Folks,
This weekend begam with a visit with my sister Brandy in San Francisco for our 33rd anniversary weekend, so the "Events" section will have to me omitted (as always, refer to the Deanery website, www.sloepiscopalians.org and the parish websites at the Our Churches tab there and groups further. As always we refer to the lessons for this Sunday - in the Old Testament from the start of 2nd Samuel the lamentation of (King) David over his predecessor Saul and his beloved friend Jonathan, Saul's son. As we recall from last week, there was a sort of rivalry between Saul and David but since Jonathan grew so close to David, Saul seemed to develop antipathy to his own son. But with both Saul and Jonathan dead at Gilboa, David recites a tremendously poetic lamentation in the passage. As many of you know this is LGBTQ Pride Month, and indeed it was during SF Pride celebrations 33 years ago that Tony(!) and I met. For us and for many other same-gender couples, the friendship of David and Jonathan has been taken as a love affair, but it doesn't seem that this is demonstrated by the written record. No matter what the nature of their relationship, it is a situation of deep love between two people with above all a spiritual aspect - the sort of love that can be celebrated by the entire community. The New Testament lesson is from Paul in a further part of his 2nd letter to the church in Corinth. It is an ode to genuine love in the form of giving yet giving fairly. As an example of such fairness Paul recites a passage from the Book of Exodus which depicts God's generosity to Israel in the story of "manna", a foodstuff of some sort, which rained down on the people - hence "from heaven". Paul uses it as a study in the sharing of "wealth" (money, goods, etc) of the people of the church, saying "“The one who had much did not have too much, and the one who had little did not have too little.” For more on this see Walter Brueggemann's study at https://generositymonk.com/2018/01/16/walter-brueggemann-case-study-in-divine-generosity/ The gospel lesson for this Sunday includes two healing stories, both with a delightful twist. In the first Jesus, in the midst of a crowd, has his clothes touched by a woman with hemorrhages. He stops and asks who touched him but the disciples are surprised he would notice one particular contact in the midst of all the jostling of the crowd. Jesus knew the answer, but even better seized the moment to make plain the power of faith and so tells the woman “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” A further delight to me is the story of a 12 year old girl lying down in a house and seemingly dead - though Jesus says she is sleeping - to whom Jesus says “Little girl, get up!” Whether she was in fact asleep or had died, the delight is in the practicality of the last sentence when he tells her parents to give here something to eat. (As a splendid aside, the lesson includes the amusement of the disciples at the notion that the touch of any one person in such a crowd could be noticed - it was; and the laughing of all the observers when Jesus said the girl was not dead by asleep. The presence of humour makes these stories so much more human!) May we all experience the faith of the woman who in effect healed herself by reaching for Jesus, but may also act quickly in doing what we can practically to help, rather being suspended in the awe of the miraculous. In closing, we also would like to copy a quotation from many of sister Brandy's email - she has done a lot of study of Casanova's work and found him a person of depth: "Reason is a particle of the Creator's divinity. When we use it with a spirit of humility and justice we are certain to please the Giver of that precious gift."--Casanova Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts in San Ardo, where Morning Prayer will be taking place at 10am this Sunday.
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Folks,
The lessons for this Sunday include from I Samuel relating the story of David slaying Goliath, but more to the point the mixed feelings of King Saul towards David, even as David "saved the day" and won the battle. Note that there is an alternate track from Job 38 (the most philosophical book in the Bible) with God asking Job a series of impossible questions tohelp Job see the human place in the order of things. The New Testament lesson is from Paul's letter to the church in Corinth in which he considers his ministry and realises his time has been "acceptable" and he has worked together with and "helped" Christ (though they never met in person) in the ministry of the church. His approach here is quite unphilosophical. Rather he simply urges the Corinthians to trust his ministry along and open wide their hearts as he has opened his to them. The gospel lesson from Mark recounts the crossing of Lake Galilee in a boat with Jesus asleep on a cushion on the boat's stern when a storm comes along and nearly swamps the boat. Jesus is awakened and commands the winds the waves to be still, asking calmly why the disciples are afraid and evenrubbing it in when he asks "Have you still no faith?" Jesus knew that even the most committed disciples have difficulty trusting that God will work things out. But what did the disciples think of the Son of God being in their midst? It is here I think that the lesson from Job comes to be extremely helpful, making clear that humankind is infinitely small by comparison with God's creation, and doesn't understand the most basic of creation questions. Yet if humans can muster the faith to trust in God, Paul makes clear that like him we can "help" God. Thus it is that the scriptural teaching includes both profound philosophy and simple faith, a strong combination for building an intelligently loving spiritual community. We hope all will be part of that community! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events We are delighted to report the passage of legislation that authorises the "Juneteenth" Federal Holiday in honour of the 1862 US Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln, effective TODAY,. As a descendant of Russian "serfs" who were emancipated in 1861 by Tsar Alexander II we join with the entire nation in this celebration! We are glad to see that many parishes are acting immediately to recognise this holiday - for example, see St Benedicts Church will gather for a conversation about race and the role it plays in society at 7pm via Zoom. See their websites at the SLO Deanery webpage, www.sloepiscopalians.org, under the "Our Churches" tab. Note as well that June is PRIDE MONTH and in recognition there will be many events in celebration - see diocesan and parish websites for more and please see the letter from Episcopal Presiding Bishop Curry below. While the many Pride parades and other events could not be held due to Covid-19 this year, the LGBT Bishops Commission of the Los Angeles diocese for example is working on online events - contact srussell@ladiocese.org and/or see https://diocesela.org/lgbtq-ministries/ for more info. As always we recommend visiting the websites of your local parish (and some even further away) for more event info. As we have been mentioning, a number of parishes have been having events both online and in person. We were delighted to see the weekly newsletter of St Lukes Church in Atascadero, where the flexible sanctuary has been rearragned for healthy in person events (social distance seating) with an online (Zoom) access for parishioners near and far who cannot attend in person. This has also allowed the parish to "catch up" with modern technology, including a 72 inch television for the Zoom and a technical gurus willing to serve the congregation with video and sound systems, etc - quite a sight! In the midst of all these events of national and even international importance, it is good to remember the basics, and we were cheered to hear Pastor Linda McConnell of Good Shepherd Church in Salinas Corral de Tierra reminding us of their many prayers services, including daily Morning Prayer - see their websites for info, including https://goodshepherdcorral.org and https://goodshepherdcorral.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7cbc9cee2ea785c71ef0cbb3c&id=2a03e2f6a2&e=cc1155f723 et al. From the Diocese The seventh stage of “A Storied Pilgrimage with Race” is available to view at the Pilgrimage with Race page at https://realepiscopal.org/pilgrimage-with-race/ on the diocesan website. Elrond Lawrence interviews Aldo Jarvio at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TshzY8rjrQo&feature=youtu.be parishioner and youth director at St. Paul's, Salinas, about his life, his family's history, and his experiences with race. The Pilgrimage uses personal video interviews supported by education materials, action items, and reflections to engage conversation; completion will fulfill the requirement for anti-racism training. A Letter From the Presiding Bishop My heart is with my LGBTQ siblings in light of today's ruling by the Supreme Court in Fulton v. Philadelphia. For us, the affirmation of equal rights for all people is a moral and religious conviction; it is grounded in the Bible, which declares that all people have been created equally in the image of God. LGBTQ siblings, we stand with you in this moment, and we continue to affirm that you are — and have always been — a blessing to our church. But above all, you are children of God with the entire human family. The struggle does not end here; the work goes on, and we are committed to the fullness of human equality and to building a just future that is free from discrimination against LGBTQ people. We are also concerned for the impact of this ruling on the foster care system, in which so many Episcopalians offer shelter and care to vulnerable children, many of whom are LGBTQ themselves. It is important to remember that the New Testament teaches that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress. . .” (James 1:27). The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry Presiding Bishop and Primate The Episcopal Church Folks,
The lessons for this Sunday include from I Samuel relating the story of David slaying Goliath, but more to the point the mixed feelings of King Saul towards David, even as David "saved the day" and won the battle. Note that there is an alternate track from Job 38 (the most philosophical book in the Bible) with God asking Job a series of impossible questions tohelp Job see the human place in the order of things. The New Testament lesson is from Paul's letter to the church in Corinth in which he considers his ministry and realises his time has been "acceptable" and he has worked together with and "helped" Christ (though they never met in person) in the ministry of the church. His approach here is quite unphilosophical. Rather he simply urges the Corinthians to trust his ministry along and open wide their hearts as he has opened his to them. The gospel lesson from Mark recounts the crossing of Lake Galilee in a boat with Jesus asleep on a cushion on the boat's stern when a storm comes along and nearly swamps the boat. Jesus is awakened and commands the winds the waves to be still, asking calmly why the disciples are afraid and evenrubbing it in when he asks "Have you still no faith?" Jesus knew that even the most committed disciples have difficulty trusting that God will work things out. But what did the disciples think of the Son of God being in their midst? It is here I think that the lesson from Job comes to be extremely helpful, making clear that humankind is infinitely small by comparison with God's creation, and doesn't understand the most basic of creation questions. Yet if humans can muster the faith to trust in God, Paul makes clear that like him we can "help" God. Thus it is that the scriptural teaching includes both profound philosophy and simple faith, a strong combination for building an intelligently loving spiritual community. We hope all will be part of that community! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events We are delighted to report the passage of legislation that authorises the "Juneteenth" Federal Holiday in honour of the 1862 US Emancipation Proclamation by President Lincoln, effective TODAY,. As a descendant of Russian "serfs" who were emancipated in 1861 by Tsar Alexander II we join with the entire nation in this celebration! We are glad to see that many parishes are acting immediately to recognise this holiday - for example, see St Benedicts Church will gather for a conversation about race and the role it plays in society at 7pm via Zoom. See their websites at the SLO Deanery webpage, www.sloepiscopalians.org, under the "Our Churches" tab. Note as well that June is PRIDE MONTH and in recognition there will be many events in celebration - see diocesan and parish websites for more and please see the letter from Episcopal Presiding Bishop Curry below. While the many Pride parades and other events could not be held due to Covid-19 this year, the LGBT Bishops Commission of the Los Angeles diocese for example is working on online events - contact srussell@ladiocese.org and/or see https://diocesela.org/lgbtq-ministries/ for more info. As always we recommend visiting the websites of your local parish (and some even further away) for more event info. As we have been mentioning, a number of parishes have been having events both online and in person. We were delighted to see the weekly newsletter of St Lukes Church in Atascadero, where the flexible sanctuary has been rearragned for healthy in person events (social distance seating) with an online (Zoom) access for parishioners near and far who cannot attend in person. This has also allowed the parish to "catch up" with modern technology, including a 72 inch television for the Zoom and a technical gurus willing to serve the congregation with video and sound systems, etc - quite a sight! In the midst of all these events of national and even international importance, it is good to remember the basics, and we were cheered to hear Pastor Linda McConnell of Good Shepherd Church in Salinas Corral de Tierra reminding us of their many prayers services, including daily Morning Prayer - see their websites for info, including https://goodshepherdcorral.org and https://goodshepherdcorral.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7cbc9cee2ea785c71ef0cbb3c&id=2a03e2f6a2&e=cc1155f723 et al. From the Diocese The seventh stage of “A Storied Pilgrimage with Race” is available to view at the Pilgrimage with Race page at https://realepiscopal.org/pilgrimage-with-race/ on the diocesan website. Elrond Lawrence interviews Aldo Jarvio at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TshzY8rjrQo&feature=youtu.be parishioner and youth director at St. Paul's, Salinas, about his life, his family's history, and his experiences with race. The Pilgrimage uses personal video interviews supported by education materials, action items, and reflections to engage conversation; completion will fulfill the requirement for anti-racism training. A Letter From the Presiding Bishop My heart is with my LGBTQ siblings in light of today's ruling by the Supreme Court in Fulton v. Philadelphia. For us, the affirmation of equal rights for all people is a moral and religious conviction; it is grounded in the Bible, which declares that all people have been created equally in the image of God. LGBTQ siblings, we stand with you in this moment, and we continue to affirm that you are — and have always been — a blessing to our church. But above all, you are children of God with the entire human family. The struggle does not end here; the work goes on, and we are committed to the fullness of human equality and to building a just future that is free from discrimination against LGBTQ people. We are also concerned for the impact of this ruling on the foster care system, in which so many Episcopalians offer shelter and care to vulnerable children, many of whom are LGBTQ themselves. It is important to remember that the New Testament teaches that “religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress. . .” (James 1:27). The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry Presiding Bishop and Primate The Episcopal Church Folks,
This Sunday's appointed lessons include the familiar lesson from 1 Samuel of the choosing of David as Saul's successor, along with a passage from Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth emphasising his walk of faith - "... for we walk by faith, not by sight." Those lessons resonate with the gospel lesson from Mark, which speaks of the harvest when the grain is ripe and adds the parable of the mustard seed, tiny yet mighty. It is amazing how God's kingdom has grown! But the final passage in the gospel lesson is truly intriguing: "With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples." As I understand it, Jesus was using parables to teach the crowds, yet he also knew he had to speak directly to his disciples who would become the leaders of the church. I really appreciate Jesus' leadership ability, as he could speak to the crowds in the somewhat indirect language of parables, yet apparently quite directly to the gathered disciples. We pray that such leadership will rise in our church and nation! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events As always, we hope our readers will use the calendar of events at our San Luis Obispo Deanery webpage, www.sloepiscopalians.org, and the parish websites also under the "Our Churches" tab. Our own St Matthews Church in San Ardo will be having worship at 9:30am at the chapel, corner of Railroad and Jolon, where will have a special time remembering our associated priest and friend Rev Susan Allen, who passed away within the last year. Special thanks to Susan's and our friend Rev Harriet Linville for keeping us posted. Our fellow missions, St Lukes in Jolon and St Marks in King City, will continue with our friend Roy Morris leading morning prayer this Sunday, Father Filemon June 20, and David Miller June 27 with a combined St Marks and St Lukes gathering at St Marks in King City on July 4. St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego is moving further into joint online and in person events, including their Forum at 9am on Sunday focused on the work of Episcopal Community Services (ECS) with the CEO and St Pauls member Elizabeth Fitzsimons. A little later at 10:30 they will their full choral eucharist, with beautiful music by the choir and musicians. We are pleased to see that BOTH events will be BOTH online and in person. The 4 worship services will be led by Rev Timothy Kroh, who had recently joined the cathedral congregation with his marriage partner Mark Garcia who is Director of Research Admin at the Moores Cancer Center. For full detail go to their website, www.stpaulcathedral.org et al. St Pauls Dean, Very Rev Penny Bridges and friends, at 4 pm will offer in the Cathedral a free concert of string quartets by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov in the cathedral. All are welcome. The concert will end in time for those who wish to view Evensong to go over to the Great Hall and watch the prerecorded Evensong service on the big screen. Lots of great stuff happening at St Pauls, which is both a place we can recommend visiting if and when you are in San Diego, with some events you can enjoy remotely, as well as a model for local congregations! Similarly, our friends at St Lukes Church in Atascadero and St Benedicts Church in Los Osos will have events both online and in-person. We can strongly recommend both congregations, and all the congregations of the San Luis Obispo Deanery (once again please refer to the Deanery website)! St Benedicts is also hosting a Deanery-inclusive Earthcare Meeting on Wed June 16 at 3pm. Contact Don Maruska at don@donmaruska.com for full info and note that the group is working on the EarthCare / CreationCare Study Guide for use by groups, church and other, to help all learn more about the conservation of the resources that make life possible. Note that the Study Guide is a Work-in-Progress under the title of "A Beginners Guide to Creation Care and the Climate Crisis", and the materials offered as developed to date can be seen online at https://www.stbenslososos.org/a-beginners-guide-to-creation-care-and-the-climate-crisis/ and Tony(!) and I hope to see you there! As well, note that St Ben's "Hollister Institute" series will have via Zoom a discussion on "Renewing the Process of Creation" book discussion Thursdays at 10:00am and Tuesdays at 10:15 on "Beauty" by John O'Donohue. The Thursday event is further described thus: "Throughout June, John Horsley is leading a book study based on “Renewing the Process of Creation” by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson. This book draws on process theology, Judaism and science to consider the meaning of Creation, and humanity’s role as steward and partner in Creation. Please consider taking part. You can be sure of a good and fascinating conversation. Thursdays through June 24 at 10am in St. Benedict&r squo;s Zoom room Note that Grace Cathedral in San Francisco will be having "TILT: A Celebration of Light and Music" on the Summer Solistice. The event honours our planet on June 20. See gracecathedral.com for full info. Also at Grace, besides many in person and online events there will be an online Forum with Kim Jackson on celebrating Pride, which is apropos of June as "Pride Month". Tony(!) and I hope all humanity all can feel pride! For full info and these and many other Grace events see their websites! Meanwhile, our friend Rev Linda McConnell of Good Shepherd Church in Salinas tells us that the very active congregation there have been putting together yet more online offerings, even while meeting for many worship services and other events at the church campus, a beautiful place. Among other things, Linda tells us that they have developed a "playlist" at https://goodshepherdcorral.us15.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7cbc9cee2ea785c71ef0cbb3c&id=d846c0ee84&e=cc1155f723 which includes church music, and other wonderful offerings such as how to make "oat milk creamer" as good as that from Barista. Linda reports they have had almost 25,000 views and 137 new subscribers so far this year!. Folks,
Today my partner Tony(!) wrote the following summary and meditation: The first old testament is from Samuel 1 where the elders of Israel tell Samuel that he is old to be King and that his sons do not follow his ways. Appoint us a king to govern us. God was displeased, reminding Samuel of the following of idol's in the past and that they were doing this to him. The lord said to Solemnly warn them of the ways of the king who shall reign over them, but they insisted. The account of Saul's life comes from the Old Testament book of I Samuel. The son of Kish, a well-to-do member of the tribe of Benjamin, he was made king by the league of 12 Israelite tribes in a desperate effort to strengthen Hebrew resistance to the growing Philistine threat. In the second old testament option Genesis 3 speaks of the well known garden, where the serpent is cursed for tricking the woman to eat the forbidden fruit thus giving it to the man to eat and he thereby realizing that he was naked hid himself. The Epistle from Second Corinthians speaks of the eternal weight of glory that comes from what is not seen for what can be seen is temporary. The Gospel of Mark shows Jesus reminding the crowds that a house that is divided against itself cannot stand, and while Jesus's family are calling him he tells the crowd that they also are his brother, sister and mother, whoever does the will of God. What stands out to me in the Gospel is the spirit that seems to be telling us that those things we don't understand can divide us or unite us. I choose to give the time and spirit so that those misunderstandings can finally unite us. In Genesis my understanding is to be that the man has given himself the responsibility of his choice to eat that which was forbidden, thereby finding himself on his own with the feeling of nakedness - because of his lack of faith (trust in God) he had to bear this sense of alienation. May we all join in faith and avoid such alienation. Our love to all, Tony(!) and Bart and for all of us at St Matts Events As we are travelling this weekend, we will have to keep this short, but wanted to mention: As always, see the Deanery websites at www.sloepiscopalians.org et al and the parish and calendar subordinate websites there. St Benedicts in Los Osos will be having an indoor / outdoor Eucharist this Sunday at 10:30am - their technical experts have been working to perfect sound system for both areas and video for folks indoors. St Bens also tells us that the current HOLLISTER INSTITUTE – ZOOM – will provide opportunities for stimulating discussion and thoughtful exploration. Currently: "Renewing the Process of Creation" book discussion Thursdays at 10:00. See St Ben's website for full details. St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande is having its Thrift Shop Rummage Sale Fri June 18 and Sat June 19 from 9am to 2pm. It will be a Parking Lot Sale. Their Adult Ed is having a book and film study on ‘what it means to live with Christ’ on Dietrich Bonhoeffer called June 10, 17 and 24 - look to their websites for full details. St Matts in San Ardo will have Morning Prayer at 10am. The Bishop's Ranch (Episcopal) tells us their Summer Camp Program registration will be closing on June 15. Farther away, St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego tell us besides their other services, tells us this: "What's next, now that over 100 people from the St. Paul's Cathedral Community have completed the 10-part Sacred Ground series, a film- and readings-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith? Whether you have completed the series or not, come to the Forum to learn about Sacred Ground in Action, an emerging ministry at the Cathedral. The Forum will feature Jeff Martinhauk, Robbie Ewell, Jen Jow, Kathleen Burgess, Diane Lopez Hughes and Tonya Chavis. Be sure to attend the first Sacred Ground in Action Event on June 13, see "Upcoming Events" below!" This event will be in person and via Zoom - see stpaulcathedral.org for full details. At Grace Cathedral in SF, Dean Malcolm Young will be discussing work by author Lenny Duncan of "Dear Church". Lanny was a poor, queer Black teenager from Race Street in West Philadelphia, who climbed aboard a Greyhound bus and left his family behind. For full info, visit https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=0011o627E_0tyK0cukrcEvavf-fNeG59_XoSJ8r5Kcj5cRUW3id44bcN28ttK7H1ogFJwnukF0vmZmlhCUcPD4E3rB8T4oIOrEactRVSRVx5jLUX6WOBEtqrX09-JIWozJqY1FOzwqygkIX_sBWL8Ipm9d46XGL6LNoUmocAFIOlGDiibmlo1oR-DbOtzf4EaBQXTPSgpQkpfNkYMVHjFChWgZPoNWAc_1DHliwcB3YbhDr6YHRgKD9YxXl5PbMfEYG3sU-bk3YyOgQEkRbtNItnMadk6ND0eUvNLLB6iK5mVa0Secfu6EOIfd1afU_YzLb_TzDQ0JdnanIizKh_2KtUQ==&c=2QotBKWEJ3uRDcFEQ02zidQd5QasqZLaKTX7RyL9RXzcKgF9xlLnyg==&ch=x6H837jvm6S0bs-b5Ga_Rr4004ZrHY2molwijfnlVdqWAP1W4kSJfg== Grace will also have an organ recital by Joy-Leilani Garbutt tomorrow at 4pm - see www.gracecathedral.org et al for full info. Our own St Matts will be have Morning Prayer at 10am in San Ardo at the chapel at Railroad St and Jolon Rd, even though we cannot be there. And another delightful event we cannot make will be the Taize service at St Lukes in Atascadero - again see the parish websites for details. |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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