tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790534882451782392024-02-22T00:36:02.333-06:00Fourth WallCynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-19491851669588393462020-02-29T13:54:00.000-06:002020-02-29T13:54:22.517-06:00The Temptation Narratives from the Perspective of Satan: A Monologue for the First Sunday in Lent<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">You’ve
heard it said: If at first you don’t succeed…try, try again. But I say to you:
If at first you DO succeed, why not capitalize on your success? At least,
that’s how it started.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I will
never forget that first time. It was so easy. And that surprised me. I figured
with everything new and perfect, with the relationship between creature and
Creator just beginning to blossom, coaxing those two away would be a challenge.
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But it wasn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I could
never really understand why God did it – “creation”, I mean. He had that
perfect place – beautiful and harmonious – except for that one time, of course,
and that was MY doing! Some folks said He was lonely. But how could God be
lonely? I mean all those angels and archangels and seraphim and cherubim and
principalities and powers; constantly singing the praises of the Deity. I sang
right along, back in the day always a little under the pitch, always just behind
the beat, always getting dirty looks from that goody-two-shoes Michael.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And
there was always that One – always present, always quiet, just “there” at –
which side was it? God’s right side, I think. Do I miss that place? Not much. Was
my rebellion worth it? Of course it was. Of course it was….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But, I
digress….<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">So
there they were. In the middle of that garden. With that big tree. Everything
in that garden was theirs for the taking – well, almost. Everything in that
garden was theirs for the taking except for the fruit of that one tree. You’d
have thought they’d be satisfied, and perhaps they were.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But you
see, from my point of view it was just so tempting, and they don’t call me “Tester
of Loyalties” for nothing! I just had to see what it would take to ruin it all.
Well, it didn’t take much. Who knew a serpent, of all God’s creatures, could be
so persuasive? And how did such a creature even get into that perfect setting
in the first place…? Ah, that’s a story for another time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Anyhow,
as I said, it didn’t take much, and it didn’t take long. A little persuasion, a
little reassurance that they wouldn’t actually die (whatever that even meant) a
couple of quick and tasty bites. Then came the confrontation with their Creator;
and that was the end of THAT perfect “paradise”! When those two understood that
“naked” is what they were; when they were driven out, fig leaves and all; when
they discovered what it does, in fact, mean to die; that’s when I knew I had
them in the palm of my hand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“Be
fruitful and multiply,” God had tole them. Boy, did they ever! First came their
two sons – nasty business!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Fratricide
in an open field. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Evidently<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">They
were just the first. And as time went on, I watched them fall like dominoes,
generation after generation. (Oh, that golden calf was inspired!) Kings,
rulers, generals, the common folk…even the so-called “faithful”,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">could not
resist what life with me promised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And so
it went, on and on and one. Until it all changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The One
who had always been present, whom I remembered so vividly from my time in that
other realm<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">arrived
to walk this earth, not so different from anyone else, it appeared – but I knew
what was up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Born in
a stable. Really? A stable? I tried hard to nip that in the bud. Just a little
whisper in King Herod’s ear would surely do the trick. And it would have, too,
if it weren’t for that busybody Gabriel and his late-night dream visitations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">So I
waited. And waited. I waited until, of all things, the very Spirit of God set
up the opportunity. “This is my Son, the Beloved” – now get thee into the
wilderness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">And there
He was, in the desert, fasting. All alone. Maybe he’d like some company. Surely
I had him now, just like the two in that garden so long ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">We
hadn’t seen each other in so very long. I was well-fed and sassy; he was thin:
gaunt and wasted. And that gave me my first idea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“Here,”
I said, “these stones. Surely you of all people can turn them into anything you
want. Bread, perhaps? You must be famished.” But no, he would rather “live by
God’s word”. Strike one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">So I
took him with me to a place I don’t usually frequent – to the very house of
God. To the highest point on the top of the temple. “Here,” I said, “look how
high we are. Think how powerful you’d feel just gliding through the air. Why
not jump? Surely you of all people can make the angels catch you before you hit
the ground.” But no, he had no interest in testing the Deity that way. Strike
two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">So I
thought, and I thought; and finally it came to me. We went up to a mountain top
- and from there we could see all the “kingdoms” of the world, all the places
of power and wealth and undeserved privilege, where people had given me their
souls and they didn’t even realize it. “Here,” I said, “look at all this
influence, all these riches. Surely you of all people deserve to have all this;
and I alone can give it to you.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He
looked me right in the eye. And I saw that I had underestimated this rival, and
I knew I had lost. It was over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">For
now. Strike three. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A
lesser fallen angel might have quit right then and there. But quitting has
never been my style. I have all kinds of patience. After all, I’ve got all the
time in – well, in the world. At some point – who knows? There might even be
another contest. But the world is a big place, it’s a troubled place, and if
there’s one thing my experience has taught me, it’s this: There will always be
others. Lots and lots of others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-14714369563756676422019-12-31T07:35:00.001-06:002019-12-31T07:35:07.265-06:00The Parable of the Snowflakes<br />
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It began to snow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And some of the flakes fell in the river, whose still
swiftly-moving current melted them immediately, incorporating them back into
their source.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Some fell on sidewalks and driveways, where they achieved
a certain level of accumulation until snowplows, shovels, blowers, and salt shoved,
brushed, and melted them away; or stomping feet packed them into treacherous
icy masses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Some landed on streets, where vehicles quickly smashed
them flat, or created ruts, or combined them with exhaust fumes to make gray,
ugly slush.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But some snowflakes fell on the soft grass of yards,
fields, and parks, where layers of white fluffiness delighted the eye and where
the playful, young and old, enjoyed winter sports and built and adorned snow
figures.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-16341374357270242792019-07-09T15:40:00.003-05:002019-07-09T15:44:24.749-05:00"Sent Forth" - a free-verse poem inspired by Luke 10<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Note: this was preached as a sermon at Christ Church, Waukegan, IL on July 7)</span></i><br />
<br />
Lord, you sent out laborers into the harvest: seventy of them,<br />
two by two for protection, convenience, companionship.<br />
After all, who knows more than you the lonely work of kingdom building?<br />
<br />
You sent them, your followers, ahead of you as messengers.<br />
Like John the Baptist they, too, would herald your way<br />
in the cities, towns, villages, and in the houses of Galilee.<br />
<br />
“The harvest is plentiful,” you said, “but the laborers are few.”<br />
They caught your sense of urgency; they were eager.<br />
<br />
Yet when they signed on with you,<br />
did any of them know the rules of the road? And if they had,<br />
would they have gone along, right then and there, as they did?<br />
<br />
You say to them: “Leave it all behind.”<br />
No purse, no bag, no sandals; not even a change of clothes.<br />
<br />
What else was it you said?<br />
“See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves” -<br />
which is exactly why your instructions to them were so precise:<br />
“Greet no one on the road.”<br />
No small talk! No distractions!<br />
You told them what to say, where to go, where to stay (or not stay),<br />
how and when to eat.<br />
<br />
You even gave them permission to give up, to move on,<br />
to know that any place they weren’t welcome, they needn’t stay.<br />
<br />
And so, outfitted with instructions and your blessing and very little else,<br />
out they went, those 35 loyal pairs,<br />
bearers of your kingdom message treading the Galilean countryside.<br />
<br />
And if they proclaimed peace to a house along the way,<br />
and were welcomed there, and peace was shared,<br />
and peace remained,<br />
then a meal could be shared as well.<br />
And in some places, maybe, just maybe,<br />
even demons were cast out and people healed,<br />
just because your disciples were there, in that place,<br />
to share your Good News.<br />
<br />
But if they proclaimed your peace elsewhere<br />
and were not welcomed there,<br />
you told them their peace would return to them!<br />
Is that where peace goes when it’s been rejected?<br />
Does it circle around like a boomerang and return to its source,<br />
strong as ever, ready to be shared again?<br />
<br />
And so they should move on, you told them,<br />
shaking even the dust of that place off their feet.<br />
<br />
But maybe, just maybe, when they returned<br />
basking in the flush of euphoria and success<br />
they forgot, for only a moment,<br />
an all-too-human moment,<br />
that the work of building your Kingdom <br />
did not originate or depend on them;<br />
that it was not their own victorious enterprise;<br />
<br />
That “success” in your kingdom is not determined<br />
by quotas, or numbers, or works,<br />
but by faithfulness;<br />
that curious kingdom of God;<br />
a kingdom so unlike those the world knows all too well,<br />
those kingdoms based on human power and monetary riches;<br />
but rather, a kingdom of love, justice, and peace.<br />
<br />
And Lord, now we are the ones you send out,<br />
as laborers into the harvest:<br />
so many more than seventy<br />
one by one and two by two and dozen by dozen.<br />
<br />
We are the heralds of your gospel now.<br />
Inside these walls, each week, you feed us with yourself,<br />
and then you send us out:<br />
“Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,” we say.<br />
<br />
The world has changed but your message has not:<br />
The harvest is still oh, so plentiful!<br />
the laborers, though many more than 70,<br />
are still oh, so few!<br />
And our roads, our Galilees are<br />
paved streets and city sidewalks,<br />
suburban cul-de-sacs,<br />
playgrounds, schools, offices, neighborhoods.<br />
<br />
What would the rules of the road be nowadays, Lord?<br />
Take no smart phone, no tablet, no GPS, no debit card –<br />
nothing that distracts us from the work at hand.<br />
And our distractions are oh, so many!<br />
Is that what you would tell us?<br />
<br />
And how would we, how could we,<br />
so independent, so cautious, so fearful of vulnerability,<br />
ever be content to depend on the kindness of strangers,<br />
or be willing to risk rejection?<br />
<br />
You ask us, as you asked them, to be both vulnerable and wise:<br />
“See, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves.”<br />
Sometimes, Lord, it’s hard to tell the difference.<br />
Wolves abound even among your followers,<br />
some of whom are far too quick to judge and much too slow to love;<br />
some of whom are far too sheepish,<br />
too timid, too fearful of the wrong things;<br />
so your message of love languishes for want of charity,<br />
your mandate of justice for lack of courage.<br />
<br />
We, your church, are<br />
fearful for our future,<br />
confused by our loss of status in the world,<br />
reluctant to talk “religion” with strangers or sometimes even friends.<br />
<br />
Lord, take our anxieties, and bathe them in your peace,<br />
that peace you have so graciously given us:<br />
peace to keep, and to share.<br />
<br />
And when we do go to share your peace, Lord,<br />
keep us from fear of rejection;<br />
help us to remember that peace shared<br />
is always better than peace withheld–<br />
your perfect peace that cannot be contained.<br />
<br />
And help us to remember,<br />
when our efforts do yield results<br />
when the harvest is plentiful, as you promised,<br />
when we, who no longer believe that illness is caused by demons,<br />
still fall victim to that flush of euphoria –<br />
“Look what we’ve accomplished,” we proudly say -<br />
when maybe, just maybe, we, too, forget that<br />
our work in your name is not our own successful enterprise,<br />
but is instead a sign of your kingdom.<br />
<br />
When we, who are used to being rewarded for a job well done<br />
forget, if only for a moment, that<br />
our fine facilities,<br />
our committees and our classes<br />
our budgets and even our liturgies<br />
are neither products of our own good work<br />
nor commodities to be marketed;<br />
when we forget, if only for a moment,<br />
Who has sent us, and why,<br />
<br />
When all those things tempt us, then help us recall<br />
that success in that kingdom,<br />
your curious kingdom,<br />
is not determined by quotas,<br />
or numbers, or works,<br />
but by faithfulness.<br />
<br />
Lord, give to your Church the eagerness of your first disciples.<br />
Turn our fear into longing for the just, loving world we know can be possible<br />
because it is the world you so desire,<br />
the world you have promised, for all of creation.<br />
Remove our complacency, Lord;<br />
energize us for the work you have given us to do.<br />
<br />
Give us wisdom to find our Galilees;<br />
and give us courage and faith to proclaim your kingdom;<br />
that curious kingdom of God,<br />
a kingdom unlike any other,<br />
not based on human power and monetary riches;<br />
but rather, a kingdom of love, justice, and peace.Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-63229339298127126112018-08-30T17:07:00.000-05:002018-08-30T17:07:39.097-05:00The Way of Love: Rest<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiFrTW88T6D9jcE3pOcGSEDApaWnZavPC07A5reskMgxN6jZncInTYmMF27vO5w-bT9qR-nkF2yLjXlLH4HAzlj2FL92ihVKfEBvCw6Gaq1JI4agg5cIc0ZhovS5MAtuM_PIEMM01r28/s1600/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1186" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiFrTW88T6D9jcE3pOcGSEDApaWnZavPC07A5reskMgxN6jZncInTYmMF27vO5w-bT9qR-nkF2yLjXlLH4HAzlj2FL92ihVKfEBvCw6Gaq1JI4agg5cIc0ZhovS5MAtuM_PIEMM01r28/s200/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
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<b>Rest</b>: <i>Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace,
& restoration</i></div>
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Of all the practices named in The Way of Love, this one
might be the most difficult to achieve. We know that God ordained this practice
in the first creation account (Genesis 2:2-3); I don’t think this means God put
his feet up, closed his eyes, and fell asleep (the fact that the Creator <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">needed</i> rest is, I suppose, something to
contemplate!) I think it’s more likely God wanted a chance to enjoy the divine
handiwork, with satisfaction and without distraction; to set aside time to
revel delightedly in the newly-minted universe and all its wonders as they
unfolded. (Remember, this is the first creation account – no “forbidden fruit”
here!) And in “[blessing] the seventh day and [hallowing] it”, God has given us
both an example and a directive: as beings created in the divine image, it is
God’s intention that we take time to set aside work, cares, and stress, thus
allowing ourselves to draw closer to God and to enjoy and appreciate God’s
gifts to us. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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But setting aside the things that keep us physically,
mentally, and emotionally busy is easier said than done! Some of us work too
hard. Some of us lie awake at night worrying about…all kinds of things. Some of
us allow stress to occupy our minds to the point where joy and relaxation seem
like foreign countries. The burdens of life can make us restless creatures. St.
Augustine of Hippo (d. 430) knew something about restlessness. In his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Confessions</i>, he wrote, “Thou hast made
us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in
Thee.” God’s desire for his creatures is that we give over our restlessness,
cares, worries and enter the heart of the Holy Trinity, where we find perfect
love, pure joy, and ongoing re-creation. <o:p></o:p>May you be gifted with the grace of God, the peace of
Christ, and the restoration of the Holy Spirit,</div>
<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-32363607995557555542018-08-25T11:03:00.000-05:002018-08-25T11:04:29.863-05:00The Way of Love: Go<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Go</b>: <i>Cross boundaries, listen deeply, & live
like Jesus<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Jesus was on the move – a lot! He expected his followers
to be on the move, as well, sending the disciples out during his early ministry
(Matt.10:7-11, Mark 6:7ff, Luke 9:1-6) and again after his resurrection (Matt.:
28:16-20, Mark 16:15) – not to mention all those times they were on the move in
his company! Jesus was not afraid to cross boundaries. He didn’t just stay in Jewish
communities, with his own people. His travels, whether crossing the Sea of
Galilee or walking overland, often took him into gentile territory, and he didn’t
restrict his healings to his own people either. He drove demons from a man in
Gerasene, healed the young daughter of the Syro-Phoenician (Canaanite) woman,
and the slave of a Roman centurian. But it wasn’t only geographic or religious
boundaries that Jesus crossed; he made short work of social and cultural divisions
too. He made room for “the outcast and sinner”, adding a tax collector to his
inner circle, allowing a woman of dubious repute to bathe and anoint his feet, welcoming
a woman to sit at his feet and learn just like the men around her did. Our
savior listened to the needs of those around him; he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">heard</i> them, heard their stories. Jesus loved the unlovable, touched
the untouchable, forgave the unforgivable, and embraced those whom society had
rejected. He created family out of unrelated persons and built community by
bringing unlikely strangers together. Finally, he crossed the ultimately
boundary, bringing new life from death. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How can we use Jesus’ examples of crossing boundaries and
listening deeply in order to live like him? We start by looking for him and seeing
him – in the stranger, the one who offends us, the person we’d prefer to ignore,
or even someone close to us whom we’ve begun to take for granted. We start by
paying rapt attention to the stories of those whom we encounter. We start by relinquishing
our fear of the other. We needn’t travel far, physically, in order to “Go”. We
simply have to say to Jesus, with an open heart, “Hear I am; send me”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-28776320597615376422018-08-23T20:59:00.001-05:002018-08-23T20:59:19.341-05:00The Way of Love: Bless<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxEH3wvrvXc2AtVAcg86aXzmog6lkie_bHBLQQItOkI1QXfvoXS6P0Q-3mk0d73jTNU6MIAmtqrXbd1NaxWcgmGCCRGPteRe0NG6_pGRWPiaLp20I1VNrJrNzEZkn3OJ3nIbcG1qwrvA/s1600/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1186" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxEH3wvrvXc2AtVAcg86aXzmog6lkie_bHBLQQItOkI1QXfvoXS6P0Q-3mk0d73jTNU6MIAmtqrXbd1NaxWcgmGCCRGPteRe0NG6_pGRWPiaLp20I1VNrJrNzEZkn3OJ3nIbcG1qwrvA/s200/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
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I admit I’ve never been a huge fan of the “Mitford”
novels by Jan Karon. But I have read enough of them to remember that each
morning the local rector, Tim Cavanaugh, asks God to help him “be a blessing to
someone today”. It’s not a bad prayer. In the Way of Love in the Jesus
Movement, there are numerous ways that each and every one of us can be a
blessing to others. “Unselfishly give and serve” calls to mind the baptismal
promise to “seek and serve Christ in all persons”, loving the neighbor as the
self. Sometimes, the act of blessing another is obvious: listening to a friend
in need, donating to an organization whose work makes the lives of others
better, taking a meal to someone recovery from hospitalization are examples of
that. But sometimes, the smallest gesture, smile, or greeting, even to a
stranger on the street, can make a difference in someone’s life. And as
difficult as it can be, sharing with another the impact and change that faith has
made in your life and the transformative power of God’s love in Christ, can
lead a struggling person into a new path of hope and community. We have a
powerful, life-altering, world-changing story to tell – and that’s a blessing!<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-6568005820603782912018-08-11T19:22:00.002-05:002018-08-12T08:35:55.398-05:00The Way of Love: Worship<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxEH3wvrvXc2AtVAcg86aXzmog6lkie_bHBLQQItOkI1QXfvoXS6P0Q-3mk0d73jTNU6MIAmtqrXbd1NaxWcgmGCCRGPteRe0NG6_pGRWPiaLp20I1VNrJrNzEZkn3OJ3nIbcG1qwrvA/s1600/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1186" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxEH3wvrvXc2AtVAcg86aXzmog6lkie_bHBLQQItOkI1QXfvoXS6P0Q-3mk0d73jTNU6MIAmtqrXbd1NaxWcgmGCCRGPteRe0NG6_pGRWPiaLp20I1VNrJrNzEZkn3OJ3nIbcG1qwrvA/s200/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" width="158" /></a><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><b>Worship: </b></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gather in community
weekly to thank, praise, & dwell with God<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Something wonderful happens when the people of God gather
in worship. Whether it’s a small congregation, a crowded cathedral, or the main
Eucharist at General Convention; whether the occasion is joyful, mournful, or
penitential, coming together as followers of Jesus reminds us that we are indeed
the body of Christ in the world (not just in the Church) and that Christianity
is very much a communal faith. We are not on this journey by ourselves; in
fact, we need one another. The word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">worship</i>
originated in the Old English expression “worth ship”. Our worship seeks to give
to God what is worthy of God, as best we can. In our tradition we refer to worship
services as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">liturgy</i>, from Greek words
meaning “the public work of the people” (note that word, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">public</i>). Worship, liturgy, is a two-way street, in which there is
always communion of some kind between God and God’s people. And though certain
persons – clergy, other ministers, musicians – have specific roles, everyone
present is meant to be an active participant. There are no bystanders in the
church’s worship of God! When someone is missing, the body is incomplete.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of my favorite hymns is “We
the Lord’s people” (#51 in <i>The Hymnal 1982</i>). The text is by John E. Bowers and the second stanza, in particular, describes what our
worship gatherings are meant to be, and how they help draw us closer to God: “school
for the faithful, refuge for the sinner, rest for the pilgrim, haven for the
weary”. Perhaps, from time to time, church has been each of those things for you. It certainly has for me! Out of this text arise two questions: What do we bring to worship? What do we take away from it?</div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-84790692709537296512018-08-02T11:02:00.002-05:002018-08-02T11:02:27.531-05:00The Way of Love: Pray<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_sumxJr2klKAWMDlWxSNIeSAiqOoiZxHo208v1ro_EZs1NxpekACPC69fzpmw0JM8qyg_wRGaxcdYVSKSnuTU3Lt6v1o2KMAqn9k9aTVcDv0tZtoCufDGxfGmdlS1PWt42h_YZ7G1tU/s1600/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1186" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz_sumxJr2klKAWMDlWxSNIeSAiqOoiZxHo208v1ro_EZs1NxpekACPC69fzpmw0JM8qyg_wRGaxcdYVSKSnuTU3Lt6v1o2KMAqn9k9aTVcDv0tZtoCufDGxfGmdlS1PWt42h_YZ7G1tU/s200/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" width="158" /></a>Prayer, that is, communion with God, has always been important
to God’s people. As we see in the scriptures, prayer can take many forms: Abraham
argues with God on behalf of the people of Sodom (Gen. 18:22-33); Moses talks
to God in the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-15); the psalms are full of lament, praise,
and petition to God (and yes, sometimes anger and confusion – it’s OK to be
angry with God), and in the prophets we find many instances of the entire community
of Israel’s faithful brought together to offer confession and repentance, thanks
and praise. The gospels illustrate, over and over, how important it was for Jesus
to spend time on his own, praying and listening to God his Father. The epistles
(letters) of Paul and others emphasize the prayers offered and requested on behalf
of the early churches and their leaders. Of course, prayer is a two-way street.
We speak to God, but we also listen for God’s voice. Sometimes, it’s enough
simply to sit (or stand, or walk, or kneel!) in silence before the Divine. What’s
the best way to pray? Whatever way brings you closer to God in Christ and
allows you to feel the presence of God’s Spirit in your life. For me, raised in
The Episcopal Church, the Daily Office in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Book of Common Prayer</i> has always been helpful. Even though I pray the
office in solitude, I feel that I am praying along with the whole Church. The
collects and my own petitions help me focus on offering my own and others’
needs to God, and through the readings, prayers, and canticles, as well as time
spent in silence, I hear the voice of God speaking to me. May your prayer life be ongoing and steadily enriched as
you continue to draw nearer to God.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-87663636770316404032018-07-31T17:05:00.001-05:002018-08-01T10:28:13.259-05:00Anima Christi (Soul of Christ) - A Hymn ParaphraseI've always been drawn to the <i>Anima Christi</i> prayer, included in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius (though not necessarily authored by him). There are a number of translations of the Latin, including <a href="https://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-prayer/prayers-by-st-ignatius-and-others/anima-christi">this one</a> from <i>Finding God in All Things: A Marquette Prayer Book.</i> While this translation is in the singular, some are plural. Here is a hymn paraphrase I've written for congregational singing, in Common Metre Double (CMD). Recommended tunes are <i>Kingsfold</i> and <i>Forest Green</i>. Feel free to use it, with attribution.<br />
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O Spirit of
the living Christ, your holiness bestow, <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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That through the bread we take
and break, salvation we may know.<o:p></o:p></div>
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May your blood shed, the cup we
drink, our souls inebriate;<o:p></o:p></div>
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And water from your wounded side
our spirits recreate. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Your passion, Christ, will give
us strength to bear the cross you bore;<o:p></o:p></div>
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And as we lift our prayers to
you, O hear us, we implore.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Within your wounds may each one find
a sacred dwelling place<o:p></o:p></div>
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That from you we may not depart,
nor fail to see your face.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In all assaults of enemies, help
us to persevere;<o:p></o:p></div>
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And when we see the face of death
call us to you, Savior dear,<o:p></o:p></div>
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That with your saints and angels
bright, in all their company,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Your praise shall be our joy and
song throughout eternity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-76327146273433290142018-07-30T13:46:00.000-05:002018-07-30T13:46:58.564-05:00The Way of Love: Learn<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxEH3wvrvXc2AtVAcg86aXzmog6lkie_bHBLQQItOkI1QXfvoXS6P0Q-3mk0d73jTNU6MIAmtqrXbd1NaxWcgmGCCRGPteRe0NG6_pGRWPiaLp20I1VNrJrNzEZkn3OJ3nIbcG1qwrvA/s1600/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1186" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxEH3wvrvXc2AtVAcg86aXzmog6lkie_bHBLQQItOkI1QXfvoXS6P0Q-3mk0d73jTNU6MIAmtqrXbd1NaxWcgmGCCRGPteRe0NG6_pGRWPiaLp20I1VNrJrNzEZkn3OJ3nIbcG1qwrvA/s200/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
<b>Learn</b><i>: Reflect on Scripture each day, especially on Jesus’ life & teachings</i><br />
As the Collect for Proper 28, the penultimate Sunday in
the liturgical year, says, “[God] has caused all holy Scriptures to be written
for our learning” and bids us to “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” these
scriptures (BCP p. 236). Because the gospels focus directly on Jesus’ life and
teachings, why not start, or continue, with those? You might want simply want
to read straight through, beginning with Matthew. Or perhaps you’d prefer to
follow the Daily Office lectionary. This lectionary is in the back of the
prayer book (we’re currently in Year 2), or online at <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/">http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/</a></span>.
So, that’s the content; but how do we “read” these sacred texts in a way that
is prayerful and reflective, and that will draw us closer to Christ? One way is
the ancient method of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">lectio divina</i>
(“sacred reading”). Slowly read through the text, and find a word, phrase, or
idea in the passage that speaks to you; maybe it’s something you get “stuck
on”. Meditate, think, pray, reflect on why it got your attention: what might
God be saying to you as you focus on the life and ministry of our Lord? What
questions does it open for you? What new ideas does it call out of you as you
go deeper into relationship with Jesus? Of course, you need not always do this
on your own. A study group can be helpful for support and shared understanding.
<o:p></o:p></div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-29726899732915108832018-07-25T09:57:00.001-05:002018-07-25T10:12:43.585-05:00The Way of Love: Turn<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeWEvYgA5vnXcbB-QGUS87co6sFK56MbBdJ9KAHOSZXWThL3Kag9M0DGPN-8Q0hLPbmi9DuUH4h9MieMgFUgWmSmqmmp6F3wDDrM9ZY5-veD8Va4EjJF5uCXvJkroli-FHAfRYxyr2pc/s1600/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1186" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHeWEvYgA5vnXcbB-QGUS87co6sFK56MbBdJ9KAHOSZXWThL3Kag9M0DGPN-8Q0hLPbmi9DuUH4h9MieMgFUgWmSmqmmp6F3wDDrM9ZY5-veD8Va4EjJF5uCXvJkroli-FHAfRYxyr2pc/s200/way_of_love_primary_graphic_1.jpg" width="158" /></a><u><b>The Way of Love</b></u></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">During his opening sermon at
the recently concluded 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, the
Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop, invited us all to take up Jesus' Way
of Love by embracing and engaging in seven faith practices: <i>Turn, Learn,
Pray, Worship, Bless, Go,</i> and <i>Rest</i>. (What follows are brief reflections on these practices that I am sharing with my congregation. For more information on The Way of Love, including
helpful resources, a video from Bishop Curry, and how to share your own
experiences of these practices, click </span><u style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001phHJo3hxtXo3EPtGHQiYCwil9aNaI5Av6hxISC0zneqW1jyVALAxOS86y7s-kGxuw59yDXHpWUhsCpKb2B-4wDTognYpL_6IHr18TQBAEadpbqtAPOK2-lXTOPSP5PxiBOb5l_yizdwlxRnpr66Bu4q_UkQ4GBxa7kri53HSnoZkaP5CkJYGBzFs63-GWUTRe4lfZgBxosQ=&c=iyuRQLrgVzEXBWcUaEPoSXf95RftmDZbrLxhTuZ2R44COxWPN0EScQ==&ch=RTEKNyCI-vJUvdJh0Kra-K3I3opzmlyFe7pqDq88rNf1MzkHWbN6aw==" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">here</span></a></u><span style="text-align: center;">.)</span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Turn</b><i>: Pause, listen, & choose to follow
Jesus</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We hear a lot about turning,
especially during the season of Advent. John the Baptizer appears in the
wilderness, encouraging his hearers to repent and turn back to God in order to
"prepare the way of the Lord". This kind of turning, or
"re-turning" - that is, repentance - in Greek is
called metanoia, which literally means "to be on the side of
understanding". John baptized those who accepted that call. Candidates for
baptism in The Episcopal Church are asked, "Do you turn to Jesus
Christ and accept him as your Savior?" and "Will you persevere in
resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to
the Lord?" Clearly, turning is not a once-and-done action. We choose,
again and again, to follow Jesus. So pause in the busyness of your day, and
take some time to listen for that “still, small voice”. How is God’s Spirit
moving you to follow Jesus?<span style="color: #999999; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-22257764621498103942018-04-11T14:34:00.001-05:002018-04-11T14:34:07.784-05:00Judas, missing<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When you appeared that evening, seemingly out of thin air,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Your terrified disciples cowering in fear behind the
locked door,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Surely you noticed who was missing. I don’t mean<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Thomas,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Who doubted,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Who might have been there but wasn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You were, perhaps, looking for someone else,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hoping he had changed his mind,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Stayed with the others,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Observed the sabbath,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dismissed the morning’s mourning women who had likewise found
you missing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When you appeared that evening, exhausted from the work
of resurrection,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Your hands, your feet still bloodied and barely scabbed
over,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Your side a gaping, open wound,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Surely you noticed who was missing. I mean<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Judas,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Who had no doubts,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Who should have been there but couldn’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You were, perhaps, looking for him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You could not have known that while<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
You had taken upon yourself all the world’s guilt and sin,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He had shouldered his own repentance and remorse.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One violent act done to each of you.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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When you appeared that evening, radiant with new life,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Grace, forgiveness, love embodied,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Surely you noticed who was missing. I mean<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The one<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Who most needed you<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
To look into the eyes of his tortured soul and whisper,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Peace be with you.”</div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-89561507555927717002018-02-01T22:40:00.001-06:002018-02-01T22:40:55.105-06:00The Song of Anna the Prophet: a Canticle for the PresentationWhen Mary and Joseph present Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:22-40), Simeon takes the child in his arms and praises God that he has been allowed to see the salvation of his people. Anna is there, too, we're told; she is called a prophet, and while Luke's description of her honors Anna, we are not allowed to hear her prophetic words. Why is she silenced? We don't know. What might she have said? Perhaps something like this:<br />
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<i>My spirit and my voice cry out in praise! <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>God has favored these failing eyes with the vision of
redemption,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>For I have seen the answer to my lifelong prayer.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>She who never birthed an infant now delivers a song of
joy.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>She who never nursed a child sees Salvation nourished at his
mother’s breast.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>She who fasted day and night in the Temple now feasts on
the riches of God’s grace.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>You who have waited for the glory of Israel: see, your
reward is here.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>You who look for the redemption of Jerusalem: come,
behold its appearing.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>You who yearn for freedom: rejoice, for the chains of your
oppression have been loosed!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>God has been gracious to his faithful servant, and crowned
my years with the sight of his holiness!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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</div>
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<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-5839148733013950672018-01-31T18:07:00.002-06:002018-01-31T18:07:51.637-06:00An Anniversary Reflection<br />
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Today is the seventeenth anniversary of my ordination as
a priest in The Episcopal Church. In 2001 this was not a particular feast on
the church’s calendar, lesser or otherwise (cue the hymn “Hail Thee, Ferial
Day” – thanks, Jed Holdorph!) though evidently it is now a trial remembrance
for John Bosco and Samuel Shoemaker, priests. To be honest, there are years
when this date just slips right by without my recalling it, but it’s on my mind
this year. This week I’m preparing for a weekend retreat for the newly
constituted vestry in our parish, who were just elected this past Sunday at our
annual meeting. As I do each year for this occasion, I’m preparing some
materials about what the canons (that is, church laws) have to say about the
authority and responsibility of the wardens, vestry, and rector (that is,
elected lay leaders, board, and priest in charge) – not so that we’ll all know
how to play by the rules, or to establish who’s really in charge, but so that
we can understand our respective roles, how we work and minister as a team, what
is expected of us, and the ways in which we are accountable to one another and
the people we have been called and elected to serve. And in an age in which the
majority of our members do not come from a background in our tradition, and may
have skipped that (admittedly boring) part in Inquirers’ Class, a basic
understanding of our denominational polity is helpful, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This year, for the first time and in order to help the
vestry better understand my role, I’m including some material from the liturgy
“Ordination of a Priest” in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Book of
Common Prayer</i>, specifically the words the bishop says in the Examination
and Consecration, which begin this way (p 531ff):<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">As a priest, it will be your task to proclaim by word and deed the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to fashion your life in accordance with its
precepts…to love and serve the people among whom you work, caring alike for
young and old, strong and weak, rich and poor….to preach, to declare God’s
forgiveness to penitent sinners, to pronounce God’s blessing, to share in the
administration of Holy Baptism and in the celebration of the mysteries of
Christ’s Body and Blood, and to perform the other ministrations entrusted to
you.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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And then the bishop says this:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In all that you do, you are to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">nourish
Christ’s people from the riches of his grace</b>, and strengthen them to
glorify God in this life and in the life to come.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Shortly before my ordination I took a short retreat, in
which I spent time repeatedly praying and meditating on this examination. Every
time, every single time, I could not get to that last sentence without crying;
even today, as I type and reflect on the words, there’s a lump in my throat and
my eyes are tearing up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not every priest will be a rector, of course, though every
rector must be a priest (in rare cases, a bishop will take on that role). The
canons of the church give tremendous authority and control to the rector of a
parish: worship (including music), religious education, use of buildings and
furnishings, determination of who may and may not exercise ministry in the
parish and congregation, oversight of programs and staff. There’s very little
outside the rector’s purview, actually; yet such authority and control always
must be exercised in light of the sacramental responsibility we have to the
people God has entrusted to our care, to nourish them from the riches of
Christ’s grace. This can only be done from a posture of humility. If I cannot
remember that, as I go about the business of being a parish priest, then God
help me.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-28826609660232544292018-01-10T11:22:00.000-06:002018-01-10T11:22:05.540-06:00The Twelfth Day of Christmas: January 5 (John 1:43-51)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the twelfth day
of Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
…the playbook for evangelism.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“We have found him….” “Come and see.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We Episcopalians tend to think of ourselves as having
some kind of allergy to the “E” word – that is, <i>evangelism</i>. We’ve joked about this, often proudly, for years,
decades; but the painful truth is, as much as we say we love our church and our
liturgy, we have seemed reluctant to share these things, preferring perhaps to
think those whom God intends to have join our churches will have the good sense
to come through our (usually) red doors on their own.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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To many of us, the word “evangelism” conjures up visions
of the Billy Graham crusades, or of teams of people going from door to door (or
nowadays, standing on street corners or in the train station) asking “Have you
been saved?” or “Have you found Jesus?” or (God forbid) “If you died tonight,
do you know where you’d spend eternity?” Or perhaps we’ve been led to believe
that religion and faith are private matters which, like politics, we should
never be so rude as to bring up in polite conversation. Either way, being asked
to share our faith can seem intrusive or even oppressive.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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And yet…. We surely think that we have something worth
believing in, worth hanging onto, worth <i>sharing</i>,
or we wouldn’t keep coming back to church. We believe in the good news of
Jesus, because we have experienced that in our lives. We understand what it
means to worship God in the beauty of holiness, because that’s what we do, week
after week. We know the power of God to forgive, reconcile, heal, and make
whole. We know the joy of community. We have <i>found</i> all these things in Jesus Christ through the church. And we
trust that God will work through the Holy Spirit in the lives of others, just as
God has worked in our lives. But those others still need an invitation from us.
When the first disciples approach their family members and friends about Jesus,
all they do is issue an invitation: <i>Come
and see</i>. Look for yourself. Experience what I’ve found. Make up your own
mind. And as we read in John’s gospel, it’s Jesus himself who issues that first
invitation. He doesn’t answer the question posed by Andrew and his friend by
giving them information, but by inviting them into experience and relationship.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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“Come and see” – a simple, friendly, loving invitation.
The playbook for evangelism.<o:p></o:p></div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-6433475980373519062018-01-04T10:42:00.000-06:002018-01-04T10:42:26.843-06:00The Eleventh Day of Christmas: January 4 (John 1:35-42)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the eleventh of
Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
…an invitation to Christ’s abiding presence.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Once again John the “Testifier” points to Jesus as the
Lamb of God, but this time two of his disciples are with him. (This is the only
gospel that suggests that at least one of Jesus’ eventual disciples followed
John first.) On hearing this newcomer’s identity, John’s two disciples “follow”
Jesus; at this point that probably means they track his steps where he goes,
which is why Jesus notices that and turns to ask them, “What are you looking
for?” “Rabbi,” they answer, “where are you staying” “Come and see,” Jesus
responds.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Where are you staying?</i>
Sounds like an odd question. Do they really want to know the address where Jesus
is rooming? Or which friend’s house he might be bunking at, in case they know
that household? Or how far away that place might be, so they know how long they’ll
be dogging his footsteps? Does any of that really matter? Possibly. But might the
question signify something less tangible and more indicative of spiritual
hunger? The word translated “staying” also means <i>abide</i>. “Rabbi, teacher, where do you abide?” Jesus invites them to “Come
and see”, and there they remain, they stay, they <i>abide</i> with Jesus, the Lamb of God.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When Andrew and his friend ask Jesus their initial
question, I like to picture our Savior turning to them with a warm smile on his
face, and extending his hand out to them in invitation. He knows what’s up,
because he understands their spiritual hunger. He doesn’t <i>tell</i> them where he abides; he <i>shows</i>
them. Presence accomplishes what language is insufficient to convey.<o:p></o:p></div>
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May the presence and light of the Lamb of God abide in us
these waning days of Christmastide, that we may carry his Good News with us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-45921898606682833592018-01-03T18:51:00.000-06:002018-01-03T18:51:00.464-06:00The Tenth Day of Christmas: January 3 (John 1:29-34)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the tenth of
Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
…the excitement of discovery.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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John sees Jesus of Nazareth coming toward him and names
him immediately: “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
He goes on to describe who Jesus is, how this newcomer’s way of baptizing (with
the Holy Spirit and with fire) will be different than John’s method by water,
and how he, John, ranks far below Jesus. John would not have known Jesus, except
that when he saw the heavens open, the Spirit identified Jesus to John, who
testifies that he is the Son of God, the Chosen One. And now, here he is – here
he comes!<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!” Or, if you prefer: “LOOK! Here comes the Messiah! The one we’ve all
been waiting for!” (Note: there are no exclamation marks in the Greek New
Testament.) In the fourth gospel, John (not the same one as the gospel is named
for) is less “the Baptizer” than he is “the Testifier”. His testimonies will
lead others to Jesus. And I like to think that John, and these others, were as
excited to see and begin to know Jesus as I imagine them to be from the
punctuation in my modern NRSV. And I trust we are, too – because there’s always
more to know.<o:p></o:p></div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-35376619905447559722018-01-03T13:07:00.003-06:002018-01-03T13:07:49.125-06:00The Ninth Day of Christmas: January 2 (I John 2:22-29, John 1:19-28)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the ninth of
Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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…a job to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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John is being grilled by messengers from the religious
leaders in Jerusalem. Might this person baptizing in the Jordan and gaining
followers be the Messiah? When they ask him “Who are you?” John answers in the
negative: “I am not the Messiah!” “Who are you? Who ARE you?” the messengers
keep asking, “Elijah?” “The prophet?” John continues to disappoint and
frustrate them by not laying claim to any of those identities. Finally, and
only when they appear desperate, does John reveal that while he may not be the
prophet, he does fulfill one of Isaiah’s prophecies: “I am the voice of one
crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’”. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is used in the current lectionary year as an Advent
text. Our wildernesses are many, and exist anywhere that God is not present.
Our job is to do everything we can to help smooth the way for others to
encounter the living God. How does that job look in your context?<o:p></o:p></div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-79726857048646679412018-01-02T14:57:00.005-06:002018-01-02T14:57:57.999-06:00The Eighth Day of Christmas: January 1, The Holy Name of our Lord Jesus Christ<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(Numbers 6:22-27;
Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21)</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>On the eighth of
Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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…an answer to the question:<i> What’s in a name?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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The Holy Name, formerly known as the Circumcision of Christ,
recognizes several things. First is the Jewishness of Jesus. All male Jewish
babies are circumcised on the 8<sup>th</sup> day. Second is the humanity of
Jesus: the Word made <i>human</i> flesh
allows this rite to take place. Third is the fact that this infant Son of God
is given a human name: Jesus, Yeshua, Joshua. Granted, it means “the one who
saves”, but it is nevertheless a human name, given to other Jewish baby boys
before the birth of this Jesus the Christ. How often do people change their birth
names to reflect a new reality in their lives? Jesus’ reality was clear from
the beginning, in the angel’s instructions to Joseph: “…you are to name him
Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21). The
reading from Numbers reminds us that God has put his Name on his people, Israel;
Paul, writing to the Christians in Philippi, tells us that since Jesus did not
take advantage of his divine status, God “gave him the name that is above every
name” – Jesus!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-5500987153835359222018-01-02T11:43:00.002-06:002018-01-02T11:43:28.489-06:00The Seventh Day of Christmas: December 31 (Christmas I)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the seventh day
of Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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…a picture of what our salvation might look like.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m always struck by the juxtaposition of the lesson from
Isaiah (61:10-62:3) and the introduction to John’s gospel (1:1-18) that we read
on this first Sunday after Christmas each year of the three lectionary cycles. John
tells us that the true light which enlightens everyone was coming into the
world, light that the darkness did not overcome. This is the Word, which was
with God in the beginning; which in fact, <i>was</i>
God; the Word that “became flesh and lived among us…full of grace and truth.” God
the Word took on human flesh; we who are made in God’s image could see what
true and perfect humanity looked like.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the same time, Isaiah speaks of being clothed with the
“garments of salvation” and the “robe of righteousness”. The prophet speaks of
beautiful and hopeful promises made to Zion, to Jerusalem, to God’s people. If
that salvation, that Word, became human in Jesus the Christ, is it possible
that the garment of salvation looks like us? Not as we are, certainly; but as
we should be, or could be, or might be, and one day, by the grace upon grace of
God, will be?<o:p></o:p></div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-87585898832537335112017-12-30T17:56:00.002-06:002017-12-30T17:56:59.650-06:00The Sixth Day of Christmas: December 30 (Luke 2:36-40)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the sixth day of
Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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…curiosity about a silent prophet.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today’s gospel text concludes the story of the
presentation in the temple, after which the family returns to Nazareth to make
their home. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Simeon was not the only righteous person in the temple
who recognized who Jesus was and for whom his presence in the temple was meaningful.
The elderly Anna, a “prophet” of at least 84 years, was there as well. In fact,
we are told that she “never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting
and prayer night and day”. Seeing the infant with his parents, she rushes to
him, praising God and telling all who had been looking for the coming of the
Messiah that in this tiny baby, their desire was fulfilled. Simeon’s words are
recorded for posterity (and Evening Prayer), but Anna’s are not. What might her
song of praise have sounded like? Why is her voice silenced? Prophets, we know,
tell the truth even when the truth is uncomfortable. Why truth did Anna tell?<o:p></o:p></div>
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After this important ritual of purification and presentation
has been completed, Joseph and Mary make their home in Nazareth, where it is
assumed that Joseph resumes his carpenter’s trade. The young Jesus grows in
wisdom, and finds favor with God.</div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-56499117495989898892017-12-29T15:59:00.000-06:002017-12-29T15:59:41.673-06:00The Fifth Day of Christmas: December 29 (Luke 2:22-35)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the fifth day of
Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
…a glimpse into Mary’s own heart as she begins to understand
what has been asked of her.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mary is the mother of our Lord. An angelic visitor had told
her just who her son would be; she could hardly forget that, given the shepherd’s
adoration at his birth, and neither can, or should, we. Yet today, now that her
time of uncleanness is over, she and Joseph present themselves and Jesus, a
first-born son, in the Temple in Jerusalem. (The church celebrates this event as
the Feast of the Presentation on February 2, but today we get the story in the
sequential gospel readings for Christmas week.) This was a common practice, and
a requirement under the Law; all parents of sons would do this. For Mary, its
sense of routine and ordinariness might be comforting. Yet out of the crowds in
the temple comes a man named Simeon, full of the Holy Spirit, who’d been promised
by God that he would not die prior to seeing the Messiah. This stranger takes
the infant Jesus in his arms, praises God in the beautiful hymn we’ve come to know
as the <i>Nunc dimittis</i> (“Now I am
dismissed in peace….”, a canticle second only in importance to the Song of Mary
– <i>Magnificat</i> – for the Church). Basically,
Simeon is saying that now he can die a blessed man. And Mary and Joseph are “amazed”.
Even in these crowds of people, their son is singled out and recognized by a
total stranger as the savior of Israel and a revelation to all the nations. And
Simeon’s cryptic words – that Jesus will be “destined for the falling and
rising of many…and a sword will pierce your own soul too” - will likely come
back to Mary as her firstborn grows into manhood and begins to fulfill his
mission: a mission that will be divisive among families and friends, and will take
her to the foot of his cross as she witnesses his death.<o:p></o:p></div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-88210524566602475032017-12-28T19:45:00.002-06:002018-01-03T18:57:53.935-06:00The Fourth Day of Christmas: December 28 – The Holy Innocents<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the fourth day
of Christmas, God’s true love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
…a grieving heart, moved to seek justice.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Herod the King, in
his raging charged he hath this day <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>his men of might,
in his own sight, all young children to slay.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Into the joy and good news of Christmas comes an unthinkable,
violent event of tragic proportions – the slaughter of innocent young children at
the hands of an amoral, paranoid megalomaniac. King Herod, fearing what the
birth of another “King of the Jews” might mean for him and his position,
attempts to do away with the threat. And since he was tricked by the magi (with
the help of God’s angel), who might have identified a particular child, he doesn’t
know which of any number of children this baby boy king might be. So he orders
his soldiers to kill all of the young ones in Judea (Matthew 2:13ff).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Such slaughter <i>should</i>
be unthinkable; yet we have seen it, and continue to see it, over and over and
over. Whether in an intentional act by a deranged killer in a single situation
and locale, or as collateral damage in an ongoing military conflict or an urban
gang war, the deaths of innocent children confronts us every day. Rachel
continues to weep for her children, and will not be comforted, because they are
not: in the Crusades, the concentration camps, the refugee boats; at Mi Lai,
Columbine, Sandy Hook; in Syria, Cambodia, Liberia, Chicago, Israel/Palestine. …<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>That woe is me,
poor child for thee! And every morn and day,<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>For thy parting nor
say nor sing bye-bye, lully lullay.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-53365299870046342972017-12-27T18:58:00.000-06:002017-12-27T19:00:01.761-06:00The Third Day of Christmas: December 27 – John, Apostle and Evangelist<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>On the third day of
Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
…a reminder to <b>walk
in the light </b>and<b> to mirror the light</b>
as best I can in my own life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
John is almost universally acknowledged to be “the
disciple whom Jesus loved”, and is often referred to as “St. John the Divine”. He
was exiled on the Greek island of Patmos, and is believed to have lived long
enough to see the fledgling church into its second generation. The fourth gospel
and three New Testament letters are attributed to him, as is the book of
Revelation. The ideas of light and darkness figure prominently in these books,
and the prologue to his gospel hearkens back to Genesis both in opening text (“In
the beginning”) and action (in the first act of creation, God breaks through
the darkness by speaking <i>light</i> into
existence, and through the Word made flesh the <i>light</i> shines in the darkness, which cannot overcome it). John
reminds us that in the person of Jesus Christ, the light of God’s glory and
grace came into the world. “God is light, and in him there is no darkness at
all.” (I John 1:5).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The first of the Hebrew scripture readings for Christmas,
Isaiah 9:2-7, proclaims that “the people who walked in darkness have seen a
great light”. It’s not difficult to find darkness in the world; in truth, it
never has been. Whether of our own making, or thrust upon us by people and
situations beyond our control, it can threaten to overcome us. But we can take
God’s promise of everlasting light to heart, and we can mirror God’s light,
grace, and love in this world that God so loves.<o:p></o:p></div>
Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-479053488245178239.post-34719558073602852132017-12-27T16:22:00.002-06:002017-12-27T19:00:44.860-06:00The Second Day of Christmas: December 26 – Stephen, Deacon and Martyr<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
(This is the feast on which “Good King Wenceslas” - who
was actually a duke - looked out and saw the snow lying “deep and crisp and
even”.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>On the second day
of Christmas, God’s true Love gave to me...</i>a<i> </i>lesson in <b>faithful
courage</b> and <b>forgiveness</b>.</div>
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The persecution, assault, and murders of prophets are
well documented in both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Stephen is not
commonly referred to as a <i>prophet</i>; he
was, in fact, one of the seven individuals chosen by the apostles in the
earliest days of the church to give aid to those in need, especially widows and
orphans. But in the tradition of the prophets, he told the truth to those in
authority, reminding them of their heritage as the people to whom God had
revealed the path to salvation, beginning with Abraham. But they paid to have
him slandered, and in their anger stoned Stephen. As a result, he became the
first Christian martyr, but as he was dying, he forgave his attackers. A
bystander at his martyrdom was a young man named Saul, who watched over the
coats of Stephen’s killers; Acts 7 tells us Saul approved of Stephen’s killing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Truthtellers, whistle-blowers, those who expose lies and
abuse by those in power and authority – these are prophets. They are not <i>always</i> killed, but they almost always
suffer the consequences of their righteous actions. We seldom want to hear the truth
about ourselves. I thank God for the courage of St. Stephen, and I hope to learn
from his ability to be forgiving, even to those who failed to see the truth and
killed him for his honesty.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Cynthia Hallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15321831595646001842noreply@blogger.com0