The Bible Study was very animated and exciting.
People really came down hard on MM. Some were thrilled with her and some were worried about her....
Lots of back and forth.
Some people kept referring to the 4 Biblical Gospels.
Others were entranced with the newness and strangeness of MM.
One person found a painting of the Last Supper on their phone and insisted MM was one of the people at the table. Others disagreed.
I love encounters like that!
Next week--the Gospel of Phillip.
We shall see....
I've been at Trinity long enough that we've studied most of the Bible.
So tomorrow we start on the Gnostic Gospels. I think it will reveal to the folks who come that Christianity isn't as cut and dry as we seem to believe.
We start with the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. It was written in the first or second century and paints MM as a close disciple of the Lord. In fact she teaches the other disciples things they had not known or thought about.
This was before the Creeds and the 'maleness' of the ministry.
It is a fascinating book although the first few chapters have never been found.
Good conversation will come out. The folks who come have opinions and are not shy to share them!
Attacks by Trump on groups overseeing education is bad enough!
But now Right Wing parents want to ban books having to do with LGBQ issues and other liberal (so called) agendas.
As someone who went to public schools for 16 years, I feel fear for those who are going through it now.
We must speak out and 'ban' the banners and keep public education truly 'public'--to include all people.
Do what you can to save our public schools.
Please.
The LA Lakers just went down 3 games to 1 in a 7 game playoff!
Why do I care, you may ask?
Because Jerry West, the greatest athlete in West Virginia history--I was born, grew up and went to college in West Virginia--played for the Lakers--that made them my favorite team.
Now they have to win 3 in a row.
Good luck with that!
Go Lakers....
I'm off today. My contract is for 3 Sundays a month. So I'm off today.
I slept late, went grocery shopping early, finished a book and started another, played Solitaire and Hearts on line and now I'm drinking Pinot Grigio (which is the way to spell it though my blogger account underlined both words in red!)
I fix dinner tonight. We'll watch some TV and then off to bed.
Not a bad way to spend a Sunday but I miss the folks at Trinity....
Bern and I went to visit our friend J. in the care home where he is.
He's been my friend since college and Bern loves him too.
She goes to see him more than I do--I can't stand to see him bedridden and in pain.
He seemed better than he did to our friends who visited him yesterday. They said he wasn't coherent and talkative. But he talked a lot with us and made good sense.
It's still awful to see him like that.
I'll take him communion next week and anoint him for healing.
I pray he can get better.
"The" president--I write it that way because he is not 'my' president--I wouldn't trust him as far as I can throw him...which is not far!
Shrinking the federal government is one thing--a wrong thing, I believe. But his attack on colleges and universities for teaching things about the reality of our country is another.
I have an M.T.S. from Harvard and I'm so proud they are standing up to him. I hope all the schools do the same.
A judge has halted his de-funding of higher education, but the next time Trump obeys a judge will be the first.
We're only a few months into his presidency, but he is creating chaos in the nation of my birth and the country I love.
God help us.
Please, God, help us....
Today it was in the low 70's. I'm happy again!
We did Bible Study at Trinity. We're going to read the Gnostic Gospels which weren't found until 1945 though they were written in the first three centuries A.D.
They are very interesting and a bit surprising.
I think people will be delighted by them.
We'll see....
Last week I fell. (I'm fall prone, I'm afraid).
Besides some cuts and bruises I busted my lip and loosened one of my front teeth.
The dentist today told me I had to choose: pull it and wear a one tooth dental devise or else try to save it (which didn't think she could.)
Pretty awful choice!
When I get her email I'll have to decide.
Alas and alack....
We rented a house in Washington, CT for Easter.
Five bed rooms and bathrooms, a swimming pool and hot tub, a trampoline and play room. Amazing.
Josh and his three teenage kids, Mimi, Tim and Eleanor (who is 7) and Bern and me--9 people.
We had a great time. It was even warm enough to get in the pool.
Good food, good wine and beer and great company.
Josh took me to church on Easter--12 minutes away--and it was a wondrous celebration! Organ and trumpet and solo for the music and I got lots of feed back on my sermon.
Being with kids and grandchildren on Easter is resurrection in itself.
Alleluia, Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed, Alleluia!
We rented a 5 bedroom house in Litchfield County for ourselves. our kids an grandkids.
We're leaving Sat. afternoon and come back Mon. morning. So, no more posts until then.
Have a GREAT AND THANKFUL EASTER!
That's what we Christians call it, though it was the day the person we say in the son of God died then.
Kind of odd--but understandable.
It wasn't Jesus' teaching or miracles that gives us hope--it was his death on a cross.
So, knowing on Easter he will rise makes the day he died 'good'.
Rather odd to non-Christians, but makes perfect sense to us.
Celebrate Good Friday with the joy that comes on Sunday....
Today is also my birthday--another favorite day of mine.
I got lots of greetings in email and messages and in person at church this afternoon.
My God, I'm 78!
I feel about 40 and think like a teenager....
We celebrated the Holy Day with two other congregations.
There was another priest.
He celebrated (and is certainly much higher church than me!) while I read and gave a short homily.
I described Maundy Thursday as my favorite holy day for two reasons: washing people's feet is a very intimate experience--showing love for each other and Jesus commanded; and, we eat and drink--two things I love to do!
We two priests washed each others feet, then others came forward and most of them washed the feet on the next person.
The Singers from the other church in Litchfield were great!
Then we had soup--many choices, bread, wine and dessert.
A good time was had by all.
My favorite Holy Day....
I did next to nothing today.
That's becoming common for me.
I got up at 8:30 a.m. Played games on line.
Ate cereal and fruit.
Read a bit.
Played games on line.
Ate turkey sausage and egg for lunch.
Read a bit.
Played games on line.
Dinner is soon--Bern is doing it.
I did take out the trash to be picked up Wednesday morning.
Played games on line.
Read a bit.
I will watch TV news with dinner and a game show I love at 7 p.m.
I'll read a bit.
I'll play games on line.
Not an exhausting Tuesday.
Never is....
Today I got the ballot for Harvard's Board of Directors.
I went there for two years--years ago and got an MTS--Master of Theological Studies--which is enough to be a Sunday School teacher.
But here I am deciding who should oversee the University.
I'll vote for Black, Hispanic and Asian folks--since I trust them more than white Harvard folks.
Who knows what difference it will make?
Not me....
We met the Congregational Church on the road in front of Trinity.
It was suppose to be on the Green across the road, but there were a few inches of snow there.
We blessed the palms and went our seperate ways.
Palm Sunday for Episcopalians includes a lenghty reading of the Passion, this year from Luke. People take parts and it is really nice, though long.
Then I say communion, but don't break the bread.
After that comes Prayers of the People, Confession, Absolution and the Passing of the peace.
Then Offering is taken and I finally break the bread for communion.
Whew! Hard to do it that way. I had to keep looking at the bulletin to make sure I was where I should be.
And today was the second "Undey Sunday" which I can't spell and when people bring underwear to give to the homeless.
Trinity does good things for those in need--quite a lot for such a little church.
Bless them....
We'll begin Palm Sunday outside with folks from the Congregational Church. We'll bless the Palms, have a few prayers and a short Gospel then go to our respective churches.
On Palm Sunday Episcopalians read a long, long passage from Luke describing the Passion of Christ.
Then there will be communion and coffee hour.
Holy week begins with Palm Sunday.
Lots of stuff to do this week--which is also the week of my birthday.
On Maundy Thursday of all days!
I love the New Yorker magazine. It's mailed to me every month.
The latest edition has a cartoon I loved.
Jesus is sitting in the middle of a table and his 12 disciples are gathered around him, all standing.
On the table is a loaf of bread, a glass of wine and a chocolate bunny rabbit.
Jesus says: "The bread is my body, the wine is my blood and the chocolate bunny is a Spring treat."
Amazing!
This morning the wind was blowing hard. It's died down now, after 2 p.m.
But still chilly. Right around freezing.
Will Spring never be sprung?
I haven't done much of anything today. After Easter we restart the Wednesday Bible Study at Trinity. Then I'll have purpose on Wednesdays.
Today was playing Hearts on line, watching YouTube and reading a bit of a novel by David Rosenfelt--my favorite author.
It's Bern's day to cook dinner so I didn't have to go to the grocery store or think about what to fix us.
I will watch Jeopardy at 7 tonight.
Not sure after that.
Not a very newsworthy day for me....
I have a Costco credit card. Every year it gives me back a small bit of what I've spent. This year it was $436.00.
Not bad. But we have to go to Costco to cash it.
I hate going to Costco.
It's too big, too busy and I never find a parking place within 50 yards of the entrance.
We went and Bern and I couldn't find the paper products because it's so damn big!
We got a few things and I hated every minute we were there.
On the way home Bern told me she hated it too.
A good thing to hate for our relationship....
They won again!
Geno and his team took the all-time record for winning the national championship away from UCLA's men.
And they won going away.
I'm not that much into basketball--except for the Lakers--but I was impressed greatly by this game.
GO HUSKIES!!!!
It was the smallest congregation since I've been at Trinity.
Twelve people and only nine received communion.
The last Sunday of Lent.
Where was every body?
Who knows?
Let's see what Palm Sunday looks like.
I'm sad about today.
The funeral for J.H. went well...more than well.
Her son did the speaking.
I told him that I hoped someone would say something that nice at my funeral. And I meant it.
Not a large crowd--30 or so--but a very attentive one.
Eucharist went flawlessly with the burial office.
Lots of food afterwards.
Funerals aren't my favorite thing, but this one went more than well....
I have a funeral tomorrow of someone I never met.
Those are the worst.
But her son is giving the sermon.
She was a great member of Trinity before I got there.
I'll do communion.
There is no interment.
It will be fine.
I hate when people die....
Just before I went online for my Tuesday group, I read an article in Trinity Church's newsletter.
B.S. who creates the newsletter posted about a mall being built on the Green in front of Trinity. It was fascinating.
I couldn't image how it would happen, but looked forward to watching it go up.
Then, an hour afterwards, one of the people on my facebook group who lives in Florida said: "We had two inches of snow last night."
I was amazed--then he said, "April fool."
Then I realized the newsletter was an April Fool's joke.
I am really an April Fool....
Tomorrow is Bern's birthday.
For 15 days, until my birthday, she is only 2 years younger than me!
We were high school sweethearts. I met her because I thought I might need a foreign language for some of the colleges I was applying to.
But it was Latin 1. I was a senior and she was a freshman but both in the same class.
Latin was the only foreign language offered at our little high school
I went to college and three years later she joined me at WVU.
I then went to Harvard Divinity School and after a year came home and we were married. She went to college in Boston the next year.
Then we moved back to Morgantown and I was a social worker while she finished college.
That was a long time ago.
54 years, believe it or not!
Two kids and four grandkids later, here we are.
I love her so, so much.
She is my wife and she is my life.
Happy birthday, Bern....
