On Sunday, January 10, 2010, we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord in my church. Rather than a regular reading of the regular story, that everyone has heard a million times, I wanted to do something different. Reading over the Lectionary texts for the week, I saw amazing possibilities in the Isaiah and Luke readings, which seemed to speak to each other. We had two readers stage this "conversation" between the prophet Isaiah and the evangelist Luke. Sometimes the Lectionary rules:
Isaiah 43:1-7 & Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Isaiah 43:1 But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
Luke 3:15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah,
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.
Luke 3:16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Isaiah 43:3-4 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life.
Luke 3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Isaiah 43:5-7 Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Luke 3:21-22 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Mid-Week Thoughts
Happy Epiphany, my friends!
January 6th is Epiphany, the celebration of the God's revelation to the Gentiles (non-Jews). It also marks the official end of the season of Christmas, which begins on December 25th and lasts for twelve days (hence the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"). If you ever grow jealous of our Jewish brother and sisters, who get presents each night for the eight nights of Hanukkah, you can consider reviving the old tradition of giving a series of increasingly grand presents each of the twelve days of Christmas, ending with a feast for friends on January 5th, Twelfth Night, the high point of the season.
The customs above come from the rich English Christmas tradition, which seems foreign to most of us (Who is this Father Christmas, anyway?). Most of our beloved American Christmas traditions actually come from Dutch and German settlers to the colonies. They brought us Santa Claus (aka Sinterklaas) and the Christmas Tree. Other countries have yet other ways to announce and embrace the baby born in Bethlehem. I encourage you to learn a bit about how the rest of the world--now and through history--worships The Child. You might discover some traditions you want to make your own. (As you can tell from the preceding paragraphs, Wikipedia is your friend.)
So, no matter how you cut it, Christmas is finally over. Now we must ask ourselves the question, "How am I to live?" How are we to live in a world into which God has chosen to be born? The birth of Jesus is (not was) an event of cosmic significance. If it doesn't change our lives, then perhaps we weren't paying attention, caught up in our own stuff as we often are.
Today I had the pleasure (with Blair and Marcia) of taking a cart-load full of donated food to one of our area food pantries. There we got to speak for a while with the people who get that food into the hands of needy families. It's something I wish we could all do, because it connects our generosity with the need in the world.
Today I felt a bit like one of the Magi (in fact, there were three of us!), taking gifts fit for a king. Instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh we took Ramen Noodles and Jelly, gifts fitting for the king who lifts up the lowly, the poor and the hungry. Today is Epiphany, when we celebrate the arrival of the Magi, who brought their gifts before the King of the World.
Blessings to you all...
Pastor Michael
January 6th is Epiphany, the celebration of the God's revelation to the Gentiles (non-Jews). It also marks the official end of the season of Christmas, which begins on December 25th and lasts for twelve days (hence the song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas"). If you ever grow jealous of our Jewish brother and sisters, who get presents each night for the eight nights of Hanukkah, you can consider reviving the old tradition of giving a series of increasingly grand presents each of the twelve days of Christmas, ending with a feast for friends on January 5th, Twelfth Night, the high point of the season.
The customs above come from the rich English Christmas tradition, which seems foreign to most of us (Who is this Father Christmas, anyway?). Most of our beloved American Christmas traditions actually come from Dutch and German settlers to the colonies. They brought us Santa Claus (aka Sinterklaas) and the Christmas Tree. Other countries have yet other ways to announce and embrace the baby born in Bethlehem. I encourage you to learn a bit about how the rest of the world--now and through history--worships The Child. You might discover some traditions you want to make your own. (As you can tell from the preceding paragraphs, Wikipedia is your friend.)
So, no matter how you cut it, Christmas is finally over. Now we must ask ourselves the question, "How am I to live?" How are we to live in a world into which God has chosen to be born? The birth of Jesus is (not was) an event of cosmic significance. If it doesn't change our lives, then perhaps we weren't paying attention, caught up in our own stuff as we often are.
Today I had the pleasure (with Blair and Marcia) of taking a cart-load full of donated food to one of our area food pantries. There we got to speak for a while with the people who get that food into the hands of needy families. It's something I wish we could all do, because it connects our generosity with the need in the world.
Today I felt a bit like one of the Magi (in fact, there were three of us!), taking gifts fit for a king. Instead of gold, frankincense and myrrh we took Ramen Noodles and Jelly, gifts fitting for the king who lifts up the lowly, the poor and the hungry. Today is Epiphany, when we celebrate the arrival of the Magi, who brought their gifts before the King of the World.
Blessings to you all...
Pastor Michael
Friday, November 13, 2009
Living Wills
It's been too long since my last post. Things at the hospital are progressing. Here's a quick tip: if you haven't made a living will, DO IT NOW! Don't burden your loved ones with decisions you should make yourself. It's agonizing enough to have to disconnect someone from life support, don't make it worse by adding guilt to the experience.
That's my tip for the day.
That's my tip for the day.
Friday, October 30, 2009
On Call...
Tonight is my first weekend on-call shift as a chaplain at Strong Memorial Hospital (weekend shifts are usually doubles, 24 hours straight). I got the pager handed to me about an hour ago and have already been called to one tragic encounter in the MICU (Medical Intensive Care Unit). I'm hoping to get some sleep, I'm hoping to do some reading, I'm hoping to do some work for Sunday's worship, but hoping may be for naught.
Peace.
Peace.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Gathered As One
I went to a small, liberal-arts college in Annapolis, Maryland (Saint John's College). It's an unusual place, where great books are read and discussed. It's a fixed curriculum, which means no pesky majors or electives. Everyone starts as a freshman (no transfers, thank you), and everyone takes the same classes, in the same order, from the 1930s to the present. That's bound to bring a great deal of cohesion to any group.
It's a smallish place; they only admit about a hundred freshmen each year. Since everyone begins as a freshmen, the size of the student body is kept in check. When I attended (1983-1987), the vast majority of students lived on campus. Campus life was rich and rewarding. As I look back, my mind often ends up in the dining hall.
Now, I'm as a big fan of cafeteria food as the next guy (as long as the next guy is my friend, Elliott). I ate my way through some memorable meals (THIRTEEN patty melts! Take that!!). I can probably still find the red Jell-O stuck to the high ceiling by Jack Handy one bored lunch. The room itself is a thing of beauty. Deep, wide, high, with a wooden floor and two rows of columns running its length, it's a wonderful space.
Yet it's not fond memories or architecture that recommend the place to me. It's community. With such a small student body and with so many on campus, meals at Saint John's were where (essentially) the entire community met several times a day. Sure, we all sat at separate tables--often zealously guarded for years at a time--but we came together around a single (if metaphorical) table.
So, if the guys from third-floor Randall decided at the last minute to have a party, all they had to do was ring a glass at dinner and make the announcement. Everybody knew. Instantly (years before the advent of Instant Messaging). It's occurred to me that that was the real power of the place. Everybody at their own tables, with their own friends, in their own conversations, yet with the ringing of knife on glass, we were One Body.
In the 1990s, major construction was required on some of the old, decaying dorms. As a necessity, more students lived off campus. I wasn't there for those years, but a good friend of mine was and noticed the shape of the community change. Gone were the days when the tinkling of a glass could attract the eyes and ears of the body as whole. That incredible sense of togetherness was lost. I don't know how things have fared since they re-opened those dorms. I don't know if community life has coalesced around that wonderful dining hall. I pray that it has, because that wwas where the beating heart of that place was to be found in my day.
It's a smallish place; they only admit about a hundred freshmen each year. Since everyone begins as a freshmen, the size of the student body is kept in check. When I attended (1983-1987), the vast majority of students lived on campus. Campus life was rich and rewarding. As I look back, my mind often ends up in the dining hall.
Now, I'm as a big fan of cafeteria food as the next guy (as long as the next guy is my friend, Elliott). I ate my way through some memorable meals (THIRTEEN patty melts! Take that!!). I can probably still find the red Jell-O stuck to the high ceiling by Jack Handy one bored lunch. The room itself is a thing of beauty. Deep, wide, high, with a wooden floor and two rows of columns running its length, it's a wonderful space.
Yet it's not fond memories or architecture that recommend the place to me. It's community. With such a small student body and with so many on campus, meals at Saint John's were where (essentially) the entire community met several times a day. Sure, we all sat at separate tables--often zealously guarded for years at a time--but we came together around a single (if metaphorical) table.
So, if the guys from third-floor Randall decided at the last minute to have a party, all they had to do was ring a glass at dinner and make the announcement. Everybody knew. Instantly (years before the advent of Instant Messaging). It's occurred to me that that was the real power of the place. Everybody at their own tables, with their own friends, in their own conversations, yet with the ringing of knife on glass, we were One Body.
In the 1990s, major construction was required on some of the old, decaying dorms. As a necessity, more students lived off campus. I wasn't there for those years, but a good friend of mine was and noticed the shape of the community change. Gone were the days when the tinkling of a glass could attract the eyes and ears of the body as whole. That incredible sense of togetherness was lost. I don't know how things have fared since they re-opened those dorms. I don't know if community life has coalesced around that wonderful dining hall. I pray that it has, because that wwas where the beating heart of that place was to be found in my day.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Shields and Swords
When I was in grad school the first time, I took a number of law classes. I remember well my Criminal Law & Procedure class, taught by a pair of Secret Service agents. One night, in a conversation about Constitutional rights, one of them quoted "the Constitution is a shield, not a sword." (A recent Internet search has turned up no definitive author of this quote, but suggests James Polk.) The line has always stuck in my mind.
In subsequent years, I came to study the Bible with some great seriousness. I discovered that many people wield the Bible as a weapon against others (notably against other Christians). This grieved me greatly (and still does). In my own mind, I began to apply the Constitutional quote to the Bible, thinking (and saying), "the Bible is a shield, not a sword."
That's what troubles me about this week's lectionary text: Ephesians 6:10-17. It speaks powerfully about the "whole armor of God," which is to keep us safe as we take the Gospel of Peace into a hostile world. What's not to love about the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness? I want that shield of faith and helmet of salvation!
But then Paul shifts gears. To all this protective armor is added the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Here's where Paul's metaphor breaks down for me, as I see the word of God (or the Word of God, for that matter) not as a weapon, but as a force of grace, healing, peace and protection.
The armor of God is essential if we're to take the Gospel of Peace out into the dark places. I just don't know why we need the sword.
I think I'll leave mine at home.
In subsequent years, I came to study the Bible with some great seriousness. I discovered that many people wield the Bible as a weapon against others (notably against other Christians). This grieved me greatly (and still does). In my own mind, I began to apply the Constitutional quote to the Bible, thinking (and saying), "the Bible is a shield, not a sword."
That's what troubles me about this week's lectionary text: Ephesians 6:10-17. It speaks powerfully about the "whole armor of God," which is to keep us safe as we take the Gospel of Peace into a hostile world. What's not to love about the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness? I want that shield of faith and helmet of salvation!
But then Paul shifts gears. To all this protective armor is added the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Here's where Paul's metaphor breaks down for me, as I see the word of God (or the Word of God, for that matter) not as a weapon, but as a force of grace, healing, peace and protection.
The armor of God is essential if we're to take the Gospel of Peace out into the dark places. I just don't know why we need the sword.
I think I'll leave mine at home.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Update on my Netbook
My friend, Amy, asked me how I like my new netbook (ASUS Eee PC 901). I've been writing about it to a few people, so I thought I blog it for posterity...
I got mine in early July 2009. I played around with it, but didn't really use it much (not a lot of wi-fi in Arkport). I got a great deal ($169) on a lower-end model that seemed to meet my low-end needs. I did some common upgrades (upping RAM from 1G to 2G and replacing slow 4G Solid-State-Disk with faster 16G SSD) and was content.
As a low-cost netbook, mine came with Linux (no biggie, I like UNIX variants). I replaced the so-so stock Linux install with the Ubuntu Netbook Remix (better formatted for small screens). I started using it. Fun, quick, no probs. Life was good, and it was great to have a command line again.
Then my old, slow laptop died. I'd been using it as my office PC. When it went, I needed to put the netbook into service fast. Ubuntu gave me a few hassles here, some I've experienced before with Linux, others were new. I needed to add the fonts I use in my church publications. No biggie, I've added fonts to UNIX systems before. I even found clear and helpful instructions on the Internet. The only problem? They didn't work. Grrr...
I also need to print at work, and printing is (in my 15+ yrs experience) the Achilles Heel of Linux. I'm sure others know how to make it work and have no issues. I've NEVER been able to get a Linux/*BSD/Solaris machine to print successfully. Call me dumb.
So, this week I jumped ship and installed the Windows 7 Release Candidate on it. I've been testing Win 7 on my home PC since last year and like it a lot. I wasn't sure if the netbook could handle it, but Microsoft is specifically targeting the netbook market (the only PC market to have any real positive sale this year). Once I made a bootable Windows 7 USB thumb drive, I was off to the races. Installation was a snap, hardware recognized without a hitch.
Speed is great. The laptop I was formerly using was a Sony VAIO from the year 2000. It had a Celeron 600 CPU and 256M of RAM. I was running Windows 2000 Pro on it and it was OK, but sluggish, especially loading programs. The netbook is like a Ferrari compare to it (though just about anything would be!). I've yet to experience even a hiccup.
I am conscious about hard drive space. I've got a 16GB SSD in it, Win 7 takes up under 6G of that. I also have a 4G SD card to store stuff like music files. It's really no biggie, I keep all my working documents on a thumb drive. My media-intensive files (images, movies, music) mainly live on my home PC, with it's whopping 80G hard drive. I'm not anticipating a problem with the 16G capacity of the netbook (though I can get a 32G or 46G SSD for it, if I do).
So far, so fun!!
I got mine in early July 2009. I played around with it, but didn't really use it much (not a lot of wi-fi in Arkport). I got a great deal ($169) on a lower-end model that seemed to meet my low-end needs. I did some common upgrades (upping RAM from 1G to 2G and replacing slow 4G Solid-State-Disk with faster 16G SSD) and was content.
As a low-cost netbook, mine came with Linux (no biggie, I like UNIX variants). I replaced the so-so stock Linux install with the Ubuntu Netbook Remix (better formatted for small screens). I started using it. Fun, quick, no probs. Life was good, and it was great to have a command line again.
Then my old, slow laptop died. I'd been using it as my office PC. When it went, I needed to put the netbook into service fast. Ubuntu gave me a few hassles here, some I've experienced before with Linux, others were new. I needed to add the fonts I use in my church publications. No biggie, I've added fonts to UNIX systems before. I even found clear and helpful instructions on the Internet. The only problem? They didn't work. Grrr...
I also need to print at work, and printing is (in my 15+ yrs experience) the Achilles Heel of Linux. I'm sure others know how to make it work and have no issues. I've NEVER been able to get a Linux/*BSD/Solaris machine to print successfully. Call me dumb.
So, this week I jumped ship and installed the Windows 7 Release Candidate on it. I've been testing Win 7 on my home PC since last year and like it a lot. I wasn't sure if the netbook could handle it, but Microsoft is specifically targeting the netbook market (the only PC market to have any real positive sale this year). Once I made a bootable Windows 7 USB thumb drive, I was off to the races. Installation was a snap, hardware recognized without a hitch.
Speed is great. The laptop I was formerly using was a Sony VAIO from the year 2000. It had a Celeron 600 CPU and 256M of RAM. I was running Windows 2000 Pro on it and it was OK, but sluggish, especially loading programs. The netbook is like a Ferrari compare to it (though just about anything would be!). I've yet to experience even a hiccup.
I am conscious about hard drive space. I've got a 16GB SSD in it, Win 7 takes up under 6G of that. I also have a 4G SD card to store stuff like music files. It's really no biggie, I keep all my working documents on a thumb drive. My media-intensive files (images, movies, music) mainly live on my home PC, with it's whopping 80G hard drive. I'm not anticipating a problem with the 16G capacity of the netbook (though I can get a 32G or 46G SSD for it, if I do).
So far, so fun!!
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