Banning books

The states that are banning books over sexual references and other reasons being read in public school are a blight against free speech and the right to 'know' things.

It's horrible.

Let our children read whatever and make their own decisions about things.

Bern has a tee shirt that I love that says, "Read Banned Books".

Couldn't agree more.

Diversity is the keystone of our identity and our culture.

Banning it is banning our identity as a people and our diverse and rich culture.

I can't believe this is happening in 2022.

What is happening to our democracy?

Nothing good, that's for sure.

 

Blessed silence

 They all left today--well, Tim left last night because he had an early zoom meeting for work--but, Josh and Cathy and their three kids and Mimi and Eleanor left half-an-hour later.

With just Bern and Brigit and me here, there is lots of silence--except for Public Radio on the radio in the kitchen.

You get used to silence.

But with 8 other people in the house, silence is not golden, it doesn't exist.

We love them all with all our hearts--but the silence tonight is blessed.

Easter and my birthday are over.

We're back to normal life.

Brigit has been relaxing all afternoon.

The last two days, as soon as she heard voices in the house she got up early and whined at our bedroom door to be let out.

Dearly loved having them here, but now things are quiet.

Everyone is here

Mimi and Eleanor came yesterday in time for pizza.

Tim arrived this afternoon.

Josh and Cathy and their three kids--Chris, Emma and Tegan--got here about 5 with pizza from New Haven and lots of talking.

So, everyone is here!

Our whole little family. Bern and me, Josh and Mimi, Cathy and Tim and four grandchildren.

What a joy.

For Easter dinner 4 more people--our friends--will show up.

14 for Easter dinner, how great is that!

And my 75th birthday to boot.

How good can life get.

Because we're having that many for dinner, Bern got me two birthday cakes.

The first one is a carrot cake and says on it--75.

The second is chocolate and says on it--and still alive.

That says it all.

Happy and Holy Easter to you all.

 

Maunday Thursday

 This may be my favorite Holy Day.

I love the drama, the foot washing, stripping the altar--I love everything about it.

Trinity invited other Episcopal Churches and, in spite of the torrential rain around 5 p.m., we had about 60 folks show up.

Brett, another priest celebrated and I did the rest.

Just as I was pouring wine and water on the five wounds of Christ on the marble altar top, they turned out the lights and a giant lightening strike nearby and a mighty roll of thunder happened!

I wondered if God was pleased or not with how I was doing it.

Then soup--seven kinds--and bread and cookies and wine.

A fine feast to end the late afternoon.

Maundy Thursday is wondrous.

 

my parents

 As I approach my 75th birthday, I find myself thinking a lot about Virgil and Cleo Bradley, my long dead parents.

I think they would be shocked to know I have two Master's degrees and a Doctorate.

They would be delighted to know I have four grand-children, twice what they had.

I think they would be proud (at least my mother) that I have been an Episcopal priest for nearly 40 years.

(My Dad, who lived to see me ordained was dubious about the whole 'priest' thing.)

Mom never lived to see her grandchildren. And Dad was so destroyed by her death that he never gave Josh and Mimi much attention.

Some days, I miss them so.

Dad was 42 and Mom almost 40 when I was born.

I didn't get to know them long enough.

Mom died at 63 and Dad at 83. He mourned her for almost two decades.

He never came out of mourning.

I hope they are together again somewhere--though I don't have much insight into an after life.

Mom and Dad, your baby boy will be 75 on Easter. Your grandchildren and their spouses and your 4 great-grandchildren will be here.

I'll drink a glass of wine to your memory--though neither of you would approve of that!

 

It felt like Spring today

 It was in the mid-60's today and after a rainy chill morning, the sun came out and it felt like Spring.

I was delighted.

You know how much I hate the cold.

And both our children and spouses and four grand-children will be with us for Easter.

Alleluia!!!

Plus four friends, so 14 people around the table.

And on my 75th birthday!!!!

What a resurrection day it will be.

Keep the warmth coming, Mother Earth.

I long for it....

Easter Sermon

Easter 2022       

 

      People sometimes assume that preachers enjoy preaching on Easter. Like the Super Bowl or the World Series.

      Nothing could be further from the truth.

      Preaching on Easter is a nightmare.

      First of all, anything that could be said about Easter has already been said hundreds of times, thousands of times, tens of thousands of times.

      Secondly, what has to be proclaimed on Easter is something so foreign to our human experience that it defies expression. We human beings know that 'dead things stay dead.' Dead is dead. It is an absolute, something we all agree on. Dead as a doornail. Dead and gone. Dead things stay dead....

      So, over the years of being expected to say something on Easter, I have resorted, more often than not, to tricks and jokes and sleight of hand.

      One Easter, long ago, before I began my sermon, I broke off one of the lilies and ate it.  My point was that when people told their neighbor that their priest ate an Easter Lily, their neighbor would say, “I don't believe it!” Which is exactly what the disciples said when Mary Magdalen ran to tell them Jesus had risen from the dead.

      When I ate the lily, there were a few audible gasps from the congregation. “Great,” I told myself, “I've got them now!” The truth was they knew (as I obviously didn't) that a lily could be a little toxic so they weren't hanging on my every word...they were waiting to see if I keeled over....

      I never ate another Lily, but I did, on Easter, get phone calls from God, Jesus, even the Easter Bunny.

      One Easter I'll never forget, I had our verger dress as the Easter Bunny, a full body suit and bring in a basket full of the symbols of Easter. Then I had the children join me on the altar steps—50 or more children—and began to ask them questions about the symbols the 6 foot 4-inch Bunny had brought.

      When I got to an Easter Egg, I held it up and said, “can anyone tell me something about this?”

      Courtney White, who is now a Medical Doctor, piped up and said, “after a while, they smell like poop.”

      Which was true, as days old, boiled eggs go, but hardly the “stuff” of a Resurrection sermon.

       But maybe not. Maybe Courtney had some insight into the whole thing about the Body and the Soul, the Physical and the Spiritual.

      Who knows? Really, who knows?

      So, I have fudged and cheated and used smoke and mirrors for Easter sermons for most of my Easter sermon life.

      And when all else failed, there were always bunny ears....

 

      But one Holy Week—a few years ago—my best friend John, who is psychologist for the VA Hospital in West Haven, called me and told me what he's started telling some of his patients.

 

      Here's what John tells them: “You can either 'be happy' or have all the Reasons you can't be happy.”

      I found that remarkable and helpful and, most likely, True.

 

      You can either 'be happy' or HAVE all the Reasons you can't 'be happy'.

 

      I'd prefer the word “joyful” in place of “happy”. Happiness is fleeting, Joyful is down to the bone.

 

      So, the way I'd say it: YOU CAN BE JOYFUL OR HAVE ALL THE REASONS YOU CAN'T BE JOYFUL.

 

      Now we're getting close to what Easter is really about.

      Jesus died. Died on the cross. Died a horrible death you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy.

      And he was dead. Dead as a doornail. Dead dead. Dead and gone.

      And God simply loved Jesus back to life. Loved him that much, that powerfully, that profoundly. God simply went into that tomb and loved Jesus back to life.

      And, I believe, God is willing to do that for us—for you and me—as well.

 

      God wants to love us—you and me—back to life.

      That's God's intention on this Easter day.

      The rest is up to us.

 

      You can either 'be alive', truly alive, having abundant life, right now, and always, OR, you can have all the reasons you can't be truly and abundantly alive.

 

      God loves you 'best of all'. No kidding, honestly, believe me, God loves you more than you imagine, more that you can imagine. God loves you enough to bring you 'back to life', back to something truly alive and abundant, now and always.

 

      That's what the empty tomb means. That is what Mary Magdalene’s message is about.

 

      Choose Life.

 

      Because of Easter, it truly is your choice.

      You can either “have life” or have all the reasons you can't 'have life'.

 

      The tomb is empty. God loves you 'best of all'.

 

      It's your choice.

 

      Choose LIFE.

      Alleluia, he is risen. He is risen indeed, Alleluia.

      And so are we....And so are we…..