Thanksgiving Meditation...

As it is almost Thanksgiving, I wanted to offer a short meditation on gratitude by the spiritual writer and artist, Julia Cameron. So often we think of gratitude as something that just happens, but what this passage reminds us is that cultivating an 'attitude of gratitude' can actually be a kind of intentional spiritual practice...


From Julia Cameron's "Blessings"...

Blessings Build upon Blessings

I choose to see and build upon the good of every moment. In counting my blessings, I consciously and concretely build a life of gratitude. A life of gratitude is a life built upon optimism, expectation, and attention to the good of every instant as it unfolds. This is not denial of adversity. Rather, the choice to consciously count -- and encounter -- my moment-to-moment good is a spiritual discipline. My trained optimism creates in me a stamina funded in the constant flow of minute but perceptible spiritual nutrients which fuel me, body and soul. I bless my conscious attention to good.


Good words to ponder as we celebrate Thanksgiving...

Chris +

God Protected Daniel...

The story of Daniel in the Lion's den often provokes fond memories among older folks about a particularly rambunctious Sunday School class decades ago. While I don't have this particular memory, many a faithful Christian has played either Daniel or the Lion in a Sunday School reenactment of this classic story, often complete with paper-plate lion's mask and carefully rehearsed roaring!

When we recall this story, we often focus on the Lion, and to a lesser extent on Daniel's willingness to be faithful even when other people persecute him for it. But what about God as a character in this story? After all, it is God's action that keeps this story from having a rather gruesome ending! I think we tend to minimize God's role in this story, because it touches a part of God's identity that makes many of us as adults ambivalent: God as Protector.

While God's role as our protector is an important part of our friendship with God, many adults, and myself at the top of the list, can find it challenging to describe exactly HOW God protects those who are faithful. After all, we know from experience that the kind of protection God offers us almost always isn't of the divine intervention type. When we take risks for God in our life, often there are human consequences that bring suffering and pain, and God does not come to our rescue. As adults we understand God's role as our "protector" in a more spiritual way. A relationship with God protects us in the sense that when we encounter suffering and hardship, God's presence keeps our hearts from being hardened. God protects us from responding to the world's rejection for our faith by becoming bitter, vengeful or self-pitying. God response to suffering is not usually or protect our bodies from harm, but is always to protect our hearts from despair.

Given that outlook on God's role as our protector, I often find feelings of insecurity beginning to creep into my mind as I teach little children that God will protect them - especially when the stories are about preventing physical harm or suffering. But I believe that, despite feeling a little inauthentic when I teach these stories, coming to grips with how I, as an adult, DO believe that God protects us, helps, even if it is a much more nuanced understanding than I can teach to children. Young children aren't able to make the abstract leap that we can make as adults, and so teaching them that part of God's identity is as a protector of those who are faithful is a useful early lesson. As they grow into their teenage years, we will have a responsibility to nuance this distinction in the ways that we understand God's protection as adults -- but that does mean there is harm in teaching children about God's protection in a way that makes sense to them at this age. This is developmentally appropriate faith formation that has integrity, as long as we know as adults how we understand God's role as our protector to be life-giving. Someday we hope our children will know that too -- and our lesson this week is the beginning of that journey.

Good luck on Sunday, and may God's protection be with you in your times of suffering and trial, guarding your heart against despair and rage.

Blessings,
Chris +

David and Goliath

Sooner or later in every Church School curriculum, it comes time to talk about King David. David was the second king of Israel (after Saul) and is probably the most charismatic political leader in the entire Bible. As with most powerful politicians, there's a lot of good with David, and a lot of not-so-good. Far from the cool and calculating Joseph or the faithful and steady Moses, David was full of passion and energy, an artist and a risk-taker, a devoted friend and wandering lover.

The 5th grade this week will explore David and his friendship with Jonathan (an interesting comparison to the "female friendship" of Naomi and Ruth in last week's lesson). However the K-4th grades will be focusing on a much simpler story from David's life BEFORE he became the king: David and Goliath.

The story of David and Goliath is so well known that it has become a fixture in modern English for any conflict in which the odds are terribly lopsided. This is the story of a young, small (even puny!), under-resourced, weak but spirited teenager able to conquer brute force with cunning and agility. While we often think of a strong, muscular, large-fisted David (thanks to Michaelangelo's famous sculpture), I think it is Donatello's 3-D representation that best captures how small and young David was. Donatello's work is an important visual reminder that the odds were indeed, heavily against the young David.

And this leads to two important questions: 1) Why was David willing to engage in such an unfair fight?; and 2) How did he possibly win?

Like Moses before he was called to leadership, David's previous occupation was as a shepherd. He tended the flock and protected them from predators and thieves. Having spent several years developing his instincts as a protector of vulnerable sheep, this act of bravery was in some way an extension of a character trait he had already been developing. If Goliath had not been challenged, he would have taken the Israelites as his slaves. David chose to take responsibility for the safety not just of himself, but of his people. The world of the Old Testament was all about protection, and it was David's willingness to protect those who were defenseless, to consider himself responsible for others, even at great risk, that led to his popularity and fame.

But of course, the weak confront the strong all the time -- and usually the strong win! Part of the reason why this story was put in the Bible is because the underdog pulled it out, against the odds. By making this piece of David's history part of the Biblical account of his coming into kingship, the writers of this book of the Bible were trying to show that God's blessing is always on the side of the weak against the strong. When we teach this story to young children, we often reinforce this theological point by saying that God guided the stone from David's slingshot. This does not mean that the weak will always overcome through force, but it does mean that God honors those who stand up to evil, even if they fail to stop it.

The childhood analogies of Goliath to a bully are reasonable ones, but when teaching this story on Sunday I wouldn't venture too far down that path. The story should not be read as justifying violence against bullies, but rather should remind us of the importance of standing up for others -- especially when it can be done without violence (as it usually can in a school setting!).

Encouraging kids to stand up to evil is an important spiritual lesson. There are always so many reasons not to do it: danger of being hurt, fear that you will not succeed, hope that someone else will do it, not wanting to look uncool to others. Unfortunately, the lesson of today's story is NOT that God will save us from suffering for the sake of protecting the weak or resisting evil. But nevertheless, the ability to stand up to evil is one of the fruits of a strong spiritual life, that grows from confidence that even when we do not succeed in such pursuits, God's blessing remains with us.

Chris +

All Hallow's Eve / All Saint's Day

This coming Sunday, November 1st is All Saints Day, a feast of the church honoring all the saints of the Christian Church. Along with Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, Ascension Day, and Epiphany, it is a Principal Feast of the church -- a cause for major celebration.

Lots of people wonder about the Origins of All Saints Day, and it's vigil All Hallow's Eve (held the night before), or as we now call it Halloween! Below I am pasting a bit of helpful historical information from churchyear.net about the development of this festival. But for us today, I think the most important part of All Saints Day is a reminder that the community of the church exists not just across space, but across time as well. When sing the "Holy, Holy, Holy" at Communion, we are "joining our voices with saints and angels and all the company of heaven" -- reminding ourselves that we are part of a much larger reality beyond the one we experience each day.

From churchyear.net, about the Feasts of All Hallow's Eve/All Saints/All Souls:

Christians have been honoring their saints and martyrs since at least the second century AD. Initially the calendars of saints and martyrs varied from location to location, and many times local churches honored local saints. However, gradually feast days became more universal. The first reference to a general feast celebrating all saints occurs in St Ephrem the Syrian (d. AD 373). St. John Chrysostom (d. AD 407) assigned a day to the feast, the first Sunday after Pentecost, where in the Eastern Churches the feast is celebrated to this day. In the West, this date was probably originally used, and then the feast was moved to May 13th. The current observance (November 1) probably originates from the time of Pope Gregory III (d. AD 741), and was likely first observed on November 1st in Germany. This fact makes the connection of the All Saints Feast with the pagan festival Samhain less likely, since Samhain was an Irish pagan feast, rather than German.

The vigil of the Feast (the eve) has grown up in the English speaking countries as a festival in itself, All Hallows Eve, or Halloween. While many consider Halloween pagan (and in many instances the celebrations are for many), as far as the Church is concerned the date is simply the eve of the feast of All Saints. Many customs of Halloween reflect the Christian belief that on the feast's vigils we mock evil, because as Christians, it has no real power over us. However, for some Halloween is used for evil purposes, in which many Christians dabble unknowingly.

Various customs have developed related to Halloween. In the Middle Ages, poor people in the community begged for "soul cakes," and upon receiving these doughnuts, they would agree to pray for departed souls. This is the root of our modern day "trick-or-treat." The custom of masks and costumes developed to mock evil and perhaps confuse the evil spirits by dressing as one of their own. Some Christians visit cemeteries on Halloween, not to practice evil, but to commemorate departed relatives and friends, with picnics and the last flowers of the year. The day after All Saints day is called All Soul's Day, a day to remember and offer prayers up on behalf of all of the faithful departed. In many cultures it seems the two days share many customs.

Special Resources for Class this Sunday!

Because it is "Commitment Sunday" this week, we will have special Stewardship Handouts for all K-5th classes since it is Commitment Sunday. Please consider using this resource to make the connection between the risky faithfulness of Ruth's commitment to God, and the risky faithfulness of our own stewardship commitments.

Also, here is a link to a great maze/word-puzzle handout about Naomi and Ruth that you could use for this Sunday's class:
Naomi and Ruth Word Search

Ruth & Naomi: Holy Friends -- Sunday, October 25th

Today's Bible lesson for K-5th grades tells the story of Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah. It's one of the few stories of women in the Old Testament in which women are not portrayed as passive victims, but are active models of faithfulness. It is unfortunate that these women's names are not as well known by children as are Noah, Moses, and other role models of faithfulness. Through teaching this story each year at St. Andrew's, we hope to change that reality!

As the curriculum notes at the start of this lesson, these three women lived in a tough age, "when those who worshiped the Lord were unfaithful." This is an interesting description -- that some who worship might yet be unfaithful. It's a reminder that our faith is about much more than what we do on Sunday mornings, our faith is about what we do Monday through Saturday. Even if we get Sunday 100% "right" that matters far less than living all our days aware of God's presence among us. To put it more simply, being Christian is about our choices, not just our voices.

In the case of Naomi, Ruth and Orpah (rhymes with Orca, i.e. a killer whale), they were fast with hard choices. Their husbands dead, the women had to find a community that could support them in which to live. This was a life or death decision -- women could not live independently during that time. They could not work to support themselves and they needed protection (and, frankly, so did men in that rough age). Naomi, mother in law to both Ruth and Orpah, decided that each of the three should return to their own hometowns. This would be the one community on whom they KNEW they could depend to take them in.

Now Ruth and Orpah were of a different race than Naomi and her two sons (who had been husbands to Ruth and Orpah), and the two daughters in law had not practiced the Hebrew faith prior to the marriages. Returning home meant abandoning the One God, and returning to the Moabite faith of their clan. While separating would make it more likely that they would be taken in by the communities that raised them, it also was, in some sense, a rejection of a life with God -- as well as a life with each other. Though torn, Orpah sees the wisdom in this hard choice and chooses to leave Naomi and Ruth and go back to her hometown.

Ruth, however, makes a different choice. She clings to Naomi, giving a beautiful and impassioned speech: "Where you go, I will go: where you lodge, I will lodge; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God." No doubt, Ruth's is a strong story of female friendship being more powerful than the patriarchal social forces that seek to separate them. Ruth is taking on a very vulnerable position here. She chooses to go to Naomi's community, who has no responsibility to care for her, to help her re-establish a life. It is not a safe choice, it's a risky one. Her economic and personal well-being are not assured.

But Ruth risks this vulnerability not only because she loves Naomi, but because she loves God. Her loyalty is not just to her friend, but to her friend's God, who has become her own. Of course, it is not unusual for a person's relationship with God to be bound up in relationships with other people. And in fact, in moments when it is hard to take a risk for God, the support found in human friendships often makes it easier to make the harder, but more faithful choice. That's why the friendship between Naomi and Ruth is a holy friendship. It is a friendship that helps Ruth become even more faithful in making life choices. She is an example of holy living in an age when even the most "observant" worshipers of God made unholy choices.

This lesson is PERFECTLY timed in our church calendar to come up this Sunday for two reasons. First, is that next Sunday is All Saints Day -- when we celebrate all holy women and holy men: people who have been "holy friends" to others, helping them make faithful choices even when it is hard. In the Episcopal tradition, we use All Saints Day to celebrate not just the "official" saints of the church, but also all the holy people in our own lives who have helped us live more faithfully. I bet we can all think of a few real mentors and friends who have helped us live out our faith not just in our voices, but in our life choices, too.

The second reason this lesson is well timed, is that THIS Sunday is "St. Andrew's Connects" -- a stewardship-season event that celebrates our care for each other and our financial stewardship of this community. Similar to how Naomi's friendship enables Ruth to take a faithful risk, by reaching out to connect with each other at this time of year we hope to encourage all parish families to take the risk of making a financial pledge this year. Perhaps the confidence we draw from the care we have for each other will enable us to risk being even more generous and joyful givers than we already are. When we remember the many ways in which God's presence is made known to us, especially through our relationships at St. Andrew's, it makes taking the risk of pledging a little easier to accomplish. And when we're willing to take that risk, we really are living our faith in our choices, not just in our voices.

Have a great class this week!


Chris +

Joshua Fought the Battle...

As much as I'm conflicted about this Sunday's Bible story (see post below), it is the basis for one of my favorite pieces of Gospel music! Here's an arrangement by the Moses Hogan Chorale that I have loved for almost 15 years now...