July 14, 2010
Friends:
Our Sikh musician friends Amar and Sybomar Khalsa will join us for worship this Sunday. I hope you will join us for some summer time chant, centering prayer and reflections on Mary and Martha. I will be preaching and presiding.
I hope you enjoyed the Night Minister Rev. Lyle Beckman last Sunday. Lyle invites you to join him for Open Cathedral worship on August 1 at 2 pm. The Open Cathedral occurs every Sunday at the Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco. It is an outdoor worship experience for the homeless people of the City. I will be attending. Those who wish to join me can plan on our BARTing over together.
Vacation has been a blessing. Thanks to Pr. Elizabeth and Jean Sylwanowicz and all who have sustained Peace during a quiet summer.
Below is a meditation on Inner Peace – just perfect for July. Can you guess who sent it to me?
Blessings, Pr. Steve
Inner Peace: This is so true
If you can start the day without caffeine,
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains,
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it,
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment ,
If you can conquer tension without medical help,
If you can relax without liquor,
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs,
then you’re probably the family dog!
And you thought I was going to get spiritual?!
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June 17, 2010
Friends:
Truth is the ‘light’ by which to find your way out of darkness. Turn it on!
Congratulations to: our Graduates – Alexi Griesbach and Elisabeth Pfeiffer on graduating from high school; to Katherine Beeler on her college graduation; to Ro Lo Bianco and receiving his Master’s Degree in Wildlife Biology; and to Marco Garzon on passing the Bar Exam. Well done all!
Blessings to Tim and Ting Spengler who will be married this weekend in Yosemite. I am glad for them and that they have asked me to preside in one of nature’s finest cathedrals.
The Partnership Committee will meet after worship this Sunday, June 20th. In addition the Pet Festival Planning Committee will also be meeting simultaneously after worship. We love to provide you with choices.
The Jazz at Peace 5th Season Finale was so fine. It is simply quite stunning what fine creations are presented in our sanctuary. For Father’s Day we’ll have a 2 for 1 Special on our remaining Jazz items: t-shirts, mugs and CDs. Help out Dad and Jazz at the same time. (The 45th Anniversary of the Jazz Vespers is on October 31. Look for a major celebration – All Nite Soul – then.)
There are many people in need of your prayers: Pat Huseby, Nancy and Paul Rivinius/Eickberg on the death of son Richard, Matthew Pontious; Derek Ellingson (age 13) and Brooke Ellingston (8) on the death of their parents; Elizabeth and Curt; Doug; Susan Crane; Randy and DeeAnn; Jerry Slater; the Rippon family on the death of brother Bruce; Judy, those living with addictions; the unemployed; Sheila, Taylor. God knows what we really need. Thank you for all of your prayers.
A couple years ago Everett Sylwanowicz bet me the sun would shine on our Peace Mosaic at the Summer Solstice. I thought this impossible because of the angle of the church…… He won the bet. June 21 is the Summer Solstice so why not walk the Labyrinth before or after worship this Sunday and enjoy the sunshine on the Mosaic. It’s a delight to see so many different community people walking the Labyrinth during the week. The world is always turning – may it keep turning toward the Light.
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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June 3, 2010
Friends:
Never succumb to feelings of loneliness. No matter where you are, God is close by. Remember: Feeling distant from God is subjective, not objective; it is just your own feeling, not reality. - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
This Sunday we will incorporate some of the wisdom of Yoga within our worship. Yoga literally means to yoke the vitality of the Spirit through the breath. You can anticipate gifts of healing, cleansing, the renewing of energy, calm and peace this Sunday. Bring your yoga mat if you are a practitioner!
We were certainly blessed by the musical gifts of Destiny Muhammad and Tarika Lewis and the Nubian Strings this past Sunday. They graciously opened our community heart to the crucified and resurrecting mystery of the Holy Trinity. Thank you for all the prayers offered for our Catechumens Jeanie, Susanna, Libby and Gil throughout this church year. They have now entered the realm of the Mystagogues and would love to talk with you about this.
Congratulations to Grandma Sue Field on the birth of grandson Liam! All in the family are healthy and happy.
Please keep in your prayers: Pr. Elizabeth and Curt and family members on the death of her father, Joyce El Mogazi, Taylor, Sheila, Doug, Georgia, Karen, Randy and DeeAnn, Pat Huseby, Jerry Slater, our hospital chaplains, Sheila, Judy, Micky and Jonathan, Sue Worthington, the unemployed, Baha’i Leaders in Iran, our VBS program, the people and environment of the Gulf Coast.
The Church Council has approved a Feasibility Study Project to enhance the existing Memorial Garden by adding a Columbarium and a Memorial Wall. A Columbarium is a wall of niches, each capable of holding two urns containing cremated remains of the deceased. The Memorial Wall contains plaques which commemorates those buried elsewhere. Homecoming Inc. of Scottsdale Arizona is a 20 year old company that provides Columbarium Systems, Products, and Services. This company will make a Presentation at Peace on Thursday June 10th @ 7PM. Please plan to attend and learn more about this important new ministry. Dana Squire for the Committee
On July 10 and 11, I’m walking in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in San Francisco. Since January I’ve been walking to prepare for this. On Saturday, July 10 I’ll walk a marathon – 26.2 miles. That night I’ll sleep in a tent – sadly there’s no way to train for that challenge – and then on Sunday I’ll walk another 13.1 miles. That’s 39.3 miles in a weekend.
I’ve pulled together a team from work and we’re pooling our fundraising efforts and encouraging each other. We have a website where you can contribute or, if sending money over the internet makes you uncomfortable, I can send you coupons to send in with a donation. The website is:
http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/SanFrancisco?px=5311583&pg=personal&fr_id=1950. Thank you, Christy Winter
A Dream Circle exploring the insights and truths of our dreams begins this week at Peace. It will be led by Bruce Silverman. Chanting, drumming, connecting with our longings and community will also be a part of this work. Ready to discover more dimensions of your life? Join in. Watch Sunday’s bulletin for further details.
A Reflection on the Tragedy in the Gulf:
I am watching unbelievable pictures tonight of endless swaths of brown oil mixed with the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, of dying wetlands and marshes, of miles of contaminated coastlines, of dead birds and animals, of helpless and hopeless Gulf Coast residents sadly witnessing their livelihoods and their lives slipping away. We have to change our language. This isn’t a “spill”, it is an environmental catastrophe.
Theologically, we are witnessing a massive despoiling of God’s creation. We were meant to be stewards of the Gulf of Mexico, the wetlands that protect and spawn life, the islands and beaches, and all of God’s creatures who inhabit the marine world. But instead, we are watching the destruction of all that. Why? Because of the greed for profits; because of deception and lies; because of both private and public irresponsibility.
But I am also reminded of what G.K. Chesterton once said when asked what was most wrong with the world. He reportedly replied, “I am.” Already, we are hearing some deeper reflection on the meaning of this daily disaster. Almost everyone now apparently agrees with the new direction of a “clean energy economy.” It will require a re-wiring of the energy grid But it will also require a re-wiring of ourselves — our demands, requirements, and insatiable desires. Our oil addiction has led us to environmental destruction, endless wars, and the sacrifice of young lives, and it has put our very souls in jeopardy.
There is not one answer to this calamity; there are many: corporate responsibility, for a change; serious government regulation, for a change; public accountability, for a change; and real civic mobilization to protect the endangered waters, coasts, species, and people’s livelihoods. But at a deeper level, we literally need a conversion of our habits of the heart, our energy sources, and our lifestyle choices. And somebody will need to lead the way toward what the Bible calls stewardship. What about our community of faith? Jim Wallis
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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May 27, 2010
Friends:
God, come with the wind of your Holy Spirit and stir up all your people throughout the world.
Protect us from the sin of limiting You, diminishing you and making you small.
Help we who pray – to make sure we devote our attention to what really unites your humanity…and not squander our faith on differences and divisions.
Teach us to respect and honor all spiritual expressions of what is truly Uncontainable!
May your Holy Spirit constantly urge us to work for justice, equality and dignity of every human being.
Give us courage to protest and protect people who are demeaned, degraded and despised.
God, you are always Larger than our imaginations; you are so far beyond our interpretations of you; your compassion is endlessly vast.
Wake us up to consider all we have been given; lead us deeper into your love and the secret of reconciliation. -Pentecost Prayer
We celebrate Trinity Sunday this Memorial Weekend – the Mystery of the God who is Love, whose compassion has become real in flesh and blood that we might become real, alive sons and daughters of God. Destiny Muhammed and Tarika of Nubian Strings will join us for worship and contribute their unique harp and violin gifts.
This note from Pr. Anita :
This will also be our last week of Children’s Sunday School until the fall. Following worship the children will be hosting a very special hospitality hour so please plan to stay for a few minutes to enjoy homemade ice cream sandwich cookies, and special treats made by the children. Parents, please bring your children to the church kitchen this Sunday at 9:00 a.m. with their hands washed, ready to begin their morning role as hospitality hosts and caterers!
For those whose children have participated in Sunday School over the Spring I’ll be sending out a questionnaire soon that I’d ask you to return which will help us in preparing for the fall. I would also like to schedule an after church meeting sometime soon for us to look at how we might make Sunday School the best experience possible and how we to get more children in our church and in our community involved.
Our Pentecost worship was alight with fire thanks to the Godfriends, the flame of the 13th candle from the Council for Mary Magdalene, lectors with a dozen languages from all over the world, the energy of our children, the duets of Richard and Sue, the Blessing of the Catechumens – Jeanie, Libby, Susanna and Gil, the sound of chimes and the presence of a still, small voice. “What do you love?”
Our Bocce Ball Picnic was a joyful and relaxed afternoon together. Over 60 people came to enjoy a great BBQ, abundant conversation, our children, napping and bocce ball. Our thanks to Deacons Christine Johansson and Everett Sylwanowicz for organizing this beautiful day….even the weather cooperated and couldn’t have been more lovely.
Annie Haines sends greetings to all of her friends. Her physical therapist is stunned by how rapidly her recovery from knee surgery is progressing. She assured him she is surrounded by a community of constant prayer. Don’t stop!
Please keep in your prayers: Joyce, Curt, Elizabeth and Abigail on the death of Charley, Randy and DeeAnn, Pat, Richard, Ed, Taylor, Sheila, Micky, Jonathan, and Jules (Sue’s daughter) who is soon to give birth.
Our St. Francis Animal Blessing and Pet Festival is October 3. Tom Grossman invites all who are willing to serve on the Committee to meet with him after worship on June 13.
Can you believe it? One year ago this week Kista Choir from Stockholm sang at Peace, New Folsom Prison and at San Quentin. Tempus fugit – time flies. Keep Spoon Jackson, the incarcerated and innocent prisoners in your prayers.
“There is no excuse for not taking delight in something. Each of us is called to breathe life into matter. We have been given the Spirit to breathe life and love and liberation into all creation.” Richard Caemmerer
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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May 20, 2010
Friends:
Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evening, how you spend your weekends, what you read, whom you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything. - Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J.
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost – the Third High Feast Day of the church year – wear red!. Pentecost unleashes the Descent of the Spirit who enlightened the minds of the disciples in order that they might understand the work and gift of Christ. Though they had been with Jesus for 3 years the disciples didn’t get who he was or what he was offering. The Spirit illuminates us with the essential wisdom we need to live humanly and gracefully. The Catechumens will be blessed. Expect great delight!
Living in a Liberated World was a marvelous interfaith gathering of Hope Bearers, Wisdom Gatherers and Earth Stewards. 50 people were present (one woman drove 2 and ½ hours from the foothills of the Sierras to join us)! The day was rich in intellectual contributions, experiential exercises, a Labyrinth/Peace Mosaic Walk, prayerful inspirations, steel pan-drumming-dancing, Native Garden appreciation and a splendid lunch prepared by Libby Flynn and April Rasmussen. Real hope cannot be faked and many participants shared they were charged with hope and energy by the day. As Fr. Tom Bonacci named the interfaith question: there is a huge abyss between ‘I no longer reject you’ and ‘I cherish you for who you are’. All present expressed gratitude for the beauty of Peace and our willingness to host this event with Wisdom University. Thanks also to Parisa and Ro LoBianco, Pr. Margareta and Karen Brent for their contributions to the day.
Bocce Picnic – This Sunday, May 23 at Sycamore Valley Park, 2101 Holbrook Drive Danville, CA 94526. 50 PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP!! Our Picnic starts after the Church service, Bocce games start at 1:00 p.m. Hot Dogs, hamburgers and drinks will be provided! We ask each family to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share. To sign up or for additional information contact Christine Johansson at mcjohansson@yahoo.com
DVC is holding their next world-famous Plant Sale on May 22nd, 9-1pm at their horticulture department. All of the native & very drought tolerant plants will be on sale there. A link for further information may be found here. Ro is willing to carpool with interested folk too.
Ki Altemus sends her loving greetings to all her friends at Peace.
Trinity Sunday is May 30 (Memorial weekend) and our harpist friend Destiny Muhammed will return with the Nubian Strings.
Please keep in your prayers: Randy, DeeAnn, Pat, Richard, Ed, Curt and Elizabeth’s fathers, Sheila, Jerry Slater, Taylor, Georgia, Doug, Jasmine’s father, Linda and those living with addictions.
Our St. Francis Animal Blessing and Pet Festival will be on October 3rd. Tom Grossman has consented to Chair the Committee again. Thank you, Tom. Look for a meeting in early June with those who are willing to help organize this extraordinary event.
We are glad that Annie Haines is home safe and sound and happy for all the good friends who have been taking care of her! Thank you for your prayers.
Remember the Berlin Wall is only chips now and Ascension celebrates the impermanence of every barrier preventing reconciliation!
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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May 14, 2010
Friends:
Inside the huge Roman Cathedral the tourists were confined in the mystery of twilight.
Vaults – mouths gaping wide open – beyond vaults, gave no gaze of the vastness.
The flickering of candle flames.
There, the voice of an angel without face embraced me,
Whispering into my body-being:
“Do not feel ashamed of being human, be proud!
Breathe and bear the dignity.
Inside of you, vault upon vault is opening up – into eternity.
You will never be ready - and that is as it should be.
Blinded by my tears I was jostled by the crowd of tourists into the sun-drenched piazza
Together with Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Mr. Tanaka and Signora Sabatini
…and within them vaults upon vaults beyond vaults were opening – endlessly.
Tomas Transtromer
Our gratitude to the Sunday School Teachers and Staff – Pr. Anita, Bob Winter and Tammy Valenta – for all their work this Spring. And thanks to Deacon Christine Johansson for coordinating a fine Teacher Appreciation presentation last Sunday. Pr. Anita adds these words:
I was completely surprised (and delighted!) over the kindness expressed to myself, Tammy and Bob last Sunday. The flowers and handwritten notes from the children were wonderful and I was so excited to discover that a donation was made toward Charity Water in my name. Ethiopia was the country I chose when asked where I would like my donation to go. Thanks to every parent who individually and together showed such generosity to us and to the children who are always so generous in sharing themselves with us. Every boy and girl is an absolute delight (even the most wiggly ones!) and the hour we spend with them in Sunday School is perhaps the hour each week that we as their teachers grow the most in our own faith from the faith lived out in the children. Speaking for myself but guessing that I’m speaking as well for Tammy and Bob, I love you as parents, I love your children, and I love Peace! What an honor to be a part of what God is doing in such a gracious place.
The Seminarian Committee has been formed to support Emily Weller in her pastoral and theological training at Peace. The Teaching Parish Committee consists of: Karl Pfeiffer, Chair; Bobbi Jardine, Juleen Ricci, Amy Garzon, Gun Johnston, Alessandra Kath, Jonathan Rodrigues and Michael Valenta. Emily will be doing her Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) this summer in Chicago. She will return in the Fall and work with us throughout all of next year.
Congratulations to Katherine Beeler who graduates from college this weekend. Way to go, Katherine!
Living in a Liberated World – an I-SRV community gathering of Hope Bearers, Wisdom Gatherers and Earth Stewards happens tomorrow/Saturday at Peace. This is an interfaith probing of how shall we live in times of conflict and contradiction. You are invited to join in tomorrow from 10 am - 4pm. It will be a fascinating experience with input from many diverse persons and groups. The cost is $25 which includes lunch. Steel pan, drums, chant, Labyrinth Walking, the Peace Mosaic and Native Garden will all enrich the day.
Bocce Picnic - Sunday, May 23 at Sycamore Valley Park, 2101 Holbrook Drive Danville, CA 94526
Picnic starts after Church service, Bocce games start at 1:00 p.m. Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and drinks will be provided! We ask each family to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share. Please sign up to attend by May 21 (clipboard in the gathering hall). For additional information contact Christine Johansson at mcjohansson@yahoo.com
DVC is holding their next world-famous Plant Sale on May 22nd, 9-1pm at their horticulture department. All of the native & very drought tolerant plants will be on sale there. Here is the link for further information. Ro is willing to carpool with interested folk too.
You will be happy to know that our old tables have been donated to Stand against Domestic Violence. Thanks to Marlene Garrity for this suggestion.
This Sunday we celebrate the Ascension of Christ. Among other gifts of music, wisdom and grace you will get to learn about Black Holes in space from Mark Miller!
Remember, as you heard on Mother’s Day: The moment you get children of your own, then you forgive your parents everything!
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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May 7, 2010
Friends:
Growing spiritually can be like a roller coaster ride: take comfort in the knowledge that the way down is often only a preparation for the way up.
Partnership Sunday was a blessing for all of us. Many expressed their thanks for the experience of the Liberation Theology process of reflection and praxis. The dancing, singing, praying, and shaking energy should keep us motivated for a long time. Our thanks to the Partnership Committee for preparing a creative worship experience. Keep Laurel Galan and Lwamondo Parish in your prayers.
Bocce Picnic - Sunday, May 23 at Sycamore Valley Park, 2101 Holbrook Drive Danville, CA 94526.
Picnic starts after Church service, Bocce games start at 1:00 p.m. Hot Dogs, hamburgers and drinks will be provided! We ask each family to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share. Please sign up to attend by May 21 (clipboard in the gathering hall). For additional information contact Christine Johansson at mcjohansson@yahoo.com.
Greg and Tioni Collins with sons Aden and Lukas are on their way to Nairobi, Kenya for the next two years. Greg has a position with USAID covering the Horn of Africa. Keep them in your prayers.
Our own Wendy (Atkinson) Siegel does broadcasts on NPR. She sends this note: “Here’s the link to one of my most recent stories. It was really fun to do and I think you’ll enjoy it. Please hit the play button (don’t just read it; that’s cheating!). It is much better with the sound… it sets the scene :)” Check it out here!
Thankfully Annie Haines has come through her knee surgery well. Thanks to all who have volunteered to help her during her recovery process. More details to come.
Living in a Liberated World – Saturday, May 15, 10 – 4 at Peace: To honor and care for our world in crisis requires that we gather communities together to share wisdom traditions and revisit our beliefs about what must be done at this pivotal moment in human history. Building on our Holy Convergence interfaith gatherings from the last several years, Bruce Silverman and I are hoping to invigorate that effort by bringing together teachings and rituals from the interfaith community and Wisdom University for a day of ceremony, discussion, investigation, music, food, and community building. Our intention is to encourage Wisdom Circles that prompt participants to act on their highest aspirations together. We have envisioned three segments: “Hope Bearers, Wisdom Gatherers, and Earth Stewards.” Clearly we are all called to all three tasks, but we will ask those in attendance to choose one area in which to become more involved. During the course of the day we will speak from those perspectives, invoke song, dance, and meditation to embody them, and facilitate a transformational arts hour for each of the three groups to create a group sharing. Register through our church office.
A wonderful New Member Dinner was shared by 15 people this past Wednesday evening. Our thanks to Deacon Maili Malvre for coordinating and cooking for the evening.
This Sunday we celebrate Mother’s Day. You may wish to purchase a new Hymnal in honor of your mother. A surprise guest will teach you all about Lydia too!
Thanks to the sharp eyes of Property Deacon Everett Sylwanowicz Peace has acquired a gas BBQ grill. It will get used to the maX!
And now for something completely different!
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April 30, 2010
Friends:
To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places - and there are so many - where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand Utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory. From You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, by Howard Zinn
This Sunday we will celebrate our Partnerships with Laurel Galan, Nicaragua and Lwamondo Parish in Venda, South Africa. Delegations over the years have nurtured our friendships and shaped our experiences of the Gospel. Experiencing the Gospel through “3rd World” eyes, ears and hearts deepens the meaning and necessity of God’s grace. Many blessings await you.
“Living in a Liberated World” is an Interfaith Conference happening at Peace on Saturday, May 15 from 10 – 4. A variety of spiritual leaders and artists will address how we can live as Hope-Bearers, Wisdom Gatherers and Earth Stewards in this time. There will be music, drumming, art and Labyrinth Walking (and lunch) also. The cost is $25. Check out the flier on the Kiosk and sign up.
Such a blessed Earth Day Celebration we shared this past Sunday. A reflection on the Cosmos from Bob McNair, Children’s Time, the rainstick, plants on the altar, water poured in the font and on the new plants in our Native Garden as a prayer for the whole earth – made for quite a festive 40th Earth Day Anniversary. We will be hearing and learning more about conversations with the Solar Richmond people in the near future too. Have you heard that people in Bolivia are composing an Earth Rights Charter in the spirit of the UN Declaration on Human Rights created some decades ago? We can keep learning, can’t we! See more photos from Earth Day at Peace!
The Women’s Group will meet at Gun Johnston’s home on Wednesday, May 12 from 10 – Noon. All the women of Peace are invited.
It’s not too late to join the Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus class on Sunday mornings at 9 am. Fruitful and inspiring discussions are happening. Don’t miss out.
In Letters to a Young Poet Rilke says “Things are not nearly so comprehensible and sayable as we are generally made to believe. Most experiences are unsayable; they come to fullness in a realm that words do not inhabit. And most unsayable of all are words of art, which–alongside our transient lives (and grace)–mysteriously endure.” O you who are of Infinite Value, look for the beauty and mystery in everything you live.
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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April 22, 2010
Friends:
As often as you can, take a trip out to the fields to pray; all the grasses and flowers will join you. They will enter your prayers and give you strength to sing praises to God. - Rebbe Nachman of Breslov
This Sunday we celebrate Earth Day. You will learn about the Elegant Unfolding of the Universe. Ro invites you to wear work clothes and help plant some new plants in our Native Garden after worship. You may also do some further earth work after that if you choose. We may receive some news about Solar Richmond from Dave, Jeanie, Parisa and Ro as well. In preparation for Sunday please enjoy the sun, the flowers, the aromas, and the breeze that surround you; sipping clean water; and walking on an earth that supports you every step of the way.
Congratulations to Ethan Hepner on obtaining his Black Belt last Saturday! Way to go, man. He’ll be breaking boards for us in worship soon.
Martha Mantei reminds you that The Great Choruses of Broadway are being performed on May 7, 8 and 9. Discount coupons are available in the Gathering Hall on the Kiosk.
Living in a Liberated World: On May 15 we will host a gathering for those in the Interfaith Community who want to live as Hope-Bearers and Earth Stewards in challenging times. Building on the riches of our Holy Convergences we will explore how to live beyond religious differences into a shared Spirit of Wisdom. Flyers are on the Kiosk. Invite your friends.
The following poem is for all of you who are feeling like “cast down sheep” – flat on your back with legs flailing in the air wondering when will I get back on your feet….. This is also a gift from Good Shepherd Sunday and Psalm 23.
Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front - by Wendell Berry
Love the quick profit, the annual raise, vacation with pay.
Want more of everything ready-made.
Be afraid to know your neighbors and to die. And you will have
a window in your head. Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something they will call you.
When they want you to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it. Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot understand.
Praise ignorance, for what man has not encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask the questions that have no answers. Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest that you did not plant,
That you will not live to harvest. Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold. Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus that will build under the trees
every thousand years. Listen to carrion–put your ear close and hear
the faint chattering of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable.
Be joyful though you have considered all the facts.
Go with your love to the fields. Lie down in the shade.
Rest your head in her lap. Swear allegiance to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign to mark the false trail, the way you didn’t go.
Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
Blessings, Pr. Steve
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April 15, 2010
Easter Exultet
Shake out your qualms.
Shake up your dreams.
Deepen your roots.
Extend your branches.
Trust deep water
and head for the open,
even if your vision
shipwrecks you.
Quit your addiction
to sneer and complain.
Open a lookout.
Dance on a brink.
Run with your wildfire.
You are closer to glory
leaping an abyss
than upholstering a rut.
Not dawdling.
Not doubting.
Intrepid all the way
Walk toward clarity.
At every crossroad
Be prepared
to bump into wonder.
Only love prevails.
En route to disaster
insist on canticles.
Lift your ineffable
out of the mundane.
Nothing perishes;
nothing survives;
everything transforms!
Honeymoon with Big Joy!
~ James Broughton ~
Thanks to Jody and Dick Larson for the above poem. Their grandson Chase was recently baptized at the Easter Vigil Service.
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: Come learn about the parables of Jesus and how they would have been heard within his original Jewish context. This fascinating 3 Class Session with Deacon Gil Jardine begins this Sunday at 9 am. It is ideal for Sunday School parents, those eager to learn about Jesus in his home culture, early birds, and inquisitive spiritual beings.
Earth Day Celebration: Ro Lo Bianco invites you to wear work clothes and help plant new plants in our California Native Garden after worship on April 25th. If you are willing to provide some additional manual labor in the garden after the plantings that would be appreciated too.
50 years ago this past Sunday Gun Johnston participated in the choir which sang for the First Ordination of a Woman as a Minister in the Lutheran Church of Sweden. What a remarkable event and breakthrough for the church! How controversial and necessary. (It was another 20 years before the first Lutheran woman was ordained in the United States.) As Dana Squire commented, “I didn’t know Gun sang in a Children’s Choir.” Thank you, Gun, for standing up and singing Grace into New Realities!
Please keep in your prayers: Georgia, Doug, Randy, Taylor, Sheila, Linda, Curt’s father, Jerry Slater, Dee, Marlene, Judy, Karen, our Chaplains Dwane Michael and Mark Howard, those struggling with addictions or mental illness, our Catechumens Susanna, Jeanie, Gil and Libby.
Why do I always forget? After preaching on the text for Sunday morning about fear locking us behind closed doors - that same evening for Jazz at Peace a most torrential rain storm didn’t prohibit the assembling of a wonderful gathering upon whom: the sun immediately shone when the music began; who experienced a most exquisite calm and peaceful music; and whose hearts - locked inside of anxiety and stress - eventually could accept the wounds of our solitude as pathways for spirited transformation. What a mystery we live inside of.
Blessings, Pr. Steve
Please note: The audio of Sunday’s sermon is available here.
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