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Category: Spiritual Life

Rev. Dr. Culver H. “Bill’ Nelson

Sun, April 28, 2019 Published by

This past Tuesday, the Beatitudes Church and Campus communities, along with families and friends, gathered to celebrate the life of our founder, Rev. Dr. Culver H. “Bill’ Nelson. It was a deeply moving service where we heard of his four great passions- Music, Community, Preaching and Denomination Leadership. Each person shared stories and his role in their own leadership development. The Rev. Dr. Dosia Carlson remarked on his love of song and music; The Rev. Dave Hunting on his profound presence at the pulpit and the reflections and actions he left congregants; The Rev. Dr. William “Bill” Lyons on his leadership in the growth of both the United Church of Christ and Southwest Conference, and Peggy Mullan, my predecessor, on his involvement in not only the Campus Church communities, but the Phoenix community as a whole.

With her permission, below are excerpts from her piece.

Bill always believed that the secular community, our civic lives, should not be separate from the spiritual community. A man of action always, he lived that belief. He was a founding member of the Phoenix Forty, a group of forty businessmen brought together by Eugene Pulliam to envision the Phoenix of the future way back in 1975. Much of what we enjoy today in urban Phoenix came out of their dreaming and designing. Bill was active in the formative years of Valley Leadership; he served as chaplain frequently at our state legislature and worked diligently on too many boards and commissions throughout the state of Arizona to enumerate. Among his many joys were the interfaith relationships he fostered with clerics from every faith community imaginable. He enjoyed a particularly close relationship with the esteemed and beloved Rabbi Al Plotkin, another giant from the spiritual community of his generation.

It’s impossible to talk about Bill without speaking of his beloved wife and partner in everything important – Dee. He loved her passionately and unabashedly. When Dee suffered a massive stroke and then through the years several others, Bill rose to the occasion in a way that honestly surprised us all. She had been the wind beneath Bill’s wings…we feared he would not know what to do. How very wrong we were.

It will always be a point of pride for me and every other employee of the Campus that we were part of Bill and Dee’s lives as they grew older.

I’d like to close my comments today by presuming to speak for someone who is not able to be at this lectern today—Bill’s good friend and my predecessor that I mentioned earlier, Rev. Dr. Ken Buckwald. When Ken would give a eulogy for someone he particularly loved and admired, he always closed with these words from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25, verse 23.  I’ll speak them now in tribute to the friendship that the two men shared as they worked together over fifty plus years: “Well done, good and faithful servant…now enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”

Amen

I hope you can join us at Wednesday’s Town Hall meeting where we will begin with a special time of remembrance honoring our Founder, The Rev. Dr. Culver H. “Bill” Nelson.

A Phoenician Easter

Sun, April 21, 2019 Published by

In our Easter celebrations, we find the truth of that victory in ourselves and the world around us, which sets an undying flame of faith within our hearts. May that flame burn brightly today and always. Alleluia.

Happy Spring

Sun, April 14, 2019 Published by

The month of April concludes with special activities around Earth Day with the Protect March on Friday, April 26th.  Worship on Sunday, April 28th at 3:00PM in the Life Center will highlight the Beatitudes Campus Choir singing and Chaplain Andrew preaching!  Happy Spring!

Dedicating Ourselves To Carrying On

Sun, April 14, 2019 Published by

By now, you have likely heard the very sad news that our Beatitudes Campus founder, Dr. Culver H. (Bill) Nelson, passed away on Friday April 14, 2019. Beatitudes Campus has lost a visionary leader and our community has lost an amazing soul.

Don’t Blink

Sun, April 7, 2019 Published by

Country Singer Kenny Chesney sings a great song called “Don’t Blink.”  The song’s lyrics tell of a younger man’s encounter with a 102-year-old man who was being interviewed on the news. The interviewer asks the man what’s the secret to life, and the older man looks up from his pipe, laughs, and says, “All I can say is don’t blink”.  I have to share just a couple of the verses:  I was glued to my TV when it looked like he looked at me and said: “Best start putting first things first” Cause when your hourglass runs out of sand You can’t flip it over and start again. Take every breath God gives you for what it’s worth.  Don’t blink, just like that you’re six years old, And you take a nap, And you wake up and you’re twenty-five, And your high school sweetheart becomes your wife.  Don’t blink, you just might miss Your babies growing like mine did, Turning into moms and dads, Next thing you know your better half of fifty years is there in bed, And you’re praying God takes you instead. Trust me friend a hundred years, Goes faster than you think, so don’t blink.  So I’ve been tryin’ to slow it down.  I’ve been tryin’ to take it in, In this here today, gone tomorrow world we’re livin’ in.  Don’t blink.

Chris Wallin was inspired to write the song after he lost three major family members within a two-year period.  There was a line that he wanted to put in the song that never made it in: “We always send flowers to people when they’re gone. We should send them when they’re living.” Don’t blink.  No truer words are there.  I was thinking about this when our daughter Maddie came home from college for Spring Break.  She is just weeks away from finishing her first year at NAU and we were already talking about what she might do after graduation!  How could the years have gone by so fast?!  Maddie wants to speed up time and jump to when she’s 21 and free to do what she wants and I know I’m going to blink and she’ll be walking down the aisle getting married.  Don’t blink.  Time seems to go faster and faster the older you get (the young never believe that).  Sometimes it can be helpful to remember that yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn’t here, so today is all we’ve got.  The days fly by, but there is only one today so we must rise to each new one determined to make it count.  What will you make of today?  Maybe do something to make life better for someone other than yourself or do something that will make a memory.  Do something you’ve never done before.  Do something fun and funny.  Talk to someone you haven’t talked to in a long time—call them up or write a letter.  Tell them that you love them because you may never get to say it again.  Don’t blink.

 

How I talk to God : How God talks to me.

Sun, March 31, 2019 Published by

This year, as well as fasting from my favorite treats, I have also been accompanied on my Lenten pilgrimage by the poet Malcolm Guite’s book Word in the Wilderness; A Poem a Day for Lent and Easter. Poems are an ideal companion for the season of Lent as we seek to reorient ourselves to God, with poetry often providing a call for us to ponder the wonders of the world around us while looking and listening for God at work in us.

One of the poems included in Guite’s collection is entitled How I talk to God, by Kelly Belemonte.

“Coffee in one hand leaning in to share – How I talk to God. ‘Momma, you’re special’, three-year-old touches my cheek – How God talks to me. While driving I make lists: done, do, hope, love, hate, try – How I talk to God. Above the highway hawk: high, alone, free, focused – How God talks to me. Rash, impetuous chatter, followed by silence – How I talk to God. First, second, third, fourth chance to hear, then another – How God talks to me. Fetal position under flannel sheets, weeping – How I talk to God. Moonlight on pillow tending to my open wounds – How God talks to me. Pulling from my heap of words, the ones that mean yes – How I talk to God. Infinite connects with finite, without words – How God talks to me.”

This beautiful work causes us to ask ‘What is prayer?’, and reminds us that a life of prayer is both speaking to God, but also listening, in turn.

In his reflection, Malcolm Guite says this;

“Saint Paul calls on us to pray without ceasing, leading some contemplatives have interpreted that as a call to leave the world with its business and distractions and seek long swathes of uninterrupted time devoted to prayer and prayer alone. Others have seen it as a call to have a continual hidden mantra, wheeling and cycling beneath all we do, providing an undercurrent or ground note of prayer beneath all our daily activities.”

In different ways for different people, both of these approaches are valid and neither exclusive of the other. Perhaps the greatest gift of Belemonte’s poem is to remind us, once again, that each day we find ourselves in conversation with God within the ordinariness of our lives.

May we all spend this season of Lent attuned to that conversation, to both speaking and listening, so that that the very rhythms of our everyday lives are opened up to God, and offered up as our unceasing prayer.*

The Healing Power of Human Solidarity

Sun, March 24, 2019 Published by

Once again, the world has witnessed another atrocity born out of hatred. The faces of the fifty victims of that murderous shooting, of people gathered together in worship and prayer in Christchurch, New Zealand appear in our newspapers and on our screens, and once again the question is asked; `how did we get here?’ Free societies are an open marketplace of ideas and convictions, however the pluralism and freedoms which we hold dear is indeed fragile. As we have seen in the live-streaming of this latest tragedy, it has become much easier to dole out division and bigotry to an eager and growing audience. Social media sites like Facebook will again come under increased criticism for what they allow to be uploaded and shared, and rightly so. However, our response in the face of such horror needs to be an enduring one, born out of desire to invert the extremism of hate into the radicalism of love. As Professor Mona Siddiqui wrote last week, “Laws can curb the excesses of human behavior, but ultimately it’s our individual moral commitment to human fellowship and friendship which changes relationships and communities.” When we resolve to live out of love rather than submit to hatred, to live as peace-builders rather than turning away from others who are different from ourselves, then we can begin to have the difficult conversations about how we got here and how we can live into the model of humanity attributed to Saint Francis; ‘where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy’. To love requires much more of us than to hate, and yet, even in the shadow of these days following this massacre, we are witnessing the healing power of human solidarity. May this solidarity and opposition of hatred continue to grow, and may we all commit ourselves in our own way – by prayer, words and deeds – to its flourishing.

 

H.A.L.T.: A Self Care Tool

Sun, March 17, 2019 Published by

One of the scriptures that is read in the beginning of Lent is about the temptation of Jesus by the devil for forty days in the wilderness. He was tempted with hunger, with power, and the need to prove who he was. Whether or not you believe this actually happened or whether you believe in a hoof and horns Satan or “Tempter” as he is also known, we cannot deny that temptation is very real in our experience of being human. Lent invites us to pay particular attention to our lives and seek self-knowledge. It is in understanding and acknowledging our limitations, our weaknesses, and the urges that have defeated us in the past, that we are better prepared to battle temptations. How do we react when we are struggling with injured pride, a wounded ego, fear of not being appreciated, or anger at being ignored?

One step we can take is to recognize when we are most vulnerable. The mental health and recovery-oriented fields use the acronym HALT which stands for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. When you ask yourself, “Am I hungry, angry, lonely, or tired right now?” it makes you stop and think about how you feel before you react to a situation. Each one of these four physical or emotional conditions, if not taken care of, leaves an individual vulnerable for relapse. Relapse for an alcoholic or addict means resumption of using alcohol or drugs to manage the discomfort, but even those of us not suffering from chemical dependency have our own forms of relapse (excessive gambling, eating, shopping, TV watching — to name just a few). Relapse may also show up as falling back into old beliefs about ourselves that result in feelings such as shame or guilt.

There is no getting away from sometimes feeling hungry, angry, lonely or tired so the more self- aware we are the better. Hunger, of course, describes the most obvious physical condition of lack of food but hunger can also point toward emotional needs: hunger for attention, for comfort, for understanding, or for companionship. Just as food takes care of our physical hunger, the solution to emotional hunger is community. Anger is a little more complex to understand. The way we express anger often takes destructive forms. We either turn anger against ourselves or against others. Anger can range from criticizing and belittling to name-calling and physical violence. Anger can also be like a repeated tape loop; in that case it’s called resentment. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous suggests that a person with resentment towards another pray for the other, that is, imagine all the good in life that we would like to have for ourselves to be bestowed upon the other person. You don’t have to call it prayer; choose a word that works for you.

Next in the HALT acronym is Lonely, which can be a frequent companion for some. It is similar to Hunger in that the solution is the same, namely community. The last of the HALT acronym conditions is Tired. We all have a tendency to ignore tiredness at times. Many of us do not get enough sleep and being tired, overloaded or overwhelmed can affect our well-being. HALT, is a practical tool for everyday living. Thanks to the people in Alcoholics Anonymous, where this acronym initially emerged, for using their experience to benefit us all.

A Happy and a Holy Lent

Sun, March 3, 2019 Published by

Happy Lent!

Join us for some delicious pancakes on Tuesday March 5th, 8-10AM, in the Life Center as we keep the old custom of using up all the fattening ingredients in the house before the beginning of the Lenten fast. Ash Wednesday follows on March 6th. Ash Wednesday has, for centuries, been a day for Christians to have our foreheads marked with ashes as an acknowledgement of our mortality, and to reflect in penitence for our mistakes. Residents and staff are welcome to receive the imposition of ashes and spend some time in prayer and contemplation in the Life Center, 8:00AM-12:00PM, or at the regular Rosary gathering held at 10:00PM in the Plaza View Lounge. During the forty days (excluding Sundays) which follow Ash Wednesday, we journey together through the season of Lent. The intention of this portion of the year is for us all to make a conscious effort to focus on turning our hearts and minds back towards God. Sometimes people do this by practicing a little self-denial and self-discipline, perhaps by giving up a favorite food or treat as a reminder to focus instead on our spiritual nourishment.  A favorite family story of ours is how my brother (aged around 6 at the time) was asked by the priest following church what he was giving up for Lent. Without hesitation he replied, “school”. A good attempt, but not quite in with the intended goal of opening the doors of our hearts a little wider to the deep riches of faith.

Last year, Pope Francis offered a list of ways which we can fast, and by doing so grow deeper into our relationship with God and each other. 1. Fast from hurting words and say kind words. 2. Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude. 3. Fast from anger and be filled with patience. 4. Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope. 5. Fast from worries and trust in God. 6. Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity. 7. Fast from pressures and be prayerful. 8. Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy. 9. Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others. 10. Fast from grudges and be reconciled. 11.Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.

Ultimately, for Christians the penitence and fasting of Lent should be a preparation for the celebration and joy of Easter. Fasting is not about misery, self-punishment and joylessness. The fasting goals of Pope Francis make that clear to us all. However it is only possible to truly rejoice in the feast, when we have truly experienced the fast. And so, I wish you not only a happy Lent, but a holy Lent also.

Weave: The Social Fabric Project

Sun, February 24, 2019 Published by

Every year 47,000 Americans kill themselves and 72,000 more die from drug addiction. Journalist David Brooks says: “This kind of pain is an epidemic in our society. When you cover the sociology beat as I do, you see other kinds of pain. The African-American woman in Greenville who is indignant because young black kids in… read the whole article here https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gQi

Long-Lasting Consequences

Sun, February 17, 2019 Published by

Have you noticed how many more people seem to be drinking from reusable water bottles? This is a great step forward in reducing our plastic waste, and in moving us away from being a ‘throwaway society’, although there is clearly much more yet to be accomplished as we seek to become better stewards of God’s creation. To use another example, did you know that according to Eco Age, (an organization which helps companies to focus on sustainable production methods) in the West, new clothes are worn on average for just 5 weeks before being thrown away?! That is the scary truth of the ‘fast fashion’ world in which we live…. read full article here https://wp.me/p7o8lu-gME

A Place for the Tiger

Sun, February 10, 2019 Published by

There’s a story about the famous painter Leonardo da Vinci.  During the time when he was working on his famous painting “The Last Supper,” he became angry with an acquaintance of his. The two men had words and parted from each other on very bad terms. Leonardo returned to the church on whose wall he was painting the fresco.  It was no use. Leonardo could paint nothing he was happy with. He had reached the point in the project where he was doing the face of Jesus. Time and again he tried to render a likeness of the Lord, but he was unable to do so.  Finally the great artist realized that he had work to do, but it was not in the church he had been commissioned to decorate. Leonardo put down his brushes and sought out the man who had been the subject of his wrath. He asked the man’s forgiveness. The man accepted his apology and offered an apology of his own. It was only then that Leonardo was able to return to the church and finish painting the face of Jesus.

St. Paul wrote a letter to the church at Ephesus because he knew that the church was engaged in quarreling that threatened to tear them apart.  He counseled them: “No more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself. Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.” Sometimes we feel we should never be angry, we should repress our true feelings.  However, when we do that, our anger continues to simmer within us and ultimately festers or blows up and can be terribly destructive.  Avoidance of conflict makes room for the devil.  Anger is a natural part of our emotional makeup as humans.

Think back on your own life and reflect on what role anger has played in your relationships—was it healthy anger or destructive? Are you a spewer or a stewer?  Anger itself is not a sin. Sometimes we are called to be angry.  The world would have lost much without the blazing anger of William Wilberforce against the slave trade. If Martin Luther King had not been angry at racism, the civil rights movement would not have flourished. If Gandhi had not been angry at oppression, India’s independence might not have happened. Anger, channeled in a positive way, can be a catalyst for change.  The famous writer Dr. Samuel Johnson was once asked to temper the harshness and anger in a book he was about to publish.  His answer to that request was that “he would not cut off his claws, nor make his tiger a cat, to please anybody.”  There is a place for the tiger in life; and when the tiger becomes a tabby cat, something is lost.  How many relationships have been forever destroyed because some small issue was left to fester, grow, and divide the best of friends? Resolution of differences may take a long time but Paul is telling us to put aside our anger quickly.  If we have been in the wrong, pray to God to give us the grace to go and admit that it was so; and even if we have been right, pray to God to give us the graciousness which will enable us to take the first step to put matters right.

 

The Year Without a Summer

Sun, February 3, 2019 Published by

This week, the weather has been hitting the headlines. As the quote from the Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us, “there is nothing new under the sun”, except for the headlines being written in 1816, when the new occurrence was that there seemingly was no sun.

“I had a dream, which was not all a dream. The bright sun was extinguish’d, and the stars did wander darkling in the eternal space.” Written in July 1816, these words from Byron’s poem Darkness are inspired by the strange events of The Year Without a Summer. It followed the eruption of Mount Tambora (the largest recorded volcanic eruption in history) located in modern day Indonesia, which in turn sparked months of unusual weather and climate disruption around the globe as its large dust cloud of volcanic ash entered the atmosphere. During this period, the sun frequently disappeared behind that thick acrid cloud. Instead of summer, the winter temperatures continued. Some thought the strange climate signaled the imminent destruction of the sun and the end of the world. We know of course now that though the dark uncertainty might have felt never-ending in 1816, the world did not in fact end. The world kept on spinning, and eventually the cloud dissipated and the sun reemerged. One of the most notable things about The Year Without a Summer is the number of seminal works of art, music and literature that it produced. It was around this time that Beethoven began his celebrated late period of composition, Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, and Byron his epic poem Prometheus, as well as many other successful endeavors.

Just as it did that fateful summer 200 years ago, beauty continues to emerge from uncertainty. We have our own metaphorical clouds of darkness and uncertainty brooding around the world today, and yet gimmers of sunlight shine forth brightly amidst that darkness. The light of hope continues to shine as we engage with others and when we choose respect rather than incivility; unity rather than division; love over hate. The hope spoken of in the teachings of Jesus – while not denying fear and uncertainty – requires the believer to look beyond present circumstances and instead to choose to have faith in a better future. As 14th century Christian mystic, Julian of Norwich, put it: “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” But hope is not a lottery ticket. Nor is it blind or passive optimism. It is the firm belief that we can each dispel the clouds of darkness by working together in love.

God is Still Speaking

Sun, January 20, 2019 Published by

During the past few weeks I have been reading various economic, political, environmental and sporting predictions for the coming year. Happily (and especially if you are a D-Backs fan), people are notoriously poor at predicting the future. Time has shown that we tend to construct predictions from our wishes or fears rather than actual data. Those who are paid to make such forecasts are often way off the mark, such as the banker who famously told Henry Ford that the horse was here to stay, or the British weatherman who famously on the eve of the country’s worst ever recorded storm, announced that “it might be a little windy tomorrow.”

There are dangers in putting too much store in what might happen, however prophecy and prediction are not the same thing. When the prophets – like Jeremiah and Isaiah – pointed to events in the future, they were not predictions of what would happen; but rather descriptions of what could happen if the people didn’t change their ways. Their focus was on making things right in the present, rather than being right about the future. They called out uncomfortable truths – sometimes at great personal risk – about the injustices of society, the people’s indifference to poverty, or the environment – urging people to change now in order to avoid future catastrophe. The Jeremiahs are perhaps long gone, but if we listen carefully we can hear the prophets of our day. They could be journalists, or musicians, or perhaps even children. There are no special qualifications required, and the message, doesn’t have to be conventionally religious. The inspiration of their message if it is for the good, can be seen ultimately to have its origin in the divine, but the action is earthly, urgent and rooted in the now. Some believe that part of the supernatural outworking of creation is that God has placed the future inside the present. Are we ready to discern and listen to those speaking the truth about what is necessary this year in order to win a hopeful future for ourselves and the generation to come? May it be, that our hearts and minds may be open to those voices, and to God speaking through them. *

Thinking God’s Thoughts

Sun, January 6, 2019 Published by

It is an exciting time for space exploration. Not only has China successfully landed an exploratory craft on the far side of the Moon, but humanity has been boldly going where we haven’t gone before. NASA’s New Horizons probe, launched in January 2006, has successfully flown by a small snowman shaped object (see the picture included, taken from the probe’s telemetry) named Ultima Thule, meaning ‘beyond the farthest frontiers’. That object is a billion miles further out from Pluto. It is quite incredible to think of how far, both literally and metaphorically, we have come since the advent of space exploration. In 1961, during the first manned spaceflight, Yuri Gagarin, according to some sources, remarked ‘I see no God up here’, although those words were not in the official transcripts.  Those words seem to firmly put the exploration of the cosmos and faith at odds with each other. However, in reality, the historical interaction between theology and outer space has been more subtle and much more fruitful than a simple conflict. Some historians point to the positive influence of belief on the very growth of science. Four hundred years ago, Galileo and other scientists of his generation understood by their faith that God was free to create in whatever way God wanted. Therefore, the only way to understand creation was to observe it, and thus was the real origin of empirical science. A similar argument led to theologians being foremost in the speculation about life on other planets. If God is free to create  not just human life, the only way you would know whether other life was there would be to actively search for it. Rather than religious belief and scientific exploration being at odds with each other, this understanding, in fact, adds a sacred dimension  to that exploration. At times, this exploration will no doubt be puzzling and surprising, but ultimately always awe-inspiring. Fifty years ago, as Apollo 8 orbited the Moon on Christmas Eve, the astronauts took turns reading from the Book of Genesis. The sense that the world is created and good continues to inspire many to look beyond the farthest frontiers, and to see science, as the sixteenth century astronomer, Johannes Kepler, described it as “thinking God’s thoughts after him”. *

 

Happy Kwanzaa

Sun, December 30, 2018 Published by

As we live into our commitment to be diverse and inclusive here at the campus, we aim to be intentional in the ways that we grow in our understanding and celebration of who WE are. There are friends and family who celebrate Kwanzaa and there is much to learn about this celebration which honors African heritage in African-American culture and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving. Kwanzaa has seven core principles (Nguzo Saba). It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966–67. Maulana Karenga, a black nationalist who later became a college professor, created Kwanzaa as a way of uniting and empowering the African-African community in the aftermath of the deadly Watts riots. Having modeled his holiday on traditional African harvest festivals, he took the name “Kwanzaa” from the Swahili phrase, “matunda ya kwanza,” which means “first fruits.”

Many people celebrate both Kwanzaa and Christmas. Though often thought of as an alternative to Christmas, many people actually celebrate both. “Kwanzaa is not a religious holiday, but a cultural one with an inherent spiritual quality,” Karenga writes. “Thus, Africans of all faiths can and do celebrate Kwanzaa, i.e. Muslims, Christians, Black Hebrews, Jews, Buddhists, Baha’i and Hindus, as well as those who follow the ancient traditions of Maat, Yoruba, Ashanti, Dogon, etc.” According to Karenga, non-blacks can also enjoy Kwanzaa, just as non-Mexicans commemorate Cinco de Mayo and non-Native Americans participate in powwows. Kwanzaa centers around seven principles which are umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity) and imani (faith). Kwanzaa also has seven symbols–mazao (crops), mkeka (mat), kinara (candleholder), muhindi (corn), kikombe cha umoja (unity cup), zawadi (gifts) and mishumaa saba (seven candles)–that are traditionally arranged on a table. Three of the seven candles are red, representing the struggle; three of the candles are green, representing the land and hope for the future; and one of the candles is black, representing people of African descent. Some families who celebrate Kwanzaa dress up or decorate their homes in those colors. Homemade and educational gifts are encouraged. U.S. presidents habitually wish the nation a happy Kwanzaa.The holiday also has made inroads with the U.S. Postal Service, which has issued four separate Kwanzaa stamps since 1997. The latest, from 2011, features a family dressed in traditional African garb lighting the kinara.

When he envisioned the celebration of Kwanzaa, Karenga recognized that on the whole, African Americans do not live in an agricultural setting. Nonetheless, he sought to emphasize that the basic principles found in producing the harvest are vital to building and maintaining strong and wholesome communities. Kwanzaa is that time when we reflect on our use of the basic principles, share and enjoy the fruits of our labor, and recommit ourselves to the collective achievement of a better life for our family, our community, and our people. We celebrate family, community, and culture, and wish our friends, Happy Kwanzaa! *

Becoming Midwives of Hope

Sun, December 23, 2018 Published by

One of the most memorable Christmas sermons that I have heard was preached by the songwriter, activist and pastor, John Bell. He began by asking; “I wonder who among us was once a shepherd?” A quick glance around me didn’t see any hands being raised. We were, after all, sitting in the middle of a large urban area not exactly renowned for its shepherds. Then he asked; “I wonder who among us was once a wise man?”. People began looking slightly uncomfortable, as it didn’t appear by the lack of hands being raised that wisdom was in any more plentiful supply than shepherding skills. He went on with other questions, before there began to be a gradual sense of where these questions were leading. My thoughts were confirmed when he asked; “I wonder who among us had once been the hind legs of the donkey”. So, which nativity characters have you played?

For many people, their introduction to the Christmas story will have been while taking part as a child in a school or church nativity play. For me this annual event was always a highlight of the year, if only for the opportunity to create headscarves out of tea towels, and to challenge each other off stage to duels with our shepherds crooks. The artistic standard wasn’t particularly high in my elementary school. One year, the memory taken away by the audience wasn’t of a fine retelling of the greatest story ever told, but instead of the little girl playing Mary declaring at the top of her voice “this baby isn’t even real” as she looked at the doll in the manger.

The irony of the school nativity play however is that besides the Christ child, there are no children with leading roles in the Christmas story. Many of the characters in the nativity narratives are seniors – Elizabeth, Zechariah, Simeon and Anna have their elderly status clearly underscored often during the account. The Shepherds were certainly not toddlers; and the Magi certainly would not have been considered wise unless they too were old. In these days wisdom did not come through attaining a Ph.D in your mid-twenties. The story of the birth and early years of Jesus’ life center around God expecting and trusting older people to enable new and surprising things to happen. So, if you were once a shepherd or an angel or even the hind legs of the donkey, don’t let Christmas simply be a time for regression therapy…..particularly when now as always, God is looking for older adults to be the midwives for the new ways that love, hope, joy and faith can be born into our world. *

A Christmas Classic

Sun, December 16, 2018 Published by

At Christmas-time I love watching the timeless and treasured classics like Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Charlie Brown Christmas. This year celebrates the 53rd anniversary of A Charlie Brown Christmas and I learned some of the history of how the classic came to be. The special–a collaboration between Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, producer Lee Mendelson, and director Bill Melendez–first aired on December 9, 1965 and was loved from the start. One of the most moving moments in the show is when Linus explains the meaning of Christmas by reciting the story of the birth of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. Schulz did not have the support from the other executives who wondered if an animated special was the right place for the religious text. Director Bill Melendez told Schulz (whose nickname was Sparky), “Sparky, this is religion. It just doesn’t go in a cartoon.” But Schulz had a simple response: “Bill, if we don’t do it, who will? We can do it.” The passage stayed in — and we are glad it did.
Another unique part of the production was that Schultz insisted on using real kid’s voices in a time when it was standard practice to have children’s roles performed by adults. Fortunately, they were able to find the right children to voice all of the characters even though a few were so young they couldn’t read or understand the script! Jazz musician and composer Vince Guaraldi wrote the original music for the show, which was the first animated network special to feature jazz. The score includes “Linus and Lucy,” otherwise known as the Peanuts theme. Guaraldi also wrote the music for “Christmas Time Is Here” (the song’s lyrics were penned on the back of an envelope by Mendelson in just 15 minutes). Schulz didn’t even like jazz but fortunately for us he didn’t let his dislike stand in the way of an iconic score.
Then there is the small, struggling tree that Charlie Brown picks out with its uneven, almost bare branches. In 1964, Mendelson read the Hans Christian Andersen story The Fir Tree — about a tree desperate to grow to match its taller brethren — to his children. When work started on A Charlie Brown Christmas, Mendelson mentioned the Andersen tale to Schulz, which prompted the cartoonist to dream up Charlie Brown’s tree. And though it was mocked, things turned out okay for that tree in the end. As Linus says, “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.” Executives at CBS didn’t think the show would be a hit. The expectation was that it would make its debut, then disappear forever — and if there had been a programming alternative the special might not have made it on the air at all. Fortunately, it was shown — and about half the country watched Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang celebrate Christmas. Now, 53 years later, it remains as popular and beloved as ever. *