Thought for the Day

From The Phantom Tollbooth: "The most important reason for going from one place to another is to see what's in between."

Discuss.

Happy Mothers' Day to Jesus, our Mother

Today Iglesia Episcopal Betania hispanic congregation at Grace Norwalk moved permanently to the main church for the 1:00 p.m. misa en español. They had graciously been worshipping in the undercroft of the church for almost a year while we worked out a way for a congregation of Haitian Baptists to continue to worship at Grace. This has all been worked out and the people of Iglesia Betania now have parity with their fellow Episcopalians at Grace.

It was a joyous service and included a baptism. A big surprise, even for Padre José Díaz, was the band from San Lucas y San Pablo, Bridgeport that showed up with José's musician wife, Marjorie, to make today a really big celebration. The front doors to the church were wide open so all the sounds and joy went out into the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the Haitian Baptists, because of the arrangement we made, are now worshipping at their preferred time of 11:00 a.m. and their singing and praying had already been wafting out into the neighborhood. And at 10:00 the English service of Grace began the day.

Truly, a joyful noise is being made to the Lord at 1 Union Park in Norwalk, Connecticut, and it is truly, truly good.

The Altar

Today I wrote a petition

a prayer to God

"Thank you for Dorothy;

Healing for Leslie"

and I kissed it

and lifted it up

and I placed it on the Altar

right in the center.

And I thought,

"I never would have done that when the altar was on the stage platform like it was until this Easter."

Why not?

"Because it seemed so inaccessible there."

But you're a priest.

Even if some people feel they ought not to approach the altar,

surely a priest would anytime she wants to.

"But it doesn't occur to me.

Now that it is down on the floor,

amidst the people,

even I, maybe especially I, find it more approachable."

So what does that say about you and God?

There's something to be said for the transcendence of God.

God, high and lifted up, "in light inaccessible, hid from our eyes."

There's truth in that.

There's also the incarnation. God, here, now, among us,

God with us, God in the midst of our lives,

our pain, our joy, "in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer,

til death do us part".

I used to stand behind the altar sometimes, when the church was empty,

and look out at the empty pews below and before me.

I was delighted.

But never did I feel I wanted to embrace that table.

Today I did.

Today, I do.

Preaching Easter and the Risen Christ, or bin Laden?

Over at The Lead, on Episcopal Cafe, they're asking how we preachers are going to preach on the big news story of this week, the death of Osama bin Laden.

I'm not.

Cinco de Mayo

Happy independence day - feliz Cinco de Mayo!

More death

I have only just learned that my Aunt Ronnie died on March 26th. On top of that, her son Robert died on June 24, 2009, and I didn't know it, and his wife, Marie pre-deceased him on September 26, 2006.

How did my side of the family drop off the radar of Aunt Ronnie's side of the family so that we knew nothing about the deaths of people with whom we had been so close when we were kids and young adults? I can see why I was cut off, which I will not go into, but my brothers surely should have been told before now.

Things happen in families. Some things worse than others. Then we lose touch, maybe on purpose, maybe just through neglect. I'm not going to tell you to go hug your family, or tell them you love them before it's too late, or get in touch with them if you haven't heard from them in ages. Things aren't that simple. Maybe they should be, and they're just not (yes, the use of "and" is intentional).

A photo of cousin Robert was included in his obit. He looked awful. I thought of him and Marie and the kids often. That's the best I could do. Rest Eternal grant unto them, O Lord, Robert, Marie and Aunt Ronnie, and may Light Perpetual shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the departed, and of those of us who remain, be in Peace.

The death of an enemy

Osama bin Laden is dead. The dog and I were returning from our 5 a.m. walk. I picked up the newspaper from the driveway and read, "bin Laden dead: United States has body".

The Lead at Episcopal Cafe posts the question: How should Christians approach this? I asked myself the same question. The news came in the midst of the ordinary of life. My first feeling was relief. It is over. My first thought was:

Rest eternal grant unto him, O Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

As a Christian, and a priest, this is my first thought always when I hear of a death. I thought it over after the words came into my mind, and the words still stand. God's justice and mercy are one. They are not like ours. If they were, not one of us could stand.

A man is dead. Long live God.