Will you sell to us?

A woman phoned today and asked about ordering a Parish Register to record baptisms in her congregation. She explained that her congregation is one of the Anglican churches that has pulled away from the Episcopal Church. Recently they have been told that the building belongs not to them but to the Episcopal diocese. They are setting up church on their own.

She asked if they would still be able to purchase merchandise, like the Parish Register, from us since they have severed their relationship with the Episcopal Church. I replied that we accept orders from other churches, even (with a grin) Lutherans, United Methodists, Roman Catholics, and others. I reassured her that if her congregation has a need for merchandise that we can supply we are glad to do it.

As our baptismal covenant states, “Respect the dignity of each person.”

Seattle snow

Due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the onshore weather systems Seattle usually experiences mild weather, not too hot in the summers nor too cold in the winters. The trade off is an abundance of clouds and moisture that arrives with the marine weather.

It’s been a couple of years since we have experience snowfall in Seattle. Last Saturday, after days of media hype, a light snowfall began.

Immediately the customers visiting our store disappeared. An hour or so later we told Daniel who had come in to help us on Saturday that he could go home even though the snowfall had stopped by then. An hour or two later some sun peaked through the clouds. We had perhaps three customers “brave” the improved weather.

Sometimes we refer to ourselves cynically as weather wimps. More likely we simply are not used to snowy weather. That, coupled with our numerous steep hills and overcrowded streets, makes for a city that does not handle this weather comfortably and encourages most individuals to have opinions about it.

The Feast of the Epiphany

So, I try again at this blog-thing. It’s been way too long. Advent and Christmas activities at our store used up my time and creative thinking. Christmas is past. Perhaps I can share some thoughts with you again.

The Season of Epiphany recognizes the days between Christmas and Lent. Here’s a memory. Many years ago when we lived in another community and had a set of close church-going friends we enjoyed a special Twelfth Night celebration. On the evening of the Twelfth day of Christmas, which was also the night before The Epiphany, several friends would gather at our home. We all would offer the left over Christmas goodies, including cookies, candies, and cookie-like things (home-made marshmallows, krumkake, and others) to share with each other. A recording of excerpts from Handel’s Messiah was played and we all sang along. It was a special way to mark the end of Christmas with our friends.

This week our son who is the Episcopal priest shared with us an event at his congregation for this the First Sunday After The Epiphany. One of the traditions of Epiphany is the celebration of the Magi, the three kings arriving to honor the baby Jesus. Grace Episcopal Church, San Marcos CA is urging its members to bring to the Sunday Eucharist service their family’s figurines of the three kings. All of the figurines will be displayed in the sanctuary as part of the worship service on Sunday. 

I love this sharing of the church families’ three kings at the Feast of the Epiphany. It will be fun for the worshippers to see the many variations and kinds of figurines. All who participate will feel included in a special way in the service. It will add a special festive atmosphere to the worship space. The result will be a memorable time of sharing during worship. Excellent!

Visiting a nearby worship service

When we lived in a smaller community there was really only one Episcopal church to attend. One of the joys of living in a city is that there are several congregations from which to choose. Last Sunday I visited a nearby congregation. They were celebrating Advent with a service of Nine Lessons and Carols. What a treat!

The music was quite good, excellent. The readers spoke and read well. Generally the service was quite good and worthwhile. I was surprised that some of the lessons were read from older biblical translations, but apparently not all of them. I appreciate congruence within a worship service so the different translations were a small disappointment.

About equal to the worship experience was an interaction with one parishioner. A woman came in after I did and sat in the pew next to me. She introduced herself and asked my name. And, as it goes for me, within two sentences her name had vanished from my mind, and has not yet returned. She invited me to coffee hour, downstairs, after the service. The invitation was quite remarkable.

Recently I had visited several congregations on several occasions as I looked for a congregation that fit me the best. In the past two years I have worshipped with this congregation probably six or eight times. In many ways they are a good, strong congregation.

There are a couple of areas where they failed me. As I experienced this congregation in worship one aspect that they fell short was in pastoral care. After several visits I realized that I did not feel comfortable asking any of the four clergy for help in a pastoral emergency. The parish runs excellent programs and is active in many important causes, but I had not felt that there was a clergy person that I could call on for personal pastoral help if I needed it.

The second negative aspect concerned coffee hour. I am rather socially shy. I’m not one who can confidently barge into a social setting. The church building is arranged with the sanctuary on the ground floor and coffee hour in the basement. As a stranger I felt too exposed to “take the plunge” and go downstairs after a service and join some kind of coffee hour that I knew nothing about. Each time, exiting through the front door seemed easier than going past it and committing to “downstairs.” Then, last Sunday, this woman sitting next to me invited me and encouraged me to attend coffee hour. I realized at that point how powerful it was to be personally asked to join coffee hour.

I almost did go down those stairs, but the rest of the day was full of things on the “to do” list, and the sun was shining. As I scooted out the front door I assured myself that next time I would indeed venture down to coffee hour. 

Perhaps a third point about this congregation that I missed was that they don’t need me. In each of my visits there I have not seen a place where I could put my talents to use with that congregation. As I see it, more powerful than being sincerely invited to coffee hour would be some moment of sincere interest in me that would result in showing me a place where I could be of use to the congregation. Okay, I know that if and when I do attend coffee hour then there would be a much better chance that someone would talk with me and perhaps show me that a clergy person there has a pastoral attitude or that someone else would invite me to join some activity that would put me to use. Most of it is my fault, but this is “how I see it.”

A story of outreach gone astray.

It’s a good story, to me.

A customer just shared this story about our “outreach.”

The woman customer, several years ago, was in the hospital in another State at the birth of their daughter. On a day or so after the birth the mother was in the bathroom and the new mother’s mother talked to her through the door and said, “Honey, stay in the bathroom. The Episcopalians are coming.”

A few minutes later the new mother’s mother opened the door and told her she could go back to bed. The young mother asked, “What was going on? Why did you want me to stay in the bathroom when the Episcopalians came to visit?”

The mother then explained. The Episcopalians that had taken on the job of visiting the sick were old, dour, negative women, wearing black dresses. Their visit included a very gloomy mood. It was not at all what young mothers in the hospital wanted to experience.

Our customer stated that it was an example of Christian outreach that had gone astray.

Don’t we just do it to ourselves sometimes?!

One of our saintly customers

I received the following message from a customer this morning to whom we had sent five pendant crosses (on chains).

I volunteer at a home for abused and emotionally disturbed children. Four of the children are going to foster homes the first of next week, and I wanted to give them something special. These crosses are perfect.


Once again I am reminded that we have the best customers in the world.
 
Humbly, John

How watching football reminds me how to handle my life.

I've been impressed recently by professional athletes and their response to errors and mistakes. I've watched a few football games this season on TV. The Seattle Seahawks have won two games and lost five. They haven't scored a touchdown in the past two games. I watch the quarterback, whichever one they try for a game. He makes big errors. And, I watch his face after the error. He looks upset for a few seconds, then he gathers the team gives them the next play, and continues on with a positive outlook. Had I made such an error as the last play I would kick myself and be discouraged at my mistake, and with thousands of people watching me, I would want to leave the field, leave the locker room and escape from it all. I see in football quarterbacks, and others, an attitude that they have learned. It goes something like this, "That mistake that I just made is behind me. There is nothing that I can do about it. I have a team counting on me to get it right this next time. I'm putting out of my mind my errors and expect the best with this next play." I marvel that they can do that, repeatedly. It is a learned response. I try to do that in my life too. I don't want to forget my failures because that will allow me to make them again, but I try to not dwell on them. One image that I use is that a mistake that I have made, an error in judgment, a bad decision, or a harm that another has done to me.  I put it in a package, like a cardboard box, then I mentally place it on the ground, next to the path that I'm walking on. I walk on. I remember where that package with the loss, failure, or whatever, is located, but I do not carry it on my back with the other baggage of my life going forward.

I don't mourn the loss of some organs that have been removed from my body to keep me alive in years gone by. I also don't forget what I did, the stress that I had put on myself, prior to the time that those surgeries occurred. I don't worry about how long or how short my remaining life may be. I simply try each day to do the best that I can, to help others, to stay healthy, to enjoy the gifts of life each day. Watching the football quarterbacks of a team with a losing record reminds me and encourages me to stay positive, look ahead, take care of my health, find happy moments and relish them, a enjoy whatever each day brings.