Last night we in Lake Luzerne had our annual Thanksgiving service at the Hadley-Luzerne Wesleyan Church, and it was a festive, sometimes rollicking, sometimes thoughtful, service. The Community Choir sang "We Give Thanks" -- and it was good to be singing together in worship again. I'd been away from the Community Choir for awhile, as I served churches in other communities, but I'll lend my voice (tenor this time, usually alto) to the choir for the Christmas Concert on Dec. 5.
I keep thinking of Dan Berggren's song "Alice" about Alice who started a community chorus up in the north country -- Dan's from Minerva, so it was somewhere thereabouts. It was Alice's conviction that anybody could "sing along" and the world would be a better place. I agree.
We have fun in community choir. Randy, the director, is a genuine character with a somewhat wacky sense of humor, and the choir responds accordingly. But we also work hard -- and the work pays off. Our concerts are always well done, presented with faith hope and love, and also well-received.
This year the cantata is a modern one called "The Star Still Shines." But it doesn't matter a whole lot what the music is as long as it's faith-full, has some traditional and some contemporary aspects, and expresses a simple but profound faith. That's pretty much what our community choir is about -- that, and blending our voices together in a harmonious whole -- something from which our society -- in particular, our political process -- could take lessons!
In order to sing in harmony, each singer, and each vocal part, needs to listen to all the others and hear how all the parts fit together. If they don't fit together, we have to do more listening, practice, and then keep trying again until they do. The best singers in the world don't necessarily make the best CHORAL singers. Instead, those who can keep on tune and learn to blend together make the best music together. This is a good lesson for life, too.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Rally
I left with some trepidation. After all, I am not a twenty-something. I remember when Eisenhower was president (well, I don't remember all that much, but I do remember that he was president. My brother and I had two turtles, named Ike and Dick...). Not only am I not young, normally I don't like crowds. And since I've been having trouble with sciatica, walking isn't as much fun as it used to be, and I knew there would be a lot of walking. It seemed to me that the very fact that I, at my age, was off to a Rally to Restore Sanity meant that I really needed my sanity restored.
I came back home tired, with sore feet and back, flaring sciatica, but full of hope. The whole experience was, as the kids say, AWESOME! Stewart and Colbert outdid themselves, as did everyone else connected with the event.
We left Albany, NY, by bus, somewhere around midnight. The buses were chartered by Northeast Public Radio, WAMC (my friend Val and I won the trip as promotion for donations during the fall fund drive), and there were six buses of WAMC members and staff. We arrived in Washington, DC, near the Lincoln Memorial, at about 7:00 am. I got some great pictures of the Washington Monument at sunrise. We stayed there, waiting for the rest room to open, until a little after 8:00.
The whole group of WAMC folks, including President and CEO Alan Chartock and my favorite radio personality Joe Donahue, assembled on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for pictures. Somebody had a banjo, and we all sang the telephone number song from fund drives, and then a bit of "This Land is Your Land" before we all went off on our own to explore the National Mall. Some folks went to museums. Val and I took pictures as we strolled our way down the Mall.
The crowd was growing and growing. At about 9:30 we settled on a spot on stage left, to the side and a bit behind the Jumbotron and waited there for the festivities to begin.
The CBS estimate of attendance is "over 200,000." However many of us there were, everyone was well-behaved and polite. It was hard going trying to leave the Mall (Val and I, trying to get up to the Lincoln Memorial end in time for the buses'departure scheduled for 4:30 ...) but even then, everybody was polite. Amazing!
The only mishaps as far as we were concerned: Val left her brand new 3-legged stool on a bench somewhere beyond the Washington Monument, and when she went back to it maybe ten minutes later, it was gone. And somewhere I lost my pedometer, which had been clipped onto my jeans.
Did I say it was awesome? the signs were wonderful ... the music was great ... and the crowd was all ages. Someone reported we were "predominantly ages 18-39" and that might be accurate. But there were plenty of folks in our 40s, 50s, and 60s, and some that I daresay were in their 70s (the ones I look at and say, "Ah. Older than I am."
Herein lies my hope: so many people ostensibly advocating and actually demonstrating "reasonableness" -- and people of all ages coming together in peace, hope, and humor. Some of us found ourselves explaining to the young folks in our midst about Father Guido Sarducci and Kareem Abdul Jabbar and a few other references. The youngsters thanked us! When Kareem came out, I remarked to Val "I wonder how many in this crowd remember what his name was before" but there would have been a good number, I'm confident. I don't know whether the crowd was an accurate microcosm of America race-wise, but there were enough people of color there that it was obvious it wasn't a "whites only" event. People with disabilities were represented, and people of all genders and sexual orientations. One almost universal: of those not wearing costumes, almost everyone else was in jeans.
Since arriving home at 2:00 Sunday morning, I've looked at a lot of pictures of the Rally, laughed at some of the signs I missed on Saturday, and read commentaries on the event. Those who were surprised at Jon Stewart's serious statement at the conclusion of the Rally have missed some of his interviews, during which he often asks serious, probing questions. And those who think his main point was criticism ONLY of "cable media" or even media in general, missed his critique of the parody of democracy our political discourse and process have become.
Some of my favorite "sound bites" from Jon's statement:
"... we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies."
"If we amplify everything we hear nothing."
About the cars funneling into the tunnel: "Concession by concession. You go. Then I'll go. You go. Then I'll go..."
"Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the promised land. Sometimes it's just New Jersey. But we do it anyway, together."
Jon's point about the media is that the unhealthy things, the bad things, the lousy things about us are magnified by our "24-hour political pundit perpetual panic conflictinator" while the good things seem not to exist, even though we Americans live with the good as well as the bad every day of our lives.
Somebody has written that if things really turned around as Jon would have them according to his closing statement on Saturday afternoon, he'd be out of a job. Sure. And if everyone took Micah's advice "to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God," and Jesus' command to love one another, even to "love your enemies," then I -- and every other minister, rabbi, imam and other religious leader would be out of a job, too. I pray for that day to come, even though I know that the chances of it happening mean that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and all of my colleagues of whatever religious stripes will not have to find themselves another line of work.
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or fear (sorry I haven't done Stephen Colbert justice in this blog -- maybe another time.) He was also awesome, in character, and he definitely sings better than Jon. He also managed to let Jon have the last word, seriously, without interjecting his own often rather insane brand of humor.
From the opening music of the Roots (my only criticism, that opening sequence was rather too long!) to (good grief!) 84-year-old Tony Bennett, the entertainment by Stewart and Colbert's guests was just what the crowd needed. There wasn't much room for dancing on the Mall, but most of us managed to move with the beat anyway.
The experience was, how can I say it? Ah. AWESOME.
I came back home tired, with sore feet and back, flaring sciatica, but full of hope. The whole experience was, as the kids say, AWESOME! Stewart and Colbert outdid themselves, as did everyone else connected with the event.
We left Albany, NY, by bus, somewhere around midnight. The buses were chartered by Northeast Public Radio, WAMC (my friend Val and I won the trip as promotion for donations during the fall fund drive), and there were six buses of WAMC members and staff. We arrived in Washington, DC, near the Lincoln Memorial, at about 7:00 am. I got some great pictures of the Washington Monument at sunrise. We stayed there, waiting for the rest room to open, until a little after 8:00.
The whole group of WAMC folks, including President and CEO Alan Chartock and my favorite radio personality Joe Donahue, assembled on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for pictures. Somebody had a banjo, and we all sang the telephone number song from fund drives, and then a bit of "This Land is Your Land" before we all went off on our own to explore the National Mall. Some folks went to museums. Val and I took pictures as we strolled our way down the Mall.
The crowd was growing and growing. At about 9:30 we settled on a spot on stage left, to the side and a bit behind the Jumbotron and waited there for the festivities to begin.
The CBS estimate of attendance is "over 200,000." However many of us there were, everyone was well-behaved and polite. It was hard going trying to leave the Mall (Val and I, trying to get up to the Lincoln Memorial end in time for the buses'departure scheduled for 4:30 ...) but even then, everybody was polite. Amazing!
The only mishaps as far as we were concerned: Val left her brand new 3-legged stool on a bench somewhere beyond the Washington Monument, and when she went back to it maybe ten minutes later, it was gone. And somewhere I lost my pedometer, which had been clipped onto my jeans.
Did I say it was awesome? the signs were wonderful ... the music was great ... and the crowd was all ages. Someone reported we were "predominantly ages 18-39" and that might be accurate. But there were plenty of folks in our 40s, 50s, and 60s, and some that I daresay were in their 70s (the ones I look at and say, "Ah. Older than I am."
Herein lies my hope: so many people ostensibly advocating and actually demonstrating "reasonableness" -- and people of all ages coming together in peace, hope, and humor. Some of us found ourselves explaining to the young folks in our midst about Father Guido Sarducci and Kareem Abdul Jabbar and a few other references. The youngsters thanked us! When Kareem came out, I remarked to Val "I wonder how many in this crowd remember what his name was before" but there would have been a good number, I'm confident. I don't know whether the crowd was an accurate microcosm of America race-wise, but there were enough people of color there that it was obvious it wasn't a "whites only" event. People with disabilities were represented, and people of all genders and sexual orientations. One almost universal: of those not wearing costumes, almost everyone else was in jeans.
Since arriving home at 2:00 Sunday morning, I've looked at a lot of pictures of the Rally, laughed at some of the signs I missed on Saturday, and read commentaries on the event. Those who were surprised at Jon Stewart's serious statement at the conclusion of the Rally have missed some of his interviews, during which he often asks serious, probing questions. And those who think his main point was criticism ONLY of "cable media" or even media in general, missed his critique of the parody of democracy our political discourse and process have become.
Some of my favorite "sound bites" from Jon's statement:
"... we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus and not be enemies."
"If we amplify everything we hear nothing."
About the cars funneling into the tunnel: "Concession by concession. You go. Then I'll go. You go. Then I'll go..."
"Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the promised land. Sometimes it's just New Jersey. But we do it anyway, together."
Jon's point about the media is that the unhealthy things, the bad things, the lousy things about us are magnified by our "24-hour political pundit perpetual panic conflictinator" while the good things seem not to exist, even though we Americans live with the good as well as the bad every day of our lives.
Somebody has written that if things really turned around as Jon would have them according to his closing statement on Saturday afternoon, he'd be out of a job. Sure. And if everyone took Micah's advice "to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God," and Jesus' command to love one another, even to "love your enemies," then I -- and every other minister, rabbi, imam and other religious leader would be out of a job, too. I pray for that day to come, even though I know that the chances of it happening mean that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and all of my colleagues of whatever religious stripes will not have to find themselves another line of work.
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or fear (sorry I haven't done Stephen Colbert justice in this blog -- maybe another time.) He was also awesome, in character, and he definitely sings better than Jon. He also managed to let Jon have the last word, seriously, without interjecting his own often rather insane brand of humor.
From the opening music of the Roots (my only criticism, that opening sequence was rather too long!) to (good grief!) 84-year-old Tony Bennett, the entertainment by Stewart and Colbert's guests was just what the crowd needed. There wasn't much room for dancing on the Mall, but most of us managed to move with the beat anyway.
The experience was, how can I say it? Ah. AWESOME.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Campaign Fatigue
I am getting really tired of all the campaign ads on tv. I tend to "mute" them. I started by using the mute button on those who were advertizing the rivals of those candidates I know I favor. By now, two weeks before the election, I'm muting them all.
I'm wondering just when it became not only accepted but de rigeur to lie about someone from the other party. I know I often knew I was being lied to during the George W. Bush years when one or another politician would say "We never linked 9/11 with Iraq" or the like -- things that were refuted by videotapes of what I had watched live just months before. But it's gotten out of hand. If it's not an outright lie, it's a misinterpretation of something the interpretation of which should be without question. Reference for example President Obama's birthplace, and his self-identification as a Christian.
I keep waiting for, hoping for, SOMEONE to say to his or her rival, "That's a LIE." Now, of course some have said that -- but it also comes from people who SAY "That's a LIE" when they're accused of saying something that I heard them plainly say! Sometimes I think politicians are bent on making me think I'm crazy.
So I will be VERY happy to go to the polls on Nov. 2 and then have it over and done with. I do have little patience with those -- even my close friends -- who say they won't vote at all because of their disgust with most politicians. If you don't like either candidate for an office, and there's a third party with whom you find agreement, vote for the third-party candidate. If there isn't a third party candidate, try to choose the one who has a couple of issues on which you agree, and vote for that one even if he/she has done or said some things you don't like. Not voting is making a choice -- and letting others choose for you. So vote. We'll get through this campaign season somehow. I trust.
I'm wondering just when it became not only accepted but de rigeur to lie about someone from the other party. I know I often knew I was being lied to during the George W. Bush years when one or another politician would say "We never linked 9/11 with Iraq" or the like -- things that were refuted by videotapes of what I had watched live just months before. But it's gotten out of hand. If it's not an outright lie, it's a misinterpretation of something the interpretation of which should be without question. Reference for example President Obama's birthplace, and his self-identification as a Christian.
I keep waiting for, hoping for, SOMEONE to say to his or her rival, "That's a LIE." Now, of course some have said that -- but it also comes from people who SAY "That's a LIE" when they're accused of saying something that I heard them plainly say! Sometimes I think politicians are bent on making me think I'm crazy.
So I will be VERY happy to go to the polls on Nov. 2 and then have it over and done with. I do have little patience with those -- even my close friends -- who say they won't vote at all because of their disgust with most politicians. If you don't like either candidate for an office, and there's a third party with whom you find agreement, vote for the third-party candidate. If there isn't a third party candidate, try to choose the one who has a couple of issues on which you agree, and vote for that one even if he/she has done or said some things you don't like. Not voting is making a choice -- and letting others choose for you. So vote. We'll get through this campaign season somehow. I trust.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Blogger Friends
I have a few blogs that I read semi-regularly, and two I want to recommend especially. Neither one writes every day, but they both write often enough so that I can keep up with at least some of what they are doing and thinking. Both are pastors, one an American Baptist and the other an Episcopalian.
The Baptist is quirky, at turns funny and then intense. I know his parents and one of his sisters quite well, too, and they are all interesting people, all delightful, each unique, firmly Baptist. Try out the Theological Snob at http://theosnob.blogspot.com
The Episcopalian is compassionate, passionate about social justice and about Jesus Christ. She is intimately connected with El Salvador though she lives in Vermont, is a caring pastor with an attention to liturgy, and is a dedicated hiker and mountain climber. Have a look at Caminante, No Hay Camino at http://caminantesi.blogspot.com
This testimonial started out because Theo Snob cited MY blog as one he reads. But both of these blogs stimulate thought. Enjoy!
The Baptist is quirky, at turns funny and then intense. I know his parents and one of his sisters quite well, too, and they are all interesting people, all delightful, each unique, firmly Baptist. Try out the Theological Snob at http://theosnob.blogspot.com
The Episcopalian is compassionate, passionate about social justice and about Jesus Christ. She is intimately connected with El Salvador though she lives in Vermont, is a caring pastor with an attention to liturgy, and is a dedicated hiker and mountain climber. Have a look at Caminante, No Hay Camino at http://caminantesi.blogspot.com
This testimonial started out because Theo Snob cited MY blog as one he reads. But both of these blogs stimulate thought. Enjoy!
Friday, September 10, 2010
More on the Islamic Center
The op-ed piece in the New York Times by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
is impressive. HE is impressive. The man has indeed spent his time
and energy on building bridges between Islam and other religions,
which is what makes the furor over the community center even more
execrable.
The flames of the furor have been fanned by extremists in this
country, and by politicians that ought to be more responsible and more
thoughtful (I suspect to foment more opposition to President Obama and
all Democrats who support the constitutional rights of the Islam
community). The facts that get lost in the cacophony of voices are 1)
all adherents to Islam are NOT extremists any more than all Christians
or Jews are extremists; 2) Muslims, too, died in the 9/11 attack; 3)
freedom of religion means freedom of ALL religions, not just yours or
mine; 3) the proposed community center will take the place of a
derelict building last used as the Burlington Coat Factory; 4) if
ground becomes "sacred" because someone died there, then ALL ground,
it seems to me, must be sacred, since probably someone, sometime, died
there; 5) if all this ground is "sacred" what are businesses like a
porn shop, bars, and a tanning parlor doing there?! 6) the proposed
community center is at least two blocks away from "ground zero" which
in NYC is two neighborhoods away; and 7) it has now been 9 years since
the 9/11 attack, and still nothing in the way of permanent memorial
has been erected there.
The furor is all about xenophobia, and the fact that some of us need
someone to hate -- and Muslims are the chosen ones. Frankly, I'm
getting sick of my compatriots and the general lack of compassion,
human understanding, and logic.
The whole incident surrounding the misguided Florida church and the threatened buring of the Q'uran never should have happened, and never should have gotten all the publicity it did. Still, we are free to say whatever we want to say, no matter how many people it may hurt. If the pastor changes his mind again and decides to go through with the book burning, I hope the local police find some legitimate reason to arrest him and anyone who might be aiding him. This intolerance and hatred is not at all Christian.
is impressive. HE is impressive. The man has indeed spent his time
and energy on building bridges between Islam and other religions,
which is what makes the furor over the community center even more
execrable.
The flames of the furor have been fanned by extremists in this
country, and by politicians that ought to be more responsible and more
thoughtful (I suspect to foment more opposition to President Obama and
all Democrats who support the constitutional rights of the Islam
community). The facts that get lost in the cacophony of voices are 1)
all adherents to Islam are NOT extremists any more than all Christians
or Jews are extremists; 2) Muslims, too, died in the 9/11 attack; 3)
freedom of religion means freedom of ALL religions, not just yours or
mine; 3) the proposed community center will take the place of a
derelict building last used as the Burlington Coat Factory; 4) if
ground becomes "sacred" because someone died there, then ALL ground,
it seems to me, must be sacred, since probably someone, sometime, died
there; 5) if all this ground is "sacred" what are businesses like a
porn shop, bars, and a tanning parlor doing there?! 6) the proposed
community center is at least two blocks away from "ground zero" which
in NYC is two neighborhoods away; and 7) it has now been 9 years since
the 9/11 attack, and still nothing in the way of permanent memorial
has been erected there.
The furor is all about xenophobia, and the fact that some of us need
someone to hate -- and Muslims are the chosen ones. Frankly, I'm
getting sick of my compatriots and the general lack of compassion,
human understanding, and logic.
The whole incident surrounding the misguided Florida church and the threatened buring of the Q'uran never should have happened, and never should have gotten all the publicity it did. Still, we are free to say whatever we want to say, no matter how many people it may hurt. If the pastor changes his mind again and decides to go through with the book burning, I hope the local police find some legitimate reason to arrest him and anyone who might be aiding him. This intolerance and hatred is not at all Christian.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Theology and Politics
Since when did Glenn Beck become an expert on theology? He has "accused" President Obama of espousing "liberation theology", which Beck demonstrates he doesn't understand, by describing it as "oppressor and victim" having nothing to do with Christianity. I think he'd better read the Gospels again, and see how much Jesus had to say about the responsibility that those who have enough, have for those who have too little. Jesus had much to say about the responsibility of the rich toward the poor. By the way, this is social justice, which Beck says has nothing to do with Christianity and everything to do with Marxism.
Since Jesus came long before Karl Marx, perhaps Marx himself, in spite of himself, had something to do with Jesus (if not Christianity). I don't know whether the President espouses liberation theology or not. He has been private -- perhaps too private -- about his personal beliefs. But he is a member of the United Church of Christ, and the UCC does pay attention to social justice, so maybe he does lean toward liberation theology. I know that I do. And in my understanding, that's a whole lot closer to what Jesus was all about, than are the tenets of civil religion, at least as practiced by my American compatriots. Jesus had a whole lot more to do with a preferential treatment of the poor, and with ministry to the poor, widows, orphans, and the sick and disabled, than he did with the right to bear arms and free enterprise and capitalism.
Jesus had a lot to say about the rich and the poor. And he also had some things to say about divorce that sound very harsh to 21st century American ears. He commanded love, not hate, even toward enemies; he advocated turning the other cheek instead of fighting back; he showed great reverence toward life but I can't remember anything he ever said about abortion, and I know he never said a word -- at least that's been recorded in Scripture for us -- about homosexuality.
I cannot for the life of me understand why so many people seem to be taken in by Mr. Beck and those who have aligned themselves with him. Especially so many who call themselves Christians. I know that different people of good will may differ, even on understandings of how to interpret the Scriptures. But the idea that God is only concerned about how we feel toward God and not how we act toward our fellow human beings is not one that I get from the Bible, and I don't understand how any thinking person can find that in Scripture. And maybe that's the answer: any thinking person...
Mr. Beck's D.C. rally, and much of what I understand he has had to say on his tv and radio programs, scare me. May God help us all.
Since Jesus came long before Karl Marx, perhaps Marx himself, in spite of himself, had something to do with Jesus (if not Christianity). I don't know whether the President espouses liberation theology or not. He has been private -- perhaps too private -- about his personal beliefs. But he is a member of the United Church of Christ, and the UCC does pay attention to social justice, so maybe he does lean toward liberation theology. I know that I do. And in my understanding, that's a whole lot closer to what Jesus was all about, than are the tenets of civil religion, at least as practiced by my American compatriots. Jesus had a whole lot more to do with a preferential treatment of the poor, and with ministry to the poor, widows, orphans, and the sick and disabled, than he did with the right to bear arms and free enterprise and capitalism.
Jesus had a lot to say about the rich and the poor. And he also had some things to say about divorce that sound very harsh to 21st century American ears. He commanded love, not hate, even toward enemies; he advocated turning the other cheek instead of fighting back; he showed great reverence toward life but I can't remember anything he ever said about abortion, and I know he never said a word -- at least that's been recorded in Scripture for us -- about homosexuality.
I cannot for the life of me understand why so many people seem to be taken in by Mr. Beck and those who have aligned themselves with him. Especially so many who call themselves Christians. I know that different people of good will may differ, even on understandings of how to interpret the Scriptures. But the idea that God is only concerned about how we feel toward God and not how we act toward our fellow human beings is not one that I get from the Bible, and I don't understand how any thinking person can find that in Scripture. And maybe that's the answer: any thinking person...
Mr. Beck's D.C. rally, and much of what I understand he has had to say on his tv and radio programs, scare me. May God help us all.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Mosque Madness
I am having trouble holding my temper hearing all the fervor about the Islamic Center proposed to be built in Manhattan. I live in fear that someday people will be up in arms about where Presbyterians choose to build a church. President Obama's words last Friday night were "spot on" -- we in this country supposedly believe in freedom of religion, and that means all religions, not just mine or yours.
I'm also having trouble with the idea that the site chosen is "at ground zero" or "within the shadow of the former Twin Towers." It's two blocks away, for heaven's sake! Even the World Trade Center wasn't tall enough to cast that long a shadow!
I always have trouble with people who purport to love and support the Consitution and the values upon which our nation was founded, but who want to curtail the rights of others. It's nothing short of hypocritical -- very much like those who talk of "small government" but who want to dictate who a person may love, and what reproductive rights a woman may exercise. I do wish that the President hadn't seemed to backtrack on his comments on Saturday morning.
There is also this: the claim that "ground zero" is a "sacred site" because it is the burial place for so many. Within those two blocks I understand are strip clubs and porn shops. I think those should be shut down long before an Islamic community center should be made to build elsewhere.
The endless political wrangling over everything has wearied me, and I become ashamed of my own beloved country, and my fellow Americans. Freedom isn't just for you and me. It's for all of us who claim America as our nation.
I'm also having trouble with the idea that the site chosen is "at ground zero" or "within the shadow of the former Twin Towers." It's two blocks away, for heaven's sake! Even the World Trade Center wasn't tall enough to cast that long a shadow!
I always have trouble with people who purport to love and support the Consitution and the values upon which our nation was founded, but who want to curtail the rights of others. It's nothing short of hypocritical -- very much like those who talk of "small government" but who want to dictate who a person may love, and what reproductive rights a woman may exercise. I do wish that the President hadn't seemed to backtrack on his comments on Saturday morning.
There is also this: the claim that "ground zero" is a "sacred site" because it is the burial place for so many. Within those two blocks I understand are strip clubs and porn shops. I think those should be shut down long before an Islamic community center should be made to build elsewhere.
The endless political wrangling over everything has wearied me, and I become ashamed of my own beloved country, and my fellow Americans. Freedom isn't just for you and me. It's for all of us who claim America as our nation.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Really Retiring
Well, I've done it: gone to the social security office and applied for retirement. I should be getting those social security checks and pension checks fairly soon. I'm warming up to the idea, and this past week as I wasn't working I cleaned house (NOT my favorite thing!) and did some organizing of papers and "stuff." I still have some organizing to do, but when that's done there will just be cleaning, and then? I have several ideas of things I want to do with my time, but haven't settled on which ones will most occupy me. Getting back to making baskets, and taking more time to practice my dulcimer are two of those things. I also plan to do some more volunteering -- more than my once-a-year stint at Old Songs Festival in Altamont, NY. I'd like to help out with fund drives at my favorite public radio station, WAMC, and perhaps volunteer to read stories to children, either at the public library or at the local elementary school. That's the part of teaching that I miss.
There's also Caffe Lena who are always looking for volunteers. We were there Friday night for a concert by the Jamcrackers, Peggy Lynn, Dan Duggan, and Dan Berggren. They are among my favorite traditional musicians, along with John Kirk, Trish Miller, Rick Bunting, Susan Trump, and Christopher Shaw and Bridget Ball.
But for now, I'm taking my time. I have one preaching "gig" coming up, and there's still the possibility of a part-time pastorate. I'm going to try to be patient as I wait for some divine guidance as to what directions to take. I'm not ready for a rocking chair yet!
There's also Caffe Lena who are always looking for volunteers. We were there Friday night for a concert by the Jamcrackers, Peggy Lynn, Dan Duggan, and Dan Berggren. They are among my favorite traditional musicians, along with John Kirk, Trish Miller, Rick Bunting, Susan Trump, and Christopher Shaw and Bridget Ball.
But for now, I'm taking my time. I have one preaching "gig" coming up, and there's still the possibility of a part-time pastorate. I'm going to try to be patient as I wait for some divine guidance as to what directions to take. I'm not ready for a rocking chair yet!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
A potpourri of thought
I've been doing some more thinking about retirement. The latest is that I think I will be applying for social security as well as pension. I will be of "FRA" (full retirement age, in social security parlance) in less than a year, after all. And I'm anticipating the independence of not working full-time. I know that finances will be tight, but then they've been tight for as long as I can remember, so what's new?
It's been awhile since I have had more than a couple of weeks without preaching on a Sunday morning, and I'm looking forward to listening to somebody else's sermons. Sometimes, anyway. I don't think the Holy Spirit is through with me yet.
Of course the endless topic of speculation the last few days has been Chelsea Clinton's wedding downstream in Rhinebeck. I must say that every time I see pictures of Chelsea and Bill Clinton together, with the father-daughter bond that they obviously enjoy, I get a bit teary. It's that old parent-child tenderness that used to make me teary watching certain situation comedies (Father Knows Best, My Little Margie, and other oldies like that) even when I was a child. Part of it comes from missing my own father, after 26 years, and my own mother, after 36 years... to think that I have now lived to be four years older than my mother at her death is amazing to me. I'm sure that Hillary and Chelsea also have a close relationship, but the father-daughter thing is different.
I never gave my Dad the opportunity to escort me down the aisle. He would have been proud. But he was proud of me, anyway -- and let me know it while I was in seminary, after a first career as a teacher. I'm so grateful he was more forthcoming with praise after I reached adulthood than he had been when I was growing up. We grew into a close and loving relationship, for which I'm thankful.
So ... I'm sure that when I see a picture, finally, of Bill Clinton escorting Chelsea in her wedding dress (so much speculated upon!), I'll shed a few more tears: for tenderness, for Daddy-daughter affection, for all the years I've spent without my Dad and Mother. Such is life. But there are so many unhealthy parent-child relationships that I can only thank God for Chelsea's and Bill's, and for my parents' and mine.
It's been awhile since I have had more than a couple of weeks without preaching on a Sunday morning, and I'm looking forward to listening to somebody else's sermons. Sometimes, anyway. I don't think the Holy Spirit is through with me yet.
Of course the endless topic of speculation the last few days has been Chelsea Clinton's wedding downstream in Rhinebeck. I must say that every time I see pictures of Chelsea and Bill Clinton together, with the father-daughter bond that they obviously enjoy, I get a bit teary. It's that old parent-child tenderness that used to make me teary watching certain situation comedies (Father Knows Best, My Little Margie, and other oldies like that) even when I was a child. Part of it comes from missing my own father, after 26 years, and my own mother, after 36 years... to think that I have now lived to be four years older than my mother at her death is amazing to me. I'm sure that Hillary and Chelsea also have a close relationship, but the father-daughter thing is different.
I never gave my Dad the opportunity to escort me down the aisle. He would have been proud. But he was proud of me, anyway -- and let me know it while I was in seminary, after a first career as a teacher. I'm so grateful he was more forthcoming with praise after I reached adulthood than he had been when I was growing up. We grew into a close and loving relationship, for which I'm thankful.
So ... I'm sure that when I see a picture, finally, of Bill Clinton escorting Chelsea in her wedding dress (so much speculated upon!), I'll shed a few more tears: for tenderness, for Daddy-daughter affection, for all the years I've spent without my Dad and Mother. Such is life. But there are so many unhealthy parent-child relationships that I can only thank God for Chelsea's and Bill's, and for my parents' and mine.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thoughts on marriage and weddings
Last week my denomination, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) had its biennial General Assembly. The assembled ministers and elders (in equal numbers -- that's an important piece of our polity) made a large number of decisions, some of which give guidance to local congregations and clusters of congregtions called presbyteries, and some of which have more authority for the congregations. Some of their decisions now go to the presbyteries for ratification. In that latter category is a proposed change in our Book of Order to eliminate wording that some of us have always regarded as badly written as well as restricting marriage to "one man and one woman" and elevating sexual sins above other sins when discerning whether someone is able to be ordained as a minister, an elder, or a deacon.
I don't know what will happen in the presbyteries. I am in favor of the new language for a number of reasons. And that's not the decision that I'm most concerned about today. The decision that occupies my mind right now is the one General Assembly made to study the question of same-sex marriage, which effectively leaves ministers who reside in states where marriage equality is the law of the land in limbo -- the state says that these marriages are legal, but the church says that a congregation may not celebrate marriage between two people of the same gender. Which means that those who have been baptized and nurtured in a congregation may not have their most important relationships blessed by the very congregation that knows and loves them best.
I am not now, nor have I ever been, married myself. At this point in my life such an event is extremely unlikely. But I have observed many, many marriages from outside those relationships -- and those include a few same-gender marriages. I have observed some very healthy, spiritual, and loving marriages -- both heterosexual and homosexual. I have also observed many that seemed to me unhealthy, stifling, and destructive relationships. Same-gender marriage is no threat to heterosexual marriage -- heterosexuals have done a fine job of denigrating the spriritual nature of marriage without any help from their GLBT brothers and sisters!
For a long time now I have believed that the churches, synagogues, and mosques should get out of the business of being agents for the state when it comes to marriage. I think that, as is true in other nations, marriage ceremonies should all be conducted by the state, along with the marriage license, and that religious institutions may then decide which marriages merit the spiritual blessings of the congregations. I would leave this to the individual congregation, but then I have been existing happily as interim pastor with an American Baptist congregation for the last nineteen months ... so this particular portion of my plan wouldn't work in my own denomination. And I realize that this would not solve the problem for all ministers in states where same-gender marriage is legal but their denomination will not bless these unions.
My plan would also mean that one of the banes of my existence as a pastor, couples who want church weddings but who want no other part of the church, could be told that church weddings are only for those who are church members, because they demonstrate a congregation's love for, support of, and blessing toward a couple whom they know and love. I hope that it would also mostly eliminate the phenomenon that has grown exponentially since I entered the ministry 26 years ago: that of small attendance at the actual wedding ceremony and huge attendance at the reception -- the PARTY -- afterwards.
It seems to me that those -- especially politicians -- who yell loudest against "gay marriage" are often those who thumb their noses at the sacred nature of the marriage vows by betraying those vows in adultery. I think Jesus had something to say about such hypocrisy.
I don't know what will happen in the presbyteries. I am in favor of the new language for a number of reasons. And that's not the decision that I'm most concerned about today. The decision that occupies my mind right now is the one General Assembly made to study the question of same-sex marriage, which effectively leaves ministers who reside in states where marriage equality is the law of the land in limbo -- the state says that these marriages are legal, but the church says that a congregation may not celebrate marriage between two people of the same gender. Which means that those who have been baptized and nurtured in a congregation may not have their most important relationships blessed by the very congregation that knows and loves them best.
I am not now, nor have I ever been, married myself. At this point in my life such an event is extremely unlikely. But I have observed many, many marriages from outside those relationships -- and those include a few same-gender marriages. I have observed some very healthy, spiritual, and loving marriages -- both heterosexual and homosexual. I have also observed many that seemed to me unhealthy, stifling, and destructive relationships. Same-gender marriage is no threat to heterosexual marriage -- heterosexuals have done a fine job of denigrating the spriritual nature of marriage without any help from their GLBT brothers and sisters!
For a long time now I have believed that the churches, synagogues, and mosques should get out of the business of being agents for the state when it comes to marriage. I think that, as is true in other nations, marriage ceremonies should all be conducted by the state, along with the marriage license, and that religious institutions may then decide which marriages merit the spiritual blessings of the congregations. I would leave this to the individual congregation, but then I have been existing happily as interim pastor with an American Baptist congregation for the last nineteen months ... so this particular portion of my plan wouldn't work in my own denomination. And I realize that this would not solve the problem for all ministers in states where same-gender marriage is legal but their denomination will not bless these unions.
My plan would also mean that one of the banes of my existence as a pastor, couples who want church weddings but who want no other part of the church, could be told that church weddings are only for those who are church members, because they demonstrate a congregation's love for, support of, and blessing toward a couple whom they know and love. I hope that it would also mostly eliminate the phenomenon that has grown exponentially since I entered the ministry 26 years ago: that of small attendance at the actual wedding ceremony and huge attendance at the reception -- the PARTY -- afterwards.
It seems to me that those -- especially politicians -- who yell loudest against "gay marriage" are often those who thumb their noses at the sacred nature of the marriage vows by betraying those vows in adultery. I think Jesus had something to say about such hypocrisy.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Contemplating Retirement
I'm applying for retirement, not because I want to stop working, but because I want to continue working but not full time. I need the pension, since I'm still paying on the mortgage on my house. Still, this will be a big move. I just saw Ringo Starr on television, talking with Diane Sawyer on his 70th birthday. He said when we're in our twenties we never think we're ever going to be as old as 70. Well, I'm not there yet, but I do wonder sometimes how I ever got to be as old as I am!
I have a list of things I want to do after retirement: volunteer on fund drives for my favorite radio station (WAMC in Albany), offer my services to the local public library and/or elementary school to read to children (and listen to the children read), get back to basket weaving, spend more time playing my dulcimer and my piano. Friends who are retired, though, say that their time gets filled with many other things. So maybe the adventures I discover after retirement will be surprises. That's okay too.
Reaching a milestone like retirement makes me wonder at life's brevity, its meaning, what I might do to make a difference with the time I have left. I have been a teacher and a minister, and I know I've affected many other people's lives. I constantly have the feeling that I haven't done nearly as much as I might have, but it's hard in the midst of life to know how it has all stacked up. I guess all I can do is keep trying, and keep praying that I'll continue to grow in grace and in faith, as long as I live.
I have a list of things I want to do after retirement: volunteer on fund drives for my favorite radio station (WAMC in Albany), offer my services to the local public library and/or elementary school to read to children (and listen to the children read), get back to basket weaving, spend more time playing my dulcimer and my piano. Friends who are retired, though, say that their time gets filled with many other things. So maybe the adventures I discover after retirement will be surprises. That's okay too.
Reaching a milestone like retirement makes me wonder at life's brevity, its meaning, what I might do to make a difference with the time I have left. I have been a teacher and a minister, and I know I've affected many other people's lives. I constantly have the feeling that I haven't done nearly as much as I might have, but it's hard in the midst of life to know how it has all stacked up. I guess all I can do is keep trying, and keep praying that I'll continue to grow in grace and in faith, as long as I live.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Worship today
This morning the FOCUS Churches of Albany (something like Fine Old Churches United in Service) had a union worship service at one of our member churches, Israel A.M.E. While I don't think I'd be comfortable with this brand of worship as a steady diet, it was certainly a joyous, Spirit-filled time. Only two hours, which in the Black church tradition isn't excessive.
The other FOCUS churches are Emmanuel Baptist, where I'm currently Interim Pastor; First Presbyterian, Westminster Presbyterian (both PCUSA congregations), Trinity United Methodist, and Delmar Reformed. Delmar is a suburb of Albany, and the other churches are all in the Center Square neighborhood of Albany, which is just up the hill from the Capitol building.
FOCUS runs a breakfast program in winter, a "computer for kids" program in summer, and a food pantry all year round. In general, FOCUS ministries aid the hungry, homeless, and poor of the neighborhood.
Albany is a small city (called "Smalbany" by some), but it has all the problems of cities of all sizes. There are other churches in the city, too, that are doing much-needed ministry. But the churches can't do it all. And I am convinced that the purpose of government really is in part to "promote the general welfare" of all citizens. The rub, of course, is how to do this when revenues are limited. I don't have all the answers; if I did, I'd be running for office, or at least writing lots of letters to the legislators and the governor -- and the U.S. Congress and Senate and the president... but I do think that too many get away with too little in taxes.
Ah well. This morning at Israel, the tithers were invited to bring their tithes forward first, before the rest of the worshipers. There were a lot of them! I wonder ... I doubt that anyone in that worship service this morning is a millionnaire, and I wonder how many millionnaires tithe to churches or to charities. If more of all of us tithed to help out the "least of these" all would be better off.
Let the people say, "Amen."
The other FOCUS churches are Emmanuel Baptist, where I'm currently Interim Pastor; First Presbyterian, Westminster Presbyterian (both PCUSA congregations), Trinity United Methodist, and Delmar Reformed. Delmar is a suburb of Albany, and the other churches are all in the Center Square neighborhood of Albany, which is just up the hill from the Capitol building.
FOCUS runs a breakfast program in winter, a "computer for kids" program in summer, and a food pantry all year round. In general, FOCUS ministries aid the hungry, homeless, and poor of the neighborhood.
Albany is a small city (called "Smalbany" by some), but it has all the problems of cities of all sizes. There are other churches in the city, too, that are doing much-needed ministry. But the churches can't do it all. And I am convinced that the purpose of government really is in part to "promote the general welfare" of all citizens. The rub, of course, is how to do this when revenues are limited. I don't have all the answers; if I did, I'd be running for office, or at least writing lots of letters to the legislators and the governor -- and the U.S. Congress and Senate and the president... but I do think that too many get away with too little in taxes.
Ah well. This morning at Israel, the tithers were invited to bring their tithes forward first, before the rest of the worshipers. There were a lot of them! I wonder ... I doubt that anyone in that worship service this morning is a millionnaire, and I wonder how many millionnaires tithe to churches or to charities. If more of all of us tithed to help out the "least of these" all would be better off.
Let the people say, "Amen."
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Traditional Music
Last weekend was the Old Songs Festival at the Fair Grounds in Altamont, NY. For the last 8 or 9 years I have "worked" Old Songs -- taking tickets at the Campers' Gate all day Friday. Then volunteers get in to the rest of the festival free, so two days' "play" for one day "work" seems a good bargain to me.
The logo for this year's festival said "Music with Roots" -- and for me those roots go back to my high school days, when my favorite music wasn't rock 'n roll, but folk music, with Joan Baez, the Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, and Simon and Garfunkle high on my list. In college I added some knowledge of Pete Seeger to that list.
And then I went to Bainbridge, NY as pastor of the Presbyterian Church, where I met Rick Bunting, John Kirk and Trish Miller, and Dan Duggan -- the Susquehanna Strings. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, when not long after I arrived there I went to Stefanie Bunting's high school graduation party, and there in the back yard of the Bunting home heard the Susquehanna Strings jamming. From then I haven't looked back. I've even learned to play the mountain dulcimer, thanks to the talent and patience of Susan Trump.
Anyway, last weekend I only experienced a bit of lack of manners once during the whole weekend, and it occurred to me that "folkies" really are nice people! The musicians are hardly jealous of each other at all -- they share songs and arrangements and the stage with each other, seemingly without a prima donna in the lot. And when we left the fair grounds on Sunday evening, it did NOT look like the aftermath of a wild party. We pretty much left things the way we found them. I wish everybody were like that.
The logo for this year's festival said "Music with Roots" -- and for me those roots go back to my high school days, when my favorite music wasn't rock 'n roll, but folk music, with Joan Baez, the Kingston Trio, Peter Paul and Mary, and Simon and Garfunkle high on my list. In college I added some knowledge of Pete Seeger to that list.
And then I went to Bainbridge, NY as pastor of the Presbyterian Church, where I met Rick Bunting, John Kirk and Trish Miller, and Dan Duggan -- the Susquehanna Strings. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, when not long after I arrived there I went to Stefanie Bunting's high school graduation party, and there in the back yard of the Bunting home heard the Susquehanna Strings jamming. From then I haven't looked back. I've even learned to play the mountain dulcimer, thanks to the talent and patience of Susan Trump.
Anyway, last weekend I only experienced a bit of lack of manners once during the whole weekend, and it occurred to me that "folkies" really are nice people! The musicians are hardly jealous of each other at all -- they share songs and arrangements and the stage with each other, seemingly without a prima donna in the lot. And when we left the fair grounds on Sunday evening, it did NOT look like the aftermath of a wild party. We pretty much left things the way we found them. I wish everybody were like that.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Now that I know a little bit -- a VERY little bit -- about this blog business, some thoughts:
I've been following the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings, and thinking about the difference between liberals and conservatives in interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and the Bible. There are similarities: in general, conservatives believe that there is one meaning, and one meaning only, for the original words, and if we can just find it, we'll have the correct interpretation to form our laws. And in general, liberals look at both writings as "living documents" whose interpretation takes into account the current context as well as the original context.
I've had experience with a group of conservative (evangelical) Presbyterians and liberal (progressive) Presbyterians, and learned that it is possible to study and discuss Biblical passages together. At times we have moved closer to each other's interpretations, at other times we have not. But always both "sides" have benefited from understanding that good, intelligent Presbyterians can differ. I wish our politicians could say the same!
I've been following the Elena Kagan confirmation hearings, and thinking about the difference between liberals and conservatives in interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and the Bible. There are similarities: in general, conservatives believe that there is one meaning, and one meaning only, for the original words, and if we can just find it, we'll have the correct interpretation to form our laws. And in general, liberals look at both writings as "living documents" whose interpretation takes into account the current context as well as the original context.
I've had experience with a group of conservative (evangelical) Presbyterians and liberal (progressive) Presbyterians, and learned that it is possible to study and discuss Biblical passages together. At times we have moved closer to each other's interpretations, at other times we have not. But always both "sides" have benefited from understanding that good, intelligent Presbyterians can differ. I wish our politicians could say the same!
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