Christ the King

Today was the Feast of Christ the King. I'll sending along a sermon I preached on this day 11 years ago.

CHRIST THE KING 2007

          Here we are, on the Sunday before the first Sunday of Advent, poised on the edge of preparing ourselves to receive the Christ Child into our hearts, and what is the reading we get? Something from Luke about Good Friday….Something about the crucifixion.

          A little jarring and ‘out of time’, it seems to me.

          I’m reminded of how the Council of Churches—which became the Interfaith Ministry—used to have a Good Friday service here at St. John’s.

The service was “The Seven Last Words of Christ” combined with our Book of Common Prayer Good Friday Service. There were always 7 sermons—talk about a way to make Good Friday dismal and BAD!!!—and I was in charge of making sure the whole thing fit into the hours between noon and 3 p.m.

          Dealing with 7 preachers and a set-in-stone time frame was always an adventure! Preachers, by-in-large, don’t like to be given limits but I would limit them to no more than 7 minutes for their sermons, knowing full well most would go past 10 or 12. I’d built in enough silence to manage that. But the last one of those we had, the preacher on the 6^th word had gone on for almost 15 minutes about the crucifixion, when he said: “Now let us go back to Bethlehem….”

          “Oh no!” I said to myself, with expletives deleted, “we’re going in the wrong direction!”

          That’s rather how I feel today. We’re preparing to embark on the journey to Bethlehem and Luke has jerked us to Golgotha and the conversation between Jesus and two other dying men.

Since it is what we are given by the Lectionary, it is what we will attend to—Jesus talking with the two thieves.

          What is interesting about the exchange, in my mind, is this: the first thief parroted the slurs of the crowds and jeeringly called on Jesus to save himself—and to save the two other condemned men as well. Not only did that first thief by into the “conventional wisdom” of the leaders of his day, he was thinking of ‘himself’ above all. “Save yourself and US!”

          The second thief had another view of the situation. “We have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds,” he tells the other man. “But this man has done nothing wrong….”

          The second thief is not thinking of ‘himself’. In fact, he has a realistic understanding that, for him, ‘the punishment fits the crime’. Instead, that second thief, bleeding and dying, is thinking of the one beside him, who is innocent in his mind.

         

          That is a place well worthy to begin Advent—thinking of the one beside you, the ones around you, those even far away…instead of thinking of yourself.

          That could be recommended for all of us as a way to prepare our hearts for the visit of the Child of Bethlehem.

         

          But the conversation is not yet over. The second thief has one more thing to say to Jesus.

          “Jesus,” he says, life slipping away from him, “remember me when you come into your Kingdom….”

         

          That is certainly a second recommendation for all of us as a way to prepare our hearts for the visit of the Christ Child.

          REMEMBER ME….REMEMBER ME….REMEMBER ME….

          Memory is one of the most precious gifts God gives us. Memory is our anchor in the angry sea, our Rock in the storm, our Hope in the times of Trouble. Memory ties us to our identity—to WHO we are and WHOSE we are as we continue our journey.

          WHO we are and WHOSE we are is clear. We are the children of God, and as we move through the shadows and darkness of Lent we should pray God to “remember us”. And God will….

          “Truly I tell you,” Jesus tells the thief, “today you will be with me in Paridise.”

      

       There’s a third recommendation to us in today’s readings as we verge on the preparation of Advent. It comes from the Psalm of the day—Psalm 46, my favorite Psalm of all. After that Psalm tells us that we need not fear the changes and chances of life, the song reminds us of this: Listen—“BE STILL, THEN, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD….”

          Next Sunday, Advent begins—one of the great and wondrous seasons of the Church’s year. And today we are given advice on how to prepare to prepare our hearts and lives to receive the gift of God at Christmas.

          It’s not hard. It’s not rocket science or heart surgery. It is, in fact, as simple as ABC.

          Think of others, not yourself.

      Pray to God to ‘remember’ you.

      Be still…find time to be still…and in that you will know God.

          That’s the advice I’ll seek to follow.

          I invite you to do the same.

 

All gone now

Cathy and the girls went home this morning. They had to take a friend they picked up in Wallingford back to Farleigh Dickerson in Pennsylvania so it took them 6 hours to get to Baltimore. Josh is in Southington with friends for their 25th high school reunion, He'll go home tomorrow.

Tim left on the train from New Haven yesterday since he had to work some today. Mimi and Eleanor left late morning and had what Mimi called "the best traffic ever" back to Brooklyn.

They were all smart to leave on Saturday and miss the mobs yesterday.

Bern was so sick she couldn't eat Thanksgiving Dinner with us all and John, our friend, who always comes and is Josh's godfather.

I made her go to urgent care yesterday morning. She has a bronchial infection and is really so much better tonight she ate a turkey leg!

Her illness was the only negative spot in a wonderful time with all our little family--and John,of course, who is like family.

The Bradley girls adore Eleanor and Eleanor likes to tell them "you're not my cousins" and grin. Irony at age 2 years and 3 months!!! Even Brigit, our dog, who was cowered the first day was in the midst  of things the next two days. She even got used to Lara, Josh and Cathy's pit bull, being around.

As I know I've said before, being around those eight people makes me pinch myself just so I know they have turned out the way they have.

Tim and Mimi are quiet. Hardly know they're around. Josh and Cathy are high-energy and noisy. But all four are 'just right'.

And those girls! The twins are 12 but so kind and bright and polite. I thought kids that age got snarky.

Tegan and Eleanor too, so wonderful to have around.

Lucky isn't nearly descriptive enough for our family. Blessed is better.

And I'm so thankful and grateful and humbled and proud. All at once.

Making America Grim Again

Today's performance by the President I won't name, was the very nadir of a dark and frightening two years.

His continued support of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince against the evidence of the CIA and the words of some of his most vocal supporters in the past (Sen. Graham called the Crown Prince "beyond toxic") has made America's foreign policy up for 'sale'.

The President greatly inflated the amount of money the Saudi connection is worth in trade (mostly weapons to rain on Yemen!) but said "America First" meant taking dirty money more than defending human rights and avenging the murder of a permanent resident, journalist of the United States.

It is a sad and woeful day--sadder and more woe-filled than the sad and woeful last two years--in the history of America.

Remember, we were not always the 'Shining City on the Hill' of Reagan's vision. We had slavery for hundreds of years only ended by a civil war. We still have deep and divisive divisions over race and nationality and sexuality.

But today's statements by our Leader (and former Leader of the 'free world'--our allies no longer see him that way) plunged us into role we have sought for decades to avoid: "buy us, we're for sale".

It seems this might be a turning point many who have ignored turning points before can't ignor.

I hope so. I pray so.

It is the only way toward the Light and out of the Darkness of this administration.

Hope and pray and ACT with me on this.

Please.....

Thanksgiving Dinner

Three days away, but already I'm anticipating it!

Our whole little family will be here--Josh/Cathy/Emma/Morgan/Tegan and Mimi/Tim/Eleanor, plus John Anderson, our dear, long time (48 years). John went to WVU with Bern and I for a couple of years. He's a psychologist for the VA. Also from West Virginia. So 5 of us are Mountaineer born--John, Bern, me, Mimi and Josh.

Both our children are in their 40's but still join us for Thanksgiving. That's something I'm deeply thankful for.. By their ages we had Thanksgiving away from parents.

I make the dressing (apples, raisins, pecans, onions, garlic and broth, plus some turkey juice). I do the hors devours (this year three cheeses, two Italian meats, olives and dates). Bern does most every thing else--this year a sweet potato dish, corn pudding, green beans, mashed potatoes and turkeys with the back bone taken out and flattened. Two small turkeys instead of one big one so we'll have 4 legs for the girls. I wouldn't eat a turkey leg on a bet, but the Bradley girls love them.

Salad and gravy and cranberry sauce too--plus wine and beer and juice.

I love anticipating the meal--even though my anticipation doesn't come near to the event's surprises.

Bern also gives everyone a Thanksgiving present--this year in brown paper bags with their names on them. She got all 4 girls amazing hats that look like animals, hair and beard jell for Tim and I don't know the rest.

I have to get her something this year, just so she won't be left out.

Though Bern never feels 'left out' if every one has something and she doesn't. She's like that.

I stopped typing for a minute or so and took several deep breaths.

I love Thanksgiving so, so much. I just have to savor my anticipation and know the event will far exceed all my expectations....

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, a bit early....

A cold to write home about...or, on my blog

I've had the cold of the century, the grand-father of all colds, the cold to write home about, one home-made shit of a cold for a week.

It started last Sunday. I was afraid my snot would fall into the communion wine. I had tissues in both pockets of my alb and used the sanitizing lotion up at the altar half-a-dozen times.

It started with Bern 4 or 5 days earlier. She graciously shared it with me--who says married couples should share everything!!!

Her cold had gone to her chest when my cold was still in my head. But mine got lower down soon enough. If I didn't use a C-path machine at night I would have never slept. But sleep I did--10 hours a night every night. With cough syrup, chest congestion pills, nose spray and finally, prednizone, I've gotten better and better. Food still doesn't taste right and if I do anything physical I have a shortness of breath.

But I do believe I'll survive.

May you remain cold free--it's a bitch, let my tell you.

And whatever else you do as Thanksgiving approaches--pray for the people of California and the fire fighters and the environment.   And give thanks if you don't live there.

Be well and stay well, Umfandusi....

Brigit's first snow

She didn't seem to like it.

I took her out just after 9 p.m. on November 15 into 4 or more inches of snow.

Brigit is from Georgia before she was brought to CT this summer, so she's never been in snow, I'd imagine. But she peed like a champ and ran like a sprinter back to the back porch. Bern toweled her off, she got her treat and now she's upstairs, covered up.

Welcome to New England, Brigit.

Snow can be a pain--but being a 'glass half-full' kind of guy, I much prefer it to hurricanes and wild fires. (Pray, beloved, for the people of California.)

Plus, if you're inside looking out at it, it is beautiful. Being out in a car in it dulls the beauty.

But if the current administrations EPA policies take full effect, Connecticut could be like Georgia in a couple of decades.

Thanksgiving is coming. I'm certainly thankful for Brigit in our lives.

And deeply thankful for Mimi, Tim and Eleanor and Josh and Cathy and Morgan and Emma and Tegan and our friend John, who will all be with us for that wondrously American holiday.

Bern and I are blessed by our son and daughter and their mates and our four granddaughters. Blessed beyond measure.

Two kids who turned out better than we could have ever hoped or dreamed and married so wondrously and gave us such miraculous grand-daughters.

How thankful can you be?

Probably not thankful enough.

And as we count our blessings in this season of giving thanks, all of us must remember all those who suffer and are homeless and driven from their lands by conflict and violence.

Not something the current administration in Washington seems to notice or understand.

But the mid-term elections give me hope--so much diversity, so many women, so much openness to the real issues ahead.

One more thing I'm thankful for.

Though it's a week away--Happy, Happy Thanksgiving to you all.....

Something's off

I average around a hundred views of this blog  a day. I know who lots of them are.

But today, so far, I have 615 views.

Yesterday, get this--5337 views!!!!

All I can tell about them is they are mostly from the US and almost all over Google.

It's really going to skew my stats and I can't believe it's real.

I certainly haven't found any particular posts whose views have swelled that much--but then, there are over 2200 of them,

Did someone sign on in a way that every time they used their computer it claimed to view my blog

I seriously have no idea what to think.

Any computer nerds out there with any explanations???

Email me at Padrejgb@aol.com if you can't 'comment' on the blog--some folks can't.

What's off--that's what I want to know.