We are now in Advent, a time of watching and waiting for the birth of Christ in our hearts and world.

I find myself slowing down; I want to stop and consider the sky, whether blue or grey, and the evergreens against the sky, now swaying with the breeze, and then sometimes blanketed with the pure white snow.

I’m inclined, thus, to do less, and feel, and write, and read, and pray, more.

I’m asking now, What can this New England winter season and the church year season of Advent teach us about ourselves, nature, the life of the spirit? How can the (now cold) waters of the lake baptize our life in winter Advent?

Can our instinct to slow down unfetter contemplative noticing of inexpressible longings for hoped-for birth?

Although Advent thoughts and feelings may be inward, soul-directed, they can never be private. I am sure of that. They deserve to be shared.

Hoping for the birth of Jesus Christ in the world and in our hearts is attendant on freedom (Mary’s “Yes”) and communal longing. A Messiah was long hoped for.

What do you long and hope for? What/who longs and hopes for your attention and care?  

Blessings in Advent, Nancy

Interim Alaska Report

We just returned from the Kenai Penninsula very concerned about climate change's effects on the animals and Native Americans and world climate as well as filled with the beauty of the area.
 
I have not had time to work on my blog but have many photos, which I will post soon. 
For now, please see this recent article from the Burlington Free Press, which expresses quite accurately what we have seen and thought about.
 
I continue on Saturday into the Inside Passages for the contemplative kayaking trip through August 19.
 

Vermont Water Reflections 2

Vermont Water Reflections 2

This past week brought new reflections, experiences, and friendships.

First, I sat next to the La Platte River, now a sanctuary, with parking behind the Zen Monastery in Shelburne. I had bushwhacked through a field and woods (discovering a spot where the grass was laid low, I assume by deer resting) to spend some time sitting along the stream. A bridge crosses over the river, with the information about the endangered fish, the Stonecat. But it takes some persistence to actually sit by the stream. I watched two dragon flies cavort above the stream in the sunshine and relaxed.

Several days later, I spent a full day at the home of parishioners, who had kindly given me permission (and a key) to spend time at their home whenever I wish to do so, while they spend the summer back in Minnesota. In the mountains outside Bristol, one hears no traffic noise. What a blessing to have a day in silence, broken only by birds. I read on Lutheran Spirituality, Duane Elgin’s The Elegant Universe, and The Tao of Liberation: Exploring the Ecology of Transformation (Mark Hathaway and Leonardo Boff), napped and prayed about Ascension, my friends, and family.

I took a walk down the road to a small stream with a little water fall. Such microcosms exist in nature; we only need to spend time, stoop down, and look. How beautiful.

And, finally, days later, I went on an all-day lake shore walk, where a new geologic map of Vermont was unveiled by walk leader Dr. Walter Poulman:

In the past week I've also spent several hours sitting and gazing at the lake, at Oakledge Park, including an afternoon where the wind blew and the energy seemed electric, another hour spent in the morning, early, with no one about, sitting on rocks. What quiet and solace we have all around us!

Last Monday, I began five days of sailing lessons. I knew little and ended learning about sailing directions (close-hauled, close reach, etc.), sides to the boat (starboard and port), etc. (of course, Jake could have taught me all this, too!).

Perhaps more important than the actual sailing lessons were reflections on the connections between sailing and the life of the church. The boat as the church is an ancient symbol; in meditations on this, first I saw myself as the skipper and Ascension parishioners as the crew (with the Holy Spirit as the wind), but that only lasted an hour or so: Ascension is a big boat, and I am only a beginning sailor! I felt frightened, but then I felt calmed when I saw Ascension (parishioners and pastor) as the crew, the Holy Spirit as wind, Christ as the skipper, and God as the sea (someone suggested that God could also be the person who fixes the boat when it malfunctions!).

We are kept sailing by the grace of God through Christ, upholding, leading, guiding, giving movement and beauty to our lives. And we are all in the boat, with all our foibles, contradictions, hopes, inadequacies, and idiosyncrasies, all still loved and knit together, and saved by Christ.

What does it mean to be saved by Christ?

My reading and understanding have continued with the wonderful book I Am/No Self: A Christian Commentary on the Heart Sūtra. Professors of Religion John and Linda Keenan, retired from Middlebury College, focus on John’s Gospel, the most mystical and symbolic of the Gospels. (This is of course where our sabbatical story of the Samaritan woman at the well is found, in chapter 4).

They write: “Perhaps we can envisage this Spirit as the living waters that flow from the innermost womb of our Christ being, of our hearts and minds identified and one with the Christ who is one with the Father.” (p. 157)

And “…the meaning of this gospel remains suspended and inaccessible to analysis. As such, however, it may liberate us—through constant prayer and meditation on our oneness with Christ—to abandon all our previously cherished views and to ratchet down our faith claims, not to lessen their significance, but to increase it!” (p. 123)

With the focus on our oneness with Christ, developed through prayer and meditation, I was further helped in my understanding of living water by the following from Water: Its Spiritual Significance:

“The fluidity of water and its constantly purifying aspect—the closer to the source it is, whether it be a spring, melted snow or rain, the purer it is—is a reflection of the soul’s ability to purify and renew itself. In spiritual terms this purification of the soul can only take place through the constant and sincere remembrance of God through prayer and meditation. As mentioned in the Introduction, proximity to water can open up our souls to Divine grace thereby aiding us in this remembrance.” (Emma Clark, “The Role and Significance of Water in the Islamic Garden,” p. 70)

Water makes life possible, both physically and spiritually, felt by humans through time. As we look into its depths and freshness, we see our own depths, and life, where we may find God.

But we don’t seem to treat water as reflecting our souls, or as life-bearer.

The one-hour presentation by Lutheran theologian and ethicist Larry Rasmussen, given at Gustavus Adolphus College summarizes beautifully all these issues (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcp56IvCwf4).

In one hour he gives facts about the world’s water crisis, which has occurred between 1950 and 2000, due to industrialization and world-wide consumption. The Earth’s water supply always remains the same; but only 1 percent of the world water is fresh. But one billion people lack fresh water to drink and climate change is making water sources more vulnerable. There is a precipitous decline in fresh water species—between 1970 and 2005, 35 percent of 458 fresh water species declined. And, remarkably, the US water footprint is largest in the world: it takes 766 gallons to produce a tea shirt; 2,867 for jeans; 15,000 for each couple pounds of burger beef. There is much we can do (watch the video to find out!).

Dr. Rasmussen ends with a quote from retired Congregationalist minister John Ames, of Gilead, Iowa, the central figure in the wonderful novel Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson, a memory that leads Ames to his beautiful reflection on baptism and water:

“You and Tobias are hopping around in the sprinkler. The sprinkler is a magnificent invention because it exposes raindrops to sunshine. That does occur in nature, but it is rare. When I was in seminary I used to go sometimes to watch the Baptists down at the river. It was something to see the pastor lifting the one who was being baptized up out of the water and the water pouring off the garments and the hair. It did look like a birth or resurrection. For us the water just heightens the touch of the pastor's hand on the sweet bones of the head, sort of like making an electrical connection. I've always loved to baptize people, though I have sometimes wished there were more shimmer and splash involved in the way we go about it. Well, but you two are dancing around in your iridescent little downpour, whooping and stomping as sane people ought to do when they encounter a thing so miraculous as water.”

Let’s all of us whoop and dance because of the miracle of water!

Nancy

Water Reflections from Vermont

Water Reflections from Vermont

I now sit every day next to a stream, river, or the lake. I watch, and listen and pray. I seek God’s living water, Jesus Christ, in actual Vermont water.

Two weeks ago, with a friend, I walked Potash Brook, for two hours. (To prepare, I met with Teage O’Connor, who teaches Eastwoods Natural History at UVM and knows Potash Brook, which flows through Eastwoods, then behind my house, and then about 2 miles further into Lake Champlain at Red Rock Point). Teague had laid out three two-hour walks for me, penciling into my journal the walks’ ends and beginnings, especially where to choose to follow the brook under Interstate 89 and Route 7 (or alternatively walk over land). 

My friend and I entered the Brook beyond the Swift Street power lines. In sneakers, we navigated boulders, mud, quiet sun lit patches, and thigh-deep water, always meandering slowly. Birds and the sound of interstate traffic mingled with our reflections: “This is wonderful; we used to play in streams for hours as children; why aren’t more people, especially children, in the water?”  

 We followed the tracks of a raccoon, distinguishing its marks with a ruled track finder. The little animal had walked along the banks, into and out of the water. We watched iridescent dragon flies. Mid-point we stopped for fifteen minutes just to watch the reflections of trees and sun, silently. A beautiful day, ending at Klinger’s Bakery parking lot, with a feeling of gratitude for family and friends, for all the love I’ve received in life.  

[photo of Potash Brook]

Then last week, I drove to Richmond on a friend’s advice and sat at the Winooski River for an hour, deep in ferns. I wrote:

“Light shimmering, birds skimming, blue and green light,a cloud, gentle breeze, summer (the beauty of water)”

The Richmond Rivershore Natural Area, where I sat, not far from the historic Round Church, is “distinguished by Ostrich Fern and canopy of silver maple,” and is a rare river floodplain forest. I perched my little canvas chair “lean” in ferns on the riverbank and watched. After about one-half hour, a Green Heron suddenly landed on the dead branch above; at first I had trouble distinguishing it from a kind of living stick with a topknot; then I saw its yellow eye, or, rather, its eye saw me, and rotated and glinted; with the sun on it, I felt small, beneath a direct, unpitying, almost unnatural gaze.

Yesterday morning  I finished reading Episcopal priest Cynthia Bourgeault’s book The Wisdom Way of Knowing: Reclaiming an Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart. I reflected on how important what I now term “in between spaces” are in our lives. I’ve had them, as hopefully everyone who reads this blog has: for me they include sabbatical, Italian vacations, time in nature, meditation, being with a beloved, reading, reverie, worship. These moments of deep repose, where we are open enough to become closer to our deepest selves, can occur when we are caught up in something, when we may feel like we are no more than playing. They can occur as we lose ourselves, when we pay full attention.

Consider Mary Oliver’s poem: “It doesn’t have to be/The blue iris, it could be/Weeds in a vacant lot, or a few/Small stones; just/Pay attention, then patch/A few words together and don’t try/ to make them elaborate, this isn’t/ a contest but the doorway/into thanks, and a silence in which/another voice may speak.”—Mary Oliver

I long to pay attention and to hear.

Yesterday was my third Vermont water outing. This time I drove south.

After enjoying the Otter Creek waterfall at Vergennes [photo], I drove up Sand Road and hiked to the bluff at Kingsland Bay State park. (“Lake Champlain’s cobble beaches, cliffs, limestone cedar bluffs and rich oak-hardwood forests are the main features at this 1.5-mile lakeshore preserve. Marine fossils have been found in some of the shoreline bedrock. There is a deer yard and a number of rare plants, including autumn coralroot, golden corydalis, blue field madder and veiny meadow rue [from Places to Walk, Paddle and Explore in Vermont, The Nature Conservancy, 50^th anniversary edition]."

I waited for the sounds of the lawn mower on the grounds of historic (1790) Hawley House to subside as I hiked to the endpoint through the woods. I watched the lake through the trees on the shoreline cliff for an hour. I wanted to pay attention, as in Mary Oliver’s poem.

Luther’s definition of worship came to mind. “Our dear Lord himself may speak to us through his holy Word and we respond to him through prayer and praise.” Again, I felt deep respose and a deep sense of God's love.

The Bible teaches that the Word (God's voice) is (speaks to us) in all things (John 1:3;  Colossians 1:15-16). Do we pay due attention?

Before I turn to Findhorn and Iona, a reference to the UNESCO World Heritage site Petra, Jordan [photo], where the ancient Nabateans built a canyon city right on the Silk trade Route, with ancient water courses carved along the canyon walls.
Susan and I rode camels! and Michael, Susan and I enjoyed the whole-day walk. We visited an ancient church that is being carefully cleaned (beautiful mosaics in the floor)

The 1st century baptismal pool in this ancient church in the Petra valley was the site of our brief noonday service on the 39th anniversary of my ordination. [photo below]

A note on the Holy Land that I think is important to mention: a moving and informative document is the 2009 Kairos Palestinian document, written by major Christian groups: "A Moment of Truth: A Word of Faith, Hope and Love from the Heart of Palestinian Suffering" (a PDF file is available on line)

We left the Middle East and flew to Scotland, taking the train to the sustainable community Findhorn, (now I am with my sister and friend Eileen) where we met with Michael Shaw, who created the Living Water machine there (much like the living water sewage treatment plant on the I-89 exit). He and his organization Biomatrix are dedicated to treating sewage water to create healthy communities and cities around the world. [photo] Michael lived and worked in Burlington, along with John Todd of UVM (Sandy Short actually worked for them). Mr. Shaw helped to start the Charlotte Ten Stones co-housing community, but now he lives full-time at Findhorn.

I appreciated that he asked about Simon Awad, the director of the Environmental Education Center in Beit Jala, with whom we had met, because I encouraged him to try to help them with their school sewage. I hope he is able to do so! Being in the living water "machine" is like being in a greenhouse; it purifies all the Findhorn sewage; out comes water pure enough to irrigate with (not yet pure enough to drink).

After several days, we traveled by train, two ferries, and bus to Iona: "For centuries pilgrims have travelled to the isle of Iona in search of the sacred, inspired by the example of St Columba, a 6th century Irish monk who founded a monastery there, and whose influence is felt to the present day. Many modern-day pilgrims and seekers are also drawn to the island through the work of the Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian community acting for justice and peace, the rebuilding of the common life and the renewal of worship." (from Around a Thin Place: An Iona Pilgrimage Guide).

On an all-day pilgrimage, on the beach where St. Columba landed, we were asked to take one stone and throw it in the sea, representing what we wanted to give up this year; another stone to take home with us representing what we wanted to keep. [photo]

We learned that the monks of St. Colomba would set off in their hide boats, called coracles, and wherever the tide took them, they would minister for the rest of their lives! This became a problem for the monastery (how did you know whom you could count on to be there?). Hmmm.... Freedom in Christ!

On the pilgrimage around the island, at the ancient marble quarry, the guide said that it takes much pressure to produce marble, the Abbey altar is marble; ages ago worshipers took chunks of marble from the altar to protect themselves against drowning. Are we aware that under pressure we produce beauty? Also, the green veins are irregularities; God can use our irregular parts!

I was very moved by the pilgrimage; prayers and prayerful realizations came to me.

In the dining room of our Argyll hotel these moving notices were posted: “To reach the heart of Iona is to find something eternal—fresh visions and new courage for every place where love or duty or pain may call us.”

And, "The Argyll Hotel is situated on an island in one of the last great refuges of nature in Western Europe. Therefore, we are stewards…”

We took a half-day excursion by boat to the island of Staffa and Fingel’s cave; people went on their knees as soon as they saw the puffins, which were cautious but not afraid of humans. [photo]

To conclude, a few quotes from books I have been reading:

Duane Elgin, The Living Universe: “Our supreme test is to grow consciously into this new world [of planetary destruction and global communications] and learn to live in balance with the Earth, in peace with one another, and in gratitude with the living universe.”

The Jesus Manifesto, “What is Christ doing through me…through us? And how is he doing it? We live by God’s indwelling life through the power of the Spirit.”

Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, John O’Donohue: “You can search far and in hungry places for love. It is a great consolation to know that there is a wellspring of love within you. If you trust that this wellspring is there, you will then be able to invite it to awaken. The following exercise could help develop awareness of this capacity. When you have moments of your own or spaces in your time, just focus on the well at the root of your soul. Imagine that nourishing stream of belonging, ease, peace, and delight. Feel, with your visual imagination, the refreshing waters of that well gradually flowing up through the arid earth of the neglected side of your heart. It is helpful to imagine this particularly before you sleep. Then during the night you will be in a constant flow of enrichment and belonging. You will find that when you awake at dawn, there will be a lovely, quiet happiness in your spirit.”

Blessings to you all, Pr. Nancy

More Reflections from Palestine

Blog More Reflections from Palestine Having returned from Synod Assembly (the Assembly elected a bishop, Pr. Jim Hazelwood, pastor of St. Andrews Lutheran, Charlestown, RI); a moving experience of discernment among 550 assembled voting Lutherans—with fine examples of Christian leadership from 7 excellent candidates, all local New England synod pastors). I now return to the blog, which I had difficulty in posting from my small traveling computer (sorry for all the typos and thanks to friend Kerstin for posting several recent posts). Bethlehem—Christmas Lutheran Church, the financial gift was so appreciated. [photo of Angie and baptismal font above] We hired a driver and car to make a special trip the next day north of Jerusalem to Aboud, with visit with Hiyam Saleh (Mousa’s cousin) and the very ancient Aboudieh church, where Mousa worshiped as a child. [photo of Hiyam and church]. The priest, Fr. Amanual, showed us the beautiful church. It was disheartening to see the main road out of town blocked by the Israeli government; heartening to see the age-old olive trees, some of which belonged to Hiam’s family. In Bethlehem, we met with the Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem. They are doing great work under great duress of occupation, helping to bring water and food to Palestinian villages. It was Living Water to meet with such excellent, dedicated people [photo]. They hope to work with other countries, including Israel, to restore the Jordan River. 82 percent of the underground water in the West Bank goes to Israel and the settlements, and Israel charges Palestinians in the West Bank several times the prices for settlers for water. Water shows the injustice! ARIJ focuses on sustainable agriculture, including beehives; women; family poultry; a social worker visits 730 poor families around Jerusalem; Palestinian food baskets. They work with the EU, UNEP, Spanish and Netherlands governments, and US AID. Very inspiring; I came back with reports and maps, which I can show at our September sabbatical luncheon. In Jerusalem at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land office, at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, I met with Bishop Munib Younan [photo], Bishop of the ELCJHL and President of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). I asked him what he wanted the NE synod to do to support the synod and also about the medium-income housing project being built next to Augusta Victoria hospital. He hopes to strengthen the relationship with the New England synod, and wants to strengthen the Lutheran identity toward 2017. The housing project, thankfully, is going forward. He spoke of the tendency among Palestinians to either succumb to depression or to struggle toward vision and hope. He spoke of Living Water, which gives life/hope/strength/ and motivation. I asked that he contribute the Ascension check to the Environmental Education Center of the ELCJHL (Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land). The bishop himself is living water; the Living water of hope and compassion still runs amidst occupation of the West Bank and Gaza; there are many people of good will in Palestine and Israel who are working for a just and secure peace. Living Water was evident in the mixture of people at the all-day hike in Wadi Qelt (from Jerusalem to St. George’s monastery) [2 photos of people and hike]. Muslims, Jewish students, and us Americans, all wading in this beautiful stream on a holiday. The dry mountains above were the location of Jesus’ temptations. We overcome the temptations of fear, divisiveness, by struggling to create community and reconciliation and rejoicing and enjoying the natural gifts that God gives. Also, I feel Living Water and hope in the baptism of Emma Karen Peake, our newly baptized Ascension member. I've added a photo of myself, swimming in the Jordan River very close to where Jesus was baptized. I felt renewed and rededicated to Christ. Next week’s blog: Petra and Scotland (Findhorn and Iona). Many blessings to all of you! Pr. Nancy

Reflections from Bethlehem

The travels to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Aboud (where Mousa’s cousin lives) were eventful and moving.In Bethlehem, at our sister church, Christmas Lutheran, I gave the check from Ascension to the director of communications (see photo). We were all moved by the sentiments and well-wishes from Ascension parishioners. Thank you! The church’s ministries to youth, older people, and children is so impressive. Dr Mitri Raheb, the pastor, was in Denmark.The sobering consequences of the illegal “security” wall are evident in the fact that the Palestinians cannot travel;the director of the Environmental Education Center of The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Hoy Land,Simon Awad, a renowned bird expert,has a teenaged daughter who wishes to attend the national youth gathering this summer but who would never be allowed to return to the West Bank if she left. The director, Simon Awad, has been jailed by the Israeli police four times. The director of the Internatonal Center, Angie, told us that all young adults of her age are blacklisted. Yet the environnebtal center teaches thousands of youth each year to care for the land, water, plants and animals of Palestine.Other evidences of the occupation: Three springs outside Jerusalem in the barren hills feed the ancient town of Jericho. One spring begins in what is now an illegal settlemtn in Palestine; and only Israelis can walk there. We walked the adjacent spring, 7 miles through very arid countryside close to the mountain where we believe Jesus was tempted. It was wonderful to see Israeli young people, and Arab famiies, as well as we Americans all wading in the wadi (river) together. This was a true sign of living water. We helped each other cross over boulders. The Bedouins were also were very helpful; as we walked through flocks of goats, they parted. Finally in Bethlehem we met with the Applied Research Intitute of Jerusalem. An excellent organization helping the Palestinians, working with grants from around the world. They help with sewage treatment, chickens, women’s projects and are very innovative. For example, they give loans to families to buy chickens .Under the umbrella of occupation, which includes an Israeli control of all water, even under the West Bank and which charges the Palestinians much more for water than frr the Israelis, this organization is a souce of living water.. He and others know that if the US were to be a truly honest broker for the peace and security that Israel and Palestinians need, progress could be made. I met with Bishop Mounib Younan,of the Evanelical Lutheran Church of Jordan and the Holy Land, also a remarkable source of living water. He is very grateful for support from the New England synod. He said that Palestinians either succumb to depression or live out a call to commitment and to better their lives and others.The housing project has carried on and has now been granted permits from the Israeli government. I spoke with him about living Water; he said that Jesus saw the difference between stagnant pools of water and living water, how the grass revived; water gives life/hope/strength/motivation. he was gratefu for the check from Ascension. Included are pictures of the bishop and me, the walk close to the Mount of Jesus’ Temptation, of myself renewing by baptismal vows in the Jordan river which is the general location where Jesus was baptized by John, and the receiving of the check from Ascension at our sister church in Bethlehem, and myself with Mousa’s cousin . I bought a gift for ALC from our sister church's gift shop--a vessel to pour water into the baptismal bowl, blue to match the bowl.

Reflections from Turkey and Jordan (May 7-20)

We have been searching for living water, finding it in valleys in Turkey and Jordan, largely, or at least areas where land meets water. We also find living water, the presence of Christ in ourselves, the landscapes, the people we meet and the history of the areas we visit which covers the whole history of the Hebrew people and the early Christians. First Istanbul (5/7-5/10), the crossroads of civilization, the meeting of East and West, the beauty of the churches of the 4th century, especially Hagia Sophia (the photo above is of the Jesus mosaic inside) and Chora. Then the valley of Cappadocia (5/10-12), the hermits living in the valley caves and later gatherings of monks and nuns into monasteries. The great Christian theologians: Basil the Great, Gregory of Naziansus and Gregory of Nyssa. The theology that held that God is light, and that light lives in us. The life dedicated to God offers a pilgrimage of cleansing to find that light. We spent a day touring the open air museum of 50 cells and churches. The Dark Church was most moving; beautiful mosaics; in the nearby Tokali cave church, the mosaics pictured the Nativity, with the star’s rays shining directly onto Jesus IN HIS BATH! The water image then carried out in his baptism by John. In the Nativity scene three wise men (one young, one middle-aged, and one elderly) looked lovingly at Jesus, while their donkeys did, as well. Our hotel, the Cave Hotel, was literally part of the stone wall. We ate next door, at the hotel dining room overlooking the strange fairy chimney spires of Cappadocia, many latticed with windows, doors, and dovecotes (the pigeons were prized for their dropping for fertilizer). In Cappadocia, the weather was chilly, sometimes dramatically rainy. On the last day, we took a hot air balloon (rising at 4:30 am to do so); it gently rose above all the valleys and fairy chimneys; we saw the spire of St Simon the hermit, where he lived for 30 years. Then we flew to Izmir for Ephesus, the great ruins of the Roman city where Paul lived for three years and wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians and Philemon. The beauty of the mosaics of people’s homes offset somewhat by realizing that private noble families held gladiator fights to the death in their homes; some walls show graffiti by gladiators. Ephesus was dedicated to Artemis, and the evocative description (Acts 19) of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus, threating the silver smiths as he preached Christ, is very vivid as one sees the amphitheater, which seats 10,000 people. Artemis represented the feminine, the Earth mother, and a city dedicated to her was open to receiving the doctrine from the 5th century council at Ephesus that Mary is the mother of God. Up the mountain, we visited he chapel in which Mary perhaps lived, guided to Ephesus by John, as Jesus gave her into John’s hands. A story about a 19th century European nun who had a vision about Mary’s house, which exactly corresponded to this structure, now a church run by Capuchins (with Mozart’s mass played quietly); the foundations are 1st Century. Outside is a spring, of living water, people who wash there (as I did) also may write prayers on tissue paper; thousands of pieces of paper are attached to a grill along the stone wall. We stayed in a sweet hotel in a small village overlooking forested hillsides; I walked through the town, an older woman gave me rosemary and thyme from her gatherings; mornings are full of the seemingly joyful crowing, braying, baaing and song of roosters, donkeys, goats, and the call from the Islamic mosque to prayer. Our inn keeper runs an organic establishment, goes to Prague for pleasure and decries the Islamization of Turkey because of its intolerance. He is a socialist. He (as well as Jordanians we have visited with) blames the US and the Bush-Iraqi war for destabilizing the region and the developing Islamisization of the Middle East in reaction. (We heard this also from Jordanian Christians.) After Ephesus, we flew (Jordanian airlines is so very well run, and pleasant, with meals and wine offered on each flight even in coach class) from Izmir through Istanbul to Madaba, Jordan, a Christian town about ½ hour from Amman. Now we are in desert, the Dead Sea area, Israel to the West, Jordanian mountains and hospitality. On May 16 our guide, Sam, gave a tour of the Madaba Mosaic Church (accurately shows Christian pilgrimage sites when it was created in the 5th century), Mt. Nebo (where Moses looked over the Promised Land and died), and the Moses spring, below the mountain which is ancient (and where we discovered and ate from the almond trees, also caper bushes). In the museum we read the fascinating description by the 4th century nun Egeria of the caves of hermits who welcomed her at the Moses spring and took her to the top of Mt. Nebo to view the now ruined churches and mosaics. We lunched at a women’s cooperative home; food cooked by the women of the household who also sew and embroider lovely clothes and scarves. In the afternoon, Bethany beyond the Jordan. We (Sam our guide, born in Madaba of a family of Christians that came in the late 19th century; Susan and Michael and I) went to the site where Jesus probably was baptized. Now the Jordan is a slow-moving stream, bushes along the sides, the Israeli security checkpoint across the water. There are large hotels being built by religious orders; a dust storm partially obscured them. The air feels rather murky and mysterious, because of the dust. This is a pilgrimage site; Sam said that it should be kept simple and protests the hotels. Even though on the Jordanian side it was blocked by Israel from access; when it finally was opened, Sam said that his baptism became real. We found a spot on the river, with a contemporary font next to it. Walking down a few steps first I waded in, dunked my head and then went in totally. I felt so moved to realize that Jesus walked here and was baptized by John. While in the water, Susan said that perhaps Christ, in taking on sins that were not his own, was compelled to go into the wilderness to encounter them, confront them. As I came out, water dripping from my clothes I felt renewed, baptized in LIVING WATER. Is it possible to give up guilt? I have been dreaming about Ascension, about preaching on Jesus’ baptism and the meaning of baptism. Fruitful conversations about the church occur with Susan and Michael. Yesterday (5/17) we were at the first class Six Senses Spa resort hotel at Evason Ma’In Hot Springs, Madaba (the wine/food director told us it has been given the distinction of being the best spa in the Middle East). All the staff members wear brown monk-like robes and give an air of serenity. The highlight was the spa, set behind the hotel at the end of the steep valley; it used to be a mosque, now a spa with changing rooms for men and women, women’s only bathing area, a sauna cave of hot spring water. After entering the steam heated sauna, one enters a beautiful swimming pool, a water fall cascading over one’s head. The walls of the valley rise high around us, with other water falls visible. Surely an ancient site, now dedicated to SLOW: Sustainable, Local, Organic, Wholesome. This was a fitting end to a day that included Bethany on the Jordan. 5/18/12 Happy are those who delight in the law of the Lord… They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. (Ps. 1:1-2) This verse came to me as we drove from Feynan Eco-Lodge in Dana Nature Reserve, Jordan, where we now are, for a half-day wadi hike. Now we are in real desert. The Bedouin run the lodge; goats graze and sometimes enter the dining room. For centuries people have lived in this area, which had inhabitants 12,000 years ago, more recently copper mining (n which Christian prisoners during the Roman period worked and died in the punishing conditions). Mid-day the sun is hot, Michael read from the Desert Mothers and Fathers. In the desert one faces God head-on. This eco-lodge, run by the Royal Conservation society, is 100% solar heated and serves only (delicious) vegetarian food; an adobe structure, the only electricity is the bathroom, so we have candles in the rooms. At night, stargazing on the roof. The Bedouin are not only welcoming but funny. They make up the bulk of the employees; their tents are alongside the dirt road which leads to the lodge and to the entry into the wadi. In the past decade, pipes have been run along the ground from the wadi; we saw women load the water onto donkeys for the short distance to their tents. The Royal Conservation Society is learning from the Bedouin about how to live sustainably in the region, especially water protection. Our hike featured the treat of a flute played by our guide, made out of bamboo; he not only called dog, a goat, and a donkey, but joked about the lions soon coming to his call. Beautiful oleanders lined the stream, used to make a green tea to bathe the goats to keep pests off. I reflected that the Bedouin are living the life of all the early Hebrew people, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Esau. They are our ancestors. They are respected in Jordan as representing the heritage of the people. Today (5/19) we were treated to four hours with three Bedouin families. I was brought to tears by an older woman slowly making Turkish coffee for us, the breeze blowing under the tent, goats milling about; she showed us the cardoman seeds that she added to the pot. We sat on rush mats with our guide; for an hour time slowed; several children were entertained by our presence but they also helped in bringing utensils; she first used an ancient-looking frying pan to roast the coffee beans, ground them with a mortar and pestle and boiled the mixture; finally adding the cardoman. One takes three servings in small cups, and then indicates by shaking the cup that one has had enough. We three visitors reminded us of Abraham and Sarah entertaining angels unawares. Our guide said that because of the mixture of peoples through the ages in this area, he surely has Christian and Jewish forebears, though now he is of course Muslim. In another home we were treated to a traditional bread baked in the ashes in the fire, to the process of making of youghut, which an older woman did by pushing a lamb or goat skin filled with milk and water back and forth. The Bedouin believe in simple speech; the desert teaches simplicity and toughness. In the desert everywhere there is water, including small leakage from the pipes that connect the wadi to the villages, running along the desert sand, there is life: small green and pink oleander bushes. After four hours, we felt peaceful, graciously received, and lovingly asked whether we wanted to become Bedouin, especially to herd the goats. The goats seem so sweet to me, that I was ready to accept. Then a drive over unbelievably rocky and dry terrain, up and over a mountain to Petra. Sunday, May 20 is the 39th anniversary of my ordination. I ask Ascension to pray with me. O God I am filled with gratitude for the saints at Ascension Lutheran Church. Guide them in your wisdom and love that they may be fruitful messeners of your Gospel of love and justice and peace for al creation. May they bear in their souls a deep, abiding love for you and for your kingdom. Thank you for calling me to join with them in ministry. Give us the grace of renewal in your love and purposes for us. WE pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. We had a wonderful day in Petra, including a visit to one of the oldest churches in the Middle East. We sat by the ruined cross-shaped baptistery and said our daily prayer, thanking God for ordination and ministry and praying for our churches and God’s kingdom in the world. Susan and I rode camels up out of Petra, imagining that we were bringing spices and leather goods (and that we were men!); followed by a wonderful dinner and a Turkish bath. A wonderful, fun day.! Today, May 21 we drive on to Bethlehem, after lunch at Amman with Sam and his wife.

Pastor Nancy's Virtual Tour

As we begin our sabbatical, I will post blogs. Here is a virtual tour of the five-week trip that begins the sabbatical. You can watch the tour if you download Google Earth Plug-In (very easy to do - click here). Many blessings, Pr. Nancy

Living Water: What Is It?

"Living Water--What Is It?"

Jesus has a wonderful conversation with a woman at a well (John 4:1-30): Jesus says, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to you 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

I don''t know about you, but if you're like me, you need reviving, renewing, inspiring. Easter brings that, but often often if we know we need something: Perhaps it is faith in Jesus, perhaps it is the wisdom that the spirit of God gives, perhaps it is participating in a loving community.

Come to Ascension tomorrow, as we talk about the living water that Christ promises the woman at the well and all of us!'

Blessings, Pr. Nancy

Holy Week and Easter--Renew Your Life

Dear Friends, During Holy Week and Easter, we move from death to life, as we follow Jesus' walk from betrayal and crucifixion into death and resurrection. I hope that each of you will take time this week to slow down, breathe, pray, and draw closer to God. The world longs for God's presence to bring peace, comfort, and justice. Often it is through people who are dedicated to the healing ministry of Jesus Christ who find the courage to make a difference. His resurrection brings joy and hope to each of us and to the world. As you join the Ascension community in worship, may you find strength and purpose in the life, teachings, and resurrection of the our Lord.

Blessings, Pr. Nancy

Services: Maundy Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Good Friday at 7:00 p.m., Easter at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30.   COMMUNITY EASTER EGG HUNT SATURDAY AT 10:00 a.m. at Ascension

The Priesthood of All Believers: You Bring God’s Love to the World

The Luther Rose

The scripture readings for this Sunday (Lent 3) are the 10 Commandments (Exodus 10:1-17) and the story of Jesus' cleansing the temple (John 2:13-22). The readings raise the question, what is worship? Jesus' teachings and healings all show that he was passionate about people's love of God, about where their heart is, that is, about worship and above how they live their lives out of that commitment.

Because basically these teachings (and faithful worship) pull us into an encounter with God, to be changed by God's love. This is spiritual worship! (The contemporary distinctions made by some people between spiritual and religious are so misguided!) This change, over a lifetime, is grace-FILLED, because it makes us capable of loving, of seeing the world as God loves it. For "God so loved the world [the Greek meaning is "cosmos"], that he gave his only Son..." (John 3:16)

God's love in Jesus pulls us into God's loving heart, pictured at the center of the rose. There all pains, griefs, sins, inadequacies are healed. Happily freed, we can live God's great and deep love in our daily lives. In that we are ministers, priests, bringing God's goodness and light (1 Peter 2:9) to places of darkness in ourselves and the world.

What a privileged life's calling, which is open to anyone who comes to trust that Jesus Christ is the way to abundant life.

See you in church on Sunday!

Faithfully, Pr. Nancy

What do Lutherans believe about abundant life coming through the cross? Come to church this Sunday (March 4) to find out!

White Crucifixion, Marc Chagall, 1938 CGFA

Lent 2

Only God Saves

How do we understand the saving work of Jesus Christ? How did a terrible form or torture and death become a religious symbol for life?

The apostle Paul wrote heart-stirring words about the cross: “We proclaim Christ crucified…Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

How does the story of Jesus’ life and death both “cut us down to size” as human beings, in relation to all that we can do and achieve, and at the same time build us up?

Come to church this Sunday, where we will try to ask and answer these fundamental questions together.

Why Come to Church Tonight (Ash Wednesday) and this Sunday, February 26

Meditation Text: “Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God… [Mark 1:14)”

Happy Ash Wednesday.

Biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann believes that even though the majority of people in the United States say they are Christian, many are implicit atheists. He reflects that the “prevalant American predilection for an “irrelevant transcendence” and “cozy immanence” are “pet gods of our culture,” which circumscribe God. God cannot be contained in human thought.

Yet, God is close to us and all creation, even living within our deepest selves! That’s the good news of God, which Jesus preached.

Traditionally Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fasting from meat; with a simpler diet during the day, we are reminded of those who have little and suffer from poverty. It is they who need our help. It is they of which we want to be mindful enough to actually help during Lent. Tonight, our service at Ascension is at 7:00 p.m, with sermon, Holy Communion, and imposition of ashes.

I hope that you are able to take today to reflect on the meaning of Lent, your own life’s pilgrimage to more deeply knowing and loving God and God’s good news of healing, justice, and eternal love.

Why Come to Church this Sunday? February 12, 2012 To learn how to come alive to our truest power!

Christ Healing a Leper   REMBRANDT 1957-60

Why Come to Church this Sunday? February 12, 2012

Meditation text: “Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand…” (Mark 1:41)

"It is at that knife-edge of uncertainty where we come alive to our truest power."  -- Joanna Macy

The Bible shows Jesus as a loving change agent; he wants to right wrongs and heal people.

But change is difficult for humans, and we don’t like living on the “knife-edge of uncertainty.”

Sunday’s scripture text (2 Kings 5:1-14) includes the delicious story of a role reversal by a man of power (Syrian general) who is healed of leprosy through a change in attitude toward humility; he is helped by “little people,” especially a captive slave girl.

But Western culture encourages us to be self-reliant, and to see individual pursuit of happiness as our greatest goal. Are those goals truly pointing to abundant life?

Come to church this Sunday to see if this question about abundant life leads to possible answers about what brings deep happiness and meaning. Hint: Christians through the ages have said that abundant life comes through reliance upon others and the Source of Love.

See you in church!

Pr. Nancy

 

Why Come to Church This Sunday? February 5, 2012

Meditation text: He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. (Mark 1:31)

The story in the Gospel of Mark about the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law (1:29-39), is one of many healing stories. Jesus was known all around the Galilee area as a healer and teacher. The story tells us that Peter had a wife (wouldn’t it be wonderful to know from scripture the names of the disciples’ wives, because surely they supported the disciples’ ministries, and did Peter’s wife?).

Supporting one another’s ministries in service to each other and the world is the role of the church, based in the ministry of Jesus. We strengthen one another in worship together, in care during times of joy and sorrow, in discernment, and in love.

Join us in worship this Sunday.  

Pr. Nancy

Why come to church this Sunday? January 29, 2012 To learn about healing and love

Why come to church this Sunday, January 29, 2012?

to go where love leads and to serve where love calls

 These are the purposes of the New England synod; let’s make them our own at Ascension!

Where we will be called by love we don’t know. But neither did Jesus. Life kept happening to him, and he responded. Isn’t that the same for us?

The Gospel text for this Sunday (Mark 1:21-28) is an exorcism; Jesus’ power prevails against death and disease. Today, we think of psychological or emotional illness as the equivalent of demon possession and are grateful for all healers, including ourselves. God is not neutral about wanting abundant life for all humanity and God’s good creation! Even though we still struggle against all that diminishes life, the Power of Love and Life is ultimately the strongest truth.

Where are you called to love and serve? Come and understand yourself and the world more deeply and find encouragement to love. Come to church this Sunday! We welcome you.

 

Are you more loving or judging? Find out by coming to church this Sunday; January 22, 2012

Jonah and the Whale, Phillip Ratner, 1998. The Safad Bible, Israel Bible Museum.

Weekly meditation texts:

“And Jesus said, Follow me.” (Mark 1:17) or ‘Satisfy all our thirst with your living water, Jesus Christ.” …(Thanksgiving at the Font, V, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 71

Sometimes we confuse moral judgments, important as they may be, with love, grace, and compassion. Growing spiritually really means that we judge less and love more.

The sermon title this week is: “What Jonah didn’t understand about water: Or How Jonah came to his senses to see how judgment is worthless without love.”

I got a lot out of reading the very short, four chapter book of Jonah this week. It's funny and very serious. It leads to questions like: how are you self-righteous? Where in your life do you need God’s love and grace?

During the childrens’ sermon, we’ll place the peace pinwheels we made last week into a “flower” box to decorate the church through Epiphany, reminding us of the hopes for peace.

See you Sunday!
Blessings, Pr. Nancy

Why Come to Church Martin Luther King Sunday?

Why Come to Church this Sunday?

Weekly Meditation Text: “Lord you have searched me out; O Lord, you have known me.”

To consider how God’s love compels us to create the beloved community! The church is to exemplify a beloved community, based in intimate “knowing” of ourselves and others, mutual respect, and compassion. And we have few better mentors than The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is one of the great lovers, described in James Fowler’s stages of faith, as a person of universalizing faith.  (http://www.exploring-spiritual-development.com/JamesFowlersStages.html). Come to a beloved community, to help one another grow in insight, justice, and radical love. Sunday school class will design pinwheels for peace, to which the adult parishioners will contribute. Rachel Stampul will update us on her ministry to create the next generation of peacemakers.

Blessings, Pr. Nancy