“Epiphany” - A Season to Blossom

As I write this, I feel a little burned out from Christmas. It has been said that “Christmas falls like a seed on soil exhausted by too many harvests” or sometimes we are of two minds about how we welcome the Christ child into our lives and hearts. We are a little like the Inn Keeper: we want the child around but maybe “outback.” Having said that, I have just said goodbye to Erin again who has emailed me that she has safely arrived in Afghanistan and thanks me for a wonderful Christmas. It couldn’t have been a better Christmas with everyone safely gathered in enjoying one another’s company.

Imagining her arrival in Afghanistan which many have said is a place of beauty even though it looks like in many places craters on the moon. I suppose Epiphany is a season that is best described as a blossom in which we discover the wonder of God’s presence in our life. Epiphany is characterized by the journey of the wise men found in Matthew 2: 1-12 where three Persians sometimes called Kings or Magi follow a star that leads them to Bethlehem. Actually from Matthew’s point of view, these are authentic spiritual seekers who are journeying in search of truth and hunger for a deeper meaning to life's questions.

In the sermon on the mount, Matthew reports Jesus saying: “Ask, and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be open to you (Matt. 7:7).” This is an invitation for you to seek and ask deeper questions of yourself and of the universe. This may ask something of you too; that you journey long and hard to discover what God is doing in the world and what you need to be doing yourself.

St. Augustine has a very famous passage in his confessions: “The heart is restless until it finds it’s rest in thee.” I have never understood hearts that weren’t restless. I even have a hard time trying to understand bright and intelligent people who aren’t hungering for God. People who aren’t looking and searching to discover a message that will enable them to find light for their journey, meaning for their lives and a sense of fulfillment for their soul. You are just kidding yourself if you are not hungry for spiritual things unless your soul has shrunk or shriveled to where you have no appetite at all. For me, our universe is fraught with wonder and purpose. I feel I don’t have enough time or enough energy to embrace the many opportunities that invite me into the lives, and the great moments that are available for me to learn, grow and blossom. When Jesus says “I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” He is really offering an invitation to journey in a deeper way to where we might find fertile soil to take root and to blossom.

The church lives by seasons. Advent is a time of anticipation, Christmas is the miracle of the incarnation of the word becoming flesh in a baby and Epiphany is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world. It is the invitation to blossom, to learn, to discover and to embrace this mystery of God that becomes known to us in Jesus Christ.

The invitation is always there for all of us who hunger for God to come to Christ’s table and receive the bread of life. Commit yourself as much as you can to as much of God as you believe in....That is an honest commitment. Make that commitment, not for your own sake alone but for the sake of others, of this community and of the world.

There is a lot of brokenness and pain in this world but in the words of Leonard Cohen from his song anthem “Ring the bells that still can ring, forget the perfect offering, there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

May the light of Christ enter in to the broken places of your life and of this world. Happy Epiphany.

--MEH

Power is a Precious Commodity

Certain things that you take for granted like electricity which provides power to your home, in some cases hot water, heat and gas when taken away can make you realize that a necessity is really a luxury. The first thing that came across my mind when we lost power, sat in the cold looking at candles lit giving us light was the shanty towns I saw in Johannesburg, South Africa. These little villages have some wires going into homes that were made of tin, cardboard, makeshift pieces of wood that I am sure were on dirt floors. Just to get electricity into these places must be quite a job and I’m sure it is not done with the type of safety that we require in our country.

Power is a precious commodity that I never think about. In fact as I walked from room to room with a flashlight, I would hit the light switch out of habit and always be a little surprised that nothing happened. Another reminder of what we take for granted.

Sometimes things sweep into your life like a storm and raise havoc with your plans and your routine. For me it was rather small, a little less than a week without power. I was uncomfortable and I was in the middle of fighting a bad sinus infection, but all in all, it was not like the pictures I’ve seen of people trying to recover and find lost pictures, scattered about as their house lay in rubble. We were not the people of Breezy Point who saw 80 houses go up in blaze with nothing they can do but watch as the fire grew bigger and bigger and their whole life turned into cinders.
"We watched the whole place go up in flames. It was hell night. It was the devil's night," said resident Thomas
Reicherter.

It is interesting what disaster does to people. In some cases, it makes them more creative, it makes them think outside of the box and find new ways to get the things they need for life. For example, my daughter Allison went to Starbucks to get power for her computer and internet needs. Starbucks had kids standing around the outside of the store with cell phones trying to get the Wifi connection. As Allison and her friend Brian sat in Starbucks, there was a young woman who came with a power strip who plugged it in. Soon they and others asked her if they could plug into her power strip and of course she was more than gracious in allowing them to do that. Soon people were buying here lattes, cakes and other items. She probably never had to pay for a thing and had plenty of supplies in terms of food all night long.

I’m sure there is a sermon in here somewhere but let me say this, each of us needs to think of ourselves as a power strip that when connected to the source of all power, we can make a difference in the lives of others. Maybe we shouldn’t count ourselves short when it comes to our ability to give, to help and to support others who are in need. If people plug into us, they may discover a vast resource and we might even discover that we have a lot more to contribute than we thought!

In the end, don’t underestimate yourself and the gifts God gives you.

--MEH

“The Everyday Olympics”

I am not sure how much of your summer was taken up watching the Summer Olympic Games in London? I know from time to time I was watching everything from Michael Phelps taking home the most medals ever to Olympic fencing, equestrian events and Gaby Douglas and the fabulous five do unbelievable gymnastic routines. I was also mesmerized by the opening of the olympics which had everything from the history of England, to Harry Potter, to Mary Poppins’ falling from the sky with umbrellas to Paul McCartney singing as well as ever. It has been quite an experience just watching it on television.

What is also interesting are the life stories behind the scenes. They are stories of enormous discipline and sacrifices just to compete for the gold medal in their field. Some like Gaby Douglas were separated from their family as she went to Iowa to train. Others were never told that their grandmother died or that their mother had breast cancer because they didn’t want to upset the concentration of these young athletes on obtaining the goal of victory.

Today the Olympics are big commercially. Companies are fighting to sponsor the Olympics and get their name out there for all of us to see as we watch the Olympics on television. There is big money at stake for the cities that compete to hold the Olympics and the whole thing seems to be very commercialized. It was not always that way. I happen to run across an article on elderly people who had competed in the Olympic games the last time it was held in London. They are mere shadows of their former selves. In fact, some are holding a cane and one is in a wheelchair. Time has a way of taking things away from us that we once took for granted. Few of us can even remember the Olympic games of London that took place in 1948 just after World War II. As I looked at these former gold medal winners, I thought of the hymn “Oh God our help in Ages Past” which has the verse “Time like an ever rolling stream soon bares us all the way.”

The ’48 Summer Olympics in London was the first after a twelve year hiatus caused by World War II. The United States sent 300 athletes by boat to discover a city still devastated by years of bombing. The games were known that year as the “Austerity Games.” Food rationing was still going on. No one had fancy uniforms and most brought their own equipment with them. As I looked at these old men and one old black woman who were winners over 60 years ago, I was moved. The Olympics were one of the greatest moments of their lives. Bill Smith won 2 gold medals with a 400 meter freestyle and the freestyle relay. He said simply that he trained in an irrigation ditch. Harry Marcoplos at 86 was in field hockey. He said “We didn’t win any gold medals, but I guarantee you we improved ourselves.” Finally, Frank Havens, 87, competed in 4 Olympic games. Won the silver medal and a gold medal. He said these profound words, “After it was over, a reporter was there, and they asked what I was thinking about. And I said well, I am thinking about the sacrifice my dad made.” When I read that, it took my breath away. I guess an experience like this makes you reflect upon the scope of your life and those who helped you to get where you are.

Sometimes we think that we have earned everything and we deserve it all. But those of us who are humble enough to see beyond our egos and self-centeredness realize that we are where we are because of the people who have helped us to get there. There are the teachers who inspired us, there are those who have encouraged us in our lives from friends, peers and of course our parents. As I look at my life, many people took time to nurture what looked like a good prospect who could become an able pastor. All I can say is that life is meant to be lived with gratitude and generosity when we pass things on.

Another interesting aspect of the Christian faith is that St. Paul likens the Christian journey to that of the Olympics. He writes in Philippians “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” It sounds like language of a coach who could be training an athlete to win at the London Olympics. I know that when I ran the New York City Marathon, I repeated every mile the words from Philippians “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In the end, we all face what these old timers are facing now which is the end of their lives. Throughout our life, we all face difficulties, obstacles, challenges, losses and sometimes great pain. It is not easy. On the other hand, when times get tough, we need to reach back for the resources that we are given that will allow us to come through these hardships and win the day. It is my prayer that as you look towards September and the busyness and chaos that fall brings, that you will greet it as an opportunity to continue to grow and be enriched by everyone you meet. As the laid-backness of summer is over and the stress of our own “Everyday Olympics” continues may you find the strength, energy and discipline to not grow weary of doing good things in the name of our Lord.

--MEH

A Message from Red Square

Thoughts on the meaning of Easter

One of the dreams of my life was fulfilled when I was able to walk into what is known today as “Red Square.” I tried to imagine it when I was young as Communist leaders stood up on the high walls of the Kremlin and waved their hands to huge displays of missiles and soldiers marching. It was scary yet exciting and intriguing to a young boy growing up in the middle of the “Cold War.”

Two summers ago, I was able to put my feet down on this piece of ground in Moscow. I also visited a mausoleum. It was a bit ere as I walked down into this modern mausoleum. There was a line but only a certain number were allowed in at a time. It was dimly lit and there was this strange smell that permeated this bomb shelter like structure.

Then at the bottom of the steps there was this light that shined directly on the body. He looked good for being dead since the early 20’s. He looked like he was asleep - this mummy like body. He could have been made up by Estee Lauder and looked like someone out of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.

There he was Vladimir, known for over a century now by his Bolshevik name, Lenin. He was one of history’s greatest mass murderers. In the course of his ruthless efforts to impose communism on Russia and it’s neighbors through brutal force, terror, and extra-judicial homicides in the millions, he became one of the greatest persecutors of the Christian church in two millennia.

Lenin’s minions killed more Christians in a slow week than the last of the great Roman persecutors, Diocletian, did in years.

Boris Yeltsin along with the Orthodox Church wanted him gone. They moved Stalin a number of years earlier and put him under some trees nearby with lesser officials even though he ruled Russia with an iron fist for more that 30 years. He too was a mass murderer of even larger proportions. But when it came to moving Lenin, 30% were against it so Putin prevented the plans to move him. I guess 30% is a majority in Russia?

It was the smell of death and a desire to anoint Jesus’ body that led the women to the grave that Easter morning. No matter what you do, you can’t remove the smell of death. There is not enough embalming fluid to bring you back to your old self. In fact I kind of chuckle when I stand in front of a body during a wake and people say “Doesn’t he look good?” I think to myself, nobody looks good after you have been embalmed. Perfume, makeup and a hairdresser can’t make you look like you are alive or bring you back to life. Death has a finality about it.

We have just been through 40 days of Lent and are deep into the Easter season. Jesus is risen - risen indeed as Christian’s have said for centuries. He is Christus Victor. He is the one who has conquered death, stared down death and has risen from the dead. This signals new life, hope, energy and vitality. This is the Christian proposal to the whole world. It comes to us in many ways - but first of all it simply says that the grave is not our final resting place. It says that love is stronger than hate, hope overcomes despair and life conquers death. Christians for centuries have declared this message of the abundant life, of new life and of life eternal.

You probably do not remember the name Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin. During his day he was as powerful a man as there was on earth. As a Russian Communist leader he took part in the Bolshevik Revolution 1917, was editor of the Soviet newspaper Pravda (which by the way means truth), and was a full member of the Politburo.

His works on economics and political science are still read today. There is a story told about a journey he took from Moscow to Kiev in 1930 to address a huge assembly on the subject of atheism. Addressing the crowd he aimed his heavy artillery at Christianity hurling insult, argument, and proof against it.

An hour later he was finished. He looked out at what seemed to be the smoldering ashes of men's faith. "Are there any questions?" Bukharin demanded. Deafening silence filled the auditorium but then one man approached the platform and mounted the lectern standing near the communist leader. He surveyed the crowd first to the left then to the right. Finally he shouted the ancient greeting known well in the Russian Orthodox Church: "CHRIST IS RISEN!" En masse the crowd arose and in unison, the response came crashing like the sound of thunder: "HE IS RISEN INDEED!"

This is the good news we share, this is the hope we proclaim and this is the love that empowers us. This Easter season we are reminded and encouraged to not only live out this message but to share it with others. *

--MEH

* The above was part of Pastor’s Easter Sunday sermon.

What’s the Matter with Sermons Today?

Advice from Philip Seymour Hoffman

I was recently visited by my insurance man who indicated to me that he was visiting St. John’s because the church he had been going to for the last thirty years had become a bit stale. Even though he socialized with his pastor and called him a good friend, he said that the sermons didn’t seem to be reaching him.

Sermons are an interesting phenomenon. They mean many things to many people. To the minister grinding them out every Sunday, or should I say writing them – they are a constant challenge, a nagging headache and a ticking time bomb. As soon as you are done with one, the clock begins ticking towards the next.

Sermons to others, who listen, can be a moment when a glaze begins to cover your face and from those observing, you look like a deer caught in the headlights. To others, it is a moment to close your eyelids for a moment that seems to move on to many moments. I once asked someone about their eyes being shut while I was preaching and they said that there were just closing their eyes to concentrate and remove the distractions from their surroundings. Hmmm, I’d like to believe that they were telling the truth, but I remain suspicious. To others, sermons are a topic for jokes. Let’s keep it short this time pastor. Pastors are very sensitive when it comes to sermons and often defensive.

One of the great actors of our time is Philip Seymour Hoffman who is currently starring in the Arthur Miller play, “Death of a Salesman.” He once played the lead role in the movie “Doubt” where he was a priest. The film revolves around the question of a priest’s culpability and gives excellent insight into the life in a Roman Catholic parish.

In an interview, Hoffman talks about his own interpretation of the role. He said “I did research by, among other things, going to church. As a kid, I was confirmed and I went to church, but I was bored. Now, I feel the opposite: a good sermon is just theatre. It combines the political scene, the scriptures, and I thought, Hey, I could do it like that. It’s like a teacher getting up and saying, this is the school I come from.”

Hoffman in his own brilliant way makes an observation that is lost on many. Luther often said that the bible is not simply to be read but it is to be proclaimed. A Viva Voce, a living voice that comes alive when it is proclaimed. Yes it is theatre, it’s fireworks, it’s drama, and it is as fresh as today’s news and in the pathos of it all, it becomes good news. It’s too bad that in the daily struggle that we ministers have, a lot of that passion gets lost because the day’s responsibilities, obligations and tasks nickel and dime all of the inspiration out of us.

The Leap Of Faith

Reflections on Jeremy Lin’s Jump Shot

Being the type of person that enjoys culture and everything associated with arts, music and religion, I am of course smiling when it comes to the media talking about being Christian. Often times Christianity is mocked or made fun of as passe. However recently we’ve all been surprised by two athletes who have risen to the front pages of our newspapers. Namely, Denver’s Tim Tebow and the Knicks’ Jeremy Lin.

It’s interesting that the media is making a big deal about the fact that Lin is a Christian. If anybody follows the Knicks, you have had many bruising years of disappointment, upset and even despair. Somehow in a haphazard way, Jeremy Lin rejected by other basketball teams and resigned to sitting on a couch even sleeping there is now given the Knicks one of their longest winning streaks in recent memory. He lights up the court with his once overlooked basketball skills which are amazing everyone. Night after night Lin has been helping the Knicks defeat all competitors and sometimes doing it in the fading minutes of the game.

What I find interesting is that Lin is Asian, he is tall but not by basketball standards (only 6’3”) and he is humble. But the papers are noting something more, namely that his faith has created an appeal too. For example, his success has fired the imagination of Asian American Christians and Christians in China who continue to face varying levels of persecution. Recently, I read that micro blogging messages tend to be very enthusiastic about his faith. “Your physical agility has shown me the glory and omnipotence of God” one internet user wrote. Another blogger wrote “How should young Christians live the life of the Lord?” It appears that Lin is becoming a natural symbol for Christians in China. “Just by his being a Christian, it is a fantastic way to broadcast the ways of Christ,” he said .

It is always interesting to watch how people resinate with great curiosity the commitment and beliefs of others. Soren Kierkegaard always was quick to point out that there are many who “flirt” with Christian beliefs and practices but who never really make a commitment. I’ve seen many so called “seekers” who are in a permanent holding pattern circling the airport but will never land. Sometimes it is appealing to watch someone who has decided to do what Kierkegaard also says is key to understanding the nature of faith. He says that faith is being willing to “take a leap into 50,000 fathoms.” Understood differently, faith involves a leap into the unknown with the trusting feelings that it will all be okay.

Luther points out that many of us needed props for our faith. However props really in his words destroy faith. So when a scientist declares something about god, or when people come back from the process of dying to say that they were floating on air, going into the next dimension but came back - this is really not what we mean when we talk about faith.

Believing, trusting, letting go of all the crutches, props and reassurances is what faith is all about. In a word, faith is trust. It’s hard to come by but for those fans of Lin and Tebow, it is very appealing. To us who believe it’s something we do every day when we let go and let God into our lives and our world. It’s not as glamorous as a jump shot for three points in the last second of a game but it does get you through the day when you seem to have run into a lot of dead ends and difficulties.

--MEH

Second Chances

Reflections on Lent

As I write this, my mind is jumping ahead to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. Lent to me is almost like New Year’s where you make a lot of resolutions that you hope will push you in the right direction - towards health, wellness and a deeper self realization. The text for the beginning of Lent is always about Jesus struggling with temptation in the wilderness to give up his calling and for that matter the purpose of his life. Lent can be a dramatic time in which struggle is very much a part of the season.

Actually, after seeing the movie “Descendants” I came to the realization that it is about Lent as well. George Clooney wakes up to discover his wife is dead and his two kids are living lives that he was out of touch with. For that matter, he was out of touch with the life that his wife was leading as well. Clooney is up for an Oscar, but I am told that in this role he is simply playing himself. I’m not sure, but I do think that he plays the role of a father in a wonderfully, open and non-reactive way. He eases into the discovery that he has been absent from the life his family was living and he has taken much for granted which was a mistake.

I enjoy the fact that he doesn’t give up but hangs in with his troubled children to discover what their life is all about. Because of his wife’s death, a door opens for him to rediscover what life is all about. He checked out for a long time but now he’s into the discipline and routine of what it means to be a parent. Many days parenting is not a glorious job rather it is a painfully difficult responsibility.

The reason why this movie reminds me of Lent is that George Clooney discovers that he has lacked the discipline and presence that go into being a good parent. He has been absent and has allowed his wife to handle the responsibility. He has just been the bread winner which of course accounts for something but doesn’t take the responsibility away from his role as a father.

Lent gives us second chances and challenges us to do better. It is an opportunity for repentance and forgiveness and restoration. Clooney takes advantage of the fact that he is getting a second chance. He is getting a chance to be there for his kids during a difficult time. He is getting a chance to get to know them in a way that he didn’t know before. He is getting a shot at being a real father.

What I appreciate about his role is that he takes a lot of heat from his children for being absent and distant and disconnected. When he tries to reconnect he gets hit hard with heavy and harsh criticism. But what I like the most is that he is really a non-anxious presence and doesn’t respond to his kids in the same way but rather takes the heat, listens and does not disconnect.

In fact he reconnects with a discipline he hasn’t known before namely the discipline of parenting. One of the the themes of Lent is discipline. Nothing gets done in this world without disciplined people making it happen. Back in the days of the first mayor, Richard Daly of Chicago, the slogan was “The garbage is always picked up.” It was just another way of saying that there was a discipline in running the city that you could count on and even set your clock by.

Actually when you look at your own life and try to find what you would call successes, they probably are connected to discipline. That is the seeming routine that you go through each day to hold your family together, to provide a sanctuary for your children and spouse and to develop a space where everyone can be nurtured and grow. Without discipline things just don’t happen and people can’t be counted on.

Lent asks us to take a second look at ourselves and how connected we are to the life God has given us. Over the course of the year, I’m sure we have all suffered setbacks, difficulties and loss of focus when it comes to achieving the important things that not only sustain life but enrich it. Lent is here for us to reexamine our journey, take a second look at the parts of us that are damaged and have failed. Lent is a chance to regroup, reestablish and refocus on what is important.

It is my hope that we can use Lent as an opportunity, not simply as an obligation.

--MEH

Entertaining Strangers

Reflections on Hospitality

If you go to Paris and walk around the left bank, you will discover an old somewhat dilapidated book store entitled “Shakespeare and Company.” By the way, they have a similar book store with the same name on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California. The one in Paris was featured in Woody Allen’s latest movie, “Midnight in Paris.” What makes this book shop important is that it’s owner, George Whitman recently died at the age of 98. His store and his apartment above the store was a magnet for writers, poets and tourists who came to see it, perhaps before or after they visited the Cathedral of Notre Dame which it overlooks on the Seine River. If you ever walk in it, it is a bit of a mess with books stacked everywhere and narrow aisles filled with more books.

What I didn’t know is that Mr. Whitman for decades provided food and makeshift beds for young, aspiring novelists or writers. He would always let them spend a night, a week or even months among the crowded alcoves of this rather claustrophobic place that sometimes smelled of old paper. He had a wishing well at the center of the store with a sign that said: “Give what you can and take what you need.” I found this interesting because it’s not often that you find a person that can open his life, his store and even his wallet to help people. But he did reach out to many and his visitors were like a list of who’s who of the literature world. People like Henry Miller, Samuel Beckett, James Baldwin, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Lawrence Ferlingetti were often seen in his book store. Actually it was estimated that he lodged some 40,000 people over the span of time that he was the owner and proprietor of this store.

The more I thought about this, the more I was amazed because it is not often that you find people that are so hospitable in our very hostile world. Most of the time we read about hostility, not hospitality. In fact, we live in a world of terrorists, angry protestors and brutality. Nations do inflammatory things to each other, we have seen dictators fall to angry mobs, we witness enormous cruelty every day in our newspapers when we read about the epidemics of bullying and domestic violence. It is enough to make you very cynical and even fearful as more and more Americans find themselves vulnerable to angry acts which may include random killings, kidnapping and other violent crimes that make us all possible victims.

It is interesting that when you read the New Testament, Jesus’ ministry was really about hospitality. Chapter after chapter he is dining with sinners and others. Time after time he breaks bread with those who are despised by society, and are on the edge of life with no one to care for them. It is Jesus who is always inviting people into a better life of community and of relationships. It is Jesus who encourages his disciples to embrace others, not to blame them or point your finger at them.

There is a passage in the bible from the Book of Hebrews that says: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: For thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

When I think back in my life, I have been enriched by those who have been welcoming and generous to me. When you are involved in various situations and you feel on the outside, you really can be encouraged by people who go out of their way to welcome you into their lives. Hospitality has a lot to do with moving outside of your comfort zone and reaching out to others. You may never know what a smile can do when it’s coupled with the words “Good Morning” or “Would you be available to come to our house for dinner this week.” I can always remember taking my children to school on the first day, they were always a bit afraid walking into a new classroom with a new teacher. A welcoming smile, a kind word and a friendly gesture can make a big difference. When you look at Christianity, it is really the story of God’s hospitality to the world. If you interpreted our faith through the eyes of Martin Luther, you see in another way God’s graciousness that is transforming and even redemptive. For us to be understood as Christians, we have to hear the words: “See how they love one another.” These are the words Tertullian noted (Apology [39.7]) in the Third Century, as spoken by some of the non-Christians of the time regarding Christian communities. The “love” they are referring to is the way in which the early Christian churches cared for each other, especially the poor.

Christian community is great, but it’s even greater to welcome those on the outside who we might not know. People come to the church as visitors. It takes some energy and even courage to walk through those strange new doors into a congregation where you don’t know anyone there. People have told me over and over again of how they were won over into our community by a person going out of their way to be welcoming. Perhaps they were entertaining angels unaware.

--MEH

Listen Mothers !!!

Advice to anyone who wants to be a good mother

Initially I was not a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio. I have never seen the classic movie “Titanic” in its entirety for many reasons, one of which is I know how it ends. However, I’ve have seen parts of the movie as I use my remote to channel surf. The scenery of the ship and the elegance of a bygone era were wonderfully recreated by director James Cameron. However, I was not sold on Leonardo DiCaprio. Sure he was young and some would say also handsome, but you have to have talent. Let me stop and just say that I was wrong – big time! He has developed into an enormous talent and great actor. I’ve seen him in “Catch me if you can”, “The Aviator”, “Blood Diamonds”, “The Departed” and the list goes on and on. He is now in a movie entitled, “J. Edgar” - a movie about J. Edgar Hoover, the once enormously powerful head of the FBI.

The interesting thing that I discovered as I was reading about him and the movie, “J. Edgar,” was that he had a very powerful mother as did J. Edgar Hoover. However, he characterized the difference between their two mothers this way:

The difference was that Hoover’s mother told him what to do and my

mother listened to me,” he said. “My mother was incredibly supportive.

She wasn’t a stage mom and really didn’t care either way if I was an actor.

She listened to this arrogant little kid saying that he wanted to be an actor

and didn’t laugh in my face.

As I read this, I thought of all of the mothers in the world who have taken their sons and daughters lives seriously and listened to them. There is no greater feeling than being heard and understood. It is my feeling that genuine love is listening to someone – paying attention. When you are listening, you are loving and when you are not listening, you are too caught up in your own life and what is happening to you. Listening to your children is not about you, it’s about supporting them in their goals and in their dreams.

“Those who have ears, let them hear!”

"It wasn't breakfast at Tiffany's but ..."

Reflections on Love and Marriage

Being a pastor for so many years, I’ve had the opportunity to marry many couples. It is actually something that I enjoy but it does give you pause to realize that when you enter into marriage, most people have no idea what they are promising. None of us have any idea about what the future will bring as we promise ourselves away to another person.

This weekend will be the last of four weddings I’ve officiated at in the last month. You do more than officiate; you meet with them several times in what I call “enrichment” not therapy. There is the rehearsal along with the wedding itself. Our weekends have been tied up totally this past month.

Recently I did a wedding at The Plaza Hotel in New York City in which we stayed overnight at The New York Athletic Club with a perfect view of Central Park. We woke up to a great day but wanted to find a place where we could have a reasonable breakfast. The Athletic Club offered a $35.00 per person brunch that we thought was more than we needed after a huge wedding the night before. We walked down 59th to Sarah Beth’s – an upscale eatery and found that they had a waiting line of at least a half of an hour for breakfast and that too would have been $35-40. The same story continued as we went to the Hyatt and then mysteriously around the corner on 6th Avenue, there was this dive called “Angela’s Deli” We walked in and were hearing orders being yelled out left and right behind the counter. I saw an empty table and told Kathy to quickly reserve it as I ordered us two omelets, coffee and a bagel, all for under $20.00. As I sat down at the table, to my left was a guy playing with his I Phone with a cigar in his mouth. Down at the other side, were a couple of runners having coffee and then sitting down next to us was an older couple. As I was eating my omelet, this talkative Italian couple asked me what I was doing here. I said that we went to a wedding in Manhattan and he said we are here today because we are married 60 years. I said 60 years, he said yeah, we thought we’d come in today and celebrate it. I said I hope you find a better place than this. I took a look at them and they didn’t look young, but they did look great. I guess marriage agreed with them and they looked like they had lots of energy. They told us that they were from Queens and took the train in for a day in Manhattan. They were so cheerful and happy that they lifted me out of my morning fog and brought a smile to my face.

The couple next to them overheard our conversation and said we’ve been married 15 years – there were smiles all around. Manhattan is a crazy place filled with lots of young, unmarried men and women and I’m sure that the statistics hold true here that more than half of marriages, end in divorce.

I still maintain that when you get married, you need a lot of things, which include patience, understanding, forgiveness, lots of love and a seatbelt because the ride may not always be smooth.

I had finished a counseling session with another young couple just before this wedding. As I always do, I asked them to write a love letter to each other and read it in my office in front of me. They did so but what I noticed was how they ended their letters. One said to the other, remember, “I love you more,” the other responded in his letter, “I love you most.” Well, I guess you can say that it sounds a little corny and that this old minister sometimes cries at weddings, but when it comes to relationships, it’s never 50%; it’s always 100%.

I wasn’t sure as I looked around this place – there was a picture of BB King, some advertisements for Broadway and a beat up menu on the wall but as I finished my coffee, I realized that I might just have had the best omelet of my life.

“Otherwise”

Reflections on gratefulness

I came across a poem by Jane Kenyon that caused me to pause and think. In our busy, rushed and hectic world, there is never enough time to think and reflect or even meditate. However, as I read this poem, I was struck by how often we take our world for granted as if it were going to be always that way.

The poem, “Otherwise” by Jane Kenyon who was the Poet Laureate of New Hampshire and the author of several books on poetry is a good example of her work which is sometimes very direct but sparse. She herself died at a rather young age of Leukemia, but not before finishing several books that give us insight into the subtle nuances of human existence. It’s even been said that a theme of faith is threaded throughout her poetry.

The following is her poem that points out the contrast of our lives:

“Otherwise”

by Jane Kenyon

I got out of bed

on two strong legs.

It might have been

otherwise.

I ate

cereal, sweet

milk, ripe, flawless

peach. It might

have been otherwise.

I took the dog uphill

to the birch wood.

All morning I did

the work I love.

At noon I lay down

with my mate. It might

have been otherwise.

We ate dinner together

at a table with silver

candlesticks. It might

have been otherwise.

I slept in a bed

in a room with paintings

on the walls, and

planned another day

just like this day.

But one day, I know,

it will be otherwise.

I like “Otherwise” because it calls us into realizations about life that we take for granted thinking as if things will be the same forever.

In another way as you look back on your life, you realize that things have changed from a wall that was built in Berlin to it’s destruction that came years later. You realize that your children have grown up or you see that you have grown older. It is a nagging contrast of the word, “Otherwise” that pushes us to appreciate the moments we have lived into meaning and the many people that decorate our life with love and friendship. The appreciation grows even more intense if you are an alert person who realizes that life is fragile and things change.

“Otherwise” forces us to take a deep look at ourselves and realize that things could have turned out differently and even far worse than we ever thought.

Regret is something that we all live with but also a feeling that we want to minimize as much as we can. It’s been said that “Hell is truth seen too late.” It is the world of “If only” that haunts us. If only I had done the right thing. If only I was there for them. If only I was a better father. It’s another way of saying that things have been “Otherwise” in our life’s journey. It’s the reality of the “Otherwise” that makes a person wake up and see that they have really messed up or missed a prime opportunity to be a better person or to help another person.

“Otherwise” is another way of saying, but for the grace of God, go I.” Christians happen to believe that grace can make a difference in our lives. That difference allows us to look at life with a thankful heart and a willingness to give back because we have been so blessed and fortunate.

Christian faith is always pointing us to gratefulness and generosity. It is always asking us to look at our mortality and the hour glass that never stops running. The faith is about gratefulness and thanksgiving because life might have turned out “Otherwise.”

As we look to Jesus, we as Christians lift up and appreciate his life, death and resurrection because it might have been “Otherwise.”

--MEH

"In Love With Death"

Reflections on 9/11 – Tens years later

Perhaps you were like me over the past week listening to all of the reflections, memories, thoughts, projections, political implications and feelings people expressed about the planes that hit the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and an open field in Pennsylvania. I was especially moved by an article written by Jim Dwyer entitled, “In Love with Death.” He mentioned in this article that as the years went by, it was like climbing a ladder each year and viewing Ground Zero in a different way. Step by step from the rubble, you would rise to see new revelations from the events of that day.

He had one example that touched me and struck a cord in my heart. It was about a woman, Anne Mulderry, from upstate New York.

He wrote this:

"That morning, Anne Mulderry sat in the backyard of her home near Albany to wait for news about two of her eight children who worked in Lower Manhattan. Before

long, she heard herself howling to the heavens.

Her son, Stephen – scrappy college basketball player, family peacemaker – was, when

last heard from, in a conference room on the 88th floor of the south tower with a dozen other people, all of them sharing a single phone to make their essential calls.

Much later, struggling to find consolation, Anne Mulderry saw that the choices she faced also confronted the larger world. “How to resist falling in love with death was the question,” she said. “Depression and despair is one way of falling in love with death. Violence and aggression is another way.”

As I read this, I was confused at first by her statement that you could fall in love with death. But on further consideration, that’s always the seduction. The world is always trying to entice us with activities that bring us to death. Things can be so destructive whether it’s drugs and alcohol, violence and other shows on television of bad behavior or just succumbing to a despairing attitude of defeat. In so many small and subtle ways, our faith and our hope is nickeled and dimed away.

Mulderry becomes aware that the ache in her heart over the loss of her son could push her to embracing a hopeless and despairing attitude about life. But the lesson she shares is the same lesson that St. Paul tries to tell all of us. Death and hate and evil are not to have the last word. He even says, “Death where’s thy sting and grave where’s thy victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

In the end, the Christian proposal for the whole world is that love is going to defeat hate and life will overcome death. This is the message for those of us who live on this side of the resurrection.

"The accessible God"

I was recently reading excerpts from Jane Fonda’s new book, “The Private Life of a Public Woman.”I also watched with interest, an interview she gave on Charlie Rose.She is an amazing person no matter what you think of her politics.Indecently, she claims over and over again, to be sorry and apologizes for ever bringing shame to herself and all of America as she sat on military equipment in Hanoi.Without a doubt, it was a major blunder.But that is not what interests me about her.It’s not her movies either, but it is her reflection upon her husbands and especially her father, Henry Fonda.I really liked Henry Fonda in so many movies.Of course my favorite is “The Grapes of Wrath.”But, actors are actors and some of us who have never been on the Silver Screen; continue to act like we care about other people.We also act as if we were Christians.Unfortunately, not much comes from the heart.

Interestingly enough, Jane Fonda claimed she married three men and all of them resembled in one way or another her father.Far from the characters that her father has played which were often sensitive heroes, Henry Fonda was a perfectionist and was very remote from his children, let alone his wives – one of which was Jane’s mother who committed suicide.

Jane Fonda spoke of always trying to win her father’s approval, affection and appreciation.She spoke in a recent interview, “my dad shadows me and I wonder if he approves of what I am doing now?”I have a feeling this is the case with many children as they seek approval from their parents.

Henry Fonda was not accessible as a father and probably not as a person.He looked accessible and played people on the screen that were accessible to others.In the end, he was remote and inaccessible.The more I thought about this, the more I think that people’s vision of God is really a vision of Greek mythology where the God Zeus lives in the clouds far away from human existence.All of this is just a misreading of the Christian faith and couldn’t be farther from the truth that radiates through the pages of the New Testament.

“What if God was One of Us?” as that popular song goes written by Eric Bazillian and sung by Alanis Morissette.

When we talk of incarnation, we are speaking of a God who is very accessible in Jesus Christ.The Christian proposal for the whole world is that God is very near and is embodied in the human race in the name of Jesus, our Lord.In his life, Jesus always made himself accessible to hungry people on a hillside, to widows who cried for help, to the sick and informed and to his disciples in a storm on the sea.So accessible that he was captured, put on the cross and dies for us!

The question is, “How accessible are we to his ministry?” Or do we simply remain remote and inaccessible to his call to follow me.

"Forever Young"

Today we live in a very youth oriented culture with so much advertising from Botox treatments to shampoos that make you look and feel younger. For a fact we know that people are living longer and that becomes an issue for healthcare, Social Security and all kinds of expenses. But most of us don’t feel as old as we probably are. In fact, the new saying is 60 is the new 40.

All of this is very interesting except that as a sports fan, it’s hard to watch your sports heroes in decline. Swimmer - Michael Phelps who took home 16 medals at the last 2 Summer Olympics said to reporters in a recent article that I read, “I feel like an old man coming out of the pool sometimes.” Tiger Woods at the age of 35 suffering from numerous injuries and a disastrous personal life seems to be showing signs not only of wear and tear, but of aging. He’s not the only one to slow down or become a victim of the aging process. That’s been the case with lots of people, it seems like we don’t understand that after the age of 25, we are physically in decline.

In an article entitled “For Derek Jeter, On His 37th Birthday: Forever young, except on the playing field”, his athletic performance is being analyzed. He has recently broken the record of 3000 base hits, but has been injury prone and is beginning to miss a number of games. In tracking his performance from his rookie year of 1996 through his most recent full season, 2010 - looking at stolen bases, slugging percentage, defensive range, etc. - you can notice a decline. The swing of the bat is not as fast, getting to the ball takes a few seconds longer and striking out becomes more frequent. Derek is 37, still looks good but you can notice the receding hairline, the wrinkles around his eyes and the fact that he is not quite what he used to be.

Then again, neither are we because in this mystery called “life”, we are all given a number of days and as we progress, we all move into an aging process that will bring us in the end to death. It’s the same for Derek Jeter, except he just signed a 51 Million Dollar contract, which makes him a little different than most of us, but aging is the great equalizer and so is death.

I supposed what I am getting at here is mortality. Sometimes youth is wasted on the young and we throw away our days as if they were endless. However, for all of us at some point, we wake up with the realization that time is flying by. “Has it been that long since I graduated from high school/college or gotten married?” “Can my kids be that old?”

I call this a wake up call that rouses our thoughts and our lives into the realization that we have to make the most of the time God has given us. It’s the realization that moments are precious, people are important and we shouldn’t get caught up in the small stuff that prevents us from becoming the people we need to be and reaching out to the people that we care about.

Bob Dylan has that great song entitled “Forever Young”, but forever young is an attitude. It’s an attitude of maintaining enthusiasm, interest and a lifelong desire to continue learning. I’ve presided over a lot of funerals. Some people are able to put 95 years of learning into 50 years of life, while others don’t seem to accomplish much at all. Most of the time they are stuck or paralyzed in the past and never seem to want to face or embrace the future. It’s really sad when people who are seniors drop out of things with the thoughts that “I’ve given enough, it’s time for someone else to take over.” It’s a negative mentality that makes you old. You see, we are all getting old whether you like it or not, but you don’t have to have an old mentality. In fact, you can be forever young if you embrace the attitude that life is a gift with opportunities and journeys yet to take. I’m reminded of Psalm 90 (one of my favorites) that talks about the shortness of life and likens it like grass that grows up in the morning and withers in the evening. The Psalm tells us that we need to count our days and gain a heart of wisdom and that we need God to “Satisfy us in the morning with steadfast love.....and make us glad as many days.....and years” that we have been given.

For in the end:

God is our dwelling place in all generations.

And before the mountains were brought forth

or ever you have formed the earth and the world

from everlasting to everlasting, you are God

May God keep you forever young.

MEH

"Improvisation"

Reflections on Life and Jesus

Life can be characterized in so many ways. For example: “it’s what happens to you when you are making other plans.” Or, “life is an onion we peel crying.” Another quote which is rather somber is: “life never gives like it takes away.” I’m sure there is a truth in each one of these sayings. However, I want to suggest that “while there are no dress rehearsals in life”; life is really improvisation. It’s how we react to what we are given or what we face.

I’m reminded of this again when I saw the commencement address to the graduates of North Western University by the comedian/satirical newscaster, Stephen Cobert. He (a Roman Catholic) made an interesting point when he said, “life is an improvisation.” I’ve had the pleasure of going to various theaters that deal with improvisation. For example, in San Francisco there used to be an improvisation group called “The Committee.” In Chicago, there was “Second City” where of course a lot of famous people got their start and then graduated to Saturday Night Live.

Improvisation is an interesting term. It basically means that you have to make up things as you go along. This is another way to characterize life. The following is a quote from Cobert’s speech:

After I graduated from here, I moved down to Chicago and did improv. Now there are very few rules to improvisation, but one of the things I was taught early on is that you are not the most important person in the scene. Everybody else is. And if they are the most important people in the scene, you will naturally pay attention to them and serve them . . . . You cannot "win" improv.

And life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next, and you are mostly just making things up as you go along. And like improv, you cannot win your life.

The more I thought about what he said, the more I began to agree that there is much of life that comes at us and we have to react to it. Even when we aggressively pursue things, we enter into situations that require us to respond to people, places and circumstances. The secret is knowing how to respond. This is where our faith gives us a lot of guidance. Whatever you are trying to achieve, the whole picture of life is not about you - it’s about how you respond to others. Cobert’s point about making others look good has a lot of validity. Successful lives are lives where we park our ego at the door and begin to see a bigger picture - the lives of our family, our friends and our community/world.

While we don’t know what is always ahead of us - a marriage, a baby, a change in careers, moving to a new community or even issues that involve health, we are called upon to respond.

Faith puts us on the road and hope keeps us there. Cobert borrowed a page from Jesus’ gospel that talked about service. Jesus once said, “no one can serve two masters.” He also said to his disciples, “I’m among you as one who serves.” Cobert interprets it this way:

In my experience, you will truly serve only what you love, because, as the prophet says, service is love made visible.

If you love friends, you will serve your friends.If you love community, you will serve your community.If you love money, you will serve your money. And if you love only yourself, you will serve only yourself. And you will have only yourself. So no more winning. Instead, try to love others and serve others, and hopefully find those who love and serve you in return.

This is not bad advice. In fact it is good advice not just for graduates of North Western or any college. It’s good advice for us too - Cobert isn’t fooling anyone when he gives this advice. It’s straight out of the New Testament and it’s the life that Jesus modeled for all of us.

Not all of life is improvisation, but much of it involves making the right choices and trying to serve others along the way. However in the end, we can agree with Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa who says, “I’ve read the book and I know how it ends.” By this he means, for the Christian in the end there is resurrection. There is good news from the graveyard and death doesn’t have the final word. This part of life is not improvised, it is there for us in faith to trust!

MEH

“So Beautiful, So What”

Reflections on Paul Simon and Easter

If you follow sports, you soon notice that a player’s career is on a down hill spiral after about 30. When you get into your late 30’s, you are looking at the end. We could call this the Jorge Posada syndrome. Posada is a professional catcher for the New York Yankees who was always a feared clutch hitter and would always come through when you needed a run. Recently this year, while he is still receiving a 13 million dollar contract, he is batting under 200 and was placed #9 in the batting order. He responded by asking to be taken out of the lineup. This created a small fire storm in the Yankee dugout and with the press to the point that he later apologized. It’s hard to not be able to do what you did when you were young. You get pushed aside by the hungry players coming up eager to take your place. Of course this is the story of all of us because none of us are irreplaceable.

It can be a little different in other careers because experience and knowledge can make a big difference. I’ve always felt that I’m better at what I do now than ever before. In fact I often joke that you probably would not have wanted to know me 30 years ago. I don’t feel that I was nearly the minister I am now. In fact, I cringe sometimes when I think about a young version of me - who once knew it all. Now I only shake my head and think about how little I do know and how much more there is to learn. I’m no where near being pushed aside, in fact, I don’t think that I have reached my prime yet.

All of this came home to me when I recently attended a Paul Simon concert. He is someone who is still extremely creative and hasn’t lost his voice. It was a joy to listen to him sing - of course I enjoy those old tunes whether it’s from Simon and Garfunkel or Graceland and his solo career that followed. Of course, Paul Simon is singing late in the game as he has just turned 70 years old along with Bob Dylan and others that were once these “wild and crazy guys.” This time though as I listened to Paul Simon’s new album entitled “So Beautiful or So What”, I was moved by the lyrics that indicated a different tone from what he had sang in the past. It had to do with mortality. You got the feeling that he is looking ahead and starting to see the spiritual and sacred dimensions of life. You can understand this just by the song titles: “The Afterlife”, “Love is Eternal Sacred Light”, “Questions for Angels” and so on. The music is a bit haunting because you see an artist searching and in some way discussing transcendence. Even in the middle of his concert, he yelled out “I’m getting old, isn’t it great.”

As we close out the season of Easter, we are all reminded of our mortality and of the victory of our Lord over death. We gather to affirm life and not death, to reassert that love is stronger than hate. There is a song of good news on our lips as the people of God gather each Sunday to know that sins are forgiven and that we are about life that is abundant and eternal.

Paul Simon’s album is entitled “So Beautiful or So What.” I suppose those are the choices we have when we look at life. Do we see what is beautiful or what is good or are we lost in a world of boredom, despair, apathy and cynicism. As Easter people, we have broken out of that tomb of negativity and death. We rise again with redemptive energy and love. That’s the heart of who we are.

--MEH

What Defines Us?.......

Reflections on the Resurrection

In my world I’m often being bombarded with forms to fill out. People want information about you every time you apply for something. We have all different ways of defining ourselves. For example, male or female, Norwegian or I’m sorry you’re not, Caucasian, Latino, Asian and of course there is always “other”, whatever that means. Other way to define ourselves, could be Lutheran, New Yorker, expatriate. Some of my less than religious friends may call themselves Agnostic or even Atheist.

Self definition is an interesting concept. I wonder how many of us would define themselves as people of the resurrection? I was interested to read Bishop Hansen’s Easter letter to the church at large. He was talking about the country of Haiti. Haiti to me seems like a godforsaken place, if there ever was one. It seems to be right in the site of every hurricane that blows through the Caribbean. It’s people always seem to be victimized by bad government and corrupt officials that make this country seem out of control and unmanageable.

I was recently watching an episode of “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel where Anthony Bourdain took his show to Haiti where he was as shocked as everyone to see how horrible the conditions are there. Interestingly enough, Sean Penn has spent a lot of his own money and the past year trying to help out this country. While he has done a lot of good, you often feel numb by the fact that there is so much poverty, sickness, corruption, death and destruction. The latest earthquake just added to the curse that Haiti seems to experience as almost part of it’s destiny.

What I found striking about Bishop Hansen’s letter was his quote from the president of the Lutheran church of Haiti, Pastor Josephus Livenson Lauvanus. As he and Bishop Hansen walk through the devastation of Haiti’s earthquake, Pastor Lauvanus proclaimed, “we will not be defined by rubble, but restoration, for we are the people of the resurrection.”

Isn’t that the Easter message? As believers, we do not have to define ourselves by our sins, our mistakes, our despair or our depression. According to the Christian proposal to the world, we are people of the resurrection. The resurrection of our Lord defines us as it has defined our church from the beginning.

Many may think that Christmas is the most important holiday of the Christian faith, but in reality it was not celebrated until centuries afterward. What started the Christian faith, defined it and started the church, was Easter. Without the resurrection, there would not be a church because Jesus’ disciples would have packed it in and gone home. It was a resurrection that sparked a hope, that opened a door and it inspired all who followed him to begin a community centered around the resurrection.

What defines our church and us is our faith that makes us hopeful people who against all odds will not be defined by death, despair or tragedy. Resurrection becomes a last word - a word of hope to the whole community that new life, and forgiveness defines who we are as the people of God. So in the end, the resurrection of our Lord says “Love is stronger than hate and life will overcome death into eternity.”

-MEH

Why Bother?

Thoughts on faith and cynicism...

The journey of Lent is a journey of forty days. It is after all modeled after Jesus and his time in the wilderness. In the famous temptations of turning rocks into bread, doing a swan dive from the pinnacle of the temple and excepting Satan’s offer to rule the world he doesn’t give in and for our sake, never gives up on who he is and what he must do. Isn’t that the issue that surrounds Lent? Are we going to give up on ourselves, let alone our confidence and faith in God? This is always the haunting temptation that Jesus faced and we face ourselves. Do I become apathetic and cynical? After all, being a person of faith in this world is an uphill battle all the way. You can always hear the voice saying, “let go of it – it’s not worth it – what’s in it for you really?” In a larger way, the question always come into your mind that asks, “do you really think you can make a difference in this world? Do you really think that your actions can change things?” The tempter’s voice always find it’s way into your ears with the words, “forget it, it’s too much, it won’t work, it will never happen, WHY BOTHER.”

For example, when you look at our world and what is taking place - as I write this we are bombing Libya and are watching traces of radiation being detected in Massachusetts. The nuclear reactors in Japan are still cause for great concern as radiation is being released into our oceans as very brave men try to work towards preventing a total nuclear meltdown in three plants. As I read the papers, I see the huge controversy taking place in Wisconsin and of course the issue of our own country let alone all of our states trying to balance their budgets with huge cutbacks. When you look forward you sometimes wonder where to begin or why bother?

The why bother part is I think a big part of the malazes that we face. I am just going to think about myself and try to survive. Many people are simply trying to build a wall around their own little world and live in a cocoon. This is a very cynical outlook and breeds apathy. On one level it looks like there are a lot of lost causes out there so why bother trying to change things? Of course I’m used to lost causes because I’m always trying to push them even though the odds are not always in my favor and the outlook sometimes looks dim. Cynicism is always biting at my heels.

Thankfully I am a person of faith and here again, many people would say to me “why bother” because it seems like Christianity is losing ground in our secular world! But faith while it needs doubt to make it really faith is the opposite of cynicism. Faith is about hope, about energy, about conviction and about believing that things can change for the better.

Sometimes when you are in the middle of a mess, it looks dark and hopeless but through vigilant efforts things change. For example, I never thought that I would ever see in my lifetime the Berlin Wall coming down. I wondered about the AIDS/HIV epidemic in Africa, but when I came to a village in Zambia and listened to one of it’s female leaders who shared what was happening in that village to fight against the AIDS/HIV epidemic, I was encouraged that maybe the African continent might someday be free of this surge.

The world is turning and spinning faster than I can imagine. The internet, Facebook and Twitter are remarkable ways to communicate. They have help spurn revolutions all through the Middle East. Egypt has fallen, Tunisia as well and without being too overly optimistic, Libya will too. I don’t want to look to the past for direction and I don’t want to live in the past. The only way to look is forward.

Stephen Colbert of The Colbert Report said this: “cynicism is a self imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid that it will hurt or disappoint us.” Just another way of saying that I am not going to do anything because I am afraid of failure and rejection. That is not what faith is all about. That is not what the resurrection of our Lord is all about. In fact it is the opposite because it is the hope for a new day, a new and transformed life and for eternal life. We can’t get lost in Lent, but must realize it leads us to Holy Week, Good Friday and finally Easter and the resurrection.

--MEH

That's The Stuff That Woody Allen Movies Are Made Of...

The Carlyle Hotel is part of the things that books are written about. It’s a legendary place where John F. Kennedy would meet women such as Marilyn Monroe. It is also a place for famous people like Mick Jagger who stay there when he is in town and the many singers who perform in the very little club that inhabits this hotel. The most famous of whom has been Bobby Short who sang here until he died. I’ve had the privilege of going here a few times, once to hear Bobby Short where I sat at the bar and another time to hear Barbara Cook. This time I was here to see Woody Allen who has been playing here on Monday nights for quite a while. Being a fan of his movies, I really was looking forward to seeing him perform musically.

Woody Allen & Eddy Davis

© FocalChange 2011 / All Rights Reserved

As we entered the place with the intentions of having dinner, you could immediately tell this place was pretty exclusive. Just the flower arrangements alone gave you the feeling that this is where the elite meet to eat. As we turned to go into the club, there was a huge picture of Bobby Short, never looking better. This was his compound back in the day. Now we were here to have a great dinner and to see the legendary actor, movie director, comedian and writer play the clarinet with his band.

As we walked in, I began to get the feeling that we were in a Woody Allen movie. There was a bizarre looking group of people gathering. You didn’t find these people in church too often and as the three of us were pushed into a little area, we began to look around at the ambiance of this little club that was almost claustrophobic when everyone started to gather for the appearance of Woody Allen. You got the feel of a 1930’s supper club with the huge murals and the curvy walls that surrounded this very elegant place. The murals looked like something from Toulouse-Lautrec, but later I find out they are by the Oscar winning French artist, Marcel Vertes. Either way, they make the place look unique and like something out of a small French club in Paris. I had read that Richard Rogers was even the first tenant of the Carlyle. Somehow you could tell that this place was haunted with the usual famous suspects. If the walls could talk, we’d all be dead.

Yet amidst the elegance of a classic MGM set, with people out of central casting eating dinner and as the band was making odd noises tuning up, an old, balding thin man with big glasses and khaki pants walked onto the stage from out of nowhere. Was that Woody Allen? Yes it was. He’s not looking at anybody; he’s looking and putting together his instrument from out of a box. The place is really getting full now, it’s two and three deep at the bar and people are wandering in and standing at the door. We’re still waiting for a drink. Our waiter seems to come by every two hours.

Soon the music begins. Woody Allen is surprisingly good. He’s blowing his brains out on a clarinet and seems to be doing it masterfully from what I know about clarinet players. It’s all great and I feel like I’m transported into a simmering little jazz club with a New Orleans band. Half way through, we still haven’t gotten our food. The table down from us is talking as if nobody was performing. A long time later, the wine still has not come, the food was cold and if you threatened to say anything bad to this waiter, he could pour the wine in your lap or not come around again for another day or two. It’s all a little bizarre; with people taking pictures with their cameras from all angles of this man that looks much older than I thought. He tries not to make eye contact with anyone the whole night; he’s looking down at the floor when he is not playing. Finally at the end, with all of the clapping, he is left there sitting next to an old banjo player who has logged many hours in places like this, perhaps next to Woody Allen himself all these years. Allen sits there not making eye contact and begins to clean his clarinet, then suddenly with his partner, begins to sing softly some tunes. The banjo guy is smiling and is sort of the “Ed McMahon” who can pull a Johnny Carson out of a funk type of guy. He makes Woody Allen look even better. Finally, Allen says thank you to everyone and walks off and is hugged by some woman standing in his way. I’m almost ready for someone to hold up a director’s boards that says “Take one, scene one”, but instead of saying “cut”, the guy says “here’s your wine.” It’s funny when you order your wine at the beginning of your meal and it comes at the end, but that’s the stuff that Woody Allen movies are made of.

Q: What's in a handshake?

A: More than you think…..

I was at the opera last night enjoying the wonderful production of Don Pasquale. I noticed in the playbill that there is actually an opera entitled, “Nixon in China”. I was taken back that someone could actually do an opera about Richard Nixon. I shouldn’t be surprised because someone actually has and it has premiered this year at the Met. It is actually about the history-making trip that a very conservative president made to Communist China in 1972. Nixon was a real almost McCarthyite, blacklist Communist fighter in his past. Now, he of all people is making a historic trip to China in which had been characterized as “the week that changed the world.”

As I read an article by journalist Bernard Kalb, I was intrigued by the questions people were asking. One in particular was would Nixon shake the hand of China’s premier Chou En-Iai? In the past, - during the Geneva conference of 1954, U.S. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles snubbed Chou by refusing to shake his hand. The Chinese never forgot that snub. Now, the world was wondering, would Nixon do the same? Actually, Nixon stepped out of the plane; arm first, hand jutting forward, to reach for the outstretched hand of the communist premier. History had just happened. For 25 years there was no communication, but that would change with a handshake and from there a break in the icy cold relations between the U.S. and China.

It’s interesting what a small thing like a handshake, a smile, a pat on the back or a welcoming gesture can do to a situation. Every Sunday, we observe an ancient Christian ritual that goes back to the earliest of times – the sharing of the peace. It is a handshake, or a hug or an affectionate kiss that takes place in the middle of our worship. Even there it cracks open all formality, allowing warmth, physicality, hospitality and sincerity to touch others in a very palpable way. Every Sunday we have an opera going on where the people of God gather to remember and lift up the mighty deeds of God and reaffirm his promises. We gather for the Eucharist, but we’re sealing it all with a wish for the peace that passes all human understanding by sharing with each other the peace of Christ and simply shaking each other’s hand.