Saturday, March 13, 2010

A Way in the Wilderness


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Originally uploaded by cageyj
A week from tomorrow, which is the Fifth Sunday, my turn in the cycle of preachers in our little Episcopal Church in Cloquet, St. Andrews, arrives. This meditation lays out some of the ideas for a homily.

I have a wealth of material: Mary who anoints Jesus feet. John identifies hers as the sister of Lazarus whom Jesus has returned to his sisters from the dead. I can imagine the immense gratefulness in Mary’s heart.

Luke relates a similar story a woman anointing Jesus feet that he designates as a “woman of ill repute.” The other gospels tell of women anointing Jesus, but his head.

Of course, down though the ages much confusion reigns: Same woman? Different event? A respectable Friend of the Family? A woman of disgrace?

The disgraced woman spin from centuries with Old Men in charge? Might it be a different spin with Old Women retelling the story?

Anyhow who cares! Because of this ambiguity she is a story tellers delight. I will recast the story in a way which forces the listener to question their own judgment about this woman.

My reading during this portion of Lent is the biography of John Newton: slaver, captain of slave ships in the infamous Middle Passage, repentant, Evangelical Anglican preacher, spiritual guide to William Wilberforce who for twenty-six years led the fight in Parliament to abolish the slave trade. Wilberforce succeeded in 1803. John Newton advised Wilberforce to remain a politician in Parliament rather than study for the ministry, convincing him he would be more valuable to the cause of slavery’s abolition as a politician. In 1833, three days before Wilberforce died, Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire. Some three decades before the United States!

I impishly delight in the juxtaposition: whore – politician whom we both praise for the great good they bring. I won't go there in the homily, however!

The collect prayer leads further: “God, you alone can bring can bring order to the unruly will and affections of sinners”

It seems to me that we often diminish the outrageous generous behavior of God who deals to so open-handedly with the Mary’s and John Newton's and pulls great good from the jaws of evil. We often say the sinner repented and God embraced them – but seems to me God embraces and then helps the person sort out the evil and good in a their life and most importantly how to respond. Then repentance become possible.

And the Hebrew Scriptures from Isaiah add a wealth of images: “Make a way in the sea, a path in the waters”; “do not remember former things, or consider the things of old.”, “Make river in the desert”, “give water in the wilderness” --- all descriptions of the results of a Mary or a John Newton.

Some of us clutch fast to our evils. Some we’ve done, some we only imagine we’ve done. Afraid to lay the mess into Another’s hands who can help us “bring order to our unruly wills and affections” Others have the eyes of our hearts so closed in denial to the major or petty evils of our lives because we dare not hope God can bring good from acknowledged evil.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Northeastern Minnesota Trails


Soon some of Minnesota's most beautiful hiking trails will join the North Country National Scenic Trail. This trail runs more than 4,600 miles from Crown Point in eastern New York to Lake Sakakawea in western North Dakota.

If legislation passes congress to reroute the trail, the Superior Hiking Trail, the Border Route Trail and the Kekekabic Trail all legendary will be incorporated into North Country National Scenic Trail.

The NCNST, longest of the 11 National Scenic Trails authorized by congress passes through seven staints. The National Park Service administers the trail but primarily volunteers maintain the trail.
I'm not of an age when I am likely to hike the entire 4600 miles, but I have hike portions of the Minnesota Arrowhead trails singled out for inclusion.
Inclusion would be a wonderful reward for the many volunteers who have planned, built and maintained these trails.