22 Nov - Practicing Thanksgiving

Before it was a noun, “thanksgiving” was a verb. The difference matters.

A desert father once said:

“If you have a chest full of oranges, and leave it for a long time,

the fruit will rot inside of it.

It is the same with the thoughts in our heart.

If we do not carry them out by physical action,

after a while they will spoil and turn bad.”

Living thankfully is not essentially about feeling thankful, or even being thankful. To live thankfully is to act differently day by day because we are compelled by the Spirit to participate in the generous life of God-with-us, constantly practicing thanks-giving.

“Have a good Thanksgiving,” we say to one another beforehand. And afterward, we ask, “How was your Thanksgiving?” assuming the word to be a noun.

But as a verb, as a spiritual practice, what is thanksgiving all about?

Giving thanks is actually central to the practice of Christianity.

It is a golden thread, woven through and uniting all we do as Christians.

At Thanksgiving, we celebrate the gift of the harvest. We do so actively. As Charles Winters put it in his wonderful prayer, which is offered by many just before the Great Thanksgiving in celebrations of the Eucharist:

“We make, O Lord, our glorious exchanges.

What you have given us, we now offer you,

that in turn, we may receive yourself.”

From "Sermons That Work," Steve Kelsey, missioner of the Greater Hartford Regional Ministry in Connecticut.

15 Nov - They Become Dust

Hebrews 10:11-14, (15-18), 19-25; Mark 13:1-8

Jesus’ disciple points out how big the stones are and Jesus says: it will all be dust.

We create and we destroy. The temple is created by humankind and it became an idol and Jesus said: it will become dust. And we see evidence of this not just with the fall of the temple but with the fall of other beautiful buildings: the Parthenon, the Coliseum. What will be left from our journey in civilization? I don’t know.

When Jesus says it will all be dust, the disciples say “well, when? When is this going to happen? What are the signs going to be?” It might sound like he answers the question of what the signs are going to be – that there’s going to be war and earthquakes and famine, but that’s not what he’s saying. He’s saying there’s going to be wars and earthquakes and famine, but that those are just the trials that we have to live through and that we have to be hopeful through, because they are the things with which the earth, Mother Nature and humankind are about. But Jesus doesn’t know when the end-time is going to be. Even he says: only the Father know. So there are no signs.

Jesus says to be careful, to not be led astray, to be careful of distractions. Many have been led astray by religious zealots – Jim Jones for example, and others. But they’re not the only ones who lead us astray. There are financial gurus and self-help people and politicians that distract us and all say that “we have the answer. We have the answer to happiness. We have the answer to wholeness.” Jesus says: discern.

And Jesus says to be hopeful. To hopeful through all of these trials; there are things that we have to live through – that’s just the way it is. This chapter precedes the Passion and he exemplifies what he says by living through the trial, the scourging, the walk to the cross, the crucifixion, all so he could get to the resurrection so he could save us.

Be discerning. Be hopeful.

There’s a collect in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (I couldn’t find it in ours), that I think speaks to this:

Eternal God, who committest to us the swift and solemn trust of life; since we do not know what a day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving thee is always present, may we awake to the instant claims of thy holy will, not waiting for tomorrow, but yielding today.

Peace,

The Rev. M.E. Eccles, LPC

8 Nov - The Upside Down Perspective

Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

Several years ago, someone recommended a book to me titled The Upside Down Kingdom. The book provides a framework for looking at Jesus’ teachings, pointing out how he frequently turns conventional thinking upside down. Think about it. A consistent theme in Jesus’ teachings is: “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” Throughout his ministry, Jesus reached out to those who were considered lower, less worthy in the structure of society. He gave them the message through his words and his actions: ‘You are important. You are valued.’

But Jesus does more than simply reach out to people who were generally considered lower or less valuable. Sometimes he lifts them up, using them as a positive example for others. An example of this is the poor widow in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus singles her out in a crowd of people making donations at the temple in Jerusalem. People dropped their money into large metal containers. One could easily tell if the donation was large because heavier, more valuable coins made a louder sound. The widow, dependent on others to support her and with no rank in society, puts in two small coins, worth about a penny. Her contribution probably made little or no sound when she dropped it in. Jesus says to his followers, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” A poor widow, ignored by most. A person who gives openly, without reservation. Generosity of heart. A lesson learned from an unexpected source.

Generosity of heart. Something we should all hope to have.

Peace,

Deacon Sue

1 Nov - Let's Be Saints-In-Progress

Hebrews 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34

November 1st was All Saints’ Day, a major celebration in the Church. An occasion for us to look back and celebrate the great figures of the history of the Church. People who dared to speak out, to name injustices. People who proclaimed by their words and actions God’s love for all of God’s creation—especially those who were forgotten and ignored. All Saints’ Day. A time for us look around us. To recognize the people who seem larger than life. People who advocate for positive change in society. People whose strong faith and willingness to reach out to others provide an example for us.

What does it mean to be a saint? A saint is someone with broad vision, someone who firmly believes that God is at the center of life. That God is in us, around us. God is everywhere, in all of life. In our own lives, we are called to stretch our vision beyond our own lives and embrace God’s vision for the world. We call that vision the Kingdom of God. We are called to move beyond our own self-interest and follow Jesus’ commandment to love one another.

Saints are not just the great figures of the past, or people of the present that we think of as bigger than life. Saints are ordinary people, like you and me. People who are faithful. As people who are trying to be faithful, we can claim ourselves to be “saints-in-progress.” That is part of what we celebrate on All Saints’ Day: ourselves as potential saints.

Peace,

Deacon Sue