PeaceBang

Some Cousins

RSCN1777
Originally uploaded by Peacebang.

It was a lovely gathering and a beautiful service for Uncle Marv.
Every single one of the cousins was there; all twelve of us. And 8 of our 17 children (the “little cousins”) were also there, which was great. There was a lot of this going on:

And this, which is just so tender I can hardly stand it. It’s one of the littlest cousins and his great uncle:

And even some of this — one of the cousins and the “little cousins” — looking not so much a generation apart any more:

Leviticus 10, Man

It’s been a big week full of serious learning.

This is the first time in my nine years of ministry that I have suffered serious grief (except for stupid break-ups with jerks), and the first time I have been asked to officiate at the funeral of a family member. While I feel honored to do so, there was that little mewling brat in me who rebelled, whining that I don’t WANT to be set apart on that day. I want to be one of the kids crying in the seats, next to Mommy, sis and bro.

In a moment of weakness I expressed this to Mother of PeaceBang who, although sympathetic, gave me some much needed Hell in the following format:
Point #1: This is what you do.
Point #2: If you are who you say you are, you have a source of love and strength to draw on now that you believe will sustain you through all toils and snares.

She is so right.

So La Madre kicked my butt to the curb, so to speak, and I prepared the service (with the occasional interruption by about, mmmm, roughly 30 to 40 phone calls from relatives) and did as good a job as I could. It’s done.

I wondered with a few trusted colleagues this week about the very tricky issue of congregational support of their minister at difficult times. I have never really done any theological reflection on this issue: all I know is that we should expect to get all our major, practical support outside the congregation. And that’s fine. But I had never really reasoned through the WHY of it.
Today a American Baptist colleague of mine said simply, “Leviticus 10.”

Check it out. Leviticus 10:1-8:

And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not.

And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.

Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.

And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp.

So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.

And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, neither rend your clothes; lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the LORD hath kindled.

And ye shall not go out from the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: for the anointing oil of the LORD is upon you. And they did according to the word of Moses.

*********

Okay. What this sounds like on the surface is a terribly abusive story, with God as a sick tyrant who incinerates Aaron’s sons because they offer him, “unholy fire” (I prefer the NRSV — don’t know which translation that is above, I just ripped it from a web site). And I’m not going to argue that God is a crazyass in this tale. But the point is, the LORD says not to mourn and tear your garments because the anoininting oil of the LORD is upon you. And I take that not to be an abusive, sick arrangement where God smites you and your loved ones and you just need to suck it up.

Because that would be too easy.

I am taking it today to be about God’s relationship with God’s ministers. And here’s how I’m exegeting it today, Tuesday night at 11:30 after a 14-hour day, mind you. I’m saying that this is a teaching to God’s ministers that we ought to know how life works, we know that death and suffering are part of it. We will suffer great losses ourselves in the work we feel called to do, and that work doesn’t stop because we’re suffering. We don’t get to rent our garments (I prefer to buy them, myself) and wail with everyone else, because the anointing oil is upon us and our work at those times is different. We are, whether we like it or not, set apart.

And I could choose to eat a lot of chocolate over that, and feel full of resentment and victimy feelings, and hate the God of my ancestors for being a crackpot Cosmic Bully, but frankly, after the week I’ve had, I have to go with my instinct that there’s something much more complex, ancient and powerful than that to it.

Comments?

Exegesis of John 14:6, Dig It

http://socinian.blogspot.com/2005/09/reinterpreting-john-146.html

Global Warming

Much to my surprise, my sermon for today turned out to be mostly about global warming. As a Unitarian Universalist I have been fed on a steady diet of “current events” sermons, for which I generally have very little appreciation or patience, but there I was living into my own joke about “preaching on global warming.”

I connected it to the symbol of water and the grieving of our country and other spiritual issues, but it was still a sermon on global warming. I quoted from the 15th century bhakti poet Mirabai, from Bill McKibbon and from The New Yorker. I talked about carbon dioxide levels. That is so not me. But you know, once I got researching it and my heart and soul got involved, I had to share it. Above all, our children have to hear about this and be prepared to deal with the prodigal chickens that are already coming home to roost, to mix a metaphor.

Greenseagirl helped me a lot with research and then the other best source was an excellent series in The New Yorker called “The Climate of Man” by Elizabeth Kolbert.

Part I is here: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?050425fa_fact3

Part II is here: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?050502fa_fact3

Part III, which I relied on heavily for today’s sermon, is here:

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?050509fa_fact3

If you have the time you might really dig that third article in the New Yorker series. I learned a lot from it and it helped me get the whole greenhouse gases concept much clearer in my mind. Of course now I want to crawl under my bed and suck my thumb until the earth heats up another few degrees and we all float out into the melted ice caps, but I won’t.

I’ll take a nap instead.

We did have one newcomer and he was enthusiastically nodding and going, “yeah” every few minutes, so that was affirming. Everyone else looked like an owl.
And I did get to sing some Mahalia Jackson and because we have this brand new fantabulous sound system, I could practically whisper, didn’t it raaaain, children, didn’t it rain O my Lord, didn’t it rain and it came out just like I hoped it would. That is one haunting tune, children.

Don’t Read This If You’re A Jainist

A terrible thing happened this morning. I was making an omelette and turned on the burner on the stove, not realizing that a Daddy Long Legs was hanging out right in that burner.

I singed two of his legs before I realized he was there. I turned off the flame as fast as I could but the shock and pain killed him.

I know you’ll think it silly but my God, what a terrible death.
Do spiders have nervous systems?
Did he feel anything?

I’m still a little bit sick about it. All the Daddy Long Legs and I have an arrangement: you can’t stay in the house but I will politely escort you outside.

I’m sorry, little spider.

Redeeming Weddings

Not only did Nightmare Wedding Guest steer entirely clear of me today, I had my heart stolen by the two flower girls who were the cutest thing you’ve ever seen since Rainbow Brite came mincing down the pike.

They were Sophie and Hannah, 3 and 6 years old, looking angelic in simple white princess dresses with blush pink roses on the neckline and hem. Not only did they drop the petals with special delicacy and flare, they were perfectly behaved through the entire ceremony. I have to admit that Sophie, with her white blonde hair in a bowl cut, and perfectly round nose and big serious eyes, especially slayed me.

We had a quiet moment to chat after the ceremony when we went upstairs to find her blankie. I asked her whether she had any pets and learned that she has two cats, Romeo and Chloe. But Romeo runned away. I told her I was very sorry to hear that, and maybe he just needed to go be a wild cat in the woods for awhile and he would come back. I hoped he would. Romeo got under a car, Sophie said, and the car went on top of him. I replied that I was so very sorry. It’s so very sad when cats get run over by cars.

After a moment of silent remembrance, Sophie said that they saw Romeo yesterday.
I stopped trying to figure it all out and said that I was sure glad that they still had Chloe. And what color is Chloe?

This question drew grave consideration. “She’s white. And purple… And green.”

I said I thought she sounded very pretty. She sounded so pretty that I had to dab at my eyes with my hankie about it.

Two wonderful things happened later in the evening: I made the acquaintance of two charming, funny people who just happen to be neighbors (REALLY neighbors, as in they live down the street from me) and who happen to know a whole bunch of my favorite old school chums from Connecticut (!). The second thing was that as I was walking back to the reception from the powder room, Sophie saw me coming and ran down the hall to me and threw herself into my arms.

And I Just Had To Include This, Too

Also from the NY Times Arts section…

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/24/arts/music/24mill.html

Well, good for you, Aprile Milo!

The diva apparently cancelled what was to be a “cross-over” concert when she found out that she would be asked to do some rock-and-roll stuff. I mean, there’s cross-over and then there’s just ridiculous.

Even though she used to be plain old April Miles (this according to an old opera pal of mine, although he might just be gossiping), girlfriend knows where to put her pipes. And where not to.

Now if we can just put a stop to Kiri Te Kanawa singing show tunes, and do something permanent about that Andrea Bocelli creature who’s always caterwalling at the Barnes & Noble with that other singer-thing, the one who sounds like Minnie Mouse on helium and has the blue-glitter-buttered eyelids … the world would be such a better place.

Mini Gates In Pursuit of Mini Central Park

Remember The Gates?
http://peacebang.blogspot.com/2005_02_20_peacebang_archive.html

Well, you gotta see this, sent by Li’l Flava in NYC:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/24/arts/design/24isla.html?ex=1128225600&en=efe56443c4344b33&ei=5070&emc=eta1

The picture alone gave me an ear-splitting grin for hours.

Favorite quote: “I got my own job, ya know what I mean?”

I don’t know how it will hit you but I feel considerably less misanthropic after reading this. It’s just so endearingly silly, I think, “Aw, I just gotta love people.”

Or maybe it will make you cranky. I don’t know. Enjoie!

Preacher, Can You Use This?

I found this poem while looking for another one I’m going to use in the service on Sunday…

THE RUINS OF ROME
By Michael Bledsoe
*after a trip to Rome in November 2003

the ruins of Rome rustle
but the shell of the beetle remains averse to time
as it traverses across column and stone
the wind howls past the bony thumb of power
the souls which once resided here
sleep beneath shattered trees, ruined worlds
flicker in the dusk like Mose’s bush
burned by God’s voice and man’s indifference
I raise a glass of wine along the Imperial Way
the beetle has tripped onto its back
I gaze at the Colisseum and spit into Caesar’s eye
a glass of molten blue
the dome of the sky
Rome is gone
halflings of Christ and Caesar occupy the throne of Peter
I will kiss no stone, touch no statue
but angle my body between church and state
and pray to the One crucified by them both.

Another Online Quiz

According to this test, I’m a Socialist.

http://www.okcupid.com/politics