Hospital visit

Entrance to the UW Hospital

Today I visited one of my parishioners in the University of Washington Hospital in Seattle. He had surgery yesterday and today he's recovering nicely. He was patiently enduring the indignities of the hospital: IV lines, the ridiculous gown, circulation wraps on his legs, and nurses with their constant stream of pleasantly-phrased annoyances.

His wife was his constant companion -- she even slept in the hide-a-bed in the same room last night. I was impressed by her attentiveness to his needs. Whatever needed to be done, she was there to make sure it happened, whether it was something to drink, attention from a nurse, or phone calls to their family.

I said something about how much she was doing for him. She said, "It's a pleasure for me to do this."

I sensed a tremendous strength between the two of them. He was strong because she was there, and her inner strength and determination came from their common bond. They were truly going through this together.

It made me think of those words, "For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish..." I think together they could go to the ends of the earth.
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Living with integrity

From www.flickr.com

In the Old Testament lesson for next Sunday, the Psalmist says to God, "I have lived with integrity." Integrity seems to be a theme that runs through the readings for next Sunday.

The prophet Jeremiah laments that he has spoken God's word to the people, but he's received only rejection and humiliation in return. In answer, God tells him, "If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall serve as my mouth...for I am with you to save you and deliver you."

God's reply is to encourage Jeremiah to keep his integrity as a man of God and not give in to those who revile him.

In the reading from Romans, Paul writes, "Let love be genuine." There are myriad ways to offer false love or shallow love. But let love have integrity, he says.

In the Gospel, Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes him for even thinking about his own death on a cross. Jesus reacts sharply, replying, "Get behind me Satan!" Jesus cannot lose his integrity at this point, but he must be true to his calling from God.

Daily we are tempted to compromise our personal integrity. But the scriptures encourage us to be true to our calling from God.
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Youth ministry workshop

Last Saturday I went to a workshop on youth ministry at St. Columba in Kent (I made the above sketch of the church while I was there).

I thought it would be a "how-to" workshop, but instead the presenter asked us to consider the parish resources we have that can be utilized for youth ministry. In other words, he didn't suggest a "one size fits all" style of youth ministry, but he emphasized the need to tailor your youth ministry to your own youth and your own parish.

He asked us to think about what our parishioners are passionate about, and ask them to share that with the youth. It might be baseball, or sailboats, or something about their job. He also asked us to think about what our youth are passionate about, and then tap into that passion. Is it sports, computer games, beauty pageants, art?

He asked us to think how we would approach these areas of youth ministry:
INVITE
WELCOME
INCLUDE
AFFIRM
EQUIP
SEND FORTH

All in all it was a thought-provoking workshop, and gave me lots of ideas to offer to our youth ministry.

Teaching with questions

In the Gospel reading for Sunday, Jesus asks the disciples two questions:

"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
"Who do you say that I am?"


As a teacher, Jesus uses various methods to help his students understand. Sometimes he gives talks, like the Sermon on the Mount. These talks usually contain pithy sayings that people in an oral culture would be able to retain and repeat easily.

Sometimes he tells stories (parables) which elicit a wide variety of responses in the listeners. The parables are designed to "tease the mind into thought", as C. H. Dodd famously said.

But in this passage, Jesus is using a third teaching method, the use of questions. First he asks them" Who do people say that I am?" This is simply a matter of reporting. All the disciples have to do is report what they've heard. It doesn't take any reflection or thought on their part.

Then Jesus asks, "But who do you say I am?" This question is much harder. Jesus isn't asking them to repeat the common understanding. He's asking them to reach down inside themselves and come up with their own answer. "Who do YOU say that I am?"

The first question doesn't require much on the part of the disciples, but the second question will lead to transformation if they really try to answer it. When we really seek to know who Jesus is for ourselves, we open ourselves to be transformed.

Most of us have a jumble of ideas who Jesus is, ideas that come from our parents, past teachers, cultural stereotypes, etc. All of those may be good. But only when we decide for ourselves and come up with our own answer will we really answer the second question.
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Do not be conformed

From www.flickr.com

In the Epistle for Sunday, Paul writes, "Do not be conformed to this world." To follow Jesus means to live with the values of Jesus and not the values we see around us. This means that sometimes we will have to be countercultural, when the values of our culture conflict with the values of Jesus.

The theologian Walter Brueggemann says that the two areas of conflicting values today are money and sex. Our world is obsessed with sex, and we have tremendous ambivalence about what is acceptable and what is not. We've lost our boundaries.

The second area he mentions is money, especially commoditization. Our culture turns everything into a commodity which can then be bought and sold. Once something becomes a commodity, it loses its sacredness, integrity, and humanness. Our earth, our time, our affections -- everything is up for sale.

"Do not be conformed to this world." Question everything.
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Our bodies

From www.flickr.com

I remember sitting in the pew as a child with the members of my family, squirming and jostling with the bodies next to me -- the bodies of my parents and brother and sisters. I knew I was supposed to be quiet and sit still, but it was hard to do. I was a "wiggleworm", my mom said.

So I learned to sit quietly, hands folded, eyes ahead, body still. Imagine how hard it was for me, then, when I started attending an Episcopal church and the priest suggested we make the sign of the cross with our hand. Forehead, sternum, left shoulder, right shoulder. "Why, that's just Catholic superstition," my mind said to me.

But when I actually tried it, it felt good. I felt I was using my physical body to signify what was going on in my mind. It seemed to integrate the mental and physical, body and soul.

Our bodies are important. Faith isn't just a matter of intense mental effort. It's also something we do with our bodies. We have to act out our faith.

In the reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans for Sunday, Paul says, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."

Coming to church is often an aggravation. Why not just stay at home and read the Bible or pray? But, as Paul says, we have to get up off the couch and present our bodies before the Lord in the holy place. What we do with our bodies is important.

When I distribute Communion at the altar rail, I'm profoundly touched by those who come to receive communion. There are old bodies aching with arthritis, young bouncing children's bodies, sagging middle aged bodies, bodies with cancer, young peoples' bodies brimming with confusing sexual feelings, carefully manicured bodies, and strong athletic bodies. All kinds of bodies.

"Present your bodies," Paul says. Get up out of bed, bring your body to the altar rail, eat with God's family at God's table, and go out into the world to do the work God has given you to do.


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The Burial Office for Walt

Today we said the Burial Office for Walt. Of all the liturgies in the Book of Common Prayer, I think the Burial Office is the most profound and eloquent. The opening anthem is stark and vivid; the prayers are powerful and resonant; and the movement from grief to release is liberating.

We had a full church. Many people who have not been to St. Antony's in years were there to pay their respects. I was so proud of our congregation for their positive, loving spirit of hospitality and welcome to all who came. Thanks be to God.

Look to the rock

From www.flickr.com

In the reading from Isaiah for next Sunday, the prophet says, "Look to the rock from which you were hewn." Isaiah is speaking to a people in exile, who are grieving the loss of their heritage. They've been been forcibly removed to a strange land and they think they've lost everything. The promise of God that they would be a great nation now seems shattered.

But Isaiah says to them, "Look back and see the beginnings of your people. God started with just two people, Abraham and Sarah. If God could make a nation out of just two people, couldn't he now restore this people who are still many? Look to the rock (Abraham) from which you were hewn."

God has hewn us from solid rock. Our heritage is firm, and we can rest securely in that knowledge. The patriarchs of scripture; the saints of the church; our own parents, teachers, and mentors. These give us security in knowing that God has sculpted us out of solid material.

The picture above is from Canyonlands National Park in Utah, a place I've spent many days hiking. The layers of sandstone have been weathered into amazing shapes, and you can see how nature is still sculpting new forms. In the same way, God is at work in us, shaping us into new forms using the material of our past.

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Pete and Carmen's Wedding

Click photo to see a larger image

Today I attended the wedding of Pete and Carmen, two parishioners at St. Antony's. The ceremony was held at Elwood Point at Jackson Park Naval Reservation. It was a warm day but there was a nice breeze flowing across the point to keep us comfortable. The ceremony was brief and informal but very fitting. A number of Navy personnel were there in dress whites.

I was happy to attend a wedding rather than be the officiant. The officiant did a nice job, reminding the happy couple of the seriousness of marriage and of God's good plan for their marriage.

Congratulations, Pete and Carmen!

Did Jesus change his mind?

From Cerezo Barredo's web page

In the Gospel lesson for Sunday, Jesus is approached by a Canaanite woman from the region of Tyre and Sidon - in other words, a non-Jewish woman. She begs Jesus to heal her daughter but Jesus refuses, saying, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."

When she persists, Jesus' callousness increases. He says, "It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs."

Then, when the woman takes his comparison and uses it in her plea, he relents. She says, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." And Jesus says, "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done as you wish." And her daughter is healed.

Did the Canaanite woman change Jesus' mind? One line of thought says, "No, he was just testing her, even pushing her, to express her faith. He knew beforehand how it would turn out, and he didn't change his mind. Jesus is divine and never erred."

Another line of thought says that she did indeed make him change his xenophobic position. Like all Jews, he was brought up to ignore foreigners like this woman because they were beneath him. Only when she confronted him and challenged his thinking did he relent and change his mind. As a fully human being, Jesus grew in his understanding as he went through life.

What do you think? Did Jesus change his mind? One position emphasizes Jesus' divinity; the other position emphasizes his humanness. How do you see it?

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Beautiful children

This week I'm helping with Vacation Bible School. We have about 35 children every day, from 3 years old up to sixth grade, plus a group of teen helpers. We are blessed with children!

Because it's been a few years since my own sons were that age, I've had to really reach down deep to respond to little children. But it's good for me!

I'm responsible for playing guitar for the songs at the start and the closing, plus I'm teaching the bible memorization verse. Small groups of the children come in and we all sit on the floor together, so I'm at eye level with them. It's so much fun to interact with them and get their responses.

I love thinking like a child and entering into a child's world. Talking about Jesus to a child is perfectly natural. We should all be so open to God!

It's taken a lot of energy to do VBS (I took a good hour-long nap this afternoon!) but it's been good for me. My thanks to all who have made our Vacation Bible School such a success.

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Vacation Bible School at St. Antony's

This week is Vacation Bible School at our parish. Each morning thirty kids tumble out of their parents' cars into our church building which has been transformed into a church for kids.

Everything is oriented to helping the kids learn about Jesus. "Jesus is our friend," is the the theme for our program, from John 15:13-14a:
¹⁴"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends..."

Peter Stockwell, our director, has done a marvelous job of gathering a team to help with this program. It seems like half the parish is helping with teaching, crafts, games, snacks, music, skits, and generally corralling a small herd of excited children. There must be a special reward in heaven for Vacation Bible School directors!

It's wonderful to see our parish pull this off. The children are being formed in the Christian faith, and they're being prepared for a life of faith. Not all of them are members of our parish...in fact, very few are. But we're giving them the basis for their life with God, and I'm sure this week will have lasting impact.

"Go and make disciples," Jesus said. We're doing that.

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Old clowns never die...do they?

From www.flickr.com

This morning I got a call that Walt died. I only got a chance to meet Walt twice, when I visited his and Kaye's home. In his eighties and bent over with crippling ailments, Walt was plagued with pain. But his sense of humor was still dry as driftwood.

Walt was an aeronautical electronics wizard during the cold war. He owned a company with branches all over the world, and he and Kaye were globe trotters as he checked up on his technicians. He lived an amazing life.

In addition, Walt was a clown for the Shriners. Kaye described one clown outfit like this: ballooning silk trousers, golden slippers with toes that curled all the way back, a gaudy vest with a naked torso and a bright gemstone in his bellybutton! A favorite stunt was to walk in the parade with a piece of carpet, stopping occasionally to lay it down, sweep around it, and then gleefully sweep the dirt under the carpet.

Walt and Kaye were comedians to themselves to ease the pain of old age. Their banter was wry and self effacing, and I think they kept themselves going by poking fun at their creaking predicament. As a couple, they were unique. May God receive Walt into his arms of mercy.

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Hydroplane racing in Silverdale

Yesterday I went to the Port of Silverdale to watch the final race of the Silverdale Thunder hydroplane races. The photo above is from the Kitsap Sun article in this morning's paper about the race.

Thinking theologically, where is God in hydroplane racing? I'm not sure, but I'll offer some thoughts.

Hydroplane racing is a lot like stock car racing. It's noisy, thrilling, and dangerous. The boats go so fast that they literally become airborne, fluttering and bouncing over the surface of the water, barely in control. One boat even flipped. Yesterday's winner averaged over 94 miles an hour.

There was a good crowd of various ages at the waterfront park, and I would say it was similar to the crowd at a stock car race. Beer gardens seemed to be the most popular vendors.

The race was somewhat confusing to watch, even with an announcer giving a relentless moment-by-moment account of the action. The boats leave the dock several minutes before the start of the race, and they throttle around the buoys jockeying for position. At the appointed time, they begin racing in earnest, throwing up great sprays of water as they skitter around the curves and barrel down the straightaways.

The winner was a woman, 20-year-old Kayleigh Perkins of Issaquah. Even in traditional male venues like hydroplane racing, women have shown their determination to succeed.

Hydroplane boats are fueled by enormous engines using high-test fuel. Blown engines and high fuel bills are just part of the business. The sponsors of the boats tend to be hard-working blue-collar firms (think Graham Trucking).

So...speed, power, danger, noise, and consumption. It's a cultural phenomenon that came out of the late twentieth century. But as petroleum costs continue to escalate and we begin to value quietness, efficiency, and a smaller carbon footprint (or wake), I wonder what the future of hydroplane racing will be?

After all the fuss is over, I'll put my kayak in the water at the same dock the hydroplanes used. But I'll navigate the waters silently, under human power.

The opposite of faith

Found at www.flickr.com

What is the opposite of faith? Normally we think it would be doubt. If faith is about believing something in your mind, then the opposite would be not believing, or doubting.

But the Gospel lesson for Sunday seems to say that the opposite of faith is fear. Peter asks Jesus to command him to walk on the water. Jesus says, "Come."

Then, it says, "Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"

It was Peter's fear that made him sink. As long as he walked in faith, he could do anything. But when he became frightened, he began to sink.

When we have faith in God, we have no fear because we know we're doing God's will. Whatever should happen to us will be of no consequence as long as we're being faithful to God. Faith is trust in God. We trust God to take care of us. And when we trust God, God can use us for his purposes.

The problem is that it's very hard to trust God for all our needs. We want to be in control, and as soon as we're in control, we're trusting ourselves instead of God. Then we fall through the waves of fear.

I would like to live in complete trust, but I always find myself falling back and trying to be in control again. It's not so easy living in faith!

Stepping out in faith

From www.flickr.com

In the Gospel lesson for Sunday, Jesus came walking across the sea to the disciples who were struggling in the boat. When Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, he asked Jesus to command him to step out of the boat and walk on the water. What a risk!

I've always thought Peter was being foolish by asking this. Why not stay safely in the boat? But good old impulsive Peter just had to try walking on water. He took a risk to be with Jesus.

Sometimes it's good to take a risk. Often we become paralyzed because we fail to take a risk, and we lose the opportunity to step out in faith.

Last March, Katy and I agreed we would move to Silverdale and put our house in Florence up for sale, hoping it would sell at a decent price. It's still on the market. We took a risk that it would work out OK, and we stepped out in faith. I hope our house sells soon!

Peter's audacity is a good example for me. Sometimes you just have to step out of the boat in faith. The good news is that God will catch you if you fall.

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A prophet in crisis

In the Old Testament lesson for next Sunday, Elijah is a prophet in crisis. He has run away from everything because he feels persecuted and unappreciated. He has found shelter in a cave and now he's sulking.

God speaks to him in the cave. He says, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"

Elijah pouts, "Everyone is out to get me. It's all your fault that I'm so miserable."

God tells him to go out and stand on the mountain, because he is going to pass by. Elijah doesn't go out. He's pouting. So God sends a great wind, so great that it hurls boulders off the mountain. No response from Elijah. Then God shakes the earth with a great earthquake. No response. Then God sends a fire that rages over the mountain. Still Elijah sulks. He's not coming out.

Then God sends a silence. This silence is so deep and so profound that even Elijah knows that it is God. He comes out.

God says a second time, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"

And Elijah says the same thing, word for word, that he said the first time. But this time it sounds silly and unconvincing. "Everyone is out to get me."

God says to Elijah, "I'm taking all the responsibility off you. Go now, run away from this place and give the mantle of responsibility to Elishah and Jehu and Hazael. You're free now. I take this burden from you."

And starting on this day, Elijah becomes a man of utter peace, beyond all suffering and all strife. Even when he dies, he is taken up to heaven in a chariot because death can't get hold of him.

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The Pirates of Penzance at CSTOCK

Last night Katy and I went to see the Pirates of Penzance at our local community theatre, CSTOCK. The performers were all youth from this area, and what talent they have! The singing was strong and precise, the acting was marvelously farcical, and the choreography was effortlessly graceful.

We saw several parishioners in the audience, and they told us how kids from all over Kitsap County come here to be in these productions. The hard work and dedication of these kids clearly showed, and I would guess that the directors must love their work and these kids. All together it was an excellent performance, filled with zest and joy.

The wonderful thing about community theatre is it's realness. These are our local kids, and the performance is live and right in front of us. It's so direct and real. We loved the expressions on the kids faces, especially the youngest performers.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:11)

When we stood for the standing ovation at the end of the performance, we saw real joy. Surely Jesus would love this.

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The meaning of the Barn Sale

Today is the first day of our annual Barn Sale. Many hours have been spent in preparation for this yearly rummage extravaganza, and the effort is paying off. The parking lot is full of vehicles of people who have come to poke through the tables of carefully priced merchandise.

What I'm wondering is, "What's the theological significance of the Barn Sale?" Or, to put it another way, "Where is God in all this?" Here are my ideas:

1. Healing the world. The profits from the Barn Sale will go to our Outreach Fund which distributes money to non-profit organizations that help people.

2. Evangelism. There are people driving into our parking lot who may return. Just finding out where we may be the beginning of someone's renewed faith journey. The Barn Sale is a big part of our community awareness.

3. Fellowship. Preparing for an event like this and pulling it off takes an immense amount of teamwork, and when everyone pulls together, it bonds people together.

4. Stewardship of the planet. By recycling used goods, we reduce the amount of waste that goes into the landfills and we reduce the amount of resources and energy used to make new goods.

The mission of our church is "to be one people of God who gather in worship and go forth to proclaim the Gospel and serve the world." In our own way, we're proclaiming the Gospel and serving the world through the Barn Sale.

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