difficulties with a modest proposal, 1: scripture

so, i have of course noticed that all the denominations have not collapsed into one self-recognized holy catholic and apostolic church in the 120 years since 1888. i can't help but think that one of the reasons for that is that most of the official work and discussion has been between folks in fancy clothes--top down. many of the laity don't seem to see so much difference between the different theological positions as they should.

while acknowledging that the episcopal church is currect to insist that there are "principles we believe to be the substantial deposit of christian faith and order committed by christ and his apostles to the church unto the end of the world, and therefore incapable of compromise or surrender by those who have been ordained to be its stewards and trustees for the common and equal benefit of all men." (bcp 1979, p. 877), it seems that what separates us are often not those things.

yet even on those things about which we seem to be in agreement, there are often unnoticed differences (and sometimes highly emotional ones). take the episcopal statement about scripture: "the holy scriptures of the old and new testaments . . .[are] the revealed word of god." the lambeth conference changed that statement to "the holy scriptures of the old and new testaments . . . "[contain] all things
necessary to salvation," and as being the rule and ultimate standard of faith."

the lambeth conference statement is closer to the orthodox (and, mostly, catholic understanding) that the term "word of god" refers primarily to second person of the holy trinity, as he is spoken of in the preamble to the gospel according to john. the word of god did not become incarnate as a book, but as the son of mary.

why, you might ask, do i perhaps seem to undermine my modest proposal that such a statement might be grounds for a grass-roots understanding that the church is one because of the action of christ jesus? it is because of all the misunderstandings that are possible when people get into the "but i thought you said" frame of mind, which can easily happen when we hear what we want to hear.

for my own part, i am quite happy with the understanding of scripture from the lambeth conference. but i also notice that folks within the same communions, whether they be orthodox or baptist, or the same local congregations, whether they be methodist or episcopal, agree with that statement and disagree on what scriptures mean and still we come together at the lord's table. it is the objective authority of scripture which i find primary, not my or your subjective understanding or misunderstanding.

second sunday in lent: being born again: the hard labor

you are familiar, or think you are, with the day's gospel: the third chapter of the holy gospel of our lord jesus christ according to john, verses 1-17. it's a juicy text, a veritable shish-kebab of favourite verses, some of which we sometimes eat raw, sometimes over-cooked: "ye must be born again;" "the wind bloweth where it listeth;" "god so loved the world." just reading the passage, i found a new morsel on which to chew, but first, i want to tell you of my surprise.

yesterday, i heard not one but two good sermons on being born again. the first, explicitly on the text, was preached by the rev. edie bird at st.james episcopal church. the second, which broadly illustrated the text, was entertained by the slightly irreveral jody stephenson at the unitarian universalist fellowship.

to be fair to edie, i should say she was not unentertaining. first she asked us to sing along, if we knew the words--she had no power-point support--to "i'd rather have a paper doll that i could call my own that have a fickle-hearted real life girl," suggesting that we often prefer illusions to reality, if we think it's our wn illusion, and adding that in these modern times when we are bombarded with illusions, they are often not even our own. she did not mention my space, but i will.

then she asked us to sing along to a second song, if we knew the words--"amazing grace"--and preceeded to tell a bit of the stories of john newton and william wilberforce. i had always loved the legend of newton's turning around in mid-atlantic to return his load of slaves to their homeland, writing "amazing grace" along the way, but edie had done her homework and read newton's journals. he does describe his rebirth as beginning in mid-atlantic, reading thomas a kempis' the imitation of christ in a storm, but taking years, gradually leaving the slave trade, becoming an anglican priest, writing "amazing grace" and other hymns, and closing his journal at age 84 with the reflection, "i no longer rememeber much, but this i know: i am a great sinner; christ is a great saviour." he had been reborn with long and hard labor.

william wilberforce's rebirth had been swifter, but the fruits of his labor were not fast maturing. he was elected to the house of commons at twenty-one, and introduced a bill to end slavery in the british empire. he held his seat until his death fifty-four years later, continuing to seek a bill to end slavery, which was only passed a month after his death. his book, a practical view of the prevailing system of professed christians was influential on the religious and political thinking of his day in both england and europe.

wilberforce had been on "the brink of holy orders" when john newton convinced him he could better serve christ as a politician.

i'm not sure but jody stephenson thinks of painting as a kind of holy orders, but her book faltering towards perfection which she outlined yesterday is certainly proof that it can be outstanding service to christ: not easy service, but a long, hard labor.

if jody were ever a slave trader, she has yet to reveal that pst occupation. but she is wonderfully honest in revealing her own slavery to the sin of self-condemnation, and vigorous in telling how god in christ has saved her from it.

self-condemnation is a very seductive sin, one that can seem righteous, although it is only the subtly bright underbelly of self-approval. if we approve ourselves, we may be thought proud. if we condemn ourselves, we may be though humble. both acts are merely part of original sin, replacing the holy one with ourselves as "maker of all things, judge of all men."

so jody told her story, faltering, stumbling, but all along led by the one who speaks to her as often in movies as in sunsets or holy write, saying that she is his perfect work, not because of what she does but because of whose she is, and hearing, she is freed to do the work that he has prepared for her to falter in.

oh: my new-found morsel is verse 8: "the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the spirit." i have friends who--sometimes, on confusing days--have told me that i am either spirit-filled or that i walk in the spirit. yeah. sure. i hardly remember where i've been, and i seldom have a clue where i'm going. but the signs are hopeful. slowly, as in a long hard labor, is being born in me the faith that these are not the things i need to know.

i need to know only christ, and him crucified, who if he be lifted up will draw all the world unto himself.

further thoughts of modest proposal

ryan and ryan have really helped me to clarify my muddled thoughts some, as has reading on being a bishop.

one of the great steps forward (backwards) the episcopal church in the united states has taken in its last prayer book revision was a return to the earliest known sources describing episcopal ministry, rather than to repeat the argumentative sort of words from the heat of the reformation. although there have been some words spoken within the anglican communion lately which are hard to describe as entirely charitable, at least no one has been burned at stake lately that i know of.

what i am suggesting is simply to take that direction further. ryan knight suggested what i am saying seems like part of the independent catholic/apostolic movement, and it is; but again, taking it further. i mean, think of it: "independent" catholic church--an oxymoron. of course what is meant is independent of papalism and empire. the episcopal church, although it recognizes that a big change in the role of the bishop, from the local expression of the one holy catholic and apostolic church, to an administrative supervisor of a diocese, took place in ryan blackwell's bad-tasting fourth century, still clings to dioscenal bishops, with the difficult-theologically addition of suffragans and assistants. so, why not go behind constantine to ignatius and hippolytus and iranaeus and cyprian, indeed to paul and timothy and jesus and the disciples gathered in the upper room after the resurrection. (you might look, ryan b., at 1 timothy 3"1-7. titus 1:7-0, acts 20, i peter 5, or even to the gospel according to john, 20:19-23) for ordination in the new testament.)

you see, ryan knight, i am in no way condemning ordination within the episcopal church u.s.a. as i have suggested privately to you and to many others, i find it as clear an expression of the orthodox church as we have in english. i am simply noticing that its origins remain entangled with the arguments of the reformation which seem to me to be severe limitations to the work of evangelism, of reconciliation, today.

a modest proposal

ember days are always dangerous, especially today when the first reading for this morning is the second chapter of ezekiel.

so, here's my proposal, even though it might require me to leave my little hermitage amongst the loblolly pines:

rather than encourage ordination in the various "brands" of churches, a term i know every sort of division of the church hates for itself but is happy to call her sisters, why not begin ordination in the one church, holy, apostolic, catholic? the standards might be those proposed by the chicago-lambeth quadrilateral:


1. the holy scriptures of the old and new testaments as the revealed word of god.

2. the nicene creed as the sufficient statement of the christian faith.

3. the two sacraments--baptism and the supper of the lord--ministered with
unfailing use of christ's words of institution and of the elements ordained by him.

4. the historic episcopate, locally adapted in the methods of its administration to the varying needs of the nations and peoples called of god into the unity of his church.

but, although this would be the basis of ordination into the one church, i am suggesting that we would recognize that "no one can call jesus lord without the holy spirit," (i corinthians 12:3), so we would not "excommunicate" any part of the church. rather we would seek that all the church would recognize her unity because she is the bride of christ, his body, built on the one foundation of her lord.

education for ordination would be in any seminary of the whole church, one's course of study being determined by one's bishop or the person or group of person who exercised the equivalalent of episcopal ordination within one's local congregation, but ordination would be within apostolic tradition.

i am sure there are many possible objections to this modest proposal, but i think it is at least a recognition of the largely post-denominational, post-reformation nature of today's church. it would look back to the early, councilar church for that heritage of understanding and teaching that belongs to the whole church, and it would look to proclaim ministry of reconciliation for which we pray in today's collect from the anglican book of common prayer:

"O ALMIGHTY God, who hast committed to the hands of men the ministry of reconciliation; We humbly beseech thee, by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, to put it into the hearts of many to offer themselves for this ministry; that thereby mankind may be drawn to thy blessed kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

fools for christ

paul's first letter to the corinthians continues to help me with my ezekiel koan. this morning the third chapter continues (vv.18-21a):

"Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written,
‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’,
and again,
‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise,
that they are futile.’
So let no one boast about human leaders."

of course ezekiel probably seemed a fool not only often but always, lying on one side and the the other, contemplating a time decorated not with fleur-de-lis or lion's head, but with toy soldiers attacking a toy jerusalem, eating unclean food.
(ezekiel 4)

some of the other and more recent notable fools for christ include basil of moscow and john of san francisco.

i was intrigued and pleased to hear rowan of canterbury called a fool for christ. not only was i happy that someone recognizes that there is a need for this sort of profoundly prophetic ministry, but i was a bit surprised that alex kirby, the bbc writer who made this comparison of rowan williams, knew about fools for christ. would that some of the american news writers were so well-informed.

i had a dream

one of the readings from this morning's daily office (i'm using the 1943 lectionary of the episcopal church in the u.s.a.) included 1 corinthians 3:1-4:

"And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human?"

after reading it, i thought about what it is like to come into eureka springs. there are signs advertising the first church of paul, the first church of appolos, the first church of wesley, the first church of luther, the first church of calvin, even the seventh day adventist church--i don't know what happened to the first six.

it was a very cold morning, and after morning prayer i took a nap, and i dreamed. i dreamed all the congregations had signs that said first or second or third or whatever church in eureka springs, a congregation of the one church, holy, apostolic, catholic.

i read a little book recently by a priest in the church of england called and you visited me, in which he attributes the lack of power of the contemporary church to its many divisions. i think fr. martin is exactly right. sadly i hear, nearly every day, of more divisions, rather than more recognition of the true nature of christ's body, described in the rest of today's epistle reading:

"What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
. . .
"Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple."

sometimes i wonder if my brothers and sisters who are looking for the rapture are partly right: right in there being a rapture, but wrong to look forward to it. i wonder sometimes if it has already happened. i remember jesus' enigmatic question, "when the son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?" luke 18:8b), and i wonder if he will find not faith, but jealousy and quarreling.

regarding prophecy and doom and gloom

there is no room in real prophecy for doom or gloom.

rather the prophet says things about our dooming situation such, "oh, my dear one, look, there is this big log of greed across your chest; let's take it off so you can breathe. and look, a big wall of sloth has fallen across your legs; let's clear it off so you can walk again. now, we can wash these cuts and put salve on these bruises and you can begin to heal."

and to those who live in gloom, in the darkness, real prophecy shows the light that shines in the wilderness, that enlightens all. (indeed the gospel of john becomes a work of prophecy seen in this way.)

the book of ezekiel begins with a magnificent vision of the glory of god, and ends with a vision of the rebuilding of the temple, the temple in which we are called to be living stones.

this is a wonderfully joyous koan.

prophets among us

there are prophets among us, but it seems often they are not in the church, at least not explicitly. among them i would certainly include david james duncan and cormac mccarthy.

of mccarthy's work, suttree is an unusually insightful book which, among other things, seems to me to be what the book of jeremiah might look like set in knoxville, tennessee. for fans of the revelation to st. john, no country for old men contains fairly explicit suggestions to that work. it is an extended chase story peopled by good folks who try to serve god and mammon and one bad dude who makes no such pretense.

duncan's work is all theological, but god laughs and plays is out and out sermonic.

clues to the koan

(by the way, if there are towels to wash your faces as you leave the church house, the video clip below is not a bad way to observe ash wednesday, despite what i said about lent in general).

so, my first clue came last night during vespers:

Psalm 142. Voce mea ad Dominum.

I CRIED unto the LORD with my voice; * yea, even unto the LORD did I make my supplication.
2 I poured out my complaints before him, * and showed him of my trouble.
3 When my spirit was in heaviness, thou knewest my path; * in the way wherein I walked, have they privily laid a snare for me.
4 I looked also upon my right hand, * and saw there was no man that would know me.
5 I had no place to flee unto, * and no man cared for my soul.
6 I cried unto thee, O LORD, and said, * Thou art my hope, and my portion in the land of the living.
7 Consider my complaint; * for I am brought very low.
8 O deliver me from my persecutors; * for they are too strong for me.
9 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto thy Name; * which thing if thou wilt grant me, then shall the righteous resort unto my company.

Salisbury Cathedral Miserere Mei Deus

lent. again. already

i'm still excited from the nativity, and here it is lent, time to get ready for easter, as if one could be ready for such an astounding event.

the past several years my "lenten disciplines" have taken a different turn. partly this turn has been a gift, and partly it has been the result of a conscious dissatisfaction with lent as usual.

i mean, consider ash wednesday. we read the gospel. jesus tells us that we when we fast we are not to disfigure our faces, but to wash our face, that we appear not to fast. but we ash our faces. the for forty-six days we gosspin about what we have "given up for lent." giving up chocolate is popular with many of my friends. i always feel this reduces the resurrection to "o joy!, now i can ear chocolate easter bunnies."

the traditional prayer, fasting, and alms are very good disciplines, of course, but are best done secretly. the lenten discipline which came to me as a gift, however, does not seem to require secredy. in fact discussing it may be a helpful part of it. it is to take a lenten koan, to borrow a term from by zen buddhist buddies. a koan is a text to unriddle. my first lenten koan, from a. d. 2006, was the passage from the gospel according to john in which some greeks come to philip and say, "we would see jesus." philip tells andrew. andrew and philip tell jesus. jesus answers them, "the hour is come, that the son of man should be glorified. verily, verily, i say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground, it abideth alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit." on one level, a text as simple as possible. but, there are levels and levels.

this year my koan seems to be a bigger one: the book of the prophet ezekiel. this strange text has been haunting me since last june. there is a central part, the most in-your-face-perssonal part, in the second chapter:

"son of man, i send thee to the children of israel, to a rebellious nation . . . . i do send thee unto them; and thou shalt say unto them, thus sayeth the lord god. and they, whether they will hear, or whether they will fore bear . . . yet shall know there has been a prophet among them." (2:3-5)

i suspect this is ot only my koan, but the koan for all the church, as we look once again toward the biggest celebration of the resurrection of jesus christ of the whole year. do we, dare we, do i, dare i, share the words that are sweet as honey in our mouths, "alleluia! christ is risen! the lord is risen indeed! alleluia!" dare we go through the three days of death, the desolation of israel, that leads to the resurrection and the rebuilding of the temple that is ezekiel's vision and jesus' promise or do we just give up chocolate for forty-six days?

candlemass: feast of the presentation: feast of the meeting of our lord jesus christ

in matins of the orthodox church are sung each morning nine odes, one of which is from the 26th chapter of isaiah. the ode sung only begins with the 10th verse. but i think on this morning the beginning of the chapter is appropriate to describe the expectation of simeon, who was waiting in the temple for the coming of the messiah of israel:

in that day shall this song be sung in the land of judah; we have a strong city; salvation will god appoint for walls and bulwarks.
open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the lord JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
for he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
the foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
the way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
yea, in the way of thy judgments, o lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
with my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

it is in that context that simeon's canticle, the nunc dimmitis especially makes sense:

lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, *
according to thy word;
for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, *
which thou hast prepared before the face of all people,
to be a light to lighten the gentiles, *
and to be the glory of thy people israel.

the temple in which simeon waited is no more. its replacement is made not with the hard stones cut by herod, but with the living stones which are our hearts. do we wait there for the coming of the messiah of israel? the words of the prophet isaiah can only encourage us today as they must have done simeon.

winter transfiguration

thursday morning daily office reading for the thursday in sextugesima week:

"and after six days jesus taketh with him peter, and james, and john, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.
"and his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them." (mark 9:2-3)

i looked out the window and the whole world was white as snow. ah, how boldly isaiah writes of the holy one:

"holy, holy, holy, is the lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." (isaiah 6:3)

and i am reminded the the new creation is about the whole universe. so i was delighted to sing the second section of the benedicte omnia opera:

"II The Cosmic Order

O ye heavens, bless ye the Lord; *
O ye waters that be above the firmament, bless ye the Lord;
O all ye powers of the Lord, bless ye the Lord; *
praise him and magnify him for ever.

O ye sun and moon, bless ye the Lord; *
O ye stars of heaven, bless ye the Lord;
O ye showers and dew, bless ye the Lord; *
praise him and magnify him for ever.

O ye winds of God, bless ye the Lord; *
O ye fire and heat, bless ye the Lord;
O ye winter and summer, bless ye the Lord; *
praise him and magnify him for ever.

O ye dews and frosts, bless ye the Lord; *
O ye frost and cold, bless ye the Lord;
O ye ice and snow, bless ye the Lord; *
praise him and magnify him for ever.

O ye nights and days, bless ye the Lord; *
O ye light and darkness, bless ye the Lord;
O ye lightnings and clouds, bless ye the Lord; *
praise him and magnify him for ever."

what a wonderful gift is the snow!

bright darkness: harts' desire

"like as the hart desireth the water-brooks;
so longeth my soul after thee, o god."


on either side, dark walls of black pine;
below, night-black asphalt;
above, only the slight light of the seven stars.

in this dark, i walk,
my feet finding sometimes the path,
sometimes the road verge.

this is not the valley of the shadow of death,
but i do think of the people who walk in darkness.

one black pine wall flattens,
becomes a black grass field,
where flame forth black deer,
undulent as fire-tingues, running.

they, seven, perhaps sisters to match the pleides,
(perhaps seven dark flames of the spirit)
cross my path, invisible
but hoof-heard on the hard road.
in the black pine wall,
they stop and pant.

"o send out thy light and this truth, that they may lead me,
and bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy dwelling."

i stop and hear, unseeing,
and turn to climb to the ridge-top, up.
the wall opens:
orion and faithful sirius
lead me to the tent.

godless capitalism

"the fool hath said in his heart, there is no god."

i am certified by the standards of the world not to be a fool. by that i mean that my "i.q." has been measured to be about 150. yet again and again i find that i hold convictions that are commonly called foolish by popular contemporary wisdom: the virgin birth; the resurrection of the body; the ascension; pentecost. all of these things are wisely rationalized away by any number of best-selling books by people who claim to be making "christianity" "relevant."

it is popular these days to remember forgotten stresses or abuses from childhood at the hands of one's parents. as far as i can remember about my parents, i was a desired and cherished child. but i do remember that i was stessed and abused by the government of my country. i grew up in the "duck and cover" period of american history, when we were told of the daily dangers of "godless communism." even my father, who was a self-professed taoist, came to visit me early one morning at my college because he had seen on the news the night before a communist speaking at my school.

but as i have grown older, i realize that the danger was never from godless communism. i never quite found that theory believable anyway, because so few things the government was telling seemed believable, but i realize more and more the danger from godless capitalism.

but perhaps i am too harsh on capitalism. this state religion does seem to have a god, the god of the bang: the big bang which has replaced creation; the sacrilegious bangs of the trinity project: alamagordo and hiroshima and nagasaki; the bang-for-the-buck that measures all things.

i sat this week in a coffee shop and wept. i heard of the newest war-idol of the empire, a tank with a specially-shaped bottom to resist the bombs that had toppled the previous idol, the british challenger. the cost was expected to be $81 million each.

i confess i am less-than-thrilled that one of the projects best-supported by american main-line churches has been the millenium development goals. but even that lame project, to which my little parrish in eureka springs magnanimously donated the proceeds of our yard sale in our generous efforts towards sharing .07% of our income with starving children, would be a far better way to spend eighty-one million dollars than for another machine whose sole purpose is the destruction of human life and homes.

it is not that capitalism has no gods. it merely considers the living god no longer to be necessary for its purposes, and is convinced it can created any god it does need.

the third mystery of the theophany: stone jars

"and the third day there was a marriage
in cana of galilee"

perhaps a tuesday wedding, a wedding day
of grass and herb and fruit tree;
perhaps the third day after john bare record
"this is the son of god."

"and there were set there six water pots of stone,
after the manner of the purifying of the jews."

how heavy, how hard, how permanent.
the holy one gave moses the law on tablets of stone,
harder to misplace, one might think, than a
scrap of paper with the thought for the day, one
of god's 365 promised blessings,
or the marriage certificate from our first wedding.

moses made a box,
put the tablets inside,
covered the thing with gold,
"overlaid it with pure gold,
within and without,
and made a crown of gold to it
round about."

but they lost it. misplaced it
somewhere.
box, tablets, rings, chittim wood staves,
the law.

no one knew quite where.
no one would have looked in cana, in galilee.

"and the third day, there was a marriage
in cana of galilee."

sometimes, we pray, "if it be thy will," upon marriages
may be bestowed "the gift and heritage of children."

you can see the mill stone coming.
might we, might i,
offend one of these little ones?
might we, might i, become little ones?

"and there were set there six water pots of stone,
after the manner of the purifying of the jews."

best we remain among the jars,
not filling them full,
lest the new wine burst
our old stone skins.

"and there were set there six water pots of stone,
after the manner of the purifying of the jews,
containing two or three firkins apiece."

all these firkins of water:
will they not wash us clean?

and how many firkins make water enough
to comprehend my millstone and my offenses?

17 january: st. anthony of the desert with snow

with what carl jung calls synchronicity, i have been reading j. philip newell's listening to the heartbeat of god these days between the commemorations of sts. paul of thebes and anthony of the desert.

anthony was noted for not having any books in his hermitage. most of the monks at least had a psalter, with the gospels a close second choice. anthony most probably knew the psalms by heart, but when he was asked about the lack of scrolls on his window sill, he said simply that for one who has eyes the holy one is revealed in all his creation.

newell's book explores this theme in celtic spirituality, tracing its birth in the traditional understandings of the celts, its suppression under the augustinianism of the roman mission in britain beginning in the seventh century, and re-emerging in the last several centuries, even within the calvinistic church of scotland, especially under the influence of george macleod.

and so it was with great if cold joy that i looked out of my little hut this morning on the snow, calling to mind psalm 148:

Praise the Lord, for it is a good thing to sing praises unto our God *
yea, a joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful.
The Lord doth build up Jerusalem *
and gather together the out-casts of Israel.
He healeth those that are broken in heart *
and giveth medicine to heal their sickness.
He telleth the number of the stars *
and calleth them all by their names.
Great is our Lord, and great is his power *
yea, and his wisdom is infinite.
The Lord setteth up the meek *
and bringeth the ungodly down to the ground.
O sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving *
sing praises upon the harp unto our God;
Who covereth the heaven with clouds, and prepareth rain for the earth *
and maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains, and herb for the use of men;
Who giveth fodder unto the cattle *
and feedeth the young ravens that call upon him.
He hath no pleasure in the strength of an horse *
neither delighteth he in any man’s legs.
But the Lord’s delight is in them that fear him *
and put their trust in his mercy.
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem *
praise thy God, O Sion.
For he hath made fast the bars of thy gates *
and hath blessed thy children within thee.
He maketh peace in thy borders *
and filleth thee with the flour of wheat.
He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth *
and his word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool *
and scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.
He casteth forth his ice like morsels *
who is able to abide his frost?
He sendeth out his word, and melteth them *
he bloweth with his wind, and the waters flow.

15 january: commemoration of paul of thebes

morning had broken, like the first morning.
black bird had spoken, like the first bird.
i had slept late,
knowing there was raisin bread for breakfast.

i had gone to fayetteville yesterday, a trip fascinating in many ways as i met new people, but i had not netted much in trade for some books i had taken: gregory of nyssa's life of moses, and $2.65.

i am in one of "those" periods when i feel as if all that stand between the present disastrous condition of the world and universal salvation are the little groups of books that line the walls of my hut--a reminder that i haven't quite "sold everything." at the same time, excited that my two favourites books were favorites of the great monastic saints of the middle ages and earlier--the psalter and the song of songs, i have even ordered another translation and commentary on the psalms, as if some other part of beautus vir qui non abiit would spring to life in me if i just read robert alter's translation.

so: would the world be a better place if i sold all my books and gave the slightly more than $2.65 to the poor, or maybe all but five or six, just little ones? i won't know, of course, unless i try. but i do know how close the holy one seemed the years i was in a kayak on puget sound with only one book. my friend cassidy has suggested the inside passage some summer. this may be the message i need, perhaps not for universal salvation but for my personal salvation.

come sunday/with cold & blue jays

sunday came, cold and luminous;
first after the epiphany, jesus' baptism:
i remember jesus coming "straightway out of the water,"
back bare, brown, and luminous.
o ye frost and cold, bless ye the lord:
praise him and magnify him for ever.
o ye seas and floods, bless ye the lord:
praise him and magnify him for ever.

i am walking, after the epiphany,
after the great thanksgiving,
hoping. i am hoping to see the holy,
a bush burning in cold lord's day light.
o ye children of men, bless ye the lord:
praise him and magnify him for ever.
o all ye green things upon the earth, bless ye the lord,
praise him and magnify him for ever.

in the barren bush, blue jays, plump,
turned round white feathered bellies towards me,
white as baptismal gowns, fruit but for
their legs, not twig brown but black.
o ye fowls of the air, bless ye the lord:
praise him and magnify him for ever.
o ye servants of the lord, bless ye the lord:
praise him and magnify him for ever.

let us bless the lord, father, son and holy ghost:
praise him and magnify him for ever.

christmas: where was it?

i am missing it. sunday evening was warm and clear and i walked around a long time on my way back to the little hut from st. james' din-din--every sunday evening there is a free meal for whomever, very good, sort of my replacement of soup tuesdays except that john and bob make the soup and gloria makes some pasta wonder--and luxuriated in the christmas stars. now comes the hard work of showing forth that light in my life.

tonight i start a six-weeks excursion in christology with the wesleyan quadralateral at the methodist church. i am using as a sort of theme the introduction to john's first epistle:

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

and as our prayer the old prayer book's collect for the second sunday after christmas:

"ALMIGHTY God, who hast poured upon us the new light of thine incarnate Word; Grant that the same light enkindled in our hearts may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

now that the malls have stopped proclaiming the santa claus season and the light posts of our town are no longer pouring forth the message to buy-buy-buy, it is time for us who call ourselves after the name of the new-born king to explain "what child was this."