The Monday Funnies

How about a few jokes to start the week from our pal Patrick Hill. And the photo of the sign came from Bill Bergen. Enjoy the Monday Funnies. . .

* * *

The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.

"Well, Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. "I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon."

"How come He doesn't do it?" she asked.

* * *

At a mass where a group of young ladies were to take their final vows to become nuns, the presiding bishop noticed two men in rabbinical garb enter the church. They found seats at the back of the sanctuary on the right side of the center aisle.

The bishop wondered why they had come but didn't have time to inquire before the mass began. But when it came time for the announcements, his curiosity got the best of him.

He announced, "I am delighted to see two rabbis in our midst at this very special mass where these young ladies are to become the 'brides of Christ'. But I'm curious: why did you choose to be present at this occasion?"

The elder rabbi slowly rose to his feet and announced, "Family of the Groom."

* * *

Story goes that Bishop Phillips Brooks was with a wealthy parishioner telling proudly about his planned trip to the Holy Land. He spoke in glowing terms about how he would climb Mount Sinai, just as Moses did, and standing atop the mountain, recite the Ten Commandments.

The bishop replied, "You'd be better off if you stay at home and keep them."

Pastoral Care Sunday: Please join us for an extraordinary day

This Sunday we are celebrating our pastoral care ministries. The Rev. Dr. Ann Willms, our associate rector for pastoral care, will be preaching. We are also hosting a very special ministry fare highlighting our pastoral care ministries and the many resources in our community for the health of body, mind and soul. Do please come.

During the 10 am service, we will also be blessing the prayer shawls created by members of our congregation. The shawls are given to people who are ill or in need in some way.

We will also be offering prayers for healing in the chapel during Communion at the 10 am service. After the service, we have a guest speaker, Suzanne Smith, the chaplain at Martha Jefferson Hospital.

Earlier at 9 am (between our two morning services) I will be hosting a rector's forum. I will be happy to take any questions about anything including our recent staff changes, our finances, or just how Lori and I are doing two years into this adventure in Charlottesville. Please come.

In recent days I have been particularly struck by how God provides so abundantly for this parish by continually sending us gifted people and all of the resources we need to do so much to bring healing, reconciliation and wholeness to the people who walk in our doors and beyond our walls. Please come celebrate Sunday!

Acorns and oaks

It's been awhile since I've posted something from Mary Oliver. With all that is going on around us -- so many changes, so many ups and downs -- today let's take the long view, through the eyes of a great poet. This is a gift from our friend Karen in Tennessee:

Fletcher Oak

By Mary Oliver

There is a tree here so beautiful it even has a name. Every morning, when it is still dark, I stand under its branches. They flow from the thick and silent trunk. One can’t begin to imagine their weight. Year after year they reach, they send out smaller and smaller branches, and bunches of flat green leaves, to touch the light.

Of course this has consequences. Every year the oak tree fills with fruit. Just now, since it is September, the acorns are starting to fall.

I don’t know if I will ever write another poem. I don’t know if I am going to live for a long time yet, or even for a while.

But I am going to spend my life wisely. I’m going to be happy, and frivolous, and useful. Every morning, in the dark, I gather a few acorns and imagine, inside of them, the pale oak trees. In the spring, when I go away, I’ll take them with me, to my own country, which is a land of sun and restless ocean and moist woods. And I’ll dig down, I’ll hide each acorn in a cool place in the black earth.

To rise like a slow and beautiful poem. To live a long time.

Photo by Gordon Osmundson, 1999.

The Feast of the Ascension

"Through the ascension of Jesus Christ humanity is in heaven, wounded humanity, because Jesus bore the scars of his crucifixion into glory."

-- The Rev. Canon Rosalind Brown, Canon Residentiary, Durham Cathedral

Come join us in the Chapel at 7 pm as we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, one of the most ancient traditions of the Church.

Church politics across the Atlantic: Beneath the surface

I have not commented recently on church politics, mostly because there isn't much new to say and the topic is tedious. And I've said this before: church politics is like tectonic plates under the earth. The movement is beneath the surface where it can't be seen, and the tension builds, eventually resulting in an earthquake. We feel the earthquakes, but don't see what is beneath the surface.

There is considerable movement beneath the surface in the Church of England these days, with a great deal of angst, tension, and controversy over the idea that a woman (!) might be ordained a bishop. In the Episcopal Church, we crossed that river two decades ago, but for the mother church this is still a Rubicon yet to be crossed. Adding to the tension, the Vatican has been making moves to attract CofE priests to the Roman fold.

If Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams seems a bit distracted these days, he has good reason. Some commentators believe 1,000 priests will depart his church if a woman is ordained a bishop.

Of course, these events affect more than his small not-so-merry church in England; it will have unforeseen repercussions throughout the Anglican Communion of which we are a part. It always seems to work that way.

That said, the far bigger crisis by far is in the Roman Catholic Church, not the Anglican Communion.

I came across this commentary by Colin See in U.K. Guardian the other day, and I commend it to you. It is reasonable, avoids hyperventilation, and sets things in factual context:

A Haven from Crisis: Disillusioned Catholics can find solace in a church that combines tradition and modernity
By Colin See

Twenty-five years ago I had an engaging conversation with Cardinal Hume in which I asked if the Roman Catholic church would ordain married men or single women first. His reply was unequivocal: "Single women." When I expressed surprise, he pointed to the outstanding women in Roman Catholic religious orders and said: "And we can't afford a married priesthood. The Church of England pays you a stipend on which a family can live, we pay pocket money; it houses you, we would have to convert every presbytery into a family home – it would bankrupt us." He was commendably honest and pragmatic, avoiding indefensible doctrine.

Last year seven men were ordained priest in the Roman Catholic church in the UK: there were 574 ordained in the CofE (of whom 274 were women). There is a crisis looming for the Vatican and they just don't get it: the priesthood is ageing and diminishing, something must be done or the church will implode.

To read the full commentary, click HERE.

Photo of the Bell Harry Tower at Canterbury Cathedral, taken during our 2003 pilgrimage.

Our culture of sports violence: What hath we wrought?

When I was in high school many years ago, there were two kinds of kids my age: the "jocks" and everyone else. People like me tended to avoid the jocks because, to be honest, many of them were vicious bullies who took great delight in slamming you into a hallway locker when you weren't looking.

There were exceptions, and I even had a few friends who were athletes, including one of our star football players (he committed suicide the year after we graduated; I've always suspected he was gay and that had something to do with it). For the most part, though, I avoided the jocks as best I could.

I bring this up in the context of the death of Yeardley Love, a 22-year-old student athlete who was brutally murdered last week, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend who was also a student athlete. The University of Virginia is a very tight-knit community, and most of my parishioners are connected to the University. So my people are still reeling, still in shock.

Previously I have commented in this space that the culture of alcohol abuse at UVa needs to be closely examined by officials, alumni and all of us. I've heard comments in recent days from people (not in this parish), who ought to know better, saying "it isn't as bad as elsewhere." That seems quite beside the point. It is bad here. It needs to change.

But something else needs to be examined -- the culture of sports in America and how some male athletes (not all of them) have an attitude that rules don't apply to them, that violence is an acceptable form of solving problems, and that using and abusing women is normal. I hope university, college and high school officials across our country will take a deep look at this aggressive culture and do whatever it takes to change it. I pray that Yeardley Love will be the last to die this way.

The Washington Post had a superb commentary by Sally Jenkins the other day on this topic, and I commend it to you today:

George Huguely, Ben Roethlisberger, Lawrence Taylor: Male athletes encouraged to do the wrong thing

By Sally Jenkins
Saturday, May 8, 2010
George Huguely is said to have been a vicious drunk who menaced Yeardley Love, yet there has been no indication that any of his teammates said anything to police. Ben Roethlisberger seems to be a serial insulter of women, whose behavior is shielded by the off-duty cops he employs. And if the charges are true, Lawrence Taylor ignored the bruises on a 16-year-old girl's face as he had sex with her, never thinking to ask who beat her.

It's a bad stretch for women in the sports pages. After reading the news accounts and police reports, it's reasonable to ask: Should women fear athletes? Is there something in our sports culture that condones these assaults? It's a difficult, even upsetting question, because it risks demonizing scores of decent, guiltless men. But we've got to ask it, because something is going on here -- there's a disturbing association, and surely we're just as obliged to address it as we are concussions.

To read the full commentary, click HERE.

Photo of vigil for Yeardley Love at the University of Virginia, New York Daily News.

The Monday Funnies

We all could use a few laughs this week, I am sure. Here is one that's been floating around awhile -- things kids say in church. Welcome to the Monday Funnies...

KIDS IN CHURCH

3-year-old Reese : "Our Father, Who does art in heaven, Harold is His name.
Amen."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little boy was overheard praying: "Lord, if you can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it. I'm having a real good time like I am."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After the christening of his baby brother in church, Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car. His father asked him three times what was wrong. Finally, the boy replied, "That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home, and I wanted to stay with you guys."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One particular four-year-old prayed, "And forgive us our trash baskets
as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Sunday school teacher asked her children as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?"

One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, He would say,
'Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.' "

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan , you be Jesus!"

We who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life

I am preaching today only at the 8 am service. Please join us at 10 am and 5:30 pm to celebrate the ministry of The Rev. Neal Halvorson-Taylor and hear him preach.

My sermon at 8 am is based on John 14:23-29:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you… Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

I don’t know how many of you are familiar with Compline. It is one of the treasures of our prayer book, and you will find it beginning on page 127 [Online by clicking HERE].

The reason you many not know of it is Compline is a short service of prayers for late in the evening, and because we don’t usually have church services here late in the evening, we don’t usually conduct Compline.

The reason I bring this up is there is a particular prayer in Compline that has really tugged at me the last few days. And although it is now morning, I want to read it to you. You will find it on page 133:

“Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Lately this parish and this community have been buffeted by all sorts of changes and chances of this life. Some of these changes are relatively small. But even the small changes can feel like a tipping point – the proverbial “last straw” – when all the changes come all at once.

Other changes are quite large: A number of our parishioners are facing serious illnesses including some of you; we’ve had a wave of funerals and memorial services including three in the last two days.

As you are certainly aware by now, a University student – Yeardley Love – age 22 – was murdered this past week allegedly at hands of her ex-boyfriend, another student.

Her death is truly shocking on many levels, and raises serious questions about student life at Uva, including alcohol abuse and violence against women students. University officials will surely confront these questions in the days ahead.

On another level, Yeardley Love’s death strikes very close to home in this parish.

Her sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta, meets here in our parish hall on Monday evenings, and I cannot quite get out of my mind that I probably walked right past her on many occasions as she and her sisters were going in or out of our building.

So I am also particularly proud and thankful that our Associate Rector, Ann, reached out to Yeardley’s sorority sisters this week, and she has been a rock of strength for them the last few days.

We opened our doors to these young university women so they could have a simple and private prayer service for Yeardley Friday evening.

That is what church should be about, exactly what this church should be about. That is exactly why we were founded.

Amidst all this, I don’t have any great words of wisdom about why someone so young, with so much life ahead of her, would be taken from us. I have no great words of wisdom about why her ex-boyfriend, someone with so much life ahead of him, would be filled with such rage that he would do something such as this.

To say that we live in a broken world is true, but not quite satisfying. To say that God cries with us is also true, but sometimes it is hard to feel.

And as much as we would like to ask God to please stop all the changes and chances of this life, we can’t, and God won’t. We may as well stop breathing.

Into this comes this spectacular promise from Jesus to stay with us as Holy Spirit, to fill each of us with love and grace, peace and rest, and to be faithful to us especially in our moments of darkness and pain. We hear of it in today’s gospel lesson from John:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you,” he tells us. “Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

Each of us can experience this gift of the Holy Spirit, and this gift comes to us in a way that will find us where we dwell, will speak to us in our own language, and will make sense to us in ways that only we understand as an individual who is beloved of God, who knows each of us by name.

Maybe we will understand this Holy Spirit in a traditional way right out of the prayer book, or maybe the Holy Spirit will be someone, or something else entirely who makes sense only to you.

Yet sometimes we don’t feel it. Sometimes we need to stop, close our eyes, and sit in silence to feel this sacred Spirit.

Other times, we can feel this sacred presence when we gather together to support each other, to hold each other up, to pray together, or to laugh or cry together. I am certain the Holy Spirit was with Yeardley’s sorority sisters and her family and her friends this week even if they might not have felt it.

I am certain the Holy Spirit is with those in our congregation who are sick or hurting, or bewildered or grieving right now. By worshipping together, we can feel the Holy Spirit more strongly. And when I don’t feel it, maybe you will feel it for me.

My hope for each of us today is that we will take the time to see and listen for the holy, to watch and wait for the sacred, and bring all who we are, and all we long to be, into the prayer of our daily life; and that we will set aside our fear and worry, and will place our trust in the life-giving Holy Spirit who is right here with us.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you… Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

AMEN

Art by Chiura Obata (1885-1975)

St. Paul's mentioned in The Virginia Episcopalian newspaper

You may not have seen this: The May issue of The Virginia Episcopalian had a very splendid article about the visit of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori at St. Paul's for our centennial celebration in January. The photo that goes with it, by Bonny Bronson, shows soon-to-be seminarian Matthew Lukens on left and Deacon Heather Warren on right, flanking Bishop Katharine. You can read the issue by clicking HERE (we are on p. 3), and here is the article:

An Honored Guest at St. Paul’s Memorial

WBy Emily Cherry

When St. Paul’s Memorial, Charlottesville celebrated their centennial earlier this year, they did so with a very special guest. After preaching and presiding at the investiture of the Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, XIII bishop of Virginia, on January 29, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, traveled to Charlottesville for a three-day visit with the parish.

Spending time with youth and young adults was an important part of Bishop Jefferts Schori’s trip. The presiding bishop spent a half- hour in conversation with students from the University of Virginia’s Canterbury Fellowship, and joined youth from St. Paul’s Memorial and other churches in an evening of fellowship and discussion.

Saturday evening featured a celebratory banquet, with over 200 making their way through a major snow storm for a place at the table. Guests enjoyed a documentary about the history of St. Paul’s Memorial, and Bishop Jefferts Schori addressed the crowd about living out mission as witnesses of God’s reconciling love, focusing on interconnectivity with the community and the greater Episcopal Church.

Sunday morning was a chance for all to join in Eucharist with the presiding bishop, who preached on the power of prophets. “Prophetic work is part of our baptismal vocation,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori. “The ability to tell those hard truths has something to do with courage, and a deep connectedness to God and all of God’s creation.”

The Rev. Jim Richardson, rector of St. Paul’s Memorial, wrote in his blog, “In the three days we enjoyed with her, I was much struck by how she absorbed the best that is St. Paul’s, and the greatness of this congregation when we are fulfilling our mandate to build God’s kingdom on earth. She synthesized who we are and who we can be.” t

Waving goodbye

We've had quite a bit of loss lately in our community and in our parish (we have three memorial services this weekend and, sadly, almost certainly more in the next few weeks).

Our friend Karen from Tennessee sent this poem the other day, and it speaks to me. I pass it along to you today...

Waving Goodbye

By Wesley McNair

Why, when we say goodbye
at the end of an evening, do we deny
we are saying it at all, as in We'll
be seeing you, or I'll call, or Stop in,
somebody's always at home? Meanwhile, our friends,
telling us the same things, go on disappearing
beyond the porch light into the space
which except for a moment here or there
is always between us, no matter what we do.
Waving goodbye, of course, is what happens
when the space gets too large
for words – a gesture so innocent
and lonely, it could make a person weep
for days. Think of the hundreds of unknown
voyagers in the old, fluttering newsreel
patting and stroking the growing distance
between their nameless ship and the port
they are leaving, as if to promise I'll always
remember, and just as urgently, Always
remember me. It is loneliness, too,
that makes the neighbor down the road lift
two fingers up from his steering wheel as he passes
day after day on his way to work in the hello
that turns into goodbye? What can our own raised
fingers to for him, locked in his masculine
purposes and speeding away inside the glass?
How can our waving wipe away the reflex
so deep in the woman next door to smile
and wave on her way into her house with the mail,
we'll never know if she is happy
or sad or lost? It can't. Yet in that moment
before she and all the others and we ourselves
turn back to our disparate lives, how
extraordinary it is that we make this small flag
with our hands to show the closeness we wish for
in spite of what pulls us apart again
and again: the porch light snapping off,
the car picking its way down the road through the dark.

The murder of a student

By any measure, Yeardley Love, 22, was a star student at the University of Virginia. She was on the women's lacrosse team, and she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, just up the street from St. Paul's and which has its regular chapter meeting every Monday evening in our parish hall. So it is particularly sickening to our parish community to learn that she was found dead Monday, murdered allegedly at the hands of another student, her ex-boyfriend, who kicked in her door and repeatedly banged her head against the wall (read the story HERE).

There is much that needs to be said, and many questions that need to be asked about student life at UVa. Her ex-boyfriend had a history of violence and alcohol abuse. He had been tasered by a woman police officer in 2008 after threatening the officer. (you can read a story about that by clicking HERE). He had two other alcohol-related arrests as a minor. Alcohol may have been involved in his rage against his ex-girlfriend. How is it that he was still a student?

I have mentioned this before on this blog, and I will say it again: The University of Virginia has an out-of-control culture of alcohol that is dangerous to this community and the students who live here. Drinking is celebrated, and alcohol-poisoned students are regularly taken to the ER at the medical center. I wrote about this last September (you can read that by clicking HERE). I brought this up last fall at a meeting with University officials, who acknowledge the problem but seem to be out of ideas on what to do about it.

I also hear regular rumors that violence against women students is common. Drinking and violence are often related.

The University of Virginia will soon have a new president, Teresa Sullivan. I am confident that she will examine all of the unpleasant facts about student life that need to be faced, and take whatever measures need to be taken to protect the lives of students and this community.

It is too easy to get cheap beer near the grounds. The convenience store a half-block from St. Paul's sells suitcase size cases of beer. This is a public university, and in the very least, the General Assembly should pass a law banning off-site sales within two miles of the university. Other states have done that. Why not Virginia?

For now, I ask your prayers for Yeardley's friends and family, for the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, and for all those in our community who are in deep shock over this terrible tragedy. Our clergy staff is reaching out to students and especially to Yeardley's sorority sisters, and our doors are open for prayers and tears.

Our youth: This I believe

This past Sunday we celebrated our youth -- and the ministry of The Rev. Janet Legro. Our church rocked. I am so incredibly proud of our teens and their leaders, and I am especially grateful to Jonathan Schyner for organizing the worship and all he has given to our young people, and to Janet for her leadership and hard work. She is stepping down at the end of the school year but will stay among us to share her inspiration, energy and wisdom.

For the sermon on Sunday, our youth shared with us statements of faith that they wrote this past year. I am sharing all of these statements with you, and I hope you will take the time to read them. Maybe these will inspire you to write your own?

Sam Campbell

I believe in the goodness of mankind.

I believe that God is present in all people, whether they believe in Him or not.

I believe in the ability and desire of people to do the right thing, given the chance.

I believe in the possibility of world peace.

I believe that God has His greatest presence in the untouched beauty of nature.

I believe that everything created by God is holy. This I believe.

Joy Carveth

I Believe God is a spirit that guides us, noticed and unnoticed, praised and not praised - a shadow in our life.

I believe we are all God’s children and no matter what sins we bear, we are always pure in his eyes.

God is described in scripture, but is unique to each individual.

He helps us in different ways and we show our faith in different ways, but through God we are connected.

This I believe.

Katherine Buckner

I believe in the energy and light that comes from the sun, that warms the skin and puts a smile on my face; the sun, which brings a new season and a promise of long days and happy memories. Much like the light from the sun I believe in the love from God.

Walking outside in the sunlight brings feelings of joy and when eyes and hearts are opened, God's love can be felt. I believe that we can go through life taking things for granted until God's love sparks in one person and spreads to others. Love is what binds us altogether and is the source of unity between all people.

I believe that two of the greatest feelings are giving love and receiving it. Spreading love and lending a hand are what makes the world turn round. I believe in making goals and having the will power and faith to achieve them. With faith, one has the ability to give love and share light and happiness.

This I believe.

Willis Bocock

I believe that in life, everyone deserves a second chance. Nobody is perfect, and so everybody makes countless mistakes as they live each day. Not one person on the planet can escape the fact that mistakes are always made, and so because of this, everybody has the right to a second chance. On the other hand, nobody has the right to deny another person a second chance either, or else take away their own right to another chance.

In Christianity, Jesus teaches everybody to give second chances. A story of this is when Peter denied Jesus 3 times, Jesus still made Peter a head of a church, which really confused Peter. Peter didn’t think Jesus would want him but Jesus was giving him another chance. It is important to learn from Jesus and see the good in people and always help them by giving them another go at it even if they don’t believe in it.
This is especially important for young children who learn by example. Children who are not given second chances will not learn to expect them and so might become discouraged and pressured. Because of this, we should all give everyone another chance who needs one. This I believe.

Johnny Little

I believe in one loving God, who created heaven and earth. God sacrificed his only son Jesus for our salvation. We are redeemed from our sins because Jesus bore our sins on the cross. God could justly send everyone to hell but instead He saves people who have put their faith in Him.

I believe in the perfect bliss of heaven and the love and care God has put into sculpting our bodies. I believe God will unite all things in Him in heaven and on earth. I believe all communities and denominations of Christianity to be one and that they worship and glorify God. When we are judged and God asks, “Why should you go to heaven?” one should say, “I do not deserve to go to heaven, but because my faith is in Christ I am saved.”

In the beginning, God and man were together but when sin entered the world, they were separated. As God loved the world, He sent His only son, Jesus, to bring God and man together again. Thus Jesus says: “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” This I believe.

Christine Bushrow

I believe in the power of love. The love of family, the love of friends, the love of a significant other, the love of an activity, the love of food, the love of anything! I believe that the power of love really makes a difference in our every day lives. If you are feeling sad and your love for someone or something surrounds you, it makes you feel better.

Without love, the world would be a very sad, lonely and dark place to live. Love brightens our days and makes us excited to wake up in the morning. When you are doing something you love people can always see a lovely glow surrounding you which is beautiful no matter what. Also, when you are in love or surrounded by people you love, you also have a spectacular glow. I think the whole world needs to experience the feeling of love, whether they have love for another person/people, or an activity. This I believe.

Maddie Legro

I believe that God is a spirit that moves throughout the whole world and is available to all people without exception.

I believe in people.

When it’s hard to find faith in any other aspect of my life, I turn to the people I love for support.

The gospel reading for today said “God’s home is among mortals” and truly, the only way we can find faith is through each other.

I believe that we find God in the places that we are happiest, and that God is a sense, and not knowledge.

We can imagine and experience God, but we can’t define God.

We can only continue to search and grow and be open.

This I believe.

Wesley Conner

I believe that God gave us all, every last soul on Earth, a power beyond anything imaginable. I believe that He gave us the ability to forgive.

I believe that we have mouths to say “I’m sorry”. I believe we have ears to receive apologies. I believe we have eyes to see pity. I believe we have fingers to comfort the sad in spirit. I believe we have hearts to witness love.

I believe, like Jesus, that we set examples of ourselves everyday to show others the ease of love and the power of second chances. I believe God will lead us hand and hand in our journey.

This I believe.

The Monday Funnies

It's another work week, church fans, and what better way to start your week than with a few lame jokes, gifts from our buddy, Patrick Hill. And I pass along a photo of Pat with NorCal Bishop Barry Beisner. Pat captioned the photo on his Facebook: "Bishop Barry Beisner listens to Patrick's confession."

Enjoy your Monday...

* * *

During a service at an old synagogue in Eastern Europe, when the Shema
prayer was said, half the congregants stood up and half remained
seated.

The half that was seated started yelling at those standing to sit
down, and the ones standing yelled at the ones sitting to stand up.

The rabbi, learned as he was in the Law and Commentaries, didn't know
what to do.

His congregation suggested that consult a house-bound 98-year-old man,
who was one of the original founders of their temple.

The rabbi hoped the elderly man would be able to tell him what the actual
temple tradition was, so he went to the nursing home with a representative
of each faction of the congregation.

The one whose followers stood during Shema said to the old man, "Is the
tradition to stand during this prayer?"

The old man answered, "No, that is not the tradition."

The one whose followers sat asked, "Is the tradition to sit during Shema?"

The old man answered, "No, that is not the tradition."

Then the rabbi said to the old man, "The congregants fight all the time,
yelling at each other about whether they should sit or stand..."

The old man interrupted, exclaiming, "That is the tradition!"

* * *

Probably not everyone knows that the cave in which Jesus Christ was
entombed was not originally his. It belonged to Joseph of Arimatheaa, a
follower of Jesus who gave it over as Christ had no place of his own.

I have always wondered what Joseph's friends may have said to him about
giving his tomb to Jesus. I think it went something like this:

"That was such a beautiful, costly, hand-hewn tomb. Why did you give it
to Jesus else to be interred in? THat must have been very tough to do"

"Oh,no, not really." Joseph's may have replied, "After all, he only
needed it for the weekend."

* * *

A minister in Florida lamented that it was difficult to get his message
across to his congregation: "It's so beautiful here in the winter," he
said, "that heaven doesn't interest them. And it's so hot here in the
summer that hell doesn't scare them."

Photos from the Parish Tea

Last Sunday, Lori and I hosted our first-ever Parish Tea.

We invited the parish to an open house, and a good 75 people came. Thanks to a large work crew, headed by Tara Little, Maggie Bourgeois, and Lila Lassetter, the event was a wonderful success. I even got a cup of tea.

Our house has never looked finer.

Here are some photos taken by Dudley Rochester.

Thanks to one-and-all!

Road trip

Lori and I are on the road this week, touring the South. We went to Orlando, and then we've been working our way back up toward Virginia, with stops in Savannah and Charleston. The drive is tedious, but these two historic cities are fascinating. We spent the afternoon in Savannah, and took a tour that only made me want to go back.

I will be back in time for Youth Sunday this weekend, and do please come celebrate our youth and the ministry of The Rev. Janet Legro who is stepping down at the end of May. See you soon!

Staff changes at St. Paul's

I have written a letter to the parish this week, and I am sharing it with you here:

Dear members and friends of St. Paul’s,

I am writing to update you on the staffing changes here at St. Paul’s Memorial Church. This is a long letter, and I hope you will take the time to read it carefully.

When I was called as the Rector of St. Paul’s nearly two years ago, I felt the staff needed sufficient time to discern their individual callings during the transition to new leadership. It was my belief that each individual who works here needed a time of deliberate discernment before decisions were made about their continuing on the staff.

I feel very grateful and personally blessed that all of the staff decided to continue for the first year of my ministry among you. The Rev. David McIlhiney chose to retire last summer after 40 years of ordained ministry. Dr. Don Loach retired at the beginning after 37 years as music director. Parish Secretary Betsy Kennan also decided to retire after 19 years of service. We are blessed that she is now volunteering in the office one day a week.

Others have stayed, including John Reid and Tony Potter, our parish administrators; Debbie Little, our financial secretary; Iris Potter, our children and family ministry director; and Albrecht von Gaudecker, our organist. I am delighted that each feels called to continue in their respective ministries.

Recently, our youth leader, The Rev. Janet Legro, decided to step down at the end of this school year. We plan to thank her for her ministry this Sunday as part of our Youth Sunday celebration. After Janet’s announcement, in consultation with the Vestry, I made a difficult decision to bring more cohesion to our mutual ministry. In recent years, St. Paul’s has been ably served by two part-time associate rectors: Janet, who works primarily with youth, and The Rev. Neal Halvorson-Taylor, who works primarily with undergraduate University students. Both work on an academic year calendar, and under the terms of their employment agreements, neither was available during Christmas or other holidays, or in the summer. St. Paul’s is a large parish with year-round needs. In consultation with our Vestry, I decided to merge the two part-time associate rector positions into a single full-time position. This model was used effectively at St. Paul’s several years ago, and I believe it will meet the needs of our burgeoning parish.

By merging these two positions, a new full-time, year-round associate rector will have primary responsibility for youth and university ministry. Each of these ministries is distinct and demanding, but by merging these responsibilities into a single position it is my expectation that a full-time associate rector will grow and strengthen each of these ministries.

I have had several conversations with Neal about this full-time position. As Neal described in a letter to you earlier this week, he does not feel called to the position as it is now envisioned and will resign at the end of the academic year. I respect his decision, and I am very grateful to Neal for his many contributions to the life of our parish including the community garden, his leadership with the Canterbury student ministry, and our Sunday evening worship. He has blessed us with many gifts and much inspiration, and I hope you will demonstrate your thanks to him at a reception on May 9 following the 10 am service.

Here is how we will move forward: I have received many applicants for this new associate rector position. Several of our parish leaders are assisting me in evaluating the applicants. With the concurrence of the Vestry, I plan to call a new associate rector by the end of May, and have the new associate in place in Charlottesville this summer. Last year, we called The Rev. Dr. Ann Willms as associate rector for pastoral care. She has quickly become a vital presence among us, and her ministry continues to expand as she explores avenues of need in our parish life. I hope that our next new associate rector will bring the same kind of positive energy to this new position.

A few words about other important staff changes. Earlier this year I appointed a search committee, chaired by Bruce Carveth, to seek a new music director. I plan to follow the recommendation of the music director search committee, and will make an appointment when the search committee feels ready to recommend.

I have also made a difficult decision about our office staff. Because of budget constraints, it was necessary to lay-off our part-time receptionist earlier this year, leaving us short-handed during the week, particularly with answering phone calls and greeting visitors and guests. I have asked Jacqueline Gergen to organize a group of office volunteers during weekday business hours. If you are interested, please contact her at 434.972.2406.

Finally, a few words about the membership and financial health of our parish: I am pleased to tell you that we reported to the diocese an increase in membership of 17 members to 1,705 in 2009. Our average Sunday attendance held relatively steady at 382. Those figures reflect a healthy parish at a time when all mainline denominations (including ours) are reporting sharp membership declines. That said, our financial pledges for 2010 are $15,000 lower than in 2009, at $655,000. The average pledge is $2,090, slightly higher than the previous year but coming from fewer pledging units. These figures reflect several trends, including a reliance on a relatively small number of large pledges (and we lost several significant pledges in 2009 due to deaths). Our financial health would be greatly strengthened by broadening our base to include a larger number of pledges.

At our Vestry retreat earlier this year, our parish leaders adopted an annual budget that reflects three basic priorities: our financial commitment to outreach and social justice in the community; strengthening our pastoral and worship ministry within the parish and the University community; and maintenance of the tools of our ministry – our buildings and grounds. We also pledged to live within our means by adopting a budget that did not depend on using unrestricted reserve funds. To do so, we chose to cut our office support staff. Our budget places its primary focus on ministry. I am happy to talk with you individually about these changes, and I will answer questions at a forum on May 30 at 11:30 am.

Finally, let me say again what a joy it is to be your Rector, and to be a part of this amazing faith community. While this letter has been focused on the staff, truthfully 90 percent of our ministry occurs each day through the faithful dedication of volunteers like you. We have vibrant worship and effective outreach in the community through PACEM, IMPACT, and AIM (to name three) because of you. Our children are educated because of you. Teens, University students, and adults of all ages deepen their faith because of you. We are a strong parish with great people who are committed to each other and to the world beyond our walls. We have much to be thankful for at St. Paul’s Memorial Church in our centennial year, and I am especially thankful to God and to you.

Yours in Christ,


The Rev. James Richardson
Rector & Chaplain

Reading your Bible less like a cookbook and more like a prayer

I've not met Barbara Crafton, but I feel like she is an old friend, probably because I hear from her every day via email (and such is the power of the internet to create community and even friendships across vast distances).

She sent this item the other day about the controversy over the invitation to a Pentagon prayer breakfast to Franklin Graham, the son and successor of evangelist Billy Graham.

Franklin Graham, as he has in the past, made some recent remarks about Islam being evil that caused the military to withdraw the invitation.

I find Barbara's comments thoughtful, and they move beyond merely reacting to Franklin Graham but to how we read the Bible as prayer:

AN UNINVITATION

Oh, dear. A prominent evangelist, the son of an even-more-prominent evangelist, has just been uninvited from a prayer breakfast at the Pentagon after it was discovered that he had made some ignorant comments about Islam, calling it "a very wicked and evil" religion. This was a problem -- there are many Muslims in our military. Some of them work at the Pentagon. He elaborated -- he thinks that observant Muslims have to kill their children if they engage in premarital sex. They are slaves to their religion, he says. You couldn't practice Islam here in America, he says, because killing adulterers is illegal here. He seems unaware that millions of Americans do practice Islam here and don't kill their children or their wayward spouses.

I know Christians who are slaves to their religion, too. Religious fundamentalism of any stripe enslaves its adherents to the past, forcing them to see all the customs of their ancestral cultures as permanent, forbidding them to do what people of faith must always do: wrestle with the world as we find it in light of what we know it to have been when the sacred texts we love were written down. All of history is held in God's hands, but fundamentalism seeks to imprison God within history, powerless to do anything besides what he did thousands of years ago. God, the elderly curator of Museum Earth. God, who conceived the universe but hasn't had a new thought since.

A Christian or a Jew who followed everything in our Holy Scriptures would be a pretty violent person, too. Adulterers would be stoned by the community. Fortunetellers would be executed. So would people who cursed their parents. Men might have multiple wives. Men would have to marry their deceased brothers' wives. Slaveholding would be acceptable. Life would be absurd.

And so we don't live that way. Nobody does -- fundamentalists may think they do, but they also interpret, elevating some scriptural values over others, choosing Jesus over Leviticus in some cases and not in others. We do live within our tradition, but we live there in our own time. We acknowledge the march of history, and the reality of change. We don't assume that everything that happened in ancient times was better than what happens now, nor do we assume the reverse. We think. And we acknowledge the possibillity that we may be wrong and have to change our minds and our behavior. This is not a modern failure of nerve or a moral defeat. It is what religious people have always done with respect to the conduct of their lives.

When the Massachusetts Bay Colony came to these shores, everyone in it assumed that the conscious experience of being saved would be a universal one in the community -- that, or you would have to leave. But something happened: the children of that community, some of them, could not produce a moment in their lives when they knew for certain that they were saved. They'd been raised in their faith: they didn't have a "prodigal son" moment, one in which they knew themselves to have been lost, but now found. The rules of the community were clear: they needed to leave.

But love won out. The elders created what they called "The Halfway Covenant:" You could stay, in anticipation of a future moment in your life which would surely come. We would depend on the nurture of the community to guide you there. We wouldn't have to give you up. Because we just couldn't do it, we loved you so.

We need to let love win out more. I suppose some of our noisier pundits will seize the opportunity for a rant about how anti-prayer-breakfasts the government is. But no -- the prayer breakfast will go on, with a different speaker. There has got to be a better reason to be a Christian than that other religions are evil and wicked -- if you can't think of one, try reading your Bible less like a cookbook and more like a prayer.

Art work from the St. John's Bible, a handwritten illuminated Bible being created by monks in Minnesota that you can view by clicking HERE.

Seeing in three dimensions

This time of year, our front porch in Charlottesville is perfect for giving us a never-ending spectacle of birds. Lori put three bird feeders on the porch, including one for humming birds. Another feeder seems to attract cardinals, while another gets the gold finches.

I am sitting in my rocking chair writing this, and the birds are fluttering back and forth to the feeders. The humming birds haven't shown up yet, but they will soon, I hope.

When I look to the trees beyond, I can see many small birds flying from branch to branch. If you take them in all at once, you can see them as a web of birds constantly in motion.

Our house is at the top of a hill, and in the waning hours of the day, we can gaze across at the tree tops and see all manner of larger birds including hawks and an eagle of two. And at dusk, a few bats swoop around gobbling up flying insects.

There is one bird I am hoping to see but haven't yet -- an owl.

In Sacramento, our house was in an urban forest, and we built a second-story deck in the backyard just so we could see what was up in the trees. In the summer, we'd sit on the deck with a glass of wine and wait for our favorite dusk visitor: the neighborhood's white owl. The owl would cruise along just above the trees, huge gray wings looking almost like a ghost. We are fairly sure the owl made its nest in the big trees of a nearby cemetery.

God's creation truly dwells in three dimensions. We who live on the ground sometimes see it only in two. We are blessed that the birds remind us to look up.

Here is a poem sent the other day by our friend Karen from Tennessee:

Little Owl Who Lives in the Orchard

by Mary Oliver

His beak could open a bottle,
and his eyes - when he lifts their soft lids -
go on reading something
just beyond your shoulder -
Blake, maybe,
or the Book of Revelation.

Never mind that he eats only
the black-smocked crickets,
and the dragonflies if they happen
to be out late over the ponds, and of course
the occasional festal mouse.
Never mind that he is only a memo
from the offices of fear -

it’s not size but surge that tells us
when we’re in touch with something real,
and when I hear him in the orchard
fluttering
down the little aliminum
ladder of his scream -
when I see his wings open, like two black ferns,

a flurry of palpitations
as cold as sleet
rackets across the marshlands
of my heart
like a wild spring day.

Somewhere in the universe,
in the gallery of important things,
the babyish owl, ruffled and rakish,
sits on its pedestal.
Dear, dark dapple of plush!
A message, reads the label,
from that mysterious conglomerate:
Oblivion and Co.
The hooked head stares
from its house of dark, feathery lace.
It could be a valentine.

The Monday Funnies

Well, we had the Parish Tea yesterday in our home. Everyone who came enjoyed it, and we served a lot of tea and various sweet and savory things on plates.

So now it is time again for the Monday Funnies. I hope your week goes well. How about a few lame jokes to start your work week, and a cartoon by Dave Walker? At the expense of church life, of course...

* * *

A little girl was in church with her mother when she started feeling
ill. "Mommy," she said, "can we leave now?"

"No" her mother replied.

"Well, I think I'm gonna be sick, Momma!"

"Then go out the front door and around to the back of the church and
then behind a bush."

After about 60 seconds the little girl returned to her seat.

"Were you sick?" her mom asked.

"Yes."

"How could you have gone all the way outside to the back of the church and
returned so quickly?"

"I didn't have to go out of the church, Mommy. They have a box next
to the front door that says, `FOR THE SICK'."

* * *

A paramedic was asked on a local TV talk-show program: "What was your
most unusual and challenging 911 call?"

"Recently we got a call from that big white church at 11th and Walnut,"
the paramedic said. "A frantic usher was very concerned that during the
sermon an elderly man passed out in a pew and appeared to be dead. The usher
could find no pulse and there was no noticeable breathing."

"What was so unusual and demanding about this particular call?" the interviewer asked.

"Well," the paramedic said, "we carried out four guys before we found the one who was dead."

* * *

An Anglican vicar, well into a lengthy sermon on the Gospel for the day,
suddenly stopped and called down to the his warden "that man's asleep."

The warden replied: "You put him to sleep; YOU wake him up."

Notes from the Other Side

I am not preaching today; we are celebrating the accomplishments of our University of Virginia students at the 10 am service, and we have two student preachers who will be in the pulpit.

Later today, Lori and I are hosting our first “Parish Tea,” a Southern tradition whereby we open our home to the parish for tea in the afternoon, followed by Evening Prayer, followed by cocktail hour.

If you are in town, please come by. Being Westerners, we’ve never done this before so we are not entirely sure what to expect (we’ve done big barbeques, but not a tea). Fortunately, we have a small army of volunteers helping out. We are looking forward to this new cultural experience.

Having a big party is precisely what we need at St. Paul’s right now. Our parish is suffering through a wave of illnesses and deaths; yesterday was the first Saturday in weeks that we’ve not had a funeral or memorial service. Alas, there are more coming up in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, at least a half-dozen parishioners have recent diagnosis of cancers. Others have been laid up with serious debilitating maladies. The people of St. Paul’s are going through a great deal right now.

In many churches, today is called “Good Shepherd Sunday” because the gospel lesson (John 10: 22-30) focuses on Jesus vowing to find his sheep and bring them safely home no matter what. Today we hear some of the most soaring, assuring and familiar words in the New Testament:

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.”

I think these words are meant not just to offer comfort, but courage. People get sick and die. But death is a horizon over which we cannot yet see. Healing will come, either on this side of the horizon or the other. The Good Shepherd will be with us, even when we don’t see it or feel it, no matter how difficult and rocky the path may be. We aren’t alone in this walk. God is with us. We will get through this.

One of the reasons we gather as faith community is to be the face of Christ to each other, and have faith when others’ faith is faltering. When my prayers don’t come, I know you will have prayers for me.

Sometimes I wonder why we offer prayers for the sick and those who have died. Doesn’t God know all this already? Of course. But maybe God likes to hear us say the words about those who are suffering, and by our words, we connect our souls to each other. When I pray for someone who is sick, a part of me – maybe just a sliver – shares in the sickness with that person. When all of us pray, the slivers become a giant redwood.

Recently I came across a book of poems about loss, grief and recovery compiled and edited by Kevin Young, a remarkable young poet in his own right (I mentioned him HERE a few weeks ago after hearing him read at the Virginia Festival of the Book). Poetry, like prayer and art, reaches depths in our souls that lengthy prose and scientific treatises just cannot reach.

Below is a poem from this book by one of my favorite poets, Jane Kenyon. The artwork is by Kathrin Burleson (that’s how she spells her first name), who lives on the North Coast of California. This painting, entitled “Resurrection,” is the last in a series she painted on the Stations of the Cross.

Notes from the Other Side
By Jane Kenyon

I divested myself of despair
and fear when I came here.

Now there is no more catching
one’s own eye in the mirror

there are no bad books, no plastic,
no insurance premiums, and of course

no illness. Contrition
does not exist, no gnashing

of teeth. No one howls as the first
clod of earth hits the casket.

The poor we no longer have with us.
Our calm hearts strike only the hour,

and God, as promised, proves
to be mercy clothed in light.

Reprinted in The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief & Healing, edited by Kevin Young, 2010, Bloomsbury.

Amazing Grace across Canada

This will put a smile on your face and make your heart sing. Canadian Anglicans sang "Amazing Grace" from one corner of the land to the other -- more than 500 congregations -- and it was put together in 10-minute video. There clips include choirs from the far north, to the cities of the Canadian South, inside prisons and cathedrals, and from Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan. Take a little time to enjoy this:

The nun who made a difference

Last month, I posted HERE about my friend, Sister Simone Campbell, a Roman Catholic nun who has been fighting behind the scenes for years to get health care coverage for the poorest among us.

She has fought the good fight in the best Catholic social justice tradition of Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, and Oscar Romero. In so doing, she incurred the wrath of the Catholic bishops, but she and her sisters forged ahead and they overcame the odds. In the end, health care reform passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama.

Many -- including the President -- are crediting the nuns with being the tipping point that won passage of the bill. Vice President Joe Biden called Sister Simone "my nun."

I am incredibly proud to call her my friend.

We met Sister Simone for a concert and dinner last Sunday evening in Washington D.C., and heard her story of the last few months. Amazing. Whatever else you think of this issue, please give credit to a talented a courageous nun who fought very hard to win passage of a bill that will bring relief to millions of Americans.

Sister Simone was invited to the bill signing ceremony. The above photo speaks for itself.

I've invited my good friend the sister to Charlottesville to tell her story and tell us what else we can do. I will keep you posted on the date.

Community Garden planting

The work at our community garden is definitely in full swing. A number of dedicated folks came out Saturday to till the ground, weed, plant and get the garden in shape. Here are a number of photos taken by Jane Rotch.

The Monday Funnies

I am getting a late start today, sorry... How about a couple of lame jokes to start the work week? Welcome to the Monday Funnies...

* * *

A preacher of the old school was describing the events of Judgement Day
and, of course, he used Biblical phraseology whenever he could.

"Oh, my friends," he intoned, "imagine the suffering of the sinners as
they find themselves cast into the outer darkness, removed from the
presence of the Lord and given to eternal flames. My friends, at such a
time there will be weeping, wailing and a great gnashing of teeth!"

At this point, one of the elders of the congregation interrupted to
say, "But Reverend, what if one of those hopeless sinners has no teeth?"

The preacher crashed his fist on the pulpit, "My friends, the Lord is
not put out by details. Rest assured: teeth will be provided!"

* * *

Father Smithers, looking over his large congregation on a sunny
Easter morning, startled them with this announcement "My friends, realizing
that I will not see many of you until next Easter, may I take this
opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!"

Cartoon by Dave Walker.

What's next? Breakfast and more

Today's sermon is based on Revelation 5:11-14 and John 21:1-19 .

Alleluia! The Lord is Risen!

What’s next?

That must have been going through the minds of the disciples in the days after Jesus’ death as he kept popping up here and there, on roads and in closed rooms.

What’s next?

We hear today about the third time he came to them. This time, Jesus cooked them breakfast.
It was over this meal he told them what he wanted them to do next: “Feed my sheep.”

And in case they didn’t get it, he told them three times:

“Feed my sheep.”

“Feed my sheep.”

“If you love me, feed my sheep.”

Today, in the Gospel of John, the story continues as the disciples go back to work doing what they know best – fishing.

And when Jesus comes, it is perhaps the most profound of their encounters with him because this time Jesus tells them that growing in faith, loving God – being utterly devoted to him – takes one more thing they still have not done:

“Feed my sheep.”

In the last two weeks, I’ve been talking in this pulpit about the nature of a life of faith. Two Sundays ago, on Easter Sunday, I talked about how faith is based on things hoped for and not seen, and listening for the living God who is right here among us, who loves us especially when we feel we have little or no faith at all.

Last week I talked about how doubt is a tool of faith by compelling us to ask the hard questions of life and death. By bringing our faith and doubts together in community, we can deepen our faith in all its dimensions, and find the fullness of faith that none of us can find alone.

Today I want to talk about the third leg to a life of faith, for without this crucial dimension, faith can become self-absorbed, self-indulgent and hollow. You might call this Part III of the sermon I began on Easter.

This third leg is the most fraught with peril, and maybe that is why it comes last. This third leg is action: “Feed my

sheep.”

Without action in our faith, we will stop breathing.

As it happens, today in this church we are marking Earth Day, an annual observance that began when I was in high school to bring attention to our stewardship of the earth, and to prod us to be less wasteful, less polluting, more respectful of all the other living things with whom we share this planet.

But I am mindful that Earth Day, even with its noble goals, has its own peril: It can come off as a political bludgeon that alienates more than persuades.

Or conversely, as a West Coast friend of mine put it, Earth Day can seem like we are ticking off a box that says “look, we are doing the green thing” in church, and then we go back to life as usual.

I do not propose to do either.

I’d like instead to propose that we observe Earth Day as something larger. I’d like to propose that we our relationship with all of Creation as central to the meaning of Easter and what Jesus is getting at over breakfast:

Feed my sheep.

Go forth and feed the world, Jesus tells Peter: Feed those who are hungry, give them shelter. Go to places scared by hurricane, earthquake, disease, neglect, pollution, warfare, corruption, poverty, ignorance.

Feed my sheep.

Make our world whole, bring new life, become the hands and feet of grace wherever you go. Make Easter alive in the dead places. Feed my sheep.

To fully walk in faith is about putting feet to our prayers and the longings of our heart. That kind of faith can pull us outside ourselves and connect us to each other and to all of creation in ways we have not dreamed.

Yet many things get in our way. Much political rhetoric is now being spent on the issue of global warming, or climate change. Some of you have done extraordinary work researching this crisis, but not everyone is convinced that it is really happening. The problem, I would submit, is the language politics has eclipsed not only the language of science, but the language of faith.

So I would like to suggest that we take up the language of God’s healing grace and extend it to the good earth. Salvation is not just about humanity, but, in the words of the hymn, about “all creatures of our God and King.”

Or, as the book of Revelation puts it: “Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea” is singing to God.

So what can we do to join this chorus of all Creation?

We can start with a few simple things: turning off lights, recycling cans, bottles, paper, cardboard. We can use fewer resources by not buying more than we need, driving fewer miles, and eating food grown closer to where we live. Later this morning we will hear a few more ideas to reduce our footprint.

But even if we do all that, it will not be enough. Inevitably, we will end up in the realm of public policy because the solutions are larger and more complicated than anything any of us can do as individuals, or even as a single nation.

The rising ocean that is inundating an island in the South Pacific is related to a mining disaster in West Virginia and to the shrinking of the Arctic ice cap in Canada, and all because of our addiction to fossil fuels. The crisis is literally global in size.

We look to governments not because we think they hold the solution to every problem, but precisely for the opposite reason. We have to live with governments in our age, so we don’t trust governments to get it right without us.

As faithful people, we need to find a way to set aside partisan differences, and shallow slogans, to support smart public policies that are good for the earth.

Where we differ, we need to model, as people of faith, ways to listen to our differences with respect and openness, and acknowledge none of us have all of the answers. Maybe our greatest contribution might be modeling how to do just that.

All this takes hard work, creativity and the courage. In our walk of faith, Jesus is invites us to be part of his loving, graceful, redeeming work in this world. He is inviting us to a walk of faith that brings healing and wholeness to that which is broken, not just in our souls, but everywhere on this planet.

If you love me, feed my sheep.

Alleluia! The Lord is Risen!

Paintings:

Top: "Resurrection breakfast" by Kristin Serafini (American, contemporary);

Bottom: "Jesus eats breakfast with his disciples," by James Jacques Tissot (French), 1836-1902.

Photograph: Earthrise from the moon, from the mission of Apollo 8, Christmas Eve 1968.