Filling the Emptiness

Several weeks back, our seminarian Evan Clendenin gave the sermon at the 10:00 a.m. Eucharist. It was November 8, the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost. The readings are important, of course, but what resonated with me then was his powerful evocation of the nature and manufacture of glass. “I like glass,” he said. “Those who know me and engage me in conversation know that I almost always find a way to talk about glass.”

Evan described one glass making process that involves a wax mold surrounded by sand. When you pour the hot, molten glass into the wax, the wax disappears and what remains is the glass object you’re working to create. “Something better takes the place of the wax…as God fills the emptiness in our lives.”

Evan went on to note that our worship spaces are mostly empty -- large, cavernous building interiors. Then he drew us back to the Old Testament reading from the book of Ruth in which we learn about how Ruth became the wife of Boaz and about the relationship of Ruth to her mother-in-law Naomi. “God is strangely invisible in the Book of Ruth,” Evan tells us. But “it is in the words that people speak out of their miraculous abundance that God’s presence is apparent.”

Pray for Peace

These are headlines from today’s (only today’s) New York Times:

U.S. Woman and Italian Man Convicted in Italy of Briton’s Murder

36 Killed At Mosque For Officers in Pakistan

After Assassination Attempt, Guinea’s Junta Leader Leaves Country for Treatment

NATO Pledges 7,000 Troops for Afghanistan, but Details are Few and Questions Are Many

Iran Limits Data to Atomic Agency

Revised Report on Virginia Tech Shooting Faults University Anew

The Book of Common Prayer contains a useful appeal for a day like this:

3. For the Human Family
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.

The Perversity of Things

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to do something, you just can’t make it work. I’ve been trying to get a certain computer program to work for me, and it is failing. I’ve used this program 1,000 times before. It has worked in the past and now…NOTHING. It’s frustrating to me, but also a lesson that I’m not in control and I can’t always have my way. It’s also a lesson that I need to ask for help from others who know these things better than I do. It could also be a lesson that it’s very late at night, I’m tired, and perhaps I’m forgetting some essential step. Perhaps I could easily accomplish the job with a fully rested mind and body. Who knows? In any case, the feeling of powerlessness – over computers, the weather, world history, the result of an election, or even how the toast turns out when it emerges from the toaster – is a sign. It’s a sacrament, I suppose. A visible manifestation of the presence of God in the world.

Trees

We have beautiful Christmas trees on sale at St. Clement. More than 150 freshly cut trees arrived yesterday. Thanks to Father John for helping the truck driver unload the trees.

Selling Christmas trees is one of the most important fundraisers in our community each year. We hope you will come out and support this effort...and tell all your friends.

Here is a photograph of my office holiday party with one of the beautiful St. Clement trees. Thanks to Rudy Garcia and Dru Hortum for helping me pick it out. My colleagues and I decorated it during our office holiday party on Friday. It's the first live Christmas tree we've had in our office and it really makes a big difference.

Celebrate the Advent-Christmas season with a beautiful tree from St. Clement and support the church community we all love.

Peace,

Pat

Received in the Episcopal Church

Today I was formally received into the Episcopal Church. I can’t tell you the theological or doctrinal significance of this. But I can tell you how it makes me feel. Today I was received into a church that embraces radical hospitality manifested by an unbridled sense of inclusion. I like that!

Before the Eucharist this morning, the bishop who presided at the service had a short chat with me and the other four newly received. He said something that blew my mind and made me KNOW that I had made the right decision for me. I’m paraphrasing, but the bishop said essentially this: “Being received into the Episcopal Church has nothing to do with conversion. Everything that led you to this point in your life is worthy and good. If you were baptized and confirmed in the Presbyterian Church or the Baptist Church or the Roman Catholic Church, that’s a part of who you are. That’s a part of what led you to be where you are today. We celebrate everything about you, including the religious traditions you have embraced up to this point. When I made my confirmation as a Presbyterian at age 12, I meant it. There was nothing wrong or in error about the commitment I made at age 12 even though I went on to become a bishop in the Episcopal Church. The same is true for you. You’re not packing up and leaving your house. You’re simply moving to a different room in the same house. And I believe someday God will break down all those walls that separate the rooms in this house. When all is said and done, I don’t think God cares one wit about denominations.”

So there you have it. Thanks to my good friend, Leslie Hortum, for being my sponsor; to John Hortum for preparing me; to Bishop David Jones for blowing my mind and making me feel so welcome today; and everyone at St. Clement in Alexandria. Thanks to you for all the support and encouragement you have given me over more than 51 years of my life. Today I made a choice that’s right for me and celebrates all of the faithfulness of my life. I want to celebrate that in all of you and everyone I meet. One day when my son or daughter comes to me and says, “Dad, I’m a gay Buddhist werewolf,” I pray that I will have the grace (and the good sense God gave gravel) to say, “Amen, child. I love you and embrace you and the journey you’re on. I will help you and support you in every way I can.” That’s what I pray I will do. I think I can. Hallelujah!

Peace,

Pat

Blog Action Day

I thought you would be interested in this upcoming event. Here is a short description of the event from the Blog Action Day Website:

First and last, the purpose of Blog Action Day is to create a discussion. We ask bloggers to take a single day out of their schedule and focus it on an important issue. By doing so on the same day, the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe on that issue. Out of this discussion naturally flow ideas, advice, plans, and action. In 2007 on the theme of the Environment, we saw bloggers running environmental experiments, detailing innovative ideas on creating sustainable practices, and focusing their audience's attention on organizations and companies promoting green agendas. In 2008 we covered the theme of Poverty, and similarly focused the blogging community's energies around discussing the wide breadth of the issue from many perspectives and identifying innovative and unexpected solutions. This year we aim to do the same for Climate Change, an issue that threatens us all.

-- Pat Jones

Mile Long Yard Sale

The "West End" of Alexandria has the traditional Mile Long Yard sale along Taney Avenue and adjacent streets during one of the final Saturdays of September. Today was the day. This year we were lucky the rains held off and neighbors and friends were able to enjoy a good bargain in cool and dry -- if not sunny -- weather. Everyone seemed to have a good time. From food and furniture, to lawn implements and old videotapes, electronic devices that were cutting-edge at one time, well loved toys, musical instruments, shoes, and jackets, the yard sale this year was the bargain hunters heaven.

Returning home, I started thinking about the wonderful community building aspects of our own St. Clement yard sale when, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we invite the extended family over to our place to purchase one of 600 or so beautiful Christmas trees. Ah, you can smell the aroma of Douglass firs wafting out from the branches, sticky, pungent sap on your hands, and needles in your socks and hair. The air is cooler then -- the hot coffee or cocoa between your hands serves a useful purpose -- and I have an even warmer feeling when I see old acquaintances, friends who perhaps I see only once a year...in pursuit of the perfect tree.

The Mile Long Yard Sale is like that. It happens a couple of months earlier. And it's a wonderful harbinger of the colder months and the warm thoughts to come.

-- Pat Jones

ALIVE...Marching Captains!

Three volunteers from ALIVE (Alexandrians Involved Ecumenically) came to our house today and took away the bunk beds that had occupied the girls' room for a number of years. Now another Alexandria family will be able to enjoy the bunk beds, thanks to the great volunteers at ALIVE. Katie is enjoying her freshman year at Christopher Newport University (CMU), so Maria has a new bed and room to herself. Maria (left) and Katie posed for this picture during our recent "Family Weekend" at CNU. Katie, an active member of the music program, is festooned in the silver and blue of the CNU Marching Captains. Go Katie!

-- Pat Jones

Back to school..."a closer walk."

I began the day in my car running some errands at the height of the post-Labor Day back to school and back to work pandemonium, slowly passing many buses, crossing guards, carpools, parents, and children. Sam and Maria went back to school today, too. After the errands, I went for a long walk in the rain, confronting much of the bustle I encountered before, just in a different place. I walked past an elementary school, a middle school, Alexandria hospital, and Foxchase Shopping Center. Then, in Holmes Run Park, the scene above magically appeared before me. O peace and serenity. O manna from heaven. O quiet desolation in a day filled with words and noise. It's nice to find an oasis in a desert of distraction.

-- Pat Jones

Morning Prayer, Brokenness, and Wholeness

Well, Rev. Cynthia Park did it again. She led the 10:00 a.m. congregation in a stunningly beautiful morning prayer service last Sunday, with only two day’s notice that the rent-a-priest who was to have presided over Sunday Eucharist would not be able to do it after all.

The first reading was about David and Bathsheba. You know the story: lust, betrayal, adultery, directed killings, etc. Old Testament stuff. Somehow, in spite of David’s many character flaws, meanness, sins, and what my children would call “epic fail,” God chose David to lead his people. In Cynthia’s exegesis, God chose David not because of the universally horrible attributes we see David display in this particular reading. Instead, God chose David because of the God inspired ability – I guess we call it grace – which David exhibits at the end of his life when he acknowledges his moral bankruptcy before God and asks for mercy. Wow, that’s heavy!

Somehow, Cynthia connected this story to the 900-mile journey on which she was about to embark to spend a week in the woods leading her young grandchildren in an artsy “Granny Camp” at the request of her own children. Cynthia emphasized that “Granny Camp” was not high on her list of favorite things to do, but that her children expected her to love doing it because their grandmother (Cynthia’s mother) seemed to love doing it when they were youngsters. Long story short: I think there’s probably some kind of grace that enables Cynthia to immerse herself in a hellish chore with her grandchildren (sorry kids!). And in truth, Cynthia’s mom probably hated doing it too, but did it anyway with grace – both the human-elegance kind and the godly-theological kind.

I don’t really know what else to say about this except that I wish I had written about it five days ago when it was still fresh in my mind. I hope that God’s grace will overcome my memory lapse and feeble attempt to tell the story of one wonderful hour in the St. Clement worship space. Peace be with you.

-- Pat Jones

Let’s get over the excessive umbrage

We've all done it. Everyone on the planet has done it. We overreact. We say something or do something we wish we hadn’t done. We assume the worst about another person’s actions and lash out in a less than civil way. It happens to everyone. And we regret it.

The clear message of President Obama’s Thursday night sit down in the Rose Garden with Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cambridge, Massachusetts police sergeant James Crowley is this: “Let’s get over the excessive umbrage, sit down, and get to know each other.” Michael Kinsley wrote eloquently about this sentiment in a July 31 Washington Post op-ed article.

It’s hard to hate another person when you walk side by side with that person and his family on a presidentially guided tour of the White House, then join that person, the president, and vice president for a cold beer in the Rose Garden. As for President Obama’s own hastily chosen words about someone acting “stupidly,” he’s human too, just like his companions in the garden.

-- Pat Jones

8:00 a.m.

The quiet. The thing that struck me most about attending the 8:00 a.m. Sunday Eucharist for the first time was the quiet. It was enveloping. Inviting. Nourishing. It made me want to begin a silent retreat right then. To be alone with the Lord. Silent, attentive and observant. Apart.

Then the service began. A short walk from the sacristy to the foot of the altar. The lectionary held aloft. A few words of greeting. All of the gestures and movements were smaller, more subdued than those of the 10:00 a.m. service. There were 18 souls present at 8:00 a.m. The typical 10:00 a.m. congregation numbers 50. So the volume was dialed back. The movements were sparer. An economy of sound and movement appropriate to the situation.

The Lord finds us where we are. In the quiet and stillness of the 8 or the music and movement of the 10.

-- Pat Jones

Paul Hawken's Commencement Address

Every once in a while, you hear or read a speech that makes your skin tingle and your heart leap for joy. Paul Hawken’s commencement address to the class of 2009 at the University of Portland on May 3rd is one such speech.

In his opening remarks, Hawken says that he was asked if he could give a simple short talk that was "direct, naked, taut, honest, passionate, lean, shivering, startling, and graceful." I think he succeeded. Here are just a few excerpts from this mind blowing speech.

Class of 2009: you are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on earth at a time when every living system is declining, and the rate of decline is accelerating.

When asked if I am pessimistic or optimistic about the future, my answer is always the same: If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren't pessimistic, you don't understand the data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren't optimistic, you haven't got a pulse.

You join a multitude of caring people. No one knows how many groups and organizations are working on the most salient issues of our day: climate change, poverty, deforestation, peace, water, hunger, conservation, human rights, and more. This is the largest movement the world has ever seen. Rather than control, it seeks connection. Rather than dominance, it strives to disperse concentrations of power.

Life is creating the conditions that are conducive to life inside you, just as in all of nature. Our innate nature is to create the conditions that are conducive to life. What I want you to imagine is that collectively humanity is evincing a deep innate wisdom in coming together to heal the wounds and insults of the past.

Please go now and read Paul Hawken’s commencement address. And be inspired to change the world for the better.

-- Pat Jones

Never Forget

My travels for work have taken me to Krakow, Poland (my first time) for an international conference. I took the opportunity of this trip to visit the nearby concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau which became the killing center where the largest numbers of European Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

Perhaps nothing can prepare you to confront the visual and psychological reality of the systematic human extermination that happened here. We had an extraordinary guide, Berta, who is a native of the small village of Oswiecim from which the camp draws its name. A history teacher, Berta was amazingly knowledgeable about all aspects of the camp. Allowing her facts and observations to unfold before us with patience and sensitivity, Berta invited us to face a reality that is impossible to ignore. I found a very interesting blog post about another group’s recent visit to the camp and our guide Berta here.

As a continual reminder of our own responsibility to prevent such atrocities from happening, visitors to the camp see this quote from George Santayana at the museum’s entrance: "Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it."

-- Pat Jones

Cho Too

“When I first arrived here in the Church of Saint Clement, I could feel your love and welcome embrace. The way you surrounded me with your love made me feel as if I had come home.”

Those were the words of Cho Too, the seminarian from Myanmar (Burma) who preached at the 10:00 a.m. Eucharist this past Sunday. With her parents listening from one of the front pews, Cho Too broke open the words of the gospel by reflecting on her own experience of God’s love as expressed in and through the members of our church community.

After two years with us, Cho Too returns to Myanmar this month to begin teaching seminarians who are preparing to become Episcopal priests. As a farewell gift to our community, Cho Too presented Father John a framed image of the cross and lights at the center of our worship space – an image composed of tiny multi-colored precious stones.

The Sunday School children prepared a special song which they sang for Cho Too and the community following her homily. She will carry the light and love of our church community to a part of the world in which our Christian faith struggles under the heavy burden of official opposition. We will pray for Cho Too and the faith she helps to sow.

-- Pat Jones

Final Performance of "Fiddler" TONIGHT! Love, romance, revolution!

The final performance of T.C. Williams High School’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” is tonight at 7:30 at T.C. Williams High School! Themes include love, romance, religious persecution, revolution, and the challenge of trying (and failing) to control one’s spouse, children, community, country, and God. Read a student’s review of the performance in the Washington Post.

TC has put forth a fine crop of actors, musicians, stage hands and technical crew to produce this family classic. Of special note (to me, anyway) are Freshman Sam Jones as Perchik, the student radical from Kiev who courts daughter #2 Hodel; and Senior Katie Jones, lyrical flutist in the pit orchestra. Sophomore and neighbor friend Zachary Frank delivers a robust perfomance as Tevye...and he can't wait to shave off his scraggly beard. Both Sam and Katie are my children and members of St. Clement, though they often hide at the edges of the worship space…or cannot be seen at all. Well, they can both be seen and heard loudly and clearly TONIGHT at T.C. Williams High School beginning at 7:30 p.m. Arrive early to purchase your tickets: $8 for adults; $6 for students and senior citizens. They’re expecting a sellout crowd. Don’t miss it!

-- Pat Jones

“I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Congressman Jim Moran has written a thoughtful and courageous op-ed piece in today’s Washington Post that speaks to our duties as patriotic citizens and evangelists. He’s talking about the debate over where to relocate the 241 foreign nationals being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and/or where to put them on trial.

Here’s a portion of what Jim wrote: Like those in any other congressional districts, we Virginians would rather not have terrorism suspects held and tried in our back yard. Often, though, doing the right thing is neither popular nor convenient. Alexandrians are civic-minded people and are ready to do their duty if it serves the greater good. They have shown this public spirit time and again. Zacarias Moussaoui, who participated in planning the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon, was held and prosecuted in the Alexandria courthouse. Others who have been brought to justice in the court include the "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh; Beltway sniper John Allen Muhammad; and spies Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames. Taking the easy route and joining the chorus of those crying "not in my back yard" is appealing. But that's not the Alexandria I know and have represented in Congress for nearly 20 years. I am confident that if asked to step forward, Alexandria would demonstrate resolve for a higher purpose, echoing John F. Kennedy's call to accept the challenge presented because it is what happens to be right and good for our nation.

I agree with Jim Moran. We should accept these prisoners if the Obama administration asks us to do so. We can also look at this responsibility to accept Guantanamo detainees as part of our call as Christians. In the book of Matthew (Chap. 25), Jesus talks about how the King of glory will separate the sheep from the goats at the end of time.

Jesus said: Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink…I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

My friend Bud Hart is active in the Kairos Prison Ministry here in Alexandria and can tell you all about what it’s like to serve the spiritual needs of incarcerated men, women and children, their families and those who work in the prison environment.

We are called to be patriots and evangelists. Let’s respond with full hearts.

-- Pat Jones

“Come to me…and I will give you rest”

Vermont Avenue and South Jenkins Street (between Duke Street and Wheeler Avenue) are two of the smoothest stretches of asphalt in the West End of Alexandria. I skated there this morning on my refurbished inline skates; I put new wheels on the skates last Saturday. As an inline skater, I look for surfaces that are smooth and hard, but with just enough friction to give my rubber wheels the chance to bite into the surface and make easy turns.

In today’s New York Times, writer George Vecsey describes his love of bicycling and some of the very rough surfaces that competitive cyclists must ride. The Paris-Roubaix race in France features a very bumpy stretch of road made of cobblestones. According to one cyclist, “The best I could do would be to describe it like this — they plowed a dirt road, flew over it with a helicopter, and then just dropped a bunch of rocks out of the helicopter! That’s Paris-Roubaix. It’s that bad; it’s ridiculous.”

We all face struggles in life, some more difficult that others. The cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix are a self-imposed struggle for competitive cyclists. Other rough patches are less welcome. Gliding on my skates along Vermont Avenue in the West End, these words of Jesus came to mind: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

-- Pat Jones

Time Traveler

Well ladies and gentlemen, I’ve finally done it. I am a TIME TRAVELER! I’ve often joked with people about the possibility of time travel. You’re familiar with the “Back to the Future” movies and “Time Machine” books and films. Now, even one of the most popular science fiction programs on television called “Heroes” has a character named “Hiro” who can stop time and move forward and back in time…as part of his plan to save the world.

Well, I have traveled forward in time. It’s only a day, mind you, but it’s a start. Now, for the record, let’s stipulate that today is Saturday, April 11, 2009. The time stamp at the bottom of this text tells you when I actually posted this entry. I don’t control the time stamp. That’s done by some large computer in a faraway place…so we can trust that it’s accurate, right?

Well, earlier today when I sat down to read copy of The Washington Post that was delivered to my house, I opened the paper to the editorial pages and found – low and behold – I traveled to Sunday and came back to today with tomorrow’s paper. I’ve included a couple of pictures to prove it. I have not manipulated these photographs in any way except to crop them to fit in this space so you can see the date. These are authentic photographs, taken on Saturday, April 11, 2009, of the newspaper that will be distributed…TOMORROW.

Note to the amazed and confused: This disturbance in the time space continuum must be the result of the Post’s ongoing restructuring of its newspaper. All the other pages in the front section bear the correct date of Saturday, April 11. Only pages A12 and A13 bear the mark of Sunday, April 12. Perhaps it's just editorial writers and opinion makers who are time travelers. Let’s see what happens tomorrow.

-- Pat Jones

Snickers

Our pet hamster Snickers died overnight. We buried her in the backyard beneath a favorite plant pot. We recited the 23rd Psalm by heart and concluded the funeral liturgy with these words: “We commend you with all the angels and saints to live with our Lord Jesus Christ forever.”

(Note: the picture at left is not Snickers. Unfortunately, I couldn't find an actual picture of Snickers that looked this good. But, you get the idea.)

Snickers was a good hamster. She lived almost two years, which is pretty old for a hamster. She bit my wife only once and peed on our daughter Maria and bit her only once, too. Snickers spent many hours running around the family room and kitchen in a clear plastic sphere. This allowed her to explore every horizontal surface on the main floor of our house and enjoy a good cardio workout every day without the danger that she might disappear behind the piano or underneath the sofa where it would be hard to extract her. If she had any fears or worries, she didn’t talk about them much. Sometimes after gently removing her from the cage for her workout, we would hold her tenderly and feed her a little snack. She would fill her cheeks with food until her head was nearly twice its normal size. Then she would gently burrow and snuggle into the folds in our clothing or the creases in the easy chair where we sat with her.

Her simple plastic and metal cage had two main levels. The bottom level contained her food, water, and exercise wheel. A clear plastic tube led to her upstairs “apartment,” a much more intimate space where she organized her bedding and took long naps.

Snickers was a constant reminder to us of the quotidian mysteries, the daily, ordinary, simple things that one must do to maintain a life: eat, drink, sleep, clean up after yourself, and play. We’ll miss Snickers and all the joy and wonder she brought into our home.

-- Pat Jones

Gift of the Red Bird

“I never saw more than I was willing to risk seeing.”

-- Paula D’Arcy, Gift of the Red Bird: The Story of a Divine Encounter

This line from a book by Paula D’Arcy is the perfect complement to two experiences of mine this Easter weekend.

This morning, I attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting off Mt. Vernon Avenue in Del Ray with my friends Bill, Bud, and Chris. (All of them gave me permission to divulge that they attended this meeting.) I went to the meeting to support my friend Bill who is beginning his third week of sobriety after an emotionally exhausting intervention involving a dozen friends and family members.

While I am not a regular participant in 12-step programs, I know enough people who are involved to be reasonably familiar with the process and its precepts. As stated in the AA Preamble, which was read at the very beginning of today’s meeting, “ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.” The preamble goes on to say “A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.”

One of the common attributes of the addiction to alcohol, as I’ve discovered from my friends in AA, is an ongoing, fierce battle against denial. Denial is a powerful enemy that can lull an alcoholic into a false sense of security that the struggle against the disease is being won; meanwhile, just around the corner, a cunning temptation is lying in wait to sucker the alcoholic back into addiction with a single punch.

My friend Bill and I have had several conversations about his alcoholism in the last two weeks. In describing his denial and the “double life” he led, Bill has not used Paula D’Arcy’s exact words, but they are no less true for him: “I never saw more [of myself and my addiction] than I was willing to risk seeing.” My companionship with Bill at the AA meeting today is one encounter that drives home the mini-sermon from Gift of the Red Bird.

The other encounter that will happen very soon is the gift of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. Again, Paula D’Arcy’s words are bold and powerful, putting the story of the gospels in stark relief: “I never saw more than I was willing to risk seeing.”

As we know from reading the gospel narratives of Jesus’ death and resurrection, not one disciple fully understood Jesus when he told them, I will destroy this temple and raise it again in three days. They didn’t understand when he told them that the Son of Man must be put to death, and the Father will raise him again on the third day. Not one of them understood. NOT ONE.

Even when the two disciples went into the empty tomb where Jesus’ body had been placed and they saw the strips of linen lying there as well as the burial cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head, they still did not understand. “I never saw more than I was willing to risk seeing.”

This season, this moment, this Easter is a time for us to take a risk. It is a time to risk seeing more than we have ever been willing to see before.

-- Pat Jones

Fervent

On this Maundy Thursday, twenty loving souls gathered in our intimate sanctuary to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Every gesture, every expression was a jewel in a crown of service.

“…when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt…” (Exodus 12)

“…this cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me…” (I Corinthians 11)

“…then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet…” (John 13)

On this night, every member of the congregation had the opportunity both to be washed and to wash.

The word that filled my mind to describe this holy service is “fervent.”

-- Pat Jones

Misunderstanding

“What’s on TV tonight?” I asked my nearly 14-year-old daughter Maria. “Kid’s Choice Awards,” she said. I didn’t hear her correctly, so I replied, “Yes, I always try to use a good choice of words.” Then I turned to see Maria doubled over in laughter so hard that no sound was emanating from her mouth. That’s when I put 2 and 2 together and realized she had said, “Kid’s Choice Awards.”

No matter how close two people are and no matter how well they understand one another, communication can break down. Sometimes, the communication breakdown has humorous results, as in the current circumstance. Other times, a communication breakdown results in conflict, fighting, genocide, or war.

As we make a “good choice of words,” let’s not assume that the listener actually hears what we say. Let’s verify. And verify again. And give others the benefit of the doubt. And not jump to conclusions. Misunderstanding is easy. Ending a war is hard.

-- Pat Jones

Anne Welsh Salon, Wi-Fi, Fiddler on the Roof

I used free wi-fi at Anne Welsh Salon this morning and learned that I am the very first customer of this service. So, if you're in the area of Mt. Vernon Avenue and need to get a haircut and surf the web, try out Anne Welsh Salon, 2100 Mt. Vernon Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22301.

By the way, my son Sam who received the haircut today is performing in T.C. Williams' High School production of Fiddler on the Roof on May 1, 2, 8, and 9. Visit the T.C. Williams High School website for further details.

-- Pat Jones

The Giver

What would a world without pain be like? What about a world without color, passion, or the ability to choose your livelihood? That’s the premise of The Giver by Lois Lowry, a book my daughter Maria suggested I read. In this fictional society, the elders from long ago – from back and back and back – decided that the world would be more livable if they removed pain from people’s lives. In the process, they also removed the things that make life complex and interesting like individuality, competition, challenge, physical intimacy, romance, and love. To make this world work, the elders embodied all of these difficult feelings and emotions in one person: “the giver” who is also the receiver of memory, the person who remembers what the world was like before pain was removed from people’s lives. I think The Giver is an excellent Lenten read. It suggests that it’s possible to live a life without pain. But that also demands that you live without the things that make life most meaningful: choice, passion, joy, and love. The giver I know, Jesus the Lord, is the one who through his passion, death and resurrection, redeems our pain and gives us a glimpse of God’s great joy.

-- Pat Jones

The Shack (2)

I just read William P. Young’s The Shack. It’s an extraordinary book. In it, Young paints a portrait of the three persons of the Trinity through the conversations that God has with a man who is mourning the death of his young daughter and has been on a difficult and painful journey to find meaning in his life once again. There were several big epiphanies for me. One is God’s ability to be bound by self-imposed limits. God’s ability to experience “limits” does not suggest any lessening of God’s power and omnipotence. The limits are simply another expression of God’s love for humanity and the desire to better experience humanity through these limits. Another epiphany relates to the intimate relationship among the three persons of the Trinity as, for instance, when “Papa,” a female figure who portrays the person of God the Father, reveals deep scars on her wrists, a result of “Papa’s” immediate and intimate connectedness with Jesus and the crucifixion. Perhaps the most amazing epiphany for me is the portrayal of the Holy Spirit though the character known as “Sarayu,” a twinkling, sparkling, almost wave-based being who speaks to the protagonist as easily as “Papa” or Jesus does.

This book helped to explode the fairy tale images I may have had about God. It revealed to me a God who is not involved in changing the outcomes that happen as a result of human actions but who definitely IS fully engaged in trying to establish a relationship with every human being so that each person can experience God’s love and manifest that love in relationship with others. Read The Shack. It will be a revelation no matter what your current beliefs.

-- Pat Jones

Unique like us

I've discovered lots of beautiful things here in Jervis Bay, Australia. Seeing myriad seashells on these white sandy beaches, it occurred to me that the beaches themselves represent millions of years of shells being pulverized by the surf and one another. And yet individual seashells are still here. Ribbed white clamshells and spiral shaped nautiluses and multicolored keyhole shells. Millions of shells in every shape, size, color, and texture. Whole shells and broken shells. Each one unique. And beautiful. Like us.

-- Pat Jones

Attentive

I’m in Australia. Driving on the left side of the road, I find I’m much more attentive than when I’m back home in the U.S. I’m more attentive to everything connected with driving: my mirrors, turn signal, position of the steering wheel (on the right), and, of course, other vehicles. Driving over here is serious business. Don’t get distracted or you might go left when you should go right.

Lent is a time for being attentive. Lent makes me much more attentive to all the things I’m thankful for: family, friends, relationships, having a great job. Love.

-- Pat Jones

Saying "Yes"

In today’s gospel, Jesus says to the crowd and his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” These are hard, challenging words. Deny yourself. Take up your cross. Follow me. Not an easy road.

An article by Layng Martine, Jr., in today’s New York Times describes the journey of one couple that embraces both “denying yourself” and “saying yes.”

Layng relates how his wife Linda was involved in a terrible automobile accident that left her a paraplegic. Now her body works only from the chest up. As a result of the accident, Linda can no longer engage in many of the physical activities that once defined her life, like hiking mountains, riding waves, and running marathons. Layng and Linda have discovered that their journey together requires much more effort, creativity and forethought than ever before just to get from one place to the next.

“We know that most people — strangers, anywhere — will knock themselves out to help us if we explain what we need,” Martine explains. “We know to say ‘Yes’ to nearly everything because there is probably a way to do it. We know there is happiness available every day, most of it requiring more effort than money. And effort seems like a small price to pay for a day at the beach, a trip to New York or for dinner up eight steps to a friend’s home.”

Following the accident, Layng and Linda discovered they have a new cross to bear. But they also discovered that saying “yes,” even to strangers, can make the cross easier to bear and permit them to live a life of fullness.

-- Pat Jones

Sunny and Serene

My good friend Sally celebrates a big birthday today. I won’t tell you the exact number, but she’s now 10 years eligible for AARP membership. You get the idea.

Sally and I have worked together for the last two years, but we’ve been friends more than twenty. When I was considering hiring Sally, the first issue we discussed was our friendship. Both of us felt that our friendship was important and we didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it. So, we proceeded cautiously, gingerly, hopeful that we could work together and still remain good friends. I think we’ve succeeded. In fact, I think we’re even better friends now because we spend more time together and know more things about each other’s lives.

I describe Sally to others as “sunny and serene.” She has a beautiful smile, a generous heart, and a young face that belies her chronological age by at least ten years. Sally’s family members laugh at the thought that she’s sunny and serene; they know a different Sally than I do.

I also know a different Sally, one with an edge that complements sunny and serene. We recently painted and redecorated our offices. In the planning stage before the work began, a group of our staff gathered to talk about options. A couple of staff members said they would like to have one wall of their individual offices painted with an accent color. Sally listened very patiently and, mindful of budget constraints and the vagaries of egalitarianism and vanity, declared, “There will be NO accent walls in this office.” That was the end of it.

I love Sally. She reminds me of our Saint Clement community. We’re sunny and serene. We have a beautiful smile and a generous heart. But we also have an edge; an edge that is mindful of what’s most important in life and in the world. That’s why we’re engaged in so many efforts that reach beyond the boundaries of our small community: a hypothermia shelter for men in winter; bag lunches for the soup kitchen; thrift shop; work with ALIVE (Alexandrians Involved Ecumenically), and so many other external ministries that look out into the world.

Here at Saint Clement, we are sunny and serene; and we have an edge. Happy Birthday, Sally! Thanks for helping me appreciate this place that I love so much.

-- Pat Jones

Lift Up Your Voice

Recently I had a conversation with Patrick Crerar about evangelism. I’ve been reflecting deeply on what he said: “Evangelism is about sharing the Good News and joy we have with those who either have not heard it, forgotten it, allowed themselves to get distracted, or otherwise are not receiving the hope in Christ. Evangelism is about them."

I began this blog (literally, “web log”) as a way to share my reflections and yours on the life of our community here at the Church of Saint Clement. I am now convinced that this blog has a much larger and more important mission. This blog is about sharing the Good News and joy we have with those who either have not heard it, forgotten it, allowed themselves to get distracted, or otherwise are not receiving the hope in Christ.

You can help your neighbor to hear and share the Good News. Maybe you don’t feel comfortable speaking face to face with others about your faith. That’s okay; you’re not alone. Maybe you don’t feel comfortable working in a soup kitchen or spending the night in a hypothermia shelter giving comfort to men who seek refuge on a cold winter’s night. That’s okay too. But, if you are reading these words right now, then you do have the gift of reading. And if you have the gift of reading, in all likelihood you also have the gift of writing. At the very least you can write, “Amen.”

I invite you to write your “Amen” to the reflections and comments in this blog. Your Amen, YOUR VOICE could be the voice that helps someone who is distracted to find and receive the Good News and joy we have. YOUR VOICE could be the voice that calls someone out of darkness into the light of Christ.

I invite you -- as you read the reflections on this blog -- to lift up your voice. Think about the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:

Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

You can do something for one of the least of your brothers simply by being a witness to your own thoughts about the reflections on this blog. Write a comment on this blog. It’s simple. Click here to learn how. Someone, somewhere will read your words on this blog -- and your words will bring them home.

“Peace be with you.”

-- Pat Jones

A Special Place

Lent is the time of year when I go on my annual spiritual retreat. Since 1980, I have joined a group of men at Loyola House of Retreats in Morristown, New Jersey for a silent weekend spiritual retreat. I say silent. It’s the 75 or so men who make the retreat who remain silent. There is talking, but that’s done by one of the 6 or 7 Jesuits who live in the retreat house. Periodically throughout the weekend, all the men gather in chapel to hear a talk or “reflection for prayer” given by one of the Jesuits. These talks are thoughtful, provocative, biblical, challenging, and reflective. They cause you to reflect on your relationship with God and to take a closer walk with the Lord.

My father introduced me to this form of retreat in 1980. Since then, I’ve made 22 or 23 such retreats annually. I’ve missed a few years (babies, work, travel, etc.), but I try not to miss it. I like to say it’s the one thing during the year that I do JUST FOR ME. In reality, I’m doing it for everyone whose life is touched by mine because I think I become a better man and a better person for having gone on this retreat once a year.

I asked my brother Andy how it makes him feel to go on a retreat at Loyola. He said, “I feel wonderful because the Loyola experience reminds me how much God loves me no matter what, and that with God on our side, we have the courage to try anything we desire. I also feel closer to Dad and Uncle Bob, because Loyola was such an important part of their lives.”

-- Pat Jones

A Brother's Love

A good friend lost his brother this week. He was only 52. This news touches me deeply because I have two brothers who are not much older; I am 50. When I spoke to my friend the other day, he sounded like his normal self but said the news was still sinking in.

My friend noted that Garrison Keillor also lost a brother this week and wrote a short essay about it on Salon.com. Keillor describes his brother as an engineer and a sailor who loved the thrill of tacking back and forth in his small craft either on water or on ice. "He switched careers from mechanical to coastal engineering so as to get himself out on boats," Keillor says. "Philip practiced the delicate art of brotherly love. He always knew what you were doing and he kept his critical opinions to himself. He called me once to ask how I was doing and I knew without his saying so that he knew about some nonsense I was up to and wanted me to stop it and I did stop it without his ever mentioning it. That's how he worked, no motor, just angles."

I asked my friend what message he would like to convey to those who ask about flowers or memorial gifts. He responded, "In lieu of flowers please give a thought to those who shared your childhood because even as you remember them, so they remember you, better than you might think."

-- Pat Jones

The Gospel Call from the Pages of the Post

We, all of us, are fortunate to live in a metro area populated by some of the most brilliant minds and commentators in the world. You don’t have to look far to find them. And sometimes they speak a gospel message.

E. J. Dionne’s column in Monday’s Washington Post contains one such message. Here is what he says about the radical call of Christianity – through his own lens as a political columnist: “The central issue in American politics now is whether the country should reverse a three-decade-long trend of rising inequality in incomes and wealth. Politicians will say lots of things in the coming weeks, but they should be pushed relentlessly to address the bottom-line question: Do they believe that a fairer distribution of capitalism's bounty is essential to repairing a sick economy? Everything else is a subsidiary issue.”

Wow! That is sermon-on-the-mount quality writing. Jesus could not have had a better speech writer. If your copy of Monday’s Post is now wrapped around a fish or serving as bird cage liner, you can read the entire column here.

-- Pat Jones

"Sharing the Good News and Joy We Have"

The new vestry of Saint Clement held a half day retreat at the home of our rector, the Rev. John Hortum, on February 14, Saint Valentine's Day. The two main goals of this retreat were to get to know one another and to assign (or receive) our ministries for the year. You can see the names of the vestry and their respective ministries on the official website of the Church of Saint Clement.

Our deacon, Cynthia Park, told us a wonderful story about a group of schoolchildren with whom she was privileged to work on a stage play. She described for us the way in which these children decided among themselves who should play each role. It was a wonderful and touching story that revealed how insightful and caring children can be with one another. Find Cynthia in Marshall Rutter Hall after Eucharist one Sunday and ask her to tell you the whole story. You'll like it.

Anyway, back to the retreat. To find the right ministry for each vestry member, we went through a process of "discernment." I suppose you can define discernment in a bunch of different ways. In our case, we listened to each person discuss which ministry (or ministries) they were interested in and then did a little sorting out at the end. It would be a stretch to say that each person got the ministry that he or she most desired, but by the end of the retreat, all the ministries had been assigned and no one came to blows. That's probably a victory for any vestry. But I must say that this vestry -- to a person -- is one of the most earnest and passionate groups of people I've ever had the pleasure to be in a room with for five hours. And I look forward to spending more time with them in the months to come.

Well, I got the "Evangelism" ministry. I sought it and am glad I got it. I wrote to the parish Yahoo group asking for ideas and advice about evangelism. Marsha Bell wrote to me -- somewhat tongue in cheek, I'm sure -- "I don't know about that. I'm an Episcopalian, and every time we hear the word evangelism, we run for the hills."

Another response that really made me think came from Patrick Crerar, Assistant Rector at Grace Episcopal Church. Many parishioners know Patrick from his service as deacon at Saint Clement's several years back. Patrick wrote me this: "The only other suggestion I have is that your group remember that Evangelism is not about us. It is not about filling our pews or increasing our pledge base. Evangelism is about sharing the Good News and joy we have with those who either have not heard it, forgotten it, allowed themselves to get distracted, or otherwise are not receiving the hope in Christ. Evangelism is about them."

What a wonderful sentiment. Let's always remember: Evangelism is about them.

-- Pat Jones

The Shack

The Church of Saint Clement is reading The Shack by William P. Young as a meditation for Lent. Each Wednesday evening during Lent following the 6:30 p.m. simple supper, parishioners will gather to talk about themes from this highly praised book.

Patrick M. Roddy, the Emmy Award winning producer for ABC News said, “The Shack is a one of a kind invitation to journey to the very heart of God. Through my tears and cheers, I have been indeed transformed by the tender mercy with which William Paul Young opened the veil that too often separated me from God and from myself.”

Read more editorial reviews of The Shack here.

-- Pat Jones

The 3 Rs

There is a priest I know who many years ago delivered a sermon on the first Sunday of Lent that began with these three words: “Reform, repent, reconcile.” I don’t remember much else about the sermon that day. But I will never forget that priest or those three words.

On a snowy Monday in Alexandria, when all the world is quiet -- or at least it seems quiet for short periods of time -- it’s useful for me to think of those words and immerse myself in the call to holiness.

-- Pat Jones

Blogging 101

Some of us (including your moderator) are new to blogging. So I thought I would offer a step-by-step guide to help you if you want to post a comment to this blog. It can be challenging if you’ve never blogged before. And the procedure for posting comments may vary from blog to blog. In any case, this is what you should do if you want to post a comment to THIS blog:

1. On the main blog page, underneath the posting where you want to offer a comment, click on the word “comments.” This will take you to a page that says “Post a comment on: Reflections from Saint Clement” at the top of the page.
2. When you get to the page for posting a comment, type your comment in the box underneath the words “Leave your comment.”
3. In the small blank box next to “Word verification,” type into that box the wavy characters that you see above the box.
4, This step (I’m guessing) seems to be the one that’s tripping people up. If the Google/Blogger username and password route doesn’t work for you, click on the circle next to the word “Anonymous.” It’s near the bottom of the page. This means you don’t need to provide any username or password or prove who you are.
5. Finally, click on the button that says, “Publish Your Comment.” That should do it.

Following these steps should allow you to post a comment without registering. I’m the moderator of the blog and receive an email every time someone posts a comment. I know we will have many inspired commentaries. I’ll also be on the lookout for occasional inappropriate comments. Thanks for reading.

-- Pat Jones

God's Covenant with All Creation

Dear Friends,

Today we marked the First Sunday of Lent listening to an inspired sermon by the Rev. Dr. Kate Sonderegger. The readings tell us about God's covenant with Noah following the great flood and the new covenant foreshadowed by Jesus's baptism in the Jordan River. In the Genesis reading, God tells Noah that he is placing a bow in the heavens as a sign that "the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh." The bow represents a limitation on the despair that may befall humanity. In a similar fashion, the Gospel of Mark tells us there is a new name for the limit on our despair. That name is Jesus. I know I'm not doing justice to Kate's wonderful sermon, but I thought you should know about the amazing preaching we experienced at the 10:00 a.m. Eucharist today. Many blessings on you!

-- Pat Jones (Vestry member, evangelism)