Pastor Annette's Blog
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"OF ALL THE THINGS GOD HAS SHOWN ME, I CAN SPEAK BUT A LITTLE WORD NOT MORE THAN A HONEYBEE CAN CARRY AWAY ON ITS FOOT FROM AN OVERFLOWING JAR."
~ MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG, 13TH CENTURY MYSTIC |
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August 31, 2021 My mother was nine years old when WWII ended. She told me her mother sent her and her sisters out to play in the rain. The war in Afghanistan officially ended far more quietly today. Soldiers died in this war who were not born when it began, twenty years ago. For her sake, I pray Afghanistan’s long history of hosting the proxy wars of other nations is finished now. I read that seventy percent of her population is younger than twenty-five and they are not interested in the old ways of fundamentalist religion and isolationist policies. Insofar as that is true, all nations should all be so fortunate. I keep thinking about people who are afraid. Afraid of war and afraid of what comes after war. Afraid of getting sick and afraid once sickness sets in. Afraid of taking care of the sick and afraid of failing at taking care of the sick. Afraid of storms and fire and drought. Afraid of poverty and afraid of being completely alone. Whatever we fear, it’s the fear itself that can take the greatest toll on our lives, on our energy and on our hope. While I’m in no place to tell people in crisis not to be afraid, a tiny line of prayer that has helped me in many fearful moments is this: scary things are still scary, O God, but by your love, we do not have to be afraid of fear, from James Finley’s book, Thomas Merton & The Path to the Palace of Nowhere. Fear is real and uncontrollable in certain moments, like when a snake slides across my wrist in the garden. But the fear that grips my belly over what might happen has only the power I give it. By my prayers it can be set aside, even if the danger of my situation hasn’t changed. Easier said than done, of course, but practice, practice, practice, don’t you know. And, thank goodness joy and fear can live together in one heart.  Birdy the golden retriever turned three months old today and saw her first box turtle. She licked it then barked and danced around it which made me laugh out loud too. Creation meets creation, and I was there to see it. What a precious moment, sitting right next to the worries I can’t do anything about, except choose which one to draw from, when I think about the world. Gentle creatures and terrible wars — neither cancels out the other, both giving content to my prayers. As we move into a new month, no matter what it hold, I pray you know God’s peace in fear and God’s joy in every precious moment.
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August 24, 2021 The hummingbirds are thick every morning at the feeders and will be through October, as migration traffic increases. The puppy is crying because the sun is in her eyes and she can’t figure out what’s hurting her. Even with the ceiling fan it’s barely cool enough to sit out here. Pray for the folks who work outside. So many people to pray for. The wife and little son of a college friend who died last week of Covid. Others who are so gravely ill. Healthcare workers everywhere. Teachers. Decision makers. Neighbors in harm’s way. One could pray all day and not find this list’s end. So we carry them in our hearts and do our best to keep our own selves safe.  It’s no small thing, praying, closing the door on time and space as this world calculates them. Entering the timelessness beyond, even for moments at a time, sheds perspective on this world’s troubles we otherwise don’t see. Along with deeper breath, and breath’s corresponding strength. And then there is the vibe, the energy that is generated in the atmosphere when and where people pray. In every yoga class and church service. In our Early Wednesday prayers, when no one wants to log out of the Zoom room.
August 17, 2021 The daily theft of decency. The terror of when and where the violence will resume. The crushing disappointment of knowing their government traded women’s lives like ransom so they themselves could escape Afghanistan in safety. The suffering of others is supposed to break our hearts, even if our own lives are safe and sound. It’s the nature of being human, for worse but also better. If we aren’t paralyzed by it, the heartbreak will drive us to do justice in whatever ways we can. While prayer is no small thing, besides it I couldn’t think of a single thing to do by way of justice for Afghanistan until I saw this painting by Afghan graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani. It’s titled Nightmare.  A friend posted it on social media and it sent me looking for information about her. She’s here, at shamsiahassani.net. Ms. Hassani is the first female graffiti artist from Afghanistan, and she’s the Afghanistan that could be, if those who would rule Afghanistan ever recover the human soul and backbone original to the design of the Creator.
Beyond praying, two things I can do by way of justice are: 1.) Buy a Hassani print. They are available on her website and they are beautiful. Purchase allows her to live out her livelihood and keep doing art! 2.) Tell the truth using my own toolkit — words. It’s obvious from Hassani’s work that she is wise to the world around her, the money and the international politics at work in her country, the collusion of more than a certain sect to oppress her and her people. She and others like her are organizing. Continuing to use the poor and powerless of the world like pawns in order for rich and powerful countries and people to stay rich and powerful is an unsustainable system for maintaining dominion. The human heart shouldn’t stand for it, but rest assured the human belly will not. Governments the world over are perfectly willing to starve some bellies while stuffing others. Art and prayer are sometimes gentler ways of turning heads and changing hearts. The faith we claim should sensitize us to both, to recognize the desire for the peace that feeds and protects every life, that pushes back hard against violence and terror, and the fear that drives all hate. Jesus’ love for everyone teaches us to love each other in return — but doesn’t require us to tolerate violence toward our weakest neighbors. There we are allowed to intervene, with resistance, with peace, with truth and with the hope that loving our enemies gives them just a glimmer of a change of heart. If not, then at least we’ve lived true to the calling of Jesus, and that is no small thing. August 10, 2021
It’s raining. The school bus just went by. The puppy is losing her mind barking at the dog food container. A friend from college is in the hospital with COVID. His wife has recovered but he is in grave danger. They have a young son. The son of another friend is also gravely ill with something else. And our Fan, of course, the UBC church administrator whose husband passed away suddenly a week ago. A precious congregation also lost their pastor. The world is relentless, in beauty and in suffering. So begins another week full of prayer and praise. So much to be grateful for, so much to give to God in hope. But there is also the solace of serving one another. Some of you cooked and carried so much food this past week it's a wonder your stoves still work. Some drove to and from the airport. Others cleaned, weeded and worked to make the church building positively sparkle when Fan’s family and friends arrived. And yet another crew will show up today with trucks and muscle and move Fan’s daughter and grandson into their new house. Sometimes prayer is the only way we can serve others, and prayer is no small thing for sure. Prayer impacts the cosmic vibrations of the universe, as the mystics and contem-platives say, adding courage and healing and sweetness to the very air around us, lifting spirits and healing bodies along the way. Physical service, like feeding and helping, fulfills our own hearts’ desire to comfort others meaningfully. Through such service our own grief is also comforted. Serving others is good for the server and the served. We are in right relationship with one another and God’s will is accomplished in both lives. Humanity isn’t designed to remain content when some are suffering, especially friends and people within our reach. Another way to say it ~ if our neighbors’ suffering doesn’t disturb our personal contentment, we ought maybe consider how and where we lost some measure of our own humanity. Are we too busy with lesser things? Are we working too hard and resting, or meditating, or praying too little? Are we worried about things beyond our control? All these missteps have a way of overwhelming the holy discontent which keeps us in right relationship with one another and with God. I am proud of how so many of you have served in recent days. I am so humbled and grateful to be in partnership with you as we do this work in this time and place. ~peace & prayers, pastor annette Recipe: A couple of people asked for this recipe and I can’t remember who ~ so here it is. From Claude Cookman Napa salad ~ Claude Cookman Greens 1 medium head of Napa cabbage l bunch green onions Shred cabbage and chop onions. Cover and refrigerate. Crunchies 1/2 cup sesame seeds 1 cup slivered almonds 2 packages ramen noodles 1 stick butter or margarine Crush noodles and discard the seasoning packets. Melt butter. Brown the top three ingredients in the butter. Note. Since they brown at different speeds, I start with the noodles for several minutes until they lightly color, then add the almonds and finally the sesame seeds. Sauce 3/4 cup oil 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup cider vinegar 2 Tablespoons soy sauce Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute. Cool and then refrigerate. To serve Keep all items separate until ready to serve. Bring crunches to room temperature, but keep greens and sauce in the fridge. Combine and toss. Notes. This does not keep well overnight because the greens and crunches become mushy. Also, because it’s hard for a family to consume a whole salad at a time, often I will make the three components and combine them one-fourth or one-third at a time, spacing them out over a couple of weeks or more. |
I write a Tuesday morning devotional to members and friends of UBC. It is also posted here.
Enjoy! Pastor Annette Copyright
Everything on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons license, which gives you permission to copy freely, provided that you attribute the work to me, that you use the work for non-commercial purposes, and that you do not produce derivative works. Archives
December 2024
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