"AD" it up

I was listening to NPR and heard that the folks who oversee Stonehenge (you will recall dear reader that my maternal lineage comes from here and a little village nearby called “Elf’s Hole”) are seeking persons to oversee the site and the solstice celebrations. The commentator jokingly stated “applicant must like large rocks and be willing to talk to Druids.”


I’ve been doing a bit of reflecting recently on the role of clergy and the witness of the church. So much of what we do is to be the person who does oversee celebrations --- be they births, marriages, or deaths. Clergy are to be the spiritual leader of their respective communities and to present the spiritual insight to the issue, the matter at hand, the decision needing to be made. I understand this to mean that one should see some folks in collars (colloquial speak for: faith leaders) at school board meetings, town council meetings and present where significant policies are being debated, decided, and enacted.

What if organized religion took out an ad for clergy?

*“Must like strawberry festivals, drinking tea with old women, and potluck suppers;”
*“Must be heard in the pulpit, seen in the community, and present when there’s a need;”
*“Must stir up, stand with, and step up the march toward justice;”


Do these seem accurate?

What else would you add?

Is there one needing to be filled now more than the others?

Speaking from experience, one never knows who it is that might apply.

sj;

Lessons everywhere

I just can’t get enough of the eagles who have nested on the hillside near the Mon River! This seems appropriate on this Earth Day!

The other day I took a walk on the trail to see the pair and big news --- there are now two eaglets to join the family! While I was there one of the eagles was sitting on a branch looking regal and glorious. As I stood there watching him, an older gentleman wearing a bright pink shirt and riding a bike pieced together of various parts, including the still-way-cool banana seat, stopped and said to me, “Hey, I’m gonna’ tell ya’ I’m a blind cat. Is there an eagle up there? Just tell me.”

I smiled and replied, “Yes, there is. In fact there are two eagles and two eaglets.”

He nodded, looked at me and said, “OK. That’s good enough for me.” And he pedaled away further down the trail. He never stopped to look up at the hillside. He had his answer and he was good with it.

Talk about trusting a stranger’s reply.

Talk about the power of believing an eyewitness account.

Talk about believing without seeing.

This brief encounter on a walking and biking trail on a cool, sunny day in Pittsburgh was a gift recalling for me in this Easter season the need to trust and believe in what I know to be true based on the experiences of others and my own encounters.

Trust it....

sj;

Power Play

There is a point to this story. Yesterday, I went for my walk around the North Shore and this time took a different track. I crossed the bridge and went down to walk the path that runs along the Allegheny River. There is a renewing effect of being near water.

It was a great walk and as I approached the Warhol Bridge I noticed a solitary goose standing on one of the cement outcroppings along the edge of the river. Please know that I am a big fan of geese. One of my favorite sights is geese in V-formation flying overhead. I was quite pleased to see the goose and as I approached the goose turned his head, stared at me, took a slight step forward, opened his mouth and…..hissed…..yes, he hissed at me.

Now, I’ve walked past my fair share of geese and never has one ever hissed….let alone hissed at me. A honk, yes, a hiss, never.

I am not ashamed to admit that the hissing goose freaked me out. After the first hiss, I backed off and retreated. After a few minutes, I approached again and more hissing. I retreated. Another walker approached, knowing there is strength in numbers I tried to time my approach with her…aforementioned goose again stared me down. I stopped and retreated. Let it be known that a biker, a jogger, and another walker approached and I could not make my move around the hissing goose.

However, I would not be deterred. After 10 minutes of contemplating a strategy a couple approached. I made up my mind to go for it. I kept my head down, did not even acknowledge the hissing goose, and walked past in concert with the couple figuring that I had a one in three chance of the horrible hissing goose attacking someone else.

There were no attacks….however, as I walked past the couple the young man said, “So, you made it, huh? We were watching you keep trying to get past him. Good job!”

The point of this story (aside from my wuss-iness) is that my reading for the day was about how everything and everyone has power. Though seemingly gentle, the hissing goose had power over me. In many ways I also gave him that power due to my fear. It may not be how society at large defines power ---- wealth, status, ownership of stuff, position --- yet, each of us and each member of creation does have power. Ask a new mother about the power of a crying baby at 2 am. Ever watch a storm form over the ocean and come ashore? What about the one who stands her ground and will not be moved?

The thing about power is to realize you have it. I have it. Creation has it. The challenge is how do you use your power? May it be for our shared common good.

sj;