A Word from Jeanne Baxtresser

Jeanne Baxtresser, a professional flutist and teacher, has a Question of the Month page on her web site. This month the question she selected was

Can you say a few words about amateur flutists?

She begins her response by writing

With Gratitude and Praise for the Amateur Flutist!

It is worth reading the entire piece, but I was particularly struck by this paragraph

The most essential truth about the amateur, however, is that whatever the ability, they MUST feel that their pursuit of excellence is a worthy and a meaningful pursuit. They must know that this endeavor is important enough to be taken seriously by friends, family, and teachers. The support they receive from those around them is critical in validating their noble and beautiful avocation. In a way, this is simple human nature: the need to feel that we are growing, changing, and improving ourselves, and the knowledge that our efforts are appreciated by those who are closest to us.

I am blessed with family and friends who do give me that support and encouragement.

Thank you.

The Infamous Advent Calendar Sermon

Advent 3 - December 13, 2009
Year C Revised Common Lectionary
Zephaniah 3:14-20, Canticle 9, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18
Mid-December Check-In

Loving God, you call us to be your stories in the world. We come before you seeking to be touched by your story. Open our lips to share our stories with one another and to bring comfort, inspiration, joy and laughter to each other. Amen

Good Morning! Good Morning! It’s time for our mid-December check-in. Did you all bring personal organizers? Your Blackberries? Your iPhones? It never ceases to amaze me how quickly we can fill these things up. Here, let’s start with mine. I actually prefer to use a paper pocket calendar and some index cards—more flexible. All right, it’s a little small for you to see, so I’ve enlarged a portion of it so you can see it better.

Okay, we might as well start with today. I have two entries for today, the first is “Preach at Grace,” [Put up the Post-It that says “Preach at Grace.”] and the second is Bishop Smith at Grace. [Put up the Post-It that says “Bp. Smith at Grace.”] Somewhere between those two I’ like to get in 30 minutes to an hour of practice. Actually, I try to get that much flute practice in every day [Put up “Practice” Post-Its.] except Tuesdays. On Tuesday’s I mentor an Education for Ministry Seminar. [Two “EfM” Post-Its.] Then on the 23rd I travel to Pennsylvania to spend Christmas with my brother and his family [“Train to PA”], which means I have to pack [“Pack”]

You may note that some of these entries are marked with “VC.” Those are the days I’m on Vacation. But before I can do that, there are a few things to take care of at work. On Tuesdays we have a Formation Group check-in [“Formation Group Check-In”]. Then every other Tuesday afternoon, we have an Evangelism & Congregational Life staff meeting. [“ECL Staff Meeting”] This coming week our team leader will be in New York City, so we’ll be having a Budget meeting on Wednesday. [“Formation Budget Meeting”] And on Thursday we’ll be having lunch with the Province IX Provincial Youth Ministry Coordinator. [“Lunch w/ Prov. IX Rep] In terms of my own work, I need to finish the outline draft of a workshop a colleague and I are presenting in January [“Draft Workshop Outline”] and finish preparing the handouts for the Spiritual Autobiography workshop I’m presenting at the same conference. [“Handouts for Spiritual Autobiography”] And, of course, I have to make some changes to my office web pages. [“Update Web Pages”]

Which reminds me, I also have to update the parish web site. [Two “Update Parish Web Site” Post-Its]

One of the benefits of working for the Church Center is opportunities for daily prayer, both in the morning and at noontime. I generally try to take advantage of Morning Prayer, and next week I will also be officiating two days. [Four “Morning Prayer”] Are we done yet? Nope.

December 20th will be a busy day. In the morning we will gather in the gifts we purchased for the tags on the tree in the Narthex [“Gathering of Gifts”], and that afternoon I will be at a Holiday party with some friends from various faith traditions. [Celebration with Friends]. Somewhere in the middle of all of this I have to shop for the gift tag [“Shop for Gift Tag] and finish the rest of my Christmas shopping [“Finish Shopping”] And down in Pennsylvania, we’ll probably spend Christmas Eve morning running last minute errands. [“Errands”] Of course, once all the shopping is done, everything has to be wrapped! [“Wrap Presents”]

Finally, there will be Christmas Eve services with family [“Christmas Eve Service with Family”] and our traditional Christmas Eve activities, including watching A Muppet Christmas Carol.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired just looking at this. And I’m sure I’m still missing something. One of the things I often do with children at this time of year is to make Advent Calendars. Every day of Advent, you open a little door and there’s a message, a saying, or a small gift, depending on your calendar. Since this shows the last half of Advent from my calendar, let’s see what happens when we open this door. [Turn the page to reveal a new page with “Jesus is Coming!” written on it.]

Oh my stars! as one of my grandmother’s friends would say. Oh my stars, Jesus is coming and I haven’t cleaned the bathroom!

As if preparing for Jesus is some sort of one time task or event. As if Jesus really cares whether or not the bathroom is clean.

The Church has long called for Advent to be a time of preparation, a time to prepare for the coming of Jesus. It treats Advent as if it were a mini-Lent, a time of penitence and rededication to living a Christian life. A friend of mine calls this the invitation to “Don’t just do something, stand there!” But even the Church in its infinite wisdom—as if the Church has all the answers, but that’s a discussion for another time—even the Church gives us mixed messages about this season. All you have to do is look at today’s readings from the lectionary.

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion, shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. (Zephaniah)

And on that day you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And on that day you shall say, Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; (Canticle 9)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. (Philippians)

And then there’s John: “You brood of vipers!”

“What then should we do?” the people ask John the Baptist. Share what you have, don’t take more than is your due, don’t extort things from others… Of course, what John describes is not as extreme as what Jesus tells the rich young man, “sell everything you own, give the proceeds to the poor, and then come and follow me.”

But even following John’s guidance only seems to add to the frantic-ness of this time of year. Shopping for the gift tags. Taking the time to bring a little extra for the food pantry for holiday meals. Some of these things many of us do year-round, but now they become one more thing on the already full calendar.

So where in the midst of all of this do we find the time respond to that invitation? How do we “stand there” at a time of year when even finding the time to go to church can be difficult?

And once we’ve done all those things? Where’s Jesus?

Paul writes to the Philippians, “The Lord Is near.” And how do we find him? When even the Church has a myriad of things for us to do. Clean the dishes. Prepare the music. Green the church. Write the sermons. How do we find Jesus?

Don’t just do something, stand there!

Everyone has a different way of taking time out and relaxing. Finding Jesus involves doing just that. For some it may mean sitting quietly with a candle. For some reading the Bible or prayers written for the season. And quite frankly, even though the “liturgically correct” will have a hissy fit when I say this, you can even put on a CD of Christmas Carols and just sit and listen to them.

Don’t just do something, stand there!

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

The Infamous Advent Calendar Sermon

Third Sunday of Advent, December 13, 2009
Year C: Zephaniah 3:14-20, Canticle 9, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18
Grace Episcopal Church, Norwalk, CT

Mid-December Check-In

Loving God, you call us to be your stories in the world. We come before you seeking to be touched by your story. Open our lips to share our stories with one another and to bring comfort, inspiration, joy and laughter to each other. Amen

Good Morning! Good Morning! It’s time for our mid-December check-in. Did you all bring personal organizers? Your Blackberries? Your iPhones? It never ceases to amaze me how quickly we can fill these things up. Here, let’s start with mine. I actually prefer to use a paper pocket calendar and some index cards—more flexible. All right, it’s a little small for you to see, so I’ve enlarged a portion of it so you can see it better.

Okay, we might as well start with today. I have two entries for today, the first is “Preach at Grace,” [Put up the Post-It that says “Preach at Grace.”] and the second is Bishop Smith at Grace. [Put up the Post-It that says “Bp. Smith at Grace.”] Somewhere between those two I’ like to get in 30 minutes to an hour of practice. Actually, I try to get that much flute practice in every day [Put up “Practice” Post-Its.] except Tuesdays. On Tuesday’s I mentor an Education for Ministry Seminar. [Two “EfM” Post-Its.] Then on the 23rd I travel to Pennsylvania to spend Christmas with my brother and his family [“Train to PA”], which means I have to pack [“Pack”]

You may note that some of these entries are marked with “VC.” Those are the days I’m on Vacation. But before I can do that, there are a few things to take care of at work. On Tuesdays we have a Formation Group check-in [“Formation Group Check-In”]. Then every other Tuesday afternoon, we have an Evangelism & Congregational Life staff meeting. [“ECL Staff Meeting”] This coming week our team leader will be in New York City, so we’ll be having a Budget meeting on Wednesday. [“Formation Budget Meeting”] And on Thursday we’ll be having lunch with the Province IX Provincial Youth Ministry Coordinator. [“Lunch w/ Prov. IX Rep] In terms of my own work, I need to finish the outline draft of a workshop a colleague and I are presenting in January [“Draft Workshop Outline”] and finish preparing the handouts for the Spiritual Autobiography workshop I’m presenting at the same conference. [“Handouts for Spiritual Autobiography”] And, of course, I have to make some changes to my office web pages. [“Update Web Pages”]

Which reminds me, I also have to update the parish web site. [Two “Update Parish Web Site” Post-Its]

One of the benefits of working for the Church Center is opportunities for daily prayer, both in the morning and at noontime. I generally try to take advantage of Morning Prayer, and next week I will also be officiating two days. [Four “Morning Prayer”] Are we done yet? Nope.

December 20th will be a busy day. In the morning we will gather in the gifts we purchased for the tags on the tree in the Narthex [“Gathering of Gifts”], and that afternoon I will be at a Holiday party with some friends from various faith traditions. [Celebration with Friends]. Somewhere in the middle of all of this I have to shop for the gift tag [“Shop for Gift Tag] and finish the rest of my Christmas shopping [“Finish Shopping”] And down in Pennsylvania, we’ll probably spend Christmas Eve morning running last minute errands. [“Errands”] Of course, once all the shopping is done, everything has to be wrapped! [“Wrap Presents”]

Finally, there will be Christmas Eve services with family [“Christmas Eve Service with Family”] and our traditional Christmas Eve activities, including watching A Muppet Christmas Carol.

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired just looking at this. And I’m sure I’m still missing something. One of the things I often do with children at this time of year is to make Advent Calendars. Every day of Advent, you open a little door and there’s a message, a saying, or a small gift, depending on your calendar. Since this shows the last half of Advent from my calendar, let’s see what happens when we open this door. [Turn the page to reveal a new page with “Jesus is Coming!” written on it.]

Oh my stars! as one of my grandmother’s friends would say. Oh my stars, Jesus is coming and I haven’t cleaned the bathroom!

As if preparing for Jesus is some sort of one time task or event. As if Jesus really cares whether or not the bathroom is clean.

The Church has long called for Advent to be a time of preparation, a time to prepare for the coming of Jesus. It treats Advent as if it were a mini-Lent, a time of penitence and rededication to living a Christian life. A friend of mine calls this the invitation to “Don’t just do something, stand there!” But even the Church in its infinite wisdom—as if the Church has all the answers, but that’s a discussion for another time—even the Church gives us mixed messages about this season. All you have to do is look at today’s readings from the lectionary.

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion, shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. (Zephaniah)

And on that day you shall draw water with rejoicing from the springs of salvation. And on that day you shall say, Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his name; (Canticle 9)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. (Philippians)

And then there’s John: “You brood of vipers!”

“What then should we do?” the people ask John the Baptist. Share what you have, don’t take more than is your due, don’t extort things from others… Of course, what John describes is not as extreme as what Jesus tells the rich young man, “sell everything you own, give the proceeds to the poor, and then come and follow me.”

But even following John’s guidance only seems to add to the frantic-ness of this time of year. Shopping for the gift tags. Taking the time to bring a little extra for the food pantry for holiday meals. Some of these things many of us do year-round, but now they become one more thing on the already full calendar.

So where in the midst of all of this do we find the time respond to that invitation? How do we “stand there” at a time of year when even finding the time to go to church can be difficult?

And once we’ve done all those things? Where’s Jesus?

Paul writes to the Philippians, “The Lord Is near.” And how do we find him? When even the Church has a myriad of things for us to do. Clean the dishes. Prepare the music. Green the church. Write the sermons. How do we find Jesus?

Don’t just do something, stand there!

Everyone has a different way of taking time out and relaxing. Finding Jesus involves doing just that. For some it may mean sitting quietly with a candle. For some reading the Bible or prayers written for the season. And quite frankly, even though the “liturgically correct” will have a hissy fit when I say this, you can even put on a CD of Christmas Carols and just sit and listen to them.

Don’t just do something, stand there!

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

Music Library Musings

Given the number of years I've been playing the flute (33, or thereabouts), I don't have a very extensive music library. It takes up about two-thirds of a 24" file drawer. So when my friends asked me to update my Amazon.com wish list (it has a feature that allows you to add things from other sites) because of the significant birthday coming up next month, I thought to myself, "Hey, why not take the opportunity to add to the music library, too." But what to include?

I am my mother's son. When I want to learn about something, I head for the library, or, in this day and age, the Internet--often both. I started poking around the web to see what I could find in terms of recommended repertoire. I turned up several lists for college level flute majors that gave me a good start. I found recordings of some of suggested pieces online, listened to them, selected a couple for the wish list, and started a list for future reference.

Looking at the lists and reading the amount of music students are expected to work through in a year astounded me. There is no way I could get through that much music in the course of a year. There is no way I could get through it given my life now. I'm not even sure I could have done it while I was in college. But I wasn't a music major then, either.

I briefly considered majoring in music. My father flatly forbid it, using as leverage the portion of my tuition my parents paid. He wouldn't even let me entertain the idea of minoring in music. At 18, I wasn't about to defy him. Even I knew that I would not have made my living as a musician. Of course, I haven't made my living using the major I actually pursued either. I was the only French major and the only German major in my graduating class.

After that, I played, and continue to play, for my own enjoyment and the pleasure of making music. Occasionally I've had the opportunity to perform. I probably will again, which means I will work on improving my skills and look to expand my repertoire. And that brings me back to adding to my music library...

Fixation

Monday is the day I "turn the page" in the Taffanel-Gaubert 17 Big Daily Exercises and the Frederick the Great Daily Exercises. With the Taffanel-Gaubert I literally turn the page to work on the next two pages; in the Frederick the Great it's just moving on to the next short exercise. If I'm going to start working on a new piece of music, I usually start it on a Monday. Today I tried something different. I worked on the new exercise without the metronome for the most part.

And discovered something.

As I've written, I became frustrated while working on the Frederick the Great exercises, which are short--usually only two or three lines (at least the first ones). Today I figured I would work through #13 without the metronome a few times and then go back to starting with the metronome on a slow setting. I found that without the metronome I made fewer mistakes and bobbles.

Realization: I became so fixated on the metronome and the tempo that things like intonation and fingering flew right out the window.

It's very easy these days to get fixated on something. For many people it's work. I know that one well. That's double jeopardy for me, since I work for the denominational headquarters of my church. Picking up the flute regularly again has provided me with some balance and taught me about the importance of balancing things in my life.

It looks like I need to apply that lesson to my practice sessions as well!

If The Decorations Are Up

It must be Saint Nicholas Day!

This is my fifth Christmas season in this apartment. Hard to believe I've been here that long.

I've had the tinsel tree for four years. I moved it over this year, and I put out more of my St. Nicholas/Santa Claus collection--both around the tree and in the little room.
















And here's the mantle with the Nativity collection. If you want a closer look at the individual nativities, you can find pictures in this post from a couple of years ago.


The red stocking is half of a pair I made for Brian's and my first Christmas in our apartment, which means it's 24 years old. The green one is about 12 years old or so, when I made new stockings for Mom, Bill, and me. There are six more down in Pennsylvania. I made one for each of my brother's children when they were born. When the youngest received his, my brother asked me to make ones for him and his wife.

And here's a post by my friend Ann over at Episcopal Cafe: Guilty Advent Pleasures.

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

Peace,
Jeff