A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Give me peace, and to hell with the other.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I imagine that you have a lot of secret lives, or better perhaps, anonymous lives. It’s not that they are hidden, but that they go unnoticed. As you like it, I know, but I often wish they received some notice, instead of so much attention being lavished on celebrities, obnoxious personalities, 15 minutes of fame characters, and those who see themselves as special – the self-proclaimed mini-gods. I’d rather learn about how you work through somebody doing things that benefit my community.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“A GPS would be helpful as we wander from village to village. No, I guess you never heard of it, Andrew.”
[Nor did He, so He never said this.]
D. Blog: Living the Moment
We cannot make the moment last, but when we move too fast we cannot even appreciate the moment. No amount of hurry-scurry will provide more life; it only depreciates the value of life as each moment passes without real notice.
In our race to get somewhere, we arrive at the destination with little of lasting worth. The sights and sounds of the journey do not register, have no chance to feed our souls. We collect stuff, experiences, and achievements, building our 21st century versions of bigger barns.
I find joy in quiet moments, in times with no rush to move on to other “more urgent” activities. These are the times that strengthen my soul and help me live in with fuller awareness in more of my moments.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Divine Fashion
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
War is hell, they say, because in war men sell their souls to the Devil.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Death does not suit you. Life is your preferred style. I follow your trend in fashion.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Why did I cast my vote for the gorgeous woman in the gray burqa and the pink head cover with white veil? Because I can see what lies beneath.”
[No. He was not Superman.]
D. Blog: Miss California
- I find, sadly, that a tyrant often lurks in a person quoting the Bible. (Or, the beauty can hide a beast.)
- But I do like this verse: “The law kills, the Spirit gives life.”
- Compassion is sometimes only skin deep.
- With beauty contestants, I think the rule should be: “Just look. Don’t ask; don’t tell.”
War is hell, they say, because in war men sell their souls to the Devil.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Death does not suit you. Life is your preferred style. I follow your trend in fashion.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Why did I cast my vote for the gorgeous woman in the gray burqa and the pink head cover with white veil? Because I can see what lies beneath.”
[No. He was not Superman.]
D. Blog: Miss California
- I find, sadly, that a tyrant often lurks in a person quoting the Bible. (Or, the beauty can hide a beast.)
- But I do like this verse: “The law kills, the Spirit gives life.”
- Compassion is sometimes only skin deep.
- With beauty contestants, I think the rule should be: “Just look. Don’t ask; don’t tell.”
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
It's National What Month??!!
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
If we keep making peace treaties, some day we’ll get it right.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One, All-knowing One,
I understand you in that way, too, but I am puzzled by a particular facet of such knowing. I can comprehend to some extent that you know all regarding past and present, but I’m reluctant to say that you know the future except in a general sense. You know what will happen generally, I suppose, but not the specifics. You know all that was and is, but because of free will, I think what is to be can surprise you. You surprise us again and again, so I like the idea that once in a while we might surprise you, and that some of those surprises might be pleasing to you.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
"Now Peter, that’s the kind of fishing I’m talking about! "
[After the carpenter instructed the commercial fisherman on how to fish, you’d think He would have praised Peter for being such a quick learner, but He didn’t say this.]
D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku
April is National
Safe Digging Month!
(I thought you would want to know.)
If we keep making peace treaties, some day we’ll get it right.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One, All-knowing One,
I understand you in that way, too, but I am puzzled by a particular facet of such knowing. I can comprehend to some extent that you know all regarding past and present, but I’m reluctant to say that you know the future except in a general sense. You know what will happen generally, I suppose, but not the specifics. You know all that was and is, but because of free will, I think what is to be can surprise you. You surprise us again and again, so I like the idea that once in a while we might surprise you, and that some of those surprises might be pleasing to you.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
"Now Peter, that’s the kind of fishing I’m talking about! "
[After the carpenter instructed the commercial fisherman on how to fish, you’d think He would have praised Peter for being such a quick learner, but He didn’t say this.]
D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku
April is National
Safe Digging Month!
(I thought you would want to know.)
Monday, April 27, 2009
Have You Seen Jesus?
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
These boots are made for marching -- in the cause of peace.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You live. Yet most of us act as if you died with Jesus. We close our ears to your call to seek first your dominion. We close our eyes to the sight of your children lying in need on the side of the road. We ignore you standing in opposition to our reliance on torture and killing as futile means to make ourselves secure. We think you only live in heaven, when you really stand at our door and knock, hoping we will recognize you in our midst.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Adam never had an original idea in his life! Eve was clearly the wiser of the pair. She even communicated with snakes. I’m sorry, Rabbi, we need to cast out of the garden that myth of male superiority.”
[Sometime in the years the gospels skipped? Maybe, but He didn’t speak English. So He never said this.]
D. Blog: Seeing Jesus
We read about these sightings from time to time. In a potato chip. In a lima bean. In a stain on a cloth or on the floor. In an icicle or a cloud. In the shape the cheese took on top of the bowl of chili. In some clod of dirt. Look! It’s the face of Jesus!
How can people be so sure they know what His face looked like? More silliness in the superstitious form of religion. I’d be more impressed if the face spoke to them and encouraged them to get real. I’d be more impressed if the “vision” led them to be more loving toward their neighbors. I’d be more impressed if they saw Jesus in their neighbors. Instead of seeking notoriety, in other words, it makes a much greater impression when they live as He did and others can see that.
These boots are made for marching -- in the cause of peace.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You live. Yet most of us act as if you died with Jesus. We close our ears to your call to seek first your dominion. We close our eyes to the sight of your children lying in need on the side of the road. We ignore you standing in opposition to our reliance on torture and killing as futile means to make ourselves secure. We think you only live in heaven, when you really stand at our door and knock, hoping we will recognize you in our midst.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Adam never had an original idea in his life! Eve was clearly the wiser of the pair. She even communicated with snakes. I’m sorry, Rabbi, we need to cast out of the garden that myth of male superiority.”
[Sometime in the years the gospels skipped? Maybe, but He didn’t speak English. So He never said this.]
D. Blog: Seeing Jesus
We read about these sightings from time to time. In a potato chip. In a lima bean. In a stain on a cloth or on the floor. In an icicle or a cloud. In the shape the cheese took on top of the bowl of chili. In some clod of dirt. Look! It’s the face of Jesus!
How can people be so sure they know what His face looked like? More silliness in the superstitious form of religion. I’d be more impressed if the face spoke to them and encouraged them to get real. I’d be more impressed if the “vision” led them to be more loving toward their neighbors. I’d be more impressed if they saw Jesus in their neighbors. Instead of seeking notoriety, in other words, it makes a much greater impression when they live as He did and others can see that.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Jesus Tells a Blond Joke?
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
I have a dream of a permanent government funded peace brigade, an expansion of the Peace Corps so that it includes long-term workers for development and peace in a civilian peace force.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You do not allow death to have the last say. You make it so that the good lives on, that life continues. You made it so that although His physical life was over, Jesus’ influence and creative power had only begun. You make it so that although the part of us bound by time and space dies, our spirit does not. That part of us is carried more fully into your presence, no longer encumbered by a death-bound body. You make it so that dreams and visions help us encounter that realm normally not perceived in our five-sense limitation. They help assure us of the larger reality, the realm most known to you, most desired by us, the divine “place” where you fully reveal yourself and which we can only imagine, where peace, justice and love are the very environment, where no hurt exists. I look forward to it, but I’m in no hurry. The joys here are quite wonderful, too.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“This guy walks into a bar with a gorgeous blond…”
[Not His kind of joke.]
D. Blog: Religion Joke (groan!)
In a monastery in Wyoming, everyday before breakfast the Abbot would chant "Good Morning, Good Morning" and the Brothers would all chant back "Good Morning, Good Morning."
One Brother thought it was the stupidest ritual in the world. He really hated it. One morning he decided that he would see if he could stop this stupidity. So he went to breakfast and the Abbot came in and chanted "Good Morning, Good Morning" and all the Brothers except this one chanted, "Good Morning, ..." At this the one Brother chanted as loud as he could, "Good Evening!"
Upon hearing this, the Abbot stood up and chanted "Someone Chanted Evening!"
I have a dream of a permanent government funded peace brigade, an expansion of the Peace Corps so that it includes long-term workers for development and peace in a civilian peace force.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You do not allow death to have the last say. You make it so that the good lives on, that life continues. You made it so that although His physical life was over, Jesus’ influence and creative power had only begun. You make it so that although the part of us bound by time and space dies, our spirit does not. That part of us is carried more fully into your presence, no longer encumbered by a death-bound body. You make it so that dreams and visions help us encounter that realm normally not perceived in our five-sense limitation. They help assure us of the larger reality, the realm most known to you, most desired by us, the divine “place” where you fully reveal yourself and which we can only imagine, where peace, justice and love are the very environment, where no hurt exists. I look forward to it, but I’m in no hurry. The joys here are quite wonderful, too.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“This guy walks into a bar with a gorgeous blond…”
[Not His kind of joke.]
D. Blog: Religion Joke (groan!)
In a monastery in Wyoming, everyday before breakfast the Abbot would chant "Good Morning, Good Morning" and the Brothers would all chant back "Good Morning, Good Morning."
One Brother thought it was the stupidest ritual in the world. He really hated it. One morning he decided that he would see if he could stop this stupidity. So he went to breakfast and the Abbot came in and chanted "Good Morning, Good Morning" and all the Brothers except this one chanted, "Good Morning, ..." At this the one Brother chanted as loud as he could, "Good Evening!"
Upon hearing this, the Abbot stood up and chanted "Someone Chanted Evening!"
Saturday, April 25, 2009
What Ifs
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
How many dead warriors does it take to create peace?
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You reach out to us through questions of meaning and purpose. The polar experiences of suffering and ecstasy push us to ask “Why?” That also leads us to you, because at that point we’re ready to step beyond our mundane or frantic lives and encounter you.
The suffering comes as a cross, the ecstasy as a blessing. Neither can be programmed or scheduled. Both are to be accepted I we are to meet you as divine source and end. To reject either is to reject you, to reject the invitation to be engaged with you in the fullness of life. It is always you who make the invitation, and it is a standing invitation. I have submitted my RSVP.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Just have a seat in the waiting area. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
[Not what He said when the sick man was lowered through the roof.]
D. Blog: What Ifs
- What if millions of people believed the story of Hansel and Gretel was literally true? Suppose someone proposed to know the place where the witch’s house was and it became a place of pilgrimage…
- What if a scholar in “the East” found evidence of a westward trek by other scholars from 2000 years earlier. Then she could make lots of money by taking believers on camel caravans to Bethlehem…
- What if an entrepreneur offered pieces of Noah’s ark for sale on e-Bay? I wonder how many he could sell…
- What if I had a lock of Marilyn Monroe’s hair? How much money do you think I could get for it?
How many dead warriors does it take to create peace?
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You reach out to us through questions of meaning and purpose. The polar experiences of suffering and ecstasy push us to ask “Why?” That also leads us to you, because at that point we’re ready to step beyond our mundane or frantic lives and encounter you.
The suffering comes as a cross, the ecstasy as a blessing. Neither can be programmed or scheduled. Both are to be accepted I we are to meet you as divine source and end. To reject either is to reject you, to reject the invitation to be engaged with you in the fullness of life. It is always you who make the invitation, and it is a standing invitation. I have submitted my RSVP.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Just have a seat in the waiting area. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
[Not what He said when the sick man was lowered through the roof.]
D. Blog: What Ifs
- What if millions of people believed the story of Hansel and Gretel was literally true? Suppose someone proposed to know the place where the witch’s house was and it became a place of pilgrimage…
- What if a scholar in “the East” found evidence of a westward trek by other scholars from 2000 years earlier. Then she could make lots of money by taking believers on camel caravans to Bethlehem…
- What if an entrepreneur offered pieces of Noah’s ark for sale on e-Bay? I wonder how many he could sell…
- What if I had a lock of Marilyn Monroe’s hair? How much money do you think I could get for it?
Friday, April 24, 2009
The Ultimate Aphrodisiac??
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Do you think it would help if we market peace as the ultimate aphrodisiac?
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You can teach new tricks to anyone, but I have a hunch it helps if we don’t see ourselves as old dogs. If we enjoy learning your work is easier. If we feel affirmed in learning, it comes more readily. With a little loving in the process, we hardly notice we’re learning. No wonder your students who see you as loving parent instead of judge do so well. I know I’m looking forward to the next class you teach.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Peter, your business is fishing. So why would you limit eating fish to one day a week?”
[Doesn’t seem to make sense, but He never said it.]
D. Blog: Word of the Week -- In Cahoots
cahoots
1829, Amer.Eng., perhaps from Fr. cahute "cabin;" but other sources suggest Fr. cohorte.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
ca·hoots (kə-hōōts') pl.n. Informal Questionable collaboration; secret partnership: e.g., an accountant in cahoots with organized crime.
[e.g., Reagan – Iran; Bush administration – torture; lobbyists for business interests – politicians; etc.]
[Perhaps from French cahute, cabin, from Old French, possibly blend of cabane; see cabin, and hutte; see hut.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Do you think it would help if we market peace as the ultimate aphrodisiac?
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You can teach new tricks to anyone, but I have a hunch it helps if we don’t see ourselves as old dogs. If we enjoy learning your work is easier. If we feel affirmed in learning, it comes more readily. With a little loving in the process, we hardly notice we’re learning. No wonder your students who see you as loving parent instead of judge do so well. I know I’m looking forward to the next class you teach.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Peter, your business is fishing. So why would you limit eating fish to one day a week?”
[Doesn’t seem to make sense, but He never said it.]
D. Blog: Word of the Week -- In Cahoots
cahoots
1829, Amer.Eng., perhaps from Fr. cahute "cabin;" but other sources suggest Fr. cohorte.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
ca·hoots (kə-hōōts') pl.n. Informal Questionable collaboration; secret partnership: e.g., an accountant in cahoots with organized crime.
[e.g., Reagan – Iran; Bush administration – torture; lobbyists for business interests – politicians; etc.]
[Perhaps from French cahute, cabin, from Old French, possibly blend of cabane; see cabin, and hutte; see hut.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Torture Now!
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
In my next life, I want to be the town crier/newscaster who says: “Six o’clock and the world is at peace. The news of the day begins with our continuing report of weapons being turned to productive uses.”
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I don’t want to hear about people suffering in various parts of the world because of my government’s policies. I don’t like being forced to decide whose view of reality is most accurate, whose “big picture” or “bottom line” is obscuring the details made up of human pain. I don’t appreciate being challenged to take a stand on behalf of victims of my government’s actions inside or outside of our own nation. I’d prefer to wash my hands of such matters and go back to a condition of happy ignorance.
But I know you won’t let me do that. What a nag you can be!
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“So Philip, just what does the 46% approval rating tell us?”
[Better than Caesar, worse than the Baptist? But He never said it.]
D. Blog: End justifying means…
Some politicians are again saying the end justifies the means. If inhuman torture protects us, then it’s okay to torture those we suspect are out to harm us. If it works, there’s no problem with doing it.
It’s been said before: “We had to destroy the village in order to save it.” And, shameful justification, “Jesus had to die on the cross in order to save us.”
Thus does power corrupt.
In my next life, I want to be the town crier/newscaster who says: “Six o’clock and the world is at peace. The news of the day begins with our continuing report of weapons being turned to productive uses.”
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I don’t want to hear about people suffering in various parts of the world because of my government’s policies. I don’t like being forced to decide whose view of reality is most accurate, whose “big picture” or “bottom line” is obscuring the details made up of human pain. I don’t appreciate being challenged to take a stand on behalf of victims of my government’s actions inside or outside of our own nation. I’d prefer to wash my hands of such matters and go back to a condition of happy ignorance.
But I know you won’t let me do that. What a nag you can be!
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“So Philip, just what does the 46% approval rating tell us?”
[Better than Caesar, worse than the Baptist? But He never said it.]
D. Blog: End justifying means…
Some politicians are again saying the end justifies the means. If inhuman torture protects us, then it’s okay to torture those we suspect are out to harm us. If it works, there’s no problem with doing it.
It’s been said before: “We had to destroy the village in order to save it.” And, shameful justification, “Jesus had to die on the cross in order to save us.”
Thus does power corrupt.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Jesus and the Anorexic Girl
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Let us speak of peace today, tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow. Let it become as boring and as natural as breathing.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
We try to pin you down, like Jacob did in his wrestling match with you. But you break free. And then we notice several things: we bear the mark of our struggle with you; our identity has changed for the better; and we know blessing because of the encounter with you. We do not need to pin you down, but we do need to engage you in struggle. Thank you for the ongoing encounter and the blessing you bestow.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Fasting isn’t for everyone. That anorexic daughter of the Roman soldier, for instance – she needs to eat a sandwich regularly.”
[But that’s not what He told her father.]
D. Blog: Stupid is As Stupid Does
• Cheryl Mae Slemp, 29, of Johnson City, Tenn., charged with larceny/tampering with anti-theft device, second-degree trespassing, misdemeanor larceny and injury to personal property. According to arrest warrants, Slemp removed an anti-theft device from a dress at Belk’s causing the device to spray ink on the dress. Her bond was set at $3,000
Let us speak of peace today, tomorrow, and all the tomorrows that follow. Let it become as boring and as natural as breathing.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
We try to pin you down, like Jacob did in his wrestling match with you. But you break free. And then we notice several things: we bear the mark of our struggle with you; our identity has changed for the better; and we know blessing because of the encounter with you. We do not need to pin you down, but we do need to engage you in struggle. Thank you for the ongoing encounter and the blessing you bestow.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Fasting isn’t for everyone. That anorexic daughter of the Roman soldier, for instance – she needs to eat a sandwich regularly.”
[But that’s not what He told her father.]
D. Blog: Stupid is As Stupid Does
• Cheryl Mae Slemp, 29, of Johnson City, Tenn., charged with larceny/tampering with anti-theft device, second-degree trespassing, misdemeanor larceny and injury to personal property. According to arrest warrants, Slemp removed an anti-theft device from a dress at Belk’s causing the device to spray ink on the dress. Her bond was set at $3,000
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Turn on the Light...
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
I am a reactionary pacifist. For every war, I have a reaction: “War is sin. Peace now!”
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
The song says there is nothing like a dame. There is nothing like you, either. You must, therefore, be a dame. The logic might fail, but your uniqueness and beauty and attraction does not.
When I consider my experience with the natural world of flowers, trees, rivers, plains, oceans, lakes, animals and especially mountains, and having discovered the wonders in the world around me, I think that it imposes an awareness of your reality, something far more than my existence, far more than human existence.
Then I wonder whether living in urban settings, where almost everything is made by humans – might that lead people to question your reality and your significance in their lives. Since your creation isn’t as obvious, do they have less chance to know you?
But the story of Babel is an old one, isn’t it?
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Salome sure knows how to turn on the Light!”
[Did not make it into the gospels.]
D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku
Wild dreams. Bold dreams.
Fantastic dreams. Awesome dreams
Divine reality.
I am a reactionary pacifist. For every war, I have a reaction: “War is sin. Peace now!”
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
The song says there is nothing like a dame. There is nothing like you, either. You must, therefore, be a dame. The logic might fail, but your uniqueness and beauty and attraction does not.
When I consider my experience with the natural world of flowers, trees, rivers, plains, oceans, lakes, animals and especially mountains, and having discovered the wonders in the world around me, I think that it imposes an awareness of your reality, something far more than my existence, far more than human existence.
Then I wonder whether living in urban settings, where almost everything is made by humans – might that lead people to question your reality and your significance in their lives. Since your creation isn’t as obvious, do they have less chance to know you?
But the story of Babel is an old one, isn’t it?
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Salome sure knows how to turn on the Light!”
[Did not make it into the gospels.]
D. Blog: Tuesday Haiku
Wild dreams. Bold dreams.
Fantastic dreams. Awesome dreams
Divine reality.
Monday, April 20, 2009
When Did He Not Know?
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
All we are praying is: give peace a chance.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
They come upon us gradually, sneaking into the open spaces first, then flooding us with their light, peeking even into those closed places and dark corners. Dawn. And your divine spirit. As they arrive, so does change. Welcome, new day.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“I don’t know.”
[If He ever said it, we’d rather not know about it.]
D. Blog: What about Sex?
Some ironies related to sexuality and religion make me wonder..
We say God created us, and made us such that sex is more pleasurable and more frequent for most of us than for most other species. Then our human-made religions try to limit our sexual activity and to make this gift appear shameful, embarrassing, a guilty pleasure.
“Sorry, Mom, the toy’s nice, but I’d feel bad if I played with it.” Right.
There’s also the reality that men use their physical power to abuse women in acts of violent sex. To curb that abuse, in part, priests use their spiritual/religious power and abuse us all and abuse sex by making it seem dirty, worldly, inferior to spiritual acts of prayer, worship and contemplation, which leads to the total rejection of sex in the touting of celibacy, thus denying the gift.
“No thanks, Mom. I’m better off without this present. I’ll take it back to the store and exchange it for something I like better.”
All we are praying is: give peace a chance.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
They come upon us gradually, sneaking into the open spaces first, then flooding us with their light, peeking even into those closed places and dark corners. Dawn. And your divine spirit. As they arrive, so does change. Welcome, new day.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“I don’t know.”
[If He ever said it, we’d rather not know about it.]
D. Blog: What about Sex?
Some ironies related to sexuality and religion make me wonder..
We say God created us, and made us such that sex is more pleasurable and more frequent for most of us than for most other species. Then our human-made religions try to limit our sexual activity and to make this gift appear shameful, embarrassing, a guilty pleasure.
“Sorry, Mom, the toy’s nice, but I’d feel bad if I played with it.” Right.
There’s also the reality that men use their physical power to abuse women in acts of violent sex. To curb that abuse, in part, priests use their spiritual/religious power and abuse us all and abuse sex by making it seem dirty, worldly, inferior to spiritual acts of prayer, worship and contemplation, which leads to the total rejection of sex in the touting of celibacy, thus denying the gift.
“No thanks, Mom. I’m better off without this present. I’ll take it back to the store and exchange it for something I like better.”
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Refinishing Old Religion
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
The weight of making peace is as great as that of making war. Making peace requires a commitment to compromise, a willingness to forgive, a humility that includes the possibility of indignity and loss of face. It is all more than most militants can bear.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Did you imagine a world like this? With its beauty and tragedy, complexity and diversity?
Did you imagine a humanity like this? With our loving and warring, our generosity and villainy?
Did you imagine my life like this? With its joys and struggles, hopes and disappointment?
I hope you’re pleased with the way it’s all unfolding.
For my part, I think it’s magnificent.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, I swear. So help me God.”
[Not what He said at the trial – He didn’t believe in swearing oaths, remember?]
D. Blog: Refinishing Religion
Sometimes our religions are farcical. We engage in silliness and worse in the name of religion (self mutilation; 72 virgins per martyr). So much of it has everything to do with tradition, superstition, nostalgia and mythology and nothing at all to do with anything remotely resembling love of God and love of one another. It can take a great of effort to sort through the layers of structure, ritual and priestly control to reach the Divine One. Jesus faced the same issues. The centuries have added layer upon layer to His life and teaching, but if we look closely and remove some of the layers, we can see the Divine in Him.
The weight of making peace is as great as that of making war. Making peace requires a commitment to compromise, a willingness to forgive, a humility that includes the possibility of indignity and loss of face. It is all more than most militants can bear.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Did you imagine a world like this? With its beauty and tragedy, complexity and diversity?
Did you imagine a humanity like this? With our loving and warring, our generosity and villainy?
Did you imagine my life like this? With its joys and struggles, hopes and disappointment?
I hope you’re pleased with the way it’s all unfolding.
For my part, I think it’s magnificent.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“The Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth, I swear. So help me God.”
[Not what He said at the trial – He didn’t believe in swearing oaths, remember?]
D. Blog: Refinishing Religion
Sometimes our religions are farcical. We engage in silliness and worse in the name of religion (self mutilation; 72 virgins per martyr). So much of it has everything to do with tradition, superstition, nostalgia and mythology and nothing at all to do with anything remotely resembling love of God and love of one another. It can take a great of effort to sort through the layers of structure, ritual and priestly control to reach the Divine One. Jesus faced the same issues. The centuries have added layer upon layer to His life and teaching, but if we look closely and remove some of the layers, we can see the Divine in Him.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Ultimate Life-Line
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
When the saints go marching in, they carry peace signs.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Into every life a little of the Goddess must fall…
..to stir the spark of love
..to raise the hopes for a blessed future
..to ease the weary spirit
..to comfort the troubled soul
..to bring a sense of joy and play
..to inspire with the beauty of nature and art
..to save from anxiety and fear
..to assure that life goes on.
I fell into your arms. Now I am secure.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Regis, I think it’s time to use my final life-line.”
[Not one of the things He said from the cross.]
D. Blog: I See Bumperstickers
- You Cannot Simultaneously Prevent and Prepare for War. – Albert Einstein
- Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues
- What Wisdom Can You Find That is Greater than Kindness?
- We’re not going to have real security until we invest in our children. – Paul Wellstone
When the saints go marching in, they carry peace signs.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Into every life a little of the Goddess must fall…
..to stir the spark of love
..to raise the hopes for a blessed future
..to ease the weary spirit
..to comfort the troubled soul
..to bring a sense of joy and play
..to inspire with the beauty of nature and art
..to save from anxiety and fear
..to assure that life goes on.
I fell into your arms. Now I am secure.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Regis, I think it’s time to use my final life-line.”
[Not one of the things He said from the cross.]
D. Blog: I See Bumperstickers
- You Cannot Simultaneously Prevent and Prepare for War. – Albert Einstein
- Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues
- What Wisdom Can You Find That is Greater than Kindness?
- We’re not going to have real security until we invest in our children. – Paul Wellstone
Friday, April 17, 2009
Keeping Vows
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Violence solves no problems, just shifts the problems to other places.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
It strikes me as a bit strange that in marriage vows we promise to be true to our partners in sickness and in health, yet so often when serious illness comes to our loved ones or our selves, we can readily abandon you or believe you have abandoned us in our covenant relationship. It just seems odd…
Perhaps it’s better that we abandon you instead of abandoning our partners… Or, perhaps we need something like marriage vows to seal our covenant with you.
I do.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Peter, James, John, here’s how it works. I go into the Garden first and hide these colored eggs. Then I’ll call you to come see if you can find them. Got it?”
[No, that’s not how the game originated.]
D. Blog: Word of the Week -- Piracy
Piracy is a war-like act committed by a nonstate actor, especially robbery or criminal violence, committed at sea, on a river, or sometimes on shore, either from a vessel flying no national flag, or one flying a national flag but without authorization from a national authority. It does not normally include crimes on board a vessel among passengers or crew. The term has been used to refer to raids across land borders by nonstate actors.
Maritime piracy, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, consists of any criminal acts of violence, detention, or depredation committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or aircraft that is directed on the high seas against another ship, aircraft, or against persons or property on board a ship or aircraft. Piracy can also be committed against a ship, aircraft, persons, or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state, in fact piracy has been the first example of universal jurisdiction. Nevertheless today the international community is facing many problems to try pirates.
The English "pirate" is derived from the Latin term pirata and that from Greek πειρατής (peirates) "brigand", ultimately from πεῖρα (peira) "attempt, experience", implicitly "to find luck on the sea".
Pirates have been around as long as people have used the oceans as trade routes. The earliest documented instances of piracy are the exploits of the Sea Peoples who threatened the Aegean and Mediterranean in the 13th century BC. In classical antiquity, the Illyrians and Tyrrhenians were known as pirates, as well as Greeks and Romans. The island of Lemnos long resisted Greek influence and remained a haven for Thracian pirates. During their voyages the Phoenicians seem to have sometimes resorted to piracy, and specialized in kidnapping boys and girls to be sold as slaves. By the 1st century BC, there were pirate states along the Anatolian coast, threatening the commerce of the Roman Empire.
On one voyage across the Aegean Sea in 75 BC, Julius Caesar was kidnapped by Cilician pirates and held prisoner. He maintained an attitude of superiority and good cheer throughout his captivity. When the pirates decided to demand a ransom of twenty talents of gold, Caesar is said to have insisted that he was worth at least fifty, and the pirates indeed raised the ransom to fifty talents. After the ransom was paid, Caesar raised a fleet, pursued and captured the pirates, and had them put to death.
In 1523, Jean Fleury seized two Spanish treasure ships carrying Aztec treasures from Mexico to Spain. The great or classic era of piracy in the Caribbean extends from around 1560 up until the mid 1720s. The period during which pirates were most successful was from 1700 until the 1730s. Many pirates came to the Caribbean after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. Some people stayed in the Caribbean and became pirates shortly after that. Others, the buccaneers, arrived in the mid-to-late 17th century and made attempts at earning a living by farming and hunting on Hispaniola and nearby islands; pressed by Spanish raids and possibly failure of their means of making a living, they turned to a more lucrative occupation (not to mention more active and conducive to revenge). Caribbean piracy arose out of, and mirrored on a smaller scale, the conflicts over trade and colonization among the rival European powers of the time, including England, Spain, Dutch United Provinces, Portuguese Empire and France. Most of these pirates were of English, Dutch and French origin. Because Spain controlled most of the Caribbean, many of the attacked cities and ships belonged to the Spanish Empire and along the East coast of America and the West coast of Africa. Dutch ships captured about 500 Spanish and Portuguese ships between 1623 and 1638.
[There you have it, a brief history from the article in Wikipedia]
Violence solves no problems, just shifts the problems to other places.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
It strikes me as a bit strange that in marriage vows we promise to be true to our partners in sickness and in health, yet so often when serious illness comes to our loved ones or our selves, we can readily abandon you or believe you have abandoned us in our covenant relationship. It just seems odd…
Perhaps it’s better that we abandon you instead of abandoning our partners… Or, perhaps we need something like marriage vows to seal our covenant with you.
I do.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Peter, James, John, here’s how it works. I go into the Garden first and hide these colored eggs. Then I’ll call you to come see if you can find them. Got it?”
[No, that’s not how the game originated.]
D. Blog: Word of the Week -- Piracy
Piracy is a war-like act committed by a nonstate actor, especially robbery or criminal violence, committed at sea, on a river, or sometimes on shore, either from a vessel flying no national flag, or one flying a national flag but without authorization from a national authority. It does not normally include crimes on board a vessel among passengers or crew. The term has been used to refer to raids across land borders by nonstate actors.
Maritime piracy, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982, consists of any criminal acts of violence, detention, or depredation committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or aircraft that is directed on the high seas against another ship, aircraft, or against persons or property on board a ship or aircraft. Piracy can also be committed against a ship, aircraft, persons, or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any state, in fact piracy has been the first example of universal jurisdiction. Nevertheless today the international community is facing many problems to try pirates.
The English "pirate" is derived from the Latin term pirata and that from Greek πειρατής (peirates) "brigand", ultimately from πεῖρα (peira) "attempt, experience", implicitly "to find luck on the sea".
Pirates have been around as long as people have used the oceans as trade routes. The earliest documented instances of piracy are the exploits of the Sea Peoples who threatened the Aegean and Mediterranean in the 13th century BC. In classical antiquity, the Illyrians and Tyrrhenians were known as pirates, as well as Greeks and Romans. The island of Lemnos long resisted Greek influence and remained a haven for Thracian pirates. During their voyages the Phoenicians seem to have sometimes resorted to piracy, and specialized in kidnapping boys and girls to be sold as slaves. By the 1st century BC, there were pirate states along the Anatolian coast, threatening the commerce of the Roman Empire.
On one voyage across the Aegean Sea in 75 BC, Julius Caesar was kidnapped by Cilician pirates and held prisoner. He maintained an attitude of superiority and good cheer throughout his captivity. When the pirates decided to demand a ransom of twenty talents of gold, Caesar is said to have insisted that he was worth at least fifty, and the pirates indeed raised the ransom to fifty talents. After the ransom was paid, Caesar raised a fleet, pursued and captured the pirates, and had them put to death.
In 1523, Jean Fleury seized two Spanish treasure ships carrying Aztec treasures from Mexico to Spain. The great or classic era of piracy in the Caribbean extends from around 1560 up until the mid 1720s. The period during which pirates were most successful was from 1700 until the 1730s. Many pirates came to the Caribbean after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. Some people stayed in the Caribbean and became pirates shortly after that. Others, the buccaneers, arrived in the mid-to-late 17th century and made attempts at earning a living by farming and hunting on Hispaniola and nearby islands; pressed by Spanish raids and possibly failure of their means of making a living, they turned to a more lucrative occupation (not to mention more active and conducive to revenge). Caribbean piracy arose out of, and mirrored on a smaller scale, the conflicts over trade and colonization among the rival European powers of the time, including England, Spain, Dutch United Provinces, Portuguese Empire and France. Most of these pirates were of English, Dutch and French origin. Because Spain controlled most of the Caribbean, many of the attacked cities and ships belonged to the Spanish Empire and along the East coast of America and the West coast of Africa. Dutch ships captured about 500 Spanish and Portuguese ships between 1623 and 1638.
[There you have it, a brief history from the article in Wikipedia]
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Pirates of Somalia
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
I’m expecting a peace-filled day, despite what the news reports say.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One, God of the Gaps,
I know that appellation is not normally meant in a positive sense, but I don’t think it is a negative. If some people never think of you except when there is something missing in their lives, when there is a loss or a gap, and if you can fill that gap, maybe that’s okay. Maybe you don’t mind. And if that’s similar to the parable of the vineyard workers, maybe those of us who were early in the fields should just praise you for your mercy and generosity.
I hope you will be there always to fill my gaps. What would we do if you didn’t fill our empty places? Filling them with something else won’t satisfy us, so we can only hope you will be the one to fill them.
God of the Gaps, fill our empty spaces.
God of the Gaps, mend our cracked and broken places.
God of the Gaps, heal our sense of loss.
God of the Gaps, turn our failings into growth.
God of the Gaps, fill us with your Spirit and your Peace.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Frankly, young woman, I’m not worried about where I’ll spend eternity.”
[He thought she’d never ask, but He didn’t need to say this.]
D. Blog: Pirates of Somalia
I guess it will be a while before we romanticize and ennoble them the way we have done Jack Sparrow and “Sir” Walter Raleigh. Brigands and thieves. They remind me of some people in the financial industry, but they don’t hide behind computers and corporations…
I’m expecting a peace-filled day, despite what the news reports say.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One, God of the Gaps,
I know that appellation is not normally meant in a positive sense, but I don’t think it is a negative. If some people never think of you except when there is something missing in their lives, when there is a loss or a gap, and if you can fill that gap, maybe that’s okay. Maybe you don’t mind. And if that’s similar to the parable of the vineyard workers, maybe those of us who were early in the fields should just praise you for your mercy and generosity.
I hope you will be there always to fill my gaps. What would we do if you didn’t fill our empty places? Filling them with something else won’t satisfy us, so we can only hope you will be the one to fill them.
God of the Gaps, fill our empty spaces.
God of the Gaps, mend our cracked and broken places.
God of the Gaps, heal our sense of loss.
God of the Gaps, turn our failings into growth.
God of the Gaps, fill us with your Spirit and your Peace.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Frankly, young woman, I’m not worried about where I’ll spend eternity.”
[He thought she’d never ask, but He didn’t need to say this.]
D. Blog: Pirates of Somalia
I guess it will be a while before we romanticize and ennoble them the way we have done Jack Sparrow and “Sir” Walter Raleigh. Brigands and thieves. They remind me of some people in the financial industry, but they don’t hide behind computers and corporations…
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Would Jesus Pay Taxes to Support War?
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
How about an annual Peace Parade?
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You are old, older than dirt. You remember when when wasn’t. You’ve seen it all, and most of it several times over.
Does it ever get old to you? The same patterns, the hurting one another, the aimlessness, the carelessness, the venial and mortal varieties of sin that appear and reappear. Do they test your patience? Or are you resigned to these reminders of human fallibility?
Perhaps you are more like the aged humans who delight in seeing the new expressions of life in their great-grand-children.
It does appear that experience teaches us to value new life, even with its imperfections. In time, the young might learn to respect their elders.
More that respect you, we worship you, the prime ancestor, the wise one, the great and grand mother-father of all life.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Good question. Does God want us to pay taxes to support Caesar’s wars? What do you think?”
[He didn’t say it like this, even if I think He could have.]
D. Blog: Crime in the City
ASHEVILLE – City police Tuesday charged a Leicester woman with robbing a man with a beer bottle.
Regina Felicia Davis, 23, is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, financial card theft and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. According to the arrest warrants, Davis struck a man in the head with a beer bottle. The man was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
Davis was released under a written promise to appear in court.
[There must be more to the story... I knew bottles of beer could be dangerous, but a weapon? Had she drunk what was in the bottle? If not, wasn't it a doubly dangerous weapon? Will she be required to pay for treatment of his serious injuries? Speaking of serious - how serious, if she was released?]
How about an annual Peace Parade?
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You are old, older than dirt. You remember when when wasn’t. You’ve seen it all, and most of it several times over.
Does it ever get old to you? The same patterns, the hurting one another, the aimlessness, the carelessness, the venial and mortal varieties of sin that appear and reappear. Do they test your patience? Or are you resigned to these reminders of human fallibility?
Perhaps you are more like the aged humans who delight in seeing the new expressions of life in their great-grand-children.
It does appear that experience teaches us to value new life, even with its imperfections. In time, the young might learn to respect their elders.
More that respect you, we worship you, the prime ancestor, the wise one, the great and grand mother-father of all life.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Good question. Does God want us to pay taxes to support Caesar’s wars? What do you think?”
[He didn’t say it like this, even if I think He could have.]
D. Blog: Crime in the City
ASHEVILLE – City police Tuesday charged a Leicester woman with robbing a man with a beer bottle.
Regina Felicia Davis, 23, is charged with robbery with a dangerous weapon, financial card theft and assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. According to the arrest warrants, Davis struck a man in the head with a beer bottle. The man was taken to the hospital for his injuries.
Davis was released under a written promise to appear in court.
[There must be more to the story... I knew bottles of beer could be dangerous, but a weapon? Had she drunk what was in the bottle? If not, wasn't it a doubly dangerous weapon? Will she be required to pay for treatment of his serious injuries? Speaking of serious - how serious, if she was released?]
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Jesus Condones War! NOT!!
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Paul Revere and Chicken Little consulted. They have a new announcement: “Peace is coming. Peace is coming!”
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You are the foremost expert at turning bad situations into good outcomes.
Abraham thinks you want him to sacrifice the son of promise.
Bad idea. But no problem for you to fix.
Israel destroyed, and its leaders taken into captivity.
Bad situation. But no problem for you to resolve to your satisfaction.
The promised Christ wrongly executed like a criminal insurgent.
Bad result from a promising beginning. But nothing you can’t handle.
Our desperate conditions must seem like trifles in comparison with what you deal with all the time. But even from them you seem to bring about good outcomes. You overcome all obstacles.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Sure, I condone war. That’s why I carry these weapons.”
[Nope. Nowhere in the Gospels.]
D. Blog: Weekly Haiku
I don’t mind the quiet.
It allows me to hear the sounds
Of your voice.
Paul Revere and Chicken Little consulted. They have a new announcement: “Peace is coming. Peace is coming!”
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You are the foremost expert at turning bad situations into good outcomes.
Abraham thinks you want him to sacrifice the son of promise.
Bad idea. But no problem for you to fix.
Israel destroyed, and its leaders taken into captivity.
Bad situation. But no problem for you to resolve to your satisfaction.
The promised Christ wrongly executed like a criminal insurgent.
Bad result from a promising beginning. But nothing you can’t handle.
Our desperate conditions must seem like trifles in comparison with what you deal with all the time. But even from them you seem to bring about good outcomes. You overcome all obstacles.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Sure, I condone war. That’s why I carry these weapons.”
[Nope. Nowhere in the Gospels.]
D. Blog: Weekly Haiku
I don’t mind the quiet.
It allows me to hear the sounds
Of your voice.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Death With Dignity?
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
It seems that peace rides on a butterfly’s wings.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Church bells yesterday did not toll because you’ve died. They did not toll in mourning. They tolled because you are alive and active in this world. The bells continue to toll for you because we use every means we can to express our joy and praise, and the loud bells send their song farther than our voices can carry. You hear both, but more of us hear the bells – and we need to hear the bells tolling in joy.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Yes, I like the idea of death with dignity. But it doesn’t always happen, Thomas.”
I’ve heard shouting preachers in my time, but none of what they said got through to me. I never get over the fact that they’re shouting at me. I guess they don’t believe the idea that God speaks in a still small voice.
I’ve concluded that the more a preacher shouts, the less he (or she) has that’s worth saying. The shouting, they seem to think, makes it seem more important. The shouting is an attempt to mask the insignificance of their message, to cover the fact that they have nothing new or creative or profound to say. The result, in me, is that their message does not penetrate; the words are so loud that they just go in one ear and run right out the other.
It seems that peace rides on a butterfly’s wings.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Church bells yesterday did not toll because you’ve died. They did not toll in mourning. They tolled because you are alive and active in this world. The bells continue to toll for you because we use every means we can to express our joy and praise, and the loud bells send their song farther than our voices can carry. You hear both, but more of us hear the bells – and we need to hear the bells tolling in joy.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Yes, I like the idea of death with dignity. But it doesn’t always happen, Thomas.”
[The holes, Thomas. But He never said it.]
D. Blog: Shouting Doesn’t HelpI’ve heard shouting preachers in my time, but none of what they said got through to me. I never get over the fact that they’re shouting at me. I guess they don’t believe the idea that God speaks in a still small voice.
I’ve concluded that the more a preacher shouts, the less he (or she) has that’s worth saying. The shouting, they seem to think, makes it seem more important. The shouting is an attempt to mask the insignificance of their message, to cover the fact that they have nothing new or creative or profound to say. The result, in me, is that their message does not penetrate; the words are so loud that they just go in one ear and run right out the other.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
What Jesus Saw on Easter
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Conflict need not disturb my peace.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You hold nothing back. There are no secret stashes waiting for us.
You are open to us. You became one with us and showed us what life can be like for those who love you.
Our insecurities lead us to want more, when you’ve given us the possibility of abundant life in you. What more could we need or want?
These thoughts make me wonder about eternal life… It certainly could not be filled with material goods.
Even more intimate connection with you is what’s promised. But empty pockets. Okay.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“So, I step out of the tomb, and what do I see? A rabbit sitting on a purple egg!”
[So that’s how it all began… NOT]
D. Blog: Feet-washing (Part 2)
People don’t like the idea of washing someone else’s feet these days. Nor having their feet washed by others. “That’s just gross,” I heard from one teenager. I read once that British monarchs used to wash a poor person’s feet on Maundy Thursday. Now they give special minted coins to the number of people to match the monarch’s age. I suppose kneeling to wash someone’s feet is undignified. Peter thought so, too. Jesus, apparently not.
Conflict need not disturb my peace.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You hold nothing back. There are no secret stashes waiting for us.
You are open to us. You became one with us and showed us what life can be like for those who love you.
Our insecurities lead us to want more, when you’ve given us the possibility of abundant life in you. What more could we need or want?
These thoughts make me wonder about eternal life… It certainly could not be filled with material goods.
Even more intimate connection with you is what’s promised. But empty pockets. Okay.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“So, I step out of the tomb, and what do I see? A rabbit sitting on a purple egg!”
[So that’s how it all began… NOT]
D. Blog: Feet-washing (Part 2)
People don’t like the idea of washing someone else’s feet these days. Nor having their feet washed by others. “That’s just gross,” I heard from one teenager. I read once that British monarchs used to wash a poor person’s feet on Maundy Thursday. Now they give special minted coins to the number of people to match the monarch’s age. I suppose kneeling to wash someone’s feet is undignified. Peter thought so, too. Jesus, apparently not.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
The Saturday Between
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Peace comes to the strong, not the violent.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
We remember you because you died.
We follow you because you live.
We honor you because of your courage and sacrifice.
We serve in your name because you live.
We feel the guilt and shame of your death.
We know the hope and joy of your life.
We remember your because you died.
We follow you because you live.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Finally, some peace and quiet.”
[Not what He said when He awakened in the tomb.]
D. Blog: The Saturday Between
In a way, we live in the Saturday between crucifixion and resurrection, between suffering and glory, between the keen awareness of death and the totally unknown. We know too much about death and dying, but nothing, really, about what might come next. We have a sense of what absolute darkness is like, but can only imagine and hope for an absolute brightness to come. Our confinement in this Saturday life, in the cave of the ancient Greek philosopher, is not without its positive features, however. We have imagination. We have hope. We have one another. We have glimpses of beauty in the here and now. These, and Saturday, ought not be overlooked or discounted, no matter what comes with Sunday.
Peace comes to the strong, not the violent.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
We remember you because you died.
We follow you because you live.
We honor you because of your courage and sacrifice.
We serve in your name because you live.
We feel the guilt and shame of your death.
We know the hope and joy of your life.
We remember your because you died.
We follow you because you live.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Finally, some peace and quiet.”
[Not what He said when He awakened in the tomb.]
D. Blog: The Saturday Between
In a way, we live in the Saturday between crucifixion and resurrection, between suffering and glory, between the keen awareness of death and the totally unknown. We know too much about death and dying, but nothing, really, about what might come next. We have a sense of what absolute darkness is like, but can only imagine and hope for an absolute brightness to come. Our confinement in this Saturday life, in the cave of the ancient Greek philosopher, is not without its positive features, however. We have imagination. We have hope. We have one another. We have glimpses of beauty in the here and now. These, and Saturday, ought not be overlooked or discounted, no matter what comes with Sunday.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good???
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Every moment without peace is a lost opportunity.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Where there is life, there is hope. You give the breath of life and with it comes hope. When hope is extinguished in a person, then life vanishes and death has come upon that person. Spring brings with it signs of hope. Thank you for the renewal of hope that comes with this season. Thank you for hope renewed despite troubling situations. Bring hope to conditions that seem locked in hopeless dead ends. Thank you for the little things that give hope – some new learning, chocolate, a stimulating book, helpful gestures from a friend, a moving concert, the memory of Holy Week. You breathe fresh hope in me.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“I don’t know about Good; just as good a day as any to die perhaps.”
[I couldn’t agree more. But He didn’t say it.]
D. Blog: Was it a Good Friday? Why?
The preacher said suffering is never required by God, but we can expect it, especially when we live the way of Christ and the emerging divine dominion, a way that challenges the entrenched power structures.
Living in that way does require letting go of or overcoming our fear of worldly power and what it can do to us. When we, in a sense, die to (or overcome) that fear, the result might well be suffering imposed by worldly powers (religious, political, social, economic)
It appears that only when we accept the possibility of undeserved suffering for this divine cause can change/newness/better life/the dominion of God emerge. (Any number of martyrs attest to this transformative process).
Regarding the other interpretation, that suffering and Cross are necessary to satisfy God:
As far back as the Abraham & Isaac story, biblical writers have said that God does not require sacrificing children in order to appease God or to atone for human failings (sins). The traditional interpretation that emphasizes the faith of Abraham misses the mark, I believe. The point is that the God of the Hebrews, as opposed to other gods, does not expect believers to sacrifice children. Traditional Christianity has overlooked (or rejected) this understanding of that story, and imposed the idea of child sacrifice by God upon Jesus’ death on the Cross.
Glorifying Jesus’ suffering on the cross (Mel Gibson movie as only one example) to “save us from our sins” appears to allow most Christians to avoid taking up their own crosses in the way Jesus did, that is, in the service of the divine dominion. If He did it for us, the reasoning seems to go, then we don’t have to do it. We can remain in our fear of worldly powers; because He overcame those powers, we don’t have to confront their evils. We’re saved from any of that.
It looks to me like a sham following the way of Christ.
Every moment without peace is a lost opportunity.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Where there is life, there is hope. You give the breath of life and with it comes hope. When hope is extinguished in a person, then life vanishes and death has come upon that person. Spring brings with it signs of hope. Thank you for the renewal of hope that comes with this season. Thank you for hope renewed despite troubling situations. Bring hope to conditions that seem locked in hopeless dead ends. Thank you for the little things that give hope – some new learning, chocolate, a stimulating book, helpful gestures from a friend, a moving concert, the memory of Holy Week. You breathe fresh hope in me.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“I don’t know about Good; just as good a day as any to die perhaps.”
[I couldn’t agree more. But He didn’t say it.]
D. Blog: Was it a Good Friday? Why?
The preacher said suffering is never required by God, but we can expect it, especially when we live the way of Christ and the emerging divine dominion, a way that challenges the entrenched power structures.
Living in that way does require letting go of or overcoming our fear of worldly power and what it can do to us. When we, in a sense, die to (or overcome) that fear, the result might well be suffering imposed by worldly powers (religious, political, social, economic)
It appears that only when we accept the possibility of undeserved suffering for this divine cause can change/newness/better life/the dominion of God emerge. (Any number of martyrs attest to this transformative process).
Regarding the other interpretation, that suffering and Cross are necessary to satisfy God:
As far back as the Abraham & Isaac story, biblical writers have said that God does not require sacrificing children in order to appease God or to atone for human failings (sins). The traditional interpretation that emphasizes the faith of Abraham misses the mark, I believe. The point is that the God of the Hebrews, as opposed to other gods, does not expect believers to sacrifice children. Traditional Christianity has overlooked (or rejected) this understanding of that story, and imposed the idea of child sacrifice by God upon Jesus’ death on the Cross.
Glorifying Jesus’ suffering on the cross (Mel Gibson movie as only one example) to “save us from our sins” appears to allow most Christians to avoid taking up their own crosses in the way Jesus did, that is, in the service of the divine dominion. If He did it for us, the reasoning seems to go, then we don’t have to do it. We can remain in our fear of worldly powers; because He overcame those powers, we don’t have to confront their evils. We’re saved from any of that.
It looks to me like a sham following the way of Christ.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Feet-Washing
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Peace comes, inevitably. Perhaps with our cooperation.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Sometimes I might not be ready to communicate. I might prefer to go on with my activities and diversions. I might have what seems like urgent business or a family crisis. I might have myself mired in a hectic day. It doesn’t seem to matter to you – you’re listening.
That’s a comfort and a challenge to me. It challenges me to think of you in those times, too. I might not be ready to try to articulate anything, but the thought of you will begin to give me focus again. You are listening when… ever. I’m too busy to talk, but I’ll call you back, I promise.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“You guys cover me while I sneak into the garden.”
[Not exactly what He said when they went to Gethsemane.]
D. Blog: Washing Feet on Maundy Thursday
I was raised in a religious tradition in which feet-washing is part of what’s done on Maundy Thursday to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus with the disciples. Having been part of that observance for many years, I have some observations about its significance in a Christian setting.
I think the awkward intimacy of feet-washing connects us more directly with Jesus’ living presence than communion does. For it relies on seeing and touching (being seen and touched by) sisters and/or brothers in the faith community. It is thus not merely a symbolic identification with Jesus’ broken body and blood, but tangible identification with his living body, the church. It is not an anonymous partaking of elements, but personal contact with one who bears the image of Jesus.
By engaging in feet-washing, one offers humble service to a brother or sister, thereby identifying with Jesus’ model of power through self-giving service. At the same time, one receives the service of another, which is also a sign of humility. Instead of a mysterious power in the communion elements, there is visible humility and the power of the Spirit expression of love between brothers and sisters.
By washing feet, Christians demonstrate obedience to Jesus’ specific directive in the Gospel of John. I don’t see a challenge in eating a wafer or peace of bread and drinking a bit of wine or juice. Getting on one’s knees before a brother or sister who is a likeness of Jesus shows obedience.
In the observance of feet-washing, we might have a part in Him, that is, we engage in a ritual and an attitude that embody who He is in us and what He means in us.
Peace comes, inevitably. Perhaps with our cooperation.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Sometimes I might not be ready to communicate. I might prefer to go on with my activities and diversions. I might have what seems like urgent business or a family crisis. I might have myself mired in a hectic day. It doesn’t seem to matter to you – you’re listening.
That’s a comfort and a challenge to me. It challenges me to think of you in those times, too. I might not be ready to try to articulate anything, but the thought of you will begin to give me focus again. You are listening when… ever. I’m too busy to talk, but I’ll call you back, I promise.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“You guys cover me while I sneak into the garden.”
[Not exactly what He said when they went to Gethsemane.]
D. Blog: Washing Feet on Maundy Thursday
I was raised in a religious tradition in which feet-washing is part of what’s done on Maundy Thursday to commemorate the Last Supper of Jesus with the disciples. Having been part of that observance for many years, I have some observations about its significance in a Christian setting.
I think the awkward intimacy of feet-washing connects us more directly with Jesus’ living presence than communion does. For it relies on seeing and touching (being seen and touched by) sisters and/or brothers in the faith community. It is thus not merely a symbolic identification with Jesus’ broken body and blood, but tangible identification with his living body, the church. It is not an anonymous partaking of elements, but personal contact with one who bears the image of Jesus.
By engaging in feet-washing, one offers humble service to a brother or sister, thereby identifying with Jesus’ model of power through self-giving service. At the same time, one receives the service of another, which is also a sign of humility. Instead of a mysterious power in the communion elements, there is visible humility and the power of the Spirit expression of love between brothers and sisters.
By washing feet, Christians demonstrate obedience to Jesus’ specific directive in the Gospel of John. I don’t see a challenge in eating a wafer or peace of bread and drinking a bit of wine or juice. Getting on one’s knees before a brother or sister who is a likeness of Jesus shows obedience.
In the observance of feet-washing, we might have a part in Him, that is, we engage in a ritual and an attitude that embody who He is in us and what He means in us.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Filling Our Vacuums
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Whispered from the lips of eternity comes the message: The white dove will sleep on the sand.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You take risks no one else would dare. You shared intelligence with human beings. You created us so we are able to choose between right and wrong. You built freedom into the fabric of your universe, something you cannot always predict or control. You stake your reputation on a universe where death and decay are normal. You enter fully into this realm of time and space, ready to face death yourself. You entrust your good name to feeble, fallible humans who repeatedly act in shameful fashion. What were you thinking?? That it will all work out in the end? So be it.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“And next year I want to start a Master’s Tournament.”
[Beginning this week again. Not!]
D. Blog: Vacuum-filling God
We have the saying that nature abhors a vacuum. I guess that means any vacuum will soon be filled by something; a vacuum cannot remain a vacuum. But I imagine Divinity might allow vacuums as opportunities to expand the divine dominion. I’m thinking that whenever we humans leave a vacancy in our lives, when we stop filling spaces in our lives with assorted diversions, celebrity dance contests and false gods, the true God is ready and happy to fill the empty spaces. God will improve upon the ways we choose for ourselves if we let it happen. I have stopped worrying about what to do with my time. The trick is in learning to recognize the ways the Holy One tries to fill my time for me. There are no vacuums, no empty times or spaces. The question is whether what fills them is fulfilling or mere filler.
Whispered from the lips of eternity comes the message: The white dove will sleep on the sand.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
You take risks no one else would dare. You shared intelligence with human beings. You created us so we are able to choose between right and wrong. You built freedom into the fabric of your universe, something you cannot always predict or control. You stake your reputation on a universe where death and decay are normal. You enter fully into this realm of time and space, ready to face death yourself. You entrust your good name to feeble, fallible humans who repeatedly act in shameful fashion. What were you thinking?? That it will all work out in the end? So be it.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“And next year I want to start a Master’s Tournament.”
[Beginning this week again. Not!]
D. Blog: Vacuum-filling God
We have the saying that nature abhors a vacuum. I guess that means any vacuum will soon be filled by something; a vacuum cannot remain a vacuum. But I imagine Divinity might allow vacuums as opportunities to expand the divine dominion. I’m thinking that whenever we humans leave a vacancy in our lives, when we stop filling spaces in our lives with assorted diversions, celebrity dance contests and false gods, the true God is ready and happy to fill the empty spaces. God will improve upon the ways we choose for ourselves if we let it happen. I have stopped worrying about what to do with my time. The trick is in learning to recognize the ways the Holy One tries to fill my time for me. There are no vacuums, no empty times or spaces. The question is whether what fills them is fulfilling or mere filler.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Jerusalem Open
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
For every broken peace there are millions of broken hearts.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I appreciate your companionship along the way. I don’t always recognize you, but you manage to get my attention through good music, good food, friends and neighbors and family who are my human companions. It is your companionship, though, that holds it all together, revealing the great design of love and sacrifice that creates what makes life so valuable and enjoyable. Thank you for keeping me company. I’m having a great time.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Next year, I plan to enter the Jerusalem Open Golf Tournament.”
[Lots of sand on that course. He never said it.]
D. Blog: A Haiku
If we had no light…
Unimaginable…
There is light! It is good!
For every broken peace there are millions of broken hearts.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I appreciate your companionship along the way. I don’t always recognize you, but you manage to get my attention through good music, good food, friends and neighbors and family who are my human companions. It is your companionship, though, that holds it all together, revealing the great design of love and sacrifice that creates what makes life so valuable and enjoyable. Thank you for keeping me company. I’m having a great time.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Next year, I plan to enter the Jerusalem Open Golf Tournament.”
[Lots of sand on that course. He never said it.]
D. Blog: A Haiku
If we had no light…
Unimaginable…
There is light! It is good!
Monday, April 6, 2009
What Would Jesus Think of Cathedrals?
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
The road to peace is paved with hope.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Like life, you are always new. You’re older than the hills, but to me you appear as new eachday, familiar to be sure, but always new. I hope I never grow so old as to stop experiencing your newness. I say the same of life – I hope I never reach a point where it seems old hat, without the joy and energy of newness. You call us to be filled with wonder and surprise at you and at this great adventure of life. No matter how familiar you seem, if I pay attention I’ll notice something new. No matter how routine a day of life, if I pay attention to what I encounter, I will find hidden treasures. What I thought was a simple rock might have come from a meteor. You’ve been around forever, but I won’t be around long enough for you to seem old to me.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“When I have a little time, I think I’ll build a cathedral as big as that temple.”
[He had inspirations, but this was not one of them.]
D. Blog: Moment or Movement?
The preacher said that Jesus was not killed because He came to save us from our sins.
The preacher said that Jesus died because He confronted the powers that oppressed the poor and perverted religion.
The preacher said that therein lies the difference between a moment and a movement.
I can say “amen” to that.
The road to peace is paved with hope.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Like life, you are always new. You’re older than the hills, but to me you appear as new eachday, familiar to be sure, but always new. I hope I never grow so old as to stop experiencing your newness. I say the same of life – I hope I never reach a point where it seems old hat, without the joy and energy of newness. You call us to be filled with wonder and surprise at you and at this great adventure of life. No matter how familiar you seem, if I pay attention I’ll notice something new. No matter how routine a day of life, if I pay attention to what I encounter, I will find hidden treasures. What I thought was a simple rock might have come from a meteor. You’ve been around forever, but I won’t be around long enough for you to seem old to me.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“When I have a little time, I think I’ll build a cathedral as big as that temple.”
[He had inspirations, but this was not one of them.]
D. Blog: Moment or Movement?
The preacher said that Jesus was not killed because He came to save us from our sins.
The preacher said that Jesus died because He confronted the powers that oppressed the poor and perverted religion.
The preacher said that therein lies the difference between a moment and a movement.
I can say “amen” to that.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Jesus Predicts the End! (NOT)
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
The poll results are in: 95% of the people want peace 100% of the time.
B. Unabashed Christian:
A Call to Worship for Holy Week
Who will answer when we raise our voices against oppression and injustice?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when our hearts long for love and human kindness?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when we ask for help to deal with our addictions and subtractions from the life we desire?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when our spirits cry out in concern for our friends and family?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when we shout for joy and celebration of life’s goodness?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when we weep for the dead, victims of starvation, disease, violence and war?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Thanks be to God.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“The end will come in the year 2000 - of the Galactic Federation.”
[I guess we won’t be around by then, but really, He never said this.]
D. Blog: Snowbirds
Some people head south for the winter and north when the weather gets warmer. Some of them come to our area – from both directions. I think of them as migrants, or nomads. They seek a pleasant climate rather than food or jobs. They want a smoother life, but it appears to me an uprooted sort of life. Part time residents seem home-less to me. Or unable to commit to a community. Or just not settled, not having found a promised land, just places to live.
The poll results are in: 95% of the people want peace 100% of the time.
B. Unabashed Christian:
A Call to Worship for Holy Week
Who will answer when we raise our voices against oppression and injustice?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when our hearts long for love and human kindness?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when we ask for help to deal with our addictions and subtractions from the life we desire?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when our spirits cry out in concern for our friends and family?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when we shout for joy and celebration of life’s goodness?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Who will answer when we weep for the dead, victims of starvation, disease, violence and war?
God is faithful and hears our prayers.
Thanks be to God.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“The end will come in the year 2000 - of the Galactic Federation.”
[I guess we won’t be around by then, but really, He never said this.]
D. Blog: Snowbirds
Some people head south for the winter and north when the weather gets warmer. Some of them come to our area – from both directions. I think of them as migrants, or nomads. They seek a pleasant climate rather than food or jobs. They want a smoother life, but it appears to me an uprooted sort of life. Part time residents seem home-less to me. Or unable to commit to a community. Or just not settled, not having found a promised land, just places to live.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
For 30 Shekels?
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
“What good can war do?” – Kevin, age 11
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Thank you for some days of ordinary tasks to perform. The prepare us for the days that call for unusual responses from us. Then, once we’ve performed an unusual task, the next time it becomes more ordinary. But we do need to keep in practice. I guess I must have done a lot of unusual things in the past, if what I did yesterday seemed pretty much the normal. Ordinary is good.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Judas, I’ll bet you 30 shekels I can make that fig tree shrivel and die.”
[Not what caused Judas to betray Him.]
D. Blog: I Keep Following These Bumpers
- Vote Democratic for Sensitive Imperialism
- You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake
- God, help me be the person my psychiatrist medicates me to be
- You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. – Booker T. Washington
“What good can war do?” – Kevin, age 11
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Thank you for some days of ordinary tasks to perform. The prepare us for the days that call for unusual responses from us. Then, once we’ve performed an unusual task, the next time it becomes more ordinary. But we do need to keep in practice. I guess I must have done a lot of unusual things in the past, if what I did yesterday seemed pretty much the normal. Ordinary is good.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Judas, I’ll bet you 30 shekels I can make that fig tree shrivel and die.”
[Not what caused Judas to betray Him.]
D. Blog: I Keep Following These Bumpers
- Vote Democratic for Sensitive Imperialism
- You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake
- God, help me be the person my psychiatrist medicates me to be
- You can’t hold a man down without staying down with him. – Booker T. Washington
Friday, April 3, 2009
Befuddled???
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Horrified, a dove looked down on the field of battle. “Never again,” she said.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I focus this morning on your liberalism. You liberate people – from bondage to systems, to pain, misery, fear, abuse, slavery, disease, war, famine. Whatever would hold us down, you are the force that lifts us again. In addition, you allow us to make our own choices, even choices that might not be in our best interests. You love us, bleeding heart liberal that you are, so much so that you give us the option of rejecting you, when your wish is that we will choose to accept the embrace of your love.
I do think you draw a line, however, if in our freedom we bring harm to others, when we begin to enslave them. For you are always a freeing God, as much as you are anything else. You are also a free God – free of our control and free of charge. Thank you very much!
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Hold up, guys. I need to make a pit stop.”
[He probably had the need, but He never said it like this.]
D. Blog: Word of the Week -- Befuddled??
[From thefreedictionary.com]:
Verb
1. befuddle - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher"
2. befuddle - make stupid with alcohol
[FYI, there is a website related to the second definition: Befuddle is the original home of drunk celebrity pictures. Befuddle pays homage to drunk celebrities. www.befuddle.co.uk/]
[For more, read Charles Hodgson’s take on the word. I’m citing his podictionary.com entry]:
Although I don’t much follow professional sports it seems to me that sports writers have to be pretty creative writers. I mean you have to be pretty creative to keep coming up day after day with different ways of saying that this team beat that team. And now since most sports seasons cross over each other, you have to say it for football, for basketball, for hockey, soccer, cricket, tennis, lawn bowling, oh my god the list is endless.
So I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that Googling befuddle for news stories brings up plenty of sports stories of how team A befuddled team B.
Second in line seemed to be politicians befuddling voters.
Befuddle is such a great word. It sounds so funny all by itself. Befuddle, befuddle, befuddle. Who thought that up?
Well, as it turns out the first citation for befuddle was in the Oxford English Dictionary before it was the Oxford English Dictionary. At first it was called A New English Dictionary on Historical Principals and it was published in pieces. This particular entry must have befuddled the editors because that first citation from 1887 indicates the source as the New English Dictionary entry for the prefix be- with meaning number four.
But that’s what the etymology says too.
Oops!
My guess is that the etymology should point back to the word fuddle. There actually is a word fuddle and it showed up way back in 1588. Looking at that I see that to befuddle isn’t just to “confuse”, it’s actually to get drunk, or to confuse as if drunk because originally fuddle meant “drink.”
Although the etymology of befuddle is befuddled, the link back to fuddle is right there in the definition since the OED entry for befuddle says:
“To make stupid with tippling; also, to confuse, to stupefy. Hence befuddlement, intoxication; confusion, stupefaction.”
The etymological roots of fuddle are a little less stupefied, although not completely clear-headed either. The OED says that fuddle is of obscure origin but points out that the Dutch word vod means “soft”, “slack”, or “loose”, and that the German word fuddeln means “to swindle.” Etymonline suggests instead that this same German word means to “work in a slovenly manner; as if drunk” and that this might in turn come from fuddle meaning “worthless cloth.”
Horrified, a dove looked down on the field of battle. “Never again,” she said.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I focus this morning on your liberalism. You liberate people – from bondage to systems, to pain, misery, fear, abuse, slavery, disease, war, famine. Whatever would hold us down, you are the force that lifts us again. In addition, you allow us to make our own choices, even choices that might not be in our best interests. You love us, bleeding heart liberal that you are, so much so that you give us the option of rejecting you, when your wish is that we will choose to accept the embrace of your love.
I do think you draw a line, however, if in our freedom we bring harm to others, when we begin to enslave them. For you are always a freeing God, as much as you are anything else. You are also a free God – free of our control and free of charge. Thank you very much!
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Hold up, guys. I need to make a pit stop.”
[He probably had the need, but He never said it like this.]
D. Blog: Word of the Week -- Befuddled??
[From thefreedictionary.com]:
Verb
1. befuddle - be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly; "These questions confuse even the experts"; "This question completely threw me"; "This question befuddled even the teacher"
2. befuddle - make stupid with alcohol
[FYI, there is a website related to the second definition: Befuddle is the original home of drunk celebrity pictures. Befuddle pays homage to drunk celebrities. www.befuddle.co.uk/]
[For more, read Charles Hodgson’s take on the word. I’m citing his podictionary.com entry]:
Although I don’t much follow professional sports it seems to me that sports writers have to be pretty creative writers. I mean you have to be pretty creative to keep coming up day after day with different ways of saying that this team beat that team. And now since most sports seasons cross over each other, you have to say it for football, for basketball, for hockey, soccer, cricket, tennis, lawn bowling, oh my god the list is endless.
So I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that Googling befuddle for news stories brings up plenty of sports stories of how team A befuddled team B.
Second in line seemed to be politicians befuddling voters.
Befuddle is such a great word. It sounds so funny all by itself. Befuddle, befuddle, befuddle. Who thought that up?
Well, as it turns out the first citation for befuddle was in the Oxford English Dictionary before it was the Oxford English Dictionary. At first it was called A New English Dictionary on Historical Principals and it was published in pieces. This particular entry must have befuddled the editors because that first citation from 1887 indicates the source as the New English Dictionary entry for the prefix be- with meaning number four.
But that’s what the etymology says too.
Oops!
My guess is that the etymology should point back to the word fuddle. There actually is a word fuddle and it showed up way back in 1588. Looking at that I see that to befuddle isn’t just to “confuse”, it’s actually to get drunk, or to confuse as if drunk because originally fuddle meant “drink.”
Although the etymology of befuddle is befuddled, the link back to fuddle is right there in the definition since the OED entry for befuddle says:
“To make stupid with tippling; also, to confuse, to stupefy. Hence befuddlement, intoxication; confusion, stupefaction.”
The etymological roots of fuddle are a little less stupefied, although not completely clear-headed either. The OED says that fuddle is of obscure origin but points out that the Dutch word vod means “soft”, “slack”, or “loose”, and that the German word fuddeln means “to swindle.” Etymonline suggests instead that this same German word means to “work in a slovenly manner; as if drunk” and that this might in turn come from fuddle meaning “worthless cloth.”
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Are We There Yet?
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
Peacemaking begins with my neighbors.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Interrupt my complacency with calls to serve you in causes of justice, mercy, peace and truth.
Interrupt my fear with encouragement to risk new ventures and dream bold visions.
Interrupt my sorrow with happy memories and bright hopes for the days ahead.
Interrupt my routines and boredom with excitement over the joy of living.
Interrupt my weakness with the sense of your spirit working in and through me.
Interrupt any smallness in me with the grander purposes you outline.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Are we there yet?”
[Traveling with his parents to Jerusalem? Not in English.]
D. Blog: Images of God, all Incomplete
We use limited images and names to describe some of how we experience the Divine. In our better moments, we are under no illusions that our symbols are God, or could ever capture the Absolute Mysterious. We know that our limited human language does not have the capacity to describe God. But, also in my better moments, I delight in hearing new ways the other people experience the Holy One and attempt to share their experience; their visions enhance my own. They help shine a light on the dark glass through which I view the immensity of the eternal. They open the curtain a little wider so that I have a fuller view, and I see, not a bad wizard, but an awesome Divinity.
In my best moments, I meet God in spaces beyond images and names. In music, in nature, in laughter, in compassion and companionship – when the Sacred captures me in an embracing love that causes words to fall away in futility. In the silence, the Word comes to make me whole.
Peacemaking begins with my neighbors.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
Interrupt my complacency with calls to serve you in causes of justice, mercy, peace and truth.
Interrupt my fear with encouragement to risk new ventures and dream bold visions.
Interrupt my sorrow with happy memories and bright hopes for the days ahead.
Interrupt my routines and boredom with excitement over the joy of living.
Interrupt my weakness with the sense of your spirit working in and through me.
Interrupt any smallness in me with the grander purposes you outline.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“Are we there yet?”
[Traveling with his parents to Jerusalem? Not in English.]
D. Blog: Images of God, all Incomplete
We use limited images and names to describe some of how we experience the Divine. In our better moments, we are under no illusions that our symbols are God, or could ever capture the Absolute Mysterious. We know that our limited human language does not have the capacity to describe God. But, also in my better moments, I delight in hearing new ways the other people experience the Holy One and attempt to share their experience; their visions enhance my own. They help shine a light on the dark glass through which I view the immensity of the eternal. They open the curtain a little wider so that I have a fuller view, and I see, not a bad wizard, but an awesome Divinity.
In my best moments, I meet God in spaces beyond images and names. In music, in nature, in laughter, in compassion and companionship – when the Sacred captures me in an embracing love that causes words to fall away in futility. In the silence, the Word comes to make me whole.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Divine Gender Neutrality
A. Unabashed Pacifist:
I color outside the lines of war.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I accept your invitation to joy.
I accept your invitation to love.
I accept your invitation to compassion.
I accept your invitation to justice and peace.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“April Fools!”
[Not even on Easter did He say this. He said we should never call anyone Fool.]
D. Blog: Foolishness
We make a big deal of our sexuality and our gender identity, too big a deal, I suppose. We even try to ascribe gender to God. But I’m thinking that’s foolish. God had sexual relations with Mary, so that makes God male, and Jesus’ father? I don’t think so.
If we are made in the image of divinity, male and female, that would make God bi-sexual or perhaps trans-gendered. But why not quadri-sexual while we’re into assigning sexuality and gender to the Divine One? Who knows what sexuality might be like in life forms in another galaxy? So again, it is foolishness to try to assign gender to God.
I color outside the lines of war.
B. Unabashed Christian:
Holy One,
I accept your invitation to joy.
I accept your invitation to love.
I accept your invitation to compassion.
I accept your invitation to justice and peace.
Amen
C. Un-quoting Jesus:
“April Fools!”
[Not even on Easter did He say this. He said we should never call anyone Fool.]
D. Blog: Foolishness
We make a big deal of our sexuality and our gender identity, too big a deal, I suppose. We even try to ascribe gender to God. But I’m thinking that’s foolish. God had sexual relations with Mary, so that makes God male, and Jesus’ father? I don’t think so.
If we are made in the image of divinity, male and female, that would make God bi-sexual or perhaps trans-gendered. But why not quadri-sexual while we’re into assigning sexuality and gender to the Divine One? Who knows what sexuality might be like in life forms in another galaxy? So again, it is foolishness to try to assign gender to God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)