Thursday, April 30, 2009
"love song to pittsburgh"
samm and lukie made this in the park with 3000 still photos. i think it is lovely.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The subplot develops
So much on my mind - just found out I get to do another sermon mid- May, this time for the traditional AND the contemporary service. Much bigger deal. I was supposed to be doing Greek (almost done!!!) and instead I kept jotting down ideas. Who would have ever thought I would be a preacher? (think Meg Ryan...)
It's been summer-hot here lately, as in: can hardly sleep even with the fan on, I actually wore SHORTS in public, and I put sunscreen on before I went out to garden the other day. Garden! My new hopes and dreams are being realized in what I like to call my "subplot" in the community garden. It is a rejected bit of land right outside the fence. One half is "guarded" by a dumpy looking car. Which means people won't see the veggies and steal them. So far I have only removed a considerable amount of litter and weeded. Next, when Samm and I are lucky enough to have money again, I will buy manure and seeds and probably a few starter plants. Don't worry, I will keep you posted on that.
In other news, I had a really shockingly fun time at the first Youth Group retreat... I think everyone actually had an amazing time (the epic games helped, no doubt) and I felt like they really listened when we talked about them each being a "living stone."
Here is the quote that summarized my challenge to them:
Community is like a large mosaic. Each little piece seems so insignificant.
One piece is bright red, another cold blue or dull green, another
warm purple, another sharp yellow, another shining gold.
Some look precious, others ordinary. Some look valuable, others worthless.
Some look gaudy, others delicate.
As individuals stones, we can do little with them except
compare them and judge their beauty and value.
When, however, all these little stones are brought together
in one big mosaic portraying the face of Christ,
who would ever question the importance of any one of them?
If one of them, even the least spectacular one, is missing, the face is incomplete.
Together in the one mosaic, each little stone is indispensable
and makes a unique contribution to the glory of God. That’s community,
a fellowship of little people who together make God visible in the world.
— Henri Nouwen, Can You Drink the Cup?
The challenge must have taken root, because the group bonded a ton and now all my little stones are dating each other! Eeek! Had not planned on that.
It's been summer-hot here lately, as in: can hardly sleep even with the fan on, I actually wore SHORTS in public, and I put sunscreen on before I went out to garden the other day. Garden! My new hopes and dreams are being realized in what I like to call my "subplot" in the community garden. It is a rejected bit of land right outside the fence. One half is "guarded" by a dumpy looking car. Which means people won't see the veggies and steal them. So far I have only removed a considerable amount of litter and weeded. Next, when Samm and I are lucky enough to have money again, I will buy manure and seeds and probably a few starter plants. Don't worry, I will keep you posted on that.
In other news, I had a really shockingly fun time at the first Youth Group retreat... I think everyone actually had an amazing time (the epic games helped, no doubt) and I felt like they really listened when we talked about them each being a "living stone."
Here is the quote that summarized my challenge to them:
Community is like a large mosaic. Each little piece seems so insignificant.
One piece is bright red, another cold blue or dull green, another
warm purple, another sharp yellow, another shining gold.
Some look precious, others ordinary. Some look valuable, others worthless.
Some look gaudy, others delicate.
As individuals stones, we can do little with them except
compare them and judge their beauty and value.
When, however, all these little stones are brought together
in one big mosaic portraying the face of Christ,
who would ever question the importance of any one of them?
If one of them, even the least spectacular one, is missing, the face is incomplete.
Together in the one mosaic, each little stone is indispensable
and makes a unique contribution to the glory of God. That’s community,
a fellowship of little people who together make God visible in the world.
— Henri Nouwen, Can You Drink the Cup?
The challenge must have taken root, because the group bonded a ton and now all my little stones are dating each other! Eeek! Had not planned on that.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
This is what happens when Samm is not home...
"ENFPs are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things. Their enthusiasm lends them the ability to inspire and motivate others, more so than we see in other types. They can talk their way in or out of anything. They love life, seeing it as a special gift, and strive to make the most out of it."
Monday, April 13, 2009
Dr Easely, what do you think?
Easter Vigil – Saturday, April 11, 2009
Liturgy: Lights off, candle brought in, everyone's individual candles lit for the reading of the story of Creation, Exodus, John 1.
My homily:
One of the things I like about the Bible is that instead of being a long list of a of points about God and facts and dates and rules, it actually has a lot of stories and a lot of images or metaphors. For example, Christ describes himself as the “Good Shepherd.” I don’t about you, but I don’t have a lot of experience with sheep. Or really any animals except my cat. But my friend Luke who is living in Mongolia was recently trying to describe Christ to this nomad he met, and it was clearly not making a bit of sense to him. He mentioned Christ’s description of himself as the Good Shepherd and bam, suddenly the nomad got all excited. He could relate to that. So there are lots of images throughout the Bible that help us to relate to God. These images help us make a connection between our real everyday life and thoughts and the Holy God of the Universe.
As you probably noticed, the image that the church celebrates on Easter Vigil is the image of Christ as light coming into darkness. Tracing the ways that this image was used in creation, for the nation of Israel, and then finds its fullfillment in Christ, will help us to see what the dawn of Easter has to do with the darkness in our own lives tonight.
A few weeks ago when it was just beginning to get warmer, Samm and I decided spontaneously to go camping. We grabbed our camping gear and headed to Ohiophyle. Things were going great as we set up camp, made the fire, started preparing dinner. We got out our lantern then realized we had no fuel, only a very shady flashligh. There was no moon, no stars So Samm drove to town to see if he any stores were still open as it was starting to get dark.
I sat there, basically the only person in the whole camp ground, stirring our dinner over the coals, trying to get the flashlight to work, and watching the woods around me fade into complete darkness. . Even with the coals going, I couldn’t see my own hand!
I knew Samm was coming, but each minute in the dark woods seemed like an hour. I started imagining how I would survive the night if Samm got eaten by a bear and didn’t come back… There is nothing like sitting in the dark to really get your imagination going! When I finally saw the bright beams of his headlights coming, I cannot tell you how beautiful they were!
And I think we have all experienced darkness in those nights that never seem to end. Whether it was too much caffeine the night before or some deep fear or dread in us that won’t let our mind rest, we lay in bed, tossing and turning, maybe we even get up…we try not look at our clock. The night seems to stretch endlessly and dawn seems elusive.
So we can all relate to this image in the Bible of the dawn of light coming into darkness.
The image starts at creation
darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Then
God merely spoke, "Let there be light," and there was light. Like a king who says a command and then immediately it’s done. He brought light into the dark cosmos in the beginning. The significance of this for the Israelites was that it meant they didn’t just worship a little god of nature like the surrounding nations. The worshipped the God who was over all of nature. Not the god of the sun, light the Egyptians, but the God who merely spoke and there was light.
When God is leading the His chosen people Israel out of slavery in Egypt,
He goes ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. To guide them. To show His presense with them even through the night, even when they wondered why there were in the wilderness. If I thought camping without a lantern was bad, can you imagine years upon years of camping in the wilderness? This light would have been such a comfort to God’s people! Talk about needing a nightlight.
Later when Israel settles into the land, their King David sings that
The Lord is His light and His salvation – as a result he says, whom shall I fear?...
What I like about this Psalm is that even though David calls God his light, he still admits he does not see clearly. In fact, he cries out later in the psalm, “My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek. He asks God not to hide his face. David waits, he hopes, he longs to see the Lord to bring justice and answer his promises. But even though he is waiting, he finishes this Psalm saying: I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. David clung to God as his light, like the pillar of fire in the wilderness: the light was a reminder of God’s presense, of his promises to David. He held on to that promise, that light during dark times in his life.
In a similar vein of hope during dark times, Isaiah prophesies that one day,
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah said this light would shatter the yoke that burdens them.
Light continues to be a sign of God’s presense and his promises. Isaiah’s words show that as Israel waiting for the Promised Messiah to come, it felt like the middle of the never ending night. It felt like they were walking in never ending darkness. Maybe kindof like playing Aliens but ongoing…
And in his gospel, John reminds the church that
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
We have seen his glory. King David longed to see, he waited, he hoped. The prophets foretold of a light coming, of a savior to come and save Israel. And then they waited, in darkness, in exile, in despair. The Israelites, the kings, the prophets, the regular people, they feared that God’s promises would not come true. That they were holding on to a myth. And when they doubted, they remembered the beginning at creation, when God, as Brueggeman puts it, “terrified the waters…crashed his thunder…shook the earth and scared the wits out of chaos.” As their enemies maintained the upper hand and justice seemed on hold, they remembered that their God merely said the word and light appeared. They waited. But still the darkness remained. The curtain that hung separating the Holy of Holys from the rest of the temple remained as a symbol of the darkness, a symbol of the barrier between God and his people.
And then, John’s gospel tells us, the word which spoke light into being at creation, this word become flesh- skin and bones and blood and hair and fingernails, become flesh, and came and lived here, on the same earth we walk around on now. Imagine the astonishment, the delight of the Israelites who realized that after all the years of waiting, the years of hoping, the hundreds of years of silence in the dark, the The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
And then imagine the disciples who walked around with the Light, believing Hope had finally been answered, imagine them watching him die. Watching the long awaited Light flicker and go out.
So this is where we find ourselves, this Saturday night. We look to the dawn when all will see the Risen One, the Light of Life, the King of Kings who breaks the stronghold of death, of sin, of darkness.
And what is our darkness tonight? I think like the Israelites, we experience the darkness of doubt. Of waiting to hear from God, waiting for him to keep his promises, waiting and wondering if we are fools for believing at all. Also like the Israelites, we experience the darkness of sin as a separation from God. But unlike the Israelites, we as the church, have seen his glory. We know that Light triumphs. And although we wait for His return, He has not left us in total darkness! As we will celebrate at Pentecost – he has left the fire to burn in us now! We get to walk in the Light as He is in the light.
As we approach the Eucharist table tonight, let it be a celebration for us of this the Easter-Dawn mystery: because of his death and resurrection, we as believers can draw near to Him, our Light of Life. In our doubts, in our temptations, in the dark times, in our waiting, we can drawn near to Christ the Light of the World.
Dawn is coming. Let us celebrate: Christ is Risen. Alleluia!
Liturgy: Lights off, candle brought in, everyone's individual candles lit for the reading of the story of Creation, Exodus, John 1.
My homily:
One of the things I like about the Bible is that instead of being a long list of a of points about God and facts and dates and rules, it actually has a lot of stories and a lot of images or metaphors. For example, Christ describes himself as the “Good Shepherd.” I don’t about you, but I don’t have a lot of experience with sheep. Or really any animals except my cat. But my friend Luke who is living in Mongolia was recently trying to describe Christ to this nomad he met, and it was clearly not making a bit of sense to him. He mentioned Christ’s description of himself as the Good Shepherd and bam, suddenly the nomad got all excited. He could relate to that. So there are lots of images throughout the Bible that help us to relate to God. These images help us make a connection between our real everyday life and thoughts and the Holy God of the Universe.
As you probably noticed, the image that the church celebrates on Easter Vigil is the image of Christ as light coming into darkness. Tracing the ways that this image was used in creation, for the nation of Israel, and then finds its fullfillment in Christ, will help us to see what the dawn of Easter has to do with the darkness in our own lives tonight.
A few weeks ago when it was just beginning to get warmer, Samm and I decided spontaneously to go camping. We grabbed our camping gear and headed to Ohiophyle. Things were going great as we set up camp, made the fire, started preparing dinner. We got out our lantern then realized we had no fuel, only a very shady flashligh. There was no moon, no stars So Samm drove to town to see if he any stores were still open as it was starting to get dark.
I sat there, basically the only person in the whole camp ground, stirring our dinner over the coals, trying to get the flashlight to work, and watching the woods around me fade into complete darkness. . Even with the coals going, I couldn’t see my own hand!
I knew Samm was coming, but each minute in the dark woods seemed like an hour. I started imagining how I would survive the night if Samm got eaten by a bear and didn’t come back… There is nothing like sitting in the dark to really get your imagination going! When I finally saw the bright beams of his headlights coming, I cannot tell you how beautiful they were!
And I think we have all experienced darkness in those nights that never seem to end. Whether it was too much caffeine the night before or some deep fear or dread in us that won’t let our mind rest, we lay in bed, tossing and turning, maybe we even get up…we try not look at our clock. The night seems to stretch endlessly and dawn seems elusive.
So we can all relate to this image in the Bible of the dawn of light coming into darkness.
The image starts at creation
darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Then
God merely spoke, "Let there be light," and there was light. Like a king who says a command and then immediately it’s done. He brought light into the dark cosmos in the beginning. The significance of this for the Israelites was that it meant they didn’t just worship a little god of nature like the surrounding nations. The worshipped the God who was over all of nature. Not the god of the sun, light the Egyptians, but the God who merely spoke and there was light.
When God is leading the His chosen people Israel out of slavery in Egypt,
He goes ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light. To guide them. To show His presense with them even through the night, even when they wondered why there were in the wilderness. If I thought camping without a lantern was bad, can you imagine years upon years of camping in the wilderness? This light would have been such a comfort to God’s people! Talk about needing a nightlight.
Later when Israel settles into the land, their King David sings that
The Lord is His light and His salvation – as a result he says, whom shall I fear?...
What I like about this Psalm is that even though David calls God his light, he still admits he does not see clearly. In fact, he cries out later in the psalm, “My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, Lord, I will seek. He asks God not to hide his face. David waits, he hopes, he longs to see the Lord to bring justice and answer his promises. But even though he is waiting, he finishes this Psalm saying: I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. David clung to God as his light, like the pillar of fire in the wilderness: the light was a reminder of God’s presense, of his promises to David. He held on to that promise, that light during dark times in his life.
In a similar vein of hope during dark times, Isaiah prophesies that one day,
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Isaiah said this light would shatter the yoke that burdens them.
Light continues to be a sign of God’s presense and his promises. Isaiah’s words show that as Israel waiting for the Promised Messiah to come, it felt like the middle of the never ending night. It felt like they were walking in never ending darkness. Maybe kindof like playing Aliens but ongoing…
And in his gospel, John reminds the church that
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
We have seen his glory. King David longed to see, he waited, he hoped. The prophets foretold of a light coming, of a savior to come and save Israel. And then they waited, in darkness, in exile, in despair. The Israelites, the kings, the prophets, the regular people, they feared that God’s promises would not come true. That they were holding on to a myth. And when they doubted, they remembered the beginning at creation, when God, as Brueggeman puts it, “terrified the waters…crashed his thunder…shook the earth and scared the wits out of chaos.” As their enemies maintained the upper hand and justice seemed on hold, they remembered that their God merely said the word and light appeared. They waited. But still the darkness remained. The curtain that hung separating the Holy of Holys from the rest of the temple remained as a symbol of the darkness, a symbol of the barrier between God and his people.
And then, John’s gospel tells us, the word which spoke light into being at creation, this word become flesh- skin and bones and blood and hair and fingernails, become flesh, and came and lived here, on the same earth we walk around on now. Imagine the astonishment, the delight of the Israelites who realized that after all the years of waiting, the years of hoping, the hundreds of years of silence in the dark, the The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
And then imagine the disciples who walked around with the Light, believing Hope had finally been answered, imagine them watching him die. Watching the long awaited Light flicker and go out.
So this is where we find ourselves, this Saturday night. We look to the dawn when all will see the Risen One, the Light of Life, the King of Kings who breaks the stronghold of death, of sin, of darkness.
And what is our darkness tonight? I think like the Israelites, we experience the darkness of doubt. Of waiting to hear from God, waiting for him to keep his promises, waiting and wondering if we are fools for believing at all. Also like the Israelites, we experience the darkness of sin as a separation from God. But unlike the Israelites, we as the church, have seen his glory. We know that Light triumphs. And although we wait for His return, He has not left us in total darkness! As we will celebrate at Pentecost – he has left the fire to burn in us now! We get to walk in the Light as He is in the light.
As we approach the Eucharist table tonight, let it be a celebration for us of this the Easter-Dawn mystery: because of his death and resurrection, we as believers can draw near to Him, our Light of Life. In our doubts, in our temptations, in the dark times, in our waiting, we can drawn near to Christ the Light of the World.
Dawn is coming. Let us celebrate: Christ is Risen. Alleluia!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Resolution in Music and in Life
This guy is now a prof at Duke Divinity School (on my dream list, ehem).
This is a talk he gave about the connections between story and music, and more specifically, the story of the Beginning and the Hope for Glory and Resolution... made it half way through and Keats stepped on the laptop and i lost it for the moment. Will return soon to finish! In the meantime, I have to put the final touches on my sermon for Saturday. Yikes.
I feel a bit overwhelmed by good music, good thoughts, good books, good friends and how elusive they all are to me. I want them to be MORE in my life than they are.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Some Good Things
We had some friends for thai last night... (samm cooked) (i made home made strawberry shortcake though, it was tasty!). I needed some color to make spring feel more welcome, so i went to the grocery store and bought little flowers. Samm made this box recently for one of the 12 stations of the cross, so I grabbed it and my favorite table decor ever was born! After our friends left I sat and stared happily at it.
I also put these ribbons on some curtains outside the door (from the hallway) into my "studio." Ribbons are usually a good idea.
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