Email, August 17, 2014

Last Sunday (Pentecost 9, Year A, Aug. 10, 2014)   

August 17 – 11:00am, Holy Eucharist , Rite II,  Pentecost 10

August 30 – 5:00pm – ECM Picnic – Reynold’s Pavilion

Calendar  

This Sunday at St. Peter’s – Servers, Readings   


Back to Staten Island

 

Two years ago, in 2012, 13 from St. Peter’s were part of the Staten Island clothing distribution, organized by the Moravian Church. (see the picture above). From the report then, "In only three days, we unloaded four boxes, filled the Brighton Heights Reformed Church gym with clothes, helped over 1000 people find what they needed and wanted, and then took everything down and packed it all away! The mission team is tired, but we feel that we’ve accomplished a great deal in our time here. Many, many people expressed their gratitude for the distribution and were happy to get clothes that they needed."

We have a  "subsite" that contains posts and pictures from that trip. It was a big success. 

Now in 2014, Roger and Eunice, who went in 2012, are going back to help as their "own group". The Moravians had a cancellation and were frantically trying to find a replacement. Roger and Eunice graciously have stepped in . They depart this Wed. Aug 13 and will be there through Sunday, Aug. 17.  "Knowing the ropes" they feel they can add more to the work and more than replace the group that cancelled.

Eunice described the process. On Thursday they literally create a clothing store by type of clothes, size, style for males and females.  The distribution is on Friday with first those from social services coming in to get fitted for job interview clothes. Then it’s the kids.  The Moravians have a standard distribution for each child so they can maximize the distribution. Saturday the whole store is dismantled.

In church on Aug 10, they were commissioned and a prayer said for them from Catherine.  

Here are pictures of them leaving on the train from Fredericksburg early on Aug 13 with Catherine providing some coffee and snacks for the ride. Then later in the day, boy scouts from Staten Island and Roger are  involved in unloading from a truck to get ready for the setup on Friday.

 

Staten Island on Thursday,  Aug. 14

 

We have a wonderful space for small musical groups and a decade ago there were concerts here.  Last year we revived them with the "Thirteen".  This year we want to take a another step in that direction by inviting an international group, LYRA to St. Peter’s on Tuesday, Sept 16 at 7pm. Like the Thirteen this is a vocal group, though smaller.

As with last year, the concert is free but we are encouraging donations. In fact we would like to create a revolving fund to keep up with this tradition on a yearly basis. It’s another form of outreach to "nourish the soul."  So please tell your friends and associates about the concert and consider a donation to the "concert fund" so we can make this a yearly event.

Key points from the Lyra  website

1. LYRA is a community of professional musicians in St. Petersburg Russia of about 25. They break up and take ensembles to different parts of the world. At St. Peter’s there will be 4.

2. Most of our them are students or postgraduates of Saint-Petersburg Conservatoire, working in different choirs, theatres of Saint-Petersburg. There are singers, conductor, instrumentalists ." We are all united by love for choir and ensemble singing." 

3.  The main goal of LYRA“`s activity is "exploring and popularizing Russian choir music. Through our performances, we want to introduce enormous musical heritage of the Russian Orthodox Church, as well as traditions of Russian folk music to all people who are interested in Russia, its history and culture."

4. "In 2001 we were awarded the Montreux (Switzerland) international choral festival diploma. In 2005 our group was also a winner of Coleraine International Choral Festival."

5. They have made recordings and their performances can be found on YouTube. 

We have several articles:

1. Introduction, part 1
2. Introduction, part 2
3. Their program
4. The musicians who will be here
5. Musical selections


Donate School Supplies for Caroline County students

Needed—yellow #2 pencils, erasers, wide ruled notebook paper, glue sticks, Marble black and white composition books, boxes of 24 crayons, small index cards, tissues, Lysol wipes, hand sanitizer, dry erase markers, fiskar scissors, spiral bound notebooks, yellow highlighters, pocket folders with and without prongs.  Please leave on the back row of the church. Thanks! We have had a great response so far – keep it coming!


Presiding Bishop calls for a day of prayer concerning Iraq, Aug. 17

Church burning in Mosul

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has urged Episcopalians to observe Sunday, August 17, as a day of prayer for those in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East living in fear of their lives, livelihoods, and ways of living and believing.

Her call for prayer is in response to violence in Iraq that has included the slaying of Christians, Yazidis, and other Iraqi religious minorities; the destruction and looting of churches, homes, and places of business; and the displacement of thousands under the threat of death.

“Pray that all God’s children might live in hope of the world of peace for which we were created,” she said.

The following collect, which may be used as part of the Prayers of the People or elsewhere in the liturgy, appears on page 815 of the Book of Common Prayer:

Eternal God,
in whose perfect kingdom
no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness,
no strength known but the strength of love:
So mightily spread abroad your Spirit,
That all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace,
as children of one Father;
to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.


So How can we help the situation ?

David Dorn, pastor of Woodlands Methodist church in Woodlands, Texas, provides the following thoughts while also quoting Andrew White, the Vicar of Baghdad: 

"If you’ve watched the news lately, things are falling a part out in the world Ebola, terrorists, plans missing, religious wars… But the solution isn’t to flip the channel or to binge watch Netflix. The 1st step is to pray. Never underestimate the power of the people of God on their knees together. In fact, this is what the Vicar of Baghdad is asking for the most. (Read his blog here.) The 2nd step is to keep talking about it. Folks need to know that the people we will one day spend eternity with (one day/eternity, get it?) are being actively beheaded, shot, tortured… you get the picture. It’s awareness. Nobody cares if nobody knows. A 3rd step is to start calling your Congressman or Congresswoman and tell them this is what you are concerned about. It’s an election year. Maybe if the Christians who make so much noise about culture wars do the same with actual wars, we might see some peace.   "

So how else we can help in Iraq?


The central story this week in the lectionary is Christ meeting up with a Canaanite woman outside of his own turf of Israel. On first glance his dealings with her do not appear characteristic of him. Not answering someone talking to him ? Not wanting to deal with someone outside of the Jews ? Then the worse – calling her a “dog” after the manner of the Jews, who considered the Gentiles “dogs” on account of their idolatry. Was Jesus having an "excedrin headache no. 9?"

This story can be looked at in a variety of ways. First Christ and others dealing with women. Another is relating to people outside of our culture. These are all relevant but maybe the clincher is how do the "ins" deal with the "outs"? OK, certainly compared to the Pharisees, Jesus may not have been "in" but compared to this woman a pagan, and outsider he was definitely "in."  

This classic struggle of "ins" and "outs" can be applied in so many ways – religion, economics and socially. Fairness and justice are all part of it. We see people not as they are – in this case simply trying to get a cure for a child.  We tend to classify and put labels on people which isn’t fair.  We will see some of this in the look at the movie "Legally Blonde."  We salute those that are trying to bridge barriers. Such as the case in "Freedom Summer", 50 years ago in trying to sign up Blacks to vote in Mississippi.  Be sure to check out the video at the end of the email – how one person can exact change.  

Back to the story.  She is at first loud and probably obnoxious. But she learns perseverance- she has to wait on him . She gets it right – kneeling in front of Jesus as Messiah and acting humble. It’s all part of God’s time.  To his disciples, he teaches inclusion since they wanted to send her away.   Jesus is showing how to build community. The contrast is obvious with the pharisees who appear earlier in the reading. 

The last item is calling her a dog. We hear the word as "dog" but they say in Greek there is an affectionate term for household pets.  Jesus is not calling the Canaanite woman a dog to insult her but, rather, to test her faith. The comment is a carefully aimed assault on the woman’s pride. The intention of the statement is to penetrate and expose a humble posture that is ready to receive the blessing He has reserved for her.  


Lectionary, Pentecost 10, August 17, 2014

I.Theme –   God comes to all us, includes all in his mercy and calls us to lead lives of justice.

 "Jesus and the Canaanite Woman"  – Jean Colombe

The lectionary readings are here  or individually: 

Old Testament – Isaiah 56:1,6-8
Psalm – Psalm 67 Page 675, BCP
Epistle –Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
Gospel – Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28 

Three ingredients come together to create a celebratory mix in this week’s Lectionary: The first is God’s salvation (expressed in terms of justice and mercy); the second is God’s blessing given to those who are saved; and the third is the inclusion of "foreigners" and "outcasts". The expansion of the gospel beyond the boundaries of Judaism does not supersede God’s love for Israel, but reflects God’s love and inspiration of all people.  The focus, then, of this week’s worship is on God’s coming to us, welcoming all people, and including all people in God’s mercy, salvation and blessing, while also calling all people to lives of justice.

In Isaiah 5 , God calls God’s people to justice and fairness because God promises to come to them and bring not just God’s people, but also the foreigners and outcasts, to worship and to be blessed by God on God’s mountain.

Psalm 67 is a psalm of praise for God’s blessings and mercy, which calls all nations to join in praising God for God’s saving power.

In Romans 11, the apostle Paul affirms God’s faithfulness to the Jewish people. There is no room for anti-Judaism in Christianity. God’s providential gifts of grace are irrevocable. God has made an eternal covenant with the children of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. God’s revelation in Christ expands God’s covenant to include all the peoples of the earth. God will have mercy on disobedient people everywhere, whether Jew or Gentile.

The question of being chosen once again is ambiguous. An omnipresent and omni-active God, for whom love is the guiding principle, chooses all creation. No one is left out. This is problematic for those who see the Jewish people and nation, or any other nation, as absolutely unique. As some prophetic writings suggest, Israel was chosen for a mission, to be a light to the Gentiles, bringing God’s love to all peoples.

The gospel reading places Jesus in an unusual light. When a Canaanite woman comes to Jesus to seek healing for her daughter, Jesus puts her off, apparently excluding her because of her ethnicity from God’s healing realm. The woman persists and eventually Jesus relents, apparently impressed by the depth of her faith and her willingness to experience humiliation for the love of her daughter. Jesus cures her daughter from a distance; his energy transcends the boundaries of space.

This story also portrays another kind of transcendence, the transcendence of ethnic and personal barriers for the sake healing and wholeness. Now, there are a number of ways to interpret the encounter of Jesus with the Canaanite woman. At first glance, Jesus appears to succumb to the racist tendencies that characterized the attitudes of many Jewish people toward foreigners. He puts her off because, as a Canaanite, she is unworthy of God’s love. A second interpretation suggests that Jesus is testing her faith, trying to discern how much she loves her daughter and what she is willing to do to secure a healing for her daughter. Finally, a third interpretation asserts that Jesus may be creating a trap for those who see the woman as an inferior outsider. He acts and speaks like a racist, getting their insider assent, and then pulls the rug out from under them by healing the Canaanite woman’s daughter. From this perspective, the encounter is a parable, a reversal of expectations, a turning upside down of socially acceptable racism in light of God’s realm of inclusion and healing.

However, we understand the meaning of the encounter between Jesus and the Canaanite woman, the story portrays Jesus’ eventual inclusion of non-Jewish people into his ministry. God’s healing embraces all people, regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, or sexuality. Mature faith widens the circles of God’s love to go beyond our well-being to embrace and support the various gifts of the earth’s peoples.

Earlier in the readings, Jesus explains that it is not what we eat that defiles us but the evil that is in our hearts. Then he is approached by a Canaanite woman who convinces him, in spite of his initial reluctance, to heal her daughter who is being tormented by a demon.

Read more about the Lectionary…


Another take on "Christ and Canaanite Woman"

"Christ and the Canaanite Woman" -Pieter Lastman (1617)

This reflects Glen Miller’s scholarship on the story. This story (Syrophoenician woman) originated with Mark first and then was used by Matthew. 

Matthew made  four important modifications in Mark’s account:

  1. The Greek woman refers to Jesus by the messianic title "son of David" (15:22).
  2. At first, Jesus ignores the woman’s request and the disciples complain that she is badgering them (15:23).
  3. Jesus responds to them by saying that he was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, i.e., the Jews (15:24).
  4. After the clever repartee, Jesus responds by saying that her faith (or trust) is enormous and informs her directly that the exorcism is fulfilled (15:28).

This can be a disconcerting story in that some have interpreted Christ’s actions as "putting her off" by not listening or as unsympathetic and downright rude in another. 

The context of the story is important to understand as well as the flow of  the story.  

Historically, Jesus is taking his disciples aside for some very needed rest. The house provided a place of retreat for Jesus with his disciples. He was trying to escape notice. He heads northward to “Tyre and Sidon,” port cities in what today would be parts of Lebanon and Syria.   "Canaanite" was a term Jews gave to the pagan semites.  

It is important to see this scripture in relationship to the Pharisees story earlier in the reading. The woman story is between the story of the Pharisees and the story involving the disciples. The Pharisees belong to the covenant people but take offense at the conduct of Jesus’ disciples, challenge his authority, and are so defective in understanding the Scriptures that they show themselves not to be plants the heavenly Father has planted. But this woman is a pagan, a descendent of ancient enemies, and with no claim on the God of the covenant. Yet in the end she approaches the Jesus and with great faith asks only for grace; and her request is granted.  This is his public ministry. 

Read more…


"We all have our own Canaanite women"

Christian Piatt writes about this story in the Huffington Post

"Of course we will never know whether Jesus’ intentions were pure, or if he succumbed to a very human moment of intolerance. But the fact remains that we, like Jesus, should be challenged to reach beyond whatever lines we’ve drawn around our faith and the justice it claims to include those beyond the boundary.

"We all have our own Canaanite women, and we’ve all been in Jesus’ position. How we respond to this story tells us less about Jesus than it does about ourselves. "

If she has been offended (and doesn’t say so) how should we respond?

The Rev Joanna Harader also writes about this story in the Huffington Post on being offended

"So what should offend Christians?  
Personal injustice? Probably.
Social injustice? Definitely.
Personal irritation? Not so much.
How should Christians react to being offended?
Perhaps by bearing silent witness, by not responding in kind.
Perhaps by speaking out — particularly when the offensive behavior is creating unjust systems and hurting vulnerable people.
Perhaps by engaging in some self-reflection — asking why we are offended, if we have a right to be offended — and then deciding to get over ourselves. "


Doin’ Some Hollerin’ – The Canaanite woman in poetry

From Jan Williams "Painted Prayerbook"

A Canaanite woman from that region
came out and started shouting,
“Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David;
my daughter is tormented by a demon.”
 – Matthew 15:22 

"Christ and the Canaanite Woman.” Drouais, 1784.

 

Clearly Jesus didn’t realize who he was messing with that day. Or did he? Perhaps Jesus knew precisely what he was doing and chose to use this encounter as a teaching moment for his hearers. Or perhaps he was simply in a stubborn mood and found himself facing someone who could match him easily, stubborn for stubborn. Either way, the story shows us that when it comes to saving what needs saving, being merely nice and pliant won’t win the day, or the life. Sometimes we need to dig in our heels and do some hollering

Stubborn Blessing 

"Don’t tell me no.
I have seen you
feed the thousands,
seen miracles spill
from your hands
like water, like wine,
seen you with circles
and circles of crowds
pressed around you
and not one soul
turned away. 

"Don’t start with me. 

"I am saying
you can close the door
but I will keep knocking.
You can go silent
but I will keep shouting.
You can tighten the circle
but I will trace a bigger one
around you,
around the life of my child
who will tell you
no one surpasses a mother
for stubbornness. 

"I am saying
I know what you
can do with crumbs
and I am claiming mine,
every morsel and scrap
you have up your sleeve.
Unclench your hand,
your heart.
Let the scraps fall
like manna,
like mercy
for the life
of my child,
the life of
the world. 

Don’t you tell me no. " 

© Jan Richardson. janrichardson.com.


"Goin’ Down Mississippi", 50 years ago

Jesus meeting with someone on the outside was somewhat accidental though possibly inevitable since he was out of Israel in Tyre and Sidon.

50 years ago, a classic confrontation between the "ins" and "outs" occurred in Mississippi. This time the meeting was deliberate – with both whites and blacks in the north on the "inside" journeying to that state to help get Blacks registered to vote.  Achieving dignity and a place in society was the ultimate goal.

This was a planned confrontation, not accidental.  Unlike with Jesus meeting with the Canaanite women there was a price to be paid for this confrontation.  This played out in the so-called Freedom Summer in Mississippi, a classic part of the Civil Right struggle. 

From PBS

More here from a documentary

Selection from Part 1 of the documentary

"In 1964, less than 7% of Mississippi’s African Americans were registered to vote, compared to between 50 and 70% in other southern states. In many rural counties, African Americans made up the majority of the population and the segregationist white establishment was prepared to use any means necessary to keep them away from the polls and out of elected office. As Mississippian William Winter recalls, “A lot of white people thought that African Americans in the South would literally take over and white people would have to move, would have to get out of the state.”

"In 1964, a new plan was hatched by Bob Moses, a local secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). For 10 weeks, white students from the North would join activists on the ground for a massive effort that would do what had been impossible so far: force the media and the country to take notice of the shocking violence and massive injustice taking place in Mississippi. 

"Word of the coming influx spread and Mississippi officials geared up for the newcomers by increasing police forces, passing new ordinances, and purchasing riot gear and weapons. Meanwhile, Mississippi Summer Project (later known as Freedom Summer) students gathered on the campus of Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio to meet with SNCC leaders for training. After the first week, the volunteers learned that three members of their group — Mickey Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney — had gone missing in Mississippi. As the days passed and the young men were not heard from, people began to fear the worst — that they had been murdered by the Klan. "  Later they found out they had been murdered.  

"Undaunted, Freedom Summer volunteers went down to Mississippi, fanning out across the state, embedding themselves with local families, and setting up Freedom Schools for children where African American history and culture were taught — subjects forbidden in their regular public schools. 

Read more about Freedom Summer…


Religion’s role in "Freedom Summer"

From Religion News Service

"Fifty years after Freedom Summer, it’s easy to attribute the risks of the militant SNCC and its Freedom Summer volunteers to youthful idealism. But many who were there on the ground insist faith played an essential role in this monumental effort to reclaim the heart of democracy.

"It was no accident that the three civil rights workers who were killed were going to investigate a church burning. As one of the few spaces where blacks were free to gather and speak freely with one another, churches were essential organizing centers in the Mississippi movement. But the church was not only essential for its social function.

"For Mississippi native Fannie Lou Hamer, the church’s gospel was inextricably linked to the freedom message. “The 17th chapter of Acts and the 26th verse said God ‘has made of one blood all nations.’ And if I didn’t believe in Christianity, then I don’t think I could actually feel free and believe in freedom,” she said.

"Though it took great courage for young people to go to Mississippi when they knew their lives were at risk, Freedom Summer’s volunteers said they were inspired by the faith of women like Hamer, who was kicked off the cotton plantation where she and her husband lived and worked after she tried to register to vote.

Read more…


Lectionary at the Movies – "Legally Blonde"

This is a classic movie involving those who are  "in" spurning those who are "out". The "Canaanite woman"  in this story is not separated by religion or national origin but by social class and demeanor and in also education.

Reese Witherspoon plays a socially aware sorority girl, Elle, whose only desire in life was to win her college boyfriend back, Warner. He was accepted into Harvard Law School but decided she wasn’t good enough (not serious enough) so doesn’t want her around and breaks up with her. Elle wants nothing but to be his wife. While Elle is president of her sorority, a Hawaiian Tropic girl, Miss June in her campus calendar, and, above all, a natural blonde, she is not considered the intellectual equal of others. 

However, she gains admissions to Harvard and finds that the school presents challenges that many feel she is not up to.  She is separate by her looks and her naive behavior from the other students. There is even a betting pool to see how long she lasts. Moreover former boyfriend Warner has hooked up with a new girl friend. 

The key to this story is from Ephesians 4:11. God gives each of us special gifts, and God expects us to use them.  She came to the realization that Warner will never respect her after an incident at a party and became determined to build up her own talents.    Elle had gifts she never knew existed until she rose to the challenge of being more than what she was.  Elle eventually graduates Harvard with high honors  and was been invited into one of Boston’s best law firms.  


Here is the movie trailer.


Building Community – from an unsung hero

He could be anyone but in this video he is not just anyone.  Like the Canaanite women he is persistent – not for himself but for others.  

This is the story of one man promoting a better life in Thailand produced, believe it not, by an insurance company!  This 3 minute video centers around the theme of generosity. But woven into this miniature story are images of spirituality, community, witness, ethics, and love.  Take a look! It’s a good way to bring closure on a week or to start a week anew.


"What will your verse be?"

I cannot look back at this week except with sadness over the death of actor Robin Williams. I was amazed at the roles he played from Mork to John Keating in Dead Poets Society, to Hook, to Mrs. Doubtfire. He was an Episcopalian with an amazing flow of ideas, most noticeably in rapid fire pace.   He could make you laugh and cry at the same time.

As he said, "You see, I’m an Episcopal. That’s Catholic-lite. Same religion, half the guilt. You know, Catholics, you’ve got confession. Episcopals, we’ve got Thanksgiving when dad has a couple of gin and tonics."

One of my favorite movies was also one of a friend also departed too early in life so I will share this pertinent scene from "Dead Poets Society" by Williams in his role of teacher, John Keating explaining the importance of poetry to his students:

"We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, "O me! O life!… of the questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless… of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?" Answer. That you are here – that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful play *goes on* and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

See this in the movie

Psalms for the anxious


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