Remembering Jim O’Brien Through Music
HANDBELL MUSIC IN MEMORY OF JIM O’BRIEN HAS BEEN PUBLISHED
Four years ago our St. Alban’s parishioner and handbell musician Jim O’Brien died. With the blessing of Jim’s family, the parish used donations in his memory to commission two new handbell pieces from composer Michael Mazzatenta.
The world-premiere performances of “Reflection” and “In Christ There Is No East or West.” were performed at St. Alban’s Church by the handbell choir. These pieces have now appeared in print for other handbell choirs to ring and enjoy. The first page of each bears the dedication “For St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Tucson AZ, in memory of Jim O’Brien.” We look forward to ringing them again many times as we remember our friend with a smile.
Crafting Through Life
Dr. Diana Butler Bass presenting Paradoxical Trends in Religion
Crafting a way of life…crafting honors the work of those who have created the world as we know it now…Dr. Diana Butler Bass
Dr. Diana Butler Bass was hosted by St. Alban’s the weekend of February 2nd.
Three Paradoxical Trends in Religion were the subject of her presentations. It was a full house including congregants and others from the greater Tucson and Arizona Diocese church community. The information presented in colorful graphs and charts was eye opening, broken down by generations, ethnicities, and spiritual affiliations. The ensuing conversation and questions were rich in insight and revealed a growing awareness of how changes in our communities pose challenges to the traditional structure of religious organizations.
The Paradoxes
The United States is more religiously diverse and less religious than in the past.
White Christianity is declining while Christianity of color is growing.
American culture is both more secular and more shaped by religious extremism than in previous generations.
The sobering news is that demographic shifts in the population have affected the Shape of Faith as it is practiced in society today. Faith based practices are impacted by greater ethnic and cultural diversity. The conventional church is losing ground to groups exploring spirituality in experiential faith. Structured religious practices are becoming less common as many members of society seek personal and profound experiences of connection and understanding. This concept is explored more fully in three books authored by Dr. Butler Bass written to make sense of these changes.
Her book Grounded traces a paradigm shift in BELONGING. Explained is how the concept of “being a member” gives way to the need for participation based on relationships.
In the book Gratitude she explores the concept of BEHAVING. Many are no longer content to just follow the rules or seek guidance from traditional religious authority. Learning “how to do” is giving way to discovering “what to do” in the presence of love, compassion, and grace in our midst. Giving thanks is a powerful tool in seeking the presence of God.
In the book Freeing Jesus Dr. Bass follows a journey in BELIEVING. The importance of dogma and doctrine in organizing religious groups is losing its importance. Lived experiences provide some guidance. Those seeking a spiritual home are trading “what” to believe for “how” to believe. We all have a story to tell about how we discovered Christ. There are multiple forms of ‘knowing’. It is shifting out of the hands of experts into a world of social media and an ever expanding source of people sharing their stories.
Every story matters…every story counts
The trends are concerning. Even so, she shared some of her major sources of hope to include her family, persistence, stories of ancestry, and her own renewed reading of the Bible in the context of our changing social construct.
This message comes at an opportune time in the life of St. Alban’s. Armed with new understanding of changing demographics and new insights into shifting spiritual practices we can be better prepared in our search for a new Rector. The many conversations and stories prompted by this presentation are sure to bring us closer as a community providing clarity for the work ahead; even as we pray for continued guidance in successfully completing the spiritual work set before the St. Alban’s search committee, vestry and parish.
Going Solar: Harvesting God’s Bountiful Gifts
Among the many blessings we receive every day, St Alban’s benefits from an abundance of sunshine…
Among the many blessings we receive every day, St Alban’s benefits from an abundance of sunshine. While some might say we have an over-abundance in July and August, what if we could harvest the sun’s energy to provide us with electricity year-round?
The Vestry considered multiple alternatives, carefully weighing the long-term benefits of solar against the up-front investment requirements and the project was completed in 2020. TEP pays St. Alban’s for the power we generate at the same rate that we pay TEP for the power we consume, thus our electric bills will be greatly reduced under this plan. It's a sound investment, and a commitment to the long-term health and vitality of our parish.
From our prayer book, we give thanks to God for seasonable weather and for an abundance of the fruits of the earth, we give thanks for the good earth which God has given us and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, and we pray for the just and proper use of God’s creation. With the installation of our solar electric system, we have been able to harvest a small portion of God’s abundance while conserving our natural resources for future generations.
How Does the Story End?
We are called to be His body.
12.17.2023
Our Catholic friends have a special celebration for Advent. It is called Las Posadas. In Spanish, the words translate into the English words, The Inns. It is a religious festival celebrated in the Catholic churches of Mexico and some parts of the United States. It commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem. There is a procession through town. It is primarily made up of children. A small child, dressed as an angel, leads the procession followed by children dressed as Joseph and Mary. They are followed by other children dressed in robes of silver and gold. They carry candles and hold placards with images of Joseph and Mary on their journey. Adults come at the end playing instruments. The whole group stops at homes along the route where they are refused lodging. Before departing to the next home there are treats handed out, a bible verse is read, and carols are sung. Then they move on to the next home and the whole thing is played out again. They are turned away again and again…there is no room at the inn.
It occurs to me that this should be tragic or sad. Joseph and Mary have traveled a great distance. Mary is pregnant. They can find no place to stop and rest. But it seems more like a party. In fact, at the end, there is a party with pinatas containing candies, toys, and gold stars to remind them of the gifts the Three Wise Men provided. Everyone in this festival knows this story ends with a celebration.
I suspect the festival's purpose is to teach children the story of the birth of Christ. I can’t think of a better way to drive home the point. Acting things out is always an effective teaching technique.
However, there is another lesson to remember here. Every day we travel along the same kind of road Joseph and Mary faced. Sometimes we travel with a purpose; we are required to respond to some edict or direction. Sometimes things work out well. Other times life serves up disappointments along the way. Opportunities are lost. Others turn us away. Things don’t happen in the way we planned. There is sadness, anger, despair, or frustration along the way.
But, those children know How the Story Ends…with the birth of Christ and redemption for all of mankind; so, for them, it is a festival.
It is well to remember that we also know How the Story Ends. There will be a party at the end; and, along the way as we face personal challenges and closed doors, there is a verse to read or a song to sing making life a festival daily.
If you’re breathing…this is for you.
Lent…Spring Training?
It all begins with an idea.
02.14.2024
Ash Wednesday begins the 40 days of Lent when we remember that Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and resisting temptation. The day before Ash Wednesday, known by many as “Shrove Tuesday” or “Fat Tuesday”, is a chance to feast and indulge – in preparation for our personal fasting on Ash Wednesday and throughout Lent.
The St Alban’s Congregation comes together to enjoy a Mardi Gras dinner replete with jambalaya, red beans and rice, bread pudding, and king cake. It is our tradition celebrate and congratulate the king and queen chosen this year to oversee the festivities while the kitchen crew kept the food coming.
As Jesus grew hungry from fasting in the desert, he faced the first of three temptations. Satan appeared before him and told him to turn stones into bread. But Jesus resisted, knowing that he was being tempted to do something God did not want. He knew the word of God was just as important as bread to survival.
He was then brought to the top of a building in Jerusalem and told that, if he truly was the Son of God, he should jump from the building and angels would carry him to safety. Jesus once again resisted, knowing not to challenge God.
On the third temptation, Jesus was brought to the top of a mountain and told that all the kingdoms he saw would be his if he knelt before Satan. But Jesus resisted again, proclaiming that it is only right to give worship to God.
Scripture lists many instances of Jesus continuing the practice of withdrawing to pray. The time of Lent reminds us to learn from his example and withdraw to focus on prayer and meditation.
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
I am reminded of Spring Training for professional baseball teams. It is the time when ballplayers withdraw to practice their respective skills. If it is fielding then fielding. If pitching, then pitching. They focus on conditioning and learning their place on the team in preparation for the season of play. In like fashion, we practice withdrawal in prayer to learn our place; the place God ordained when creating the life that we inhabit. This is our time for “spring training” so that we may return to the “field of play” ready to take our place as part of the team.
Our lives in these modern times are neither wholly solitary nor wholly communal. Withdrawing, like Jesus, to a desolate place to commune with God is an act of receiving the Word and responding in prayer. It is time to let go of what we “know” and enjoy being close to the Father in mystery and awe. Then, we return to the bustle of life renewed by the Spirit to enter as “light” and “bread” to a hungry, harassed, and helpless world.
Matthew 9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
This annual season of Lent is a time to remember…practice makes perfect. Take time to sit quietly. Think of this not as an achievement but an instrument…a skill to be finely honed. It is an opportunity to open our lives and souls to Him for whom we were made…to know and enjoy the Holy Presence of the Creator of Heaven and Earth.
“All of humanity’s problems stem from our inability to sit quietly in a room alone,” – Blase Pascal (622-1662)
If you’re breathing…this is for you.
Channels in the Sand
It all begins with an idea.
05.06.2024
When my son was a young child he loved to dig in the sand. At the beach or in the sandbox. He would grab my hand and we would spend the next hour or so scooping, heaping, shaping, and digging. There was a story created as we worked. The plot line became more intricate. Characters emerged. The story grew. Water was always involved. There had to be canals and channels in the sand to guide and direct the water whether it came from the seaside, lake, or water hose. Sand was the medium and water was the inspiration for the creations. Though the creations never survived the rising tide, blowing winds, or falling rain I always marveled at the imagination that created them rich in story. The story remained in our minds and memory.
There is a passage in the Bible that talks about building on sand. It is found in the New Testament in the Gospel of Matthew:
Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV): "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
This passage is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount emphasizing the importance of acting on His teachings rather than just hearing them. Building on a solid foundation (the rock) is equated with living according to Jesus' words, avoiding a downfall when life's trials come.
There is truth in the stories we create. There are also falsehoods. Our actions and behaviors are like the sand. Faith and belief, like water, is the inspiration. Living life is not so different than building sand castles on the beach. There is a purpose in the building, scooping, heaping, and digging. All the while we create purpose, develop character, and craft a plot line to explain it all.
There is another teaching that comes to mind, the only Bible story that describes Jesus writing or drawing in the sand. It is found in the Gospel of
John 8:1-11:
This passage tells the story of a woman caught in adultery who is brought before Jesus by the Pharisees and scribes. They asked Him whether she should be stoned according to the Law of Moses. Instead of immediately responding, Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with His finger. The text does not specify what He wrote. When the accusers continued to question Him, Jesus said, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Then, He stooped down and wrote on the ground again. One by one, the accusers left until only Jesus and the woman remained. Jesus then tells the woman that He does not condemn her and instructs her to go and sin no more.
This story serves as a powerful lesson about judgment, forgiveness, and the grace of God.
If you’re breathing this is for you.