The moon has been glorious the last two nights.
Low in the sky to the north-east of our back deck, it has been full and colorful.
It makes me feel like I'm 'the man in the moon'.
I read an article on line about the 'hollow moon' theory.
Really crazy.
I love the moon.
It makes me want to howl....
I had lunch today with K., who was a seminarian who worked with me at St. John's, Waterbury 13 years ago.
It was wonderful, awesome and sweet.
Regaining old friends is a gift from beyond.
So many memories to talk about--sending us back in time to when we were younger.
Sweet memories to share.
Finding old friends again put exclamation marks around periods of our lives.
Our lives are like books on a shelf.
Years and decades in an order we understand and which gives us hope.
We will keep in touch--she's been far away but is now close.
How joyful to find our past in another person.
Remarkable.
The chaos of the House of Representatives and the deep divisions in our country threaten our system of government.
I lay most of the blame at the feet of the former President. But he just nurtured and brought to fruition what was already there.
The way some people want to treat immigration means we should take down the statue of Liberty.
The way some people want to limit voting rights means we are not 'one nation under God with liberty and justice for all'.
Threats to Social Security leave the growing number of elders at risk of not having what they need.
Racial profiling comes into play every day.
Things that I have heard about supporting Russia against Ukraine leave me feeling like I don't know those people.
The Super Rich seem to think their wealth matters more than the well being of all Americans.
Democracy isn't broken.
We are--as a people.
And I don't know what can make us whole again.
Pray my friends, that we can find a way to come together again.
"Chaos!"
That's where the Republican Party is now.
Unless Kevin McCarthy gives the MAGA Republicans all they want he isn't becoming Speaker of the House.
And won't get the gavel.
Even in the majority in the House, Republicans are so splintered they can't choose a Speaker.
I'd tell the Democrats to offer to not vote or to vote for him if he'll be a 'moderate' in the House and work with them.
Any other solution doesn't seem possible.
We shall see.
And if the former President runs as a third party, the Republicans may not be able to recover.
Alas and alack, my father's party is in Chaos.
Chaos.....
The Baptism of Jesus 1-8-23
We go from Jesus’ circumcision at 8 days old last week all the way to his baptism by John this week.
Epiphany was Friday—commemorating the visit of the Magi and the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles.
Epiphany, along with Christmas and Easter, was one of the first three holy days of the church.
But back to the baptism.
Just before today’s gospel lesson in Matthew, John was proclaiming the one mightier than him was coming. (Remember, John leaped in his mother’s womb when the Virgin Mary visited their home. John knew who Jesus was.) And when John saw Jesus coming to him, he asked that Jesus baptize him. But Jesus convinces John that he should baptize him.
And when he comes up out of the water, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended on him like a dove and a voice from Heaven said, “This is my son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the Wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil.
On page 858 of the Book of Common Prayer, the Catechism tells us that the two great sacraments given to the church are Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.
That seems to make them equal sacraments—but for the most part, the Episcopal church says the Font leads to the Table. Baptism is admission to Communion.
But I’ve always thought if the Font could lead to the altar, why couldn’t the Altar lead to the Font?
So, I’ve always invited everyone to receive communion. Over my years as a priest, I’ve baptized several dozen people who wanted it after receiving communion before baptism.
Some of them choose—and it is their choice—to stop receiving communion until they are baptized, but others don’t want to give up the bread and wine for any time.
My own baptism was a strange trip.
I grew up in a Mountain Methodist church—very evangelical. New England Methodists wouldn’t feel at home there.
An Evangelist came to lead a revival when I was in the eighth grade. He scared me so bad, I went up to the altar to be ‘saved’!
A few weeks later, Rev. Lafferty, our part time minister and full-time coal miner, took us all to a Baptist church 10 miles away that had an indoor baptismal pool.
There he baptized us by immersion. Thing was, I was the first one to go in and he hadn’t told me he’s dunk me three times—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—so I didn’t hold my breath after the first dunk and he darn near drowned me!
Then the next day in my Math Class, my teacher, who was married to my father’s brother, announced to the class that “Jimmy has been saved and baptized”.
It embarrassed me so badly, I dropped my pencil and when I bent over to pick it up, I looked up Donna Comber’s dress.
Oh, no! I thought. It didn’t take!
The Episcopal church recognizes the baptism of other churches, so when I joined the Episcopal Church in collage, I was not rebaptized. So, I guess it did “TAKE”!
The English word “baptism” comes from the Greek “Bab-tis-mo”—which means, literally, ‘to dip’.
It’s the word used to describe ‘dying a fabric’.
You dip the fabric into the dye until it is the shade you want.
After baptism, the priest anoints them with holy oil and says, “you are sealed by the holy Spirit in Baptism and ‘marked’ as Christ’s own forever.”
So, the person has been ‘marked’, dipped and dyed their true color.
Baptism is the most joyous thing I get to do as a priest.
I love it when people of all ages come to the font.
It gives me great satisfaction to cover their heads with water and smear them with oil.
Spend a few moments with me in silence reflecting on your thoughts about baptism. (silence)
God says to you, “you are my beloved, in whom I am well pleased”. Amen and amen.
Pat LaFon was a second or third cousin of mine, Dad's family was never good on getting relations right. I grew up calling people "Aunt" or "Uncle" who never were.
Pat lived with my parents in their Anawalt, WV apartment for several years before I was born. I don't remember why.
It was a 2 bedroom apartment with no central heat.
When I was born and came home, I slept first in a baby bed and then a single bed in my parents' room until Pat left when I was 5 or so.
I asked to have a room of my own, and they agreed.
But they alway's called it "Pat's room".
I grew up in "Pat's room" until I went to college.
While in college my parents moved into a house with central heat in Princeton, WV.
They knew I hated living in "Pat's room", but how they always referred to it.
In the new house, when I'd come home, there was a bed room for me.
But at least it didn't belong to Pat as well.
Growing up in "Pat's room" made me think I was a late interruption of their relationship.
My mom was 37 and dad was 40 when I was born.
So, maybe I was.
But I have no hard feelings about that.
And I thank them for giving me life.
And I pray for their souls--and Pat's.....
Always.
Bern and I will be in bed by 10 o'clock and won't see the ball drop in Time's Square.
But 2023 will come while we're asleep.
I don't like New Year's Eve. Too many people put themselves in danger tonight.
And I don't make New Year's resolutions I won't keep.
So this year I resolve not to climb Mt. Everest.
I resolve not to swim off the coast of Greenland in the winter (or anytime for that matter)!
I resolve to not eat muskrat this year.
I resolve not to buy a gun this year.
I resolve to harm no dog this year.
I could go on, but you get the idea.
Make resolutions you can keep without trying, then you won't feel regret when you don't go to the gym every day....
Have a Happy one my friends!
