Our blog features contributions from our rector, St Luke’s parishioners, and, from time-to-time, special guests. We love hearing your comments, so please feel free to share your thoughts. HEAR LEAVE FOLLOW Homily:Jan 22 – 3rd Sunday After Epiphany, Year B Mark 1:14-20 Something I really enjoy is fly fishing – fly fishing for trout. I can’t really call myself a flyfisherman, I am more of a guy who goes out on the water and splashes around with a fly rod…But there is something magical about hunting this elusive fish. Wading down a river, one’s awareness and attentiveness shifts…. The trout swim together and have patterns and instincts formed in community for generations. On those rare occasions, when I just manage to get it right, the excitement of that hit is amazing, the snap of the line, the bend in the rod, as you carefully bring the fish in…and I always wonder, if I can manage to get it into my net, and raise the fish out of the water to remove the little hook – what is happening in the mind of the fish – suddenly stolen from the only world it knows, encountering a whole new universe that it does not even have the faculties to properly perceive. Is this fish changed when it returns to the community, is it awakened to something beyond what it has always known? Have I done it a great service? Well, probably not, and certainly not if I whack it on the head and pan fry it with a little butter and lemon. But none the less, I wonder if this is where our Gospel has invited us this morning: Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” “As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Notice, the action in this beautiful text: When Jesus calls, the disciples HEAR, LEAVE, and FOLLOW – We hear our call, attracted and found anew in relationship, we leave the world we once knew, and we follow entering a whole new universe, a vision, a reality beyond our capacity to imagine, a universe of faith, wherever Jesus is, the kingdom has come near. Perhaps you or someone you know may have had to deal with addiciton. The thing with addiction, is that it creeps up on you, you don’t realize you are being consumed, it becomes normalized, the constant need to fulfill a craving to normalize yourself, to distress, to cope, to soothe, one unknowingly creates a universe where your drug, your buzz becomes integral to your life rythm, you can’t see how, like a weed it has woven its way into your self understanding, your bank finances, your relationships, your socializing, your recreation, your self-affirmation, control. You end up swimming in a lagoon, with a community of like-minded others and really have no idea that there is a whole universe just beyond. It may happen that in your lagoon, in your hunger, in your yearning, you find yourself attracted to something, a call that starts as an awareness, you swim around it, you retreat, and maybe in your curiosity – or maybe your desperation, you strike, and by Grace alone you are pulled out of the river, and you find yourself in a new world, a world of recovery where at first you cannot breathe. Once out of your familiar territory, all of the structures, the relationships, the way you spend your time, the intensity of emotion which was always caudorized becomes overwhelming, the loneliness, the sorrow, the overwhelming shame…but in time, by grace, you may find a path in this new world, through the darkness, and rebuild, and again, by grace might eventually discover a new vision, an entirely refreshed perspective on reality, on oneself, a whole universe unfolds you could not have imagined when swimming in the pond. One hears, leaves and follows. But first one hears. And it is the same invitation that comes from Jesus to us all, for all of us suffer in the lagoon of the human condition. You see, Addiction is a spiritual disease for it attacks the heart of the soul – the will. Addiction decapitates the crown jewel of our spiritual nature – the ability to choose freely: addiction usurps human freedom. Although substance addiction may be the most apparent and possibly self – destructive, especially when it is of the type that is not socially accepted – there are myriads of ways we are kept in the same old pond – often by means that are socially acceptable or even encouraged. Faith addresses the human condition – the ways we all suffer from addiction. Are we slaves to our fears? Our financial concerns? How about our over-identification with a group? How about our unconscious need for affirmation and esteem, for power and control or security? Are we free when we are blind to our feelings of shame, or unworthiness, our pride, our inability freely give and receive? Do we work countless hours, devoted to some cause, profession or a business, or caring for another, or some ‘holy activity as the only means to find an identity, to avoid loneliness, or our hidden pain? or are we bowing to the God of achievement or success, or duty? “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Once we Hear – we LEAVE The invitation, to hear the call, is a call to response – repentance. Repentance is the naming and turning away from the idols that have bound our freedom, the veils through which our vision is withheld, the ropes and chains that have bound this self. Repentance is coming into right relationship with the one who calls us, the one who knows us, the one in whom we find our deepest truth. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.” And when we Leave we Follow When we leave the idols…when we have left everything behind, the familiar paths and have come into relationship with He who Loved us first, we follow – otherwise, we would quickly find our way back to the lagoon. We follow Him on an unknown road, to an uncertain future, a path, illumined by faith alone. Though strange, and even fearfull at first, before we know it, a horizon, a universe opens before us, indeed, more than we could ask or imagine. Like me when fly fishing, God is hunting for you, calling to each of us, sending a lure customized just for you, in your particular lagoon. Unlike me, God is a pro – and just as I can’t force that trout to bite my hook, God does not force you, it is your choice – but listen for the great fisherman, for he is calling you, casting his nets, and see the example of Simon and Andrew, James and John. Pay attention, HEAR, LEAVE and FOLLOW. Epiphany Homily 2012 Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14, Ephesians 3:1-12, Matthew 2:1-12 We woke up this morning having left behind 2011, a year filled with tremendous events: Conservative majority, NDP official opposition, a seat for the Greens! The Arab Spring with Riots in Egypt, resignation of Hosni Mubarak, a Tsunami in Japan, Nuclear reactor meltdown, Revolution in Libya, the death of Moammar Gaddafi, the Assassination of Osama Bin Laden, wedding of William and Kate, Vancouver riots after the Canucks loss to Boston, sadly, Jack Layton and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs passed away, Occupy Wall Street Movement, Canada withdraws from Kyoto Accord. And we had our own changes here at St Lukes – new friends among us, the passing of others, new experiences, new traditions. All of these stories, these people, relate a world that will never be the same. For many, and for many in our own community, the roads they once knew are gone forever, a new way to journey home must be found. Today we are celebrating the feast of the Epiphany. An epiphany according to Wikipedia, “(from the ancient Greek, epiphaneia, “manifestation, striking appearance”) is the sudden realization or comprehension of the (larger) essence or meaning of something. The term is used in either a philosophical or literal sense to signify that the claimant has “found the last piece of the puzzle and now sees the whole picture,” or has new information or experience, often insignificant by itself, that illuminates a deeper or numinous foundational frame of reference.” Like the 3 wise men, each of us come to faith, to the scriptures, with our own sets of questions, we each travel from distant lands with our own questions of meaning – maybe questions of justice, or questions of liberation, of feminism, of spirituality, of science, or of our own pain, our own questions of belonging – and we follow our questions and have arrived here – to a manger, where Almighty God appears as the babe of Bethlehem who points to his cross at Jerusalem – opening us to a deeper paradox, answering a question with a question – offering an epiphany, illuminating and drawing us into a deeper relationship, a deeper mystery, changing, transforming us – like moths dancing around a flame, each epiphany singing our wings until we are utterly consumed. Sometimes our epiphanies are of great beauty, and sometimes Grace delivers an awakening where we are invited to let something go, to shed a way of being, to follow a new road and leave an old one behind. St John of the Cross describes our spiritual journey as a series of consolations and desolations where we are invited into a deeper relationship, a maturing of our faith, where we leave a previous understanding behind for a greater one – sometimes painfully, for in the absence of all that we once knew, God can seem far away. I can remember the epiphany I discovered on my Father’s knee that changed my world forever. The discovery of the true reality of Santa Clause. I had heard about it in the school yard, but refused to believe what they told me – I loved Santa Clause, and that magical world that it sustained, I held on tightly to it, until I confronted my father. For a boy of 5, my world was changed forever, an innocence gone, a painful epiphany which made me leave a self understanding behind and to continue my journey in a new cold world, but a new road which opened new horizons of meaning and maturity. I have some friends who have an extraordinary story to tell, a story of deep seeking, carving a path towards God in a great wilderness. For some, their story began in Iran. Through the 1970s and into the Iranian Revolution of 1979, they operated a network of vegetarian restaurants. These vegetarian restaurants, quietly made Yoga classes available, for those interested. They had to be very careful, for the political and religious climate made this kind of activity dangerous. The community operated the Yoga classes, and made available, further teachings, the philosophy of yoga to those students who were interested. They were even more careful about who they invited to the philosophy classes, because this was the entry point into a growing community of Hindus secretly living in community throughout Iran. Some of them lost their lives during the revolution and persecutions of their community, but under these tremendously difficult conditions, they speak of the forging of a tremendously empowered spiritual community based on love, compassion, fellowship, justice and hope. They served one another, helped the poor, and yearned for the freedom to live openly and so secretly planned a great escape to India, to the home of their leaders, a paradise over the mountains. Eventually the conditions in Iran became too much to bear, so many in the community left everything and made a harrowing escape to the promised land. Right out of a movie, they set off on a life and death journey to their longed-for paradise. When some of them share this story, it is with great sadness for they lost many sisters and brothers, in the name of hope, in their journey to a greater world – but even more so, because of the realization that awaited them. Arriving in India, they discovered their fellow devotees living in poverty, selling holy books on the street, and flowers at the airport while their celebate holy gurus drove around in Mercedes Benz with entourages of young western women. After all they had been through – their hopes and vision vaporized before them – They experienced a true epiphany – and “they left for their own country by another road.” God is greater than any religion can contain, and the truth is surely revealed in different robes – and we are invited not to cling too tightly even to our own tradition and language, structures of faith, for God may invite us to let go of everything we think of as true, in order to reveal a greater vision of God’s self – a burning away of all that prevents us from being utterly consumed by the heart of God. The whole Epiphany of Christmas with its cast of characters: shepherds, wise men, angels, even enemies – is testimony, says Martyn Percy “to a mosaic of perspectives, insights, encounters, revelations, and projections.” This is the beauty of the narrative of scripture and tradition – it holds us in a tension of absurd irony and paradox, we bring ourselves to these stories of revelation and slowly, epiphany by epiphany they change us, the veils of our perception are lifted, gently drawing us closer to the light of life. Emily Dicknson put it like this in her poem, ‘Tell all the Truth’? Tell all the truth but tell it slant: Success in circuit lies, Too bright for our inform delight The truth’s supurb surprise. As lightning to the children eased With explanation kind, The truth must dazzle gradually Or every man be blind. “In God is there is a deep yet dazzling darkness,” continues Martyn Percy, a deeper mystery and relationship that always awaits us, so take courage, and have faith. Perhaps this Season of Epiphany you might consider how God has opened your heart and eyes. What do you need to leave behind on your journey home? What remains to be said, forgiven? What habits, or behaviours no longer serve you on your journey, what relationships, what directions need to be adjusted or changed? As you gaze upon the crèche, as you come to the Altar bringing your gifts, meeting the God who offers all of himself, Do you need to travel back to your country by another road? It was 1977, and the annual …Yes, the Annual Boyscout Car Rally at the Old Cattle Barn at Landsdowne park was serious business. …As a Cubscout, my Dad and I purchased the start up kit which included 4 wheels, track measurements and instructions on how to build your own high performance hurricane of speed. Many sleepless nights went into that car, sitting at the front door for my Dad to get home from work, or waiting for him to wake up on a Saturday morning and get to work down at his workshop in the basement. On would go the old tweed radio to CBC, with rusty old Peter Gsowski offering a commentary in the background as we brought together our collective engineering and mechanical excellence. An old block of wood, cut and sanded, spray painted silver. Finished with lightning bolts down the side with a marker, as perfect as any 6 year old can, and a little driver’s head drawn on the side window. Nails for wheel axles, and ingeniously, even an emptied compartment to insert metal washers to bring the weight up to the perfect level. No doubt, this ferocity of velocity would strike fear and dread into the heart of any opponent. I could see the those checker flags waving me down the victory lap, the snap of the ribbon, the humble bow at the podium to receive the GOLD…the victory speech… It was done. The Silver Hornet was ready for action. Te big day finally arrived, the Silver Hornet packed into a shoe box (with a little baggie of carrots for a snack, care of Mom) We made our way down to Lansdowne park. The place was teaming with Dads and sons, parking was scarce, so we found our selves half sprinting through the rain to make our race time. I clung to the The Silver Hornet, clunking up and down in the shoe box with the carrots. But as we entered the park and tried to find our racing group, I could feel my pre-victory spirit beginning to deflate, my visions of glory fading and the lustre and splendour of the machine which I held under my arm began to melt. The machines the other kids had were in a class I had not even dared to imagine. These cars were built of fibre glass, many with aero-dynamic wings, titanium wheels, with on-board electronic weight calculation and self lubricating wheels. Professionaly painted and detailed, and covered in decals – even sponsors and equipped with actual miniature drivers! Dads and Sons with little brothers wore matching glittering or black leather outfits topped with mirror shades and leather driving gloves. Me in my salt covered moon boots, snowsuit with mittens hanging by yarn from my sleeves, and pockets packed with extra tissue and a juice box just didn’t seem to compare. Overheated, running nose, cranky, we finally made our way to the track we were registered to qualify on…we watched the Silver Hornet compete in the qualifying round come in second last. The coordinator gave us a ticket and sent us over to a different section of the Cattle Barn – the class for my category of car was in the “Every entry gets a ribbon” category. Surrounded by elderly ladies in crocheyed Christmas sweaters, I received my “You’re number One” ribbon, a cookie and several affirmations about my car: ‘oh, that’s nice.’ We drove home that day in silence, the hornet went straight back to the wood bin. You see, I had been duped – duped to believe that my value came from how I measured up to everyone else – I believed what they told me. Isn’t that what they tell us? What is the treasure we aspire to? What is the race we compete in? IS it not about who has the most stuff, the best stuff? Isn’t it about how we look? How we fit in? Isn’t it about what brand we have, what group we belong to? Is it not about the powerful, the successful, the achiever? Who does not want to be perceived that way? Who among us would not want to belong to the 1%? We search and we search for all the things we think we want, and we are never satisfied. The great 11th century Persian Poet Sada’isays: “You are pure spirit But imagine yourself a corpse! Pure water which thinks it’s the pot! Everything you want must be searched for except the Friend. If you don’t find HIM you’ll never be able to start to even look.” Yes, it is this night, this holy night of Christmas, that we are invited to remember the Friend, Emmanuel, God among us. The one who animates all of life, who is the spirit of life that dwells in each of us and where our true happiness, our true purpose, and from where the source of peace comes. Yet we walk in darkness, believing a lie. A lie that sustains a world economy that would see some 30 million still under the yoke of slavery, a world, according to Unicef, in which 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. A lie that says there is us, there is them, and I know who I need to take care of. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness— on them light has shined.” Yes, God does not reveal himself as the elite, the well to do, God does not reveal God’s self in strength and might, in power, not even in success, independence, or achievement. No, God arrives unwanted, in estrangement, in broken lowliness, in dependence and vulnerability. God reveals himself as a helpless dependant baby born in a manger, because there was no room for him in the Guesthouse of success. Yes God does not arrive in our perfectly crafted persons of pious excellence, but rather, here…here within these cracked vessels lies the ocean of life. The silver hornet turned up again years later – in the back of an old wood box, discarded, unwanted…only one wheel still left. Beatup, worn out, unwanted, no good. And I realized that car held for me the beauty of love shared in a basement workshop, between a parent and a child. And that car is sacred and holy, and perfect. Just like you. God comes among us, a needy God, a God of weakness, into our midst demanding to be loved and cared for and shows us to love and care for each other, because in God’s eyes – YOU, us, and them are sacred, holy and perfect– lightning bolts and all. God became as we are that we would become as He is. - St Anthony “O Christian, be aware of your nobility – it is God’s own nature that you share…O man, rouse yourself! Learn to know the dignity of your nature…When our Lord Jesus Christ, whilst never ceasing to be true God, was born true man, he himself became the prelude of a new creation, and in the manner of his coming he gave the human race a spiritual beginning. What mind can understand this mystery, what tongue can do justice to this gift of grace?” - St Leo the Great (391 -461) Advent – Christmas – Epiphany, perhaps for Anglicans, this is our Season. The Incarnation defines our orientation towards reality, a reality which is itself an explosion of revelation of God’s very self, which we perceive because we too are an explosion of revelation of God’s very self. During Advent we journey with the apocalyptic cry of Isaiah, the call to repentance of John and stand by in hope-filled anticipation with the ripening blossom of Mary, late in pregnancy, round and full with Christ. The culmination of Advent comes as we sing the ancient ‘O Antiphons’, sung by the People of God across the world from December 17th to the 23rd, since the eighth century. They are called the ‘O Antiphons’ for they signify the ripening fullness of our long awaited redemption, as Paul tells us: “when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman…so that we might receive adoptions as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). Oliver Treanor in Seven Bells to Bethlehem: The O Antiphons explains Christmas “proclaims that Time itself is fulfilled, being now filled with the fullness of him in whom dwells the fullness of God…consequently the completed circle that the antiphons announce is not something static. It is a spiralling maelstrom of love that draws to its inner self all mankind, all history, the very cosmos itself…Advent is not only the celebration of God’s coming to us, but also of our coming to him….So the hour is ripe…it is time again to mend the broken circles of our lives by returning, as a circle does, to our point of origin. Christmas makes this possible, for by the birth of God-made-ma, man comes back to God in the same moment as he comes to us. Mary’s Fiat made it so, when she gave all humanity to God in the very act of giving God a humanity.”[1] O Wisdom! O Adonai! O Root of Jess! O Key of David! O Rising Sun! O King of Nations! O Emmanuel! – these are the seven antiphons sung before and after the Magnificat for seven nights of Vespers leading us in cathartic anticipation to Christmas. Each Antiphon is packed with meaning, Treanor relates, of the story of salvation: † What was lost by Adam’s folly, the Wisdom of Jesus restores by he becoming man; † What grace was prefigured on Sinai in the Law, Jesus bestows as Lord by the gift of his Pentecost Sprit; † What died when Jesse’s tree was cut to the root, Jesus, its new shoot, revitalizes by his crucifixion; † What sin slammed shut in Paradise, Jesus, Key of David, re-opens by his ascension into glory; † What deliverance from death Prophecy dreamt of at its setting, the Jesus of Easter accomplishes as the Rising Sun at his resurrection; † What Israel in exile foreshadowed, Jesus, Desire of Nations, completes by drawing all things to himself; and † What God’s forsaken people of the Old Dispensation longed for most, Jesus Emmanuel satisfies by his enduring presence as God-with-us.[2] As Anglicans, we share a rich liturgical tradition, and we follow the Latin notion Lex orandi, lex credendi – the way we pray is the way we believe. We maintain our communion with Anglicans and the Church catholic worldwide not by a ‘confession of faith,’ but rather in our participation in a shared liturgy that leads us into the mystery of ‘God with us.’ It is the Eucharist to which our life as Christians revolves, our encounter with and consent to God’s total self-giving – a mystery that starts with the Incarnation and is fulfilled in the cross and Resurrection. It is our participation week after week, season after season in the life of the Eucharist, in which we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, from Bethlehem to Jerusalem, that we “with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his likeness from glory to glory” (2 Cor 3:18) and so become “participants in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). This year, from December 17 to December 23rd, at 5:30 pm we will be praying the office of Vespers here at St Lukes and celebrating the great ‘O Antiphons.’ Featuring the music of Jeremy Sills, who uses Tibetan and crystal Bowls as tonal instruments, and we will be journeying into the joyous mystery of the incarnation. During this season of holy waiting, I invite you to come and savour a few moments of stillness and beauty, in preparation for the coming of our Lord. Wishing you a holy Advent and Joy-filled Christmas and Epiphany, Gregor + Advent Absentee - Sylvia Sands Here I go again, Carefully unpacking the figures of the crib, Tenderly wiping dust from Mary’s eyes And Joseph’s beard, All the while practicing my contemplative skills. Here I am, Duster in hand, Seeking to emulate The shepherds’ enthusiasm and openness, (wipe, wipe) Mary’s mysticism, Joseph’s humility, The Christ Child’s vulnerability. Who am I kidding? It is the absent figure that haunts me. I stand shoulder to shoulder in grim, callous, irritable solidarity With that wretched innkeeper. No room, no time, no way. Nobody has ever dared carve him in wood And include him in the Christmas crib, Have they? From Darkness Yielding: Liturgies, prayers and reflections for Advent, Christmas, Holy Week and Easter La Illaha Il Allah Homily: September 11, 2011 Gregor Sneddon (This is a homily delivered in the context of the liturgy, citations may not be accurate) Readings: Exodus 14:19-31, Psalm 114, Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-25 Bismillahir-rahmani r-rahim Al hamdu lillahi rabbi l-’Alamin Ar rahmani r-rahim Maliki yawmi d-din Iyyaka na’budu wa iyyaka nasta’in Ihdina s-sirat al-mustaqim Sirat al-ladina an’amta ‘alayhim gayril magdubi ‘alayhim walad dallin In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek. Show us the straight way, The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, These are the opening words of the Holy Quran, the prayer known as the Fatiha, or the Opening. For almost a quarter of my life, I prayed this prayer every day – as I worked my way through the Quran, and learned about the Muslim tradition. It was in rejecting all things Christian that drove me into my own search, and was blessed to journey among Muslim Sufi sisters and brothers. It was in fact among them that I discovered God – the reality that permeates all of life – source, the fountain, the creator, the sustainer the holy wondrous mystery. And when this happened, I found that I need not embrace a new culture or religion, but the tradition I had rejected was now illuminated by this same source, and with great love and respect to my Muslim friends, with whom I still break bread, I weaved my way back to the path with Jesus. Above my desk at home I have this picture – some Arabic calligraphy which essentially reads the creed of Islam: No, there is no God but God. La illaha il allah. There is no power, no reality outside of the one reality, we call God. God is one. Much like what we sang this morning the Schma of the Hebrews Hear Oh Israel, the Lord your God, is one Lord. And this is the unity to which Christ calls us to forgive our sisters and brothers 77 times, and Paul tells us that whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. It is our oneness that is at the root of compassion, of mercy, indeed of forgiving not 7 but 77 times. When we realize that there is no other, that we are one, how can we have an enemy? True Freedom is in realizing that when another human being suffers, I suffer. To engage in the seemingly impossible work of forgiveness is the only response to seeing Christ in the other. Today we remember the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 when some 3000 people lost their lives in the infamous terrorist attack on our sisters and brothers in the United States. We remember the innocent lives lost, and the brave men and women who put themselves in harm’s way in response to the devastating attack. And we remember those left behind, children, spouses, sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. And we remember that we human beings have still not awakened to truth of our unity. Not just in the loss of this tragic day, but in our response. According to material found through the Episcopal Peace Fellowship website, close to 1 million people have lost their lives in military action in response to 911, over 10%, 0ver 100,000 people being civilians. Last year, the arms industry raked in close to 400 billion dollars with worldwide military spending somewhere close to 3 trillion dollars, a trillion being a 1 with 12 zeroes on the end…We seem to invest in our convictions of us and them, of my being right and your being wrong, in the fear of the other. Blogger David Alexander in his Blogg Posting, “911, A Time to Remember: One People, One Planet,” (http://revdavida.blogspot.com/)points out that there are in fact two other September 11ths worth remembering, a longer history than these ten years, anchored in the call to Peace. The following comes from Rev David’s posting: “In 1893,…in Chicago, IL, the World’s Fair was taking place in – a global exposition on culture, modern technology, commerce and religion. It was a first of many… the Farris Wheel was introduced, along with the hamburger, picture postcards, florescent lights, Quaker Oats, Cream of Wheat, moving walkways and so much more. The fair ran from May through October 1893. It was also the first gathering of World Religion Leaders in the first ever Parliament of World Religions. The closing day of the Parliament was September 11, 1893 and the final speaker was Swami Vivekananda. He was the first Yogi from the far East to visit American and teach… “Sisters and Brothers of America. [At this moment came a three minute standing ovation from the audience of 7,000] It fills my heart with joy unspeakable to rise in response to the warm and cordial welcome which you have given us….. “Sectarianism, bigotry, and it’s horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful Earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now. “But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.” Then, on September 11, 1906, 3,000 people, mostly Indians, packed the old Empire Theater in Johannesburg, South Africa. They came to protest a draft of the Asiatic Law Amendment Ordinance that would require that every Indian over the age of 8 be fingerprinted and carry a registration card. Moreover, the law stipulated that the police could enter the home of any Indian at their discretion and fine, imprison or even deport those found without proper identification. Here are the words of their leader, one Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi “It is not at all impossible that we might have to endure every hardship that we can imagine without resorting to violence,” he warned. The crowd sat in solemn silence. While “everyone must only search his own heart” about taking the vow, Gandhi announced that there was only one course open to him: “I can boldly declare, and with certainty that so long as there is even a handful of men true to their pledge, there can be one end to the struggle, and that is victory.” Awestruck by the eloquence and power of Gandhi’s words, all present in the theater that fateful afternoon stood together with their hands raised and took an oath of nonviolent resistance. With this, the Nonviolence Movement began…on September 11, 1906. Some fifty years later this is the movement that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would use to empower the Civil Rights movement in America.” And today, in this place as Christians we are marking this 10th anniversary with sorrow and with hope which we embrace in the Eucharist. This act of reconciliation and unity. No there is no God but God, Hear Oh Israel, the Lord our God is one. A God who forgives and accepts his wayward children who turn to him no matter how far they transgress, who shines as a pillar of cloud guiding us into the promised land of peace and unity and who offers himself as the paschal sacrifice, God becomes the scapegoat, the perceived enemy, the other, giving himself fully to us destroying any boundary of us and them. Our enemy is not the Muslim, the foreigner, the outsider, or the Egyptian – the enemy is the pharaoh of our own self imposed slavery – the slavery of fear, of judgement, of domination, and violence. Rev David Alexander concludes: “Let our prayers be not just for our troops, women, children and lives lost – but for all lives affected by this tragic manifestation of “us and them” consciousness. Let us be the bridge to greater understanding of our fellow beings that we share this sacred planet with. Let us be the ones to tear down the towers of Us and Them – and rebuild on a foundation of Oneness. Let us use this sacred time to reawaken the call to create a world that works for everyone. A world that has no need to defend or attack, because in “the other” we only see ourselves.” This is a response to two threads that passed through Facebook recently. Check them out: http://www.ucc.org/feed-your-spirit/daily-devotional/spiritual-but-not-religious.html http://revdavida.blogspot.com/2011/09/news-flash-jesus-was-but-not-religious.html Thank you for your recent response to Rev. Dr. Lillian Daniel, “Spiritual but not Religious? Stop Boring Me.” You note ‘an overall theme that seems to look down upon the classification SBNR as inferior to “religious people.”’ You also note that those who reject religion or its dogma are doing so in response to the litany of evil loosened on other human beings in the name of holiness. The church in particular can be a place of exclusivity, etc, and many honest earnest seekers find it repugnant especially when the church espouses a ‘holier than though’ attitude. You also point out that the SBNR have found real authentic spiritual experience where they were unable to in the church. I can honestly concur with what you say because that certainly is my journey. As a deeply seeking young man, I was quickly disheartened that people’s only reason, it would seem, to believe in ‘God’ is because it says so in the book ‘He’ wrote…Barf… I took it upon myself to explore every other possible spiritual avenue I could find: Buddhism, Yoga, Hinduism, Scientology, Shamanism, Sufism. I have whirled with dervishes, offered a thousand sun salutations, chanted Kirtan till the morning light, floated in ecstacy in trance meditation, and fasted in the desert on vision quests. Many of these paths introduced me to powerful practices, noble virtues, and some of the most beautiful people I have ever met. This journey consumed a good two thirds of my life, all the while warmly nurturing a deep rejection, even allergy to the words ‘Jesus,’ ‘church’ and especially ‘faith.’ Faith seemed to mean: believing in something without thinking about it out of fear of eternal damnation. It is indeed true to say, at least in liberal secular Ottawa, Ontario, it is much more ‘cool’ to loosely participate in one of these other available traditions. For those interested, there is a plethora of opportunities for people to engage in some kind of spiritual resource and many do. Equally as acceptable is to not participate in any form of spirituality but to have thoughtful opinions and genuine desire to love thy neighbour. But, if you want to stop getting invited to dinner parties, or end conversation at social events, mention that you are a Christian. Having become one, I can tell you I am a minority. The vast majority of people that I know (including myself) were not raised in any form of religion and many have only been in a church for a wedding or funeral and could not really tell the difference between what happens in a church on a Sunday any more than they could a Mosque. In my experience, people tend to categorize me, when they make the discovery that I am a Christian. It would seem they conclude I belong to the Canadian Republican party and stay up at night to watch John Hagee, that I reject homosexuals, and that most of all, I have blind faith. OK, maybe not always so extreme, but at the least, people seem to think I have sold out, have a weak character, and obviously not thought much about the way things are. I agree with your article that those outside the church cannot be relegated as shallow sunset worshippers. People have good reason to reject religion, especially those rooted in an exclusive dogmatic Christianity. People do not need the church to develop their moral life, and there are indeed genuine spiritual paths available. But… Often SBNR seem to quickly dimiss Christians as the Rev Lillian did of them. It would seem that they too paint all Christians with the same brush and do not see the great depths of mysticism – the contemplative and social justice roots of this rich tradition. As I see it, there are two important areas worth paying attention to, for the SBNR community. Although being religious is fraught with challenges, difficulties and a bloody history, it offers some qualities that I think are worth embracing. It is embedded within the culture that formed us. The archetypes, symbols and language are foundational to our (here in Canada) secular way of life – a way of life I whole heartedly embrace. It was outside the Church that I personally discovered God, and was then able to see God in all things, in all traditions, but it was in returning to the tradition of my culture that I came to know and experience God where she has been all along, within. It is within the form of the church, the sacraments, the scriptures and in the community that we are forced to face ourselves and our holy crappola again and again and to keep giving up my own need for control, affirmation and security so I can consent to THE Will and not my own. Surely all these authentic traditions ultimately drink from the same river, but if you want to reach water, dig your well deep. If Christianity just isn’t for you, then it would seem to me one is best advised to find the path that works and embrace it whole heartedly with eyes wide open! As a Secular Christian Canadian Anglican Priest I too recoiled at the tone in which Rev Lillian seemed to reject those outside her own faith – however – there was a part of me that welcomed her words. Sometimes, I get a little lonely. Rev Gregor Sneddon www.stlukesottawa.ca A response to Donald Schell’s: “You Are Love” at the Episcopal Cafe Blogg http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/personal_reflections/you_are_love.php I remember a United Church friend of mine once said: “You Anglicans don’t really believe that the bread and wine really become flesh and blood, do you?” Out of my mouth came the words: “As fully as I believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead.” Abhishiktananda (Henri Le Saux OSB) suggests that it is only through prayer – contemplative prayer – that we are able to perceive the vast reality the sacraments and the scriptures are pointing to, and further, the vast reality, which is God, that anything we perceive is pointing to. I resonate with this idea because it draws me closer to a sacramental posture in how I live my life. The heart expanding choice to pay attention as every moment God’s self emptying love is pouring through and as creation, and in, through and as me, us. To infuse one’s life with a constant remembrance of kenosis, of resurrection, of incarnation surely is a pre-emptive, anticipatory consent to the eschatological reality of CHRIST. I think by steeping in scripture and the sacraments, breathing, living, rising, falling and dying – is where we discover the truth – not in cognitive analysis. “Out beyond yes and no, there is a clearing – I’ll meet you there,” says Rumi. This, I think, is the power of scripture. Scripture, indeed, in a ‘factual’ reading is the bricks and mortar which must be preserved as the Word of God. Metaphoric reading is an important next step, a way to experience a meaning with relevance and impact for the reader. But – if our Benedictine friend is correct – the scriptures are there to lead us into relationship, into the vastness that awaits us beyond our cognitive perception to transformation, all transformed into Christ. When asked about the scriptures, a priest said: “I don’t know if it ever happened, but I know its true.” “Thirst,” from Abide in Love [Vida en el Amor, copyright 1970] by Ernesto Cardenal The coyote howling in the night calls for God and so does the hooting owl. The gentle dove coos for God and does not know it. The little calf mooing for its mother is also calling God, as is the lion who roars and the croaking frogs. All creation calls God, in all its many languages. Lovers and poets as well as monks in prayer also cry to God. All human eyes have longing in them. People of all races, children, the old, mothers, women in love, police officers, workers, adventurers, murderers, revolutionaries, dictators, and saints all have the same light of longing, the same deep fire, the same infinite desire for happiness and joy without end. Human eyes are like wells, like the well of the Samaritan woman. Every woman is a woman at the well. The well is deep. And Jesus is sitting on the rim of the well. “And the woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep…’ “Jesus said to her, ‘Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever ‘drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst, the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ “The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst.’” This thirst felt by all beings is the love of God. For this love’s sake, all crimes are committed, all wars are fought, and all people love or hate each other. For this love’s sake human beings climb mountains, go down to the ocean bed; they rule and plot, build and write, sing and cry and love. Every human action, even sin, is a search for God. But sometimes God is sought where God cannot be found. Thus St. Augustine: “Week what you seek but not where you seek it.” For what we seek in orgies, at parties, on journeys, in movie theaters and bars is simply God, who is all the time only to be found within ourselves. Within every one of us there is the same cry and the same thirst. So the psalmist writes, “As the deer thirsts for running waters, so longs my soul, O God, for thee.” God’s arrow has pierced every heart. The dictator’s lust for power, money, and property is the love of God. The lover finding her way to the house of her beloved, the explorer, the business executive, the agitator, the artist, and the contemplative monk are all looking for the same thing: heaven. God is everyone’s homeland. For God alone we are homesick. From every creature God calls us. We hear that call deep within us, as the lark hears its mate calling at daybreak, or Juliet hears Romeo whispering beneath her balcony. Evening and night are quiet and solitary because God made them for contemplation. Woods, deserts, the sea, and the starry sky were made for contemplation. Indeed, for this the world was made. Magpies and fishes speak of God, and it is God who taught them their language. The bird chorus in the early morning sings to God. Volcanoes, clouds, and trees shout about God. All creation proclaims with a loud voice the existence, the beauty, and the love of God. Music sings this message in our ears, as the beautiful countryside communicates it to our eyes. “I find letters from God dropped in the street and every one of them is signed by him,” says Walt Whitman. And the green grass is a fragrant handkerchief with God’s initials on the corner, as Whitman says, God dropped it on purpose to remind us of him. That is how the saints see nature, and how Adam saw it in Eden (and how poets and artists also see it, at least some of the time). God’s signature is on the whole of nature. All creatures are love letters from God to us. They are outbursts of love. The whole of nature is bursting with love, set in it by God, who is love, to kindle the fire of love in us. All things have no other reason for existing, no other meaning. They can give us no satisfaction or pleasant beyond this, to stir in us the love of God. Nature is like God’s shadow, reflecting God’s beauty and splendor. The quiet blue lake has the splendor of God. God’s fingerprints are upon every particle of matter. In every atom is an image of the Trinity, the figures of the triune God. That is why God’s creation so fills us with enthusiasm. As the kingfisher was made to fish and the humming bird to suck nectar from flowers, so we were made for contemplation and the love of God. God is everywhere, not just within us. But God is also within us, and we have felt God’s presence and desired it and that is why we withdraw into silence and solitude. For the time being we want no other creature to impress us, only God. As the lake reflects the sky when it is calm, we find God’s reflection best in solitude and peace. We have only to be quiet and purified for God’s face to show. And God’s face is the Human One, whose face was printed on Veronica’s veil. And God’s face can be seen, though less clearly, in all creation. We are mirrors of God, created to reflect God. Even when the water is disturbed, it still reflects the sky.
Epiphany: Left for their own country by another road
Gregor : January 1, 2012 1:54 pm : blog, Featured
car rally was coming to town. This was the climax of months of preparation, of engineering precision, practice, calculated preparation. The highly competitive nature of this event, kept drivers and mechanics in covert operations, trade secrets, and the newest cutting edge technology were discreetly hidden in basement workshops.
Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the universes;
Most Gracious, Most Merciful; Master of the Day of Judgment.
those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.
Swami Vivekananda’s messageon September 11, 1893:
“Thirst,” from Abide in Love [Vida en el Amor] by Ernesto Cardenal
Gregor : August 19, 2011 8:33 am : blog
Our recital series is over until September, but you can still catch some excellent music at St Luke’s. On Sunday, June 12 at 7:30, several local musicians who have appeared in our recital series are donating their time and talent at a benefit concert in support of the restoration of our grand piano. Admission is by donation. Identifiable donations of $20 or more will be issued income tax receipts. Performers include Cathy Baerg, Thomas Brawn, Steven Smith, Kevin James, Joan Milliken, Susan Lines, Joel Allison, Seth Allison and Robert Jones.
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