Dogs - living and learning

I've just had an interesting experience and I thought I would share it with all of you, my dog-loving friends. 

Recently, I made a purchase of pet supplies through Valley Vet Pet Supply and in that order, I'd asked for two Flippy Floppers (soft frisbees). My Parker is a sporty dog and he loves playing with all kinds of toys, but Flippy is his absolute favorite, he's completely obsessed with playing with them. He'll wear out two or three of these soft frisbees over the course of the spring, summer and fall. 

 

Okay, so the order arrives and I open the box and what do I see? For the first time, ever, Valley Vet has sent me a green Flippy and a neon yellow one. I was frustrated and disappointed. I know that dogs are "red-green" color-blind, I know that Parker is not going to be able to see either one of these Flippies - especially not when they hit the grass. Because dogs see grass as "yellow" or something like that - or so I've been told. It was pointless for me to send them back, the postage would cost more than it's worth. Still, I'm frustrated and feel like I have to do something. So I write to the manufacturer of Flippy Flopper, Bmb Pet products, and I ask them; "Do you people put any thought into these toys that you're making? Considering that dogs are red-green color blind, why would you make a product and paint it a color that a dog cannot see?" For a graph, to see what range of colors a dog can see, follow the link; 

http://www.uwsp.edu/PSYCH/dog/LA/DrP4.htm 

Bmb pet products thanked me for making a "good point" and sent me two complimentary Flippy disks that were a color other than green. Yay, yay, yay! But something even BETTER happened after that. 

All these years, Parker has been catching and chasing Flippies that were neon pink, neon orange or blue... When these disks would hit the grass, he would frequently lose them. Then, he'd start systematically running back and forth, canvassing the yard until he found his Flippy. (He would have made an awesome search and rescue dog!) This has happened every year for his 9 years, I've taken it for granted, as something normal.... Today, when we were playing with his very first ever Khaki Flippy, I saw something incredible. Parker never lost his Khaki Flippy! No, not even once! There was no hunting, no running back and forth searching for it. No! This Khaki Flippy stands out, Parker can really see it and he was able to run directly to it every single, solitary time that it hit the grass or flew into a bush. There was a dramatic and massive improvement to Parker's game. He was more relaxed, too, there was no frustration - he was having a great time. So, from here on out, it's Khaki Flippies ONLY! Because these are the ones he can see, they really stand out for him. 

You may wish to experiment with the colors of your dog's toys and see how it effects his game?

Profound But Hidden Moment in the "Lord of the Rings"

Yes, Tolkien was an extremely devoted Catholic. Yes he was just as much devoted to Nordic Lore. But in the end, he was his own man and he reubuked both traditions in a profound but hidden moment within "Lord of the Rings". 

Let me tell the story; 
Remember when just before the battle for Gondor, Aragorn is advised to enter the Mountain and rally the Oath-breaking Dead around his sword? Naturally, he's troubled. Why would he want to rely on liars, murderers, thieves and oath-breakers to win his kingdom? But he goes into the Mountain and he rallies them anyway... THEN, we see him arrive at the battle of Gondor in a SHIP. (Remember the ship.) 

To understand what all of this really means, we also have to look at how it happens in its parallel story to be found in Norse mythology. The souls of liars, murderers, thieves and oath-breakers are all sent to Hel or Niflheim. It's reported to be a cold, dark after-life, where people suffer starvation and thirst. 

Loki, the Trickster of Norse Mythology, rebels against the gods (Aesir & Vanyir) and decides to take all power for himself. The only for him to do this is to kill all the gods. So, Loki commandeers a ship and goes and rallies these condemned souls to fight for him against the Aesir & Vanyir. This is Ragnarok, the Battle to end all Battles, the Doomsday Battle that will bring the end of the world. And in the end, all these souls die a second death... 

Tolkien was a man who was deeply, deeply committed to the ideas of; innate value of life, repentance and redemption (not to be confused with the Christian idea of "Salvation"). Witness his treatment of Gollum... And more importantly, witness his treatment of the Oath-breaking Dead from the Mountain. Instead of sending the Oath-breaking Dead to an eternal, fiery Christian Hell... Instead of sending them the evil Loki who would only lead them into death and destruction at the hands of the Aesir and Vanyir... Tolkien sent the Oath-breaking Dead a Redeeming King in Aragorn, he sent them a 2nd chance to redeem themselves through noble action, a 2nd chance to free their own souls. Tolkien sent them a chance to live. 

When I saw it in the movie theater, I confess, I wept.

Autumn Mystic

I did not realize, until today, what great comfort I've taken in the thought that after I'm gone, there will still be people here to enjoy the fresh air, to enjoy falling in love and to enjoy the changing seasons of the wheel of the year. Today, however, I was standing in awe of autumn's flaming glory and appreciating every clear breath when I'd suddenly realized (on a gut level) that one day, none of this will be here. There will come a day when there will be no glorious autumn, no crisp air, no iron-cast sky. There will be no earth beneath our feet - there will only be empty space where our earth used to be... All at once I felt both a tremendous sadness and a fierce sense of exultation. But I am here now, I do witness this autumnal miracle, I do breathe it in! And I glory in the loveliness that is you, now. :o)

The Nature of Suffering

The Nature of Suffering

January 13, 2008


My study of Buddhism (and I am not a scholar) has led me to believe that the Prime Directive is; To Relieve Suffering.


Enclosed here is an email I'd written for a friend earlier this evening.


Ali, Hi


When we last exchanged emails, we were talking about suffering... Life was good for me at that moment, and it was easy for me to speak speculatively about it. I'm in some serious mourning right now. And can speak more from inside the lion's jaws now.


You said; "surely not all suffering is bad or to be avoided?"... My answer is all suffering is bad, but sometimes good results come from it anyway. And no, not all suffering is to be avoided. In Buddhism, we have what we call "Bodhisattvas". People who choose not to enter Nirvana, but return to earth and help others to reach Nirvana. People who have vowed to empty all the hells, before they themselves enter Nirvana... I've recently acted as a Bodhisattva for Pawpaw. When I'd reached out to him, to relieve his suffering, I knew that I was setting myself up for a great deal of pain. But I did it anyway.


Here some photos of Pawpaw (see Facebook photo album)... No death, human or animal, has ever left me as desolate as his passing. He was an extraordinary presence and I'm going to miss his funny little face.


As I'd said in one of my previous emails, I've had most of my animals since they were pups or kittens and they are all elderly (except the cocker spaniel). Pawpaw was the exception that proved the rule. He was 15 years old, but I'd just found him about 2 months ago.


2 months ago, I was looking for a dog for a friend -- she wanted an adult english bulldog or adult boxer. Anyway, I was checking a kill-shelter in a nearby county when I stumbled across a listing that stated; blind poodle, 15 years old. The picture wasn't very good - couldn't really see the dog's face for some reason? Anyway I was distressed because I knew that animal was old, heartbroken, stressed and doomed to be euthanized. So, I drove for more than hour to pick him up.


Yes, he was old, heartbroken and stressed. But nothing could have prepared me for the true nature of the horrors that little man was living through. The shelter was a concrete floor, bars and large hard food that the dog could not eat. His teeth were rotten, his skin was eaten up by some kind of bacterial infection, his eyes were glued shut from infected lacerations, his back and hind legs were deformed by arthritis (concrete floor!), he was horribly matted and had kennel cough... So anyway, I get there and you want to know what they said to me? "You don't want this dog, he's 15, he's blind and he's stopped eating." Well, Jesus! I wonder why? I would have stopped eating too!... The dog I picked up was a rag-doll, he was lifeless because he had given up and wanted to die. I would have felt that way too, under the same conditions.


LOL. You know though, I'm a little ashamed to say it, but remember I'd said the ad read; "Blind poodle"? And remember I said, the photo wasn't very good, couldn't really see his face?... The reason we couldn't see his face was because his fur was THAT matted and crusted over from his eye infection. So anyway, I look into his face and see that he is a pekepoo, the first one I've ever seen and I thought; "God, that's one ugly dog!" But I still felt the need to pick him up and be a hospice for him, to make his last days on this earth happy ones. Now, it's that funny little face of his that I will miss the most!


I took him to the vet and got his eyes cleaned out. Then, I got him home and opened a can of wet food. That dog WOLFED it down! Then he slept... It took about 3 days for him to really begin and I do mean just "begin" to come back to life, to really CARE about what was going on around him. My first clue was when I went to put some antibiotic in his eyes and he snapped at me. I laughed. Good for Pawpaw! He was showing some spirit.


Over the last few weeks, I've been unemployed for the most part. Dealing with some physical maladies of my own. So, Pawpaw and I have spent quite a lot of time together. During the day, he would lay in his petbed while i was on the computer, or he was in my lap as I watched tv. At night, he would cuddle up to my abdomen and go to sleep... Either way, he soon became so very attached to me that he suffered serious separation anxiety. I know why, it's not just because he loved me - but because he was so very afraid of being lost and forgotten again, afraid of having to live through those horrors all over again. I HAD to be within eyesight at all times! It became very difficult to even just take a bath. Poor little old man! But I loved him all the more for it because I could understand, and I just wanted him to know that it was "okay" now, he was mine and I was never going to abandon him or forget him.


Then too, we spent quite a lot of time together because Pawpaw was so very frail. He was not able to go up or downstairs, not even up little pet stairs to get on furniture. In the beginning, he wasn't even really strong enough to walk more than few feet... So, I was frequently carrying him down stairs to potty outside. Carrying him up stairs to bed. Picking him up to put him on the couch. Carrying him down the stairs to eat breakfast or dinner.


Mealtime was his absolute favorite time. After he'd put on weight and his spirit came roaring back to life; he would start doing a scampering little happy dance when I'd ask "Pawpaw, are you hungry?" It was a comical little scampering, happy dance that I'd expect to see out of a puppy - not an adult. Then, he'd start throwing his back and bellowing at me so hard that his forepaws would come completely off the ground. He was seriously telling me about it! Yes, he seriously enjoyed his mealtime... His next favorite time was bedtime = Cuddletime. That was my favorite time too. He was so warm and so gentle, so sweet.


I thank Heaven for the mild winter we've had. Those days earlier this month when it was 67 degrees outside? I was able to take Pawpaw outside to enjoy the backyard. And enjoy it he did! He loved the outdoors. I believe, in his younger days, he would have walked for miles. As it was though, he was scampering from one end of the yard to the other and had a good time... I'm so glad he had those warm days.


He was very happy in his last days, he really was. He'd gained weight and more importantly he gained trust - he knew he was never again going to miss a meal. At least, not as long as I was in his eye-sight. He loved his petbed. He loved my lap... When I'd first brought him home, he didn't know me and apparently, had not had any real kind of affection - I mean, I went to kiss him on the head and it freaked him out, he snapped at me. But before long, he not only trusted me, he loved me and let me kiss him on the head and neck whenever I was carrying him around or sitting in front of the tv. I loved him for that.


He died a happy dog, but I am inconsolable. No death, human or animal has ever left me so hurt and lonely. Still, it was worth it. Every minute. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't hesitate a second, yes, I'd do it all over again for him in a heartbeat.


Thanks for listening.

Ascension

ASCENSION

Usually, I like to preach simply and clearly. If my sermons were works of art, what you would see is a portrait sketched in bold strokes of black and white. Not today. I’m forced to paint in abstractions and impressions. Still I pray, the Holy Spirit will give you some solid gift to take home.

In elementary school, we learned George Washington was an exceptionally honest boy who couldn’t tell a lie, he did chop down the cherry tree. We learned, the Pilgrims sat down in peace with the Indians to eat the first Thanksgiving Dinner. We learned our American Ancestors moved West because they had Pioneer Spirit!

Only later did we learn, our American Ancestors moved West because they didn’t want to be governed, they didn’t want to be taxed and their neighbors just plain got on their nerves! Only later did we learn the Pilgrims were offended by the Indian’s heathen ways and decided if the Indian would not be converted, he would die. Only later did we learn, the story of George Washington’s confession to his father about the cherry tree – the story itself is a lie! Okay, “lie” is too harsh a word. It’s actually a “Myth”, a transcendant truth wrapped in enlightening fiction. Please, repeat; “Myth is a transcendant truth wrapped in enlightening fiction.”

I suspect the story of the Ascension is very similar in that while something transcendant happened, I don’t think it happened as perfectly as Luke would like for us to believe. Picture this, Jesus and the disciples go up the mountain. The prophet Elisha knew ahead of time his master (Elijah) was going to be taken to heaven. Just so, the disciples know Jesus is going to be taken away. The mood is somber, they’re relishing every last moment with him. They hang on his every word, they say their words of farewell, they pray. All too soon the clouds part, the very Heavens open up and the voice of God says; “Son! I’m sorry but Elijah took the keys to the chariot of fire and went to the annual hotrod convention. You’re gonna have to walk home.”

My point is the Ascension is a really strange story. Why would God pick up Enoch and Elijah (and according to Jewish tradition Moses) in a very flashy,  authoritative way for everyone to see – but leave his own beloved Son, the King of Kings! to depart in a very different way?… I don’t have to tell you, the Twenty-first century mind balks at the idea that the earth is flat, that God is an old man who sits on a throne in the Kingdom of Heaven somewhere up there, above the clouds. How far? We don’t know, because the Hubble satellite hasn’t found it yet… Which is, I think, exactly the reason the angels came to the disciples and asked; “Why are you standing around looking at the sky?” The rest of the story and mission aren’t going to be found there. Okay, so where do we look?

Let’s begin with the reading from Daniel. This reading is a picture of Judgment Day and on the surface, could be quite frightening. After all, look at how the Father is portrayed; he’s Ancient, all-knowing, he sits on a throne and fire flows out from his presence! Worst of all, the books are opened and our every flaw, every sin is laid out before his judgment. Surely punishment, maybe eternal punishment is going to come thundering down upon us and boy it’s gonna hurt!… But you know? That is not what it says.

What does it say? The books are opened for judgement. The “horn” is speaking arrogant words. Then the beast is put to death… Most scholars interpret the “horn” as being a leader and the beast as being a corrupt governing system. I find it interesting, God does not smite the horn, he doesn’t wipe the leader out and cast him to hell. Rather, he wipes out the system. And as for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away… What I see here is a picture of mercy. Mercy and justice for the poor, widowed, orphaned and oppressed – who are given relief from the oppressive system. Mercy, too, for God’s other “misguided” children.

Next, Daniel describes “one like a human being” presented before God. “To him was given dominion, glory and a kingship that shall never be destroyed.” We Christians interpret this as prophecy, foretelling the reign of Christ… So Jesus is coming into his own, given the title of “King of Kings”. The question is, what is he going to do with that authority?

Psalms gives us a clue. “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizadek.” We Christians understand this verse to be another prophecy, foretelling the role of Christ. So, why is he not a priest in the order of the “Levites”? And, who is Melchizadek anyway? Genesis tells us  Melchizadek was a Gentilepriest, one that both Gentiles and the Hebrew-forefather Abraham honored as a genuine priest of God… So we see that Christ will be honored by Jew and Gentile alike. Furthermore, Psalms says he will “rule over his enemies.” It’s kinda hard to rule over your enemies if you’ve exiled them to another kingdom (Hell) or if you’ve killed them. So what we have here is yet another picture of mercy. Jesus will “rule over his enemies,” not only as king but as reconciling priest.

This incredible act of mercy cannot be seen as weakness. One cannot have mercy on his enemy if he’s weak, vulnerable to the point of being overpowered or killed. No! Such fantastic mercy can only be worked from a position of strength, security, absolute authority. This is why Ephesians said: “God put this power to work in Christ… seated him at the right hand… far above all rule, authority, power and dominion. That Jesus’ name is above every name.”

How can this be? What is this power that puts Christ above all rule, authority, power and dominion? We could say: God can do anything he wants, that’s why we call him God! But that’s a circular logic that doesn’t really tell us anything. Our Gospel gives us a clue, it tells us when the disciples finally quit staring at the sky, “they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.” Ephesians gives us another hint about how Jesus will be able to “rule” over all things, about the nature of this power. Verse 23 says; “God has put all things under his feet… who fills all in all.”  That’s worth repeating, say it with me; “God has put all things under his feet… who fills all in all.” The POWER we’re talking about, the Power that raised Christ from the dead, the Power that gives him dominion and authority, the Power that enables Christ to fill all in all is the Holy Spirit. This is the good news! This is what we have to look forward to folks, the Church as the Bride of Christ gets to look forward to the consummation of the Marriage. There’s more mythical language for ya. We get to look forward to some kind of Union with Christ, who fills all in all.

The Book of the Law demands every fact be established on the testimony of two witnesses. We’ve seen the testimony of Scripture. That by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ was raised from the dead, ascended and by the Uniting Power of the Holy Spirit will establish an everlasting Consummation with us… Now, let’s bring in the other Witness. The Rosary.

1^st Joyful Mystery – The Annunciation.  Gabriel declares: “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee!” And, would like you to be mother of his only begotten son, the Savior Jesus Christ.”… For those of you who are suspicious of Mariolotry, let me tell you – wherever you see Mary you see yourself. What I mean is, she is celebrated as the first disciple and whatever happens to her prophecies what will happen to us… In this first mystery, God is declaring his undying love not only for Mary, but for all of us. He not only wants Mary to bear Jesus, but all of us to bear Jesus. John the Baptist and St. Paul both said; “He must increase, I must decrease. It’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me!” The Spirit of God brings oneness.

2^nd Joyful Mystery – Mary goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth. God’s blessings, more importantly, the good news of God’s love compels us to seek one another out, to serve, to share, to become one in joy. The Spirit of God brings oneness.

3^rd Joyful Mystery – The Nativity. It’s not enough that Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah have shared the joy of God’s blessings and love. The good news must bring together; angels, shepherds, kings, even animals and all creation in a singing, dancing celebration!… Don’t forget. Jesus said in Matthew 12:50; “Whoever obeys the will of the Father is my Mother…” He, himself, has declared that we must all give birth to him, bear him to the world – a world that will rejoice in his Presence. The Spirit of God brings oneness.

4^th Joyful Mystery – The Presentation. Here, Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the Temple and to the priests for inspection and for circumcision… We too, when we give birth to Christ, must bring him and present him to God and the Church Community. The Spirit of God brings oneness.

5^th Joyful Mystery – The Finding in the Temple. Here Joseph and Mary, having lost their son and searching for him over 3 days, finally find him carrying on conversations with the scholars in the Temple… Jesus will always bring us back to the Temple. The Spirit of God brings oneness, with God and one another.

1^st Luminous Mystery – Christ’s Baptism in the Jordan. Here’s your promise and confirmation that God and every Baptised Christian will meet you in the Baptismal water. The Spirit of God brings oneness.

2^nd Luminous Mystery – The Wedding at Cana is a party. A sign that God’s presence and blessings are among us not only when we’re in the Temple, but also when we’re in the “secular” world. Here, Jesus transforms water into wine. The “ordinary” into something “extraordinary”, the “secular” into the “sacred”, you and me into a oneness with God.

3^rd Luminous Mystery – Proclamation of the Kingdom. Just in case you didn’t get it the first time, here’s the Annunciation again. God crying out; Hear the Good News! I love you and want to be one with you!… And here I remind you of what today’s Gospel said: “Jesus said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.’” Not just to all people, but to everything that exists! The Lord fills all in all. The Spirit of God brings oneness.

4^th Luminous Mystery – The Transfiguration. For the Jews, all Scripture and Divine Authority are found in “The Law and the Prophets”. Here, Jesus (the New Covenant) is seen standing bright and shining, shoulder to shoulder in the company of Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets). Here, we see the Spirit of God bringing oneness between the Jews and the Gentiles.

5^th Luminous Mystery – Institution of the Eucharist; The body and blood of Christ separated, broken and consumed then, resurrected and made alive within each of us. It’s a prophecy of Pentecost and a prophecy of the great oneness the Spirit of God has yet to bring.

The Sorrowful Mysteries are as follows;

Christ’s agony in the Garden.

Christ’s scourging at the pillar.

Christ Crowned with thorns.

Christ Carrying the Cross.

Christ’s crucifixion and death.

All pictures of Christ suffering rejection, hatred, terrible loneliness, alienation, oppression, persecution, martyrdom. All of which, Christ endured so come the final Judgment, we wouldn’t have to.

Finally, the Glorious Mysteries;

The Resurrection; Christ has defeated death and promised we’ll join him in eternity. The Spirit of God brings oneness.

2^nd Glorious Mystery – The Ascension. Christ journeys to Heaven, receives his rightful authority and Kingship. In other words, to receive POWER (the Holy Spirit) to establish his kingdom on earth.

3^rd Glorious Mystery – Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Remember the Tower of Babel? Where humankind said we will build a tower that will reach heaven? God not only cursed their arrogance but also defeated their plan by making each one of them speak a different language! What a picture of misunderstanding, alienation, separation! At Pentecost, we see that very curse reversed! The Evangelists are all speaking Aramaic, but each foreigner hears the Evangelist in his own language – the Evangelists are said to be speaking in tongues. The Spirit of God brings understanding, harmony, oneness.

4^th Glorious Mystery – the Assumption of Mary. Traditionally, Catholics believed Mary was bodily taken up to Heaven, like Enoch, Elijah and Moses were… Remember, what happens to Mary as 1^st disciple is a prophecy of what will happen to us. The Assumption of Mary extends to us the hope of the Resurrection and Ascension, of the Spirit of God bringing us all into oneness.

5^th Glorious Mystery – The Crowning of Mary. Here, we’re all seen to have received our reward. The Spirit of God has brought us into that Divine Union that we do not yet understand, that Consummation we cannot speak of now – but can only hint at through the language of myth.

Epiphany

EPIPHANY

Luke 2:22-24

“On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

    When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons.’”

One of Luke’s purposes for telling us this story is to demonstrate Mary and Joseph’s faithfulness to God and the Law of Moses. They are not only Jews, they are good and righteous, obedient Jews.

But if Mary and Joseph were such good and obedient Jews, WHYwere they hospitable enough to allow the three Magi into their home? Why were they entertaining Gentiles in their home? After all, Gentiles were considered unclean (even if they were kings!) and coming into contact with them would make a Jew ritually unclean – letting a Gentile into your home would make your whole house unclean! The rituals a Jewish family had to go through to purify their home took days, maybe even weeks to complete. It was a nightmare!

We know that Gentiles were considered unclean because John 18:28-29 says: “Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman Governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them…”

John 4:5-9 reads; “So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well… When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’ The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. And do not use dishes that Samaritans have used.)”

It is not until Acts 10:28 that the Jews finally BEGIN to feel free to join the rest of the human race. In this verse, we find St. Peter standing inside the home of Cornelius, a Gentile, and Peter is addressing the entire household.

He said to them; “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or to visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean.”

But we are not in Acts, we are reading from Matthew. Peter is not yet an Apostle, he hasn’t yet received his vision of reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles. Yet, Joseph and Mary are already inviting Gentiles into their home… Why? They’re unclean! They’ll make Joseph, Mary and Jesus unclean! They will make the house unclean!

Most of us have heard; the gold, frankincense and myrrh that the 3 Magi bring to present to the King of Israel are prophetic. Meant to show what Jesus will become; gold represents Jesus’ life as King of Kings, frankincense represents Jesus’ life as High Priest before God, and myrrh represents Jesus’ sacrificial life and death as Prophet. Just so, the presence of the Magi in Jesus’ home is prophetic. For Jesus will spend his entire life laying healing hands on the “unclean”. We’ve already mentioned the Samaritan woman at the well, remember?

Then, there is Matthew 8:1-3;

“When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately the man was cured.”

Then, there’s Luke 7:11-15

“¹¹Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹²As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the town was with her. ¹³When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don't cry.”    ¹⁴Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

And the nerve of this man! After touching all of those unclean lepers, unclean corpses, mingling with despised tax collectors and filthy prostitutes – Matthew 15:1-10 tells us that he had the nerve to eat without washing his hands! And the law-abiding priests and scribes were greatly offended.

Thank God! Christ is still at it, still among us, still reaching out and getting his hands dirty. How do I know? Because you’re here, you’re here, you’re here… Each and every person in this Sanctuary has been touched by Christ, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.

Epiphany. The first definition of the word is; A yearly festival commemorating the revealing of Jesus as Christ to the Gentiles in the persons of the Magi at Bethlehem. The 2^nd definition of the word “Epiphany” is; An appearance or manifestation of a god.

Because Christ has reached out and touched each one of us, we have all experienced our own personal epiphany, our own moment where Christ revealed himself to us. Maybe as Shepherd, maybe as Healer, maybe as Liberator – the one who breaks our bonds and sets us free… Tonight I’d like to hear some of your stories.

(Name), will you please get us started? Who is Jesus Christ for you?

Personally, I celebrate Christ as Logos, the active and creative Word of God, found in John 1:1-4; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. What was made had life in union with the Word.”

Do you remember the first time you fell in love? How you would hang on your Lover’s every single word?

When we stop and realize that the word “human” is only one of billions of words that God has spoken, if we love God we are then compelled to investigate the many billions of years of ongoing creation that also constitute God’s talking. We want to investigate and hang on every word. In doing so, we find the Spirit of Christ moving among and dwelling within the whole of Creation, as Word, uniting and holding it all together as One.

This staff, here, is one of my favorite and most unique portraits of Christ as Logos – it is a “Green Man”, the Creator of Vegetation, the Spirit of Christ indwelling his Creation. As the Psalmist says; “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”… Since they breathe, that would include the trees, grass, brush and all green creatures… Suddenly, I find that I’m not only communion with all of you – but I’m in communion with the entire Multiverse! I find that thrilling!

I’d like to close with a short story. Some Taoist monks were absorbed in a discussion of Lao-Tzu’s proverb;

    “Those who know do not say;

    Those who say do not know.”

When the Master entered, they asked him what the words meant?

The Master said; “Which of you knows the fragrance of a rose?”

    All of them knew.

    The Master said; “Put it into words.”

    All of them were silent… Sometimes, the truth is difficult to put into words and can only be learned through experience.

John 18:37-38 reads; Jesus answered “You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.”

    “And what is truth?” Pilate asked.

We’ve talked a lot about Jesus Christ tonight. All of it is true, yet, like the fragrance of the rose – we haven’t quite described him. He still eludes us. Christ told us in John 6 that he is the Manna from Heaven – never forget that the word “Manna” doesn’t really translate into the word “Bread”, it literally translates as “What is it?” For all of our talk tonight, Jesus remains the Great What Is It? Why is truth so elusive? Because truth isn’t a list of beliefs or statements or mathematical formulas that can simply be memorized. It’s not a philosophical system or the end of a journey where you can arrive and then be done. Truth is a person – Jesus Christ – and knowing the Truth is a relationship. Just as getting to know a person takes time, getting to know Jesus can happen no faster. It happens day by day, meeting with him, talking with him, listening to him, being with him and obeying him.

Rev. William A. Muhlenberg

Rev. William A. Muhlenberg

Today’s Gospel is very interesting to me… It seems to me, in every movie I’ve ever seen about Jesus; he goes into the Temple drives out the money-changers and merchants, then his disciples close protectively around him and help Jesus make a get away before the Roman soldiers can arrest him.

But that’s not what happens here, in this Gospel Jesus is seen to hang around for awhile! Matthew portrays Jesus as first chasing out the money-changers and merchants, then Matthew tells us; “The blind and lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them.”

As our good priest pointed out in her sermon about the lame man at the Temple-gate called “Beautiful” a couple of weeks ago; the blind, the lame, the diseased, handicapped and defective were not permitted to enter the temple. Ever. It was against the Law of Moses to allow such a person into the temple… Yet, once the money-changers and merchants are driven out, Jesus bids the blind and the lame to come into God’s house and be healed. Money out! People in!… I’d like to make a quick footnote here. Money itself is not evil, it is greed, corrupted power and exclusivity that’s evil. But for the sake of brevity, I will be saying; “Money out, people in!”

This is not the first time we see this pattern in the Gospels. The first time is in Luke, when Jesus is born in a humble stable and the shepherds are bid to come and worship. Jesus could easily have been born in a palace and worshiped by the kings of the world – but then the shepherds would have been excluded. This way, however, anyone who wanted to come to the stable would be allowed in, the lowly Shepherds as well as the Three Wise Kings.

Another time we see the Money out – people in pattern is at the River Jordan. In the day and age that Jesus lived, the normal, orthodox and sanctioned way to get your sins forgiven and be made reconciled to God was to; take the time off work, pay for the long journey to Jerusalem, pay for lodging, buy and present the acceptable sacrifice the Law prescribed to the priest. Getting your sins forgiven and being reconciled to God was an expensive proposition! Consider now, that the Jews were living in a Roman occupied country and were being outrageously taxed. Consider too, that the majority of people did not own their homes or their land and had to pay landlords. Finally, they also had to pay for their ten-percent tithe, pay for their food, clothes and medicine. It just was not happening, there was not enough to go around… So, what really happened was this; the people who could not afford the trip to Jerusalem or the price of the sacrifice remained at home and lived in their sins, divorced from God, feeling lonely or doomed because of their poverty.

Then came John the Baptist, who dared to declare that God’s forgiveness is as free as Jordan River water! To all those who were outcast from the temple, whether because they were too poor to pay or because they were blind, lame, diseased… None of that mattered any more. Come to the Jordan, be forgiven, be reconciled to God! Be healed… Why was Jesus baptized? To confirm that God will meet you in the water, in that Sacrament. To confirm that God and his forgiveness is not to be bought and paid for – it’s free! And not just for a select few, but for all who have the desire to meet God… No wonder the Pharisees were standing there on the banks of the Jordan, demanding of John; “Who are you? Who gave you the right to do this?” From their point of view, John was robbing them of clients, robbing them of money and threatening to put them out of a job altogether. Money out! People in!

Yet another time we see this pattern of money out, people in… When the little woman who had been bleeding for 12 years comes on the scene. We’re told that she’d spent allher money on doctors – in vain, apparently. Not one of them cured her. But here she is, 12 years sick, flat broke and still clinging to hope. She sees Jesus walking by and says to herself, “if I but touch the hem of his robe, I’ll be cured.” Low and behold, that’s just what happens! What does it mean that Jesus healed her, or healed anyone? True enough, it demonstrates his love for us and let’s not belittle that at all – but it’s also a backhand slap at the doctors who would rob a woman of all her money. How so? Because Jesus healed her and all the people who came to him for FREE. Money out! People in!

Needless to say, this new philosophy was not only revolutionary, it turned the whole world completely upside down. For a time anyway, but somehow, it got lost somewhere along the way… And it was not only misplaced by the Catholic Church, which sought to the own the world and call it “Christendom”, selling saintly relics and indulgences – telling people they could buy their way to heaven. It was misplaced by the Protestant Churches too, as we will see.

Today we celebrate the feast of Reverend William Augustine Muhlenberg, a daring and joyful priest  who would lead us in the way of Christ’s revolution and have great impact on the Church today.

William graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1817. These two feats alone tell us the man was a scholar. But his list of accomplishments are incredible. He helped to found the Philomathean Society. He served at St. James Church and Church of the Holy Communion. He founded the Flushing Institute (later called St. Paul’s College). He founded St. Luke’s Hospital. He also founded The Evangelical Catholic, a church newspaper and he was instrumental in getting the Episcopal Church to expand its use of hymns in worship. Which makes sense, considering he wrote quite a few hymns himself – he definitely believed in making a joyful noise to the Lord!…  He created and named the first Convent of Protestant nuns in America. At Church of the Holy Communion, he began a parish school and created a parish unemployment fund. WHEW! A whirlwind of activity, all requiring quite a bit of scholarship and managerial skills. Still, while each one of these accomplishments is impressive by itself and the whole of list of them almost overwhelming, virtually noneof these is the reason I’ve chosen to pay tribute to his life, virtually none of these is the reason I love the Rev. William Muhlenberg.

William was not just a scholar, he was more than just a brain. He was man with a great heart and an enormous love for Christ. As a demonstration of his great love for Christ, he took particular care of the Lord’s house. One source tells us that William “made extensive use of music, flowers, vestments, and an emphasis on the Church year and on sacramental worship.” He loved the house of the Lord, he wanted it to be beautiful. Not necessarily ornate. Music, flowers, and vestments do not need to be ornate to be beautiful. Rather, what William was passionate to convey is, that we need to care for the house of the Lord – bring him such simple offerings as flowers and musical praise, need to be joyful in His presence.

William not only loved the Lord. He loved the Lord’s people, indeed he had the heart and compassion of Christ.

When he came to New York City, to serve as priest for the Church of the Holy Communion this is what he found; New York City was literally a concrete jungle. It was tenement built on top of tenement, built on top of tenement. There were no trees, no parks, no fields. There was no air-conditioning in summer and people everywhere in the streets, literally standing on top of each other. Believe me when I tell you, the air was hot, humid, polluted and it stank. The New York Times called the living conditions “vile”. And it was! The conditions were vile and ripe for epidemic. And it came, the great tuberculosis epidemic. This was a tough and merciless time in America’s history. There was no government Unemployment fund, there was no Welfare, no Medicaid, no Social-security. Often, very young children were forced to do hard manual labor, for long hours. If you were poor, it was your own fault and your own tough-luck. When the tuberculosis epidemic hit, the government did not rush in to help. And from what I can see America’s elite families, wealthy families did not rush in to help either.

Rev. Muhlenberg however, did not sit on his hands. He helped to create the “Fresh-Air Fund”, which was designed to perform one simple mission – to allow children living in disadvantaged communities to get away from hot, noisy city streets and enjoy free summer vacations in the country, where they could see the green fields and enjoy the fresh air.

In the winter, William enticed the children to come out to Times Square, where he had installed the City’s first Christmas tree for the poor to enjoy.

But, following the example of Jesus, William’s greatest accomplishment was in opening the doors of God’s house for everyone to come in and be forgiven, be healed, and praise God together. In William’s day, people could not just walk into a Church and sit anywhere they wanted. In his day, it was the common practice for people to pay rent for their very own private cushioned pews. That was true for Church of Saviour too, that’s why there are numbers fixed onto the ends of each of these pews… William however, held the firm conviction that the Church should minister to all social groups. No one should be excluded, for any reason, let alone just because they were too poor to pay rent on a pew! So, he abolished the Pew-rental system and declared that everyone, rich and poor alike should come and worship God freely and on equal footing…

Okay, true enough, William abolished the pew-tax and enabled everyone to come and worship for free, but don’t let the word “free” fool you. William would have been the first to remind his people of the words of Jesus; “Freely you have received, now go and freely give.”

This brings me to the second thing I love about William. He called himself an “Evangelical Catholic”. Meaning, he firmly believed and preached that no one could buy their way into heaven with good works. No, Salvation was the free gift of God, requiring only faith. But, William also believed that faith and love of the Lord would naturally produce good works – just as an apple tree naturally produces apples. I’m sure he preached long and often from the book of James 2:14-18, which reads;

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? ¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.¹⁶If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead…   Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

In other words, once everyone was finally allowed into the house of God, William encouraged them to use their God-given talents to build up the Body of Christ, to become living stones of the living Church.

Isn’t that what the first reading, from Ephesians was about? “The gifts Christ gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…” To equip the saints for the work of ministry. Hey, that’s the Good News folks, we are all called to be ministers to a hurting world.

William understood it didn’t really matter if there were some in the congregation that didn’t have a penny to give. He understood that everyone did indeed, have something to give. Whether it was leading the Sunday school, cleaning the toilets, mopping the floor, repairing a leak, mowing the grass – everyone had something to contribute. And not only to the Church but also to those outside the Church. He preached that every Christian had an absolute obligation to do their best to perform the Corporal Works of Mercy found in the Sermon on the Mount; Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, visit the sick, ransom the captive, bury the dead.

So we see that William was completely in love with the Church of Christ. He decorated the building with flowers, vestments and music. He brought everyone, all of the children of God through the doors. He empowered people, teaching them to use their gifts for the good of the Church and he sent them out as healing ministers to a hurting world… He could definitely cry out with today’s Psalm; “How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord!… Happy are they who dwell in your house they will always be praising you!”

- AMEN!