American Mythology

 Over the weekend, our writing group was given the prompt to write about any American myth.  Here's what I wrote.

We Americans love our freedom of speech.

We think our freedom of speech is not only a good thing, but a sacred thing.

Words, opinions and thoughts are our holy trinity, and

We consecrate them and shoot them like arrows through the air.

Does it matter where they land or who they pierce?  Do we care?

Are wounds just a necessary casualty of freedom of speech? 

Is that ok?

I don’t know.

How about the freedom to shut up?

Wouldn’t that create a better, kinder world?

Shut up and think about it.

The freedom to stay off-line for a bit and shut up

The freedom to hear a difference without an editorial and shut up.

The freedom to take our labels and our categories and shut up.

The freedom to love our neighbor without advertising our goodness. 

The freedom to live and do and be and to shut up and help others to do the same.

The freedom to quietly be together

To listen around bonfires

To hear music and stories

To sit in a sunbeam

With a friend

With a book

With a glass of water

And shut up.

The freedom to take the cotton out of our ears

And stick it in our mouths.

Is this too harsh? 

I’ve never been much inspired by the sound of my voice,

But a big bowl of shut up in the morning keeps me regular

And feeds me – heart, mind and soul.

No speech required.

Unseen

 

It must be a relief to our weary worn souls

To sing arias in the shower

To paint pictures on anonymous rocks

To dance with the vacuum cleaner

To write poems for the trees

With no fear of judgment

Or critique

Or evaluations and grades

No quest for applause

Or awards

Or credit where credit is due

Just for the joy

The chance to get lost

to add little drops of gorgeousness

In the unseen corners of the world

Writing Again

 

I have not blogged in years, but after spending a week in a writing class, I am feeling the urge to write again.  I’d like to write about Ireland.  Or, our week at the John C. Campbell Folk School.  Or, our new puppy.  Or, our very personable (and quite beautiful) cats.  But, yesterday, I learned that one of my childhood heroes died last spring.

Pat MacPherson of Sweet Fanny Adams Theatre in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

I was first introduced to this theatre at the age of nine when our family vacationed in Gatlinburg.  My parents went to the show and left my sister and me in the hotel.   They were not sure that the show would be appropriate for children, but at intermission, my dad raced back to the hotel and got us for the second half!  We loved it!  That’s when the Sweet Fanny Adams bug bit me.

By the time I was 12, I had not only been bitten by the Sweet Fanny Adams bug but also the acting bug.  I was absolutely convinced that I wanted to be on stage forever and ever, Amen!  I wrote Pat a letter.  Told her how much I loved her theatre.  Told her how much I loved acting and singing.  In retrospect, it is entirely possible that I told her my entire life story.  All 12 years of it.  To my delight, she wrote back!  We began to correspond.  I still have her letters, and the wear and tear on them reminds me of how often I read them. 

While junior high school was a big fat drag for me, I was thrilled when my English teacher assigned us the task to interview someone we admired and then write about it.  My dad graciously agreed to take me to Gatlinburg (and as an FYI, he and I took several trips together to Gatlinburg), and Pat agreed to be interviewed. 

We talked after the show, and I felt enormously important.  It is such a gift when an adult can help an awkward teenager to feel important, and well, liked.  She invited me to a cast party – at her house!  Two cast members drove me back to the hotel at the end of the night.  I still cannot believe my dad let me go, but he did.  Perhaps he knew that I was in the process of finding my tribe. 

By the next summer, my friend, Christy was also all about Sweet Fanny Adams, and her mother stayed in a camper with us for a month (bless her heart) so that we could work in the theatre.  I use that term “work” very loosely.  We did put on costumes and seat people each night.  Occasionally, we went out with the cast and advertised in restaurants for the show.  That summer was magic and full of junior high giggles – not to mention, boyfriends!  Pat was kind and generous to us – always making us feel welcome and like we had just made her day.

We kept up through the years with the occasional Christmas card or letter.  Even as an adult, I still felt a surge of specialness when I went to the mailbox and saw her return address. 

It’s weird when a larger than life person from childhood dies.  I mean, I know people die.  But, some people are like milk and bread – staples that you believe will always be on hand.  In my mind, Pat was too fabulous to die.  She was this gorgeous, talented woman who took time for me.  She convinced me that being weird was a great thing.  That was an important message for me – still is.  I am so thankful for the role she played in my life.

I am including the words of her obituary.  They capture her sense of humor!

Pat MacPherson, 80 years old is dead, gone, through, is no more, pushing up daisies, kicked the bucket, shuffled off this mortal coil, danced the light fantastic, passed away, peacefully in her home, surrounded by loved ones on April 18, 2022.

Pat led an extraordinary life. Born in England, she attended the Royal Ballet Academy in London. She danced her way across Europe and all the way to the Folies Bergère Las Vegas where she met the love of her life, Don MacPherson. She starred in her own children’s TV show “Patsy and her Puppets.” They toured Europe as the Piccadilly Dancers, when they returned to Las Vegas they wrote, produced, and started in the most popular musical-comedy in Las Vegas history up until that point, “Tom Jones” based on the novel by Henry Fielding. They traveled the USA producing shows for a wide variety of dinner theatres until they moved to Gatlinburg TN and opened their own theatre “Sweet Fanny Adams” which entertained and delighted audiences from 1977-2020. Pat wrote the vast majority of the shows and could take a cloud of an idea…make it concrete and most importantly, make it hilarious.

Seeing a need in the local area, she began a charity, the one-by-one foundation, to spay and neuter pets whose owners who could not afford it. She is enormously proud to have helped over 1000 sweet pets. She was loving, kind, generous, and funny! She never stopped reading and learning. She was also an amazingly accomplished artist. Her pottery sculptures, and paintings are brilliant.

She is survived by: her children, Chris (& Alysha), Jennifer (& Laurence), and Kimberley. Her wonderful grandchildren, Max, Xander, Riley, Ella and Charlie. And some wonderful close friends and family.

She does not want anyone to cry, the only sounds allowed are spontaneous bursts of laughter, hoots of derision, and audible gasps of disbelief. She had a wonderful life and feels most fortunate. It was 95% fun and interesting. She would like to offer one last, but very important piece of advice, “Always remember…. continued on page 97

La Jolla Caribe

If you know me, you know that St. John, USVI is my most favorite place on this earth – not just

because of the blue, blue water, not just because of the lush, green mountains, not just because of the donkeys, not just because of the colorful coral, not just because of the colorful fish that eat the colorful coral, not just because of the giant turtles that swim right alongside, not just because of the yellow kayaks, and not just because of the hikes and the views.  St. John is my most favorite place because it is a sacred refuge. 

For the last 12 years, our little group has vacationed in St. John...often extending our stays just a day longer each year.  We have rented a jeep and driven on the left hand side of the road up a goat path to get to one of the first homes built on the island…la Jolla Caribe.  The view from La Jolla

is the prettiest view of the entire island.  I’ve sat on the deck many times drinking coffee as the morning rolls in.  Before too much daylight has burned, we've been in the water – swimming, snorkeling, and at the end of the day, noodling around Leinster Bay.  At night, we watched stars shoot across the sky and listened to the night sounds which cannot be adequately described. We ate meals around the dining table, played friendly games of Pictionary and competitive games of Scrabble around the table, and worked jigsaw puzzles around the table.  I ran into a glass door at the house – so hard that I fell backwards and thought I might have given myself black eyes!  Then, I laughed so hard that I thought unmentionable things might happen. My mother accidentally cut a lizard in half with her glass door.  We stayed in the same house adding to our memories year after year.  As you can imagine, with each return, we often began our conversations with “Do you remember when?”

 

 We did not personally know the owners of La Jolla, but during the 12 years we visited, we watched their children grow up in the photographs that were placed around the house.  We saw them as little children posing on the deck all the way to grown children getting married on the beach.  So, while we did not REALLY know the family, we felt like we did.  We really felt like their house was a little bit ours, and we always left detailed – and sometimes rhyming – entries in their guest book.

Well, this is what the house looks like now.  I am sad about that.  Really sad.  La Jolla Caribe was a place I felt particularly close to God and particularly safe.  Now, it is in ruins.  Even the trees have lost their green.  I've heard that the island is not safe right now because of crime. Desperation can compel people to do almost anything.  

So, the place that was my sacred refuge is, well, for all intents and purposes, gone.  I hope this special island finds the resilience to rebuild.  I hope that while the houses are crushed, maybe a few spirits are strong and already mobilizing and planning a comeback.  And, speaking of a comeback, I hope my feet make it back to St. John one day.  No, I hope they make it back soon.

That's church

I was recently chastised in the nicest possible way for not having updated my blog in, well, let's just say a very long time.  It's not that I have not been writing, but I have not been typing out what I've written.  But, I wanted to write tonight because we have just finished Vacation Bible School...in church circles, that is known as "VBS."  Perhaps finishing VBS does not sound exciting, but this year, we partnered with two other churches, and the partnership was the exciting part to me.

It is no secret that most mainline churches are experiencing a decline in active participation and membership.  So, churches can be very protective of their congregations and unwilling to work together for fear that congregants might "defect" to another place.  Perhaps they will like the other church building better.  Perhaps they will like the other minister better.  Perhaps they will like the programming better or the music better or the classes better.  That leads to fear of ministering together.

When people are fearful, they don't reach out, But, as the movie, "Amazing Grace" taught us in the adult class of VBS, "when people's fears go away, their compassion comes back."  VBS is a labor intensive effort, but when more than one congregation comes together, we have ample teachers and volunteers. When congregations work together in ministry like VBS, we realize that we are not in competition.  That lights a fire. We realize we are not alone in trying to meet the many ministry needs that are before us.  That sparks interest in working together.  We each have strengths that partner well with the other's weaknesses.  And, we each have weaknesses that partner well with the other's strengths.

I guess I dare to dream of a day when that's the  norm for ministry....congregations offering their gifts and resources for the good of the Body.  Perhaps we can lead the way in Johnston County...I am ready to get creative in committing to more than just a ministerial association, but to the universal church where we are all one in Christ.

Epiphany Snow Day!

Epiphany Snow Day (We will have an Epiphany do-over next week, but in the meantime, here is a little something to encourage worship tomorrow even though we will not be in our sanctuary together)

Announcements

LOGOS starts back on Wednesday, January 18^th!  Please pray asking God to show you how you can help to support and strengthen this ministry.

Prelude – “We Three Kings” (the Piano Guys) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu5RY94ldDc

A few fun facts about Epiphany to read while you are listening!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017/01/05/epiphany-holiday-explained/96224336/

Opening Prayer and Call to Worship

Jesus, as we travel far and fast,

lead our minds back to the wise men following your star,

and forward to the day

when all will see your shining light.

Jesus, light of the world,

let your bright star stand over the place

where the poor have to live;

lead our sages to wisdom and our rulers to reverence.

O God, by the leading of a star

you revealed your Son Jesus Christ to the gentiles;

grant that your Church may be a light to the nations,

so that the whole world may come to see

the splendor of your glory;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scripture – Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection

THE MAGI COME ASKING, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” Tradition has it that there were three Magi, probably because the Bible account names three gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh.) The names used for these Magi are Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, and tradition also says that they are of three different ethnic groups, signifying that Christ comes not just for one nation but for all people.

In fact, that is what we celebrate in January at Epiphany: Jesus Christ as the Light of the world. We celebrate Christ as Light to the whole world, not as the Light to one small group in the world. …

Commentators have said we seem in a hurry after Christmas to box up once again our patience, our tolerance, our generosity and put them back in the attic, as if we can sustain good behavior for a few weeks but wouldn’t want to risk making it a way of life. We may also put away our willingness to give a bit more, to be more forgiving, even to be more patient in traffic as we often are during the holidays. Perhaps we even box up our desires to hope and our openness to miracles and mystery, as if the messages of the Christmas stories can’t quite survive the rigors of real life in the rest of the year. The Magi call us to continue our observance of Christ’s coming after December is over.

– Mary Lou Redding in "While We Wait"

Worship Activity Options

Family/Individual Star Collage (paper, scissors, crayons)

One of the symbols of Epiphany is the star.

Draw or cut out 3 different stars for each participant.  Write somewhere on those stars where you have seen God recently. (In a place, person, or situation)

Decorate your stars as you discuss with one another your “sightings.”  If you are working on this alone, take a picture of your stars and post them to Facebook!  Or send them to the church office, and we will post them on the church Facebook page!

Family/Individual Star Collage Take Two! (paper, scissors, crayons, a candle)

The wise men brought gifts to Jesus.

Draw or cut out 3 different stars for each participant.  Write somewhere on those stars the gifts that you would like to bring to God with your life in 2017. (generosity, a positive attitude, hope, mercy, compassion, etc.)

Decorate your stars and discuss how you can help each other remember these gifts each day.  If you are working on this alone, take a picture of your stars and post them to facebook!  Or send them to the church office, and we will post them on the church facebook page!

Light your candle and pray for God to help you remember to offer your gifts with joy!

Door Blessing (paper and pen)

Did you know that it is a tradition during Epiphany to bless your house?

Create a blessing for your own home.

Need some help getting started?  Here you go.

God, bless this house and bless_____________________________(Names of all who live in your home).

Fill this dwelling with______________________________(what are the traits you long for in your home?  Peace? Health? Happiness?)  

Let this space shine with your divine light that we can see in our family_______________________ (name any areas where you would like for divine light to shine.  Your conversations? Your calendar?  Your rest?)

May we be visited by family and friends, especially___________________________(name family and friends you hope will visit).

May all who enter here receive what they need, and feel richly blessed with their heart's desires.

Closing song

Brightest and Best (two different versions from which to choose)

Option 1 – choral and a fun, great recording - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LW5rU-WQd-E

Option 2 – Kathy Mattea with a few different words - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjRmmfeVH5E

Closing prayer

O God, you made of one blood all nations, and by a star in the East, revealed to all peoples him whose name is Emmanuel.  Enable us who know your presence with us so to proclaim his unsearchable riches, that all may come to his light and bow before the brightness of his rising, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.  Amen.

Uncharitable Thoughts

I had uncharitable thoughts toward Franklin Graham this week.  Those thoughts are nicely summarized in 2 words.  Shut up.  Then I added a third word.  Shut up, Franklin.  Then, my third word changed a few times.  Please shut up.  Just shut up.  Finally, I added 5 words to my 2 words, for the love of Christ, shut up.  I meant that last one literally.  For the love of Christ, shut up.

So, what brought forth such a response from me?  Well…this.  

I do not fault Franklin for his belief in heaven and hell.  However, this is not a pastoral response.  This is not an appropriate response.  I would go so far as to say this is not a truthful response. 

Yes, Franklin is right about one thing.  Jesus is recorded as saying “No one comes to the Father except through me.”   As I've pondered this response, I can't help but think of an experience I had many years ago.  My father had a heart attack, and everybody wanted to visit him in the hospital.  But, he needed rest.  So, when it was my turn to be on duty, no one came to my father except through me…meaning that I decided who got in and who stayed out.  My decision.  I wonder if this verse suggests a similar dynamic with God.  Jesus decides who gets in.  Not Franklin Graham.  And, not Lea Slaton.  Jesus decides.

And, for the Jesus I read about in the gospels, his decision will not be just a matter of belief.  He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’  (Matthew 7:21-23)

What criteria will Jesus use?  Well, I don’t know the mind of God. My thoughts are not God’s thoughts nor are God’s ways my ways, but Jesus does give us a clue in Matthew 25 – he talks about all the nations being gathered before him, and he has the job of separating the sheep from the goats.  Here are his questions of discernment.  When I was hungry, did you feed me?  When I was thirsty, did you give me something to drink?  When I was a stranger, did you invite me in?  When I was naked, did you clothe me?  When I was sick, did you look after me?  When I was in prison, did you come to visit me? 

How do we do any of that for Jesus?  He tells us.  “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

It seems to me that Christianity sometimes behaves as if heaven and hell are the main points and that our faith is primarily about assuring our eternal destination.   I believe in heaven.  I do.  But, if our only reason to follow the teachings of Christ is to advance our status in the afterlife, have we not missed the point?  It seems to me that Jesus was pretty serious about what we do on this earth, too. It seems to me that Jesus was serious about being set free from resentment and anger and greed and the lust for power on this earth.  It seems to me that Jesus expected us to live by the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven right now.  Those rules fall into two categories.  Love God.  Love neighbor.  And, remember, when it comes to loving neighbor, "whatever you did for one of the least of these...you did for me."

I don’t know much about Richard Adams, but news sources indicate that George Michael was a very generous man.  He gave millions to charity...and did not want anyone to know.  That's right!  He did not build charitable foundations in his name or take any credit.  He went out of his way to be anonymous in his giving.  He gave quietly.  Contrast that with individuals today who post every good deed and every donation on Facebook.  Type Amen if you agree.

Carrie Fisher was an advocate for the mentally ill – some might call those an overlooked “least of these” today.  She told her story, so that others who live with mental illness might find hope as well.  Carrie was a patron of the Alzheimer's Association, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the International Bipolar Association, just to name a few of the causes she pursued.

It is beyond arrogant to post on Facebook about who we believe God will send to hell.   God can decide whatever God wants.  Exploiting death to threaten hell shows an incredible callousness to the grieving families.  Furthermore, for those who do not believe in God or heaven or hell, this kind of public rhetoric, though it may excite a certain base of Christianity, hurts the cause of Christ.  I can say with confidence that not a single non-Christian read Franklin’s remarks and said, “Wow, I want to learn more about this Jesus.”  However, I can also say with confidence that many non-Christians read his remarks and said, “A-ha!  This is exactly why I don’t want to have anything to do with Christianity – it is full of judgmental hypocrites who just want to scare you into believing.”

I wish the media would stop covering Franklin Graham.  He does not represent all of Christianity.