the Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant

A homily on the occasion of the Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant
For Matt and Tony by The Rev Daniel C. Gunn
May we seek Truth together in humility. Amen.
Wow, look at all these people. There must be 300 of you. Looks like anyone who has been to one of Tony and Matthew’s 12th Night Parties or been to WAC-ZIP at Stoddartsville over the last 8 years is all here.
They met online back before people would admit to using an online dating service. And of course Tony lied on his dating profile, I’m told, saying he suffered from “only-child syndrome” but it is “curable.” Matthew disagrees and is still waiting for a cure.
They did not have a very romantic first date. Matt had to drive from Williamsport. The date consisted of a grand tour of Tony’s apartment which was then cut short because Tony was also scheduled to give a walking tour of Hollenback Cemetery. Now that’s what I call romance.
On their third date, Tony invited Matthew to church (yet another romantic site) here at St. Stephen’s and they have been here ever since. In fact, I can’t imagine looking over and not seeing Tony in his Verger’s vestments, and Matt in his choir vestments.
The fourth date was the real test since Matthew and his miniature dachshund Sophie were a “package deal.” Tony had to pass the Sophie test, which he did, unfortunately, Tony’s Jack Russell Terrier, Abigail, never quite warmed up to Matthew (but Abigail certainly loved her new sister Sophie—oh how they loved.)
They modeled their courtship after Prince William and Kate Middleton – who also dated for 8 years before getting married, and you know they have a prominent portrait of the two in the apartment.
They shared much in common:
Everyone knows they love to throw parties – show hospitality in sharing their house and summer cabin – I’m sure they will be hosting 12th Night Parties for years to come
And they love the church. They sincerely believe the church brought them together and will keep them together. Matt has sung with the choir since 2005 and Tony is going on his 10th year as Verger of St. Stephen’s. I bought him his Verger’s gown because otherwise he looked like a lost choirboy.
They also share many other interests, but have one important difference:
First the common interests: they both love books, love to read, love history, love old movies and of course--the Oscars.
Yet they differ in politics, but here is where Washington could learn a thing or two from them; even though Tony is the Republican and Matthew is the Democrat they keep a truly bipartisan household.
Now that was the personal part, let’s talk a little theology.
I don’t usually entitle my sermons, because I still believe that the Spirit can move the preacher and change things. I preached part of this a few weeks ago, and the title I gave it for myself was “Wrestling with Triune God of love.” I still like that title because today—this evening—we’re wrestling with something new. I asked the sexton to check the roof because some believe it’s gonna cave in, but it hasn’t yet. Notice I said “YET.”
We are here today to wrestle with the concept of “Love.” Before I begin that let me show you an icon: it’s called “Christ and Abbot Mena.” He’s often called Abbot Minnow. This image was discovered on a monastery wall in Alexandria, Egypt. The iconographer who wrote the image preserved one important aspect: he left the fracture. He left the fact that the Abbot was broken. I think that sends an important message: We’re broken people. Yet sometimes someone comes along and places an arm around us and helps us feel whole. That’s what Christ does to all of us, and that’s what happened to Matt and Tony. They chanced upon each other online and Tony was lying on his profile (according to them). Nevertheless, they managed to put an arm around each other and feel whole.
O wait. We’re here to do something different: Let’s talk about the challenge of love. The Trinity teaches us that. In my decade and a half of ministry there is something that I keep forgetting, and of which God keeps trying to remind me: the central tenant of the Christian message is love—God so loved that he gave, our first responsibility is to love God, and the second is like unto it, to love each other as ourselves. (Perhaps like the image?)
It is insultingly simple: God loved us, we are to love God and each other. One horizontal action of love, and one vertical action of love. That’s it. Anything more that we add to or expect of another is adding to or taking away from the Gospel, and John the Revelator said that the one who does that is in danger of eternal death. In other words, the one who muddies the fundamental message of the Gospel of Christ to love is in danger of going to hell. Woe to us preachers! So if love originates in God, then shouldn’t we look to God as an example of how to love? But yes, we just did—an arm around a broken person.
When we speak of God in three persons, the Trinity, we often speak in terms of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We might even use our bodies to pray that (making the sign of the cross). We often make the mistake of thinking that our nomenclature of Father, Son, Holy Spirit connotes a hierarchy—an ordering of importance. In truth, it implies relationship. The titles Father, Son, Holy Spirit indicate the connection between the persons of the godhead NOT the pecking order. Our need to name the persons of the godhead belies their connectivity, and just what is that bond that unites them? Simply put, it is love.
Jurgen Moltmann, obviously a German theologian, once wrote, “It is only from the perspective of the Trinitarian God that we can claim that ‘God is Love,’ because love is never alone. Instead, it brings together those who are separate while maintaining their distinct characters.” Moltmann’s claim is that we can only understand the concept of love and how to love because God’s chief activity is to love.
Take careful note of what Moltmann said, “Love is never alone. It brings together those who are separate while maintaining their distinct characters.” I think this is why Rublev’s famous icon of the “Hospitality of Abraham” is so poignant. It depicts the longing relationship between those people.
So let’s look at what we have: two distinct individuals who long to be with each other but do not consume each other with their desire to be together. They love and respect each other.
Rather than attempting to explain the doctrine of marriage, it would be better for us to embody what the Trinity does: respect diversity and difference within a loving union. Let me say that again: Respect each other’s differences within a loving union. Kind of sounds like a good definition for marriage or a family, or perhaps a church. Marriage is meant to teach us to respect our differences in a loving union.
The roof has not caved. Yet. Now we are going to celebrate with two people who found each other—cracked images—both—neither of you are the Christ in this image. You’re both the broken monk. You throw great parties (and Matt makes the best bean dip, if you’ve gone to a party, you know). Nearly 300 of us came here today to hear the next few lines.
So Matt, Tony, or is it Tony and Matt (I can never tell) come here now and say to the world what I know you’ve said to each other in private.

In these thoughts may we find truth. Amen.

For whom should we pray? Acts 5.27-40

For whom should we pray? Acts 5.27-40

Low Sunday (7 April) 2013
Sermon by the Rev. Daniel Gunn
St. Stephen’s Pro-Cathedral, WB

May we seek Truth together in humility. Amen.

I’ve always been a “good boy,” generally speaking. I’ve always respected the authorities. I never got into protests or marches, but I always had the spirit of civil disobedience—at least I thought. (I literally have the t-shirt to prove the story I am about to share with you.) Shortly after I was ordained to the priesthood, living in the affluent and very white community of Bronxville, serving as assistant at Christ Church, I was driving back to the church from lunch. My route always took me past the local hospital. One day I noticed a number of people at the rear entrance to the hospital with picket signs and t-shirts marching in formation. I also noticed that most of the faces were brown. Bear in mind that few faces in Bronxville are brown. My curiosity was piqued. I drove on to the church, parked my car, and walked back to the hospital. Upon arrival, I inquired what the commotion was all about, to learn that these were food service and housekeeping employees. They were protesting for a livable wage and healthcare. (Remember they were working in a hospital and did not have healthcare coverage.) One woman told me how she fed her children macaroni and cheese every night because she couldn’t afford anything else. One of the leaders of the protesters explained that the state had disbursed funds to the hospital for a higher wage and healthcare, but the management had refused to negotiate with them.

Having worked as a hospital chaplain for two years prior to my arrival in Bronxville, I understood where they were coming from, and identified with their struggle. The organizer told me that I was the first person from the village to show support and the first clergy person to offer encouragement. They asked if I would say a prayer. I graciously accepted the invitation. I prayed for the hands of Christ that cooked and cleaned and touched the body of Christ in every person admitted to the hospital. A simple, innocuous prayer—or so I thought. I went back to the church and met the other assistant priest in the office hallway. I explained what I had done, the response I had received, and how satisfied I felt for my effort. Right in the middle of my story the rector flew out of his office and began to scream at me in front of everyone—the other priest, the office staff, parents coming to pick up their children. He ordered me into his office and continued yelling at me. He explained that we had parishioners—wealthy parishioners—on the board of the hospital and if they got wind of my activities they might pull out of the church, and he said as he pointed his finger at my chest, “If that happens, that’s your job buddy.” (I left out the expletive.)

Shocked, afraid, stunned, confused I retreated to my office. I quickly composed an email to Bishop Paul. I am very happy for electronic communication because I got a quick reply. I don’t remember everything he said, but I do remember him suggesting that I should ask the rector this: “For whom should I pray?” The next morning the rector came to my office first thing. He sort-of apologized while justifying his anger. When he was done I asked him that question: “For whom should I pray?” He had no response. Left my office and never mentioned it again.

I kind of feel like that’s what’s happening in today’s lesson from Acts. The disciples had been with Jesus and had received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. They felt compelled to share freely what had so freely been given to them, but that spirit of generosity and love resulted in reprimand. They quickly learned that not everyone shared in their joy and spirit of egalitarianism. The “bosses” yelled at them and threatened them. They would not be dissuaded by threats, though. They boldly continued to proclaim the truth that had been revealed to them preferring to obey God’s authority rather than human authority. This is the very definition of civil disobedience. This is Christian activism.

Christ still calls us to action today. Jesus ate with tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners. I’m sure he would have eaten with the Pharisees and others had they invited him. He still calls us to follow his example of standing on the side of the poor, the outcast and the marginalized. Living the Gospel takes many forms, and often living the Gospel means going against the prevailing majority and pushing through threats and intimidation. We’ve seen it in our time. There was a time when scripture was used to justify slavery, and then later to justify keeping blacks separate from whites. None of us would stand for that today. There was a time when women were a lesser class of citizen, but I defy anyone to attempt to put women “in their place” today. Now our struggle has come to integrating gays and lesbians fully into our society. Let’s not stand on the wrong side of history proof texting scriptures to justify a bankrupt theology.

Too often scripture is proof texted to make a point, when in fact the scripture needs to be put into its context. By proof texting I mean taking a single scripture out of its scriptural and historical context. If I proof text scripture I can justify genocide, slavery, and prohibition of divorce, not to mention misogyny, and a host of other intolerant attitudes. But when I place scripture in its proper context and apply reason and tradition to scripture I can’t help but come to different conclusions.

One of my emerging heroes is the late William Sloane Coffin. In The Courage to Love he wrote, “It is a mistake to sharpen our minds by narrowing them. It is a mistake to look to the Bible to close a discussion; the Bible seeks to open one. Christians have to listen to the world as well as to the Word. And do not all of us learn more when we do not try to understand too soon?” (Courage, p. 7)

The opposite of Love is not hate, but fear. We cannot love what we do not know and understand, and we cannot understand and know what we are afraid of, and thus we come to hate it. Our response is either to fight it or flee from it. It becomes the other and we are “special,” but there is a problem with being special. When we think we are special then the paradigm is set for the other to be judged as wrong. And when we stand in judgment we become like those threatening the disciples. We would do much better to listen to the advice of Gamaliel and to take stock because “if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God.”

Let us realize that “Do unto others . . .” applies to ALL others. May we come to view our brother’s holiness as a sacrament to us. A sacrament is a place where God shows up. Do you have the courage to follow God rather than man? Do you have the fortitude to heed God’s authority? Coffin reminds us of the danger of loving one another: The hand extended in love always returns covered with scars (if not nailed to a cross), (Courage, p. 13). For whom will you pray?

In these thoughts may we find truth. Amen.

Love is...........

Love is Patient….
So begins the well known and so called Love chapter in I Corinthians, a chapter often used at weddings and maybe referred to at Valentines Day, a card company’s treasure trove. However the people to whom it is was written weren’t getting married, nor was there a Valentine’s day. Corinth, a city that was a crossroads for both land and sea trade, situated between two large bodies of water and two land areas, virtually surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. Were it not for the isthmus on which Corinth was founded, the southern part of Greece would be an island in the Mediterranean Sea. Goods exchanged between the north and south would normally be shipped by land through Corinth. Much of the sea trade of the Mediterranean from east to west also passed through Corinth. Think more like NY Fleet week meets Los Vegas. Yet there was a group of people following The Way or, as we now call them and us, Christians. Paul wrote to them because he was informed of a case of gross immorality in the church, one with which the church had not dealt. Instead of feeling shame and sorrow over this sin, at least some of them were proud of their tolerance (chapter 5). He heard also the believers taking their fellow-believers to court, seeking to have pagans pass judgment on spiritual matters (chapter 6). Paul was also told of unbecoming conduct at the Lord’s Supper (chapter 11) and of doctrinal error concerning the resurrection (chapter 15). A three-man delegation also arrived from Corinth (16:17) bringing a letter which inquired of Paul about marriage (7:1), virgins (7:25), food sacrificed to idols (8:1), spiritual gifts (12:1), the collection for the saints (16:1), and Apollos (16:12) these reports were not the loving, caring acts of followers of Christ that should be exhibited. Nor did they set the followers apart from the surrounding culture, they were not revealing the love of Christ as they should be.
Paul is writing to a very troubled church, a church which exists in the midst of a very corrupt city and culture. In spite of this, Paul has a very confident mood, in spite of the weaknesses and willful sins of these believers, he affirms the present and future benefits of faith.

Love is Kind.
Paul wanted the Corinth church to stand apart from the culture of gluttony and excess that surrounded them and show the true meaning of Love.
We, in English, have one word for a myriad of feelings from hamburgers, sports teams, weather, and relationships to parents and spouses – Love
There are three in Greek (and none of them apply to non-human things like food, sports, or barometric events)
Eros – easy to remember, the flush of first attraction, the feel of your heart skipping a beat when someone you are deeply attracted to walks into a room.
Philia – a close brotherly love, related or not to you, the “bro-mance” idea of today, women who have very close girlfriends can relate to philia.
Agape – the deep, unselfish, nurturing, sacrificial love. This is what Corinth was missing and needed clarification on.

Love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.
We can and do look back on this and believe we have conquered it – we know what love is. Do we? We come across people daily that have such a distorted view of love that funhouse mirrors would be envious. Reading a blog on sexuality and the church which is currently examining the book Torn by Justine Lee (an excellent book on rescuing the gospel from the gay vs. Christian debate, and a young evangelical man’s struggle with his homosexuality and trying to reconcile it with his traditions’ teaching) and than reading the comments (the moderator is vigilant in ensuring the comments are not inflammatory, dismissive or rude) and seeing peoples stories of love they encountered and used to justify heinous behavior. Beatings, rape, ridicule, bullying and it goes on.
We understand love? Even when Christians do understand love – all three facets of it – the people we encounter….. often do not. They have been harmed with the word, in the name of Christianity or its secular use and are, understandably, gun shy or dare we say love shy. They are not able to understand eros in it’s beautiful form and design, or philios in it’s camaraderie, and have completely lost the concept of unselfishness. Agape’.

It (love) does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.

So where do we go from here, what can we say to those who have heard phrases like; “If you love me you would _______,” (fill in the blank), “If you loved us you wouldn’t be gay”, “You don’t know how to love because you are ugly/stupid.” or “No one would love you, you are ugly/stupid” over and over and over again – even if not in those same words but in actions and silences. How do we tell them of the Agape’ love of Jesus?

It (love) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
If the word love is a trigger of fear like rape is to a survivor/victim, one that causes an immediate- rock in the pit of your stomach- feeling and a racing of the heart – can we use another word – one that can be understood as something that will transcend our human experience and yet has touched it, felt it and lived it. One commenter who had been repeatedly raped and was told it was done “in love” had that problem, she couldn’t hear the passage from 1 Corinthians and not flash to those images and feelings of pain and helplessness that were imbedded in her memory. Not only did that word give her those images but it also reminded her of what she did not experience and what she had lacked in (at that time) her life. Still healing she needed another word – she used God.

God is patient,
God is kind,
God is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude
He (God) does not insist on his own way; he is not irritable or resentful;
He (God) does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.
He (God) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
God never ends

And now faith, hope, and God abide, these three; and the greatest of these is God.

How different God's love is from ours.

Thomas Merton writes:
“He Who is infinitely great has given to His children a share in His own innocence. He alone is the gentlest of loves: whose pure flame respects all things. God, Who owns all things, leaves them all to themselves. He never takes them for His own, the way we take them for our own and destroy them. He leaves them to themselves. He keeps giving to them, giving them all that they are, asking no thanks of them save that they should receive from him and be loved and nurtured by him, and that they should increase and multiply, and so praise him. He saw that all things were good, and He did not enjoy them. He saw that all things were beautiful, and he did not want them. His love is not like ours. His love is non possessive. His love is pure because it needs nothing.”




1 Corinthians 13: 4-13 (NRSV)
“4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love. “

Holy Stitchwits!!

Not an euphemistic exclamation, or an original Batman TV series dialog but a group of women (men are also welcome) that get together the second Sunday of each month to crochet, knit, or any type of needle work in the Kirkendall Room. They knit, stitch and chat - about patterns, life and "stuff". The results of their creativity is given away: either as a personal project; a blanket for the newest grandchild, or a scarf for a friend or given to the Christmas at Sea ministry in our Diocese, scarves and hats for mariners who cannot be home for Christmas. Prayer/Comfort shawls may also be made if that is the choice of the knitter/crocheter. All of these crafted stories are designed to wrap, enfold, comfort and cover some one loved, cared for and prayed over.

Knitting, crochet, needlework all are a form of ritual - choosing the colors and pattern, picking up the needles or hooks, creating stitches and rows, casting on or off, the click of needles. The pattern repeated until the work is done, the end of the row, binding it off and the piece is blessed and sent on its way to comfort, warm and embrace. Cradling the recipient in warmth and prayer.

If you wish to join this group of serene weavers or would just like to sit and join in the conversation the next time they meet is Sunday January 13th after the 10:30 AM service in the Kirkendall Room.

looking back before going forward

Note to self; write 2013 on all paperwork - unless you are doing taxes than you are dealing with 2012 information, or the December report for the Food Bank due in 7 days or reports due to the Vestry, or.......

The first month or so of a New Year is confusing what with the Look Back at 2012 segments, and than things that must be tied up in 2013 but reflect 2012 it is nearly March before I remember which year to write on my checks (the fact that I write so few checks does not help)

Past the celebrations and into the beginning of the new year it seems to stretch ahead of us as a long and unbroken road one that we cannot see the end of. At the end of a year we look back and wonder where the time has gone, and how fast it seemed to have gone. Channeling Sheldon Cooper or Data time does not pass slowly or quickly, it is our perception of it and what we believe we need to accomplish in a set manner that alters our feeling of swift or slow. Don't believe me? It is Wednesday - and the next two days will seem to pass far slower to reach Saturday than the past two days that heralded in the new year. That is why it has been called "Hump Day" the day we need to get over to head to the downside of a "Week-end". But I digress;

In case you missed the What Happened in 2012 reflections here are some: (and if you saw those lists- well a few more won't hurt)
Please copy and paste the URL's in your browser for the full post


http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/22/a-mountain-im-willing-to-die-on-2/

Jan 22, 2012
Glennon on Momastery.com
"Dear Chase,

Whoever you are, whoever you become. You are loved. You are a miracle. You are our dream come true."



http://pastorjonathanmartin.com/uncategorized/more-than-a-symbol-why-we-moved-to-weekly-communion-at-renovatus/

Sept 4, 2012
Jonathan Martin

"I proclaim mysteries I understand less and less clearly the further I go, not more. And because I cannot explain, I can only extend the invitation that has been extended to me over and over, at my best and at my worse: “Taste and see, that the Lord is good.” Every mystery about life and God that I believe in is wrapped up in that meal; everything I would ever want anyone to receive is bound up in that table."


http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/2012/08/your-god-is-too-big.html
August 13, 2012
-thoughts, articles and essays of Richard Beck

"See the smallness of God in this famous section of Night, Elie Wiesel's memoir of the Holocaust:"


http://joyinthisjourney.com/2012/12/shame-is-a-prison-and-im-breaking-out/
Dec 12, 2012
by Joy

"He opened a manilla file folder and slid out a few sheets of paper. I spotted my name on the folder, Facebook-blue across the top of one page, and my blog header on another. My mind raced as I tried to process. The pastor has a file on me. My gut was right. They don’t like who I am."



http://www.elizabethesther.com/2012/01/what-not-to-say-to-someone-struggling-with-their-faith.html
(I would add - or just struggling)

January 7, 2012
by Elizabeth Ester
"I’ve discovered that the closer a person is to the epicenter of the tragedy, the longer it takes for them to recover. "


and a funny one;

http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2012/12/how-do-you-define-sexy-no-really-i-need.html

December 7, 2012
"What is my problem? I am a therapist. I’m supposed to be good at having these conversations! But somehow the concept of explaining sexiness to kindergartens turned me into a bumbling idiot."


http://rachelheldevans.com/blog/enough
by Rachel Held Evens

"“Don’t just volumize your lashes! Millionize them! ..........how about they begin by not perpetuating the stereotype that girls are so bad at math and science that they’ll go out and buy a product that promises to “millionize” their eyelashes.? I mean, what’s next? A “trillionizer?” A “gazillionizer”? When you start with “millionize,” there’s nowhere else to go but crazy town. "


-debra kellerman

Holy Innocents - December 28

I do Morning Prayer at our church most Fridays, it is the habit of our church to do Morning Prayer every weekday morning, and those of us who do it are committed to this practice. (one note of clarification - if the church office is closed, MP may or may not be conducted) It is usually at 9:00am, and usually in the chapel, but we tend to be a bit flexible, personal schedules and church events sometimes dictate changes (I keep hearing "the space always wins" and I wholeheartedly agree).

Today is a special day of commemoration, a day we remember someone special or an event that stands out. Today is The Holy Innocents. Most "Red Letter" days are remembering Saints or something like the annunciation, and are considered feast days, but not today. Today we remember the children that were slaughtered at the order of King Herod when he learned that the Wise men had left and did not tell him where to find the Christ child as told us in Matthew 2;

"16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18“A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” "

You cannot feast on a day that remembers the death of the innocent. That this is two weeks after the death of 18 children does not escape me, nor does the fact that on that day after I had completed Morning Prayer, ten minutes later a nightmare was unleashed on a school that was preparing for the Christmas vacation.
On the 21st at the conclusion of Morning Prayer at 9:30 am our church bells were rung in memory of those that had died - and at each tolling I spoke aloud the name of each victim, than prepared to give out toys to parents who had applied for Toys for Tots from us. Concluding that day - the shortest day of the year and the longest night, a Homeless Memorial service was held, concluding with speaking aloud those homeless men and women that had died.

Christmas is remembered and constructed as a magical sugarplum time, where families are joyous and all is right with the world, but that is not, nor has it been the case. We miss those that died during the year more keenly at Christmas than say Labor Day. Tragedy still occurs, death, sickness or loneliness do not take a holiday. In this week alone a retired Bishop of the Episcopal church died, as did the father of a recently ordained Deacon, and a nieces' Father in Law took a turn for the worse, and these are the ones I know of. There are more I am certain.

Yet in and through this we can and do say "Alleluia, To us a child is born: Come let us adore him. Alleluia"(BCP MPII pg 80)

and I will share with you why; because Jesus is not the reason for the season.

I attended our church’s Midnight service and the Christmas Day service and heard this from Father Daniel, Jesus is not the reason for the season, Now before you call the local news stations and decry a war on Christmas at the Episcopal church, continue reading.
But first a disclaimer: this is based on Daniels sermon and I will try to identify which are his heresies and which are mine, by putting a (D) next to his statements as best as I can recall them (along with italicizing them), just so you know what to tell the Bishop when you see him next

We romanticize the nativity (D) – Mary beaming, Baby Jesus cooing, Joseph standing over keeping watch, the adoration of the shepherds. But births are far from romantic, they are messy, painful, panic filled, scary and not private – and this is in a modern hospital with Doctors, nurses, anesthetists, (with that team there is NO privacy), clean, and germ controlled. The birth of Jesus was – and I’m guessing on this part – panic filled. Where could a out of town couple stay or go to deliver this baby, talk about not finding the car keys, this couple could not find a place to stop to rest for themselves, let alone a private spot for Mary to give birth. A manager is the best they could find, and not the beautiful one represented on our mantels, closer to a dank, dark, cold, cave – hollowed out from a hillside. No doctor, no nurse and not even a midwife, just Joseph. So rethink the nativity – a teenage girl, her first child, no bed, and only Joseph to help the hours of labor and than the delivery.

So if this whole thing is scary, dangerous and not easy, why did God do it? Why would Christ come to earth in the form of a baby: homeless, in the care of a teenager and an older man. Why would God do that? Did God need us?(D)

Have you thought of that – does God need us?

Or is it the other way around, we needed God (D)

In a world where there was political corruption, roman peace (a peace that was kept with the edge of a sword), financial exploitation and human disposability, God sent His Son for us.

There are wonderful traditions that families have to remind children that Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth, birthday cakes to Jesus is just one and I’m not saying we should chuck them out the door with the bath water. However the true reason for the season - is you and me. (D) We are the reason God sent His Son, we needed God in the incarnate, Immanuel, God is with us. God. is. with. us: in the painful, panic filled, scary moments, in our wounded world.

Jesus chose to touch us where we hurt.(D) Did you catch that, He CHOSE to touch us where WE hurt, and in that touch is healing to our souls and hearts. In choosing to touch us we than are directed to touch others where they hurt, in their wounded world. So we give out toys to parents who have no other means of giving something to their children on Christmas day, we have a homeless memorial to remember the ones very few what to acknowledge existed, we have a food pantry and a clothing closet, we house a dental and medical clinic. That is only what we do - other churches do other services that meets the needs of their community: House of Hope, family intervention, women and children shelters, the list goes on and on and it should. We who have been touched where we are want to reach out and touch others where they are. Than we continue to pray and worship- for in prayer and worship we become grounded and revived to continue the Monday to Sunday walk.


"We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. "
-Collect of the Day: The Holy Innocents

"Alleluia, To us a child is born: Come let us adore him. Alleluia"(BCP MPII pg 80)

at the Episcopal Cafe' The Lead
http://www.episcopalcafe.com/lead/children/holy_innocents_and_violence_ag_1.html

Services at Christmas

Christmas Eve Services:
5:00pm Eucharist
10:30pm Chorale Prelude followed by 11:00pm Midnight Mass

Christmas Day Service;
10:30 AM Eucharist with Carols and Organ Music