of God. "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal...and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." It seemed like a very fitting reading.

Centering Prayer workshop

Last night at the "Bite of St. A's" we had a workshop on Centering Prayer. Our teacher was Cherry Haisten, program director of The Center of St. Andrew's, Seattle.

Cherry has been doing centering prayer for nearly twenty years and has studied with some the big names in centering prayer, especially Fr. Thomas Keating, a Cistercian monk who is responsible for the introduction and growth of centering prayer in our country.

Cherry briefly outlined the background to centering prayer by showing how prayer is opening ourselves to God. Sometimes we use words to pray; other times we simply sit in silence and wait for God. Centering prayer is a method to help us pray without words.

The Christian tradition has a long history of contemplative prayer practice, and centering prayer is an attempt to recover that tradition and make it available for people today. In the 1970's Fr. Thomas Keating noticed that many young people were drawn to eastern meditation practices, and he wanted to show them that meditation is not just confined to eastern religions. Many people today are finding that centering prayer is a deeply fulfilling practice.

The method of centering prayer is very simple. Each person chooses a "sacred word" - something simple and short - that is a sign of one's intention to consent to God's presence and action within. The sacred word can be God, Jesus, love, peace, listen, or some other word. The meaning of the word isn't what's important, but the intention is what matters.

Centering prayer is usually practiced for twenty minutes while sitting quietly in a comfortable chair. The idea is to let the mind "rest in God." When thoughts arise, as they always do, we simply let them go, say the sacred word, and return to silence. The "letting-go" process is the valuable part of centering prayer.

Cherry led us in twenty minutes of centering prayer, which I found very peaceful and soothing. In fact, after a busy day, I think I dozed off during the prayer! It was a wonderful workshop and I think all of us learned a lot.
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Making Advent Logs

Last Sunday after the 10:00 Eucharist we made Advent Logs. The materials were provided, and people jumped in with enthusiasm to drill holes in the half-logs, and then to staple on the cedar greens. Each person or family took away a lovely Advent Log with candles to light each evening during the season of Advent.

Lighting candles during Advent provides the slow anticipation that characterizes the season. The first week, only one candle is lit; the second week, two candles; and so on. A good way to observe Advent.

It was fun watching the children get excited about creating something for their home. Even the adults enjoyed it! About 15 logs were made. I hope we'll do more activities like this.