God Help Us

 

Hope on, then broken spirit; hope on, be not afraid;

Fear not the griefs that plague thee and keep thy heart dismayed;

Thy God, in his great mercy, will save thee, hold thee fast,

And in his own time grant thee, the sun of joy at last.

Dear Friends

During a cloudy, misty, early morning walk a couple of days ago, I took the picture above of the sun trying to break through. It reminded me of these words from one of our hymns. It is too soon to sing them, however. It is too soon to speak of hope and sunlight or say, “everything will be okay” because nothing is okay after what has and is happening.

I am at a loss of words, but I still find it helpful to write something. This is part of a prayer I offered this week at my Rotary meeting and was invited to share again the next morning at the Corona Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Let us pray:

In the midst of things we cannot begin to imagine, or fathom, or understand; in the face of unspeakable, barbaric acts; we lift up to you, those who are dying; those whose hearts are breaking; those who are living in fear; those who are desperate for information; those who are angry beyond measure; that they may cling, in this moment, to at least a sliver of hope in the overwhelming goodness in this world, and not let what is happening keep them from knowing the shared grief of so many people pouring out their love and prayers, and standing by to bring help.

We pray for leaders who must make difficult decisions. Grant them wisdom, courage and clear vision to try again to disrupt and break the vicious, repeating cycle of hate and terror and violence, which has no place in this world and doesn’t accomplish anything.

God have mercy upon us. Accept our outrage and our tears. And, as we may wonder and worry about what will happen next, help us remain focused in our daily lives, to keep on speaking and doing what is good and right and true. Help us continue to see and treat each other as beloved, fellow children of God, and discover the difference that makes. 

God have mercy upon us. God help us. Amen.

John

Over the (full) moon

Dear Friends

September 29^th, 2023. Full Moon. Feast of St. Michael and All Angels.

And the birthday of Rosella (see top picture above) Elycia (Raizah’s mother) Kanita (Ka for Kathleen and An for Ana, Christopher’s birthmother) Saville! 

At the baby shower in August (my first) I had picked September 29th for the “Guess the Birthdate” game. I am giving my prize, a Starbuck’s card, to Aunt Emily.

While everyone else is sending pictures, I submit (above) three cartoons which are future snapshots for the new family. They are all from TODAY'S LA Times!!

Needless to say, we are over the full moon, filled with joy and thanksgiving. Another blessing in a life of blessings from our good God.

This is the prayer I read at the hospital from our church’s Book of Common Prayer:

O God, you have taught us through your blessed Son that whoever receives a little child in the name of Christ, receives Christ himself. We give you thanks for the blessing you have bestowed upon Raizah and Christoper in giving them a child. Confirm their joy by a lively sense of your presence with them and give them calm strength and patient wisdom as they seek to bring this child to love all that is true and noble, just and pure, loveable and gracious, excellent and admirable, following the example of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thank you for your continuing prayers for this new family.

John

 

On This Day in History

 Dear Friends

Fourteen years ago, I completed one of the most challenging adventures of my life. I was met, after the seven day, forty-seven mile hike, by Emily, Kathleen and my sister Mary Bek and her husband Bill.

The sign, “Free the Tuolumne” refers to the river that was stopped by a dam that was built and then flooded Hetch Hetch Valley, a place as beautiful as the Yosemite Valley we know (even with all its crowds!) I was one of seven who participated in the Inaugural “Muir’s March” to raise funds for Restore Hetch Hetchy. John Muir famously said:

“Dam Hetch Hetchy! As well dam for water tanks, the people’s cathedrals and churches, for no holier temple has ever been consecrated by the heart of man.”

If the dam ever comes down in my lifetime, I want to be there with my fellow hikers and take, with them, the first sledgehammer swings to the O’Shaughnessy Dam.

But, of course, life is filled with visions and dreams and projects we do not get to see through to the end. Still, it is satisfying to know that we did our part to make some progress towards fulfilling those dreams. We all have a chance to keep bending the arc towards those things that will bring more peace and justice, health, healing and beauty to this world.

John

 

 

Another Day to Never Forget

Dear Friends

Coming just five days after the anniversary of 9/11, a day we are encouraged to “never forget”, it would be easy to miss the anniversary of the murder of four little girls at a church in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963. The 60^th anniversary of that horrible day was yesterday, September 16^th.

The speech given by Supreme Court Justice Ketangi Brown Jackson was simply one of the best I have ever heard. Among other things, she reminded us that there are other days in our history to “never forget.”

An excerpt:

Knowledge of the past is what enables us to mark our forward progress.

If we’re going to continue to move forward as a nation, we cannot allow concerns about discomfort to displace knowledge, truth or history. We have to own even the darkest parts of our past, understand them and vow to never repeat them…”

Kathleen and I have visited several civil right memorials including ones dedicated to Emmet Till and Jonathan Daniels. But the day we parked in front of the 16^th Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham (across the street from the park with statues depicting the firehoses and dogs used to attack demonstrators) we were moved immediately to tears, knowing the story and seeing the names of the four girls pictured above.  

We may all have some things in our lives we would like to forget and should forget. But as citizens of this country, there are some things we should never forget, and, indeed, should be taught to each new generation.

John

If you get a chance to google the speech, (recorded yesterday on C-SPAN) it would be worth your 27 minutes and 44 seconds! If you find the whole ceremony, this comes at the end.  

 

Not just another day

 

Dear Friends

Today I was invited to give the invocation for the 9/11 remembrance at Corona’s City Hall. I began by sharing words that Fr. Mychal Judge, a chaplain for the New York City Fire Department who died that day, had printed on cards to hand out to anyone he met who needed them. (The last line is the best!)

Lord, take me where you want me to go

Let me meet who you want me to meet

Tell me what you want me to say

And keep me out of your way.       

 

Let us pray: As we join others across the country to remember those who died 22 years ago today, let us also remember their families and friends who have gone forward bravely, but who still feel the emptiness and pain of losing a loved one, so suddenly, without any warning.  (And let us include those grieving in Morocco this morning.)  Bring them your continuing healing and comfort. Surround and sustain them with your love.

Let us also pray for our country, as we struggle to recapture and restore the bonds and the unity we felt so strongly that day, as we faced our collective shock and anger and grief in a spirit of mutual caring and dependence on one another, expressed in so many ways, including heroic first responders who led the way.

And finally, let us hear again President Bush’s words spoken from the oval office that night, a call to prayer then, and a call to prayer today:

Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me." This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day. Yet, we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.

Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.              

Amen.

John

P.S. First two pictures are from the NY Times archives. Third picture I took today as school children from Jefferson Elementary went on stage to sing a patriotic song.

Waiting for Wendy's

“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience”                                                             Romans 8:25

Dear Friends

We have been watching. We have been wondering. And we have been waiting. And waiting. And waiting. For days. For weeks. For months. For well over a year!

When will the Wendy’s we walk by every day during our walk at the park be open again? The fire was put out in a few hours. Why has it taken so long? Why is the construction fence still up when everything appears to be ready to go, including the “OPENING SOON” and “NOW HIRING” signs which have been up for weeks. Wendy’s serves fast food fast, but completion of the construction has been slow, slow, slow.

Wendy’s was not always our favorite drive-thru. But ever since we discovered free senior beverages were offered, (along with cheap junior Frostys), not to mention the unique offerings of chili and baked potatoes, it has been hard to resist. And it is close by. And we like knowing that we are supporting the David Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

I know my impatience is petty, especially when I am mindful that people displaced from or lose their homes all over the world, following not just fires but floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes, have a real reason to be impatient.

But enough about Wendy’s. I’m becoming winded by talking about Wendy’s. When-dee time is right I may write about Wendy's again. (I hope to be one of the first 25 customers served on opening day.)

For now, I guess I’ll just focus all my attention on waiting for something or should I say someone even more important, a little girl coming soon,(due to arrive on October 8^th or somewhere thereabouts).

I know she will be worth the wait. And I can’t wait to take her for the kid’s meal at our nearby Wendy’s in a few years.

If they are open!

John

 

 

Blessings

 Dear Friends

I have just concluded my latest retirement ministry, two months at St. George’s, Laguna Hills. It was filled with blessings, beyond the weekly priestly blessing I give at the end of each service.

I blessed water for the font at the request of the altar guild. I blessed the ashes of a member’s mother.  I blessed a blanket for the prayer shawl group. I blessed a bottle of water at a parishioner’s request. I blessed three elderly women visiting from Mexico after a service, once I figured out that was what they were asking me to do!

But the best blessing of all required no words or actions. And I did not give it. It was given to me.

Lucy, pictured above, showed up one Sunday. It was not for the Blessing of the Animals. She had been brought by her owner. I did not see or hear her until after the service. But as I came down the aisle during the closing hymn, there she was in the back pew. It was love at first sight!

Many years ago, after taking communion to a shut-in at a skilled nursing facility, I noticed a lady from some local church walking around giving random blessings to people. When she saw me, (I was wearing my collar) she asked if I would like a blessing. I said, “Sure”.

I guess the message is that we all can be giving and receiving blessings. And sometimes no words or actions are required.

Lucy’s smile was enough for me.

John