Friday 5: The Seasons are a-changin'

It's Labor Day weekend here in the United States, also known as Summer's Last Hurrah. So let's say goodbye to summer and hello to the autumn. (People in other climes, feel free to adapt as needed.)

1. Share a highlight from this summer. (If you please, don't just say "our vacation to the Canadian Rockies." Give us a little detail or image. Help us live vicariously through you!)
Oh, this one's easy-- our camping vacation! You can see and read about it here, and here, and here, and here. It was a wonderful trip, and I am very grateful to be living in such an incredible part of God's good creation.

2. Are you glad to see this summer end? Why or why not?
This is a both/and answer; I always find the change of seasons to be a bittersweet thing.

I'm glad because this summer has been really unreasonably hot, and I'm grateful to see the dreadful, oppressive heat pass (If I had wanted 100°F days, I'd have moved to Arizona!). I've also learned to breathe a sigh of relief as we get to the end of the wildfire season.

On the other hand, I will miss the early morning light as the days become shorter, and the feel of the summer morning, which has such a sweet, gentle texture. I will miss the presence of various "summer people" in our congregations, as they begin to wander away to spend their winter months elsewhere. And we've had some family adventures this year, that I'm just as glad to have receding into the past.

3. Name one or two things you're looking forward to this fall.
Finishing the work in the basement, so that we have our garage back! We've been using that area as storage and work space, and it is a real goal of mine to be able to get the cars back in before the snow flies.

4. Do you have any special preparations or activities to mark the transition from one season to another? (Cleaning of house, putting away summer clothes, one last trip to the beach)
Fall cleaning! There are some annual and bi-annual jobs I do. Washing windows. Sorting through closets to clear out what is worn out/hasn't been worn/no longer fits. Changing the furnace filters.

5. I'll know that fall is really here when...
...the furnace kicks on for the first time. Or when we light the first fire in the fireplace, and I curl up in front of it with a mug and a good book. Oh, I do love that.

First days

Once again, we uphold the annual tradition of First Day Photographs.

This is The Boy, headed out the door toward the thrills and adventure that await a 7th grader in a brand-new school building. He's a great kid, and I cannot get over how quickly he's become not a little guy anymore. Not only in size (he is now officially taller than his older sister!), but in maturity.

Speaking of sisters... behold our eldest! She does not start college (God willing) until the spring term; but today was the first day at a brand new job. Duly fortified with a caffeinated beverage provided through the magic of her new coffeepot (this one is SO not a morning person!), she headed out the door to the deli at our local grocery store.


Of course, both of them offered token complaints as I whipped around with the camera. I don't know why; you'd think they'd be used to it by now.

"Moooommmm.... do you have to do that every time?"

My beloved children, there are many prerogatives and controls I give up as you grow, and mature, and begin to find your own way in this world. However, I will always retain the privilege of being proud of the healthy strides you make toward building your lives. And loving you enough to annoy you as I record your milestones!

G. K. Chesterton was right.

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."

Apparently this is still an accurate observation.

Yes, you heard me. I was just visiting over at Mark Harris' Preludium, and found a discussion about a video aimed at swaying the so-called "Windsor Bishops" to the Proper Course of Action at the next House of Bishops' meeting in September. Of course, it is also available over at other, more virulent blogs to which I generally decline to link. Nor will I post the actual video here. Go to Mark's place, and link from there if you like.

What I'm addressing here is the tenor of the attitude reflected, both in the clip and in a goodly number of the comment posts, from supposedly faithful folks in both camps.

Hear me clearly. I have no patience -- NONE -- for any of it. Not for the emotionally manipulative propaganda, nor for the back-biting, the sarcasm, the name-calling, and the general ugliness that I see displayed as justification and/or response. It turns my stomach.

To the video producers: Do you honestly feel justified in using the horrors of martyrdom in such a fashion? And further, do you not realize the connection that gays and lesbians make between the image of burning at the stake and the origin of the pejorative term "faggot" -- the actual threat of abuse and murder that still exists for them in this day and age? How can you even begin to justify the horrific spectre that raises?

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, both "conservative" and "liberal": Can we back off the mean-spirited self-righteousness and try for some modicum of respect and civility? What possible excuse do we have on either side for the arrogant dismissal of profound theological concerns of other members of the body of Christ?? Can we not at the very least acknowledge the possibility that some of those with whom we disagree are honest, prayerful, committed Christians, trying to live intentional, biblically grounded lives? Remember that a great number of those who were once banished, flogged, or killed as heretics-- including Latimer and Ridley-- are now heralded as orthodox, and foundational mothers and fathers in our faith. Do we really want to repeat that sort of grievous error?

The Real Live Preacher offers a much better starting point:

“You reading the New Testament? Trying your best to understand it?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you trying to follow Jesus as a disciple, trying to understand what he said and live the way he did, where possible?”

“Yeah, I’m trying.”

“MY BROTHER!”

What all the cool kids are riding this year

I got a new bike for my birthday! Thank you, family!!

There was nothing wrong with my old bike, really-- except that it was a boy's bike, with that straight bar from the handles to the seat, which made it very awkward to get on and off. This doesn't seem like a big thing, but it's always bugged me. It was my own fault, of course. We bought it years and years ago, when our other bikes were stolen-- talked into it by a salesman who convinced me that it was sturdier, more stable, I'd get used to it, etc. . .

I never did.

Over time I rode rode less, and less... until literally months would go by between trips. It hung in the garage, unused unless one of the kids' buddies came over and needed an extra set of wheels.

This morning, I got to open the enormous box that's been sitting in our family room for the last several days-- and, after an hour or so of "some assembly required" (not too awful, really-- the critical bits were all in place), it was ready to ride.

No, it's not a fancy, "riding in the Tour de France next year" model. It's more the "headed down to the church, and running a few errands while I'm out," tooling around town sort, which is just exactly right. The seat is very comfortable, and the handlebars are higher and set wider than those on my old bike, which makes it easier on my back. It felt odd at first, but I got used to it in a hurry. Especially when we all rode down to MoCones after lunch, for ice cream.

The amusing thing about this is that riding with such straight posture gives me the oddest sensation... as though one ought to be looking for Toto in a basket behind my seat.

*Cue the theme music.*

Friday 5: Cultural Edition

Name the following that have helped/ challenged you on your spiritual journey:

1. Book - Aside from the Bible, which is way too obvious an answer... I'd cite Kathleen Norris' Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith, and Philip Yancey's What's So Amazing About Grace? Despite the similarities in the titles, they are both very different books. However, they both communicate some profound wisdom, and each did so for me at times in my life that needed precisely what they had to offer.

2. Piece of music - Oh, now this is a long, long list. But I remember being in college, and being in the process of considering and owning my faith practices for the first time as an independent adult. During that period, I discovered John Michael Talbot and his gift for contemplative, prayer-full music. It was balm to my soul.

3. Work of art - When I was in seminary, we had to do an in depth research journal focusing on a particular piece of scripture. I chose one of my favorites: Luke 7:36-50, "Jesus and the Sinful Woman." While I was working on that, I came across this painting, which took my breath away.

4. Film - "Dogma." Oh. My. Goodness. How something could be so violent, and in many ways profane, and at the same time carry some profoundly Christian theology...

5. Unusual engagement with popular culture - Hm. Well, I did take a belly dancing class for a while. It was fun, and great exercise.

Bonus: Is engagement essential to your Christian faith, how and why?
Engagement is essential, is it not? To be "in the world but not of it" is a dual imperative-- a both/and which sets us apart (or should) as Christian disciples.

RevGal Friday Five - Word Association

Below you will find five words. Tell us the first thing you think of on reading each one. Your response might be simply another word, or it might be a sentence, a poem or a story (Each of these appears in one of the readings from this Sunday's lectionary).

1. Vineyard - I've only ever visited one: the Huber Winery (believe it or not, the Hoosier State is one of the nation's top wine producers). It was fun! They had tours and tastings, of course, as well as a small petting zoo that our then young children really enjoyed. Judging from the website, it's gotten much bigger over the years.

2. Root - "There are two things that a good parent tries to give their children. One is roots, and the other wings." This may be a trite old saying, but it's true. I've been seeing the results lately when the effort has been there, and when it is not. I hope our children will always feel they can depend on us; but oh, I do want them to fly!

3. Rescue - Mark just got back from a week's deployment as part of his summer Air Force training. They've practiced a lot of rescuing (physical, mental and spiritual), under intentionally pressured conditions.

4. Perseverance - I've been watching a young woman plug through the effort of getting her life on a better track, by God's grace beginnning-- just beginning-- to overcome some less than optimal choices in her life. It will take a lot of perseverence to get where she wants to be, but she's on a healthy track for the first time in a long time. It's good to see.

5. Divided - This is what I've done with the baking I've done today-- breads and rolls, divided into family-use-sized packets and stored in the freezer. It soothes the housewifely side of my soul, to have the fruits of my labors laid away like that. Yes, I'm a throwback.

Wandering...

It's not that I haven't had anything to post, honest. Quite the reverse. But doing so properly would take too long.. so here's a bullet point summary of what I've been up to.

I spent one day working at an ice cream social at the Absarokee Days celebration, the parade for which went right in front of our church. This is the Black Horse Patrol.

Then we took off for few days vacation, visiting my brother and his family in Minnesota. There we went tubing...

... and visited that mecca of conspicuous consumption, the Mall of America. We only saw part of it, of course; the place is beyond huge. but this was the shot that caught my attention, right as we came in the door.

I have no words.

Speaking of consumption, we also took time, later in the week, to go out for ice cream-- a far better alternative to the above, particularly when accompanied by our 3-year-old niece. Isn't she splendid?!


Since we got back, I've been catching up with pastoral - administrative - liturgical goings on, throughout the region. And catching up on a boatload of email. And giving brief, glazed looks to hundreds of blog postings, that I will just never read. The work before and cleanup after being gone still amazes me.. but it's worth it.

Sermon: Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 13, Year C
Hosea 11:1-11
Psalm 107:1-9, 43
Colossians 3:1-11
Luke 12:13-21

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Well, Jesus isn’t mincing words today, is he? Sometimes the ways he makes his points are subtle, and leave room for variations in understanding and interpretation. This is not one of those times. He asks a very blunt question, and then tells a startling story with a very blunt ending. I’d like to consider them separately, and see then what together they have to say to us here and now.

First, the question: “Who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" At first blush, that might seem to us to be a good question. After all, this was not a family member asking, nor one of The Twelve, or any other of Jesus’ known followers; it was just “someone in the crowd.” However, in Jesus’ day, the request of this man, to help divide the family inheritance, was not unreasonable. It was customary in that culture to divide inheritance between brothers; there are regulations in the Law that cover how that was to be done. For this reason, it was also common to ask a rabbi or respected teacher to settle any squabbles over the division. Given this, one might think that Jesus would act as arbitrator. Remember also that, from the viewpoint of Luke's community, Jesus is God's appointed judge; so he would indeed be the perfect person to settle such an issue.

But Jesus refuses to enter into this kind of legal fracas, and he conveys that bluntly with his question. “Who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?"

That’s something worth considering. What does it say to us if Jesus-- who is recognized by the man as having the rabbinical clout to arbitrate-- refuses to do so? Seems to me that one thing we might think about is this: if the One who, in our understanding as Christians, has ultimate authority from God to judge, and yet refuses to condemn the greedy brother... perhaps we likewise should think twice about condemning others for the choices they make.

It’s surely easy to do. I can think of people-- and I’m sure you can, too-- who have more than enough of this world’s goods (which usually means more than we do, anyway!) and do not seem to use it in good and godly ways. It’s simple to sit back and feel smug, knowing that we would certainly do better than that! “Who needs that much to live on?” we might ask. “Another car! A larger boat?” “Think how much good that money could do in the church, or at the shelter, or for the food pantry!”

Which brings me to the second part of today’s Gospel. Remember, Jesus asked that question, but he didn’t stop there. He then went on to tell the story of an already rich man, who ended up with far more than he could use or store. His first thought was to build bigger barns, to be able to store it all, and sock it away for a long and comfortable early retirement. But then God upsets these plans. “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” All that work, all that planning... all that stuff that seemed so important... and suddenly none of it mattered.

Of course, that’s the point. It never did really matter, did it? It was just that the rich man in the parable couldn’t see that truth, past the piles stacked in front of him.

Have you ever been there, too? I know I have. Quite honestly, I believe it’s true of anyone who lives in this affluent country of ours. Someone working full time at the current US minimum wage would make slightly more than 12,000 a year-- not even close to a living wage in this country. And yet, that income is higher than more than 87% of the world’s population! And most of us, by God’s grace, have a much higher standard of living than that-- enough that we have disposable income, available for use after food and clothing and shelter are guaranteed. We do not always make wise choices about how to use it. We are not as good as we should be, as disciples, in using the riches given us for the good of the world around us, and for the spread of God’s Kingdom.

Now, please do not misunderstand. Of course, we should plan and budget prudently; God’s abundance allows us to be cared for, as well as allowing us to care for others. Implicit in the second part of the Great Commandment (“Love your neighbor as yourself”) is that we are to care for our neighbors and ourselves. However, there is a difference between planning and hoarding, between prudence and greed; and sometimes, perhaps, we do not see that line as clearly as we ought.

So, this is, I think where today’s Gospel leads us: away from judging the faults and inadequacies of others, and directly into the path of looking more closely at our own lives, and our own ability to give, and to share what we are given-- in Jesus’ name.

Climb, climb up Sunshine Mountain...

Actually, it was Red Lodge Mountain.

This morning was the first annual Climb to Conquer Cancer: a 5 mile (or so) round-trip trek through the ski resort, serving as a fundraiser for the American cancer Society. Our church participated in the hike-- some two dozen hardy souls, (mostly parishioners, with a few family members and friends sprinkled in).

The event was described in the promotional material thus:

An exhilarating hike at Red Lodge Mountain Ski Resort.
Walk the jeep trail that winds up the mountain from the upper parking lot past Miami Beach, through Tipi Trail to Mid Way. This scenic hike is sure to amaze you as you climb to find a cure for cancer. A festival atmosphere awaits you as you make your way back to the ski lodge.

"Exhilarating." Right. That's one way to put it.

Well... the part about the wildflowers was true. Even this late in the season, we stopped to see any number of beautiful flowers and vistas. Clearly, the stops had nothing to with a) being a native flatlander in less than optimal shape b) climbing from 6000 to 8000 ft elevation in less than three miles c) after being sick in the first part of the week with a nasty intestinal virus.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

The good news is, I did finish! We (my patient husband, and one of our survivor parishioners, and I) arrived dead stick last, just as the "festival atmosphere" was dissipating; but I did not quit partway, and did not need a ride down (as suggested by our son, who finished perhaps an hour earlier, and called several times to gloat check on his dawdling parents).

And the views were worth it.

Yet another silly online quiz

Because all the cool kids are doing it...



(Mrs. M gets the props for pointing me to this one)

Friday 5: Pilgrimage

1. Have you ever been on a pilgrimage? (however you choose to define the term) Share a bit about it. If not, what's your reaction to the idea of pilgrimage?

In one sense, I suppose our recent vacation (Parts one, two, three and four) could be termed a sort of pilgrimage-- intentional "getting to know you" time, in this part of the country that was wholly new to us until last year. But I've never planned a pilgrimage specifically as such; and actually, I think I'd like to do that.
2. Share a place you've always wanted to visit on pilgrimage.

Two general directions occur to me, in no particular order; and I'd be thrilled with either.

• I'd love to go to Great Britain (what else would one expect from a cradle Episcopalian!). Tour and worship in some cathedrals, perhaps visit Iona. . .
  
• The Middle East. Retracing one of Paul's journeys would be an awesome experience.

3. What would you make sure to pack in your suitcase or backpack to make the pilgrimage more meaningful? Or does "stuff" just distract from the experience?

Bible and Prayer Book. Camera. Notebook and pen. This is "stuff" that goes with me everywhere, and I think would enhance the experience, rather than distract.

4. If you could make a pilgrimage with someone (living, dead or fictional) as your guide, who would it be? (I'm about thisclose to saying "Besides Jesus." Yes, we all know he was indispensable to those chaps heading to Emmaus, but it's too easy an answer)

I can think of a few good folks who would be great companions, sharing the journey. For a guide? It's easier to say what, than who. I'd like a guide that could also be a companion of sorts: someone who can share what they know gently; who could appreciate silly fun as well as faithful awe in our path; and who would be willing to balance rest with adventure.

5. Eventually the pilgrim must return home, but can you suggest any strategies for keeping that deep "mountaintop" perspective in the midst of everyday life?

In part, I think that's what the camera is for: to have the visual reminder of the experience. I also find that praying the Daily Office can bring me back, in a way, to other places and times where I've done so-- restoring, just for a moment, that gift and sense of perspective. Not all the time, of course; but once in a while...