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Handed Down From the Past
September 21, 2023
My aunt Janet (my dad’s oldest sister) is the family historian; and thank God for her work. My great grandfather Darrow (the father of my dad’s mother) had a well-researched family tree which was verified by professional genealogists. On the Marshall side, my great grandfather contributed to the family history by penciling a family tree on the back of a department store shopping bag. Thankfully both histories were kept! Thanks to Janet’s work, I can tell my boys that we are related to an original British colonist; a couple who supported the Underground Railroad; the famous jurist, Clarence Darrow; and a paratrooper killed on D-Day.
She shared a story with me about Henrie Darrow, born 1575 in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, to a farming family. When he was 13 years old, Queen Elizabeth summoned all able-bodied men from 16 to 60 years old to fight the 150 ship Spanish Armada that planned to sail up the Thames River to conquer London. Henrie was too young to go, but his father did and was deployed to Tilbury, a port near London. Because of Sir Francis Drake, with his 34 ships, and a storm that sank 60 Spanish ships (which the Queen believed was God’s hand to keep England safe and independent), the armada limped back to Spain defeated and marked one of the most important turning points in English (and Protestant) history. This impacted Henrie. His father returned home with the life-changing experience of meeting men from all over the countryside. Perhaps as a result, Henrie’s grandson, Sgt. George Darrow (1639-1704) was deployed to the British colony in New London, CT. His grandson, Jedediah (1721-1826), at 55 years old, became a “turn coat” and fought in the Revolutionary War and received a pension for his service.
I’d like to think that Henrie was influenced by his father’s experience and that motivated the Darrow’s away from agriculture to a life of adventure which included sailing to the New World and eventually securing independence from the Crown; and it motivated a woman to keep running a saw mill against societal convention; and a family who ran a station on the Underground Railroad; and a lawyer whose work as defense counsel in many criminal trials earned him a place in American legal history; and circling back around, it motivated a 19-year old who gave his life in France to keep England free. And, let us not forget my grandmother Beulah Darrow-Marshall who gave birth to five amazing children – a physicist, a biology teacher turned entrepreneur, a registered nurse (and historian), a librarian, and an accountant who continue to make an impact in the lives of others. I have never thought to be thankful for the Spanish Armada that attempted to seize England, but, thanks to the family history handed down to me, I am.
The Bible is a collection of stories about success and failure and redemption. It was written down while the Israelites were in captivity after losing their land to the Assyrians and Babylonians. If not for that one moment in history, would we have the story of creation, of Exodus, and the psalms?
My aunt concluded her story with this question: do you need a large grave marker to be remembered? Do you have to be like Andrew Carnegie and underwrite free public libraries in every city to create a legacy? The simple answer is no. You have an opportunity to leave your mark by writing an obituary today. Writing your own guarantees that precise message you want to leave to future generations. Nowadays, electronic systems hold onto your obituary so that it will be available in the future. I’d love to have the obituary of Henrie and of his mother and father; but instead, my aunt took the painstaking job to recreate our family history.
Taking advice from my aunt, when you write your own story, make it a good human tale. Tell us who you love and what influenced the choices you made. Tell us about the most outrageous thing you ever encountered. I can guarantee you that in the distant future there will be a relative who will be fascinated with genealogy and will find and cherish your story.
- Rev. Dave
She shared a story with me about Henrie Darrow, born 1575 in Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, to a farming family. When he was 13 years old, Queen Elizabeth summoned all able-bodied men from 16 to 60 years old to fight the 150 ship Spanish Armada that planned to sail up the Thames River to conquer London. Henrie was too young to go, but his father did and was deployed to Tilbury, a port near London. Because of Sir Francis Drake, with his 34 ships, and a storm that sank 60 Spanish ships (which the Queen believed was God’s hand to keep England safe and independent), the armada limped back to Spain defeated and marked one of the most important turning points in English (and Protestant) history. This impacted Henrie. His father returned home with the life-changing experience of meeting men from all over the countryside. Perhaps as a result, Henrie’s grandson, Sgt. George Darrow (1639-1704) was deployed to the British colony in New London, CT. His grandson, Jedediah (1721-1826), at 55 years old, became a “turn coat” and fought in the Revolutionary War and received a pension for his service.
I’d like to think that Henrie was influenced by his father’s experience and that motivated the Darrow’s away from agriculture to a life of adventure which included sailing to the New World and eventually securing independence from the Crown; and it motivated a woman to keep running a saw mill against societal convention; and a family who ran a station on the Underground Railroad; and a lawyer whose work as defense counsel in many criminal trials earned him a place in American legal history; and circling back around, it motivated a 19-year old who gave his life in France to keep England free. And, let us not forget my grandmother Beulah Darrow-Marshall who gave birth to five amazing children – a physicist, a biology teacher turned entrepreneur, a registered nurse (and historian), a librarian, and an accountant who continue to make an impact in the lives of others. I have never thought to be thankful for the Spanish Armada that attempted to seize England, but, thanks to the family history handed down to me, I am.
The Bible is a collection of stories about success and failure and redemption. It was written down while the Israelites were in captivity after losing their land to the Assyrians and Babylonians. If not for that one moment in history, would we have the story of creation, of Exodus, and the psalms?
My aunt concluded her story with this question: do you need a large grave marker to be remembered? Do you have to be like Andrew Carnegie and underwrite free public libraries in every city to create a legacy? The simple answer is no. You have an opportunity to leave your mark by writing an obituary today. Writing your own guarantees that precise message you want to leave to future generations. Nowadays, electronic systems hold onto your obituary so that it will be available in the future. I’d love to have the obituary of Henrie and of his mother and father; but instead, my aunt took the painstaking job to recreate our family history.
Taking advice from my aunt, when you write your own story, make it a good human tale. Tell us who you love and what influenced the choices you made. Tell us about the most outrageous thing you ever encountered. I can guarantee you that in the distant future there will be a relative who will be fascinated with genealogy and will find and cherish your story.
- Rev. Dave
Two or Three
September 14, 2023
This past Sunday, the Gospel lesson included this well-known phrase from Jesus: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” After the service, I was asked if Jesus is present with just one person. In particular, at night, alone, with the lights off; and in prayer; is Jesus there with me? Yes, I believe that Jesus is always with us. But, Scripture says clearly, “two or three”; so why do I believe Jesus is with me when I am alone?
I decided to take a deep dive into this Gospel passage which means this: I read it in Greek (the original language); consult the Metzger text which compares each manuscript fragment; read the version that highlights Jewish wisdom within each passage; and finally, read reliable commentaries on the passage. Thankfully, this passage is a fourteen-word sentence so it didn’t take me long. Here is what I discovered.
First, the Greek. This passage received a high Metzger grade which means all the manuscripts match. Secondly, Jewish spirituality of the 1st century says these two things: a) if a believer shames another believer the one who did the shaming is excluded from the Kingdom-to-come; and b) when two people study Torah together, the Divine is with them. In other words, Jesus is drawing a contrast and offering a choice – shaming blocks the Divine, studying together brings the Divine; which do you want to do? Lastly, throughout Christian history, this passage has been interpreted to bring encouragement for Christian unity in prayer and in action. However, none of this underscores my belief that Jesus is with us when we pray alone.
The Rev. Malcom Boyd (1923-2015) is an Episcopal priest, author, and was active in the Freedom Riders in 1961. I was given one of his books when I was discerning a call to the priesthood. It is quite influential on me and informs my personal spirituality. The book, Are You Running with Me Jesus?, is a collection of his prayers. Here is one.
It’s morning, Jesus.
It’s morning, and here’s that light and sound all over again. I’ve got to move fast... get into the bathroom, wash up, grab a bite to eat and run some more.
I just don’t feel like it, Lord. What I really want to do is get back into bed, pull up the covers, and sleep. All I seem to want today is the big sleep, and here I’ve got to run all over again.
Where am I running?
You know these things I can’t understand. It’s not that I need to have you tell me. What counts most is just that somebody knows, and it’s you. That helps a lot.
So I’ll follow along okay? But lead, Lord. Now I’ve got to run.
Are you running with me, Jesus?
This Jesus – the one who asks the question, “Where are you running?” – is the one who knows us inside and out, fast and slow, asleep and running. It tells me that Jesus is always, always with us. I think when Jesus said, “When two or three are gathered…” it was not to the exclusion of the presence of Christ when we are alone. In fact, I think with Jesus that is a given. What he said was when two or three are gathered, he will also be with us. Even when two or three (or more) are gathered and it doesn’t feel like he is present, we have the promise that he was, and is, and he will be with us.
- Rev. Dave
I decided to take a deep dive into this Gospel passage which means this: I read it in Greek (the original language); consult the Metzger text which compares each manuscript fragment; read the version that highlights Jewish wisdom within each passage; and finally, read reliable commentaries on the passage. Thankfully, this passage is a fourteen-word sentence so it didn’t take me long. Here is what I discovered.
First, the Greek. This passage received a high Metzger grade which means all the manuscripts match. Secondly, Jewish spirituality of the 1st century says these two things: a) if a believer shames another believer the one who did the shaming is excluded from the Kingdom-to-come; and b) when two people study Torah together, the Divine is with them. In other words, Jesus is drawing a contrast and offering a choice – shaming blocks the Divine, studying together brings the Divine; which do you want to do? Lastly, throughout Christian history, this passage has been interpreted to bring encouragement for Christian unity in prayer and in action. However, none of this underscores my belief that Jesus is with us when we pray alone.
The Rev. Malcom Boyd (1923-2015) is an Episcopal priest, author, and was active in the Freedom Riders in 1961. I was given one of his books when I was discerning a call to the priesthood. It is quite influential on me and informs my personal spirituality. The book, Are You Running with Me Jesus?, is a collection of his prayers. Here is one.
It’s morning, Jesus.
It’s morning, and here’s that light and sound all over again. I’ve got to move fast... get into the bathroom, wash up, grab a bite to eat and run some more.
I just don’t feel like it, Lord. What I really want to do is get back into bed, pull up the covers, and sleep. All I seem to want today is the big sleep, and here I’ve got to run all over again.
Where am I running?
You know these things I can’t understand. It’s not that I need to have you tell me. What counts most is just that somebody knows, and it’s you. That helps a lot.
So I’ll follow along okay? But lead, Lord. Now I’ve got to run.
Are you running with me, Jesus?
This Jesus – the one who asks the question, “Where are you running?” – is the one who knows us inside and out, fast and slow, asleep and running. It tells me that Jesus is always, always with us. I think when Jesus said, “When two or three are gathered…” it was not to the exclusion of the presence of Christ when we are alone. In fact, I think with Jesus that is a given. What he said was when two or three are gathered, he will also be with us. Even when two or three (or more) are gathered and it doesn’t feel like he is present, we have the promise that he was, and is, and he will be with us.
- Rev. Dave
Lead Like Moses
September 7, 2023
On each Sunday through October, we will read about Moses. He truly was an outlier. What he was asked to do, and then did, had never happened before. Moses rallied and led a very large group of oppressed and enslaved people and brought them to the promised land. Along the way, Moses brought us the Ten Commandments. The world has never been the same because of his leadership and faith. Over the centuries (millennia) that have followed, leaders of diverse backgrounds follow Moses’ lead in setting people free.
Nevertheless, this time around, reading through the Book of Exodus, I get a sense that Moses was figuring it out as he went along. This is not to say that God didn’t have a plan and that Moses was God’s chief communicator and leader – because I believe all of that to be true. But now, when I read Exodus, I hear Jesus’ words about finding God’s Kingdom – that we must seek, ask, and knock; once we do that, we will find. Reading about Moses again I see that his willingness to seek, to ask, to knock is what led his people to the Kingdom.
Christi and I adopted our two daughters and, more or less, made things up as we went along. We had never done that before so we had to figure it out with God’s help. As I recall, we read every book we could find about adopting older children. We did our seeking, our asking, and our knocking (we literally knocked on two doors of couples who had done something similar). But, there’s something about following God’s will that keeps us from seeing the whole length of the path.
Moses, it seems, is not alone in this pursuit of leading without fully seeing the path. Former Secretary of State (and Episcopalian) Madeleine Albright, wrote about her first tense encounter. In April, 1993, former President (and Episcopalian) George H.W. Bush traveled to Kuwait. 17 individuals linked directly to the regime in Iraq attempted to assassinate him with a car bomb. Albright was woken up with the news. She quickly assembled her team and asked, “What is the diplomatic procedure for confronting a country who attempted to assassinate a former president?” They quickly determined there is no diplomatic procedure. They had to make one up as they went.
Mike Tyson is quoted with saying this: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. He said this about an upcoming fight with Evander Holyfield who was a smart and strategic fighter. Although Tyson did punch Holyfield in the mouth, Holyfield won because he was able to maintain his path through the fight.
Moses, Madeline, Evander, and many other leaders, have experienced a punch in the mouth from life. Each leader had faith that saw them through even when the path seemed unclear (Evander has said, “Without Jesus, I wouldn’t be who I am” and that his grandmother and mother always reminded him that “You’ve got to ask Jesus to help you.” His faith helped him to forgive Tyson for biting his ear during the fight).
This past Labor Day, I found myself under the boat trailer repairing an axle. I had never done that before but I knew God would be with me. Christi and I have never had a rental property before but we are seeking, asking and knocking. Ethan is starting to envision his life post-college. All he has ever known is education so this is something new. The path may not be clear, but, like Moses, I know that he too will seek and ask and knock to find the path that God has for him.
As we spend the next several weeks reading about Moses, you might want to look at him in a new light – as someone who was metaphorically building a bridge as he walked on it. You might want to consider when you also have followed faith on a path that seemed unclear. And, if you are uncertain about the path you are on now, it helps to look at times in the past when God guided you through even the dimmest of paths.
Nevertheless, this time around, reading through the Book of Exodus, I get a sense that Moses was figuring it out as he went along. This is not to say that God didn’t have a plan and that Moses was God’s chief communicator and leader – because I believe all of that to be true. But now, when I read Exodus, I hear Jesus’ words about finding God’s Kingdom – that we must seek, ask, and knock; once we do that, we will find. Reading about Moses again I see that his willingness to seek, to ask, to knock is what led his people to the Kingdom.
Christi and I adopted our two daughters and, more or less, made things up as we went along. We had never done that before so we had to figure it out with God’s help. As I recall, we read every book we could find about adopting older children. We did our seeking, our asking, and our knocking (we literally knocked on two doors of couples who had done something similar). But, there’s something about following God’s will that keeps us from seeing the whole length of the path.
Moses, it seems, is not alone in this pursuit of leading without fully seeing the path. Former Secretary of State (and Episcopalian) Madeleine Albright, wrote about her first tense encounter. In April, 1993, former President (and Episcopalian) George H.W. Bush traveled to Kuwait. 17 individuals linked directly to the regime in Iraq attempted to assassinate him with a car bomb. Albright was woken up with the news. She quickly assembled her team and asked, “What is the diplomatic procedure for confronting a country who attempted to assassinate a former president?” They quickly determined there is no diplomatic procedure. They had to make one up as they went.
Mike Tyson is quoted with saying this: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. He said this about an upcoming fight with Evander Holyfield who was a smart and strategic fighter. Although Tyson did punch Holyfield in the mouth, Holyfield won because he was able to maintain his path through the fight.
Moses, Madeline, Evander, and many other leaders, have experienced a punch in the mouth from life. Each leader had faith that saw them through even when the path seemed unclear (Evander has said, “Without Jesus, I wouldn’t be who I am” and that his grandmother and mother always reminded him that “You’ve got to ask Jesus to help you.” His faith helped him to forgive Tyson for biting his ear during the fight).
This past Labor Day, I found myself under the boat trailer repairing an axle. I had never done that before but I knew God would be with me. Christi and I have never had a rental property before but we are seeking, asking and knocking. Ethan is starting to envision his life post-college. All he has ever known is education so this is something new. The path may not be clear, but, like Moses, I know that he too will seek and ask and knock to find the path that God has for him.
As we spend the next several weeks reading about Moses, you might want to look at him in a new light – as someone who was metaphorically building a bridge as he walked on it. You might want to consider when you also have followed faith on a path that seemed unclear. And, if you are uncertain about the path you are on now, it helps to look at times in the past when God guided you through even the dimmest of paths.
Welcome Home
August 31, 2023
Christi and I took a risk this past Monday. We purchased a condo – one that we can see retiring in one day. The risk is this: we can’t live in it for five years which means we will have to use it as a rental property until then. The condo, in Mt. Vernon (in Bradenton, south of the Ace Hardware on Cortez Ave) is a 55+ community which means Elijah has to be 18 years old for us to move in.
We can see ourselves retiring there because it has a magnificent western view of Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island, and the Longboat Pass bridge. We have already spent hours there enjoying the view. It is located in a 90-acre nature preserve. On Tuesday (before the storm), we watched a dolphin swim in circles and eat. We also saw a manatee feast on some sea grass. There is a small island we have named “Bird Island” because it is a favorite sleeping spot for all sorts of waterfowl including a species we have never seen before, the redbreast Frigatebird. There is a boat dock, walking trails, a kayak launch featuring some of the best water trails in the area, and everything else one can imagine for living well in a community. Did I mention the boat dock?
Back to the risk. I have around fourteen years left before the church pension is available. Christi and I seriously doubt we could afford this condo, or any condo in this area, in four years from now; much less fourteen. We have learned from you all about the importance of a good retirement, of planning for retirement, and especially finding a place that you like to live in that feels like home. We have found that place, thanks be to God. Incidentally, this is our seventh home we have purchased so we are rather familiar with the process and, thanks be to God, we have done well over the decades buying and selling at the right time. But, it is our first income property. Nevertheless, we love the location and (we think) prices are the lowest they are going to be. And we believe this area will continue to be in demand. That tells us that it is the right time to buy. So, we scraped together enough funds, and with prayer and hope, we made the purchase.
The other risk is that we closed on Monday. On Tuesday evening, a major hurricane was just off our coast. That took more prayer and hope. Thankfully the hurricane windows did not get tested and everything passed by. And thankfully, the second story unit is nestled on top of a twenty-foot hill, surrounded by mangroves, behind the protection of the barrier islands.
On Wednesday late afternoon, the Town of Longboat Key sent out an automated message. It said that the Longboat Pass Bridge is open and that residents and business owners can now enter. The message ended with this: Welcome home. Not only is it a pleasure to serve a church on a well-managed barrier island, it is reassuring and frankly calming to receive these frequent messages from the town. It gives me confidence and hope; enough so that we purchased a condo as near to Longboat as we could afford.
Also, yesterday afternoon, Christi and I went over to the condo to make sure it survived the storm. It did. And while she was using the binoculars to check on the birds I went on a walk around the point. Surrounded by pelicans, spoonbills, flamingos and a whole host of other birds I cannot yet name, I raised my hands in praise of God. I thanked God for protecting us, for guiding us, and for bringing us home.
Welcome home will be the theme we will lead with as we head into the fall and winter. We are a house of prayer for all people. For those who visit once a year, for those who participate virtually, and for those who stay for a lifetime, this is All Angels by the Sea. Welcome home.
- Rev. Dave
We can see ourselves retiring there because it has a magnificent western view of Sarasota Bay, Anna Maria Island, and the Longboat Pass bridge. We have already spent hours there enjoying the view. It is located in a 90-acre nature preserve. On Tuesday (before the storm), we watched a dolphin swim in circles and eat. We also saw a manatee feast on some sea grass. There is a small island we have named “Bird Island” because it is a favorite sleeping spot for all sorts of waterfowl including a species we have never seen before, the redbreast Frigatebird. There is a boat dock, walking trails, a kayak launch featuring some of the best water trails in the area, and everything else one can imagine for living well in a community. Did I mention the boat dock?
Back to the risk. I have around fourteen years left before the church pension is available. Christi and I seriously doubt we could afford this condo, or any condo in this area, in four years from now; much less fourteen. We have learned from you all about the importance of a good retirement, of planning for retirement, and especially finding a place that you like to live in that feels like home. We have found that place, thanks be to God. Incidentally, this is our seventh home we have purchased so we are rather familiar with the process and, thanks be to God, we have done well over the decades buying and selling at the right time. But, it is our first income property. Nevertheless, we love the location and (we think) prices are the lowest they are going to be. And we believe this area will continue to be in demand. That tells us that it is the right time to buy. So, we scraped together enough funds, and with prayer and hope, we made the purchase.
The other risk is that we closed on Monday. On Tuesday evening, a major hurricane was just off our coast. That took more prayer and hope. Thankfully the hurricane windows did not get tested and everything passed by. And thankfully, the second story unit is nestled on top of a twenty-foot hill, surrounded by mangroves, behind the protection of the barrier islands.
On Wednesday late afternoon, the Town of Longboat Key sent out an automated message. It said that the Longboat Pass Bridge is open and that residents and business owners can now enter. The message ended with this: Welcome home. Not only is it a pleasure to serve a church on a well-managed barrier island, it is reassuring and frankly calming to receive these frequent messages from the town. It gives me confidence and hope; enough so that we purchased a condo as near to Longboat as we could afford.
Also, yesterday afternoon, Christi and I went over to the condo to make sure it survived the storm. It did. And while she was using the binoculars to check on the birds I went on a walk around the point. Surrounded by pelicans, spoonbills, flamingos and a whole host of other birds I cannot yet name, I raised my hands in praise of God. I thanked God for protecting us, for guiding us, and for bringing us home.
Welcome home will be the theme we will lead with as we head into the fall and winter. We are a house of prayer for all people. For those who visit once a year, for those who participate virtually, and for those who stay for a lifetime, this is All Angels by the Sea. Welcome home.
- Rev. Dave
Remembering Joseph
August 24, 2023
The opening of the Book of Exodus, the second book of the Bible, begins like this:
A new king came in power in Egypt who did not know Joseph. If you recall Joseph, he’s the one who had a technicolor dream coat, was sold into slavery by his brothers, ended up in Egypt, did well for himself and became the second in command of the most powerful nation in the region, and then saved his brothers (yes, the ones who sold him into slavery). A new king arose who didn’t know Joseph, which, is to say, he did not know that Joseph saved all of Egypt from a 7-year famine and made it become the most prosperous nation in the region. Exodus explains that because the king didn’t know Joseph, the Hebrew people were enslaved.
I am fascinated by ancient Egypt; the pyramids, the temples, Tutankhamen, all the gold… it’s mesmerizing really. The language is beautiful and fascinating – the symbols, the painting, the ornateness of the stories they told. It’s wonderful. But, it’s not without politics, unfortunately. It seems that when a new king, or pharaoh, would arise, they would, from time to time, remove mention of their predecessor. To this day, there are missing pieces of history, gouged out paintings and disfigured pictographs of various pharaohs, and gaps in history. There are even missing wars – well, just the ones Egypt lost. We know this from the prevailing armies who gladly recorded their military victories over Egypt; yet, there is no corresponding mention of it in Mizraim (the Biblical name for Egypt).
For the next two months, our Old Testament lesson will be from the Book of Exodus. We will hear about Moses, the flight from Egypt, the Ten Commandments and everything else that happened along the way. Critics of religion, and the Bible specifically, often say that there is no account listed in the hieroglyphics about Moses, the Hebrew people, the drowning of the army in the Red Sea, and the mass exodus of them into the territory to the east. Since it is not recorded in their history, the critics say, it must be a myth. But, as shown in Egypt’s own history, they don’t like to remember the losses. So why in the world would they remember the largest servant class, which some say numbered almost as many as the Egyptians, that escaped from their highly regarded army. Another way to look at it is this: even the Bible said they don’t have a record of it because, as mentioned above, A new king came in power in Egypt who did not know Joseph.
There is something to be said about the connection between transition and history. Some institutions, organizations, businesses, hospitals and schools have done it well; others, to their detriment, have not. We have a new bishop in this diocese. I am not worried about being forgotten like Joseph. The reason why I am not afraid is because the Church remembers Jesus. More to the point, the Church also remembers those who followed him. Over the last tumultuous 19 centuries, through persecutions, wars, schisms, through diverse languages and cultures, the Church has made a good record of all of those who have followed and served in positions of power. The remembering of our history is so strong that I know the person who ordained me – the Rt. Rev. James Waggoner – is a part of an unbroken chain of bishops that goes all the way back to when Jesus laid his hands on Peter.
Bishops come and bishops go. We have a new one and I’m pretty excited about him. Perhaps the Church has learned a lesson from Egyptology – a new king arrived and he remembered Joseph.
- Rev. Dave
A new king came in power in Egypt who did not know Joseph. If you recall Joseph, he’s the one who had a technicolor dream coat, was sold into slavery by his brothers, ended up in Egypt, did well for himself and became the second in command of the most powerful nation in the region, and then saved his brothers (yes, the ones who sold him into slavery). A new king arose who didn’t know Joseph, which, is to say, he did not know that Joseph saved all of Egypt from a 7-year famine and made it become the most prosperous nation in the region. Exodus explains that because the king didn’t know Joseph, the Hebrew people were enslaved.
I am fascinated by ancient Egypt; the pyramids, the temples, Tutankhamen, all the gold… it’s mesmerizing really. The language is beautiful and fascinating – the symbols, the painting, the ornateness of the stories they told. It’s wonderful. But, it’s not without politics, unfortunately. It seems that when a new king, or pharaoh, would arise, they would, from time to time, remove mention of their predecessor. To this day, there are missing pieces of history, gouged out paintings and disfigured pictographs of various pharaohs, and gaps in history. There are even missing wars – well, just the ones Egypt lost. We know this from the prevailing armies who gladly recorded their military victories over Egypt; yet, there is no corresponding mention of it in Mizraim (the Biblical name for Egypt).
For the next two months, our Old Testament lesson will be from the Book of Exodus. We will hear about Moses, the flight from Egypt, the Ten Commandments and everything else that happened along the way. Critics of religion, and the Bible specifically, often say that there is no account listed in the hieroglyphics about Moses, the Hebrew people, the drowning of the army in the Red Sea, and the mass exodus of them into the territory to the east. Since it is not recorded in their history, the critics say, it must be a myth. But, as shown in Egypt’s own history, they don’t like to remember the losses. So why in the world would they remember the largest servant class, which some say numbered almost as many as the Egyptians, that escaped from their highly regarded army. Another way to look at it is this: even the Bible said they don’t have a record of it because, as mentioned above, A new king came in power in Egypt who did not know Joseph.
There is something to be said about the connection between transition and history. Some institutions, organizations, businesses, hospitals and schools have done it well; others, to their detriment, have not. We have a new bishop in this diocese. I am not worried about being forgotten like Joseph. The reason why I am not afraid is because the Church remembers Jesus. More to the point, the Church also remembers those who followed him. Over the last tumultuous 19 centuries, through persecutions, wars, schisms, through diverse languages and cultures, the Church has made a good record of all of those who have followed and served in positions of power. The remembering of our history is so strong that I know the person who ordained me – the Rt. Rev. James Waggoner – is a part of an unbroken chain of bishops that goes all the way back to when Jesus laid his hands on Peter.
Bishops come and bishops go. We have a new one and I’m pretty excited about him. Perhaps the Church has learned a lesson from Egyptology – a new king arrived and he remembered Joseph.
- Rev. Dave
The Wonder of Science and the Strength of Faith
August 17, 2023
Blaise Pascal’s birthday is on August 19th. He would have been 361 years old. Pascal is a noted French philosopher, scientist/inventor, mathematician and probability theorist. He is also a man of faith.
In his day, French scientists and philosophers were attempting to supplant religion with their version of better thinking. Pascal’s early writings reflect that culture. However, Blaise had two visions that changed his belief system and subsequently his life. Those experiences helped him create a bridge between science and faith. On that bridge, he created intellectual space for the wonderment of science and the challenge of philosophy while holding to the strength of faith.
He is most known for his theory on belief based on probability. He devised a mathematical formula for winning a lottery that is a metaphor for faith. It involves a revolving number of tickets, the value of each ticket, and the grand prize. In that formula, anyone who buys a ticket, say for ten dollars, is guaranteed to get ten dollars back. But, there is a chance that the ticket holder will win $1,000. He asks: who wouldn’t buy a ticket? He uses this formula as a metaphor for having faith in Christ and living the Christian virtues. He believed that if you live a life of faith, you will, at the minimum, get in return what you have given. For instance, if you give to charity and live in peace with yourself and your neighbors, you will have a good and peaceful life. If God is real, and what Christ said about eternal life is true, you will win the eternal life lottery. However, if God is not real, and there is no eternal life, at least you will get out of life what you paid into it. Here is a quote from one of his writings: Even if one assumes that God’s existence is unlikely, the potential benefits of believing are so vast as to make betting on theism rational.
Toward the end of his much-to-short life (he died at 39), he wrote the following:
True faith is inconceivable without virtue and the unending practice of charity.
Here is a quick refresher on the virtues of the 17th century: faith, charity, hope, justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance. According to Pascal, true faith is to live, as best as one can, the virtuous life. Referencing the list above, temperance is about living with moderation. Fortitude is to live courageously; which could be heroic action or, most often, having the courage to remain calm, not saying anything inflammatory; or, as my parents would say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all. Lastly, fortitude is to live with stick-to-it-iveness; like sticking to a good behavior when no one is looking, or when things look grim, or when society seems to be going in a different direction. He adds that charity, a virtue, is not so much a thought process but an unending practice.
In chapter two of the Letter of James in the New Testament, the author asserts: faith is not what one says; it is what one does. In other words, I can see someone’s faith by seeing their actions. Building on that assertion, Pascal believed that one’s faith will lead to actions that are in line with the seven virtues because faith and virtuous living are intertwined. He also believed that the strength to live in this world comes from one’s faith and one’s virtues; strength to live does not come from studying philosophy or science.
This week we celebrate Blaise Pascal’s life as remembered in his writings. The need to build bridges is still present; especially between science and faith. May we continue to strive for a just, kind, faithful, moderate, prudent, hopeful, and courageous society.
Here is a prayer attributed to Pascal. Let us pray:
Lord, let me honor you in all my ways, whether the task be large or small.
Let me remember that you are the one who gives me the strength to carry out the task
and may I never cease to give you glory because you are my strength and my all in all. Amen.
- Rev. Dave
In his day, French scientists and philosophers were attempting to supplant religion with their version of better thinking. Pascal’s early writings reflect that culture. However, Blaise had two visions that changed his belief system and subsequently his life. Those experiences helped him create a bridge between science and faith. On that bridge, he created intellectual space for the wonderment of science and the challenge of philosophy while holding to the strength of faith.
He is most known for his theory on belief based on probability. He devised a mathematical formula for winning a lottery that is a metaphor for faith. It involves a revolving number of tickets, the value of each ticket, and the grand prize. In that formula, anyone who buys a ticket, say for ten dollars, is guaranteed to get ten dollars back. But, there is a chance that the ticket holder will win $1,000. He asks: who wouldn’t buy a ticket? He uses this formula as a metaphor for having faith in Christ and living the Christian virtues. He believed that if you live a life of faith, you will, at the minimum, get in return what you have given. For instance, if you give to charity and live in peace with yourself and your neighbors, you will have a good and peaceful life. If God is real, and what Christ said about eternal life is true, you will win the eternal life lottery. However, if God is not real, and there is no eternal life, at least you will get out of life what you paid into it. Here is a quote from one of his writings: Even if one assumes that God’s existence is unlikely, the potential benefits of believing are so vast as to make betting on theism rational.
Toward the end of his much-to-short life (he died at 39), he wrote the following:
True faith is inconceivable without virtue and the unending practice of charity.
Here is a quick refresher on the virtues of the 17th century: faith, charity, hope, justice, prudence, fortitude and temperance. According to Pascal, true faith is to live, as best as one can, the virtuous life. Referencing the list above, temperance is about living with moderation. Fortitude is to live courageously; which could be heroic action or, most often, having the courage to remain calm, not saying anything inflammatory; or, as my parents would say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all. Lastly, fortitude is to live with stick-to-it-iveness; like sticking to a good behavior when no one is looking, or when things look grim, or when society seems to be going in a different direction. He adds that charity, a virtue, is not so much a thought process but an unending practice.
In chapter two of the Letter of James in the New Testament, the author asserts: faith is not what one says; it is what one does. In other words, I can see someone’s faith by seeing their actions. Building on that assertion, Pascal believed that one’s faith will lead to actions that are in line with the seven virtues because faith and virtuous living are intertwined. He also believed that the strength to live in this world comes from one’s faith and one’s virtues; strength to live does not come from studying philosophy or science.
This week we celebrate Blaise Pascal’s life as remembered in his writings. The need to build bridges is still present; especially between science and faith. May we continue to strive for a just, kind, faithful, moderate, prudent, hopeful, and courageous society.
Here is a prayer attributed to Pascal. Let us pray:
Lord, let me honor you in all my ways, whether the task be large or small.
Let me remember that you are the one who gives me the strength to carry out the task
and may I never cease to give you glory because you are my strength and my all in all. Amen.
- Rev. Dave
The Genesis of Faith
August 10, 2023
This past Sunday, a parishioner summed up our summer lectionary reading of the Old Testament with this question: What’s the deal with Genesis?! I had to smile and agree with her. It starts with God saying, “Let there be light” and it then seems to go downhill; in particular with family relationships.
This summer, I have been preaching on the Gospel. This is not to avoid the uncomfortable presentation of Abraham’s family but rather to highlight the Good News with Jesus’ parables and miracles. So, for this Reflection, let’s talk about Abraham’s family and see if there is any good news in it.
Here is a summary: In his retirement, Abraham was called by God to leave everything and go to the land promised to him and his descendants. The problem is he has no descendants; but, because of his faith, he and Sarah went anyway. Later on, God visited Abraham and Sarah in the form of three men. One of the men told them Sarah – who is well past the age of fertility – that she will be pregnant. She laughed; Abraham said nothing. As time went on, they got worried because she was not pregnant. She suggested he have a child with Hagar, her personal servant. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, Abraham’s first child. Later, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. Understandably, there was tension in the household between the two women.
The time came for Isaac to be married. He sent his personal servant to find him a wife. The servant found Rebekah and convinced her to travel with him – leaving her family and life behind (just like Abraham and Sarah). When Isaac and Rebekah met, it was love at first sight. They had twins, Esau born first with Jacob clinging to his heel. On his deathbed and nearly blind, Isaac was tricked by Jacob (who pretended to be Esau) and granted to him the first-born birth right. Jacob fled out of fear from Esau who was a powerful and skilled hunter with the bow. One night, in fear and dread, Jacob laid down on the hard earth, penniless and homeless, with a flat rock for a pillow. That night, God showed him the ladder, or stairway, to heaven. In the vision, God gave him the promise that he also gave to his grandfather Abraham: I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be many like the dust of the earth. Every family on earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants. I am with you now, I will protect you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land.
Jacob stayed with his uncle Laban. He worked for him for seven years just to marry his daughter Rachel. On the wedding night, Laban tricked Jacob and gave away Rachel’s older sister, Leah. In the morning Jacob realized he had been bamboozled. Furious, he met with Uncle Laban who said he can marry Rachel after working for another seven years. Jacob had thirteen children. The first four were with Leah, five and six were with Bilhah (Rachel’s personal servant), seven and eight were with Zilpah (Leah’s personal servant), nine and ten were with Leah, eleven, his only daughter, was also from Leah, twelve and thirteen were with Rachel who died while giving birth. Number 12 is Joseph who was favored by Jacob. He gave him what has been called an Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber). Understandably, there was tension in the household.
Joseph’s angry and jealous siblings sold him into slavery. He arrived in Egypt; does well for himself, but gets thrown into jail. He can interpret dreams. The emperor of Egypt – who was most likely the most powerful man on earth at that time – had a terrifying dream that no one could interpret. They dragged Joseph to him; he interpreted it correctly; and saved Egypt in the process. Joseph became the second in charge of the empire. A famine forced his brothers (the ones who sold him into slavery) to find grain in Egypt. Joseph recognizes them, tricks them (it’s now a family thing), scares them to their core, and then reveals who he is. He then forgives them and they forgive him. And that is how Genesis ends; with forgiveness and family reunion.
So, what is the deal with Genesis? I have read a good amount of Jewish theological literature, especially around Genesis, which I summarize with these two points: that’s the way it is and it is good news. The Old Testament, Genesis in particular, is written with warts and all. No one was trying to spin it a particular way, or make any of the central characters appear more holy than they really were. It is what it is – they are who they are. The theology of Genesis is good news: God is faithful even when his people are not. He promised Abraham land and descendants more than the stars at night. When he and Sarah got concerned (legitimately so) about not having children, they went their own path. God was faithful. When Jacob tricked Isaac, God was faithful. When Laban tricked Isaac (and vice-versa), God was faithful. God was faithful even to the siblings who sold Joseph into slavery! God is so faithful that on one of the most difficult nights of Jacob’s life, when, because of Jacob’s choices, he had only a rock to lay his head on, God showed him the ladder to heaven and reaffirmed the promise of land, descendants and protection. Jacob, who wrestled with God, would be the first to exclaim that God is faithful, even when we are not.
There is another aspect of faithfulness in Genesis: Abraham’s family comes to the awareness that they cannot live without God; time and again they turn to their faith. They tried many many many times to live their own way, on their own terms, in whatever way they wanted; but, each time God showed them undeserved faithfulness and they turned back toward God in faith. They discovered, and rediscovered, that they are not alone – God is always with them – and that they only live and move and have their being because of God.
What is the deal with Genesis, you might ask? The deal is this: God is faithful. Since God is faithful with Abraham, and his family, and all that they did to each other, imagine how God is going to be faithful with you. The Book of Genesis gives us faith that in the end, no matter what we have done, or how far away we have traveled, there will be forgiveness and reunion. That is good news indeed!
- Rev. Dave
This summer, I have been preaching on the Gospel. This is not to avoid the uncomfortable presentation of Abraham’s family but rather to highlight the Good News with Jesus’ parables and miracles. So, for this Reflection, let’s talk about Abraham’s family and see if there is any good news in it.
Here is a summary: In his retirement, Abraham was called by God to leave everything and go to the land promised to him and his descendants. The problem is he has no descendants; but, because of his faith, he and Sarah went anyway. Later on, God visited Abraham and Sarah in the form of three men. One of the men told them Sarah – who is well past the age of fertility – that she will be pregnant. She laughed; Abraham said nothing. As time went on, they got worried because she was not pregnant. She suggested he have a child with Hagar, her personal servant. Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, Abraham’s first child. Later, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to Isaac. Understandably, there was tension in the household between the two women.
The time came for Isaac to be married. He sent his personal servant to find him a wife. The servant found Rebekah and convinced her to travel with him – leaving her family and life behind (just like Abraham and Sarah). When Isaac and Rebekah met, it was love at first sight. They had twins, Esau born first with Jacob clinging to his heel. On his deathbed and nearly blind, Isaac was tricked by Jacob (who pretended to be Esau) and granted to him the first-born birth right. Jacob fled out of fear from Esau who was a powerful and skilled hunter with the bow. One night, in fear and dread, Jacob laid down on the hard earth, penniless and homeless, with a flat rock for a pillow. That night, God showed him the ladder, or stairway, to heaven. In the vision, God gave him the promise that he also gave to his grandfather Abraham: I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be many like the dust of the earth. Every family on earth will be blessed because of you and your descendants. I am with you now, I will protect you everywhere you go, and I will bring you back to this land.
Jacob stayed with his uncle Laban. He worked for him for seven years just to marry his daughter Rachel. On the wedding night, Laban tricked Jacob and gave away Rachel’s older sister, Leah. In the morning Jacob realized he had been bamboozled. Furious, he met with Uncle Laban who said he can marry Rachel after working for another seven years. Jacob had thirteen children. The first four were with Leah, five and six were with Bilhah (Rachel’s personal servant), seven and eight were with Zilpah (Leah’s personal servant), nine and ten were with Leah, eleven, his only daughter, was also from Leah, twelve and thirteen were with Rachel who died while giving birth. Number 12 is Joseph who was favored by Jacob. He gave him what has been called an Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber). Understandably, there was tension in the household.
Joseph’s angry and jealous siblings sold him into slavery. He arrived in Egypt; does well for himself, but gets thrown into jail. He can interpret dreams. The emperor of Egypt – who was most likely the most powerful man on earth at that time – had a terrifying dream that no one could interpret. They dragged Joseph to him; he interpreted it correctly; and saved Egypt in the process. Joseph became the second in charge of the empire. A famine forced his brothers (the ones who sold him into slavery) to find grain in Egypt. Joseph recognizes them, tricks them (it’s now a family thing), scares them to their core, and then reveals who he is. He then forgives them and they forgive him. And that is how Genesis ends; with forgiveness and family reunion.
So, what is the deal with Genesis? I have read a good amount of Jewish theological literature, especially around Genesis, which I summarize with these two points: that’s the way it is and it is good news. The Old Testament, Genesis in particular, is written with warts and all. No one was trying to spin it a particular way, or make any of the central characters appear more holy than they really were. It is what it is – they are who they are. The theology of Genesis is good news: God is faithful even when his people are not. He promised Abraham land and descendants more than the stars at night. When he and Sarah got concerned (legitimately so) about not having children, they went their own path. God was faithful. When Jacob tricked Isaac, God was faithful. When Laban tricked Isaac (and vice-versa), God was faithful. God was faithful even to the siblings who sold Joseph into slavery! God is so faithful that on one of the most difficult nights of Jacob’s life, when, because of Jacob’s choices, he had only a rock to lay his head on, God showed him the ladder to heaven and reaffirmed the promise of land, descendants and protection. Jacob, who wrestled with God, would be the first to exclaim that God is faithful, even when we are not.
There is another aspect of faithfulness in Genesis: Abraham’s family comes to the awareness that they cannot live without God; time and again they turn to their faith. They tried many many many times to live their own way, on their own terms, in whatever way they wanted; but, each time God showed them undeserved faithfulness and they turned back toward God in faith. They discovered, and rediscovered, that they are not alone – God is always with them – and that they only live and move and have their being because of God.
What is the deal with Genesis, you might ask? The deal is this: God is faithful. Since God is faithful with Abraham, and his family, and all that they did to each other, imagine how God is going to be faithful with you. The Book of Genesis gives us faith that in the end, no matter what we have done, or how far away we have traveled, there will be forgiveness and reunion. That is good news indeed!
- Rev. Dave
The Power of Yes
August 3, 2023
According to an article in the Bradenton Herald there is another scam going on in our area. The scammer will call and ask, “Can you hear me?” If you say, “Yes”, the thief will record your voice and then open a new credit account in your name. This scam happened back in 2010 to a parish I served. A phone service company asked if we were interested in hearing about a new option for long distance calling. The parish administrator said, “Yes.” On our next bill, we noticed a strange fee and a change to our long-distance carrier. We got it all reversed but it took several hours of phone calls.
A few years ago, Wells Fargo received an enormous fine and other penalties for using deceptive practices called “cross-selling”. It is reported that two million checking accounts and credit cards were opened without consent from its own customers. Wells Fargo ended up owning fines equaling 2.7 billion dollars (which was around $1.35 per unauthorized account).
This week, a credit reporting agency alerted me because they found my email address on the dark web. I participate in this fancy reporting system because my information was “breached” by hackers who got into the credit bureau itself. Yes, that’s right, the actual credit report company had 250 million identities stolen from their data bank! But back to the dark web, an unscrupulous company was trying to sell my email address and name and date of birth. But, the date of birth is my fake one! So, I don’t have too much to worry about; however, I changed some important passwords just in case.
I read recently that scammers are trying to use AI technology to replicate voices. The idea is this: someone you know will call you and ask for something – most likely money, or your date of birth, social security number, or a password to an account. It will sound like your loved one, but it’s a computer run by thieves. To defend against this, it is suggested that you use a verbal password with your family members, like the name of a favorite pet or the nickname of a grandparent, just in case something like this comes up.
The Gospel lesson for this Sunday is about Jesus feeding the five thousand. The disciples asked the crowd if anyone had any food that they would like to share. A handful of people said yes and those five loaves and two fish ended up feeding thousands of people with lots of leftovers. This story shows the great abundance in God’s Kingdom that starts with someone saying “yes”.
Speaking of abundance, the first miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine at a wedding. Some scholars say it was 64 gallons of wine. Others believe it was much more than that. But, it happened because – get this – Jesus’ mother asked him to do it; Jesus said yes to her; and then the servants said yes to filling all those containers of water. The result was abundance!
Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples spent all night fishing but caught nothing. Jesus called to them from the shore and suggested they throw their nets on the other side of the boat. They said yes – by doing what the Lord said – and, when they did, there were more fish than they could haul in. Peter exclaimed, “It’s the Lord!” and swam to Jesus on the shore. Peter recognized Jesus because of the abundance of fish. Abundance was Jesus’ calling card, or identity, (or social security number). And, we know the disciples for their willingness to say yes.
Today, our communities of faith are recognized by our willingness to say yes to following the Lord and helping one another. At the same time, we live in a society where we have to watch very carefully about saying yes to someone we do not know because it may turn out to be a scam. So, if someone calls and says, “Can you hear me,” say anything other than yes. But, when Jesus calls, consider saying yes to God’s abundance of love.
- Rev. Dave
A few years ago, Wells Fargo received an enormous fine and other penalties for using deceptive practices called “cross-selling”. It is reported that two million checking accounts and credit cards were opened without consent from its own customers. Wells Fargo ended up owning fines equaling 2.7 billion dollars (which was around $1.35 per unauthorized account).
This week, a credit reporting agency alerted me because they found my email address on the dark web. I participate in this fancy reporting system because my information was “breached” by hackers who got into the credit bureau itself. Yes, that’s right, the actual credit report company had 250 million identities stolen from their data bank! But back to the dark web, an unscrupulous company was trying to sell my email address and name and date of birth. But, the date of birth is my fake one! So, I don’t have too much to worry about; however, I changed some important passwords just in case.
I read recently that scammers are trying to use AI technology to replicate voices. The idea is this: someone you know will call you and ask for something – most likely money, or your date of birth, social security number, or a password to an account. It will sound like your loved one, but it’s a computer run by thieves. To defend against this, it is suggested that you use a verbal password with your family members, like the name of a favorite pet or the nickname of a grandparent, just in case something like this comes up.
The Gospel lesson for this Sunday is about Jesus feeding the five thousand. The disciples asked the crowd if anyone had any food that they would like to share. A handful of people said yes and those five loaves and two fish ended up feeding thousands of people with lots of leftovers. This story shows the great abundance in God’s Kingdom that starts with someone saying “yes”.
Speaking of abundance, the first miracle that Jesus performed was turning water into wine at a wedding. Some scholars say it was 64 gallons of wine. Others believe it was much more than that. But, it happened because – get this – Jesus’ mother asked him to do it; Jesus said yes to her; and then the servants said yes to filling all those containers of water. The result was abundance!
Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples spent all night fishing but caught nothing. Jesus called to them from the shore and suggested they throw their nets on the other side of the boat. They said yes – by doing what the Lord said – and, when they did, there were more fish than they could haul in. Peter exclaimed, “It’s the Lord!” and swam to Jesus on the shore. Peter recognized Jesus because of the abundance of fish. Abundance was Jesus’ calling card, or identity, (or social security number). And, we know the disciples for their willingness to say yes.
Today, our communities of faith are recognized by our willingness to say yes to following the Lord and helping one another. At the same time, we live in a society where we have to watch very carefully about saying yes to someone we do not know because it may turn out to be a scam. So, if someone calls and says, “Can you hear me,” say anything other than yes. But, when Jesus calls, consider saying yes to God’s abundance of love.
- Rev. Dave
An Incarnational Experience of Covid
July 27, 2023
Last Friday evening, I tested positive for Covid. It’s the first time I’ve ever had a positive test. Each Covid test I’ve taken – from the fairgrounds standing in line with hundreds of jittery people, to a dusty downtown parking lot, or at the hospital (to visit a quarantined parishioner), or while preparing for a cruise, and even at home – each test came back negative. Until this last one.
On Saturday afternoon, walking down my driveway to the mailbox, my neighbor Lou had just returned from a day on his boat. As he was walking over to catch up, I said, “Guess who has Covid.” He said, “Is that still a thing?” I replied, “Come a little closer and find out.” He immediately stopped walking toward me and we both laughed because of his abrupt stop.
Yes, it’s still a thing. We need to take it seriously and also with perspective. I have been blessed with having performed no Covid-related funerals. Most of my clergy colleagues have presided at one; including a friend who had to bury her mother. One priest I know has buried more than twenty people who died from it. From a prevention standpoint, I have had as many vaccinations and boosters as the guidelines allow. I’m also blessed with good health. As such, I have had only a glancing blow from Covid. Today (Thursday) is day four with no fever (not controlled by medicine). Day five is testing day. If I test negative, I can freely enter the world. If it’s positive, I can freely enter the world and wear a mask until I get a negative test or ten days have passed – whichever is sooner.
This past Sunday, I relied on a great team of church leaders who carried on with my virtual, online presence and put into practice our mission of bringing the living Christ to those inside and outside the church. I am deeply blessed with a flexible, understanding and interested congregation who is generous with their finances, their hearts and their talents. In some ways, we have been practicing and preparing for the worship service we put together. The Covid advantage is that now I have been through an entire Zoom-based worship service. I know what they do, and the things they put up with, when joining online. Likewise, for the discussion groups on Tuesday and Wednesday, I had the Parish Hall set up as normal and I zoomed in from my office. I now know what our online participants see and hear (and what they don’t see and hear).
Getting Covid has been an incarnational experience – I have learned in the flesh what it is like to get the virus, I have witnessed how incredibly blessed I am with our church leaders and parishioners, and how it important my personal health is not only to myself and my family but also to my church family. I also experienced the power of prayer. I know what it is like to be prayed for – and to know exactly when it is happening and what it feels like on the inside. My experience of being prayed for is like this: you know when you hold a flashlight beam on your finger and feel the heat of the light passing through your skin. Being prayed for feels like a gigantic flashlight shining healing and energizing and peaceful light through my inside and shining outward. I appreciate every single time it happens – even at 1:17 am that kind of woke me up. I don’t know who was up at that time, but I appreciate it.
Covid still is a thing. But, it’s something we learn to live with, to prepare for, and, even learn from. For me, Covid is a time to count my many blessings and to be grateful for all that I have been given, especially for the health of everyone in my family and my church family.
- Rev. Dave
On Saturday afternoon, walking down my driveway to the mailbox, my neighbor Lou had just returned from a day on his boat. As he was walking over to catch up, I said, “Guess who has Covid.” He said, “Is that still a thing?” I replied, “Come a little closer and find out.” He immediately stopped walking toward me and we both laughed because of his abrupt stop.
Yes, it’s still a thing. We need to take it seriously and also with perspective. I have been blessed with having performed no Covid-related funerals. Most of my clergy colleagues have presided at one; including a friend who had to bury her mother. One priest I know has buried more than twenty people who died from it. From a prevention standpoint, I have had as many vaccinations and boosters as the guidelines allow. I’m also blessed with good health. As such, I have had only a glancing blow from Covid. Today (Thursday) is day four with no fever (not controlled by medicine). Day five is testing day. If I test negative, I can freely enter the world. If it’s positive, I can freely enter the world and wear a mask until I get a negative test or ten days have passed – whichever is sooner.
This past Sunday, I relied on a great team of church leaders who carried on with my virtual, online presence and put into practice our mission of bringing the living Christ to those inside and outside the church. I am deeply blessed with a flexible, understanding and interested congregation who is generous with their finances, their hearts and their talents. In some ways, we have been practicing and preparing for the worship service we put together. The Covid advantage is that now I have been through an entire Zoom-based worship service. I know what they do, and the things they put up with, when joining online. Likewise, for the discussion groups on Tuesday and Wednesday, I had the Parish Hall set up as normal and I zoomed in from my office. I now know what our online participants see and hear (and what they don’t see and hear).
Getting Covid has been an incarnational experience – I have learned in the flesh what it is like to get the virus, I have witnessed how incredibly blessed I am with our church leaders and parishioners, and how it important my personal health is not only to myself and my family but also to my church family. I also experienced the power of prayer. I know what it is like to be prayed for – and to know exactly when it is happening and what it feels like on the inside. My experience of being prayed for is like this: you know when you hold a flashlight beam on your finger and feel the heat of the light passing through your skin. Being prayed for feels like a gigantic flashlight shining healing and energizing and peaceful light through my inside and shining outward. I appreciate every single time it happens – even at 1:17 am that kind of woke me up. I don’t know who was up at that time, but I appreciate it.
Covid still is a thing. But, it’s something we learn to live with, to prepare for, and, even learn from. For me, Covid is a time to count my many blessings and to be grateful for all that I have been given, especially for the health of everyone in my family and my church family.
- Rev. Dave
The Shaping of Faith
July 20, 2023
What informs your faith? That question was asked at a clergy conference I attended years ago. I found the question boring and, if I may be brutally candid, I started working on my sermon during the discussion. My faith is informed by the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. A distant third is listening to other people’s sermons and reading various books and periodicals. For me, there was not much there in the question to discuss. As my colleagues dove into the question I felt more and more out of sync with the people I refer to as my brothers and sisters. I started to feel distant from one of the only groups on this planet who truly understand my vocation.
But then, the facilitator asked a second question: what shapes your faith. She repeated it so that we would understand it was not synonymous with the first question. What shapes your faith? I closed the lid of my laptop, and started doing some serious thinking.
Experience shapes my faith. Anglican theology asserts that we know God through three books – the book of Scripture, the book of nature, and the book of reason. It’s called the three-legged stool. In the 21st century, we Anglican theologians are considering adding a fourth leg called the book of experience. It can be argued that experience shapes our thoughts when we read Scripture; walking in nature is far more impactful than reading a book on botany; and, logically speaking, experience and reason go hand-in-hand (or maybe as a chicken-and-an-egg).
Think of it this way: I have a friend who likes to synthesize new thoughts and ideas by running the exact opposite thought through her head. For instance, we recently had a conversation where I said, “I think the Parable of the Sower is not about the soil but about the sower.” She replied, “If that is correct, then why did Jesus talk so much about the different types of soil?” It’s frustrating, at times, to have a conversation like this, but, to hear the antonym of a thought can help shape the original thought in my head. That is what I call the book of reason. Experience, however, asks what is it like to sow seeds. What does fertile ground smell like? What do weeds feel like under our feet? How rocky is the path on which we walk? Is it frustrating to sow seeds that never grow?
My faith is shaped by experience – by doing and seeing and also by listening to the experience of others. I had a deep conversation on a subway train with a devout Buddhist. That experience has shaped/is shaping how I see Jesus. Both Buddha and Jesus see us humans on a path walking towards something better. Nevertheless, that conversation shaped, and perhaps informed, how and why I follow Jesus along the way, and also why I invite others along the journey.
Recently, the (Anglican) Archbishop of York said to the General Synod, “I know the word ‘father’ is problematic for those whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive.” In an address that he meant to be about unity – his central focus was on the first word of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our” and not the second word “Father” – has gained him unwanted international attention. I think that some critics of the Archbishop are confusing what informs our faith with how we experience our faith. The Archbishop was opening a door of unity by acknowledging that some have been harmed by their earthly fathers and that there is room for them at the altar and certainly in the Lord’s Prayer. In other words, we have a diversity of experiences and unity of faith held in common by prayer.
In seminary/graduate school, I took a health and healing course through the Unitarian Universalist graduate school of theology. I learned the healing power of Tai Chi. Not typically taught in western Christian seminaries, Tai Chi taught me how to center myself, breathe calmly, and to prepare for prayer. I learned it through experience.
What shapes your faith? Are you shaped by the experience of hearing God’s word? Do Outreach events shape your faith? Or fellowship events or discussion groups or a local book group – what shapes your faith? We have a diversity of experiences that are informed and wrapped up together in the wide-open, all-inclusive celebration of One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God of all. That is what my experience shows me through faith and what faith shows me through experience.
- Rev. Dave
But then, the facilitator asked a second question: what shapes your faith. She repeated it so that we would understand it was not synonymous with the first question. What shapes your faith? I closed the lid of my laptop, and started doing some serious thinking.
Experience shapes my faith. Anglican theology asserts that we know God through three books – the book of Scripture, the book of nature, and the book of reason. It’s called the three-legged stool. In the 21st century, we Anglican theologians are considering adding a fourth leg called the book of experience. It can be argued that experience shapes our thoughts when we read Scripture; walking in nature is far more impactful than reading a book on botany; and, logically speaking, experience and reason go hand-in-hand (or maybe as a chicken-and-an-egg).
Think of it this way: I have a friend who likes to synthesize new thoughts and ideas by running the exact opposite thought through her head. For instance, we recently had a conversation where I said, “I think the Parable of the Sower is not about the soil but about the sower.” She replied, “If that is correct, then why did Jesus talk so much about the different types of soil?” It’s frustrating, at times, to have a conversation like this, but, to hear the antonym of a thought can help shape the original thought in my head. That is what I call the book of reason. Experience, however, asks what is it like to sow seeds. What does fertile ground smell like? What do weeds feel like under our feet? How rocky is the path on which we walk? Is it frustrating to sow seeds that never grow?
My faith is shaped by experience – by doing and seeing and also by listening to the experience of others. I had a deep conversation on a subway train with a devout Buddhist. That experience has shaped/is shaping how I see Jesus. Both Buddha and Jesus see us humans on a path walking towards something better. Nevertheless, that conversation shaped, and perhaps informed, how and why I follow Jesus along the way, and also why I invite others along the journey.
Recently, the (Anglican) Archbishop of York said to the General Synod, “I know the word ‘father’ is problematic for those whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive.” In an address that he meant to be about unity – his central focus was on the first word of the Lord’s Prayer, “Our” and not the second word “Father” – has gained him unwanted international attention. I think that some critics of the Archbishop are confusing what informs our faith with how we experience our faith. The Archbishop was opening a door of unity by acknowledging that some have been harmed by their earthly fathers and that there is room for them at the altar and certainly in the Lord’s Prayer. In other words, we have a diversity of experiences and unity of faith held in common by prayer.
In seminary/graduate school, I took a health and healing course through the Unitarian Universalist graduate school of theology. I learned the healing power of Tai Chi. Not typically taught in western Christian seminaries, Tai Chi taught me how to center myself, breathe calmly, and to prepare for prayer. I learned it through experience.
What shapes your faith? Are you shaped by the experience of hearing God’s word? Do Outreach events shape your faith? Or fellowship events or discussion groups or a local book group – what shapes your faith? We have a diversity of experiences that are informed and wrapped up together in the wide-open, all-inclusive celebration of One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God of all. That is what my experience shows me through faith and what faith shows me through experience.
- Rev. Dave
The Lesson of the Tree Trimmer
July 13, 2023
My street was blocked by a crane on Tuesday. It was there to remove one of my favorite trees from the neighborhood – a tall Norfolk Island Pine. It looked like a noble pine Christmas tree with evenly spaced branches but, unlike a noble, the thick pine needles grow up toward the sky like thousands of pointing green fingers. Native to Australia, it does quite well in southwest Florida. But this, our favorite tree, is gone now.
At some point in this tree’s life, a shoot sprouted up that became almost as big as the main trunk. It made the tree look like a lopsided tuning fork. The fork caused weakness in the tree and it also changed the center of gravity. During Hurricane Ian, my neighbor watched with great anxiety as the Norfolk Island Pine struggled against the wind. There were several gusts that made him think it was going to fall. Afterwards, the ground around it showed fault lines where the entire tree shook and how the tree moved and was leaning to the south. Had the tree been trimmed, a decade or two ago, it would have most likely repaired itself and grown straight. But, because it had not been trimmed, the entire tree had to be taken down before the next hurricane.
All Angels just spent a good amount of money for a hurricane cut. This practice is to remove any limbs, palm fronds, and branches (especially the dead ones) that could break off under high winds and cause damage to the roof and windows. A hurricane cut also makes the trees much less likely to uproot because they are lighter weight and the wind can pass through easier. Every tree on our campus – palm, oak, pine and deciduous – got trimmed. They removed broken limbs from Ian and prevented more damage in the future. There was one arborist, four trimmers, two lift operators and a team of collection workers that filled two trailer truckloads. Over a period of two days, they gave All Angels a haircut – not a military cut or a flat top, but a nice thinned out curly hair bob cut, if you will.
We survived the hurricane exceptionally well. One reason was that we had many hurricane cuts. We also had a lot of people praying for us. And, just prior to evacuation, I walked the perimeter of the campus and did a traditional protection prayer.
Theologically speaking, Jesus asks us to trim things away in our own lives that weigh us down – like anxiety and fear – so that we can grow more in the Spirit. He also said that every branch bearing fruit gets trimmed so that it may bear more fruit. (Jn 15:2) The trees at All Angels are happy and grow well. We keep trimming them and they keep growing. Spiritually speaking, we come to All Angels – in person and online – weary from the weight of the world and the cares and occupations of life, and find ourselves trimmed with joy, peace, faith and love. I have seen people leave church happier than when they arrived; but, it’s more than happy, they leave more alive, joyful and more at peace. It’s our weekly trimming.
Through my networking group, I have heard of a campus, similar to ours, that did not do a hurricane cut for quite a while. When the hurricane blew through, they had tree-fall damage to one building and one third of their trees had to be removed down to the ground. The campus isn’t much bigger than ours, yet, there was a crew twice the size of ours that stayed a week to get everything cleared. The campus looks much different now than before – more like a military cut than a bob.
Listen to the lesson of the tree trimmer: prune that which grows crooked before the entire tree is out of balance and prepare for the winds by trimming so that the entire garden will rejoice after the storm passes.
- Rev. Dave
At some point in this tree’s life, a shoot sprouted up that became almost as big as the main trunk. It made the tree look like a lopsided tuning fork. The fork caused weakness in the tree and it also changed the center of gravity. During Hurricane Ian, my neighbor watched with great anxiety as the Norfolk Island Pine struggled against the wind. There were several gusts that made him think it was going to fall. Afterwards, the ground around it showed fault lines where the entire tree shook and how the tree moved and was leaning to the south. Had the tree been trimmed, a decade or two ago, it would have most likely repaired itself and grown straight. But, because it had not been trimmed, the entire tree had to be taken down before the next hurricane.
All Angels just spent a good amount of money for a hurricane cut. This practice is to remove any limbs, palm fronds, and branches (especially the dead ones) that could break off under high winds and cause damage to the roof and windows. A hurricane cut also makes the trees much less likely to uproot because they are lighter weight and the wind can pass through easier. Every tree on our campus – palm, oak, pine and deciduous – got trimmed. They removed broken limbs from Ian and prevented more damage in the future. There was one arborist, four trimmers, two lift operators and a team of collection workers that filled two trailer truckloads. Over a period of two days, they gave All Angels a haircut – not a military cut or a flat top, but a nice thinned out curly hair bob cut, if you will.
We survived the hurricane exceptionally well. One reason was that we had many hurricane cuts. We also had a lot of people praying for us. And, just prior to evacuation, I walked the perimeter of the campus and did a traditional protection prayer.
Theologically speaking, Jesus asks us to trim things away in our own lives that weigh us down – like anxiety and fear – so that we can grow more in the Spirit. He also said that every branch bearing fruit gets trimmed so that it may bear more fruit. (Jn 15:2) The trees at All Angels are happy and grow well. We keep trimming them and they keep growing. Spiritually speaking, we come to All Angels – in person and online – weary from the weight of the world and the cares and occupations of life, and find ourselves trimmed with joy, peace, faith and love. I have seen people leave church happier than when they arrived; but, it’s more than happy, they leave more alive, joyful and more at peace. It’s our weekly trimming.
Through my networking group, I have heard of a campus, similar to ours, that did not do a hurricane cut for quite a while. When the hurricane blew through, they had tree-fall damage to one building and one third of their trees had to be removed down to the ground. The campus isn’t much bigger than ours, yet, there was a crew twice the size of ours that stayed a week to get everything cleared. The campus looks much different now than before – more like a military cut than a bob.
Listen to the lesson of the tree trimmer: prune that which grows crooked before the entire tree is out of balance and prepare for the winds by trimming so that the entire garden will rejoice after the storm passes.
- Rev. Dave
Calling Dr. A.I.
July 6, 2023
There is an interesting article in the NY Times, written by Dr. Daniela J. Lamas, a pulmonary and critical-care physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. In the article, A.I. Will Change Medicine but Not What It Means to Be a Doctor, she addresses the reality of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and medicine. Dr. Lamas wrote, as an intern, “when I was faced with a tough question, I would run to the bathroom and flip through the medical reference book I carried in my pocket and find the answer. I believed that my job was to memorize, to know medical eponyms by heart; surely an excellent clinician would not need to consult a book or a computer to diagnose a patient. Or so I thought then.” Nearly twenty years later, A.I. is seeping into medicine.
Here are some benefits of A.I. medicine: reading complex patterns without bias, writing daily patient notes, and speeding drug recovery. In other words, A.I. can speed the diagnosis and write notes so doctors can spend more bedside time with patients. Cardiologist, Dr. Eric Topol, is quoted with saying A.I has given medicine “a path to restore humanity in medicine.”
Dr. Lamas emphasizes that A.I. can improve medicine with unbiased diagnosis and democratization of information. Every medical doctor has internal biases. One reason for medicine’s rigorous training is to limit (but not eliminate) such biases. The second point – democratization of information – is compelling. It means, in short, that understaffed hospitals lacking specialists, both rural and inner-city, will have the same data which means every facility can be up to the same standard of patient care.
What about the downside of medicine-based A.I? The biggest change will be how doctors are taught. The current model is this: interns see patients, struggle with their care in a supervised environment, and then do it over and over again until the training is finished. But with A.I., there is the real possibility that doctors in training could use these programs to generate a diagnosis rather than learn to do it themselves. She wonders how does one learn the thought processes required for excellence as a doctor? Nevertheless, Dr. Lamas concluded that A.I. “Will never replace a hand at the bedside, eye contact, understanding — what it is to be a doctor.”
I know many folks at All Angels who have a good relationship with their concierge primary care physician. One parishioner’s life was saved by her relationship with her physician. She was at a local hospital, with medical professionals who did not know her extensive medical history; they were ineffectively treating her. I was at her bedside, preparing to do last rites, when her M.D. breezed in, took over the show, and informed everyone her patient will walk out of the hospital in a few days (which she did). I know there are a number of other factors, but, from my experience, a good doctor/patient relationship improves one’s physical health.
Some have asked if A.I. will change the Church – one person asserted that it can even write sermons. My response is that technology has already changed the Church – it has opened our doors to folks who are unable to be in person Sunday morning, it has helped greatly in communication, and technology has even assisted All Angels increase contributions. Most of my Biblical studies are aided by a powerful computer program that contains more reference volumes than my office could hold with a lightning fast search feature that accesses those books with ease.
A.I. cannot replace human interaction. The exchange of Peace with neighbors, eye contact made while administering communion, conversations at Coffee Hour, Bible studies and discussion groups, and, perhaps most importantly, prayers for one another, cannot be replaced by A.I. I would argue that in our increasingly isolated and individually focused society, people crave the connection, the spiritual health, that the Church offers. That part will never go away; otherwise the Church would no longer be the Church.
As far as medicine goes, I like to imagine that in the future, every patient will have a concierge-type relationship with their medical provider because technology has freed physicians to do what they entered the profession to do – to help individuals. My hope is that, because of technology, people in the near future will have a better connection with their physical health and their spiritual health. Both health modalities will be assisted by A.I., but not replaced.
-Rev. Dave
Here are some benefits of A.I. medicine: reading complex patterns without bias, writing daily patient notes, and speeding drug recovery. In other words, A.I. can speed the diagnosis and write notes so doctors can spend more bedside time with patients. Cardiologist, Dr. Eric Topol, is quoted with saying A.I has given medicine “a path to restore humanity in medicine.”
Dr. Lamas emphasizes that A.I. can improve medicine with unbiased diagnosis and democratization of information. Every medical doctor has internal biases. One reason for medicine’s rigorous training is to limit (but not eliminate) such biases. The second point – democratization of information – is compelling. It means, in short, that understaffed hospitals lacking specialists, both rural and inner-city, will have the same data which means every facility can be up to the same standard of patient care.
What about the downside of medicine-based A.I? The biggest change will be how doctors are taught. The current model is this: interns see patients, struggle with their care in a supervised environment, and then do it over and over again until the training is finished. But with A.I., there is the real possibility that doctors in training could use these programs to generate a diagnosis rather than learn to do it themselves. She wonders how does one learn the thought processes required for excellence as a doctor? Nevertheless, Dr. Lamas concluded that A.I. “Will never replace a hand at the bedside, eye contact, understanding — what it is to be a doctor.”
I know many folks at All Angels who have a good relationship with their concierge primary care physician. One parishioner’s life was saved by her relationship with her physician. She was at a local hospital, with medical professionals who did not know her extensive medical history; they were ineffectively treating her. I was at her bedside, preparing to do last rites, when her M.D. breezed in, took over the show, and informed everyone her patient will walk out of the hospital in a few days (which she did). I know there are a number of other factors, but, from my experience, a good doctor/patient relationship improves one’s physical health.
Some have asked if A.I. will change the Church – one person asserted that it can even write sermons. My response is that technology has already changed the Church – it has opened our doors to folks who are unable to be in person Sunday morning, it has helped greatly in communication, and technology has even assisted All Angels increase contributions. Most of my Biblical studies are aided by a powerful computer program that contains more reference volumes than my office could hold with a lightning fast search feature that accesses those books with ease.
A.I. cannot replace human interaction. The exchange of Peace with neighbors, eye contact made while administering communion, conversations at Coffee Hour, Bible studies and discussion groups, and, perhaps most importantly, prayers for one another, cannot be replaced by A.I. I would argue that in our increasingly isolated and individually focused society, people crave the connection, the spiritual health, that the Church offers. That part will never go away; otherwise the Church would no longer be the Church.
As far as medicine goes, I like to imagine that in the future, every patient will have a concierge-type relationship with their medical provider because technology has freed physicians to do what they entered the profession to do – to help individuals. My hope is that, because of technology, people in the near future will have a better connection with their physical health and their spiritual health. Both health modalities will be assisted by A.I., but not replaced.
-Rev. Dave
Brain Tricks
June 29, 2023
The discussion group focused on an article that said our brain tricks us into thinking that things were better in society when we were younger. Written by experimental psychologist, Adam Mastroianni, in the NY Times as a guest essay titled Your Brain Has Tricked You into Thinking Everything is Worse, he believes that there is a set of cognitive biases in our brains that makes us 1) believe things were better when we were young and that 2) things are worse, morally speaking, than they are now. The article points out that, morally speaking, there is significant social evidence that shows things have remained the same, or have become better, over the past 80 years. Yet, our brain believes the opposite.
The reason why our brain tricks us is a twofold psychological phenomenon called biased exposure and biased memory. Biased exposure is simply this: people pay attention to negative things about others. The second phenomenon is biased memory which is explained as follows: the negativity of negative information fades faster in our memory than the positivity of positive information. (I had to read that sentence several times for it to sink in) In other words, biased memory makes us remember good things about people, events, our childhood, our schools, even our first cars; and, we tend to forget the negative things over time. The brain trick is that we suck in negative information – which forms our view of how things are right now – but our biased memory makes us think that things were better when we were younger because negative memories fade faster than positive ones.
A mentor clergy friend of mine said this at a funeral: as time goes on, the love for your father will grow. The deceased, like many people just before they pass, became gruff, snippy, and, at times, verbally combative. Our biased memory makes it so that those memories fade much faster than the good memories of our loved ones. As such, our fondness for those we love but see no longer grows over time.
This information makes me wonder if our brains have been wired for forgiveness; which is one of the most difficult, and most central parts of our Christian faith. Jesus tells us time and time again to forgive. He even included it in the Lord’s Prayer. Yet, what if our central processing memory system is inclined to help us to forgive by shedding away negative memories and holding onto good ones. Here’s an example: a parishioner in another parish was wronged by her business partner. She took a small financial hit but the hardest part was the loss of trust and friendship that had built up over time. Two years later, she was reestablished and doing better than she had done before. Suddenly, one day at church, she realized that she needed to forgive her former partner. What seemed impossible in the days that followed the termination of their business relationship now suddenly seemed possible. She made contact the next day and they talked through what had happened. Forgiveness happened. The following week she told her story to the congregation and gave thanks to God.
How about you? Do you think things were better when you were young? I sure do.
In her book, Free Range Kids, Lenore Skenazy asserts, with proof, that it is safer today for a child to ride a New York subway than it was when she was a child. She believes it is as safe, or safer now, for children to play in the backyard unsupervised or even at a local park. According to Dr. Mastroianni, our brains think it is much less safe for our children today because we gravitate to negative information (and, with our current media market, the information is pervasive and widely available). And, we think it was safer for us when we were younger because we have forgotten the negative things.
I think that God has wired us so that we are able to do what Jesus calls us to do – to forgive as we have been forgiven. Although the brain may make it easier to forgive, what is not a trick is our willingness to forgive others. The spark that made one business partner reach out to the other, and the holiness and peace that followed with talking and understanding one another; that certainly is no trick, but rather it is the love of God present in our lives.
-Rev. Dave
The reason why our brain tricks us is a twofold psychological phenomenon called biased exposure and biased memory. Biased exposure is simply this: people pay attention to negative things about others. The second phenomenon is biased memory which is explained as follows: the negativity of negative information fades faster in our memory than the positivity of positive information. (I had to read that sentence several times for it to sink in) In other words, biased memory makes us remember good things about people, events, our childhood, our schools, even our first cars; and, we tend to forget the negative things over time. The brain trick is that we suck in negative information – which forms our view of how things are right now – but our biased memory makes us think that things were better when we were younger because negative memories fade faster than positive ones.
A mentor clergy friend of mine said this at a funeral: as time goes on, the love for your father will grow. The deceased, like many people just before they pass, became gruff, snippy, and, at times, verbally combative. Our biased memory makes it so that those memories fade much faster than the good memories of our loved ones. As such, our fondness for those we love but see no longer grows over time.
This information makes me wonder if our brains have been wired for forgiveness; which is one of the most difficult, and most central parts of our Christian faith. Jesus tells us time and time again to forgive. He even included it in the Lord’s Prayer. Yet, what if our central processing memory system is inclined to help us to forgive by shedding away negative memories and holding onto good ones. Here’s an example: a parishioner in another parish was wronged by her business partner. She took a small financial hit but the hardest part was the loss of trust and friendship that had built up over time. Two years later, she was reestablished and doing better than she had done before. Suddenly, one day at church, she realized that she needed to forgive her former partner. What seemed impossible in the days that followed the termination of their business relationship now suddenly seemed possible. She made contact the next day and they talked through what had happened. Forgiveness happened. The following week she told her story to the congregation and gave thanks to God.
How about you? Do you think things were better when you were young? I sure do.
In her book, Free Range Kids, Lenore Skenazy asserts, with proof, that it is safer today for a child to ride a New York subway than it was when she was a child. She believes it is as safe, or safer now, for children to play in the backyard unsupervised or even at a local park. According to Dr. Mastroianni, our brains think it is much less safe for our children today because we gravitate to negative information (and, with our current media market, the information is pervasive and widely available). And, we think it was safer for us when we were younger because we have forgotten the negative things.
I think that God has wired us so that we are able to do what Jesus calls us to do – to forgive as we have been forgiven. Although the brain may make it easier to forgive, what is not a trick is our willingness to forgive others. The spark that made one business partner reach out to the other, and the holiness and peace that followed with talking and understanding one another; that certainly is no trick, but rather it is the love of God present in our lives.
-Rev. Dave
Worry Vs. Concern
June 22, 2023
The most common phrase in the Bible is this: do not worry. It is written 365 times; once for every day. This Sunday has two lessons that I’d like to preach on. What has been placed on my heart is to talk about the difficult Gospel lesson. In this Reflection, I’d like to share with you the other message that highlights the difference between worry and concern.
Here is the background to Sunday’s lesson. In Genesis, chapter 12, God calls Abraham to leave his family, friends and comfortable retirement and travel west to a land God will show him. God promises three things: Abraham will have descendants, they will become a great (prominent) nation, and will number more than the stars in the night sky. The miracle here is that Abraham actually left and followed God’s call.
In chapter 15, Abraham was concerned because he had no children. God answered in a vision and said that he will have a son of his own. The next chapter; Abraham and Sarah were worried that they still had no children. She suggested (and yes, this is how it is written) that he have a child with her lead servant, Hagar. He did; and there was tension in the household (that’s an understatement). Chapter 18; we heard this lesson last week: on a hot summer afternoon, the Lord appeared to Abraham in the form of three men. He served them. They said that Sarah will be pregnant this time next year. She laughed because they were both well beyond the age of having children.
Here is Sunday’s reading from Chapter 21: Sarah had a son! They named him Isaac. Sarah saw Ishmael – Abraham’s son from Hagar – playing. She said, “Get rid of Hagar and Ishmael.” Abraham was concerned but God reassured him and said to do what Sarah says. He sent them out and they quickly ran out of food and water. Hagar was worried and she cried bitterly. God heard Ishmael crying and spoke the following to Hagar: Why are you worried? Don’t be afraid. Then God showed her a well. They drank and God blessed Ishmael to be a great nation.
Did you notice that there were moments of concern and moments of worry in the story? Biblically speaking, those words – worry and concern – are not synonymous or interchangeable; but rather, they are used to show this: worry is when we take hard situations upon our own shoulders and try to find a way through, or, just give up altogether. Concern is taking the same hard situation and lifting it to God.
Here are some examples: Abraham followed God’s promise but was concerned he did not have a child of his own and spoke to God about it. Even though his prayer was not kind to God (there was finger pointing and some are-you-not-aware?! statements), God, who is faithful, reassured Abraham. Time passed. Abraham and Sarah became worried. Instead of lifting their worry to God, and making it a concern, they took matters into their own hands and voila, Ishmael was born. Hagar was understandably worried about family life and raised her worry to God – making it a concern – and God listened and reassured her. Later on, when Ishmael was (probably) a teenager, and they were cast out of the household, Hagar was worried. The text indicates she sat down in hopeless sorrow. Nevertheless, God heard Ishmael’s cry and responded.
A basic way of looking at the spiritual side of worry and concern is this: worry is placing trust in humankind; concern is placing our trust in God. Here’s another way to look at it: if we share our worries with God, it is then a concern; if we ruminate about our problems, absent of sharing it in prayer, it remains a worry.
There have been many times when I have lifted worries to God. There is also a time or two when I have sat in hopeless sorrow ignoring God. Scripture reminds us, in the words attributed to St. Peter, to “cast our anxieties upon on God”. (1 Peter 5:7) Incidentally, “cast” is a fishing term about how one throws a net. That is what we are called to do with our worries – cast them out of our boat onto the vastness of God.
The family life of Abraham and Sarah can help illuminate our prayer life with God; especially how we worry about those that we love the most. God will let you worry and handle things on your own without any sort of divine interference. But, when we cast our worries to God, in faith we believe that God will listen and will help lift every burden to fulfill the most spoken words in the Bible: do not worry.
- Rev. Dave
Here is the background to Sunday’s lesson. In Genesis, chapter 12, God calls Abraham to leave his family, friends and comfortable retirement and travel west to a land God will show him. God promises three things: Abraham will have descendants, they will become a great (prominent) nation, and will number more than the stars in the night sky. The miracle here is that Abraham actually left and followed God’s call.
In chapter 15, Abraham was concerned because he had no children. God answered in a vision and said that he will have a son of his own. The next chapter; Abraham and Sarah were worried that they still had no children. She suggested (and yes, this is how it is written) that he have a child with her lead servant, Hagar. He did; and there was tension in the household (that’s an understatement). Chapter 18; we heard this lesson last week: on a hot summer afternoon, the Lord appeared to Abraham in the form of three men. He served them. They said that Sarah will be pregnant this time next year. She laughed because they were both well beyond the age of having children.
Here is Sunday’s reading from Chapter 21: Sarah had a son! They named him Isaac. Sarah saw Ishmael – Abraham’s son from Hagar – playing. She said, “Get rid of Hagar and Ishmael.” Abraham was concerned but God reassured him and said to do what Sarah says. He sent them out and they quickly ran out of food and water. Hagar was worried and she cried bitterly. God heard Ishmael crying and spoke the following to Hagar: Why are you worried? Don’t be afraid. Then God showed her a well. They drank and God blessed Ishmael to be a great nation.
Did you notice that there were moments of concern and moments of worry in the story? Biblically speaking, those words – worry and concern – are not synonymous or interchangeable; but rather, they are used to show this: worry is when we take hard situations upon our own shoulders and try to find a way through, or, just give up altogether. Concern is taking the same hard situation and lifting it to God.
Here are some examples: Abraham followed God’s promise but was concerned he did not have a child of his own and spoke to God about it. Even though his prayer was not kind to God (there was finger pointing and some are-you-not-aware?! statements), God, who is faithful, reassured Abraham. Time passed. Abraham and Sarah became worried. Instead of lifting their worry to God, and making it a concern, they took matters into their own hands and voila, Ishmael was born. Hagar was understandably worried about family life and raised her worry to God – making it a concern – and God listened and reassured her. Later on, when Ishmael was (probably) a teenager, and they were cast out of the household, Hagar was worried. The text indicates she sat down in hopeless sorrow. Nevertheless, God heard Ishmael’s cry and responded.
A basic way of looking at the spiritual side of worry and concern is this: worry is placing trust in humankind; concern is placing our trust in God. Here’s another way to look at it: if we share our worries with God, it is then a concern; if we ruminate about our problems, absent of sharing it in prayer, it remains a worry.
There have been many times when I have lifted worries to God. There is also a time or two when I have sat in hopeless sorrow ignoring God. Scripture reminds us, in the words attributed to St. Peter, to “cast our anxieties upon on God”. (1 Peter 5:7) Incidentally, “cast” is a fishing term about how one throws a net. That is what we are called to do with our worries – cast them out of our boat onto the vastness of God.
The family life of Abraham and Sarah can help illuminate our prayer life with God; especially how we worry about those that we love the most. God will let you worry and handle things on your own without any sort of divine interference. But, when we cast our worries to God, in faith we believe that God will listen and will help lift every burden to fulfill the most spoken words in the Bible: do not worry.
- Rev. Dave
Original Language
June 15, 2023
I am a science fiction fan – especially Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi world in Star Trek. In the movie, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Klingon chancellor Gorkon comments about Shakespeare’s Hamlet to Captain Kirk: “You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon.” The humor, of course, is that William Shakespeare did not write in Klingon! Nevertheless, the Klingon’s have a deep affinity for Shakespeare’s works.
Now, I know Star Trek is a fake universe. Roddenberry, however, used that universe to express what was going on in our real universe; in particular, he addressed many of the ethical questions of our day in a safe and relatable manner within the realm of Star Trek. I should also point out that although the Klingon race is sci-fi, the language has become real. It is now a written and spoken language and yes, one can actually read Hamlet in Klingon.
The Lectionary – the set of Sunday readings – started with the first chapter of Genesis on June 4th. We are going to read from Genesis each Sunday until August 20th. It’s our summer read, if you will. Last Sunday, we heard the calling of Abraham to leave his home and follow God to the Promised Land. Compared to Abraham’s world, our life would read like science fiction. Using Roddenberry’s famous introduction in Star Trek, we as a human race have explored strange new worlds, sought out new life and new civilizations, and we have boldly gone where no one has gone before. As such, we have difficulty relating to Abraham and his world. I’d even opine that we can relate to the Klingons easier than to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The original language of Genesis is ancient Hebrew. It is a difficult language to translate into English. Some of the Hebrew words have unknown meanings. Take for instance the “rib” from Adam that was used to create Eve. The Hebrew word, translated as rib, has an unknown meaning. A word that looks and sounds a lot like the unknown word is “sickle”. The rib is shaped like a sickle so that is the word that was used. Its original meaning however, is anyone’s guess.
Prior to the Israelites going into captivity (around 600 years before the birth of Jesus), Genesis was an oral tradition. In captivity, and certainly after, it was written down. Although some scholars say it was written 3400 years ago, in the form we currently have, it is safe to say it was written about 2500 years ago. Keeping all that in mind, the lesson from Genesis this Sunday is from the Contemporary English Version (CEV). Written in 1995, and approved for use by the Episcopal Church in 2015, the CEV seeks to use a phrase-by-phrase translation rather than word-for-word. In particular, the CEV translation of Genesis harkens back to the original oral tradition. In other words, you will hear the conversational tone of the Biblical characters instead of a more formal, third person narration, of which we have become accustomed to hearing. My hope is that you will hear these well-known stories in a new, more relatable way.
One last thing about sci-fi: the strange worlds created by Roddenberry, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, George Lucas and others, cannot hold a candle, or phaser, heat-ray or light saber, to what you are going to hear in Genesis. Our summer reading is going to take us into a strange (old) world with civilizations that seek meaning and authority, and we will hear how they experience new life. Abraham and his family will boldly go in faith where no one has gone before. It is also available in original Klingon.
- Rev. Dave
Now, I know Star Trek is a fake universe. Roddenberry, however, used that universe to express what was going on in our real universe; in particular, he addressed many of the ethical questions of our day in a safe and relatable manner within the realm of Star Trek. I should also point out that although the Klingon race is sci-fi, the language has become real. It is now a written and spoken language and yes, one can actually read Hamlet in Klingon.
The Lectionary – the set of Sunday readings – started with the first chapter of Genesis on June 4th. We are going to read from Genesis each Sunday until August 20th. It’s our summer read, if you will. Last Sunday, we heard the calling of Abraham to leave his home and follow God to the Promised Land. Compared to Abraham’s world, our life would read like science fiction. Using Roddenberry’s famous introduction in Star Trek, we as a human race have explored strange new worlds, sought out new life and new civilizations, and we have boldly gone where no one has gone before. As such, we have difficulty relating to Abraham and his world. I’d even opine that we can relate to the Klingons easier than to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The original language of Genesis is ancient Hebrew. It is a difficult language to translate into English. Some of the Hebrew words have unknown meanings. Take for instance the “rib” from Adam that was used to create Eve. The Hebrew word, translated as rib, has an unknown meaning. A word that looks and sounds a lot like the unknown word is “sickle”. The rib is shaped like a sickle so that is the word that was used. Its original meaning however, is anyone’s guess.
Prior to the Israelites going into captivity (around 600 years before the birth of Jesus), Genesis was an oral tradition. In captivity, and certainly after, it was written down. Although some scholars say it was written 3400 years ago, in the form we currently have, it is safe to say it was written about 2500 years ago. Keeping all that in mind, the lesson from Genesis this Sunday is from the Contemporary English Version (CEV). Written in 1995, and approved for use by the Episcopal Church in 2015, the CEV seeks to use a phrase-by-phrase translation rather than word-for-word. In particular, the CEV translation of Genesis harkens back to the original oral tradition. In other words, you will hear the conversational tone of the Biblical characters instead of a more formal, third person narration, of which we have become accustomed to hearing. My hope is that you will hear these well-known stories in a new, more relatable way.
One last thing about sci-fi: the strange worlds created by Roddenberry, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, George Lucas and others, cannot hold a candle, or phaser, heat-ray or light saber, to what you are going to hear in Genesis. Our summer reading is going to take us into a strange (old) world with civilizations that seek meaning and authority, and we will hear how they experience new life. Abraham and his family will boldly go in faith where no one has gone before. It is also available in original Klingon.
- Rev. Dave
Who is Jesus, Again?
June 8, 2023
We have entered the long season of Pentecost. The color of the season is green which is a symbol of new life. The seeds of the seasons of Epiphany, Lent and Easter have been sown in our hearts; this green Season after Pentecost is when the seeds grow. The lectionary (the weekly Bible lessons we hear every Sunday) for this season seeks to answer the question of who Jesus is.
Historical, non-biblical, records show that Jesus lived in the Roman occupied region of Palestine during the first third of the 1st century. Records show that he started a massive movement of people who were willing to give up their families’ religious traditions, and their belongings for him; some were willing to give up their social status, and some even were willing to give up their life for him, for his words, and the way of life he taught. Non-biblical accounts show that the martyrs of the second through early fourth century gave little regard for their own lives and claimed that they had already died (in their baptism) and, as such, they had no fear of the Roman Empire or of death. Also, those records show that as the State killed more and more followers, all the more people joined the movement. Whispers in those records ask, who is this Jesus? Why are people willing to follow him? Once again, we are going to set out on a journey together to explore the Biblical accounts of who Jesus is.
Jesus was a common name. Think of it like Joe or Joseph today. When people ask, “Who is this Jesus?” they use the word “this” to signify that they know more than one Jesus. Yet, there is one Jesus who is set apart from all the average Joe’s, if you will. Imagine the surprise of Mary and Joseph when an angel said to name him “Jesus”. In my mind’s eye, I see both Mary and Joseph thinking, Jesus, really, we know a ton of Jesus’s; why not something original like Medad or Eldad.
Speaking of names, Christ is not Jesus’ last name. His Biblical name is Jesus of Nazareth (and no, not the ‘70’s rock band but a town in northern Israel). When Peter used Jesus’ name to heal he said, “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk.” Christ is the Greek word for anointed. Messiah is the Hebrew word for anointed. St. Paul, who wrote using the title of Christ, more often than not, placed the title before his name – Christ Jesus instead of Jesus the Christ. When the New Testament was translated into Latin, there is no article (“the”) in Latin so it simply became Jesus Christ.
The first story of the lectionary in our ordinary, green, Season after Pentecost, is anything but ordinary. Jesus tells a tax collector (one of the most poorly thought of people and professions in the 1st century) to follow him, and he does! Secondly, Jesus eats with sinners – something unheard of for a religious person of Jesus’ stature. Third, when challenged on who he eats with, he quotes the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” and claims that he has not been sent to the righteous but rather the unrighteous. Fourth, a religious leader said to Jesus, “My daughter has died; lay your hands on her and she will live.” On his way to the house, an unclean woman touches him and is instantly healed. When Jesus arrives at the house, people laugh at him. And lastly, he took the girl by the hand and she got up!
Who is this Jesus? He seeks the unrighteous, he is laughed at, he healed two women (women were not given status in the 1st century); he has an ordinary name and yet he is extra-ordinary. Let’s spend the summer finding out more about this Jesus, again.
Historical, non-biblical, records show that Jesus lived in the Roman occupied region of Palestine during the first third of the 1st century. Records show that he started a massive movement of people who were willing to give up their families’ religious traditions, and their belongings for him; some were willing to give up their social status, and some even were willing to give up their life for him, for his words, and the way of life he taught. Non-biblical accounts show that the martyrs of the second through early fourth century gave little regard for their own lives and claimed that they had already died (in their baptism) and, as such, they had no fear of the Roman Empire or of death. Also, those records show that as the State killed more and more followers, all the more people joined the movement. Whispers in those records ask, who is this Jesus? Why are people willing to follow him? Once again, we are going to set out on a journey together to explore the Biblical accounts of who Jesus is.
Jesus was a common name. Think of it like Joe or Joseph today. When people ask, “Who is this Jesus?” they use the word “this” to signify that they know more than one Jesus. Yet, there is one Jesus who is set apart from all the average Joe’s, if you will. Imagine the surprise of Mary and Joseph when an angel said to name him “Jesus”. In my mind’s eye, I see both Mary and Joseph thinking, Jesus, really, we know a ton of Jesus’s; why not something original like Medad or Eldad.
Speaking of names, Christ is not Jesus’ last name. His Biblical name is Jesus of Nazareth (and no, not the ‘70’s rock band but a town in northern Israel). When Peter used Jesus’ name to heal he said, “In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, get up and walk.” Christ is the Greek word for anointed. Messiah is the Hebrew word for anointed. St. Paul, who wrote using the title of Christ, more often than not, placed the title before his name – Christ Jesus instead of Jesus the Christ. When the New Testament was translated into Latin, there is no article (“the”) in Latin so it simply became Jesus Christ.
The first story of the lectionary in our ordinary, green, Season after Pentecost, is anything but ordinary. Jesus tells a tax collector (one of the most poorly thought of people and professions in the 1st century) to follow him, and he does! Secondly, Jesus eats with sinners – something unheard of for a religious person of Jesus’ stature. Third, when challenged on who he eats with, he quotes the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” and claims that he has not been sent to the righteous but rather the unrighteous. Fourth, a religious leader said to Jesus, “My daughter has died; lay your hands on her and she will live.” On his way to the house, an unclean woman touches him and is instantly healed. When Jesus arrives at the house, people laugh at him. And lastly, he took the girl by the hand and she got up!
Who is this Jesus? He seeks the unrighteous, he is laughed at, he healed two women (women were not given status in the 1st century); he has an ordinary name and yet he is extra-ordinary. Let’s spend the summer finding out more about this Jesus, again.
Signs (The Traffic Kind)
June 1, 2023
The Church is in the communication business. As such, I am interested in road signs. They convey important (maybe even life or death) messages in the shortest way possible. The message has to be clear and understood by a wide variety of drivers – young, distracted, out-of-state, speeding, and even sleepy – in all weather conditions and every minute of every day. It’s quite a tall order, really, to do. Traffic signs are coded by size, color, and placement. That helps train the brain to quickly see the difference between a speed limit sign, a stop sign, a no-passing sign, and a street name.
Bridge Out signs have their own unique color, size and placement. They are as tall as I am, with bold black letters, on bright yellow or day-glow pink backgrounds, in the shape of a diamond (a square turned on its side). The stand to hold up a Bridge Out sign is an engineering feat. It must keep the sign up in all wind and weather conditions. The four-pronged base is usually ten feet wide and it takes two people to lift it. On Tuesday, I was headed south on Gulf of Mexico Drive when I saw a Bridge Out sign; but, it didn’t say “bridge out” (thankfully), it said Stay In Your Lane. If a sign could yell, it was yelling. I suppose the No Passing sign wasn’t doing the trick. Each car in front and behind me was dutifully remaining in a tight single-file line.
About six months ago, 62 new signs were placed along a quarter mile stretch of Gulf of Mexico Drive through Coquina Beach on the southern tip of Anna Maria Island. If you have been that way, you’ve seen them. (For my readers: sometimes I do employ a bit of hyperbole with numbers to have fun with you; but, in this case, it is actually 62 signs in a quarter mile) What could be so important that we need to be reminded of it every two car lengths down that stretch? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what it means. Here is what the sign reads: No Parking On Right Of Way.
As many of you know, I was on the Safety Commission of the City of Chula Vista (the 15th largest city in California). I know a thing are two about traffic signs, thoroughfares and right-of-ways. But, these parking signs confuse me. I get that the spirit of the sign is No Parking. I get that. But, when a conditional clause is used – on right of way – it makes the whole thing confusing to the point of irrelevance. In other words, these traffic signs failed. And failed big time; or, more to the point, 62 times. One of them actually covers up the sign that reads Scenic Highway. Isn’t that ironic. What was a beautiful and scenic highway is now cluttered up with irrelevant and confusing signs.
Not surprisingly, on Sunday (of Memorial Day weekend), the signs were completely ignored. I took a picture but it doesn’t do it justice. Drivers, half from out of state, used the signs as parallel parking markers and simply parked two cars in between each one. And, yes, if you’re following, that’s 124 cars; except for the creative drivers who backed in, perpendicular to the roadway, and got four cars in. At 2:30 on Sunday afternoon, there were drivers who were even parallel parking next to the already parallel-parked cars which blocked them in. So, all in all, there were about a million cars parked along Gulf of Mexico Drive. (See, there’s the hyperbole)
There is a sign at home that I keep on the table where I put my phone, wallet and keys. It’s the size of a business card, white background with red letters, it reads: Jesus Loves You. I found it under the windshield wiper of my car and this is where I decided to put it. Like traffic signs, it conveys a simple and direct message. There’s no theological discussion about the triune nature of God, or what the substance of Christ is, or if the Holy Spirit proceeds from or was with the other two; no, it’s simple: Jesus. Loves. You.
And that is the best sign of all.
- Rev. Dave
Bridge Out signs have their own unique color, size and placement. They are as tall as I am, with bold black letters, on bright yellow or day-glow pink backgrounds, in the shape of a diamond (a square turned on its side). The stand to hold up a Bridge Out sign is an engineering feat. It must keep the sign up in all wind and weather conditions. The four-pronged base is usually ten feet wide and it takes two people to lift it. On Tuesday, I was headed south on Gulf of Mexico Drive when I saw a Bridge Out sign; but, it didn’t say “bridge out” (thankfully), it said Stay In Your Lane. If a sign could yell, it was yelling. I suppose the No Passing sign wasn’t doing the trick. Each car in front and behind me was dutifully remaining in a tight single-file line.
About six months ago, 62 new signs were placed along a quarter mile stretch of Gulf of Mexico Drive through Coquina Beach on the southern tip of Anna Maria Island. If you have been that way, you’ve seen them. (For my readers: sometimes I do employ a bit of hyperbole with numbers to have fun with you; but, in this case, it is actually 62 signs in a quarter mile) What could be so important that we need to be reminded of it every two car lengths down that stretch? To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what it means. Here is what the sign reads: No Parking On Right Of Way.
As many of you know, I was on the Safety Commission of the City of Chula Vista (the 15th largest city in California). I know a thing are two about traffic signs, thoroughfares and right-of-ways. But, these parking signs confuse me. I get that the spirit of the sign is No Parking. I get that. But, when a conditional clause is used – on right of way – it makes the whole thing confusing to the point of irrelevance. In other words, these traffic signs failed. And failed big time; or, more to the point, 62 times. One of them actually covers up the sign that reads Scenic Highway. Isn’t that ironic. What was a beautiful and scenic highway is now cluttered up with irrelevant and confusing signs.
Not surprisingly, on Sunday (of Memorial Day weekend), the signs were completely ignored. I took a picture but it doesn’t do it justice. Drivers, half from out of state, used the signs as parallel parking markers and simply parked two cars in between each one. And, yes, if you’re following, that’s 124 cars; except for the creative drivers who backed in, perpendicular to the roadway, and got four cars in. At 2:30 on Sunday afternoon, there were drivers who were even parallel parking next to the already parallel-parked cars which blocked them in. So, all in all, there were about a million cars parked along Gulf of Mexico Drive. (See, there’s the hyperbole)
There is a sign at home that I keep on the table where I put my phone, wallet and keys. It’s the size of a business card, white background with red letters, it reads: Jesus Loves You. I found it under the windshield wiper of my car and this is where I decided to put it. Like traffic signs, it conveys a simple and direct message. There’s no theological discussion about the triune nature of God, or what the substance of Christ is, or if the Holy Spirit proceeds from or was with the other two; no, it’s simple: Jesus. Loves. You.
And that is the best sign of all.
- Rev. Dave
Celebrate!
May 25, 2023
We made it. The busy season (known as The Season) has come to a close. We made it through and I think we should celebrate. The Church calendar has us focus on what is next instead of pausing and celebrating what we’ve been through. For us at All Angels, we can celebrate the conclusion of the season. It takes a lot of work to do it, and we should pause to reflect and celebrate.
We made it through our first full post pandemic year (’22-23). In the years ’20 and ‘21 we had no idea what the future would look like. Now we do (and we should celebrate that). The experience of making it through helps us to plan the next season. There are four things we can count on. First, there is a need to continue and grow our online presence. Equally as important, there is a need to continue, and grow, our in-person experience of being a place of welcome and refreshment for folks who are here year-round, or for one weekend, or a month, or the season. Thirdly, we can count on our parishioners to continue traveling and perhaps do more traveling in the next season. Lastly, and equally as important, we can count on the fact that people need a place to connect with God and with one another. And, we can count on the Holy Spirit to continue to bless us as we make opportunities for all those connections.
We have transitioned one of our most important visible ministries – music. David Stasney is fully in charge and is breathing new life into this very important, public and performance-based ministry. He has recruited new choir members, revived the Bell Choir, and is occasionally bringing in professionals to enhance our program. We should celebrate this.
We have transitioned one of our most important invisible ministries – Altar Guild. With Jan Webb retiring as Altar Guild Director, Ginny Upshaw has taken over. We are moving ahead and I continue to see great things in the future. … most of which no one ever sees because it is the epitome of the behind-the-scenes ministry. Our financial processes – in-flow, out-flow, reporting, managing and directing – continues to impress and expand. We have more volunteers now helping the management of this vital ministry (which is also a behind-the-scenes-ministry). Sandy Wood continues to be a doer, a visionary leader, and a servant in this ministry.
In 2020, there was a point when we could only have ten people in worship which means we had to pause almost every other aspect of parish life. Of the ten people on the worship team, two were paid employees (Dale and myself), one was a retired priest; three volunteers have the last name of Marshall, and we had Ginger Shipp, Cathie Wilt, and Bob and Carol Erker. We need to celebrate the fact that we made it through the ’22-’23 season with a renewed Coffee Hour and Outreach ministries. A new group, the Party Planning Committee, has been created. The PPC has brought back the All Angels’ tradition of creating fellowship opportunities to get to know one another. We had the Fall Fling, the Annual Meeting, a St. Patrick’s Day event, Jane’s memorial, the Bishop’s coffee hour, the Spring Fling and more coming too. This too needs celebration.
I am hopeful by what I have seen and experienced this past season. I believe we will continue being good stewards of what we have been given at All Angels. We will continue the Christian tradition of connecting with God and with one another and in our mission of bringing the living Christ to those inside and outside the church. For me, and for my whole household, we give thanks for you all, and for All Angels, and for the privilege and joy to serve here. For all of this, we celebrate.
- Rev. Dave
We made it through our first full post pandemic year (’22-23). In the years ’20 and ‘21 we had no idea what the future would look like. Now we do (and we should celebrate that). The experience of making it through helps us to plan the next season. There are four things we can count on. First, there is a need to continue and grow our online presence. Equally as important, there is a need to continue, and grow, our in-person experience of being a place of welcome and refreshment for folks who are here year-round, or for one weekend, or a month, or the season. Thirdly, we can count on our parishioners to continue traveling and perhaps do more traveling in the next season. Lastly, and equally as important, we can count on the fact that people need a place to connect with God and with one another. And, we can count on the Holy Spirit to continue to bless us as we make opportunities for all those connections.
We have transitioned one of our most important visible ministries – music. David Stasney is fully in charge and is breathing new life into this very important, public and performance-based ministry. He has recruited new choir members, revived the Bell Choir, and is occasionally bringing in professionals to enhance our program. We should celebrate this.
We have transitioned one of our most important invisible ministries – Altar Guild. With Jan Webb retiring as Altar Guild Director, Ginny Upshaw has taken over. We are moving ahead and I continue to see great things in the future. … most of which no one ever sees because it is the epitome of the behind-the-scenes ministry. Our financial processes – in-flow, out-flow, reporting, managing and directing – continues to impress and expand. We have more volunteers now helping the management of this vital ministry (which is also a behind-the-scenes-ministry). Sandy Wood continues to be a doer, a visionary leader, and a servant in this ministry.
In 2020, there was a point when we could only have ten people in worship which means we had to pause almost every other aspect of parish life. Of the ten people on the worship team, two were paid employees (Dale and myself), one was a retired priest; three volunteers have the last name of Marshall, and we had Ginger Shipp, Cathie Wilt, and Bob and Carol Erker. We need to celebrate the fact that we made it through the ’22-’23 season with a renewed Coffee Hour and Outreach ministries. A new group, the Party Planning Committee, has been created. The PPC has brought back the All Angels’ tradition of creating fellowship opportunities to get to know one another. We had the Fall Fling, the Annual Meeting, a St. Patrick’s Day event, Jane’s memorial, the Bishop’s coffee hour, the Spring Fling and more coming too. This too needs celebration.
I am hopeful by what I have seen and experienced this past season. I believe we will continue being good stewards of what we have been given at All Angels. We will continue the Christian tradition of connecting with God and with one another and in our mission of bringing the living Christ to those inside and outside the church. For me, and for my whole household, we give thanks for you all, and for All Angels, and for the privilege and joy to serve here. For all of this, we celebrate.
- Rev. Dave
Snap, Crackle, Pop
May 18, 2023
There are two things I know about my voice: it is soft and it conveys the Good News of Jesus Christ. Two things I know about the congregation at All Angels: we need to have a good amplification system and we want to know more about the Good News. In both cases, you can’t have one without the other. Thankfully, with a generous donation by Jonathan Detwiler, and aided by Ward Maxum, we purchased a new audio and video recording system. During the pandemic, we added onto the system and installed six outdoor speakers.
The system is now four years old. As you probably have noticed, with greater frequency, there is occasionally a loud pop, or snap, or crackle that sounds like lightning hit the building. I have tried a number of fixes for both over-the-ear microphones and yet the problem is getting worse. The final straw was this past Sunday when it happened twice during the sermon.
If you are wondering, the snap/crackle/pop is a loose connection between the wire and the over-the-ear microphone that is just below my earlobe. The microphones are designed for the user to easily switch between a lapel microphone and the over-the-ear style. Unfortunately, that connection point has become worn by the increment of a millimeter; yet, it creates a worship-stopping noise that is not acceptable in our day and time. On Sunday, we encountered the straw that broke the preacher’s back, if you will. After Coffee Hour, I went to our Amazon Business account and purchased two new over-the-ear microphones for $250 each.
The photo (above) shows the two microphones.
The new one is on top. Can you tell a difference? Everything about the new one is bigger. Starting on the right, the microphone is twice the size, the wire is thicker, the part that goes over the ear is three times the width as the old one. But, I bet you noticed the biggest engineering change – the part that goes under the speaker’s ear lobe. No longer can one switch out the ear piece. The connection piece is now a pencil-size hard plastic reinforced cover. There is no way that connection is going to move; even 100th of a millimeter!
I am very pleased. And, I think both Jonathan and Ward are pleased too (although in heaven, where I believe both men to be, I think they can hear just fine).
There are two reasons for this Reflection: first, to let you know it’s safe to listen in church. We’re not going to hear the snap/crackle/pop anymore. Secondly, the microphones are a metaphor for the 21st century Church. This young century has taught us that we need to reinforce our ability to bring the Good News. The yearning to hear messages of love and hope is stronger now than it was in the last century; the challenge is to continue to innovate, renovate and reinforce the structures and methods and means in which we deliver the message. Your parish is innovating, renovating and reinforcing itself – for natural disasters, pandemics, economic slowdowns, and whatever else might come our way. Internally, we are decentralizing our systems and broadening the number of volunteers who can assist the functions of the church. We are continuing to raise up new volunteers and leaders to help in bringing the message of love and hope. And, we are keeping an eye on innovation and invitation. This new microphone is simply an outward sign of innovation of what is growing and developing inwardl
Lastly, I made this purchase on Mother’s Day. For all of God’s timing, would you know it; Amazon had a Mother’s Day IT sale for their business accounts. We saved $100 (25%)! For as frustrated as I was during my sermon to have the snap/crackle/pop, I can now see how that frustration helped us to innovate and renovate, and, just to show me that God’s hand was in on it, we got it on sale.
-Rev. Dave
The system is now four years old. As you probably have noticed, with greater frequency, there is occasionally a loud pop, or snap, or crackle that sounds like lightning hit the building. I have tried a number of fixes for both over-the-ear microphones and yet the problem is getting worse. The final straw was this past Sunday when it happened twice during the sermon.
If you are wondering, the snap/crackle/pop is a loose connection between the wire and the over-the-ear microphone that is just below my earlobe. The microphones are designed for the user to easily switch between a lapel microphone and the over-the-ear style. Unfortunately, that connection point has become worn by the increment of a millimeter; yet, it creates a worship-stopping noise that is not acceptable in our day and time. On Sunday, we encountered the straw that broke the preacher’s back, if you will. After Coffee Hour, I went to our Amazon Business account and purchased two new over-the-ear microphones for $250 each.
The photo (above) shows the two microphones.
The new one is on top. Can you tell a difference? Everything about the new one is bigger. Starting on the right, the microphone is twice the size, the wire is thicker, the part that goes over the ear is three times the width as the old one. But, I bet you noticed the biggest engineering change – the part that goes under the speaker’s ear lobe. No longer can one switch out the ear piece. The connection piece is now a pencil-size hard plastic reinforced cover. There is no way that connection is going to move; even 100th of a millimeter!
I am very pleased. And, I think both Jonathan and Ward are pleased too (although in heaven, where I believe both men to be, I think they can hear just fine).
There are two reasons for this Reflection: first, to let you know it’s safe to listen in church. We’re not going to hear the snap/crackle/pop anymore. Secondly, the microphones are a metaphor for the 21st century Church. This young century has taught us that we need to reinforce our ability to bring the Good News. The yearning to hear messages of love and hope is stronger now than it was in the last century; the challenge is to continue to innovate, renovate and reinforce the structures and methods and means in which we deliver the message. Your parish is innovating, renovating and reinforcing itself – for natural disasters, pandemics, economic slowdowns, and whatever else might come our way. Internally, we are decentralizing our systems and broadening the number of volunteers who can assist the functions of the church. We are continuing to raise up new volunteers and leaders to help in bringing the message of love and hope. And, we are keeping an eye on innovation and invitation. This new microphone is simply an outward sign of innovation of what is growing and developing inwardl
Lastly, I made this purchase on Mother’s Day. For all of God’s timing, would you know it; Amazon had a Mother’s Day IT sale for their business accounts. We saved $100 (25%)! For as frustrated as I was during my sermon to have the snap/crackle/pop, I can now see how that frustration helped us to innovate and renovate, and, just to show me that God’s hand was in on it, we got it on sale.
-Rev. Dave
Trinitarian Voice
May 11, 2023
There are some folks in the congregation who have been asking me to write up my Sunday messages so they can have a copy.
I have learned that saying yes to that request is much easier said than done. This Reflection is about a theological discovery I had during the process of converting a sermon to written form.
I have been working on my writing voice since seminary. More than a writing style, a writing voice is the way the reader hears the written word; like the writer is speaking to you. It takes a lot of writing to develop one’s voice and I’d like to think I am well on my way.
This past Monday, I was pleased to see that the technology worked and my sermon was converted into written form. I was pleased and utterly shocked – shocked that the technology actually worked and shocked at how different my preaching voice is from my written voice. I know the sermon well, and remember delivering it; but, in written form, it felt like it came from a different person. It made me wonder how I am able to have two different communication styles but remain the same person.
I have been pondering how a person can have two vastly different voices and remain the same person. Then, while I was talking with various business leaders in our community – some who I met for the first time and others I have been getting to know during my weekly business networking group – a light bulb turned on inside my head. It dawned on me that my conversational voice is different than my writing and preaching voice; vastly different. Yet, it’s all from the same person, like the Trinity.
One of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith is that of the Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Or, as found in Scripture – the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. This Trinity is one of the first things you hear at any Sunday service with words something like this: through Jesus Christ who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
We believe two things: there is one God and God has three distinct personhoods, faces, identities and actions. Unlike polytheistic belief systems with a variety of gods that have a sort of push and pull relationship with one another, we have a monotheistic faith – one God. We believe the three distinctive images of God are in complete unity, synergy and relationship with one another.
After reading my preaching voice, I think I am a step closer to understanding the Trinity. I have three distinct voices – writing, preaching and conversational – but one personhood. Here’s another way to look at it. I have a friend, she holds a public office, and she is a lector at church. The “voice” she uses during a public meeting is different than the voice she uses at church and is different than the voice she uses when we’re relaxing at lunch. Yet, she’s the same person. She’s also a mom, a grandmother and a wife. I imagine those are different voices too, but, the same person that I call friend. This is how I see it with God – there are many voices, or personhoods of God, but there is one God. And, one of those voices I call friend.
-Rev. Dave
I have learned that saying yes to that request is much easier said than done. This Reflection is about a theological discovery I had during the process of converting a sermon to written form.
I have been working on my writing voice since seminary. More than a writing style, a writing voice is the way the reader hears the written word; like the writer is speaking to you. It takes a lot of writing to develop one’s voice and I’d like to think I am well on my way.
This past Monday, I was pleased to see that the technology worked and my sermon was converted into written form. I was pleased and utterly shocked – shocked that the technology actually worked and shocked at how different my preaching voice is from my written voice. I know the sermon well, and remember delivering it; but, in written form, it felt like it came from a different person. It made me wonder how I am able to have two different communication styles but remain the same person.
I have been pondering how a person can have two vastly different voices and remain the same person. Then, while I was talking with various business leaders in our community – some who I met for the first time and others I have been getting to know during my weekly business networking group – a light bulb turned on inside my head. It dawned on me that my conversational voice is different than my writing and preaching voice; vastly different. Yet, it’s all from the same person, like the Trinity.
One of the greatest mysteries of the Christian faith is that of the Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Or, as found in Scripture – the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. This Trinity is one of the first things you hear at any Sunday service with words something like this: through Jesus Christ who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
We believe two things: there is one God and God has three distinct personhoods, faces, identities and actions. Unlike polytheistic belief systems with a variety of gods that have a sort of push and pull relationship with one another, we have a monotheistic faith – one God. We believe the three distinctive images of God are in complete unity, synergy and relationship with one another.
After reading my preaching voice, I think I am a step closer to understanding the Trinity. I have three distinct voices – writing, preaching and conversational – but one personhood. Here’s another way to look at it. I have a friend, she holds a public office, and she is a lector at church. The “voice” she uses during a public meeting is different than the voice she uses at church and is different than the voice she uses when we’re relaxing at lunch. Yet, she’s the same person. She’s also a mom, a grandmother and a wife. I imagine those are different voices too, but, the same person that I call friend. This is how I see it with God – there are many voices, or personhoods of God, but there is one God. And, one of those voices I call friend.
-Rev. Dave
A Place of Comfort
May 4, 2023
I’d like to share something with you from the article How to Deal with A.I. Grief written by NYU professor Suzy Welch. She wrote the following:
Evolutionary psychologists have been telling us for years that we don’t live in the world our brains were designed for. Research suggests that people function optimally in communities of around 60 to 100 — roughly the size of the first tribes on the African plains. That’s about all the input and output we can take, in terms of talking, listening, nurturing, managing, predicting and leading. Think about the number of images, ideas, requests, demands, feelings and noise poured into your head daily. It’s not 60; it’s probably closer to a multiple of 100.
I think she’s wrong. The amount of images/ideas/requests/opinions/ feelings/noise that is poured into us is way more than the number she suggested. Just think about the number of bumper stickers, billboards, and print advertisements you’ve seen today. And that’s barely scratching the surface.
A NY Times article from 2009 stated the following:
The average American consumes about 34 gigabytes of data and information each day; an increase of about 350% since 1980; consisting of 100,000 words, both in print and on the Web as well as those heard on television and the radio; and most of these experiences happen simultaneously, like talking on the phone while checking email while watching TV. Overall, information consumption is increasing 6% a year.
A 6% increase over a 14-year period means that we are now daily consuming 76 gigabytes of data! Professor Welch wrote, “Technology will change the world in ways that take us even further away from our brain’s design. No wonder life feels so overwhelming.”
Humans have been through a period like this before. The first Information Age was in the 7th century. The rise of technology, industry, education and a shared economic system made it so that people in that era were getting burned out by the rapid pace of society. The asceticism movement provided an answer to those who wanted to unplug from a rapidly evolving world. This movement can be traced through all the major world religions from the 7th to the 9th century. In our Christian tradition, we see the rise of monasteries during that time period; but, we were not the only ones doing it and, to be frank, it wasn’t even our tradition – it was an ancient Jewish ascetic practice from around the 3rd century BC that John the Baptist (and probably Jesus) participated in during the 1st century AD.
There are two basic forms of asceticism – natural and unnatural. Natural asceticism is reducing one’s life to simple clothing, a simple diet, and getting rid of stresses and distractions. Unnatural asceticism is punishing one’s own body to the extreme which includes sleeping on a bed of nails.
I am not advocating asceticism. My life, my diet, my clothing choices are not simple nor am I taking steps to make them simple. But, I know the importance of having a date night, of going out on the boat, singing along to music, floating on the pool, taking a bike ride and fishing. It’s a simple way of turning off the firehose of data and information and just being.
Here is where All Angels fits into this. Professor Welch recommends to her students that they find a small community that offers the “natural peace” the world doesn’t; a church, a club, a volunteer organization. These communities are not the cure for what ails us but a comfort and treatment. There is no way All Angels can stop the flow of information, and disinformation, we are bombarded with every day which is apparently increasing at 6% a year. We are living in a society our brains were not designed for. We can’t fix that; but, this church is a place of comfort and treatment for those worn out by everyday living.
-Rev. Dave
Evolutionary psychologists have been telling us for years that we don’t live in the world our brains were designed for. Research suggests that people function optimally in communities of around 60 to 100 — roughly the size of the first tribes on the African plains. That’s about all the input and output we can take, in terms of talking, listening, nurturing, managing, predicting and leading. Think about the number of images, ideas, requests, demands, feelings and noise poured into your head daily. It’s not 60; it’s probably closer to a multiple of 100.
I think she’s wrong. The amount of images/ideas/requests/opinions/ feelings/noise that is poured into us is way more than the number she suggested. Just think about the number of bumper stickers, billboards, and print advertisements you’ve seen today. And that’s barely scratching the surface.
A NY Times article from 2009 stated the following:
The average American consumes about 34 gigabytes of data and information each day; an increase of about 350% since 1980; consisting of 100,000 words, both in print and on the Web as well as those heard on television and the radio; and most of these experiences happen simultaneously, like talking on the phone while checking email while watching TV. Overall, information consumption is increasing 6% a year.
A 6% increase over a 14-year period means that we are now daily consuming 76 gigabytes of data! Professor Welch wrote, “Technology will change the world in ways that take us even further away from our brain’s design. No wonder life feels so overwhelming.”
Humans have been through a period like this before. The first Information Age was in the 7th century. The rise of technology, industry, education and a shared economic system made it so that people in that era were getting burned out by the rapid pace of society. The asceticism movement provided an answer to those who wanted to unplug from a rapidly evolving world. This movement can be traced through all the major world religions from the 7th to the 9th century. In our Christian tradition, we see the rise of monasteries during that time period; but, we were not the only ones doing it and, to be frank, it wasn’t even our tradition – it was an ancient Jewish ascetic practice from around the 3rd century BC that John the Baptist (and probably Jesus) participated in during the 1st century AD.
There are two basic forms of asceticism – natural and unnatural. Natural asceticism is reducing one’s life to simple clothing, a simple diet, and getting rid of stresses and distractions. Unnatural asceticism is punishing one’s own body to the extreme which includes sleeping on a bed of nails.
I am not advocating asceticism. My life, my diet, my clothing choices are not simple nor am I taking steps to make them simple. But, I know the importance of having a date night, of going out on the boat, singing along to music, floating on the pool, taking a bike ride and fishing. It’s a simple way of turning off the firehose of data and information and just being.
Here is where All Angels fits into this. Professor Welch recommends to her students that they find a small community that offers the “natural peace” the world doesn’t; a church, a club, a volunteer organization. These communities are not the cure for what ails us but a comfort and treatment. There is no way All Angels can stop the flow of information, and disinformation, we are bombarded with every day which is apparently increasing at 6% a year. We are living in a society our brains were not designed for. We can’t fix that; but, this church is a place of comfort and treatment for those worn out by everyday living.
-Rev. Dave
Birthday Grace
April 27, 2023
One of the most difficult parts of the Christian faith to understand (or explain) is the concept of grace. It is also the foundation of our belief and why we call the Good News good news. In this article, I am not referring to “grace” as a blessing before a meal. I am writing to you about the grace of God. Some theologians capitalize “grace” to indicate the difference. But, this author doesn’t want to add confusing punctuation into an already difficult theological discussion so I will write it with lower case.
So what is grace? It is God’s gift of love, mercy, and forgiveness. It’s a gift because it is given. The gift is unmerited, unearned, undeserved, non-transferable, non-refundable and given to all. A gift is free to the recipient but not to the giver. It’s also a gift because the recipient does not have to accept it. Lastly, unlike modern-day gifts which can be re-gifted, returned, or refunded, God’s grace is only for the recipient and thus cannot be re-anything-ed. It can be unused, unopened and ignored but it cannot be returned. It is a gift that waits patiently to be received. Like love, it is not arrogant or rude; this gift does not insist on its own way; but rather it is patient and endures all things.
God’s grace of love, mercy and forgiveness is given because it is the nature of God. God’s grace is God. And yes, God is incomprehensible, hidden, and is inaccessible light. God is creator. God is also redeemer and sustainer. God is unfathomably huge, in other words, but, God’s nature can be slightly grasped by understanding that God is love, mercy and forgiveness.
If you are thinking that this grace thing sounds an awful lot like Jesus, you are on the right track. Jesus is the embodiment, the incarnation, the living-out, the proof, the hands and feet and voice of God’s grace. Everything Jesus did was out of love, mercy and forgiveness. … except for the walking on water thing, that may have been for a different reason which is still beyond our understanding. Or, because he is God’s grace, which is a gift that can be left behind or ignored, he may have arranged for water transportation but the captain decided to leave without him so he took off on his own to catch up with the disciples; which then, would mean Jesus walked on water because of love and presented (gifted) himself to his followers.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he did not leave us orphaned but gave us the Holy Spirit; which is also a gift, which is also love, mercy and forgiveness. That Spirit is still with us today. That Spirit of love, mercy and forgiveness is felt by many at All Angels – online, on the campus, and most especially with the people. In other words, All Angels is also a gift.
I have avoided writing about the “uns” of grace. The gift is unmerited, unearned, undeserved. This is the aspect of grace that sets us – The Way or Christianity – apart from the other major world religions. Unlike a merit badge in scouting, we – all of humanity and specifically you and me – did no merit-based action to receive God’s grace. We all have worked for a living and earned a wage. We did nothing to earn grace. King Charles was born into royalty. By the mere fact that he outlived his mother, he is deservedly king. Yet, he did nothing to deserve God’s grace. None of us have done, could do, or can do, anything to deserve God’s love, mercy and forgiveness. It is not a birthright, or a right of gender, of status, of accolade, of citizenship, of education, of beauty, strength or wealth, or of poverty, fasting, self-denial or of low estate. It is a gift, to you, to me, to everyone.
I just celebrated another anniversary of my birth. I received many wonderful cards, notes, hugs, gifts and texts. I had little to nothing to do with my birth. My mom, on the other hand, had a lot to do with it. Yet, I’m the one who gets the congratulations, cards and gifts (and yes, key lime pie too). If you are having difficulty with the concept of God’s grace, try thinking about your favorite birthday ever. Did you deserve it? Earn it? Or, was it a gift simply because you were born and are loved. That is God’s grace. God loves you, God forgives you; not because you deserve it; God loves you because God is love – incomprehensible, invisible, unresting, unhasting, not wanting, not wasting, unending Love. And that is Good News.
-Rev. Dave
So what is grace? It is God’s gift of love, mercy, and forgiveness. It’s a gift because it is given. The gift is unmerited, unearned, undeserved, non-transferable, non-refundable and given to all. A gift is free to the recipient but not to the giver. It’s also a gift because the recipient does not have to accept it. Lastly, unlike modern-day gifts which can be re-gifted, returned, or refunded, God’s grace is only for the recipient and thus cannot be re-anything-ed. It can be unused, unopened and ignored but it cannot be returned. It is a gift that waits patiently to be received. Like love, it is not arrogant or rude; this gift does not insist on its own way; but rather it is patient and endures all things.
God’s grace of love, mercy and forgiveness is given because it is the nature of God. God’s grace is God. And yes, God is incomprehensible, hidden, and is inaccessible light. God is creator. God is also redeemer and sustainer. God is unfathomably huge, in other words, but, God’s nature can be slightly grasped by understanding that God is love, mercy and forgiveness.
If you are thinking that this grace thing sounds an awful lot like Jesus, you are on the right track. Jesus is the embodiment, the incarnation, the living-out, the proof, the hands and feet and voice of God’s grace. Everything Jesus did was out of love, mercy and forgiveness. … except for the walking on water thing, that may have been for a different reason which is still beyond our understanding. Or, because he is God’s grace, which is a gift that can be left behind or ignored, he may have arranged for water transportation but the captain decided to leave without him so he took off on his own to catch up with the disciples; which then, would mean Jesus walked on water because of love and presented (gifted) himself to his followers.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he did not leave us orphaned but gave us the Holy Spirit; which is also a gift, which is also love, mercy and forgiveness. That Spirit is still with us today. That Spirit of love, mercy and forgiveness is felt by many at All Angels – online, on the campus, and most especially with the people. In other words, All Angels is also a gift.
I have avoided writing about the “uns” of grace. The gift is unmerited, unearned, undeserved. This is the aspect of grace that sets us – The Way or Christianity – apart from the other major world religions. Unlike a merit badge in scouting, we – all of humanity and specifically you and me – did no merit-based action to receive God’s grace. We all have worked for a living and earned a wage. We did nothing to earn grace. King Charles was born into royalty. By the mere fact that he outlived his mother, he is deservedly king. Yet, he did nothing to deserve God’s grace. None of us have done, could do, or can do, anything to deserve God’s love, mercy and forgiveness. It is not a birthright, or a right of gender, of status, of accolade, of citizenship, of education, of beauty, strength or wealth, or of poverty, fasting, self-denial or of low estate. It is a gift, to you, to me, to everyone.
I just celebrated another anniversary of my birth. I received many wonderful cards, notes, hugs, gifts and texts. I had little to nothing to do with my birth. My mom, on the other hand, had a lot to do with it. Yet, I’m the one who gets the congratulations, cards and gifts (and yes, key lime pie too). If you are having difficulty with the concept of God’s grace, try thinking about your favorite birthday ever. Did you deserve it? Earn it? Or, was it a gift simply because you were born and are loved. That is God’s grace. God loves you, God forgives you; not because you deserve it; God loves you because God is love – incomprehensible, invisible, unresting, unhasting, not wanting, not wasting, unending Love. And that is Good News.
-Rev. Dave
The First
April 20, 2023
There has been a lot of news lately about free speech. I am quite concerned about (the Wall Street Journal reporter) Evan Gershkovich’s arrest in Russia. The Journal ran a story this week stating that a world-wide record number of journalists were arrested in 2022; the highest number of detainees held were in Iran, China and Myanmar.
Free speech is both a foundation of our country and something we easily take for granted. At the beach last week, I saw a shirtless man, who really should have put on sunscreen before spending the day under the sun, wearing swim shorts that resembled the American flag. Personally, I don’t like clothes that mimic the flag. But, that sunburned man has every right to wear them. Freedom of expression, assembly and speech are so important for Americans that we tend to overlook how blessed and unique we are. Evan’s arrest has reminded me of just how important the 1st Amendment is. Yet, with something as ingrained in our culture as free speech, it’s easy for us to presuppose its permanence. That presupposition comes at great peril.
There is a wide gulf between being able to freely discuss and express oneself and agreeing with everything that is being expressed. It’s my opinion that the Kremlin didn’t like what Evan had written, or was going to write, so they arrested him. Likewise, in other countries, it would appear the governing powers must agree with what the citizenry is saying or there will be problems. But, for us, we distinctly hold that free speech is not hinged to agreeing on what is said or expressed.
There are two weekly discussion groups at All Angels. It is an open forum to listen and speak on a variety of topics – usually pretty controversial ones. There are two rules as follows: each person will have the opportunity to speak; everyone has the obligation to listen. But, we do not have to agree. In fact, the best discussions are the ones in which we do not all agree but leave as friends and, frankly, more educated about a particular topic and various points of view.
A church member, Anne Roberts, sent me an open letter from Havidan Rodriguez, President of the University of Albany – where she was a professor – addressing the importance of having challenging conversations about free speech. He wrote that free speech is the “foundation of the inquiry, scholarship and debate that define the power of higher education. Without it, we could not develop critical thinking; engage in spirited discussions about controversial issues; or express the diversity of ideas that characterize our communities.” President Rodriquez wrote that free speech takes work, commitment and our responsibility to protect the rights of those with whom we agree and those with whom we might vehemently disagree. Protecting our rights also means we must protect the rights of others. He concluded with this: “We do not need to agree in order to co-exist as neighbors, classmates and colleagues. We can embrace our diversity of thought and expression while also treating each other with dignity and respect.”
The Anglican Communion, and our American corner of it, The Episcopal Church, identify as people of common prayer. We believe in prayer and we believe in praying together. Our common prayer does not dictate that we first agree on everything – politically, socially or even theologically. We believe in the importance of gathering, praying, and serving the world in Jesus’ name. We do not believe in agreeing on everything. … if we did it would be a very small Church.
If a sunburned man showed up at church wearing shorts that looked like the American flag, we would welcome him as we welcome others. After all, I don’t have to agree with his clothing choices in order to be in common prayer. And he doesn’t have to agree with my clothing choices either.
-Rev. Dave
Free speech is both a foundation of our country and something we easily take for granted. At the beach last week, I saw a shirtless man, who really should have put on sunscreen before spending the day under the sun, wearing swim shorts that resembled the American flag. Personally, I don’t like clothes that mimic the flag. But, that sunburned man has every right to wear them. Freedom of expression, assembly and speech are so important for Americans that we tend to overlook how blessed and unique we are. Evan’s arrest has reminded me of just how important the 1st Amendment is. Yet, with something as ingrained in our culture as free speech, it’s easy for us to presuppose its permanence. That presupposition comes at great peril.
There is a wide gulf between being able to freely discuss and express oneself and agreeing with everything that is being expressed. It’s my opinion that the Kremlin didn’t like what Evan had written, or was going to write, so they arrested him. Likewise, in other countries, it would appear the governing powers must agree with what the citizenry is saying or there will be problems. But, for us, we distinctly hold that free speech is not hinged to agreeing on what is said or expressed.
There are two weekly discussion groups at All Angels. It is an open forum to listen and speak on a variety of topics – usually pretty controversial ones. There are two rules as follows: each person will have the opportunity to speak; everyone has the obligation to listen. But, we do not have to agree. In fact, the best discussions are the ones in which we do not all agree but leave as friends and, frankly, more educated about a particular topic and various points of view.
A church member, Anne Roberts, sent me an open letter from Havidan Rodriguez, President of the University of Albany – where she was a professor – addressing the importance of having challenging conversations about free speech. He wrote that free speech is the “foundation of the inquiry, scholarship and debate that define the power of higher education. Without it, we could not develop critical thinking; engage in spirited discussions about controversial issues; or express the diversity of ideas that characterize our communities.” President Rodriquez wrote that free speech takes work, commitment and our responsibility to protect the rights of those with whom we agree and those with whom we might vehemently disagree. Protecting our rights also means we must protect the rights of others. He concluded with this: “We do not need to agree in order to co-exist as neighbors, classmates and colleagues. We can embrace our diversity of thought and expression while also treating each other with dignity and respect.”
The Anglican Communion, and our American corner of it, The Episcopal Church, identify as people of common prayer. We believe in prayer and we believe in praying together. Our common prayer does not dictate that we first agree on everything – politically, socially or even theologically. We believe in the importance of gathering, praying, and serving the world in Jesus’ name. We do not believe in agreeing on everything. … if we did it would be a very small Church.
If a sunburned man showed up at church wearing shorts that looked like the American flag, we would welcome him as we welcome others. After all, I don’t have to agree with his clothing choices in order to be in common prayer. And he doesn’t have to agree with my clothing choices either.
-Rev. Dave