BUILDING RESILIENCE IN TROUBLING TIMES: A Dialogue in 3 parts

This Saturday night, April 4,  I will be joined by Tibetan Buddhist Khen Rinpoche Geshe Kachen Lobzang Tsetan and psycholgist Phyllis Watts for a forum on building resilience.  We will each speak briefly from our different perspectives, then we will open it up for questions.  The forum will be at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento on 27th and Capitol, and will begin at 7:00.  You can find the flier HERE.

Sermon: The Mystery of the Cross, March 22, 2009.

This sermon was preached on the 4th Sunday in Lent and is based on John 3:14-21.

Bishop Ely on Gay Marriage in Vermont

The Vermont Legislature is considering legalizing same-sex marriages.  Bishop Ely, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont testified at the state Senate.  You can read his entire testimony, preceded by a letter to his clergy, here.  Here are a couple of paragraphs:

Marriage equality means different things to different people, but among the things it means to me is that the values I hold dear in my own marriage and in the marriages of other men and women of faith can be celebrated by all. Those values include the mutual love and support of another person in a committed life-long relationship, in which fidelity, joy, help and comfort in all circumstances can be respected and practiced, and through which the stability of family can be provided for those who choose to care and nurture children. I do not believe that this legislation will diminish, or compromise, the integrity of marriage (certainly not my marriage). Rather, I believe it has the possibility to strengthen our understanding and appreciation of marriage as we witness the love and fidelity of gay and lesbian couples alongside that of straight couples.

You need not, nor should not, wait for a consensus to emerge among the various religious communities active within our state. That is not likely to happen for a very long time. In this case, justice delayed is justice denied. The Episcopal Church, other Christian churches, and other religious faiths all have their work to do, and each will need to live with integrity with this new law, just as we have learned to live with the conviction of our various beliefs in response to Civil Union legislation. This will not be easy for the Episcopal Church here in Vermont and throughout our denomination. Our Canons and our Book of Common Prayer are clear in the use of marriage as between one man and one woman. Many are working to expand that understanding, but that will require the action of our General Convention. In the meantime, we here in Vermont will continue to provide the very best pastoral care we can to all couples who seek God’s blessing on their faithful, committed, monogamous relationships.

votive candles

We’ve begun running advertisements in the Sacramento News & Review again.   Here’s what I wrote this week:
 
We’re experiencing a run on votive candles – the little candles that are lit as prayers.  People come into the Cathedral, light a candle in the side chapel, and then kneel or sit and pray.  It is happening more and more these days.  While I am concerned about the underlying issues that are creating anxiety, such as our current economy, and I want the church to be involved in concrete solutions to people’s practical needs, I am pleased that the Cathedral can also be a place of solace and comfort.  All too often churches get distracted by their doctrine or protecting their religious turf that they become unwelcome to many broken human hearts.   You, and whatever burdens you may be carrying, are welcome at Trinity.  And if you need one, a candle is waiting for you.

Buddhist and Christian Meditation -B. Alan Wallace at Trinity

On Friday, March 13, 2009 B. Alan Wallace spoke at Trinity Cathedral in Sacramento.  Dr. Wallace is the author of many books including Mind in the Balance: Meditation in Science, Buddhism and Christianity.   I divided the video into 20 minute segments.   I apologize for the poor quality.   I’ve also uploaded the videos into my Vimeo account and created a “Buddhism” album.  If the links below don’t work, try going HERE.
DrWallaceTrinity1.wmv

DrWallaceTrinity2.wmv

DrWallaceTrinity3.wmv

DrWallaceTrinity4.wmv

DrWallaceTrinity5.wmv

Fasting for Lent

I wrote this last Thursday but didn’t get it posted.

It’s now the first week of Lent and I’ve begun to settle into my practices. It usually takes me a few days to really figure out what I’m going to focus on for the season. One of the things I am doing this Lent is fasting every Wednesday. It is a new practice for me. I’ve never had much interest. I’ve tried little fasts, abstaining from desserts, or skipping a meal, but not regularly skipping eating for an entire day. But I decided to not eat on Ash Wednesday and was intrigued by the results, so I’m doing it every Wednesday. One of the things of which I’m becoming aware is how unconscious my eating habits are. When I’m hungry, I reflexively eat. I don’t pay much attention to the act of eating or what I’m eating. I’m not mindful in my eating. I just eat. But by skipping food once a day, I somehow hit the reset button on my desire for food. Today, the day after fasting, I’m more conscious about how I relate to food. I’m more aware, and more appreciative, of the food I get to eat. Not in an “I’m starved” kind of way—more of a “this is lovely” kind of way. I suspect changing other patterns of behavior can help us be more mindful in other areas of our lives. How are your disciplines going? If you haven’t settled into something, it’s not too late to start.

Sermon (Video): Take your Cross and Follow Me

This sermon explores the shocking turn of events when Jesus leaveshis successufl ministry to head to Jerusalem where he will be crucified–and his invitation to us to follow in his footsteps.  Based on    Mark 8:27-38

Sermon: Remember you are Dust, March 1, 2009

This sermon uses the poignant words of Ash Wednesday, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” as an invitation to a holy Lent.

You can listen to it HERE.

Amazing Reconciliation Video

 A message of gracious reconciliation.  From a bank!  Isn’t this what the church shoud be about?

(I got this from the great folks at Episcopal Cafe.

Prop 8 & Supreme Court

I’ve been feeling terribly neglectful of The Cause lately.  I had a family conflict that kept me away from the vigil last night.  My son and I arrived just after it ended.  Then today I was in a meeting all morning so I couldn’t hear anything.  So I can’t even opine.  I just found a blow-by-blow blog by the National Center for Lesbian Rights.  Here’s the final post and a link:

Final points from the argument

March 5, 2009

In her rebuttal, Stewart points out that there is a clear line between what can be done by revision, and what can be done by amendment. She emphasizes that it is not appropriate to take away a fundamental right for a select group through the amendment process because when the majority votes on a rule that will not apply to itself, the democratic process is not functioning the way it should.

With that, the argument is over. These three hours have gone by incredibly fast, and we saw some amazing advocacy from Shannon, Terry Stewart, and the other attorneys for our side. We also saw some tough questioning from the Court. It is impossible to predict the outcome of any case based on the questions asked during oral argument, but we did get a sense of some of the issues the justices are especially concerned with. Most importantly, it was very clear that the Court is fully engaged with the issues and has given, and will continue to give, this case the intense consideration it deserves.

We can expect a decision within 90 days. To find out about the decision as soon as it happens, you can text ‘nclr’ to 69866 to join NCLR’s Mobile Alerts. We’ll text you when the CA Supreme Court issues a ruling in our case to overturn Prop 8.

You can find it all HERE.