Friday, June 25, 2010

It's All Good Gathering

So I lead the gathering at It's All Good last night. Our topic was Interconnectedness. Here is what I prepared for the event, though I definitely did not stick entirely to it. I've also written some of the great comments and pieces of discussion from the night!

1. Begin with icebreaker: Name, and something about you that someone else might have in common with you.
2. Both quotes are about interconnectedness. Interconnected: we are part of everything and everything is part of us, we have a relationship with everything.
3. After reading the quotes, participants are invited to meditate on the quotes, to think deeply about how they are interdependent on the world.
4. Hand out a piece of paper to each participant before reading this quote. Have everyone hold it, touch it, feel it. Then read Quote 1, by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk: “Paper is made by clouds, there is a cloud in every piece of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. If the cloud is not here, the sheet of paper cannot be here either. If we look into this sheet of paper even more deeply, we can see the sunshine in it. Without sunshine, the forest cannot grow. In fact, nothing can grow without sunshine. And if we continue to look, we can see the logger who cut the tree and brought it to the mill to be transformed into paper. And we can see wheat. We know that the logger cannot exist without his daily bread, and therefore the wheat that became his bread is also in this sheet of paper. The logger’s father and mother are in it, too. When we look in this way, we see that without all of these things, this sheet of paper cannot exist. As thin as this sheet of paper is, it contains everything in the universe in it.
5. Read the selection from Mary Oliver’s poem.
I don’t know who God is exactly. But I’ll tell you this.
I was sitting in the river named Clarion, on a water splashed stone and all afternoon I listened to the voices of the river talking. Whenever the water struck the stone it had something to say… Said the river: I am part of holiness.
And I too, said the stone. And I too, whispered the moss beneath the water…
If God exists he isn’t just butter and good luck
He’s also the tick that killed my wonderful dog Luke. Said the river: imagine everything you can imagine, then keep on going. Imagine how the lily (who may also be a part of God) would sing to you if it could sing, if you would pause to hear it…
If God exists he isn’t just churches and mathematics.
He’s the forest, He’s the desert. He’s the ice caps, that are dying…He’s the many desperate hands, cleaning and preparing their weapons. He’s every one of us, potentially.
Yes, it could be that I am a tiny piece of God, and each of you too, or at least of his intention and his hope…Of course for each of us, there is the daily life. Let us live it, gesture by gesture. When we cut the ripe melon, should we not give it thanks? And should we not thank the knife also? We do not live in a simple world.
6. Watch movie clips, I heart huckabees: 8:05-11:22., 1:30:27- 1:33:21.
a. Movie: Albert (Jason Schwartzman) is searching for the meaning of life, and his purpose in life. Hires existential detectives Vivian and Benard (Lily Tomlin and Dustun Hoffman). He ends up realizing that he connected to his enemy, Brad (Jude Law).
b. "Say this blanket represents all the matter and energy in the universe, okay? This is me, this is you, and this is Vivian And over here, this is the Eiffel Tower, right, it's Paris! And this is a war, and this is a museum, and this is a disease, and this is an orgasm, and this is a hammer"
"Everything is the same, even if it's different."
“We are all connected.”
"When you get the blanket thing you can relax because everything you could ever want or be you already have and are."

7. Ask participants, “How did these readings speak to you? What did the readings and movie have in common? What did you learn or see during this exercise? What do you think about these readings? Do you agree?
8. What unites humankind? What do we have in common with everyone? In what ways are we all connected?
a. Curiosity, united in brokenness, suffering, joy, common feelings, questioning meaning of life,
9. Invite group to think on the question: “Who and what are you dependent on for being here as you are in this very moment?” They can list people, things, events, plants, animals, technologies, ideas, political movements, etc. If groups get stuck, have them begin with what they are wearing, how it got to them and how it was made (they could write: clothing, factories, workers, cloth, sheep, farmers, weavers, department stores, cashiers, truck drivers, etc).
10. Why is it important to see the interconnectedness of everything? What is the big picture?” How does realizing this help us? Help others? Help the world? How does it change what we do and say and how we act? What does this mean for the choices we make every day? How might this change the change? Work, school, home, life, friends, enemies? For those of us at the BBQ last Thursday, how does this relate to what we did? This is why we do what we do! Because we are all connected.
11. After 10 minutes invite group to reflect on the term “spirituality” (our relationship to all of what they have written down) and these two statements about spirituality: “Spirituality is consciousness of infinite interrelatedness” and “spirituality is about how new relate to the miracle of life.” Discuss what spirituality means and how they can be “spiritual.”
12. Where was God working? What can we give thanks for today? Any a-ha moments? Any on-no moments? Do well? Do differently?


Peoples thoughts/comments:

-depends on perspectve
-people ask- why did this bad thing happen to me? Why did God do this to me? what did we do wrong? OR why did this good thing happen to me? what did i do to deserve this? why do bad things happen to good people?
-we don't understand or accept the bad with the good.
-be able to accept in ourselves the good and the bad
-be thankful for the bad
-remember the joy, be thankful for the simple
-we are not conscious of the connectedness
-not coincidences
-everything has a story, a history, make us think of the purpose in life
-butterfly effect
-we can't see spirituality
-spirituality can be intimidating, seems make-believe, scary, crazy
-feel spirituality in outdoors, inward, church/building, peaceful/calming, from God, comfortable, when helping people out, it's who I am when no one else is around, me with God, inner spirit
-accept that we are all different, not judge
-when one hurts, all hurt, and God hurts
-we all feel pain and joy: makes us connected

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Octavian Nothing Volume 2

I am reading volume 2 of a WONDERFUL series, called The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing. Here are some fabulous quotes from the book: (I may add my own comments later)

"Those accustomed to failure fear the novelty of success. Those taght the lessons of subordination are oft timid in the school of self-service. And those freed from a habit of bondage- bondage of the chain or the spirit- may feel as a man deposited in caverns without benefit of lantern and told he may range infinitely where he will: the word of his great latitude for motion is little consolation, when he might at any moment strike his head upon a ceiling he did not know dropped so low, or be precipitated into pits, and breathe his last broken on some umbrageous declivity." (Pg 25)


"In all things, we become acclimated; this is our strength in wartime, and also our weakness. What is principle, if it alter with circumstance? But what is a man, if he cannot change to meet changed times? And if he can change to meet changed times, is he a man, or several in succession?" (Pg 43)

"...We should attempt generosity to all, even those who wrong us, recalling the Creator's hand in their construction..." (Pg 82)

Positive Loitering

During the summer, I will be working with a new church plant in Indiana which sprung from Fourth Congregational Church in Chicago. The new church is called the It’s All Good Community, and they currently have a café that is open Mon-Fri, and they also do weekly spiritual gatherings on Thursday evenings, outdoor retreats in Michigan, and tons of other really great, new ways of being the church and doing ministry. This past Thursday I attended an event that they called “Positive Loitering.” We informally set up a BBQ grill, tables and chairs on a street corner in Hedgwisch in South Chicago, and we grilled up some hotdogs, and invited the neighborhood, mostly complete strangers, to join us. We did this in response to a local shooting in the neighborhood, so we could reclaim this neighborhood as belonging to the people, not the gangs. This was the first evening the kids were out playing in the streets since the shooting. It was a great way for people to get to know their neighbors. As I stood around talking with people, I began to realize how little we actually know our literal neighbors, locally, like the people who live next door, much less our worldly neighbors. You can't love your neighbor, or care for them, or watch out for them, or provide for them, if you don't even KNOW them! When I was a census taker in the Spring, if I couldn't find the residents of a home, I was supposed to ask a neighbor for their info. I was shocked to find how little people actually know about their neighbors. I find this especially true with younger people of my generation, in apartment buildings, etc. We lived so exclusively from each other, so secluded and isolated. Especially with the internet and texting, there is no face-to-face contact anymore (and barely any voice to voice contact either!). I am continually shocked by the number of people I know who resort to online dating to meet people. What happened to meeting people in person? Why don't we know our neighbors? Why don't we know the people we walk by, and stand in line next to, and wait for the subway with? I am convinced that we need to do a better job of knowing the names, needs, and gifts of our neighbors, and not just the most recent gossip. But I think that most people just plain don't like each other, they choose to stay away from those they don't like, or who are different. Others are just just socially awkward or insecure, or introverted. But even so... there must be another of living in this world! But maybe I am too idealistic, though I'm not sure that's such a bad way to be. (I was told this the other day, that I haven't lived a long, life and experienced the rough bumps on the road so I am of course too idealistic. This, I believe, is really not true at all! But I will leave that debate for another blog post).

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Sermon on justice

Went to Heritage Congregational in Madison on Sunday to hear my pastor preach. The text was 1 Kings 21:1-21a, involving King Ahab's desire to take over Naboth's vineyard to turn it into his very own veggie garden. The vineyard is Naboth's home and fights against this ridiculous atttempt to exercise eminent domain. But Jezebel, Ahab's wife, ends up getting Naboth killed so he can get what he wants. This story immediately made me think of all the other stories (perhaps in our psyche?) of the rich taking over land of the poor. Think: Shrek and his swamp, or the mountain in Emperor's New Groove. Or for a real, modern day example: Israel and Palestine, or even Harvard University's expansion into Allston. Human power ends up taking over and trumping the value of "home." Human life, dignity, and respect are nothing to powerful people like Ahab and Jezebel, who will whatever they need to get what they want. What is right becomes secondary to what is convienent. But God's justice demands otherwise. God's justice demands that we make sure that all people have what they need, including a home. This sermon was a part of a series of sermons during "Ordinary Time" (though ordinary time is not so ordinary!), to help us realize how to be a follower of Jesus everyday, during the every-day-ness of life, in order for our faith, words, and actions to be harmony. And we can begin by choosing justice intentionally and recognizing our place of privilege.

Recommended book: Bruggeman's "Prayers for a Privileged People"

One other note: I know I am in a liberal/progressive church when the lyrics of the hymn (God made from one blood) are "...parent, partner, roommate, friend."

Tuesday, June 08, 2010

An interesting (and convincing?) argument

I spoke with a woman yesterday who quoted a sermon she just recently heard that was anti-homosexuality, and the argument is the most convincing I have heard yet... though of course I still do not agree with it... it is convincing nonetheless.

Her pastor preached that homosexuality *is* genetic and "natural" (created by nature).... but that doesn't mean you should do it. Alcoholism is also genetic and anger/selfishness/greed/survival instinct are all also natural... but that doesnt mean you should be/do those things. It is a great argument because it uses what the "liberal/progressive" pro-homosexuality side often uses as its argument, that homosexuality is natural, LGBT people are created by God as LGBT people. But this preacher twists that argument in a very clever way.

I was totally caught off guard by the logic of this argument and did not have an appropriate comeback. Now that I've thought about it, here is what I have initially come up with as a response... but I'm interested in hearing your ideas too.

Yes all of the things you mentioned are indeed natural, but the gauge to whether or not a certain "natural" behavior/atttiude/way of being/way of living should or should not be practiced is whether or not it is hurting yourself or others. Alcoholism hurts the self and the other, anger/selfishness/greed/survival instinct arguably do as well. But homosexuality (just like heterosexuality) doesnt inherently hurt the self or other. The mispractice of sexuality (whether homo- or hetero-) is what hurts the self and other: cheating, promiscuity, unprotected sex, abuse, nonconsent, etc etc.

I [heart] huckabees

I just finally saw this movie (I know, I know, I'm way behind the times). If you've seen the movie, you know that it is a philosophical/existential comedy. I didn't really enjoy the comedy part (just not my preferred style of humor) but I loved the philosophy (...theology) behind it all. The movie is based on these existential detectives who believe in universal interconnectivity. (which reminded me of the UU principle of the interconnected web of all existance).

One of the detectives speaks of infinity using a blanket and asks us to imagine that it is the entire universe. Each part of the blanket is a different person, place, or thing; whether it is a hammer, or Paris, or you, the reader of this blog. The point he makes is that everything in the universe is interconnected and we can't tell where one person begins and another ends.

Related quotes:
"Say this blanket represents all the matter and energy in the universe, okay? This is me, this is you, And over here, this is the Eiffel Tower, right, it's Paris!"
"When you get the blanket thing you can relax because everything you could ever want or be you already have and are."
"If you look close enough you can't tell where my nose ends and space begins."
"The universe is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere"
"Everything is the same, even if it's different."
"If the forms of this world die, which is more real, the me that dies or the me that's infinite? Can I trust my habitual mind, or do I need to learn to look beneath those things?"

Another concept that is discusssed is Pure being, or authenticity and inauthenticity. The antagonist detective Caterine has Tommy and Albert repeatedly bash each other in the face with a large ball; they continue to hit one another until the one being beaten ceases to think for a brief period. They have discovered what Caterine calls "Pure Being." In ceasing to think, Albert and Tommy are allowed
to simply be free to exist, but they are soon pulled back in their minds, which Caterine names human drama. Though they think they can teach themselves to stay in a state of "Pure Being" all the time, Caterine explains that it will always be a cycle, going from "Pure Being" to human drama and back again.


And then another good quote..."How come we only ask ourselves the really big questions when something bad happens?"

So I really truly whole-heartedly believe in the interconnectedness of all existence. That is God to me. We do nothing absolutely alone. I will comment on this more later... I promise!

Resurrection

So I've had this blog for a long time but I have updated it sporadically at best! I vow to update it much more regularly (at least once a week, but hopefully much more than that) and I appreciate an open discussion/comments/questions! I am inspired by several blogs that I read regularly (especially Shuck and Jive) and I aspire this blog to be for others even an iota the inspiration they are to me. Hope you enjoy! (and hope I update often!)
Peace,
Jamie