New Year's Eve Musings

Another winter day, another snowstorm. At least I'm on vacation and don't have to travel in it.

Another New Year's Eve, the end of another year. I can't say this past year has been one of the more pleasant ones. I spent most of it on probation at work. Actually, a lot of employees at the Church Center spent time on probation this year. Is that a management problem or an employee problem? The transition has been rough, but hopefully, we're through the worst of it and moving into some real ministry work. Or maybe just further into a corporate structure. Occasionally, I wonder what would happen if we disbanded the Church Center.

This time of year is often bittersweet. Christmas, followed by the New Year, followed by my birthday. I usually find myself in a period of self-reflection, and if I'm in a particularly bad place, that self-reflection can spiral into depression. It doesn't have to, and I've learned to catch myself talking myself into a depression.

This video is of an ABBA song that is nearly 30 years old. It captures my mood pretty well, and it does have a hopeful note.



The coming year will be one of change. I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions, as that just sets oneself up for failure. But there will be changes. Hopefully, most of the changes will be positive and/or constructive--personally and professionally.

Blessings for the New Year.

Peace,
Jeff
(274.5)

New Music

One of my Christmas presents this year was a Music Minus One Flute packet of Woodwind Quintets (volume 1). They are taken from recordings made in 1970 by the Camerata Woodwind Quintet of Western Illinois University and have had the flute part deleted, so you can play with the recording. This had been on my Amazon.com wish list for a couple of years, so I was excited when I opened the package from Rachel and saw what it was.

Sunday night I finally opened the book and took a look at the music. For a middling amateur, the printed sheet music looked a little intimidating. But then I remembered that a few years ago I sight read through two Mozart Divertimenti with a professional oboist and a child prodigy violinist. If I could do that, then I should be able to play these. On the other hand, I hadn't picked up my flute in weeks (probably more like months). Playing/practicing often takes a back seat when I don't have a gig or someone(s) to just jam with. So this evening I pulled out my flute and played for about 20 minutes. One of the pieces I worked on was the first movement of J.S. Bach's Partita in a minor for solo flute (BWV 1013).

This video from YouTube shows someone playing the Allemande on a baroque flute.



After finding the video of the Bach piece, I went looking on YouTube of videos of some of the pieces in the Music Minus One packet. I found this video of some high school students playing the first movement of the Haydn Divertimento in b flat major. (Don't cringe, it's actually in tune and better than the other video of the same piece that I found!)



Then I put the CD in to hear the quintet--minus the flute--play. Suddenly, the printed music doesn't seem so intimidating, and tomorrow I'll try sight reading the Haydn, and maybe even some of the other pieces.

I forget what a joy it is to make music, even just playing for myself. It changes the vibrations in the apartment, much like frequent prayer affects a space. It lightens my spirits. I need to remember to do this on a regular basis, because it also helps me cope with stress. And given the way things are at work...

Peace,
Jeff

New Boxes

I finished three more boxes. They were among the things that I scrambled to move out of the way of the water during the plumbing mishap the other week. I had the various pieces spread out on the floor to dry after applying a coat of paint.

This is Mom's birthday present. Obviously, I didn't finish it in time for her birthday. Since I gave it to her about halfway between her birthday and Christmas, I wrote "Meppy Birthmas! Or is that Harry Chrisday?" in the card. The image is from a painting of the Madonna and Child portrayed as Native Americans. The body of the box is a darker shade of purple, and I chose the colors to fit in her prayer space--not to mention that purple is one of her favorite colors.


This one I made for Lois. I didn't have to tell her that the picture is of Julian of Norwich.


I made this one for my friend Rachel. The picture shows a sacred well in a forest setting.


Each box contained two white tea lights and a fabric square to be used as an altar cloth. There is room for other sacred objects to be placed in the box--portable sacred space.

I have one more started and four waiting for ideas.

Peace,
Jeff

Winter Arrives, Advent Ends, Insecurity Abides

Winter began today, but we've already had two snowstorms, Friday's a major one. We expected more today, but we ended up with rain. If it had been snow, we would have been buried like further north--a friend of mine said they had close to 14" in Danbury.

I'm done with Winter. I'm ready for Spring.

The problem is that there is no Spring without Winter. No Easter without Good Friday. No Good Friday without Christmas. No Christmas without the Annunciation. No Annunciation without... All the way back to the Creation, and no Creation without God.

I've been having a "where is God in all of this" year. Discerning about my job. Discerning about the parish. Discerning about a call to ordained ministry. Everything is up in the air; life is in flux, and yet things seem stuck. As I look at what is going on in the church--the parish, the denominational headquarters, the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion, and the larger Church--I find myself asking again and again, "God, what are you thinking!?!? Why me, and why now?"

And yet, every now and then, I get glimpses of the answers. Like this morning during Lois' sermon on the Annunciation:

Saying yes to God's call often means saying yes to Holy Insecurity.

Having hope means trusting that God has not forgotten the recipe for manna.

Of course, glimpses of the answers are more often than not immediately followed by the appearance of more questions. So for now I will work on learning to live in Holy Insecurity and to have hope.

Peace,
Jeff

The Great Water Disaster

Friday morning the 12th, I woke up at about 1:00 hearing dripping. This is not unusual, because I can usually hear dripping from the overhang outside when it rains. It took me a moment to realize that what I was hearing was INSIDE. I thought the storm had forced water into the chimney, so I'd have to get up and get something to put in the fireplace to catch the drips and call the management company in the morning. I turned on the light and saw the ceiling:

I scrambled to move my music bag (flute, recorders, whistles) and music stand from in front of the fireplace. Then I found I had to push the bed over. Followed by moving my nativity collection from the mantle. The dripping got worse, and I disassembled the bed while I phoned the management company's emergency number. Then I called Mom while moving the nightstand and lamp as the dripping spread. I put pots and bowls under the worst of the drips.


By the time Mom and Bill arrived, I was emptying bookshelves and dumping books in the small room. My apartment is 450 square feet, so you can imagine there isn't a lot of space to move anything to. Once the dripping seemed to stabilize, I packed the nativity sets back into the "Christmas Boxes" while Mom tried to organize piles so that we could at least move around a little.

The maintenance person showed up, and he and Bill went to go look where the problem was. The tenant on the second floor wasn't home, but it turned out that the water actually originated from the third floor, where one of the tenants was taking a shower. For TWO HOURS she'd been taking a shower! It turns out that they'd called Roto Rooter (or some similar company) to take care of a clogged drain instead of calling the management company. I've never had a problem with the management company coming when needed in a timely manner, so I don't know what the were thinking! The guy who came punched a hole in the drain, so as she showered.. and showered... and showered... the water drained into the ceiling of the second floor apartment, then poured through her floor and into my ceiling and down between the walls.


I also kept an eye on my clothes closet and the back hall. Good thing, because I saw water start to come through the closet, and Mom and I emptied it into the front common hall. Later I moved the contents of my closet to the back seat of my car.


I spent the next few days with my mother while they made repairs. They thought they'd be done Tuesday, but I wasn't able to move back into my apartment until Thursday the 18th. They had to replace the carpeting and treat and repaint the walls. In many ways, I was very lucky. If this had happened the week before while I was in California for a meeting, a lot my stuff would have sustained damaged. The only thing they will have to replace is my mattress, which I couldn't get far enough away to avoid being splashed.

I think the maintenance person was surprised at how calm I was--at least by the time he arrived I'd finished panicking. And that I wasn't flying off the handle at him. Sometimes a little respect and professional treatment goes a long way. It wasn't his fault, and he did get up at 1:30 in the morning to drive through a nasty rain storm to come and take care of the problem as much as he could. And he was back before 9:00 a.m. with other workers to start cleaning up and making repairs.

I still have to order the new mattress, the winter storms really messed up delivery schedules, so I said I'd call back after Christmas. I'll be at my brother's for the week, so it won't be a major problem. I have almost everything put away, and except for the lighter carpet, you can't really tell I had an indoor rainstorm.

A couple of interesting things appeared in the water stains. This one on the ceiling


and this weird one on the wall:


Once the new mattress is here, and the last of my stuff is put away, I'll ask Lois to come and do a house blessing.

Peace,
Jeff

I AM The Children's Formation Officer

So much for the "year of discernment." So much for mentoring. So much for our input. The Associate Program Officer Trainees have pretty much settled into the positions that will be ours when the "Trainee" gets dropped from our job titles.

Actually, they've pretty much dropped it already. Note the two versions of my job title, here (and where, I would like to know, is the new picture I submitted to replace this 6 1/2 year-old one?) and here.

So, if I am the the Associate Program Officer for Children's Formation, and I'm being held accountable as an Associate Program Officer, then I'm just going to operate accordingly. The Center Director freely acknowledges that she knows virtually nothing about Christian Formation, which means she relies on me when it comes to children and the Church. I AM the subject matter expert.

Peace,
Jeff

Election Humor

These three pictures have been circulating around the Internet over the last week, and probably longer. The bottom one I saw for the first time last night. I'm surprised someone didn't forward it to me earlier, knowing my interest in all things Oz...

Peace,

Jeff

Point-And-Click Eucharist

On Friday I picked up this week's copy of Newsweek at a newsstand in Grand Central Terminal to read on the train home. Some weeks I pick up Time. As I started to peruse the issue, I was stopped by the title "Click in Remembrance of Me," with a picture of a priest holding up a communion wafer as if before an altar. The focus of the article is "communion on line," and it highlighted one web site.

The Rev. Thomas Madron's holycommunionontheweb.com features a service that can be done at any time.

The other celebrant named in the article was Zeph Daniel. I googled him and looked at his pates. I thought they were just plain weird. Nor was his site the only one I found that I thought was weird.

That doesn't mean I don't think there might be some merit to exploring the concept. Nor will it be the only blending of ceremony and technology that our culture looks at, if Phyllis Tickle's concept of the church re-forming itself has validity, which I think it does. More about that when I've finished reading her The Great Emergence.

In the meantime, go take a look for yourself.

Peace,
Jeff

Preaching At The Church Center

Vigil of All Saints/Halloween
Chapel of Christ the Lord, Episcopal Church Center, New York, NY
Luke 14:1-6

The last time Miguelina asked me to preach, I got sick, so last week I started taking extra doses of Vitamin C. When she invited me to preach today, we both commented on the irony and the appropriateness of the staff person for Children’s Formation preaching on Halloween.

I grew up unchurched, for many reasons that aren’t particularly important here. Halloween was always a big deal. We planned for weeks ahead of time, because we always made our own costumes. There was no discussion in our house, or our neighborhood for that matter, about the origins of these customs or the appropriateness of participating in them. It was simply a time to dress up and run around the neighborhood collecting candy.

Flash forward a few years, when I had just started putting my foot back into church, and we started learning about the pre-Christian roots of All Hallows’ Eve and how the Celts believed that at this time of year—their festival of Samhain—is one when the borders that separate our world from those of the faerie and the dead become very thin. We also began seeing the pattern of how the Christian hierarchy renamed and took over many pre-Christian celebrations to aid the spread of their faith. And so Samhain and All Hallows’ Eve became All Saints Day and All Souls Day.

A handful of years later, after coming back to the Episcopal Church, and every year since then, this season brings conversations about the secular culture’s commercialization of Halloween and discussions about whether or not we should be promoting participation in what is essentially a non-Christian festival.

So when the question finally comes around, “Does dressing up and going trick-or-treating endanger our children spiritually?” My reply is often, “Does bringing an evergreen tree into the house around the beginning of Winter and decorating it endanger our children spiritually?” That usually brings the conversation up short.

Ultimately, however, we should be listening to our children. Children are innately spiritual, and children are not stupid. As they leave the shelter of the family home and enter into the neighborhood, the community, and the world, they see and hear things. We cannot shelter them forever. And they will ask questions. It is their questions we should be listening to and discussing. And frequently, as Jesus does in today’s Gospel reading, the best way to answer a question is to pose another question.

So today, my question to all of us is: Do we teach our children to be rigid like the Pharisees, or do we teach them to follow Jesus?

Amen.

Where I Spent--And Didn't Spend--My Weekend

Early Friday afternoon I packed the car, filled the gas tank, and headed up Route 8 to Becket, Massachusetts. Over 130 lgbt, and a handful of straight friends, gathered for the Lavender Country and Folk Dancers Fall Dance Camp at Chimney Corners. Lisa Greenleaf was the caller, and the Groovemongers provided the music. I came home late Sunday afternoon with sore feet and ready for bed.

I did not attend the reunion activities of the Darien High School Class of 1978: the Homecoming game and the gathering at Wee Burn Country Club.

While it would have been fun catching up with my classmates after 10 years (we have not been together since our 20th reunion in 1998), the Dance Camp community is more important to me. I have missed only two camps over the last 15 years. These are the people I share common interests and values with. These are the folks who nurture me. These are the friends who accept me as I am. This is the community that renews and refreshes me.

For some reason, this camp turned out to be a bit different for me personally. I was not self-conscious about my body. I'm a good dancer, and that's what counts on the dance floor. I'm a good person and friend, and that's what counts with this community. It was also freeing in other ways. I found that I was not my usually shy self. If I wanted to ask someone to dance, I did, and was only turned down if the person had already been asked to dance for that dance. I flirted with several people when we weren't on the dance floor. It was like I was fully present for the first time in a long time.

This dance community is the people I am growing--and growing older--with. The DHS Class of 1978 is frozen in time, in snapshots taken in 1978, 1988, 1998, and now 2008. If the class' next reunion and Fall dance camp fall on the same weekend again, I know where I will be.

Peace,
Jeffri

That's So Teenager

When they renovated our office space at the Episcopal Church Center they consolidated the Church Center offices. As a result we had two-and-a-half floors available to lease. The Ad Council currently occupies that space. Their employees have come to a couple of our Community Gatherings, and we were invited to an open house in their space. Many of us on the Church Center Staff also subscribe to one of their mail lists.

Today we received an email highlighting some of their campaigns. The first one was the Think Before You Speak campaign sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network. The email featured three short videos from the campaign. The first one features Hilary Duff.



The second features Wanda Sykes



And here's the third one.



Having grown up with a brother who used "gay" as interchangeable with "stupid," this obviously isn't a new issue. I haven't heard him use "gay" for "stupid" in many years, and I haven't heard his kids use the word that way either--at least around their Uncle Jeff.

Maybe there's hope.

Peace,
Jeffri

A Week By The Lake

I spent last week in Burlington, Vermont at the Bishop Booth Conference Center meeting with the Episcopal Council for Christian Education (ECCE). I drove up, which was a nostalgic experience. We spent some of our family vacations in Vermont while I was growing up, so I drove by a lot of familiar places--if only the names. The Conference Center sits on the shores of Lake Champlain.

ECCE meetings can exhaust me, but once I recover from the meeting itself, the experience energizes me. These folks--two representatives from each Province of the Episcopal Church--are my network, my "peeps," as my nephews would say. They keep me sane in the ever-changing mess that seems to be the Church Center these days. These people, along with their peers across the church, are the reason I have not walked out the door these past six months. They do incredible work, and I am proud to be their colleague.

At every ECCE meeting we try to provide a development component. This time a former ECCE member did a four hour workshop over two days on the Enneagram Types. The organization he works with is the Enneagram Institute. If you want to find out more about what we learned, you can visit their web site. I am Type 6 - The Loyalist. And this surprises us how? I know people get very caught up in this kind of thing, as also happens with the Myers-Briggs typing that runs rampant through the Episcopal Church. These are tools we can use to help understand ourselves. But each is only one kind of tool. They are not the be all and end all. Not every tool works for every person. Here endeth the lecture.

The ECCE meeting ended at lunchtime on Thursday, and three people heading to the Los Angeles for another meeting were staying over until Friday morning. Ruth-Ann and I stayed as well so that we could spend some time with them to prepare them for the meeting, which we are not attending due to travel restrictions based on budget issues. Before that meeting, however, we needed a break. Even in as lovely a setting as the shore of Lake Champlain in the Fall, you need to get out and have a change of scenery.

Our first stop was the Vermont Teddy Bear Company's Factory and Bear Shop.



We did the tourist thing and took the picture. This is Cindy from the Diocese of Olympia, Nancy from the Diocese of Northern California, me, and my friend MerLynne from the Diocese of Minnesota.

We took the tour.

This is the stuffing station.

We saw lots of bears and outfits.

This is a Renaissance Bear in the custom workshop.

Ruth-Ann bought a bear as a Christmas present for her grandson.

And yes, I came home with a bear.

How could I leave him there? He's purple. (Well, they call it amethyst, but he's purple!)

After a short stop at the cathedral bookshop, we spent the rest of the afternoon wandering up and down Church Street, which is pedestrian street in downtown Burlington. We had dinner at Three Tomatoes and then drove back to the Conference Center to have our meeting.

Friday was a travel day, which for Ruth-Ann and me, consisted of a 5 1/2 hour drive back down to Connecticut. Ruth-Ann the continued on the Port Jefferson Ferry to Long Island. It was a beautiful day for a drive, but when I got home, my body pretty much said "you're done now," and I slept for 12 hours Friday night.

Tomorrow, back into the... office.

Peace,
Jeffri

A Picture Is Worth $700 Billion

One of the blogs I read regularly is Dan Roam's The Back of the Napkin (aka Digital Roam). Dan recently published a book by the same name that everyone who uses PowerPoint ought to read before doing their next presentation!

Today I happened to page down and rediscover his post of September 15 titled "Careful, Senator, your politics are showing." He talks about a workshop he recently did for the heads of staff for the Democratic Senators.

Whenever I give a workshop, I ask in advance for a sample problem relevant to my audience, so that I can demonstrate the power of pictures in a context drawn from their real-world experience.

In this case, Doug supplied me with a thick set of economic data comparing eight years of the Clinton Administration with eight years of the George W. Bush administration.

Once drawn out, the results are shocking.

Go take a look for yourself.

And if anyone tells you that Bush had to deal with a Congress controlled by the Democrats for a good part of his term, remember that the Republicans controlled Congress for most of Clinton's term.

Peace,
Jeffri

Ding Dong The Bells Are Gonna Chime!

While I won't be getting married in the morning, nor any time in the near future, same-sex couples will be able to legally marry in Connecticut soon, probably as early as next month. In a case resulting from a suit filed by 8 couples against the state Commissioner for Public Health after being denied marriage licences by Madison town clerk, the state supreme court ruled today "In accordance with these state constitutional requirements, same sex couples cannot be denied the freedom to marry."

Many headlines in newspapers around the country and throughout the blogosphere read much like this one from The Boston Globe: "Connecticut Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage." As a friend of mine pointed out,

The Connecticut Supreme Court did not legalize same-sex marriage but rather said that same-sex couples must be allowed to marry because marriage is a fundamental right. Gays and lesbians are a group who have a history of being discriminated against and therefore heightened scrutiny (California went one step further and said strict scrutiny) must be applied to any law which negatively impacts them. The Connecticut Supreme Court based their ruling on equal protection in the Connecticut constitution. Everybody deserves the equal protection of state law.

Essentially the court found that Civil Unions, which Connecticut has had for a couple of years, create a separate and unequal category of citizens.

If you are interested, here are the Supreme Court's decision and the three dissenting opinions:

• SC17716 - Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health
• SC17716 Dissent - Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health
• SC17716 Dissent - Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health
• SC17716 Dissent - Kerrigan v. Commissioner of Public Health

How far we have come in the last 25 years since I returned to Connecticut after college and graduate school in the Midwest. Marriage was the last thing on our minds when the Connecticut Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights worked toward passage of civil rights legislation. In fact, it was the issue of marriage that essentially fractured the organization after the passage of the so-called "gay rights bill." A number of members felt that marriage was the next logical step, while others saw marriage as an institution that had long outlived its purpose. While the Coalition fell apart, with a small remainder limping along, other organizations grew out of the fight for full marriage rights for same-sex couples. It became THE issue for a large number of lbgt activists, and for many conservatives, who used it in attempts to solidify their hold over our society.

This decision is a great stride forward for lbtq folks, but the struggle is not over. There is a question on the ballot this year in Connecticut, one required by the state constitution to be put before the people of the state every 20 years:

Shall there be a Constitutional Convention to amend or revise the Constitution of the State?

There is also the issue of clergy acting as agents of the state for conducting civil marriage. Not to mention the ongoing struggle in our religious institutions regarding the blessing of those marriages.

A lot of education, advocacy, and hard work remains, but for today, let us celebrate a tremendous step forward.

Peace,
Jeffri

The Blessing Of The Bike...s...ss

It was a beautiful day for the blessing of the bikes. Being the primary organizer (it was my idea, after all), I dutifully put on my helmet and rode my bicycle to church, arriving at about 9:05. While riding on the municipal bike path I thought of all the things that didn't get done. The sign for the front of the church that I'd thought of last weekend but didn't have time to make. The idea I had last night coming home on the train that we should have made signs to put up along the bike path a week ago. The people who told me that they would help but never called or even showed up for the event. The newspaper article that never appeared in the local paper. The lack of response from the local bicycling club and a local organization that collects used bikes to refurbish and distribute to kids who need them. Fortunately, it was too nice of a day to dwell on all of that, and I'd already decided that no matter what happened, it was a first time event, and it didn't have to be large or perfect to be successful.

I turned off the bike path just before it goes into the park across the street from our parish, and this is what I saw!

Someone made a sign! I later learned that Lois our priest had painted it and put it up on Tuesday. Shows you how many times I drive by the parish when I'm not going to church!!

Since the bicycle club and the charity hadn't responded, I didn't have to put up tables. I hadn't brought any refreshments, because (a) I had no clue how many people would show up, and (b) I wasn't lugging refreshments to church on my bike. So basically, I paced until Lois and Newlin arrived, followed shortly by Mom with Gabriel her teacup Shih Tzu in tow. We did the last little bits of prep work, I paced some more, and we greeted the photographer from the local paper who showed up a few minutes before the scheduled start of the service.

10:00 a.m., scheduled time, and this is how many bikes were there:

That would be my bike. Here's another view of the lone bike that I took simply because I found the play of the shadow on the grass intriguing:

We waited until a few minutes after 10, and then we blessed my bike. Lois decided to bless any vehicle that drove by the church. About 10:20 someone attending another meeting at the parish rode up on his bike. He'd ridden it today because he'd seen the sign. So we blessed his bike.

Lois continued to bless passing vehicles while Newlin and I took down the sign. Just as we'd folded it up, two more parishioners rode up. Here we are blessing the last two bikes of the day.

Was it a success? For the eight of us who participated, definitely. Are we going to do it again? Yes. In April.

I have a list, and this time when people say they're interested, I'll hand them an assignment!

Peace,
Jeffri

A Blast From The Past

Thursday evening I met my friend Amy for dinner at the Dry Dock Cafe in Norwalk. It had been a while since we'd spent some time together, and we figured it was time. When we sat at the table, the first thing Amy did, after giving me a big hug, was hand me a picture. She found it amongst the collection of a friend whose estate she is handling, and she wanted me to have it.

"That's not Tom Haydock, is it?" I asked, trying to remember if Tom and I had ever been involved in anything at the Wilton Playshop together and realizing at the same time that it wasn't Tom.

"No, it's Guy Allred." She replied.

"Oh, wow. This must be twenty years or so ago. I have hair, a mustache and about 100 fewer pounds."

"I found another picture from my wedding of Quentin with Guy, X, and Y. Only _____ is still alive."

Cancer claimed Quentin, Amy's ex husband, a year or so ago. AIDS took Guy and X from us long before that.

But it was not a sad occasion. The picture brought back lots of good memories. It was taken during the cast party after a show at the Wilton Playshop that I no longer remember--I occasionally helped out as stage crew. Guy and I are sitting (well, leaning against some piece of furniture) and smiling for the whoever took the picture. I was very attracted to Guy, even though blonds are not usually my "type." Not to mention that Brian and I were a couple at that point in time, and I would not even have considered getting involved with Guy, nor he with me.

Brian, now ex, is nowhere in evidence in the picture. That often happened at parties we went to. One of my fellow Connecticut Choraliers once remarked, "You know, whenever we have a party, if one of you comes into a room, the other one leaves." It was never intentional, and neither of us realized that happened. We simply both mingled with the people we knew at these parties, and we never felt the need to constantly be at each other's side. Of course, looking back, one wonders...

From there, our conversation moved on to other people we had both known at the Playshop and in the Choraliers and then on to catching up with recent events in our lives.

Amy's small gift evokes happy memories of a time when my life was different and of friends who have gone on. And I suppose that it is not a coincidence that this year's theme for our Education for Ministry spiritual autobiographies is "Pictures."

Peace,
Jeffri

Finally, It's Done!

My friend Rob was ordained to the priesthood on December 16, 2006. It has taken me nearly two years, but I finally finished his ordination gift. I just don't watch as much television as I used to.

The entire stole is done in double crochet stitch, with a single crochet edging:

Here are close ups of the individual panels.

The center panel with Rob's initials and ordination date:

Cross Botonnee:

Jerusalem Cross:

Celtic Cross:

Crosslet:

Calvary Cross:

St. Andrew's Cross:

Roman Cross:

Peace,
Jeffri

It IS Important Work

Recently I was involved in a small group discussion that, in part, involved the church--specifically, the Episcopal Church. One of the members of the group said that she felt we--the church--needed to get past the unimportant arguing and get on with the important work of feeding the hungry, etc.

This was not the first time I have heard this sentiment expressed, nor will it be the last. But this time I stopped the discussion. I said to the member who made the comment, and the whole group: Until my sisters and brothers are no longer being beaten, imprisoned, and killed, many in the same places where there are issues of hunger, health care, and poverty, the work of justice for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people IS IMPORTANT WORK. As important as feeding the hungry, providing health care for everyone, and eradicating poverty.

The person who made the comment apologized immediately. In no way was their comment meant to imply that those things weren't happening and should be eradicated. It was simply that they felt the issues around sexuality were a not issue for them and most of their circles. They had moved on, and the church needed to move on, too.

The church, and society, do need to move on, but until they do, justice for those who are persecuted because of their sexuality is an issue we need to work on, do education about, and much more. I will no longer let comments about "doing the important work of the church" pass. Justice for my lbgtq sisters and brothers IS important work of the church.

Peace,
Jeffri

Apathy

I haven't paid too much attention to the presidential election of late. I watched a couple of the early debates and basically saw "politics as usual" being played out. The one Democratic candidate I felt most strongly about, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, didn't have a snowball's chance in hell, and he was indeed knocked out early in the primaries. The remainder of the Democratic primary turned into a prolonged slug fest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The Republican primary was an interesting dance amongst the religious candidates and "war hero" John McCain.

For the remainder of the primaries what little news allowed through my filters was heard while reading, watching, or listening to media regarding news about other issues. The only information of passing interest was that the Democratic party would be making history no matter which front runner won. We would have the nation's first person of color or first woman as the presidential candidate for a major party. Other than that, I did not, and still do not, hold out much hope that things will change very much no matter who occupies the White House for the next four years.

Last night, mostly out of curiosity, I turned on the television to watch Obama's acceptance speech. At first I was surprisingly impressed. Then I realized that his speech was nothing more than a series of sound bytes strung together for maximum effect.

Blah blah blah, we need change. Yada yada yada, we don't need four more years of Bush/McCain. Blah blah blah, the economy is a big issue. Yada yada yada, Roosevelt and Kennedy. Blah blah blah, I have a dream.

I expect we'll hear much the same, cast in Republican terms, from McCain in a few days.

For the first time in my life, I am seriously tempted not to vote for President.

Peace,
Jeffri

Three Boxes

I took the blue box in to the office yesterday and gave it to Ruth-Ann. She was truly surprised and delighted. She didn't realize at first that it had started out as a plain wooden box, and I'd done all the painting and decorating.

Here's the box I did for myself, using the same style box as the one I did for Ruth-Ann. The sides are dark green. The image is of Saints Sergius and Bacchus.


This dark green index card sized box (the same color green I used on the box above) is the one I was having trouble with. For some reason the first coat of varnish slightly smeared the stamped decorations. After living with it for a couple of days, I decided that it has a certain charm as it is and applied the second coat of varnish. The decorative stamp you see here appears on three sides and the top.


Here is the front with the different decorative element. The stamp I used on the other sides did not fit in the available space.


Here you can see the top and front.

Inside are stamped Tarot images. The box was made to hold a couple of tarot decks, or a deck and a spread cloth. Depending on the size of the deck, you might also be able to fit a tea light holder as well.

And the last box I made for another friend. She has a small boutique that she calls InnerFairy. Hence the fairies on the lid.

This picture shows the lid partially open--it slides.

Here you can see the inside of the box. The decorative paper is actually cut from one of the InnerFairy shopping bags.

I've enjoyed making these. There may be more in the future. In fact, I'm pretty sure there will be more.

Peace,
Jeffri

Two Boxes

The first two boxes are done. I wish now that I'd taken pictures of them before I started. The first one is a square box that I painted dark blue. I think the paint color is Night Sky. The picture on the cover is a print of Rublev's Trinity icon. Rachel suggested adding the larger square of paper, and it really highlights the print.



The second box is a gift for Ruth-Ann, so she has a crush-proof box to pack her sacred space items when she facilitates meetings. She has an affinity for Mary, so I went through a lot of images before finally coming back to Our Lady of Guadeloupe. This particular image of Mary is symbolic of the work Ruth-Ann and I have done with Province IX of the Episcopal Church.




I also picked out some new items for her. I bought the hand-woven white cloth at a craft fair a few years ago because I liked it. It sat in a drawer ever since waiting to be used. I thought of it while working on this box and pulled it out to give to Ruth-Ann. The three small cards are different images of Mary, and the tea light holder will hold a votive size candle too. And since we can't always light a real candle in some of our meeting rooms, I also bought a battery powered flickering tea light.

The next two boxes are almost done. I have one last coat of varnish to paint on both of them and hinges to re-attach to one. I should have pictures of them in the next couple of days.

I'm having trouble with the last box. The varnish is smearing the decorative elements, and I have to redo at least two sides.

Sometimes it's just nice to work with your hands.

Peace,
Jeffri

Something To Ponder

I'm still working my way through Sandy Sasso's God's Echo. It's a short book, but lately I've been spending my train rides doing Sudoku puzzles. However, this evening during the commute home I got tired of the numbers and pulled the little book from my briefcase to read. On page 113, Sandy writes

Prayer has its place, but it is not a substitute for courage and responsible action.

In other words, eventually you have to get off your duff and actually do something. God isn't going to do it alone.

I haven't been writing much over the past week. I've been working with my hands to transform some plain wooden boxes. I am taking an idea I had and wrote about, and I am creating it into reality.

Creating it into reality.

Definitely something to ponder as I look at the future.

Peace,
Jeffri

Scripture Is A Living Story

This afternoon when I opened an email from Missy to the NAECED (National Association for Episcopal Christian Education Directors) listserv I noted her email signature:

"A literalist interpretation of Scripture tells us that God is a rock that sent a bird to cause a virgin to give birth to a loaf of bread. And this is supposed to be an improvement on obtaining a chiseled code of conduct from a flaming shrubbery in a cloud. If a literal understanding is all that is required for faith, then I'm a yellow ducky." --Rabbi Ben Silva

I don't know how long she's been using that quote in her sig file, but I think it popped out at me today because my train reading for the past couple of days has been Sandy Eisenberg Sasso's God's Echo: Exploring Scripture with Midrash. Sr. Joan Chittester, a favorite writer of mine, wrote the afterword, but as I'm only halfway through the book, I haven't read it yet.

This is the second book on midrash I've read in the past year, and the first by Jewish author, as well as a rabbi (Sasso is co-rabbi with her husband at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis, as well as being a noted author). In the section titled "What Makes Us Angry: Eavesdropping on the First Argument," which explores the Cain and Abel story, this paragraph struck me:

These midrashim do more than illustrate the textual playfulness and imaginative creativity of the rabbis. They offer us insight into the world in which the rabbis lived and allow us a glimpse into the economic, religious, and sexual quarrels that plagued their times. In expanding the story of Cain and Abel, the rabbis not only fill in what is missing in the biblical text, they give the narrative new life and make it meaningful for another generation. They also invite us to read our own story into the ancient text. (pp. 69-70)

In other words, Scripture is a living document which gets reinterpreted in, by, and for every generation. Midrash is one way in which our stories become part of The Story (for more on this theme, see my Education for Ministry Sunday sermon) and vice versa. If Scripture is nothing more than a printed set of unchangeable rules, regulations, and behavioral codes, then it should have stopped at the Ten Commandments. Or been only the Ten Commandments. Jesus himself knew better.

As I read and listen to many conservatives who insist that the Bible is to be taken literally and as God's final word, I almost feel sorry for them. They are living the dead faith of a dead story.

Years ago during the pilot for the aborted diocesan "sexuality dialogue" I raised the question, "If our Scripture is a living document, why did it stop being written nearly 2,000 years ago?" Which, of course, brought cries of "heretic" from the representatives of the conservative parishes present. Now I know the answer to my own question. Scripture is still being written, and has been written down through the generations. It is our living story, and each of us who takes the time to wrestle with it contributes to it.

Peace,
Jeffri

The Scenario

At the March retreat of the new Evangelism and Congregational Life Center staff we did a series of scenario planning exercises. Contrary to the experience I had when I worked at Pitney Bowes, I felt it was a very positive experience. Four small groups came up with scenarios of what a thriving Episcopal Church would look like in 2018.

In April Suzanne asked each of us on the Evangelism and Congregational Life staff to write individual scenarios about how we were part of that thriving Episcopal Church in 2018. I've put mine below. I actually had fun doing it, and I folder full of pages of brainstorming exercises, which I will probably need to go back and look at as I further consider the Storefront Ministries.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

April 18, 2018

Harre Appointed To Oversee New Center

The Presiding Bishop’s office today announced the appointment of the Rev. Jeffri Harre as Lead Missioner for the newly formed Learning Ministries Center. Harre, who currently serves as the Program Officer for Congregational Life based in the Omaha, NE office of the Episcopal Church Center, will begin his new position on May 1. He is also Assistant Pastor of the Chicago Storefront Ministries Project.

Initially, the Learning Ministries Center will consist of two “offices,” Biblical Studies and Episcopal/Anglican Studies, and share the oversight of and work with two other offices. The Liturgy & Worship Studies and Resources office will be a cooperative effort with the Outreach Ministries Center and the Spirituality Ministries Center, and the Congregational Studies and Resources office with the Development Ministries Center.

During his tenure in the Congregational Life Office, Harre led the team that developed the successful Local Congregations Conferences series in response to declining interest and participation in national and regional conferences. The purpose of the conference series is to provide all the resources of a large conference without the investment of time and money that few church employees and volunteers can afford. By pooling resources with other denominations, teleconferencing nationally known speakers, and calling on and developing local experts for workshops, participants rarely have to drive more than two hours to participate. It also allows worship leaders to be in their own congregations for Sunday worship.

Harre also worked with the National Organization of Episcopal Resource Center (NOERC) to create the Episcopal Resource Network to facilitate development and distribution of resources for local congregations. Recognizing that even in this day of advanced technology, not all congregations have computer access, “distribution centers” have been set up in each Resource Center and in many Diocesan offices. Anyone may come to one of these centers to download and print out resources they need. For those who are not within a convenient distance, a growing “delivery network” gets the requested resources into their hands within three days. The Resource Network also assists congregations developing their own resources and serves as a way communicate with offices of the Episcopal Church Center regarding resource needs. In addition, the Network provides referrals to local experts who can consult with a congregations in a cost effective way.

Harre plans to take a leave of absence from the Chicago Storefront Ministries during the transition to his new position at the Episcopal Church Center.

More Thoughts

I was completely prepared to dislike--if not hate-- The Present Future simply because Suzanne gave it to me. Instead I am reading a lot of helpful things. Part of the book has helped me better understand Suzanne and where she is coming from. I still don't think she really gets it all, but at least I believe I'm getting clearer picture of how she's thinking. It is also the first place I've found that explained to me what post-modernism is and how it is affecting the institutional church--which also means the beginning of understanding about post-denominational. And finally, McNeal presents a lot of the same thinking and vision that Lois has been preaching and teaching at Grace Church.

Once again, I have been reminded that you can learn something even from those with whom you disagree about things. It's a lesson that needs to be repeated again and again. It's one the bishops of the Anglican Communion need a refresher on.

I still have about a quarter of the book to finish, but it already prompted some thoughts, questions, ideas, and prayer about the Storefront Ministries I wrote about briefly in the scenario I wrote for Suzanne a couple of months ago. As soon as I find it, I will post it here so that those of you who haven't seen it before can read it.

Peace,
Jeffri

Odds And Ends

If you haven't already seen it, I highly recommend Elizabeth Kaeton's The Philadelphia Eleven: A Herstory of Women and Ants.

Terry Martin, of Father Jake Stops the World fame, has a new blog: Father T. Listens to the World. Terry is the new Program Officer for Evangelism at the Episcopal Church Center, and thus a new colleague of mine, since he also reports to Suzanne. Fasten your seat belts!

We have a college student working with us as an intern this summer. While he is learning about the "institutional church," we are learning about all sorts of things. Today he introduced me to a new search engine. Check it out: http://www.cuil.com/.

You may have noticed a lack of anything Lambeth here. That's because I'm not really bothering much with it. Up until the last couple of days it has been pretty much of a "non-news" event, with a couple of notable exceptions. And the news starting to surface is more of the same Tempest in the Anglican Teapot. Wake me up when someone says something new and innovative.

Peace,
Jeffri

Some Thoughts About Church And Work

Lois' comment on yesterday's post, which I didn't see until this evening after dinner, is the perfect lead in to what I planned to write about.

Last week Suzanne (my boss) gave me yet another book to read. This one is The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church by Reggie McNeal (Jossey-Bass, 2003). McNeal was the Director of Leadership Development for the South Carolina Baptist Convention when he wrote the book. He currently serves as the Missional Leadership Specialist for Leadership Network of Dallas, TX. I have to wonder why most of the books she gives me to read are by Baptists.

A lot of what McNeal writes about is not new to me, or to many of you. Here are a couple of the many points he makes:

• The current church culture in North America is on life support. It is living off the work, money, and energy of previous generations from a previous world order. (p. 1)
• Many church leaders confuse the downward statistics on church participation with a loss of spiritual interest in Americans. (p. 11)
• The Pharisees' evangelism strategy sounds eerily familiar. Their approach to sharing God was, "Come and get it!" (p. 28)
• The mental model that many church members have for doing evangelism is for them to act like telemarketers. (p. 36)
• since the church is absent from the streets, people are turning to all kinds of false answers to their spiritual quest. Church members then have the gall to sit inside the church and pass judgment on people for their errant beliefs! (p. 41)

I'm about a third of the way through the book, and I like many of his questions and some of his ideas. It will be interesting to see what his answers are. In the meantime, I have a few questions of my own.

• If we are in a post-modern and post-denominational world, then why do we need anything like the Episcopal Church Center?
• Do we even need an Episcopal Church? A Presbyterian Church? A Roman Catholic Church?
• If we don't need denominations, do we need clergy?
• How do we recognize, acknowledge, and pass on transformation?
• What role does ritual play in a post-modern, post-denominational church?

These are the kinds of questions we need to be engaging each other with. These are the questions I would love to engage in with Suzanne. Unfortunately, I strongly suspect she would see them as questioning her authority rather than an attempt to engage and learn.

That's one of the reasons I value this tiny community of readers of my blog, we can engage in the questions of our world.

Peace,
Jeffri

Some Thoughts About Work

The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until it was all leavened. (Matthew 11:33)

Yesterday during Lois' sermon, I had a realization about working at the Church Center in this time of transition. The upper levels of management seem to think that the staff ought to be the flour being leavened by the church, instead of the other way around. That's an awful lot of leaven for a staff of approximately 200.

The new watch words seem to be "listen and learn best practices." I think this phrase is, or will be, in most job descriptions of the Evangelism & Congregational Life Center by the time we finish the writing process. Those of us who were serious about our work for the church have always been listening and learning so that we can share new resources, ideas, etc. with our networks and the larger church. The assumption, however, is that we have not.

The assumption is that the Church Center staff has not been doing its job, and that we have imposed on the church things they do not want or need. During the "research phase" leading up to the recent reorganization, the management listened to the complaints without listening to the compliments. They probably heard both, but only really listened to the complaints. I feel as if those of us on staff at the Episcopal Church Center are tref, unclean, defiled, and in danger of making the church unclean. It is not a comfortable feeling.

Those of us doing the Formation/Christian Education work in the Evangelism & Congregational Life Center--let me make this an "I statement"--I feel that the I as a staff person responsible for formation and education am being called upon to focus so much on evangelism that the formation piece is in danger of disappearing. It is because the Episcopal Church as a whole has not done a very good job of teaching newcomers--especially those from other denominations--what it means to be Episcopalian that we have this current tempest in a teapot in the Anglican Communion. Somebody has to be responsible for the teaching once the evangelising is done. That isn't to say that I shouldn't be reaching out to those outside the institutional church. But at what point do we say, "We ARE Episcopalians!"?

And where is the line which has to be drawn to preserve my integrity?

Peace,
Jeffri

Such A Drama Queen

According to The New Vision, "Uganda's Leading Website," Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi says he's afraid that "he fears for his life because of the campaign he has waged against homosexuals." You can read the full story here.

I have only one thing to say:



I love the title Lisa gave her post about the story: "Holy Homocidal Homosexuals." And Mark Harris had a similar reaction to mine, though I didn't read his "Threatened Prelate or Drama Queen" until after I'd started putting this together. James at The Three Legged Stool has a slightly different take.

Peace,
Jeffri

An Overview Of The Lambeth Conference

Over the next seven days the bishops of the Anglican Communion--most of them, anyway--will descend upon the University of Kent for the 2008 Lambeth Conference, which begins on July 16. The Design Group has been working very hard to develop the Programme, and I'm sure the Archbishop of Canterbury pictures it running something like this:


("Ascot Gavotte" from My Fair Lady. Watch the choreography, it's different.)

Of course, the media won't be far behind the bishops, so expect three weeks worth of these:


("The Rumor" from Fiddler on the Roof)

What a lot of people think the Lambeth Conference is:


("The Mad Tea Party" from Alice in Wonderland)

What the Archbishop actually has on his hands:


("Theme" from Mission Impossible)

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: The End

Reading Plan Text for July 8: John 21:20-25

And so we come to the end of the Gospel, and to the end of this Bible Study with the bishops leading up to the Lambeth Conference. At times writing these short reflections has been tedious. At others they just seemed to flow onto the screen. As I look back at them, some seem to lack depth. Yet all of them, in one way or another, fulfilled the purpose with which I started way back in February. They were meant to spark further reflection. Some of you did reflect and leave comments from time to time. And sometimes rereading one would spark further reflection for me.

Moving forward there seems to be little more for us to do than the title of Burridge's last commentary and the subtitle of its final section: "Follow Me" "Bearing witness." Such a simple thing. One that will take the rest of our lives.

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: Feed My Sheep

Reading Plan Text for July 7: John 21:15-19

Peter's roller coaster ride continues. After the Disciples' earlier encounters with the risen Jesus, Peter needs something familiar and comforting--fishing. His joy and excitement at seeing Jesus once more is evident by the way he jumps into the water and swims ashore ahead of the others in the boat. Yet after breakfast, things take a serious turn.

Jesus takes Peter aside and asks, "Do you love me more than these?" This cannot be an easy question for Peter to hear, especially after his denial of Jesus just a few days ago. In fact, Jesus asks this question three times, just as Peter denied him three times. It is obvious that these questions are more for Peter's sake than for Jesus'. Peter needs to know that following Jesus from now on will only get more difficult and more dangerous. In fact, it will be the cause of Peter's death in Rome.

But it is Jesus' responses to Peter's answers that stand out for me.

Feed my lambs. (21:15)
Tend my sheep. (21:16)
Feed my sheep. (21:17)

Today these three short commands to Peter make me wonder if I'm doing enough. What else should I be doing? Will I ever feel like I'm doing enough? Or will there always be that "one more thing" I feel like I ought to be doing?

The only answers I'm likely to find can only come through prayer and continued action.

Peace,
Jeffri

Independence Day Commemmoration

Back in May Elizabeth Kaeton wrote this post on her blog Telling Secrets. It began

This has been sticking in my craw for some time. And, some of you know how I get when something sticks in my craw.

I was not happy with the Memorial Day Celebration. Oh, I threw in some Patriotic hymns and prayers for our nation and one for 'heroic service', but they rang shallow for me, given all that is going on in the world - and in our country - right now.

So, I spent part of my holiday weekend making sure that the next Patriotic Holiday - July 4th - provides us some lessons in history.

Yes, I could preach on it, but I don't think I could be more eloquent than some of language of our historical documents.

So, inspired by one of my brothers, Ernest Cockrill, from El Camino Real, I decided to develop a sort of "Lessons and Hymns" with Eucharist for July 4th.

On the surface, it looks like a long service, but I wish to point out two things: (1) Most of the hymns are 1 - 3 verses long (or, short, actually, for an Episcopal service) and (2) there is no sermon, per se ;~)

All of the prayers come from the Book of Common Prayer. All of the historical quotes are, as near as I can figure, accurate.

So, tell me what you think. I trust your honesty.

PS - Please feel free to "steal, "borrow" or adapt this for your congregation, as you deem appropriate. Appropriate attribution will be deeply appreciated.

And that's exactly what Lois did, with a few changes inspired by conversations on the House of Bishops and Deputies listserv. You can see the service we did at Grace Church this morning on our Sermons blog.

This service is a mini history lesson for all of us. How many of us have actually read any of the Mayflower Compact? Abagail Adams' letter, or Sojourner Truth's speech, both of which brought some laughter to the congregation, are also little known. Enmegahbowh? Even if we were to believe the melting pot myth, our history consists of the stories of so many more people than a bunch of white men sitting in Philadelphia or Washington, DC.

And the music... Even when we disagree with what our government is doing, or the direction the nation seems to be taking, there is something about "The Star Spangled Banner" that brings a lump to our throats (even if the tune is an old drinking song!). And I can't hear "We Gather Together" without thinking about our Thanksgiving assemblies at my first grade school (before separation of church and state became such a hard and fast line).

This was the most meaningful church celebration of Independence Day I have ever experienced. Thank you Elizabeth, Lois, and everyone who contributed.

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: What If?

Reading Plan Text for July 4: John 21:8-14

A priest of my acquaintance once pondered what the church, let alone our Sunday worship, would look like if the early church had taken as its model this breakfast by the sea rather than the Last Supper. This may not be as far fetched as it might first appear. After all, the Feeding of the 5,000, or the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, is one the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. Burridge notes

All the resurrection appearances suggest that Jesus was recognizable, eventually, yet somehow different. His old ways and habits are still there--yet transformed. So Jesus answers their questions with a familiar action: 'he took bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish' (21:13). these words recall how he fed five thousand by this same lake (6:11). We saw then that 'taking' and 'giving' are eucharistic and the reflection of the communion is below the surface her. Pictures in the catacombs and early churches use images of fish and bread for the communion as often as the cup of wine. (p. 239)

This photo by Patty Brdar shows the mosaic on the floor of an early church built on the supposed site of the miracle.


This painting, commonly called the "Eucharist fish," is in the Lucina crypt in the Catacomb of Callixtus, Rome.

My first reaction to this notion was "Sushi for communion? EEEWWWW!" Of course, the priest was not talking about the menu of the meal, but the concept. And the theological implications.

What if?

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study with the Bishops: One Last Visit

Reading Plan Text for July 3: John 21:1-7

The final chapter of John's Gospel appears to be a later addition, especially since the last two verses of Chapter 20 appear to be a logical conclusion. The footnote in my NRSV points out differences in language and style. It also tells us that the appearances in John 20 all take place near Jerusalem, as they do in Luke 24, while the appearance chapter 21 takes place in Galilee, mirroring Matthew 28 and Mark 16. Burridge adds

Also, it is difficult to fit the story into the sequence of chapter 2o and the early church in Jerusalem. On the other hand, the story recalls many key themes from the gospel and no manuscript is without it. It deals with some 'loose ends' from the gospel, especially about Peter and the beloved disciple and their relationship. So it may be better to see it as an epilogue, balancing the prologue at the start. (p. 236)

As the chapter opens, we have some familiar faces: Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, and Nathanael--remember Nathanael? Then we have two new faces, the sons of Zebedee. They are not given their names, James and John, and this is the first and only time we see them in John's Gospel. There are also two unnamed disciples with them. Later we learn that the Beloved Disciple one of those present on the boat.

Tradition, as both the NRSV footnotes and Burridge tell us, identifies the Beloved Disciple with John son of Zebedee. Maybe, maybe not. Throughout the Gospel, including this "appended" chapter, the Beloved Disciple is identified as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Nor does the writer name either of Zebedee's sons. In the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? Probably not. What matters is that the Disciples are seeing Jesus again.

During this last visit between Jesus and his Disciples we see familiar patterns. Jesus provides an abundance of food. The Beloved Disciple recognizes what's going on, if not fully understanding. And Peter acts the fool. He gets dressed and then jumps in the water to swim to shore? These familiar faces and their familiar actions are comforting right now. The future is still uncertain, and they know that Jesus will be gone very shortly.

How many of us cling to the familiar in the face of change? The time-worn actions are comforting, even as we realize that we must let them go. Yet change we must, or we stagnate and die--even if we go on living.

One last visit, and then we must go.

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: Thomas Returns

Reading Plan Text for July 2: John 20:24-31

Did you note the discrepancy in the first of yesterday's pictures? Like most, it shows the 11 remaining Disciples sitting at the table with Jesus. The second one more accurately depicts the story in John where only 10 of the original 12 were present.

Today, along comes Thomas. He missed the first reunion, and he refuses to believe unless he can see Jesus for himself. Jesus tells him

Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe. (20:27)

For this reason he has been called "Doubting Thomas" down through the centuries. In spite of the fact that nowhere in his Gospel does John call Thomas by that name. Every time Thomas appears, John adds "who was called the Twin." This is the man who according to tradition took Christianity to India. He is not someone either John, or the Jesus of his Gospel, holds in low esteem. Instead, this encounter sets up Jesus' concluding statement:

Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. (20:29)

Which would be everyone but the handful of men and women who saw the resurrected Jesus first hand.

Which would be us.

Peace,
Jeffri

From Conference To Movement To...?

The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON), which was held in Jerusalem from 22-29 June 2008, is a spiritual movement to preserve and promote the truth and power of the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ as we Anglicans have received it. The movement is global: it has mobilised Anglicans from around the world.

GAFCON is not just a moment in time, but a movement in the Spirit, and
we hereby:

• launch the GAFCON movement as a fellowship of confessing Anglicans
• publish the Jerusalem Declaration as the basis of the fellowship
• encourage GAFCON Primates to form a Council.

--From the Introduction of the GAFCON Final Statement

Unable to bring their parallel communion into being, the rejectionists and their allies have decided they are a "movement":

It is a confessing fellowship in that its members confess the faith of Christ crucified, stand firm for the gospel in the global and Anglican context, and affirm a contemporary rule, the Jerusalem Declaration, to guide the movement for the future.

Perhaps they will pull off a schism in the future, but they will not be members of the historic Anglican Communion. Instead they will be a new denomination, not unlike the Missouri Synod Lutherans. Jerusalem Declaration Anglicans perhaps?

In any case, their declaration has some problems. Take a look at the Anglican Scotist's commentary, which is amongst the better ones.

And is it just me, or does "Primates Council" come across like "Windsor Bishops"?

Peace,
Jeffri

Bible Study With The Bishops: Breath Of God

Reading Plan Text for July 1: John 20:19-23

This was one of the first Scripture passages I signed in ASL for a Pentecost service. It has become a sense memory. I cannot read or hear this passage without my hands coming together to sign the locked door.

So many times we see Jesus' appearance to his disciples depicted like this painting by Duccio di Buoninsegna. Neat. Orderly. With the air of a corporate retirement dinner. Where is the surprise? The excitement? The awe? Is this not Jesus returned from the dead? Where is the Spirit? Why is everyone sitting around like a lump of clay?

Compare this depiction by Hanna Cheriyan Varghese of Malaysia. Here we see Jesus breathing the Spirit on the disciples. There is life here. The breath of life breathed into Adam and into dry bones of the valley.

Breathe on me Breath of God.

Peace,
Jeffri