Five Minute Friday :: Fight

• Five Minute Friday :: Fight Linkup

I have fought the good fight
I have finished the race
I have kept the faith

Henceforth there is reserved for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all who have loved his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

Summer of Y2K and I'd be returning to the West Coast after another sojourn on the East Coast. At my request, Pastor-Missioner Mike wrote a letter of reference for me. I suggested to him it was a "bit much" (of course I didn't deny any of his accolades) and it might overwhelm strangers reading it and considering my employment or other participation, so he helpfully updated it. I still have that letter grouped with some others from that time period. I haven't looked at any of them for a long while and I don't remember much of what anyone said, but I do remember and I can tell you Mike described me as "faithful." Wow! And by grace I have been faithful.

The crown of righteousness sounds beautiful. My illustration is gold, but I'm thinking instead of precious metal it really will be intertwined fresh green laurel leaves, maybe with accents of colorful wild flowers. All of that possible because humans have been faithfully caring for creation. And those who will receive one alongside me, those I'll join in community?

You probably know the love described as agape that's unconditional, inclusive, divine love, like the love of God. The end of my scripture selection from 2 Timothy is about people who have agape-ed or loved (and longed for and welcomed) Jesus' appearing – the Greek says his epiphany! – with the kind of love we find in the heart of God. As my concluding song stanza says, they will have followed the word and followed the Word because they know all humanity claims kinship of being created in the divine image.

Well, one day soon we all will stand
God's word will be heeded in all the land
All shall know and all shall see
We all are kindred and we all are free
Humankind was made of clay
Each of us in the very same way
Get ready, people, for that day!

Noel Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow

Today's "fight" prompt is a good fit for what I wrote on my scripture blog this week:

• Reign of Christ 2024

Reign of Christ :: Revelation

We give thanks, O Lord God Almighty
who art, and wast, and art to come
because thou hast taken thy great power
and begun to reign.
Revelation 11:17

Reign of Christ :: Genesis

The scepter shall not depart from Judah
nor the ruler's staff from between his feet
until he comes to Shiloh
and to him shall be
the obedience of the peoples.
Genesis 49:10

Reign of Christ to Advent 2013

I'm writing this on 16 March 2017 that's Thursday of Lent 2, but posting it for early December 2013. As I did some computer housekeeping a couple days ago, I discovered completely unedited photos I'd taken and at the time called the folder 2013novdec, with keywords: rubios, mexican, mission bay drive, grand ave... and others.

For blogging I'm labeling this "what I learned in..." although I hadn't started that linkup back then, and when I checked Emily P. Freeman's archives, I noticed she was posting monthly learnings but hadn't started creating a graphic for each month; you know I'd've grabbed one if she had (though it's many years later). Intro to telling my audience here's a series of eleven illustrations for the days beginning with Reign of Christ, ending with Blue Christmas on Advent 1, 2013.

• Reception Desk / Dining Room patio porch at Pacific Beach Rodeway Inn, San Diego, California.



• Breakfast supplies and dining area at the PB Rodeway Inn, Sandy Ego, Cal.



• Since this is Pacific Beach, we need surfboards and a vision of palm trees—here they are!



• Ralph Rubio's fish tacos are a true San Diego institution; here's Rubio's on Mission Bay Drive with Taco Tuesday sign in the window.



• Flower on the Fence at All Saints University City, aka "Church On the Hill."



• Surrounding the University City rowhouse where we were international and intercontinental housemates!



• Blue Christmas at Clairemont ELCA, aka "Church Around the Corner."

Reign of Christ: Eucharistic Prayer

disclaimer: I wrote this over four years ago and I've posted it with no changes or revisions.

• The Lord be with you.
• And also with you.
• Lift up your hearts.
• We lift them to the Lord.
• Let us give thanks to God.
• It is right to give both thanks and praise!

Holy God, Mighty Lord, Renewer of Creation and Bringer of Joy,
endless are your mercies and unending your grace!
Maker of stars and Giver of dreams,
it is privilege indeed to acclaim and adore you!

At the dawn of time your Word spoke order out of chaos and disorder, and brought beauty into your glorious light;

You formed humanity in your image and drew us into covenant with you; you called us to be your reconciling Presence in the world.

When we strayed from your path and fled from your presence, choosing idols and intellect rather than Spirit and Freedom, you led us through the wilderness into a country flowing with your extravagant supply.

When rebellion against your righteous law broke us once again, you would not let this world remain shattered, and in Jesus of Nazareth, born of Mary, born under the law, you lived among us.

You baptized us with water, with fire and with your Spirit;
and sent Bread from Heaven to keep us wholly alive.

Therefore, in celebration with the people of God in all the ages, with all creation and with the angelic hosts of heaven, we sing:

Holy are you, God of Majesty and Awe,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Redeemer and Lord.

Leaving the boundlessness of heaven,
he came to earth, experiencing doubt, betrayal and abandonment
yet bearing the weight of sin and separation,
he carried us into the liberty of your grace.

Bound to the tree of shame on Calvary's Hill,
shedding his innocent blood, he sealed the covenant between heaven and earth.

Broken and dying for all creation's sake
rising to new life from the bondage of the tomb
he delivered us from sin and death,
forming the new creation promised by your prophets.

Remembering Jesus Christ's birth, life, death and resurrection,
with the Church in every place and every time, we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died;
Christ is risen;
Christ will come again!

On the night of betrayal and desertion, our Lord Jesus took bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

In the same way after supper, he also took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again in glory.

Giver of the journey and Bestower of the gifts,

Send down your Spirit of holiness and transformation,
and sanctify these gifts of bread and cup uniting us to all creation in every place and in every time.

Send down upon this assembly of your creation and redemption – and upon the world – your Spirit of life and renewal;

Calm our anxieties and quiet our fears.

Make us bearers of your grace
that we may be your reconciling embrace for the world, reclaiming, restoring and transforming all creation into the reign of heaven on earth.

Then, at last, when endless morning comes,
when all brokenness is whole and holy,
when all creation once again redeemed,
with all the saints of every time and place
as the family of God in Jesus Christ we will gather around heaven's Welcome Table,

we will sing alleluias to you,
through Jesus Christ, crucified and Risen
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
endlessly into eternity, amen!
forever and ever,

Amen!


© Leah Chang

Reign of Christ: Colossians 1:17

Oh, I so love the cosmic Christ of Colossians! This is one of my favorite texts and also one of my faves of all my graphic art.

poetry party 41

Christine has announced Abbey of the Arts poetry party 41 and book giveaway so I'm participating and she tells us the books from the giveaway all have been given away, yay!

All month long I've been blogging daily thanks for National Blog Month, and I'm delighted to offer a few more reasons for thanksgiving.

I am excited about my Facebook page, suntreeriver design and all my fabulous fans. Since suntreeriver design debuted on Facebook just over six months ago, I've featured galleries of my own design along with ten guest artists so far; two more guests are scheduled for the near future.

Last Sunday we celebrated the reign of the crucified Man of Sorrows and risen King of Glory, and my heart holds immense gratitude for a God Who chose to come to earth in flesh that fails, bones that break, dreams that shatter and plans that implode and that God continues choosing far less than ideal circumstances as the ongoing locale of continuing Self-revelation

A Facebook friend quoted from Shane Claiborne in Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals "Christianity is at its best when it is peculiar, marginalized, suffering, and it is at its worst when it is popular, credible, triumphal, and powerful...." Despite my own tremendous ambivalence and pain, in many ways I yet am thankful for all these years of loneliness, marginalization and far less than full participation in church and world. After all, I'm a theologian so I do paradox and ambiguity very very well.

As we move into Advent's call to repentance and hope and then to the Nativity, the birth of the Baby Boy in Bethlehem, how can I not be everlastingly grateful for the Savior "Of Jesse's lineage coming ...amid the cold of winter when half-spent was the night" and for the Good News Jesus still brings, a gospel that fully engages and that calls us to stewardship of all creation.

Reign of Christ

Reign of Christ: culture, Jesus, identity and…

As we anticipate the season of Advent with its call to repentance and promise of hope along with the start of a new liturgical year, a couple of blogs inspired me. First, RevGalBookPals' selection for October was Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. Jan Edmiston wrote an outstanding intro to the book and the comments added a lot, plus because I haven't read the book yet I can't say anything remotely authoritative, so to learn more you need to go to the RevGals' website. In referring to Jesus as our President I'm making a habit of the more corporate and covenantal "we, us, our, ours" and moving far away from a proprietary "I, me, my, mine."

This topic hardly could be more timely since slightly over a month ago I finished for now a 10-session Monday evening series, "Reading The Bible Economically," developed and hosted by Lee Van Ham. I attended 7 of the 10, did the reading for all of them and the journaling homework for all but two; our wrap-up for the course particularly reminded me 1) the way I initially learned to interpret scripture was highly countercultural, very economic and extremely political, as it constantly considered each person's embeddedness in and responsibility to the vitality of our church community's worship, witness and service, our relatedness to every aspect of the neighborhood surrounding us as well as our lives as political people at every level; 2) I do not regret in the least not continuing professional service in the church; 3) my current level of agitation and discontent regarding lack of opportunities to contribute to a degree consonant with my background, experience, and ongoing sense of call indicates something in my life needs to change.

A quote from Jesus for President:

"The construction of the set-apart people into a living temple of blessing is going so-so. The solution: God puts skin on to show the world what love looks like. But here is the catch: The Prince of Peace is born as a refugee in the middle of genocide and is rescued from the trash bin of imperial executions to stand at the pinnacle of this peculiar people. A strange way to start a revolution…"

In the book thread comments I wrote:

• Although I don't have the book, I wanted to make a couple of flag comments. From whence I came, neither national flag nor Christian flag ever had been an option in the sanctuary, but intense political activism was. I've heard that immigrant German Lutherans during WW I were the first to place a US flag in their sanctuaries because they wanted themselves and everyone else to be clear they were Americans now.

• Quite a few years ago during a conversation about worship someone pointed out that with adequate scriptural and historical citations it likely would be very possible to prevent a flag being installed in the sanctuary, but removing the flag forever probably would not and could not happen.

• Four or five years back on the old (2nd iteration, maybe?) online UCC forums someone started a thread about flags in sanctuaries. My immediate gut reaction was "what kind of theological idiot would even think to ask that?" but one of the replies opened my mind very wide. It essentially said, "Yes, we have an American flag in our church sanctuary. In our chancel the means of grace - font, table, ambo and cross - are on a raised platform; the flag is on the same level as the gathered assembly so the flag symbolically listens to and hears the prophetic word along with everyone else."

"Divided allegiances" segues into a closely related blog post for World Communion Sunday from my Facebook friend Presbyterian Hunger in Fasting, malls and the eucharist.

PH starts out by explaining, "I started out walking…in search of a church where I could break my fast with communion." His narrative then recounts how in turn he viewed a steeple (church, maybe?), a roof that hopefully signaled a Greek Orthodox church, a strangely shaped cross that proved to be a supermarket, then an Asian restaurant, and finally a car dealership. Finally, PH spotted a white steeple that actually was a church structure full of church people, so he entered the building and found a eucharistic liturgy well in progress in a packed, clearly multi-cultural congregation.

Post-worship and liturgy, PH feasted at a richly and abundantly stocked Panera and then attended another innings of the event he'd journeyed to that city for—a conference on community food security. He concluded his blog post with, "As I passed the cathedrals of capitalism, as whizzing cars passed me, I wondered how long this lifestyle could possibly last…"

Among the plethora of domesticated gods that include Egyptian imperial religion, Roman imperial religion, the Jerusalem Temple and contemporary urban consumerism, each of them and all of them subtly and not-subtly bring to their adherents a reign of death, not as gracious gift but at huge cost to the individual and to society. But the God of the Bible, God of the prophets, the God of Jesus Christ cannot be contained or domesticated in any way and by grace and without cost to us, this God raises the dead.

In "our" culture of consumerism we're close to being governed and owned by our desires for excessive consumption, so does the culture rule our wants or do our wants rule our lives? The biblical ideal demonstrated YHWH as sovereign, but we know the people longed for a king like those other nations had. As the authors of Jesus for President, Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw observe, "The Prince of Peace is born as a refugee in the middle of genocide and is rescued from the trash bin of imperial executions to stand at the pinnacle of this peculiar people" Yes, and during his earth-life Bethlehem-born and Nazareth-bred Jesus socializes and celebrates with outcasts and marginalized, rejects conventional ecclesiastical and political authority, gets himself convicted and killed on charges of sedition and blasphemy and dies outside the city, far from the arena of civilization, from the crossroads of commercial and consumerist activity, from The Place where religion and spirituality usually (invariably, inevitably) become static, codified, rationalized and institutionalized, losing all power to save and transform. What a friend we have in Jesus? Jesus calls us friends, as possibly the ultimate accolade, yet his Lordship is one of servanthood, as is our presence in the world.

As the people of God we have been formed in the sparse economy(!) of many deserts where obvious signs of life are ultra-meager yet where life teams hidden beneath the surface. We have been uniquely re-birthed by Jesus' death and resurrection. We know the heart of a stranger, because we have been strangers to the dominant cultures and popular mores in all of our Egypts. Do we currently experience the heart and the lifestyle of strangers here in this 21^st century consumerist culture? A Fourth World people is a nation without a state. How about us, wherever we pitch our tents? Are we a nation, a distinctly constituted people? Is Jesus our President? Are we stateless or citizens?

Reign of Christ: Pack Up Your Sorrows

Today we celebrate the last Sunday of the liturgical year—the King Who Reigns from a Cross! The late Richard Farina wrote this song about a Christ-figure, a not unfamiliar topic in the world of music. Think about James Taylor singing 'Handyman,' 'You've Got a Friend,' 'Shower the People You Love'—and? Can't think just now, but it's interesting that JT didn't write those songs. How about 'Up on the Roof,' which I know is from Carol King & Gerry Goffin?! I'll add more when I think of more.

Pack Up Your Sorrows | Richard Farina

No use crying, talking to a stranger,
Naming the sorrows you've seen.
Too many sad times, too many bad times,
And nobody knows what you mean.

Chorus:
Ah, but if somehow you could pack up your sorrows,
And give them all to me,
You would lose them, I know how to use them,
Give them all to me.

No use rambling, walking in the shadows,
Trailing a wandering star.
No one beside you, no one to hide you,
Nobody knows where you are.

[Chorus.]

No use gambling, running in the darkness,
Looking for a spirit that's free.
Too many wrong times, too many long times,
Nobody knows what you see.

[Chorus.]

No use roaming, lying by the roadside,
Seeking a satisfied mind.
Too many highways, too many byways,
And nobody's walking behind.

[Chorus.]

Thanksgiving to Advent to Winter Solitude

Thanksgiving

The time of year is here for listing reasons for attitudes of gratitude! In my heart I hold thankfulness for nothing if not for God's matchless gifts of Church and Sacraments, and above all for Jesus Christ, Gift of Gifts. I bless God that in baptism I am paradoxically both dead and alive in Christ—both dead to the world and alive for the world; that the Good Gift of the Eucharist connects me with all creation everywhere in every age while challenging me to discern the body within the community where I find myself at that particular moment in time and space. I give thanks that I am bound by water and the Word yet claim the liberty of the children of God—bound above all by grace! This Thanksgiving 2006 I give thanks for nearby neighbors and emerging friendships, and amazingly, for a pair of online sites that have shown me (the physical, tangible gospel person) that community, trust and friendship can happen over the internet! Who would have thought?!

I give thanks for shelter, warmth, food, creation, beauty of every kind, the year-long Design School program I finished a month ago at the local branch ("expression of" as we'd say in the Church) of the New Media Consortium—I especially give thanks that God knows to keep putting options in my path sufficiently late to force me to make quick decisions! For the Interactive Media Certificate Program I interviewed and attended orientation on a Friday in early January, started classes at 7:00 the following Monday morning.

With Rascal Flatts ["Bless the Broken Road"– 2004] I bless the broken road on which I've tripped and frequently fallen. I am increasingly grateful that the God of the bible, Lord of the Church, is a servant God Who Self-reveals not in ornate finery but in the Cross of Calvary Hill and in extravagant unmerited gifts of grace given in spite of me, in spite of us, sometimes because of the messiness, brokenness and devastating shatteredness of life disintegrating into simple survival. And surely the Best News arrives to the dis- or less-enfranchised, to the broken and empty?! (I don't need to mention smelly shepherds quite yet, or do I?) If the upcoming days were not shorter, darker and a little depressing even here in Southern California, how else and why else would anyone ever be motivated to look for the light that would be invisible if not surrounded by night?

To Advent

Sunday we'll celebrate Reign of Christ, and then the season of Advent, with its retrospect and prospect of judgment, repentance, renewal, redemption and hope will be upon the world once again! In the Bethlehem manger we meet the God Who comes to earth amidst silent darkness, pleased to share our common lot—of casino-style payoffs, fast bucks, fast cars and fast career tracks? No, not—because surely brokenness, estrangement, stranger-ness, strangeness, disappointment, disillusionment, loneliness and betrayal are far more common than what the world out there deems success?! God comes to earth incarnate not only into the thick of human need but in human need, too...Jesus born in Bethlehem, Little Town of House of Bread, reveals to the world the God Who forms us, shaping our identity in situations and relationships full of uncertainty and precariousness—not in the assurances of institutions of higher learning like Harvard Business School!

To Winter Solitude

I hope to make the coming season into an experience of real, near-total winter, getting as close as possible to a somnolent hibernation into darkness in the midst of the city. What with everything going on in my heart and in my head, estivation would have been helpful this year as well, but being in the thick of design school during summer 2006 effectively zapped any estival options. Three days and three nights in the heart of the earth: heart is "earth" written with H at the beginning rather than at the end! Heart as an organic metaphor, a spatial one or place where emotions, will and humanness reside.

To Wintersong: this far by faith

Check out my blog for Epiphany 2006, where I quote Marty Haugen's version of the Service of Light that opens evening prayer or vespers:

1. Joyous light of heavenly glory, loving glow of God's own face,
   you who sing creation's story, shine on every land and race.
   Now as evening falls around us, we shall raise our songs to you,
   God of daybreak, God of shadows, come and light our hearts anew.


2. In the stars that grace the darkness, in the blazing sun of dawn,
   of the light of peace and wisdom, we can hear your quiet song.
   Love that fills the night with wonder, love that warms the weary soul,
   Love that bursts all chains asunder, set us free and make us whole.


3. You who made the heaven's splendor, every dancing star of night,
   make us shine with gentle justice, let us each reflect your light.
   Mighty God of all creation, gentle Christ who lights our way,
   Loving Spirit of salvation, lead us on to endless day.

© 1990 GIA Publications, Inc.

retrospect and prospect: Reign of Christ and Epiphany

Just before Advent, the start of the new church year (in the Revised Common Lectionary this is Year B, Mark's Year) began, we celebrated Reign of Christ or Christ the King, the last Sunday in the liturgical year; tomorrow it'll be Epiphany, the liturgical festival of light noteworthy as remembrance of the Christ's first revelation to "the nations"—all of the gentile or non-Jewish world beyond Jerusalem's immediate boundaries and confines! Some cultures make January 6 their time of gifting, consequently styling the feast "Little Christmas"; as the Church and the churches move toward Lent's relative sobriety, the liturgical year and its accompanying lections begin counting and numbering Sundays after Epiphany.

To know and to acknowledge Christ Jesus as Lord of all – Pantocratur and Cosmocratur – we don't need to gaze retrospectively, but sometimes looking backward helps anyway, because we humans often have at least some trepidation about looking forward! And, of course, in order to see anything whatsoever, one needs sufficient light, enough luminescence.

At the moment I'm - almost - taking a vacation from doing theology, though within the past week I've acquired a whole half-dozen new books, which (maybe) I'll list on this far by faith some time over the coming weekend. For this Epiphany Eve, I'll close this blog with Marty Haugen's version of the Service of Light that opens evening prayer or vespers:

Joyous light of heavenly glory, loving glow of God's own face,
you who sing creation's story, shine on every land and race.
Now as evening falls around us, we shall raise our songs to you,
God of daybreak, God of shadows, come and light our hearts anew.

In the stars that grace the darkness, in the blazing sun of dawn,
of the light of peace and wisdom, we can hear your quiet song.
Love that fills the night with wonder, love that warms the weary soul,
Love that bursts all chains asunder, set us free and make us whole.

You who made the heaven's splendor, every dancing star of night,
make us shine with gentle justice, let us each reflect your light.
Mighty God of all creation, gentle Christ who lights our way,
Loving Spirit of salvation, lead us on to endless day.

©1990 GIA Publications, Inc.

Hedging Risks: Reformation Day, 2005

Updated on Saturday 09 August 2014... none of the links that were live in 2005 currently work. They. Have. Died.

Late October, approaching Hallowe'en and All Hallows' Day: duller days and not bright nights. The Revised Common Lectionary's in yet another installment of Ordinary Time, though Reformation and Reign of Christ - both extraordinary festivals - are just around the corner. In fact, although October 31 is the date of the real Commemoration of Luther's Wittenberg Door Escapade, whenever the 31st is not on Sunday, the Churches of the Reformation celebrate Reformation on the Sunday before the 31st—that's today! This year, 2005, marks the 488^th year of Protestantism, though...well, like every other branch and expression of Christianity, it really started a couple thousand years ago and the Church didn't beeline straight from Paul to Luther the way some people believe it did.

I began this as something altogether different from the way it turned out, so some time in the future I'll write more about my original topic. Today being Reformation, I'll say a little about Luther.

Hedging Risks, really!

Hedges, borders, boundaries, and berms: since I've mentioned Reformation, did Martin Luther hedge his life? Or did he bet his life on the Risen Christ? Knowing what we do about Luther, albeit some of it necessarily the inevitable legend that develops and surrounds such a incredibly gigantic figure, we know he literally risked his life because he knew how completely he could trust the Risen and Ascended One. Like his 20^th-century namesake, Martin Luther King, Jr. and like his ultra-mentor in faith, Paul of Tarsus, Pastor Martin did his time in prison, and for a time a price hovered over his head.

This afternoon I tried a few web addresses: "martin luther dot com" and "martin luther dot org" (no return on either of those), so then I got European with "martin luther dot nl" and finally, "martin luther dot de" — that one resulted in a handsome page for the Luther Memorial Foundation. And an English version of the site, also no longer active.

The Dutch Maarten Luther Page also bit the dust.

Pastor Martin's Kleine Catechismus in Luther's original German no longer resolves in 2014.

That's all for now—Happy All Hallows' Eve and Blessed All Saints' Day!