Folks,
This Sunday as you all likely know is called Palm, the "kickoff" of "Holy week". The lessons appointed include two choices, both enormously long and filled with drama, and yet surprisingly fresh with humanity. Jesus was in effect being the Passover Lamb, being sacrificed (as in one of the lessons) and in the alternative gospel lesson the drama of the crucifixion and death itself ("He breathed his last"). As I read BOTH lessons (very long) I couldn't help but wonder if Jesus would have opted for all this drama himself - why not just simply rise to His heavenly family - after all, he knew what would be coming next. Yet somehow all the retellings focus on this very human drama, of someone who loved - not YOU, but ME - ie, each of us as me. It made the story not of something that happened long ago as in a Norse saga but rather of something personally relevant to that ME. Perhaps for that reason, the story had to get "down and dirty" - for Jesus was fully human, fearing and not really wanting to suffer (He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup - ie, the sort of death He was to suffer - from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”) Indeed in many ways I might prefer a simpler gospel story - love God, love your neighbour, live both now and forever in peace. Yet as many have observed, drama is inherent in our humanity. Tony(!) and I just finished (re-) watching the entire "Six Feet Under" series, replete, in its (Southern) California way, with all the relationships and odd events of the soap opera genre, and yet full of humanity. I guess there is in fact a simplicity to be found here, despite the elaborate liturgical traditions (some might say "pageantry") of this week which has for many years dazzled. That simple message is Friendship (one thinks of the Quakers, in some ways completely without liturgy yet in a simple way getting to the gist of the Spiritual Life - a Society of Friends (in fact they too have a sort of liturgy and with all its human aspects set in the apparent simplicity). But where to find such Friends? Are they imaginary? The answer, in part, might be Yes! A suggestion is taken from the old Tolstoy title - The Kingdom of God is Within You. For if you can be a friend to yourself, then (to borrow from Shakespeare) you cannot be false to anyone, which should encourage them to do likewise. Perhaps we cannot evade our humanity - and our need of other humans - with Friendship being the first step. In this regard, whatever Jesus might have thought about his suffering, and however Jesus has been portrayed - Sacrifice or King - the highest persona of God is as a Friend, to be found in the midst of high liturgy or within quiet meditation. All this reminds of the old hymn "What a Friend We have in Jesus", both not at all like human friends, yet exactly like human friends - for it is in them that we can see God. In words that go to the heart of the matter, our friend Miss Ilene mentioned the following quote "Friendship is the purest form of God's love because it is born of the heart's free choice and is not imposed upon us by familial instinct. Ideal friends never part, nothing can sever their fraternal relationship" From Where There Is Light, a compendium of the sayings and writings of Paramahansa Yogananda We pray a prayer for friendship in the lives of you all, our Friends, Bart and Tony! and for all of us at St Matthew Church in San Ardo Events As alluded to above this week is in many ways the Big Show for Christianity - yet it would be devastating for the essential message of God's Friendship were all the events and drama of the coming week forgotten about on ordinary days. So it is with this in mind, and following our more recent approach to avoid overwhelming with activity details to focus on just a few special events. After all - you know what to do if you are reading this email, go to the websites of your favoured spiritual groups and check out their events. We'd like to mention just a couple: Beginning of course with our own St Matthew Church in San Ardo, where we will be having a Service of Morning Prayer (with Palms!) at the usual hour of 10am. And our two fellow missions in Southern Monterey County, St Luke Church in Jolon and St Mark Church in Kiing City will be meeting at the chapel in King City for a Service of Holy Eucharist, also at 10am, with our friend Fr Carl Hansen presiding. All are welcome at both events! Other Events From The Episcopal Church (sometimes called "The national church, but with several dioceses in other countries) via St Benedict Church, Los Osos comes word of a Good Friday (Mar 29) online concert benefitting Anglican ministries in the Middle East. The concert will begin at 3pm ET (noon in California!) for the video of the concert go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp0pZNWSoIk and for full info and to donate (at any time) go to https://www.episcopalchurch.org/good-friday-offering/ As St Ben parish's newsletter indicates, this will be the last Good Friday for our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry before retirement and he has been a great force for good in the World, in the USA, and in the Church. Special thanks to St Benedict Parish for including this item in their newsletter, Benediction Weekly. Also at St Benedict Church in Los Osos there will be a Climate Solutions Community Forum Sat Apr 6 from 2-4pm. See more complete info and the flyer at St Ben's websites. Note that just in time for this event there will have been a Zoom online meeting sponsored by the "national Church" on Tues Apr 2 at 3:30pm.calling together Diocesan Creation Care groups. The Zoom link is https://realepiscopal.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=99ebbaf4cee8d012c9edafe60&id=d4c4508b71&e=f136cc0442 Good Shepherd parish in Salinas tells us our Bp Lucinda will visit this Palm Sunday at the 10am service and the parish will have an Easter Sunrise service Sunday Mar 31 at 6am followed by brunch along with services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Note that St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande will be having services all those days plus Stations of the Cross on Wed Apr3 and an Easter Vigil beginning at 7:30pm Sat, Mar 30. See their websites for full details. And St Paul Cathedral in San Diego will have too many events to mention here so go to their websites starting at www.stpaulcathedral.org especially note their Simpler Living Creation Care ministry. Abd ti see a really action-packed calendar of events at a small parish, check out Epiphany Lutheran-Episcopal, Marina, parish at https://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=24671209&msgid=575936&act=E9UY&c=1202569&pid=2113442&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.epiphanymarina.org%2F&cf=23615&v=f334068cb24a7d85b2ab5867785927ae3534fa8d01be0aae20e94cd7a877b71d
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
st. matthews newsWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2024
Categories |