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Dear friends and members of University UMC:
Maybe it’s because Advent begins soon, but I’m thinking about the Christian Liturgical Calendar today. At its best, the calendar not only helps us remember the life story of Jesus, but it also frames our lived experiences within the story. Whatever the season - lament or hope, grief or joy, common or extraordinary - there is a liturgical season that captures such experiences. |
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| | The calendar begins with the waiting season of Advent before Christmas and ends with Christ the King Sunday. We may be more familiar with Advent and Christmas and less familiar with Christ the King Sunday. Even more, we may recoil when hearing Jesus referred to as a king. But the very language of “king” and “kingdom” is a reminder that Jesus did not come to overthrow a beloved community of people wrapped in the kinship of loving acts centered in justice and mercy. Rather, Jesus came to judge all who fail to acknowledge the image of the sacred in our neighbor, and those who contribute to systems of oppression. A traditional reading for Christ the King Sunday is Matthew 25, part of which reads: |
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| When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ |
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| This is the same passage that will be read in worship on Sunday, November 16. Bishop Cynthia Harvey is challenging us to be “A Matthew 25 Church!” In other words, we are called to be the ones who feed the hungry, who volunteer, and find ways to help.
As a pastor, I live immersed in the Christian Liturgical Calendar. I’m aware of where we are in the calendar, but I’m looking both backwards and forwards to where we’ve been and where we’ll be headed. Putting it this way, it must be that everyone is living in the present while also thinking of the past and the future. Advent and even Christmas Eve preparations are underway. And I’m still holding in my heart the high holy Sunday of All Saints we observed just a few weeks ago. All Saints is a time to remember those who have died in the faith within our church community. It is also a time to remember those who are no longer with us, but whose lives have impacted us in such profound ways that they are with us still. In a world that is often death-denying and quick to promote a “Good Vibes Only!” mentality, All Saints is an invitation to grieve. |
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| This year on All Saints, our Sanctuary Choir gifted us with Howard Goodall’s requiem, "Eternal Light." You can listen to the entire requiem on our YouTube channel. Link below. As we worshiped earlier this month on All Saints Day, many tears were shed in the sanctuary. We mourned the loss of loved ones. We mourned the state of the world. Movement 3, entitled “Litany of Belief,” in particular tugged at my heartstrings. |
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| In recent days, I’ve discovered (thanks in part to some of you!) a few resources about grief I want to pass along. First is an interview with Ken Burns by Anderson Cooper. I’ve long been a fan of Cooper’s podcast on grief, “All There Is," but I haven’t caught up to this latest season. Many thanks to Beth Kelley for letting me know about one interview, in particular. In it, legendary film documentarian Ken Burns shares about his own grief journey and experiences. He lost his mother when he was not yet a teenager. This interview is a treasure, and I hope you’ll have time to listen. In general, I highly recommend “All There Is.”
Also, thanks to Lauren Hanks for letting me know about a new book of poetry, entitled “Turning Towards Grief,” by James Crew. Lauren has been involved in our Poetry Club at UUMC. |
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| | | I believe it is a quietly radical act to allow ourselves to turn toward our grief, and to stay broken and wounded for as long as we need to. Our culture's fixation with fixing things too quickly often harms rather than heals. |
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Finally, I want you to know about a beautiful book by Geraldine Brooks, entitled “Memorial Days.” I’ve long appreciated this novelist. The first book of hers I read was “Year of Wonders,” and my favorite is “People of the Book.” In this deeply personal memoir, Brooks shares about her grief journey when her husband died. I’m glad to have been introduced to this book. |
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| “Our culture is averse to sad”, she writes. “We want people to be happy. We’re chagrined and slightly offended when they’re not. There is a desire to cheer them up. And then later, there will be a glancing at the wristwatch, a tapping of the foot if they cannot be cheered, if their grief is perceived to go on too long. I wish we could resist those things.” |
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I’m not sure where you find yourself this day. In a period of waiting or in a growing season. In a time of repentance or anticipation. In a season of joy, sorrow, or somewhere in between. Wherever you are on your faith journey or life journey, may you give yourself the gift of honoring each emotion and experience that visits you. And may you know the love of God is with you.
What a joy to be your pastor!
Teresa |
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| Kintsugi Again
In the Japanese art of mending ceramics
with powdered gold, no one evertalks about how they’d leave the pots,cups, and cracked bowls brokenfor a while, sometimes whole generations.And so I say to you: let your heart stayshattered in your chest, let it ache.Some may claim you’ve now beenbroken open, and can let in the light.This might be true, but before you rushto gloss over the wounds, fillingthe holes with gold so they glimmer,try to find beauty in the broken places too,proof of where the fire left its marks on you.– James Crew, from his latest book “Turning Toward Grief” |
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| | Anderson Cooper hosts a podcast called 'All There Is' where he listens to people sharing their grief experiences. Here is his interview with Ken Burns. |
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| | Worship All Saints Sunday at University UMC: Eternal Light: A Requiem by Howard Goodall |
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| | The Christian calendar begins with a season of waiting. We anticipate his birth during Advent and celebrate it at Christmas. We recall the visit of the magi at Epiphany and his baptism by John the Baptist before beginning his teaching and preaching and healing ministry. We encounter the somber and reflective season of Lent, remembering his time in the wilderness and journey to the cross. We celebrate Easter and the promise that the worst things are never the last things, that life triumphs over death and love wins. We remember the birth of the early church at Pentecost before heading into the growing season of ordinary time. Named ordinary - not, as I thought as a child, because it is a boring season when nothing is happening. As the United Methodist’s Discipleship Ministries puts it: “The word "ordinary" here does not mean “routine” or “not special.” Instead, it refers to the "ordinal numbers" (first, second, third, etc.) used to name and count the Sundays (such as the Third Sunday after Epiphany). This term comes from the Latin ordinalis, meaning "numbered" or "ordered," and tempus ordinarium, “measured time.” After the so-called ordinary time, Jesus is on the throne judging nations for their compassion and justice or lack thereof and we ready ourselves to remember the coming of Christ one more time. |
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