Dear People of Christ Church,
This week, of course, I've been praying for Boston. About 15 parishioners and community members gathered for worship on Tuesday night to offer prayers for the victims of the bombings and for peace. See the Waltham Patch piece hereI was just writing in this space last week about the Mother's Day Walk for Peace we've been invited to participate in, and now again, I'm writing about violence.
The hardest thing to understand about Monday is, of course, WHY? Not so much why God "allows" such things to happen, but the more basic question of why someone would want to hurt completely innocent strangers on a public sidewalk. I've struggled with the question of innocence; we keep describing the people there as innocent, which certainly they were. The problem is that that then carries with it the assumption that others who might be victims of violence are guilty, and that's more problematic. All of us are created in God's image, and we all have the right to live in peace, whether we are innocent or not. Just because we are. We may do terrible things, we may deserve to live behind prison walls, but we still deserve our lives.
At the same time, I don't want to skip out on my feelings, which are very real, and very hurt. The same day of the Boston bombings several friends posted on facebook about how many Afghans had been accidentally killed by the US military that same day: thirty. Thirty is more than three, but those three were our three, and it does not honor those thirty to forget our own. That fact did not offer me any "perspective," important as it is to realize that our hands also are not clean. Our prayers on Tuesday night included a plea to avoid rushing to judgment, too: I pray as well for Muslims who are now praying that it was not a Muslim who carried out the bombings, that there won't be more racist backlash and more hatred.
So what do we do?
We do what we do. On Tuesday night we gathered in such raw emotion; the thing we had to offer that day was our grief. Everything we have comes from God, and while we can't offer much back, we can offer what we have, and what we had that day was pain. Being willing to sit in pain, there at the cross, even that is a blessing: we know that God has been there in Christ. We know that God was with the people who ran toward the carnage, we know that God was with those marathoners who had just run 26 miles and then just kept on running to donate blood. We know that God is with each of us, in all the different ways we feel, even when we react differently from one another, even when I'm annoyed at my friends' Facebook pages.
We do what we do: this Sunday we baptize Carlos and Elena, and gather with their father, Byron, their mother, Margaret, godparents Anna, Harvey, and Isaura, and promise that we'll do all in our power to support their lives in Christ. We'll plant flowers, mow the lawn (we're going to need volunteers soon enough, as well as someone to organize our overall landscape and gardening plans), and look toward the new birth and new promise God always surprises us with. We'll sing Alleluia, since it's still Easter, since Christ is still raised, along with Martin, along with Krystle, along with Lingzi Lu and in all of our lives.
Peace,
Sara+
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Thursday, April 11, 2013
From April 11: Mothers Walk for Peace
Dear People of Christ Church,
This week, I'm writing to ask you to mark your calendars for May 12, Mother's Day. Of course it may already be on your calendar, but this year we've been invited to participate in a new way, to accompany our bishop and other friends from the diocese and Boston on the Mother's Day Walk for Peace.
Bishop Shaw called me up this week and started with "Hi, Sara, It's Tom. And I have a big favor to ask of you." Naturally disposed as I am to do what the bishop tells me to do, when he asked me to skip church at my own parish and come and concelebrate with him at the Boston service (i.e., stand at the altar with him and a contingent of other parish clergy), my first thought was not "of course!" It was "ummmm, okay." But then I remembered my first mother's day.
I was on maternity leave with newborn Isaiah. We participated in the peace walk as a new family with members of St Anne's, Lincoln, where Noah was the assistant rector at that time. I think Isaiah must have been about six weeks old, strapped snugly onto my chest, and I could not imagine what a nightmare it would be if harm ever came to him. The Louis D Brown Peace Institute, which is are organizing the walk, was started by Tina Chery in memory of her son, Louis, who died at age 15, struck by a stray bullet in a gunfight while walking down the street (to a "youth against guns" gathering, at that!). The institute offers resources for survivors of homicide; grief counseling, groups for children to process the loss of a sibling, and other help for parents and community members. They've also created a nationally recognized "Peace Zone" curriculum to be used in schools on violence prevention. Their seven core principles are love, unity, faith, hope, courage, justice, and forgiveness.
It's easy to sit back and wonder, "Well, what does this have to do with us?" and I think it's exactly because we have the luxury to ask that question that we have to go out of our way to make it our concern. My son's asthma is made worse by pollen, not city smog. I don't worry that my daughter could get shot while learning to ride her bicycle. But if I can go and walk together, to witness, as a Christian, for peace-if I can do just that one small thing, how can I not?
There are a whole variety of opinions about what to do about guns. I know I raised a few eyebrows a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned gun control in a sermon. And yes, I do believe that the second amendment does not protect the right to own an assault weapon. But this isn't about that (there is an event in Lexington coming up-see announcements below). Teaching peace works. Youth employment programs work. Helping the sibling of a murdered teenager deal with those feelings will make it a lot less likely that they'll pick up a gun and try to kill somebody else. This is one thing that pretty much everyone can get on board with.
And it's Mother's Day! In 1870, Julia Ward Howe, who also wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic, wrote the "Mother's Day Proclamation," declaring, "Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience. We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs." The walk is not long-it's 3 ½ miles. The opening remarks are at 8am, and it wraps up at 10, and we'll celebrate the Eucharist with Bishop Shaw and other friends right at the end of the route. The goal is to have 15 people from each parish, but I would hope we could get more than that!
You'll be home for lunch. Please sign up on the bulletin board and I'll give your name to the bishop's secretary so she can register our group. No donations are required, but of course they are welcome.
blessings,
Sara+
For more information:
A diocesan registration page will be set up shortly.
http://www.ldbpeaceinstitute.org
http://mothersdaywalk4peace.org/
This week, I'm writing to ask you to mark your calendars for May 12, Mother's Day. Of course it may already be on your calendar, but this year we've been invited to participate in a new way, to accompany our bishop and other friends from the diocese and Boston on the Mother's Day Walk for Peace.
Bishop Shaw called me up this week and started with "Hi, Sara, It's Tom. And I have a big favor to ask of you." Naturally disposed as I am to do what the bishop tells me to do, when he asked me to skip church at my own parish and come and concelebrate with him at the Boston service (i.e., stand at the altar with him and a contingent of other parish clergy), my first thought was not "of course!" It was "ummmm, okay." But then I remembered my first mother's day.
I was on maternity leave with newborn Isaiah. We participated in the peace walk as a new family with members of St Anne's, Lincoln, where Noah was the assistant rector at that time. I think Isaiah must have been about six weeks old, strapped snugly onto my chest, and I could not imagine what a nightmare it would be if harm ever came to him. The Louis D Brown Peace Institute, which is are organizing the walk, was started by Tina Chery in memory of her son, Louis, who died at age 15, struck by a stray bullet in a gunfight while walking down the street (to a "youth against guns" gathering, at that!). The institute offers resources for survivors of homicide; grief counseling, groups for children to process the loss of a sibling, and other help for parents and community members. They've also created a nationally recognized "Peace Zone" curriculum to be used in schools on violence prevention. Their seven core principles are love, unity, faith, hope, courage, justice, and forgiveness.
It's easy to sit back and wonder, "Well, what does this have to do with us?" and I think it's exactly because we have the luxury to ask that question that we have to go out of our way to make it our concern. My son's asthma is made worse by pollen, not city smog. I don't worry that my daughter could get shot while learning to ride her bicycle. But if I can go and walk together, to witness, as a Christian, for peace-if I can do just that one small thing, how can I not?
There are a whole variety of opinions about what to do about guns. I know I raised a few eyebrows a couple of weeks ago when I mentioned gun control in a sermon. And yes, I do believe that the second amendment does not protect the right to own an assault weapon. But this isn't about that (there is an event in Lexington coming up-see announcements below). Teaching peace works. Youth employment programs work. Helping the sibling of a murdered teenager deal with those feelings will make it a lot less likely that they'll pick up a gun and try to kill somebody else. This is one thing that pretty much everyone can get on board with.
And it's Mother's Day! In 1870, Julia Ward Howe, who also wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic, wrote the "Mother's Day Proclamation," declaring, "Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy, and patience. We, the women of one country, will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs." The walk is not long-it's 3 ½ miles. The opening remarks are at 8am, and it wraps up at 10, and we'll celebrate the Eucharist with Bishop Shaw and other friends right at the end of the route. The goal is to have 15 people from each parish, but I would hope we could get more than that!
You'll be home for lunch. Please sign up on the bulletin board and I'll give your name to the bishop's secretary so she can register our group. No donations are required, but of course they are welcome.
blessings,
Sara+
For more information:
A diocesan registration page will be set up shortly.
http://www.ldbpeaceinstitute.org
http://mothersdaywalk4peace.org/
Thursday, April 4, 2013
From April 4: Love & The Resurrection
This is article was printed in the Waltham News Tribune on March 29, 2013.
When this piece is printed, it will be Good Friday-the day Christians observe the crucifixion of Jesus. The cross is the central symbol of Christianity; it seems to be everywhere. The cross is a reminder of Jesus' refusal to respond violently to those he could have fought, and a sign of his forgiveness of those who caused his suffering. The cross is a powerful image for Christians. At the same time, the crucifixion is not the central event of the Christian faith. That's Easter, the resurrection of Jesus. Our faith is about life, not death. Life in the face of death, life that means that love will not be defeated.
We begin preparing for Easter on Ash Wednesday, the day that begins the season of Lent. At my church on that day, we hear words from the Prophet Joel: "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart. Gather all the people, the aged, the children, even the infants at the breast." Everybody is welcome. Everybody counts. We are created by God for love, and even when we fall short of God's desire for us we are still forgiven. The prophet Joel teaches that there is no one left outside, and it is never too late to come home.
The message of Easter is that simple: the love of the One who created us is bigger than our fear, bigger than our hatred, bigger than our violence. The love of God brings wholeness out of fragmentation, hope out of despair, and peace out of war. The women who followed Jesus went to the tomb to look for Jesus' body that day and the tomb was empty. "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Their teacher was raised. Love will not be defeated.
Was a dead man resuscitated? Was his body stolen? What "really" happened? We don't know, and there are as many ways to believe as there are those who practice the faith. The most important thing is that we can be part of that love: love manifest in the way Jesus chose the margins over the center, the outcast over the respectable folks. God in Christ was, and is, alive. The love of God is alive to rich and poor, left and right, gay, straight, and transgender (as we hope the Supreme Court will affirm in response to the arguments of this week!); alive to the joyful and the sorrowing. And every time we choose love, we participate in that grand drama of life and love that is the resurrection. Every time our hearts are opened to another, every time someone stands up for peace and justice, every time we forgive, every time we share what we have with those who have less.
This Easter at my church, we'll celebrate baptisms and Eucharist, we'll sing joyful songs and shout Alleluia. God, I believe, will be present in water, wine, and bread. But God is also present today, and tomorrow, and in every dark corner of suffering and pain. God is present, in love that will not be defeated. Happy Easter!
When this piece is printed, it will be Good Friday-the day Christians observe the crucifixion of Jesus. The cross is the central symbol of Christianity; it seems to be everywhere. The cross is a reminder of Jesus' refusal to respond violently to those he could have fought, and a sign of his forgiveness of those who caused his suffering. The cross is a powerful image for Christians. At the same time, the crucifixion is not the central event of the Christian faith. That's Easter, the resurrection of Jesus. Our faith is about life, not death. Life in the face of death, life that means that love will not be defeated.
We begin preparing for Easter on Ash Wednesday, the day that begins the season of Lent. At my church on that day, we hear words from the Prophet Joel: "Even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart. Gather all the people, the aged, the children, even the infants at the breast." Everybody is welcome. Everybody counts. We are created by God for love, and even when we fall short of God's desire for us we are still forgiven. The prophet Joel teaches that there is no one left outside, and it is never too late to come home.
The message of Easter is that simple: the love of the One who created us is bigger than our fear, bigger than our hatred, bigger than our violence. The love of God brings wholeness out of fragmentation, hope out of despair, and peace out of war. The women who followed Jesus went to the tomb to look for Jesus' body that day and the tomb was empty. "Why do you look for the living among the dead?" Their teacher was raised. Love will not be defeated.
Was a dead man resuscitated? Was his body stolen? What "really" happened? We don't know, and there are as many ways to believe as there are those who practice the faith. The most important thing is that we can be part of that love: love manifest in the way Jesus chose the margins over the center, the outcast over the respectable folks. God in Christ was, and is, alive. The love of God is alive to rich and poor, left and right, gay, straight, and transgender (as we hope the Supreme Court will affirm in response to the arguments of this week!); alive to the joyful and the sorrowing. And every time we choose love, we participate in that grand drama of life and love that is the resurrection. Every time our hearts are opened to another, every time someone stands up for peace and justice, every time we forgive, every time we share what we have with those who have less.
This Easter at my church, we'll celebrate baptisms and Eucharist, we'll sing joyful songs and shout Alleluia. God, I believe, will be present in water, wine, and bread. But God is also present today, and tomorrow, and in every dark corner of suffering and pain. God is present, in love that will not be defeated. Happy Easter!
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