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Rev. Angelo Arrando
FORUM ON FAITH
What's the big deal about Christmas?
by Rev. Angelo S. Arrando
Published: Saturday, December 25, 2010
Danbury News Times
I love Christmas and enjoy singing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" with the best of them. But I ask myself, what is it that the non-Christian world perceives about our beliefs and why we celebrate the day?
Christmas is a big deal for us. We prepare, decorate, illuminate, dust off the Nativity, write, mail, shop, wrap, bake, cook, carol, exchange, visit, accelerate and celebrate. And we pray and worship, as well.
But I wonder if we truly convey to others why it's a big deal. And what it is we are celebrating?
The Nativity scene is recognizable to believer and non-believer alike. Christians project it in movie houses, build it on lawns and fight to have it placed in public areas.
But is Christmas only about something we believe occurred two millennium ago? I wonder how we can help non-Christians understand what it is we believe, not with our words but with our lives?
The Book of Genesis tells us "God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them."
That in itself is wonderful and awesome -- to be created in the image and likeness of God. But in Christmas, Christians believe that in the person of Jesus, God comes in the image and likeness of humanity. For us, Jesus truly is Emmanuel, or God with us.
Early Christians struggled to understand this wonder. Christians of the first 200 years rejected the notion that Jesus came looking like a human but really was not.
They held firm to their belief that through Jesus' coming all humanity is held in ultimate esteem and worth by God. The writings of St. Paul tell us that in Jesus, the invisible God becomes visible.
For two millennium Christian society has made human history a divided highway, marked by the time recorded before and after Jesus' birth. I cannot but wonder if often the rhetoric was, and is, louder than the actions lived by that marking.
This marking of time can easily be a barrier, separating people.
With the coming of Jesus, I believe, God definitively placed human beings above systems, above institutions. I believe that in Jesus, God placed us in the care of one another.
Simply put, Jesus is religion made simple. People always come first. Not some people in some places, but all people in every place. For me, that is a Christmas promise!
Because of that first Christmas, I don't believe we can run, duck or avoid the fact that for now and for evermore humanity has been touched by the moment in history when God in Jesus put us in the care of one another.
I believe that in Jesus, God made our human needs his very own. In Jesus, God asks us to do the same.
Most Christians know well the words that Jesus spoke. But I wonder why it is we ignore almost everything Jesus asked us to do. We have kept the words but somehow lost the passion Jesus felt for human beings.
"To forgive as we ourselves want to be forgiven."
"To turn the other cheek."
"Whatever you do to the very least, you do to me and what you fail to do for them, you failed to do for me."
"I came to serve and not be served, so must you do for one another."
For Christians, a world without Jesus is unthinkable, yet too many of us go on as though he never existed. Christians have allowed Santa Claus, Rudolph, Frosty, elves and other characters to cloud what Christmas means to us.
Life today is still not about human beings first. Too often it is about institutions, politics, finances, material goods and material gains. Human beings are exploitable, expendable, disposable and dispensable.
If we truly believe in God coming in the flesh, Christian energies must move away from fear toward care and concern for one another, making others' needs our own.
This indeed would be the wonder of Christmas, the miracle of God in our midst, and our serving our God by serving one another.
If that became reality, we would not have to mark the holiday with so much hustle and bustle. Our celebration of the coming of Jesus would be in our everyday actions, everyday words, everyday lives.
And the world would know what it is we believe and what we are about.
The Rev. Angelo S. Arrando is the pastor of St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church in Danbury.
Rev. Joshua Sander
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When does Christmas really begin?
by Rev. Joshua J. Sander
Published: Saturday, December 18, 2010
Danbury News Times
Just before Thanksgiving, a friend of mine posted an interesting couple of questions on Facebook. The first was from her son, "Mommy, when does Christmas begin?" The second was her own, "When did it go from a single day to a month-long event?"
Even though both questions seem to invite some commentary on the rampant commercialism of Christmas that Charlie Brown so famously bemoaned, I think it's worthwhile to think about them quite literally: When does Christmas begin?
The truth is that in the cycling of the Christian year, it's a rare thing for an important holy day to simply be a single day. Yes, Easter is a holiday celebrated on a particular Sunday -- but it is also a season of the Church year starting with Easter Day and lasting for 50 days before ending on the next major Christian holiday -- Pentecost.
So when does Christmas begin? Just like Easter begins on Easter Day and ends on Pentecost, Christmas begins on Christmas Day and ends on Epiphany. For those of you who are into numbers, Christmas falls on Dec. 25 and Epiphany falls on Jan. 6, leaving us with a total of 12 days of Christmas!
Christmas is a vitally important holiday to the Christian tradition, and the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus is vitally important to my personal beliefs as an ordained Christian minister. And yet somehow those scant 12 days do not hold my imagination as well as Advent does.
Advent is the four-week season immediately preceding Christmas, and it serves as a season of preparation for the holiday. While the country reels from the ravages of Black Friday, we are cautioned to be watchful, "for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
As trees go up in living rooms and lights go up on houses, we hear John the Baptist entreat us to repent and prepare, "for the kingdom of heaven has come near." As department stores play Burl Ives singing "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas," we sing, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here..."
Advent is a time for yearning, for hoping, for waiting. It is a time for realizing that we live in a broken world and having faith that a Messiah -- a Savior -- will come and that afterward the world will never be the same again. For me, Advent is best represented by the image of Mary, heavy with child, waiting for her son to come into the world, for Advent is a pregnant time.
It is difficult for us to hold on to Advent in the cultural climate of 21st century U.S.A. Department stores fill in their shelves with Christmas candy and decorations as the Halloween candy and decorations sell out. Our children excitedly ask us when they can start decorating, and singing Christmas songs, and baking sugar cookies as Thanksgiving approaches.
Even I had my Christmas tree up and trimmed with lights and ornaments by the time Thanksgiving Day had passed -- complete with a LEGO train circling the base and gifts to and from my fiancée underneath.
It's a part of human nature, I think, to want to skip over the waiting and get right to the "good stuff." We don't often think fondly on the yearning hopefulness of pregnancy when we have a perfectly good birthday to celebrate!
But I do find Advent to be a helpful season for my spirituality. Yes, my iPod is full of Christmas music right now, but it carries The Ramones' "Merry Christmas, I Don't Want to Fight Tonight" and Simon and Garfunkel's "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night" as well as Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song" and Smashing Pumpkins' "Christmas Time."
It's difficult for us Christians to find the right balance. Baking sweet cookies, hanging twinkling lights and greens, attending pageants and parties, all these things are a part of preparing for Christmas Day. Heeding our scriptures and refocusing on God, lighting candles one by one and week by week, and yearning for the birth of the Messiah are a part of it, too.
It's good to spend time with family and to give gifts to our loved ones. And it's good to pause and realize that our world is far from perfect -- and that everything's not lost.
Rev. Joshua J. Sander is associate minister for youth at First Congregational Church of Bethel, 46 Main St., Bethel.
He can be reached at: revjosh@firstchurchbethel.org.
Shawn Sweeney
FORUM ON FAITH
Keep intent of the holidays part of your meal plan.
by Shawn Sweeney
Published: Saturday, December 11, 2010
Danbury News Times
During this time of the year, we celebrate so much, from our attitude in Thanksgiving, to celebrating the Festival of Lights in Hanukkah and preparing for the joy of longer days in Winter Solstice and the birth of Christ in Christmas. It is at this time of year, too, that we can become so wrapped up in the complexities of our celebrations that their original intent sometimes goes out of focus.
One of the ways that I've seen this happen is in our preparation of holiday food. Many of us savor our favorite winter meals, those that remind us of happy times, the warmth of family loved ones and the fruits of our labor over the last year.
As a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury (UUCD), I especially appreciate our principle of "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." Among our other Unitarian Universalist Principles, this seems the most applicable to food.
Frances Moore Lappe, author of "Diet for a Small Planet," writes, "The act of putting into your mouth what the Earth has grown, is perhaps your most direct interaction with the Earth." In this quote, I acknowledge our interdependence with the Earth, and what it provides to us.
In preparing for our holiday celebrations, we may find it hard to find the ingredients we need for our favorite holiday recipes. Year round, I battle a raging sweet tooth, but especially at this time of the year. I very much enjoy all of the delectable treats of the holiday season. When they're made with highly processed flours and sugars, though, I'm denying myself a connection with the Earth, and drawing on its resources too heavily.
With winter in Connecticut, as stores of fresh local produce dwindle, our abundance of food comes in a can, is frozen, or is from far away, not ripe off the vine. If, like me, you have never touched canning, then your options are reduced even further. If you worry about the origin of food halfway around the world, the impacts on the environment, the habitat lost for species that call it home and the people who grew it, then your options are even more limited.
Our food system runs in such a way that it is very hard for many of us to eat according to our values: to eat with respect for the interdependent web of life, to eat in connection with the Earth.
Does this mean we have to entirely give up eating all of our favorite foods this time of the year? Make our celebrations any less exciting and warm?
Well, I think it's all about balance. Isn't everything? There are so many resources out there to help us find this balance. All one has to do is a quick search online and any number of them will appear.
I was so pleased when making Thanksgiving dinner to find so many recipes that are really simple, really yummy and really easy on the Earth.
For me, in seeking guidance and support, I'm glad to have joined an Ethical Eating discussion group that we've recently established at UUCD. This group is a community of people interested in exploring the complexities of our food system, reflecting on our own personal practice of eating and helping each other make decisions that are consistent with our values.
Starting with a curriculum called "Menu for the Future," from the Northwest Earth Institute, we are hoping to grow a community and some knowledge around ethical eating, envisioning a food system that works for our own personal practices, our communities and the environment we all share.
Our first gathering was this past Saturday morning, and we have one more coming up in a few weeks. Personally, I'm really glad about this. It gives me a chance to ask some questions and do some thinking about my own celebrations for Winter Solstice and Christmas. I'm hoping to gain some insight on how others are changing their holiday traditions to honor their food, their connection with the Earth, and maybe even some recipes along the way!
So striking a balance is, I think, our priority, and that definitely takes work. We have a food system that needs changing, not only because it's harming the planet, but because we need to nourish our souls, and our connection to the Earth.
Only then can we truly celebrate our connection with each other, and the true intent of the holidays can be realized.
Shawn Sweeney is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, 24 Clapboard Ridge Road in Danbury. He can be reached at: sjsweeney@gmail.com.
Rabbi Jon Haddon
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Different kinds of brothers.
by Rabbi Jon Haddon
Published: Saturday, December 4, 2010
Danbury News Times
This week, Jews the world over ushered in the festival of Hanukkah. Today our Torah portion is Miketz (Genesis 41).
That happens every year -- it's just how the calendar works out. No other holiday ends up with the same regular Sabbath portion -- just Hanukkah and Miketz.
What do Hanukkah and Miketz have in common? I'll give you one answer: They both tell the story of brothers. But, oh, how different the stories are!
The Hanukkah story tells how the five sons of Mattathias, the high priest, banded together to lead a revolt against the mighty Syrian/Greek Empire.
The story in next week's Torah portion is about the split that takes place between Joseph and his brothers, who sell him into slavery in Egypt.
In arranging the calendar for these two stories to be told together, our sages provide us a powerful lesson: How brothers treat each other affects not only themselves but can have far-reaching effects no one could ever dream of.
The Maccabee brothers' military victory not only meant the survival of Judaism, but without this victory there wouldn't have been Christianity.
Indeed, until the sixth century, there was a date in the Christian calendar celebrating the Maccabee victory (25th of Kislev). All this from a "band of brothers" who stuck together.
What happens when brothers fight? Look what happened with Joseph and his brothers -- the conflict went way beyond the family.
As the Talmud says about the coat of many colors that evoked such jealous rage among brothers, "A thread weighing only two selaim milat ... caused our forefathers to go down to Egypt."
Because Joseph and his brothers couldn't get along, our people endured 210 years of slavery in Egypt!
The juxtaposition of reading the story of Joseph and his brothers during Hanukkah, when we read the story of Judah and his brothers, reminds us of just how important it is for brothers to get along.
It is not easy. I know it's not easy. My two brothers and I are close, or at least we were when we were very young. And sometimes it wasn't easy then, and it isn't easy now. There are always going to be squabbles among brothers.
A few years ago there was a story in the newspaper about two brothers named Mike and Bob. Listen to how the story began:
"Bob threw the first punch. That is one way he is different from his identical twin and doubles partner, Mike. Bob always throws the first punch.
"It was a year ago, in the back seat of a car ... one of the Bryans insulted the other. The other fired back ... Bob threw a punch.
"At their rented flat, Mike mule-kicked -- that is their term -- Bob in the ribs. Bob smashed one of Mike's guitars against the wall."
Sounds pretty bad, doesn't it? But then one brother adds, "We were eating dinner together five minutes later."
Do you know who they are? They are Mike and Bob Bryan, who were the world champions in doubles tennis for more than 201 weeks.
Sure, they fought, but they also knew how to play tennis together. And most brothers, at some point, come to understand that.
Look at our patriarchs: Abraham had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael -- brothers in conflict. Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau -- brothers in conflict. Similarly, Jacob's sons were in conflict.
But in each instance they got back together. When? The Torah tells us, "And Abraham expired ... and Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah."
Similarly, says the Torah, "And Isaac expired ... and Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him."
The same took place with Jacob's sons when it came time to bury him. They were all united again. Yes, better late than never, but why wait?
We are coming to the end of another year. Let us all resolve to be better brothers and sisters to those who are most precious to us. We learn from our patriarchs that it is never too late.
Rabbi Jon Haddon is a board member of the Associations of Religious Communities in Danbury.
Ede Valiquette
FORUM ON FAITH
Bahá'i wedding occasion for joy.
by Ede Valiquette
Published: Saturday, November 27, 2010
Danbury News Times
I was recently a guest at the wedding of two young Bahá'is, both in their late 20s. The bride's family lives in Arizona, so we got to enjoy the beautiful weather while participating in a joyous event.
Although both American, the bride and groom met at the Bahá'i world Centre in Haifa, Israel, where each was on a three-year work assignment.
Bahá'i marriage is the commitment of two parties to each other and their mutual attachment of mind and heart. When dating it is important to become acquainted with each other's character, so the binding covenant between them via marriage will endure forever.
Bahá'i marriage is a spiritual and physical union of two people. It is important for each person to determine if the other will be a "fortress for well-being" for them
At the Arizona wedding, the families of the bride and groom had limited contact before the wedding -- phone calls and e-mails. The bride's family members were perfect hosts. The wedding was a long weekend full of love, getting acquainted and blending the two families
There were lots of activities to which family and out-of-town guests were invited. Prayers, conversations, games, eating, and doing wedding projects gave people a way to get to know each other and support the newlyweds.
We believe marriage is truly the blending of two families. Ideally, the families must work in unity. Because of this, Bahá'i's select their mate but must get permission from all living parents to wed. This strengthens the social fabric and unity of the extended family.
Once the consent of the parents is obtained, the only other requirement for the wedding ceremony is the recitation by both parties, in the presence of two witnesses, of the specifically revealed marriage verse:
"We will all, verily, abide by the will of God."
This phrase emphasizes that God is the cement that holds the marriage together.
Married couples must be obedient to God's command. They are to be a light of harmony and unity until the end of time. The witnesses at a Bahá'i marriage can be any two trustworthy people whose testimony is acceptable to the local Bahá'i Spiritual Assembly, under whose jurisdiction the marriage is performed.
There is no individual who "performs a Bahá'i marriage ceremony, no Bahá'i equivalent to a minister or priest. Rather, the two individuals who are marrying perform the ceremony with each other before God.
Usually ceremonies are simple, with excerpts from the Bahá'i writings and prayers being read. Bahá'i weddings often have prayers and readings from other religions as well. Bahá'i marriage is recognized by the state, so no other ceremony need be conducted.
Among the majority of people, marriage consists of a physical relationship -- they pledge their love to each other.
A Bahá'i marriage consists of both a physical and spiritual bond, a union of the body and of the spirit in every phase of life, and in all the worlds of God.
The marriage is an eternal bond with the intention of fostering harmony, fellowship and unity between the two people. One of the goals of the marriage is to improve the spiritual life of each person.
A Bahá'i home should be full of joy, laughter love, delight, and unity -- with mental, physical and spiritual friendship. Children are considered a gift, a tender plant that needs love, nurturing, and training to grow into a beautiful flower.
Unity is a primary principle of the Bahá'i faith, and family unity is a fundamental unity to be achieved. A Bahá'i couple is told to settle all differences, large or small, through consultation, with both people seeking the truth through prayer and thoughtful and respectful discussion.
In a Bahá'i marriage neither husband nor wife should ever dominate the other. Women have rights equal to men.
Imagine that the world of humanity has two wings -- one is women and the other, men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible.
Unity cannot be achieved without equality.
Ede Valiquette is a member of the Greater Danbury Bahá'i community and can be reached at: msdutton@sbcglobal.net.
Polly Castor
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It is important to give thanks year around.
by Polly Castor
Published: Saturday, November 20, 2010
Danbury News Times
Christian Science churches are unique in that we hold serves worldwide on Thanksgiving day.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, was an American who knew the profound significance of gratitude in our lives
She instituted weekly Wednesday testimony meetings to offer a more frequent occasion for the congregation to express gratitude. She knew that gratitude is a strong foundation upon which to build.
She wrote statements like the following in her ground-breaking best seller, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
"Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more. Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech.
"Outward worship is not of itself sufficient to express loyal and heartfelt gratitude, since He has said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
Thanksgiving for Christians Scientists is not merely a seasonal celebration, but a vital daily effort. It is an outlook we cultivate, a trained response to whatever we face, and a mandatory aspect of worshiping God.
I can always find something to be grateful for when I understand God as an ever-present good. I would be remiss in not doing so.
The dictionary definition of gratitude is "being ready to show appreciation for kindness," while thankful means "being pleased and relieved."
Recently I have been struck by the fact that we need to truly value something to be grateful enough to take it beyond "a verbal expression of thanks" and put it into action.
The dictionary definition of value is "the importance or preciousness of something."
What am I really valuing? When I know that, I'll know what I'm grateful for and what action I should be taking.
For example, if I actually do value the one almighty God, I will keep the first commandment, not by just tritely saying "Thank you, God," but by giving back.
I'll examine whether I'm worshiping anything else as a false god and start honoring God by changing that behavior. I'll turn to God alone for my fulfillment. I'll acknowledge God as the source of good all around me, and then endeavor to do whatever I can to contribute to and amplify that good.
In general, valuing something brings opportunities. It is like a magnet attracting more good to you. When we start to genuinely and regularly value what we have, as well as those we know, those things and relationships begin to expand and grow.
Especially in this challenging economy, it is useful to ask yourself what are you valuing, since that is what you will get more of. Valuing what is around you requires choice and attention, but the rewards exceed the effort.
I now consciously look for things to value in my spouse, my children, my friends, my colleagues and my fellow church members. Funny thing when you do that, they get more wonderful.
When I value every idea for a solution, solutions are found more readily. The more I appreciate my home, the more I care for it and the better it is. As I increasingly notice more of the good God has and is creating all around me, the more there seems to be
This Thanksgiving, among many other things, I'm grateful for my church. I have blossomed under what it has taught me.
Learning the foundational practicality of deep gratitude has been a large part of that. This has been so true for me that I wrote this article. Action is a natural outgrowth of sincere gratitude.
May you too, find much to appreciate this Thanksgiving season. I hope you have fun nurturing whatever good is around you and watching it grow when you put it into action.
Polly Castor, a Christian Science Practitioner and member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Ridgefield, can be reached at: pollycastor@gmail.com.
Rev. Laura Westby
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Big change looms for churches
by Rev. Laura Westby
Published: Saturday, November 13, 2010
Danbury News Times
It's no secret many churches are in decline.
Big churches that used to worry about how to fit everyone in now worry about how to get people to sit closer together, eliminating the empty space between them. Smaller churches struggle to find enough people to fill committees.
Churches of all sizes struggle to make ends meet, and not all of them are able to survive.
It's not only mainline churches or even Christian communities that are experiencing declining membership. Faith communities of all kinds are shrinking.
Many of them have responded using the tools that worked in the past. They try to recreate the "good old days" when families attended sabbath service together and churches were the center of community life.
As one wag put it, if the 1950s ever come back, we'll have churches ready for them.
Of course, they aren't coming back. Instead, something much more interesting seems to be breaking through. Phyllis Tickle, in "The Great Emergence," documents the "big garage sale" the Christian church undergoes every 500 years, a wholesale cleanup and restructuring that makes way for a new era of faithfulness.
The last such event was the Protestant Reformation, which dramatically altered the Christian church and impacted all areas of human endeavor.
If Tickle is correct, and I think she is, we are in the middle of another era of dramatic change in church and society. Every aspect of religious life is being questioned, and much that no longer works is being discarded. New forms of worship are emerging.
New ways of being a community together are being imagined. New voices are being heard. Something new is struggling to be born, and that new life holds great promise.
It is unclear what future Christian communities will look like, but they will surely be different.
Established faith groups are hard-pressed to keep up with these developments. Changing the direction of an institution has been compared to turning an ocean liner: Even a small shift in course takes a long time and a lot of steam to accomplish.
Some have continued to sail on, waiting until the remaining passengers are headed for the lifeboats and only a skeleton crew remains before trying to change course. Some have made valiant attempts to turn but have failed to do so in time.
Let's be honest: The Christian church has let a lot of people down, left a lot of people out and used its power in inappropriate ways at times.
It has been forgotten that Jesus didn't come to found a religion or establish an institution. He came to inaugurate a new way of being that was so radical that people compared it to being born all over again.
That way of being turned the institutions of Jesus' day upside down. It challenged the religious and political establishment, not through partisan slogans or armed force but through service and self-sacrifice.
Jesus practiced a radical hospitality, preferring the company of outcasts to insiders and welcoming all who sought to be in relationship with the divine.
His ministry was unencumbered by buildings or membership lists. His creed was simple: Love God with everything you've got and show the same love for others that you show yourself.
It is a privilege to be living in this time, because the failure of our institutions has created an opening for the new community Jesus created. This community was life-giving, providing food for bodies and souls.
It was a sanctuary, offering safe harbor to those in need and a launching pad for those who needed to serve. It spoke to the everyday needs of people in ways that held eternal truth.
As the community became the church, it lost its way sometimes, but God always called it back.
Christians claim Jesus' resurrection means death is not the end of life; it is merely a portal to new life. Death is painful, scary, and heart-wrenchingly sad. But it's not the end.
Individual churches may close, entire denominations may rise or fall, but the way of Jesus will continue.
Rev. Laura Westby, pastor of First Congregational Church of Danbury and board member of the Association of Religious Communities, may be reached at 203-744-6177.
Rev. Shelton Smith
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The saints that served Connecticut.
by Rev. Shelton Smith
Published: Saturday, October 30, 2010
Danbury News Times
Each year at this time, the Christian church turns its focus to the saints. We celebrate All Saints Day. Some churches also celebrate Book of Remembrance Sunday, remembering the saints who served valiantly in local congregations.
For Protestant Christians, the reference to saints includes all baptized believers who compose the Body of Christ.
This is based on the words of the Apostle Paul, who often addressed the salutation of his epistle to the saints, as in "To the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 1:1)
Today we stand on the shoulders of all the saints from previous generations who continue to nourish and strengthen us in faith when we recall the example of their lives.
Whenever I teach Confirmation class, I remind the students that the saints are not simply folks who lived long ago and far away.
We in Connecticut have a proud history of saints who have been instrumental in the formation of our life and culture in this state and in the nation.
While there are many I could cite, I have chosen to raise up two whose lives have enriched the Constitution State.
If you have difficulty hearing, or if you have seen people using sign language, you will appreciate the work of the Rev. Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851).
Gallaudet was a pioneer in the education of the deaf. After receiving degrees at Yale University and Andover Theological Seminary, his intention was to enter the ordained ministry.
However, he was sidetracked when he met Alice Cogswell, the 9-year-old deaf daughter of a neighbor. Using a stick, he taught her words by writing them in the dirt.
Following further studies in Europe, Gallaudet returned to America and set out to raise money to fund a school for deaf students in Hartford.
Alice Cogswell was one of the first students at the American School for the Deaf.
Thomas Gallaudet's son, Edward, went on to establish the first college for the deaf in 1864. Today it is known as Gallaudet University.
I am happy to report that a young woman from our congregation is currently studying childhood audiology at Gallaudet University.
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet died in 1851 at the age of 63 and was buried in Hartford's Cedar Hill Cemetery. Today a statue of Gallaudet and Alice Cogswell stands in front of Galluadet University, bearing the words "Friend, Teacher, Benefactor."
Another name which is synonymous with Hartford is the Rev. Horace Bushnell (1802-1876).
Horace Bushnell was a Connecticut Yankee. Born in the village of Bantam in Litchfield County, he went on to graduate from Yale Divinity School and in 1833 was ordained pastor of the North Congregational Church in Hartford (now Immanuel Congregational Church).
Bushnell was an effective preacher and a leading theologian who challenged many of the religious notions of his day. He wrote several books, including "Christian Nurture," in which he focused on the development of Christian thought among the young. His thoughts impacted the Sunday school movement.
In addition to being a guiding light in theology, Bushnell was also deeply devoted to the civic interests of Hartford. He had a strong appreciation for nature, believing that humanity, nature and God are part of one organic whole.
As a minister, Bushnell had a strong moral concern for the poor, desiring that they have some green space on which to relax, watch their children play, and commune with God.
As a result, he became the chief architect in the establishment of a public park, City Park, which was later renamed in his honor.
From Colonial times Connecticut had two capitals: New Haven and Hartford. The General Assembly would alternate sessions between the two cities.
Bushnell wanted to be sure that Hartford was selected for the honor of being the state's sole capital. His proposal of a park today provides a magnificent setting for the state Capitol building.
The Rev. Thomas Gallaudet and the Rev. Horace Bushnell were men of faith, saints of the church and examples of dedicated servants who shaped our Connecticut heritage.
A popular children's hymn, "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God," concludes with the words, "For the saints of God are just folk like me, and I mean to be one too."
May we all do our part as persons of faith to continue the tradition of the saints of God.
The Rev. Shelton T. Smith is senior minister at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, in Bethel.
Rev. Mel Kawakami
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Mission work can take place on a local level.
by Rev. Mel Kawakami
Published: Saturday, October 23, 2010
Danbury News Times
One of the exciting initiatives to come out of the New York Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church has been a focus on mission and outreach.
I know that as soon as I use the "M" word, images of stiff-necked missionaries stridently converting the heathen arise. But I like to believe that we have come some way from the 18th century
Yes, we still support missionaries in many parts of the world, but today's understanding of mission involves all the faithful.
So here we have to confront a second image from the M word, that somehow we have to give up our lives and move to a foreign country.
Mission requires a big sacrificial act. But through our baptism, Christians are all sent in mission and ministry to a hurting world. Our commission comes from Jesus to love God and love our neighbor. Such love can come in small gestures as well as large actions.
Indeed, we Christians are asked to love "not in word or speech, but in truth and action (1 John 3:18)." Mission is no longer something "out there" that we send others to do, but it is "inhere" as we respond to God in the world.
I am reminded of the words attributed to St. Francis: "Preach the gospel always, use words if necessary."
Over the past five years, our New York Annual Conference has sent more than 100 teams to help rebuild Biloxi, Miss., after Hurricane Katrina. Think of all those people helping others to get out of FEMA trailers and back into their homes.
Remember the Iowa floods? We are still sending recovery teams there, helping others to recover from devastating record rain.
We have built Africa University in Mozambique, hoped prevent Chagas disease in Bolivia, and provided clean water in Ghana. We have recently trained and prepared eight people for early response teams in Haiti. We are sending our first early responded in August.
The United Methodist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America have joined together to eradicate malaria in Africa. Imagine conquering a disease on our watch!
Whether in our own country or elsewhere in the world, all of these initiatives are only the tip of the mission iceberg.
What most of us never see are the small "mission moments" that happen every day. Perhaps you've seen the wonderful commercial by Liberty Mutual that shows one person doing a kindness for another and witnessed by a third, who goes on to do so to another, with the kindness being spread like the ever-larger ring a thrown pebble makes in a pond.
We are called to be in mission and ministry wherever we are and whatever we are doing. And mission can be as simple and as local as warming one other life in your reflection of Christ's message.
There are certainly plenty of mission opportunities close to home. There is our local Faith Food Pantry in Newtown and so many mission opportunities in Danbury.
Your may drive by a home and see a ramp installed or a new roof constructed by volunteers or a house painted by enthusiastic youth. Supporting shelters, giving help to the homeless, and serving in or supplying soup kitchens are all ways for Christians to "love one another".
So finally, I hope that we might strip from the M word its negative, foreign and self-righteous connotations. We can celebrate what we are called to do as Christians disciples. Serving in mission to this world is both humbling and uplifting--as Christ intended our Christian experience to be.
The Rev. Mel Kawakami is senior pastor of Newtown United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill road, Sandy Hook, CT 0682.
Ven. Ocean of Wisdom
FORUM ON FAITH
Mother Teresa is an example of religions working together.
by Ven. Ocean of Wisdom
Published: Saturday, October 16, 2010
Danbury News Times
In recent years we have found that religion can be divisive. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has noted that religions are supposed to exist to make our lives better, and that the world's religions need to work together to produce a better future for everyone.
Those of us who are spiritual need to look to members of not only our tradition, but also to our brothers and sisters of others, to see how we can grow ourselves.
With this spirit in mind, I offer to you how Mother Theresa has shown me how to be a better Buddhist.
Mother Teresa was a person who walked in the Sacred based on her experience of the truth she called God. And it is clear her experience of God transformed her life in such a way that she dedicated it to those in need.
In Buddhism a person who does this is considered a Bodhisattva.
A Bodhisattva is a person who commits their life (or lives depending on your perspective) to the eradication of suffering for all beings. The Bodhisattva's vow is "Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them all."
This does not mean the Bodhisattva believes they individually will be able to relieve the suffering of all beings, but it affirms their committed effort to achieve this task even though it is impossible. This is a principle of Mother Teresa's life, and Buddhists are inspired by it.
In Buddhism there are three sources of all suffering: greed, aversion (anger), and ignorance (delusion) Mother Teresa, through her activity, illustrates how to conquer these poisons noted in our tradition.
Mother Teresa practiced poverty, the antidote to greed. The juxtaposition of her life in poverty shows me how desire for things pulls us from our purpose.
The longing for and accumulation of things, especially those we don't need (which is most items), can be replaced with a life of simplicity, one in which the family member before us is more important than a TV show, or making enough money to upgrade our car or stereo.
Mother Teresa shows me how to practice compassion, the antidote for anger and aversion, by her help with the people some call "untouchable."
She saw them as Gandhiji did, as the "Children of God." Her practice reminds me, and others, to look at a homeless person and recognize they are a Child of God, a Child of the Sacred.
As well when I, we, gaze on any person, we are reminded to recognize the Sacred, the divinity, the Truth in them. In Buddhism we call it the "Buddha nature" of every being.
Mother Teresa has shown me that if I, we, are not fully possessed of this goodwill at this moment, that we can cultivate it. Through her practice she shows how meaningful and compassionate activity liberates us from ill-will.
She shows how to transform our lives by replacing ignorance with wisdom. Mother Teresa helped those who suffered, and saw only suffering.
In the Hindu, Christian or Muslim walking through the doors of her charity she did not see Hindu suffering, Christian suffering or Muslim suffering.
To her they were just human beings that had suffering, and needed a compassionate hand and a gentle shoulder.
Mother Teresa's practice teaches me to pierce through the veil of ignorance that splits suffering into "theirs" and "mine."
She recognized that every person's suffering is OUR suffering. Mother Teresa once accepted a very sick Brahmin (Hindu holy person) into her hospitality and nursed him during his final days. This very man had once tried to have her charity closed down.
After his death she respectfully returned his body to the Hindu temple for the traditional burning. No anger, no ignorance, just compassion for suffering.
Mother Teresa is no longer with us, which I believe is a loss for all people.
Let us not forget her spirit, and the demonstration she made to us of the beings we can become.
Her example can influence our life no matter what tradition we practice.
We need not let greed, anger, or ignorance hobble our striving. All people, of all traditions, can be inspired by not only her life, but also by the great exemplars found in other Sacred Traditions.
I believe it is only when people of the different sacred traditions learn and grow from each other, that there will there be a better future for everyone, and only then will the sacred traditions again inspire confidence.
May you and all beings be well and happy.
Ven. Ocean-of-Wisdom Sakya is the abbot of Middle-Way Meditation Centers. He can be contacted at 860-355-7069 or venwisdom@gmail.com.
Rev. Barbara Fast
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Unitarian Universalism's first principle found in history.
by Rev. Barbara Fast
Published: Saturday, October 9, 2010
Danbury News Times
Unitarian Universalism is woven from two primarily American strands of Protestantism: Unitarianism and Universalism. We have no creed. Our Unitarian Universalist values are expressed in our Seven Principals and Purposes. The first principal is "the inherent worth and dignity of every person."
The foundation of that principal is found in our Universalist origins. Early Christian Universalists believed in a loving God and the ultimate salvation of all people. Universal Salvation re-emerged in the 17th century in Europe and England and was first preached in America on Sunday, September 30, 1770, by John Murray. I have come to think of September 30 as a distinctly Universalist holiday.
Murray grew up in England with creature comforts. The predominant theology of his father was that God is all-knowing and all powerful, and knows, before you are born, whether you are saved or damned. It was believed that there was nothing a person could do to change that. While John Murray's father warned him of the "endless misery" of the damned, John became interested in the "new" thread of Christianity called Universalism, which emphasized God's love for everyone.
At age 27, John, happily married and a new father, began to preach Universalism. A year latter, tragedy came. His son died. His wife died. Other family members died and he found himself in debt. He was sentenced to debtor's prison until a family member arranged his release. Like many, he sought a new life in America
Murray left England and set sail to "bury himself" in America. His ship, the "Hand in Hand," ran aground on a sand bar off of Good Luck Point, N.J. He was sent in search of food and met a farmer, Thomas Potter, who had built a small chapel in hopes God would send someone to preach the message of Universal Salvation.
Potter insisted that Murray was that man. Murray resisted. He finally agreed to preach, provided the wind did not change
The wind did not change. Sunday Morning, September 30, 1770, Murray preached a sermon called "Universal Grace." He preached about a god so loving that all people are saved, all people are reconciled, in the end.
After the sermon, the wind changed and he sailed onto New York Harbor. He went on to preach his message throughout New England. This is how I came to think of September 30 as a Universalist holiday.
Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, opposed capital punishment because of his Universalist values. Universalists have supported the extension of equal rights to those first denied them in America. They denounced slavery and called for its abolition in 1790. They were the first national denomination to ordain a woman to their ministry, Olympia Brown, in 1863.
Unitarian Universalists have long supported equal rights for gay men and lesbian woman. The Unitarian Universalist congregation of Danbury is a Welcoming Congregation, which means we welcome people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender.
It has been 240 years since John Murray preached about Universalist Grace. That Universalist impulse has moved us forward through the ages. Our heritage is Judeo Christian, but now we draw inspiration from the wisdom contained in the religions of the world and also from scientists, scholars, poets and skeptics.
Some of us believe in God, some do not and some of us prefer to wonder about the big questions. Whatever we believe, we believe it s important to encourage one another's lifelong spiritual and intellectual exploration and we try to live in grateful and responsible ways.
I begin where I started: Unitarian Universalism is entered not on a creed but around Seven Principles and Purposes. In addition to "affirming the worth and dignity of all persons," these are the others: 1) justise, equity and compassion in human relations; 2) acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; 3) a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; 4) the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; 5) the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; and 6) respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
The Rev. Barbara Fast is minister at Unitarian/Universalist Congregation of Danbury.
Rev. Mark Delcuze
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The next step toward sainthood.
by Rev. Mark Delcuze
Published: Saturday, October 2, 2010
Danbury News Times
One of the highlights of the recent visit to Britain by Pope Benedict XVI was his participation in raising John Henry Newman one step closer to official church recognition as a saint.
Newman, who began his life as an Evangelical, chose to be ordained an Anglican priest in 1824. A seminal thinker, his writings emphasized the Catholic roots of the Church of England and became increasingly controversial over the next two decades.
Over time, Newman came to believe that the Roman Catholic Church was the source of all true teaching and he was received into the Catholic Church in 1845. Active in the work of the First Vatican Council, he was eventually elevated to the rank of Cardinal in 1879.
Fr. Thomas Williams, who attended the Mass at which Newman was beatified, describes the significance this way: "Beatification is the penultimate step in the saint-making process, just before the actual canonization, but in itself it is significant because it invites the faithful to invoke the intercession of the person declared `blessed,' and acknowledges that the person in question is in heaven."
For Christians in the first century, the word saint actually denoted all the baptized. Paul addressed many of his letters to the saints in Corinth, Philippi and Galatia, by which he meant every member of the church.
Over time, however, the word began to take on a more specific connotation of exemplary holiness. Jesus' parents, his disciples and companions were held in highest esteem and extra-biblical stories began to circulate particularly concerning the efforts to spread the faith beyond Palestine.
The centuries that followed the deaths of those first followers were particularly difficult for the church. Persecuted locally and by Roman edict, many Christians died horrible deaths publicly witnessing to their faith. Saints like Polycarp, Agnes and Blandina were held in memory by local communities and their stories began to circulate more broadly once Constantine embraced Christianity around he year 313.
Following the legalization of Christianity, the fourth century councils unified the church and an increasing effort was made to assemble a calendar of commemorations which would reflect the witness of believers in every part of the earth. By the time of Charlemagne, Christendom was shaped by the daily remembrance of heroes who could be invoked as intercessors for every imaginable cause or difficulty. Correspondence and even school term were determined based on Michaelmas (Sept. 29) St. Lucy (Dec. 13) or Lady Day (March 25).
In the 16th century, Martin Luther and the other reformers took a dim view of the commemoration and invocation of saints. He retained the commemoration of biblical saints, but primarily as a way of drawing people to the life of Jesus.
Protestant polemicists couldn't move too far away from telling stories of heroic faith. Foxe's Book of Martyrs, published in 1563, told the stories of reformers and their persecution by Roman Catholic officials. Eventually, it became one of the most read books in England.
The Counter-Reformation in the Roman Catholic Church shaped a specific methodology for determining the credentials of those whom the church could call saints. Officials were appointed to argue for and against the cause of a particular saint. This process is still in effect and Newman's beatification this month is one step along the pathway. Interestingly, the Church of England and the American Episcopal Church, with a much less elaborate structure, already remember Newman in our calendars.
Why might one choose to recall the saints in this modern age? I love the story that is told of the young child who experiences a great cathedral for the first time. Overwhelmed by the sparkling stained glass representations of stories of faith, she rushes home to her parents. "Mom, dad, I know who the saints are ... they are the people that the light shines through."
More than fanciful tales of heroic loss, or scholarly disputations on the nature of the divine; the saints offer us glimpses of the light. In their living, their actions, their teaching and their dying they reflect the light of God to us all.
The Rev. Mark S. Delcuze is rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ridgefield.
Rev. Cindy Maddox
FORUM ON FAITH
Different voices tell the story of creation.
by Rev. Cindy Maddox
Published: Saturday, September 25, 2010
Danbury News Times
The first chapter in the Christian and Jewish scriptures tells a story of creation. Genesis 1 is beautiful, poetic, and orderly. It tells what God made on each day of creation, and after each act God pronounced the creation good.
The structure is the same each time: God said it, and it was so, and it was good, and that was the first day (or second and so on). Humans were created last, both male and female created in the image of God.
Many scholars agree that Genesis 1 was written down by the priests. They were the perfect people to tell this story. The priests were the keepers of the laws that governed what was clean and unclean, the laws that structured the community's life together. All of this required order and attention to detail. Naturally, the story of creation they would commit to writing would reflect that mind-set.
Theirs is not the only story of creation, however. The second chapter of Genesis (beginning with verse four) was written down by different people and tells a very different creation story. In the second story, the human is made first, not last, and only one human is made. God realizes the human (properly translated "earthling") needs a companion so God experiments by making all the animals in search of a helper, but none is found. Then God creates the second human out of the rib of the first, and we have male and female.
Many people in the Christian faith know pieces and phrases from both Genesis 1 and 2, but they do not realize that they are dealing with two separate stories. (This may be true of people in the Jewish tradition as well, but I do not know and so I speak only for my own tradition.)
In our minds the stories become merged together until we think we have only one story of creation. After studying both texts, however, it is difficult to harmonize them. They simply contradict one another.
I like the fact that the sacred text of my religion begins with more than one point of view. It tells us, right up front, that everyone is not going to agree about what is in this book. It teaches us, from the very first page, to listen for different voices and respect viewpoints different than our own.
At least the Bible tries to teach us that. Too often we do not learn the lesson. Proponents of different religions claim a monopoly on what is right and true and good, even at the cost of burning someone's sacred text.
We prefer unanimity to diversity. It's tidier and easier and perhaps even more cost-effective if we all agree.
If there is only one right answer, then there are winners and there are losers and we get to keep score. And the winner gets to decide how and where everyone else should worship God.
We live in a culture that tends toward either/or thinking. You are Republican or Democrat (or "other"). You are Christian or not, Caucasian or not, documented or not. You are right or wrong, for or against, pro-this or pro-the-other-thing; and before you know it we're divided into "us" and "them" and we're casting stones.
I believe Genesis 1 and 2 teach us that truth often is found, not in the either/or, but in the both/and. Truth is found in the idea that the world is orderly and structured and all of it declared good; and truth is found in the idea that the world is sometimes chaotic and we have to experiment in order to find the right answer.
If the story of creation is too big for one point of view, then perhaps the Creator is also. And if God is bigger than religion, then what excuse do we have for claiming to own the truth?
Rev. Cindy Maddox is the pastor of King Street United Church of Christ, 201 S. King St., Danbury. She can be reached at: pastor@kingstchurch.org.
Polly Castor
FORUM ON FAITH
Progressing in Earth's Preparatory School.
by Polly Castor
Published: Saturday, September 18, 2010
Danbury News Times
Progress is an important emphasis for Christian Scientists because we accept progress as a law of God.
The founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, asserted in her bestselling book "Science and Health with Keys to the Scriptures" that "Earth's preparatory school must be improved to the utmost."
She considered all of life a process of learning and growing in preparation for eternity. Referring to Jesus' parable of the talents in the book of Matthew, she said, "The talents he gives we must improve."
We believe each of us has both the capacity and an imperative for improvement. We believe this life-long learning process is especially valuable to reexamine at the beginning of a new school year.
Mrs. Eddy wrote, "The teachers of schools ... should be selected with as direct reference to their morals as to their learning. ... The pure and uplifting thoughts of the teacher, constantly imparted to pupils, will reach higher than the heavens of astronomy; while the debased and unscrupulous mind, though adorned with gems of scholarly attainment, will degrade the char- acters it should inform and elevate."
She had noticed that spirituality has a direct effect on the learning experience.
And by "spirituality" here, neither a religious nor a denominational outlook is implied as much as a non-material one, based on qualities and attributes such as love and hope, grace and goodness, kindness and tolerance.
She knew that learning and practicing these things are what matters most.
One could list hundreds of these spiritual qualities and then work to express them more consciously, more often and more fully. Wonderful things happen when this is done. Doors open where there were previously only dead ends.
Physical healing may be experienced, fears can abate, relationships can be enhanced or grief assuaged. But another likely result is you will find more success in whatever you are pursuing.
I have seen this statement by Mary Baker Eddy to be true: "Business men and cultured scholars have found that Christian Science enhances their endurance and mental powers, enlarges their perception of character, gives them acuteness and comprehensiveness and an ability to exceed their ordinary capacity.
"The human mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes more elastic, is capable of greater endurance, escapes somewhat from itself, and requires less repose.
"A knowledge of the science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher realms."
You may want to ask yourself: how many positive qualities and attributes can I list? If you start a list, consider how you might practically improve one of the things on the list, and then endeavor to do just that.
Could you be more patient? More generous? More charitable? More compassionate? More honorable? How about more honest, or more fair, or more diligent?
Are you industrious, enthusiastic, cheerful and orderly? Do you manifest flexibility, perseverance and beauty?
I believe working on these things is actively participating in "Earth's pre- paratory school."
If we're still here on Earth, we haven't graduated yet, so we'd better keep studying and experimenting in this laboratory of life. This study can be both delightful and serious, but it is ongoing.
Mrs. Eddy remarked that, "Good demands of man every hour, in which to work out the problem of being."
The blessings of working this out are enormous!
Polly Castor is a Christian Science practitioner and member of First Church
of Christ, Scientist in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
She can be reached at: pollycastor@gmail.com.
Martha Perez
FORUM ON FAITH
Appreciating the role of family's religious community.
Martha Perez
Published: Saturday, September10, 2010
Danbury News Times
Growing up, I was less than enthusiastic about attending a Spanish-speaking Roman Catholic church. More than once I complained to my parents about having to attend Mass given in Spanish, when all of my friends attended English-speaking churches.
Fifteen years later, I understand and appreciate that being a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church has been an enriching experience.
Most of the members at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church are immigrants who represent many Latin American countries: Ecuador, Mexico, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, to name a few. The traditions observed at our church are reflective of our diverse membership.
Most of our services are held in Spanish. Even with up to four Masses each Sunday, there is seldom enough seating to accommodate the number of worshipers in our thriving community.
Many times I have stood at the back of the church watching the children play and listening to the service through the loudspeakers from the hallway entrance.
That is not as boring or unpleasant as it sounds. Our services are almost always accompanied by a faithful choir comprising singers, an acoustic guitar player, a drummer, and an electronic keyboard player, allowing the choir to convert any solemn hymn into a lively merengue, salsa or bachata tune. Sometimes, even Mexican mariachis perform during the service.
Holidays are always a special time at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church because our members often mark the traditions of their respective countries.
Traditional foods are prepared and donated to the church at Christmas. Some families even organize "posadas," complete with traditional prayers, celebratory piñatas and ponche (a Mexican tea).
Given that our membership is largely Latino immigrant families, the challenges faced by our parish often reflect our members' plights. These include the difficulties of learning to speak English, mourning the death of a loved one abroad, and navigating the federal immigration system. Some of the experiences faced by our members are heartbreaking, but the resilience and support of our faith community is truly inspiring.
In retrospect, I admit the reason I complained to my parents as a child about having to attend a Spanish-speaking church was because I did not want to be different from my English-speaking peers.
But I have come to understand and appreciate the important role the religious community at Our Lady of Guadalupe has played in my life. It has helped me embrace and conserve my religious traditions as a Mexican-American.
I have also learned that being "different" is not always a bad thing.
I hope the youth going through similar experiences at Our Lady of Guadalupe or at other non-English speaking churches, mosques and temples are able to arrive at a similar conclusion.
Martha Perez, a University of Connecticut graduate student and a parishioner of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Danbury, can be reached at Martha.Perez07@gmail.com.
Rev. Karen Karpow
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In communion, God breaks into our ordinary lives.
By Rev. Karen Karpow
Published: Saturday, September 3, 2010
Danbury News Times
Communion: This is one of those words that mean one thing in plain English, and something else in religious circles.
In plain English, it means to come together in unity, sharing thoughts or feelings or an experience. To be in communion is to be joined in an important way in body, mind or spirit.
When Christians say "communion" (also called the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper), we build on this meaning. The practice of communion recalls the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples. It was a Passover meal, and included ritual elements -- bread and wine -- to which Jesus gave a new meaning, saying, "When you do this, remember me."
"When you do this" varies by denomination. Some churches have communion only once a year, during Holy Week, living out Jesus' command annually during the time of the Jewish Passover.
Other denominations have communion every time they worship. It is the central act of their worship, to the extent that it's not "church" without it.
Most Methodist churches offer communion once a month, usually on the first Sunday. For us, communion is one possible response to hearing God speak to us through scripture and preaching.
Other responses might include confession, giving an offering, baptism, praying for one another, dedicating ourselves to a project, or hearing people speak about what God means in their lives.
Communion is one of our sacraments - one of the ways God breaks into our ordinary world, a sign pointing beyond our limited reality to something larger than ourselves. Somehow the ordinary elements of bread and grape juice are transformed in spirit, so that Christ is present when we come to the table. (Methodists don't use wine, so everyone can participate.)
We believe God created us with bodies for a reason - bodies that experience the world through our senses. As we see the table, hear the words, touch the altar rail, smell the grapes, and taste the bread, the abstract notion of God becomes more real to us.
When Christians participate in communion, we find ourselves joined with one another and with God.
When it's time for communion in our church, I say, "Come to the table of the Lord. This is not my table, or this church's table, or the United Methodist table. It is the table of Jesus Christ, and all are welcome here. You do not need to be a member of this church - or of any church.
"You need only desire to come, to be in communion with God and each other, through Jesus Christ. Come not because you must, but because you may. Come because Christ invites you to come."
Along with many other Protestant denominations, United Methodists practice an open communion table. This means that communion is open to everyone, regardless of things like age, church affiliation, sexual orientation, or marital status.
Because communion is a way of remembering the sacrifice of Jesus for our sake, it's probably not something a non-Christian would wish to participate in, but nobody is ever turned away.
We don't have an official "first communion," as some other denominations do - little ones barely old enough to eat a piece of bread can take communion here.
When they are old enough to understand a little more, we teach them about the history and meaning of the practice, but we offer it to them before that. The way we see it, even the best-educated and most thoughtful among us don't completely understand God's gift of communion - so where would we draw the line?
This thinking is the root of our policy of the open communion table. Some denominations do have rules about who can take communion - and they are fine rules, although we don't share them. The rules are generally focused on trying to make sure people are properly prepared for this holy act, and that they understand what they are doing.
Methodists have a different emphasis. We believe in communion as a "means of grace" - one of the ways God gets to us. We believe God is reaching out to all of us, all the time, even when we don't recognize it or understand it.
We never know how God is working in someone's life, and we don't want to get in the way.
The Rev. Karen Karpow is pastor of Danbury United Methodist Church.
Rabbi cliford Librach
FORUM ON FAITH
Carry faith with you on High Holy Days.
Rabbi Cliff Librach
Published: Saturday, August 27, 2010
Danbury News Times
Today is the 18th day of the Hebrew month of Elul - the month that precedes the High Holy Days, which begin this year on Wednesday evening, Sept. 8.
Elul is said to be the great month of preparation for us Jews. We are anticipating the judgment of Almighty God and many sense a certain anxiety during these preparatory days.
In traditional synagogues, the sound of the Shofar - the ram's horn - is heard every single morning as a clarion call to focus, to warm up, to make ourselves ready for the accounting of our souls.
Indeed that - the accounting of our souls - is the function and purpose of the Ten Days of Repentance, the period between Rosh Hashanah (beginning the new year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).
I frequently tell my fellow Jews that there are really three things you should not forget to bring with you when you come to synagogue for the High Holy Days. These days of Elul are the times when we should take note and ... well, remember not to forget.
The three things are not necessarily for Jews only. I believe all of us with religious imagination stand in awe of God's evaluation and judgment. I believe we should - all of us - strive to be ready.
The three things you need to being with you to synagogue for the High Holy Days are three different kinds of faith. If you come without them, the prayers and the sermons and the atmosphere will mean very little to you.
The first kind of faith you need to bring is faith in God. Yes, it is a faith that is difficult for many of us. But unless you have some conviction that there is an order and structure to the universe, that the world is not simply a random accident, that morality and decency are not just a matter of opinion - in short, that there is a God - then the synagogue experience will be an empty show, a boring performance.
Bring faith in Almighty God with you and rubrics you always took for granted will become majestic moments, prayers you reduced to rote will become intimate conversations, and pious prose will suddenly become a declaration of independence.
But, rabbi, you insist, where is this Almighty God?
Have you ever almost run out of gas in your automobile? Do you recall the reassurance you sensed when you realized modern gas gauge registers that show "empty" still have a reserve of energy so you can still travel more miles before you actually exhaust your fuel?
This is what God means. God is the wonder of the fact that when you feel worn out and weary you can still carry on a little bit longer - even when it seems you are on empty.
There is that capacity in each of us to carry on a little bit further than we think we can. How many of us would have insisted that we could "never be able to survive" this or that experience?
We are all made of stronger stuff than we think - and I believe that extra capacity to endure is a sign of God.
So I tell people to bring their faith in God with them when they come to the synagogue for the High Holy Days.
I also tell them to bring faith in the people with whom you will pray - not just in this or that synagogue - but in the Jewish people. I remember a bookkeeper who refused to come to services on the High Holy Days because she said she "knew too much" and had seen too much bad behavior in the people she would have to sit and pray with.
She was wrong.
We Jews have not responded to the Holocaust with justified bitterness and hatred. Rather, we have poured our energy into a land of hope and glory, a shining beacon of opportunity and cutting-edge culture.
Little Israel is now the brains of Africa, the florist and feeder of Europe, and the high-tech start-up marvel of the modern world. Have faith in your people.
Finally, I tell people to bring with them a renewed faith in themselves and their ability to grow and change. Unless you believe that, the synagogue experience can be painful indeed. If you have some sense of your own ability to turn the page, the synagogue experience can be your inspiration, your agent, your booster.
This is true for Jews during the month of Elul. And I believe it is true for humanity as we navigate the myriad choices that modern life puts on our plate.
Rabbi Cliff Librach is the rabbi of the United Jewish Center in Danbury.
Reverend Lizzie Louis
FORUM ON FAITH
Why is the church named Pouring the Oil?
Rev. Lizzie Louis
Published: Saturday, August 21, 2010
Danbury News Times
When I was invited to write this article, the topic "Why the church is named Pouring the Oil?" was suggested. I was intrigued because in my faith community, oil represents the Holy Spirit, and he is the agent that administers spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14) and cultivates the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) in the believer's life. Oil also represents prosperity, miracles, healing and power, and holds special meaning for me.
My first encounter with the oil was in 1992. I arrived on the doorsteps of Oil of Joy Ministries II in Brooklyn, N.Y., "A Haven for Hurting Hearts," and my heart was hurting. I so desperately needed "the oil of joy for mourning" promised in Isaiah 61:3. In my newfound faith community, I found comfort, solace, acceptance, and unconditional love. The Oil of Joy was a safe place where I was not rejected, so I bathed in the oil.
My next encounter with the oil was meeting the woman in Luke 7:37, a prostitute who kept her costly oil in an alabaster box that represented her entrepreneurship. Through love and compassion Jesus taught her to value herself, so she poured her oil on his head and feet as a form of worship.
Like this Mary, in my faith community I learned that no matter what I've been through, I am important to God. Her story taught me that I am worthy.
I fell in love with this Jesus, too, and decided to pour my entrepreneurship as a fashion designer and proprietor out as a form of worship. The Alabaster Box Bookstore and Gift Shop was born, as was an entrepreneurial program that helps others cultivate their dreams and businesses.
Then I met the widow in 2 Kings 4. Broke and in debt, she had nothing left except a little bit of oil. The oil represented something she never seriously thought about as a way of escape. Then a prophet gave her instructions to pour out a miracle. The widow became wealthy by pouring the oil, paid off her debts and lived off the rest.
I began to pour out words. That was all I had left. I'd recite my poetry to anyone who would listen. I poured out books of poetry and eventually started a publishing company. Pouring the Oil Publications began to help others publish books and a publication ministry was born.
After that, I meant the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:33. He represented an interdeno- minational faith community willing to help anybody get up, stand up, stay up and go on. Upon finding a man beaten and robbed, almost dead on the road, the Samaritan poured oil and wine into the wounds. Here the oil represented the healing and helping power of God.
My passion to do the same grew. I too wanted to pour the oil of sweet deliverance into the lives, hearts and open wounds of hurting people, to carry them into the shelter of God. So I spent the next 15 years becoming a Christian counselor, and a counseling ministry was born.
Now Pouring the Oil Christian Counseling offers counseling services and houses a training program.
The Sweet Deliverance Pastoral Care & Counseling Training Program helps those called to the ministry of counseling become licensed and credentialed as Christian and pastoral counselors and offers distance-learning training programs that lead to bachelor, master and doctorate degrees.
When God called me to the pastorate in 2009, he introduced me to Psalm 23:5 in a refreshing way. For the prostitute, the oil represented acceptance and deliverance through worship; for the widow, the oil represented miracles and a way of escape through entrepreneurship; for the Good Samaritan, the oil represented healing and counsel through sharing the love of God.
As the pastor, the oil now represents having been filled up to pour out into others and help them develop in faith by using their gifts, talents and abilities to make the world a better place. The church is named Pouring the Oil because it houses the presence of God, poised to bring sweet deliverance into the lives of those willing to press into his presence. We are a faith community where the Holy Spirit awaits the opportunity to pour into people's lives.
Through preaching and teaching, counseling and training, publishing and entrepreneurship, this anointing pours out into the lives of people, one vessel at a time.
Evangelist Lizzie Louis is pastor of Pouring the Oil Church
155 Main St., Suite 300, Danbury, CT.
She can be reached at: lizzielouis@pouringtheoil.org.
Michael Dutton
FORUM ON FAITH
More similarities than differences in major religions.
by Michael Dutton
Published: Saturday, August 6, 2010
Danbury News Times
When we dispassionately examine our own faith with those of others we find more similarities in the core teachings than differences. For example, the Ten Commandments come to us from Judaism but are repeated in all the world's major religions. Our major differences come from the needs of the time and age in which the faith was revealed.
Mankind's essential unity is the one teaching of the Bahá'í Faith that most appealed to me almost 40 years ago when I embraced the Cause. Bahá'ís believe we are all God's beloved children and to slight any one for any reason is to slight our Creator. Baha'u'llah directs us: "Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. He Who is the Daystar of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth."
But it was not Bahá'ís who first taught me unity. In the late '60s my family lived in an all-white, middle class, Catholic neighborhood, in Indianapolis, Ind. When the first black family moved into the neighborhood, directly across the street from our home, it was my father, James Dutton, who rallied the neighbors to accept our new friends and welcome them into the neighborhood.
This was the era of "white flight." Speculators would pay a high price for one home in a white neighborhood, move in a black family and then immediately solicit sales listings from the fearful residents. In our neighborhood, the speculators were disappointed; hoping for listings from white families who would rather sell out than live in an integrated neighborhood, they found only two or three sellers out of the 50 homes in the neighborhood. My father taught us that we either live our faith or we have no faith.
Within the next few years, as homes were sold, both black and white families moved in and out of the neighborhood, with no panic selling and a welcoming embrace for all our new neighbors. Other neighborhoods were not so stable. Neighborhoods close to ours went from all white to primarily black within a few years.
During this time, many members of our parish, my family included, belonged to an all-white swim club. For my five sisters and me, this was our prime source of recreation for the summers. Then one Sunday a sermon was delivered that no one from the parish will ever forget. The message was simple and direct: A Catholic, a Christian or any of God's children could not be party to any organization that excluded those of another race or religion. The swim club was mentioned by name as over half of the families of the parish were members.
At dinner that evening, our parents asked us children what we should do; explaining if we did not renew our membership we would have to find something else to do over the summers. We learned Dad's lesson well as there was not a voice of dissent and we unanimously put away our bathing suits and lived our faith.
A few years later, when I joined the Bahá'í' Faith, I was impressed at not only its profession of unity but the demand that we work for unity, and not just among ourselves but among all of humanity. Our gatherings include members from all races, nationalities, rich, poor, educated and illiterate. Our unity is not just professed, we must live it.
This unity comes from our love of God and the love he has for all His children. We cannot allow ourselves to be divided along economic, social, educational, ethnic, political or religious lines. If we truly believe that it is God's will that we all live together, how can we readily accept any cause or teaching that seeks divide us?
In the '60s and '70s our society made impressive strides toward racial integration. It was not easy nor did it come without a price. But valiant efforts were made and heavy prices paid. What has happened since then? Why have we allowed ourselves to move apart?
It was the churches that were in the forefront as our society moved toward integration: from neighborhoods to work to recreation and education. Now, when we need to come together more than ever, can the religious institutions lead us once more to a united society? Is that not what our Creator would have us do?
Michael Dutton, of Baha' is of New Fairfield.
Nelly Altenburger
FORUM ON FAITH
Psalm 98 is a fanfare for new beginnings.
by Rabbi Nelly Altenburger
Published: Saturday, August 6, 2010
Danbury News Times
Psalm 98 has called my attention recently. Beyond the Hebrew Bible, it has also been a part of the standard Friday night Jewish service and, for some communities, it figures on Sabbath morning as well. It is a song that could be described as a fanfare for new beginnings.
Psalm 98 brings to our imagination a time when God has performed great acts of salvation for the people of Israel, in the sight of the entire world. In response, the Psalmist asks the listeners to begin a new song for the new era. The human voice is to be raised in a song that bursts out of our souls and mouths, loudly and without restraint. Then here come musical instruments! Lyre, trumpets, and the ram's horn.
Yet just like the TV ads, the Psalm brings more. The Psalmist asks the world beyond humanity to join in this song: all of creation needs to be heard - the sea roars its praises along with the earth and its inhabitants, the rivers clap and the mountains join. Everything throughout God's creation is called upon to give their song of praise in this fanfare to new beginnings. Here is the New International Version:
1. Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
2. The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.
3. He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
4. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;
5. make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing,
6. with trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn-- shout for joy before the LORD, the King.
7. Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
8. Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy;
9. let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
Fanfares are musically very impressive, but short. Granted, there is a sense of majesty and awe but it is brief. It is not a symphony. The opening song to the movie "Rocky" is a good example. A fanfare is a suggestion of possibilities, an exciting platform to something bigger. Psalm 98 packs a lot of commotion in its eight verses.
And yet, at this juncture in the year - August - we all need a fanfare for new beginnings, as we look and new school years are upon us. New schools for many children, new grades for most, new parents are getting used with the idea of sending their kids - gasp! - alone to discover what life is all about. With new beginnings there always comes a fear of the unknown, the treading onto new territory.
The Jewish New Year is making its first movements to be felt in most communities. Services are being prepared, sermons written, music reviewed, new and old prayers connected together. There is a clear feeling that much has happened during the last year and needs to be digested, and a lot more is about to come, and we need to be aware of it all.
In all communities there were births and rites of passage, marriages and divorces, sickness and healings. In some communities, new songs are growing in the hands of able cantors, in others, like B'nai Israel, new prayer books will make their appearance. Many new things are about to happen, and Psalm 98 is there to make a fanfare about it all.
Rabbi Nelly Altenburger is rabbi at Congregation Bnai Israel in Danbury.
Rev. Leo McIlrath
FORUM ON FAITH
Unity in Diversity.
by Rev. Leo McIlrath
Published: Saturday, July 30, 2010
Danbury News Times
It features interviews with leaders and representatives of local faith communities.
The original idea for the program came while hosting an earlier cable program for the city of Danbury's Department of Elderly Services called "Seniority." It dealt with all aspects of aging: health, housing, legal services, finances, counseling and leisure activities.
After taping 40-plus programs, the then-Danbury town historian, Gerald Davis, and I focused on spirituality and aging in two programs on the buildings that housed faith communities in Danbury.
Superimposing pictures of each one on the television screen, we discussed the history of the buildings and the divergent believers who utilized them over the years.
As the facilities changed hands, so did the design of the buildings. Many of the faith communities, though classified under the umbrella of the Christian tradition, have quite dissimilar services and, therefore, a need for different styles of buildings and furnishings to fill them.
Consider, for example, the Second Congregational Church on West Street (as viewed in Bailey's "History of Danbury"), which later became Immanuel Lutheran Church, and more recently was acquired by Lighthouse Ministries.
Another example of diversity was the former Assembly of God building on Deer Hill Avenue becoming a Portuguese Roman Catholic church.
Gerald Davis and I set the stage for a new program called "Unity in Diversity." Discussions about the respective communities, as well as the personal experiences of those interviewed, give viewers an opportunity to better understand different faith traditions in a non-threatening way.
The purpose of the program, from its very inception, was to be a teaching tool for both ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.
As the producer and host of the program, my goal is to promote religious, spiritual and cultural understanding that helps people appreciate others, even when their traditions and customs appear quite foreign.
The format of the program includes an introduction of the guests, followed by my quizzing them about the history, theology and social customs of the faith they represent.
Pastors, rabbis, theologians, religious leaders and/or representatives of various groups openly discuss their beliefs and the key people involved in their roots and expansion.
We then look at the signs, symbols, structures and furnishings that identify their physical place of worship and the use of music and other media in their services.
Finally, we consider their outreach in local communities and any focus they might have on foreign missions.
Among those who have participated in the programs are people from Christian communities, including Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox persuasions; rabbis from Judaism; a monk from Buddhism; and representatives of Islam and Hinduism, Bahai and Unitarianism.
There were Lutherans, Episcopalians, Baptists, Roman and Ecumenical Catholics, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Christian Scientists, Quakers (Friends), Seventh-day Adventists, Greek and Russian Orthodox, Maronite Catholics, Unitarian/Universalists, Churches of Christ and Christ Disciples, and a large array of non-denominational Christians.
In addition, chaplains at hospice, nursing homes and hospitals, plus leaders from a number of faith-based services, such as Dorothy Day House, the Shelter of the Cross, Kevin's Community Center and the United Way of Northern Fairfield County, have told their stories.
A host of ecumenical and interfaith programs have also aired.
"Unity in Diversity" continues to be sponsored by ARC - the Association of Religious Communities in the Greater Danbury Area.
I have enjoyed working on this project. I am grateful when it helps people better appreciate their brothers and sisters from other faith persuasions, even as they are fulfilled within their own.
The Rev. Leo E. McIlrath is the ecumenical chaplain of the Lutheran Home of Southbury.
Joseph Catania
FORUM ON FAITH
Learning that all religions strive for peace and can lead to religious tolerance and spiritual growth.
by Joseph Catania
Published: Saturday, July 24, 2010
Danbury News Times
For five years I have been working to influence the lives of children through the teachings of religious tolerance. This experience has allowed me to grow in my own faith and gain a more substantial understanding of who I am as a spiritual man.
The ARC Interfaith Peace Camp teaches children that all religions strive for the same goal, peace. Through lectures and hands-on activities, the young children who participate in the annual program gain an understanding of interfaith peace and religious tolerance that surpasses many adults, even their parents.
I have dedicated myself to this camp year after year because the values that it teaches to young children are something that I believe is missing from the majority of our population.
We hear of people's spiritual conquests all the time -- people finding God in all sorts of ways and places, through life-changing experiences and influential people who have a way with words or have seen the light. But what is missing is the ability to challenge one's personal faith on a daily level. We should never feel comfortable with our faith. Faith is something that grows every day and changes on a constant basis.
It is important to understand that there is always something more that we do not know. God is something that we do not know, He is always full of surprises. There is no way that we can feel safe in our faith because that would suggest that we are hiding from the truth.
Understanding and discovering the different ways everyone worships God and carries their faith is the most important thing an individual must do in order to allow for their faith to grow.
When I was first introduced to the ways of Islam, I questioned whether or not my faith was enough. I saw a religion that devoted its life to pleasing God. They were constantly expressing their faith, where I was used to showing my faith only when it was most convenient.
I wondered if I needed to re-evaluate the direction that my faith was going and if it was time for a change. I found myself afterward focusing on God more often and looking for him in places that went beyond my church.
Learning that all religions strive for peace and can lead to religious tolerance and spiritual growth.
Watching 25 10-year-olds meditate in silence as the rain patted down on the rooftop of a Buddhist temple in the middle of an apartment building provided me with the realization that there was still more.
I found myself trying to follow the teachings of the Rev. Wisdom and clear my mind so that I could focus on my innermost thoughts. I used this practice to shut out all the noise and simply focus on God.
This practice gave me a new medium from which I could connect with God on a personal level, which I had never experienced before.
It is important to understand one's self. Understanding who you are and what you are capable of provides an understanding of the limits and obstacles that stand in your way. The journey down the road of faith is not one that ends in ordination or spiritual enlightenment. It is a neverending road that, when followed correctly, is filled with bumps and walls that force you to dig deeper and work harder to keep pressing forward.
Finding faith in one religion or one practice is a narrow-minded acceptance of a false end that only blocks you from your true spiritual potential.
Understanding different religions, different practices, and even different people's ways of worship, provides the faithful with a knowledge built upon a foundation which can never crumble. My time with the Peace Camp has shown me that no matter how you worship God, everyone strives for peace.
It is the most pure end result that we can ask for. Absolute peace is something that we all want to achieve. It is something that finds itself on the same unending path that our faith journey takes us on.
The reason we walk down this path year after year, generation after generation, is because we know that the simple act of progress brings us one step closer to God.
The oracle Delphi told Socrates that he was the wisest man in the world for he knew of his ignorance. This realization that we are always able to learn more shows us that our faith journey brings us on a path that demands an understanding of the world around us. In order for us to make progress in our faith and move closer to absolute peace, we must experience what others have to offer.
Joseph Catania of Roxbury Congregational Church is co-director of ARC's Interfaith Peace Camp.
Rev. Joseph Krasinski
FORUM ON FAITH
Book changes teen's concept of God from cruel father to caring companion.
by Rev. Joseph Krasinski
Published: Saturday, July 16, 2010
Danbury News Times
As a boy, my concept of God was very "traditional" (read "medieval"). God was this massive "being" who had millions of rules which could never be broken. "He" was always watching you - not to take care of you, but to punish you for a violation, large or small.
Think of the most malicious father figure you can imagine and you will understand that, to this boy, that was God.
But even worse than a cruel father, should you break one of His rules, you would be sent to the fires of hell for all eternity. If you broke a rule - sinned - you could be forgiven if you were truly sorry. But there were so many rules that it was hard to know if you broke one or not.
The image of Jesus was always of a sufferingRe man, hung on the cross for me. He went through bloody agony. He was whipped, spit on, humiliated, forced to carry a heavy cross, and then had nails driven through his hands and feet - all because of what I did. (Oh, yeah, He did rise from the grave, too, but that isn't very important.)
The final denominator of this God was two words - GUILT and FEAR.
Then, as a 13-year-old, I was given a book which changed my whole concept of God, "Are You Running With Me, Jesus?" written by Malcolm Boyd in 1965.
I knew very little about Boyd, except that he was an Episcopal priest.
The book is a series of prayers, which are actually talks to Jesus about what is going on in the person's life at that moment. The author is able to share intimate, personal feelings with Jesus in a conversational style - very much how one good friend would share his inner fears, anxieties and accomplishments with another friend.
This Jesus, this concept of God, was totally foreign to me. Here was an entity who actually cared about my day-to-day life, to whom I could go with my very human foibles, adolescent insecurities, and even my innermost struggles to find myself.
In "are You Running With Me, Jesus?" I found a God who was not looking to punish me for wrongdoings, but a God who was walking with me on my journey.
Boyd did not deny Jesus' divinity in the least. He did not minimize the sacrifice on the cross. Instead, he gave me true Incarnational theology - God becoming fully human, just like me. And because of that, I was able to relate to a God who understood me even better than I understood myself.
"Are You Running With Me, Jesus?" was followed by Boyd's "Book of Days" (1968), with the same theme. As one description of the book says: "Minutes and hours, people and places, individual problems and human revolutions, work and leisure, straws of life and confrontation of moral issues are the stuff making up this book of days."
What I didn't know when I read his first books is that Boyd was not only an Episcopal priest and college chaplain, he was an activist.
He was ordained in 1954 and went through tumultuous times in our country, when we tried to live out our Constitution, especially the phrase "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
Boyd believed deeply that the civil rights movement was theology lived out. He marched with many of the great civil right leaders in the freedom marches, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
As the war in Vietnam escalated, Boyd becamea part of the antiwar movement. He wasarrested in the Pentagon while celebrating "an unscheduled" peace Mass in a corridor.
In 1971, Look magazine ran a cover story, "Ten prominent Americans give you their personal key to peace of mind." Boyd shared the cover with Duke Ellington, Walter Cronkite, Joan Baez, Bill Moyers, Margaret Mead and others.
In 1977, Boyd told the world that he was gay.
And now that I am, by far, no longer a teenage boy, he's come out with "Simple Grace: A Mentor's Guide to Growing Older."
There is little doubt in my mind that Boyd helped to mold the person I am today, including helping me to find my vocation.
Without knowing it, he brought the God of heaven down into the heart of a young person struggling to discover how God, Jesus and religion have meaning personally, as well as a place in our world today.
The Rev. Joseph A. Krasinski is the rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in Danbury.
Polly Castor
FORUM ON FAITH
Service can be performed in daily deeds as well as abroad.
by Polly Castor
Published: Saturday, July 9, 2010
Danbury News Times
Service is a principle that is important to the Christian Science community. Our high school-aged son just left on a service trip sponsored by one of our church youth groups.
This trip is rather exotic, involving getting on an airplane to help individuals far away that he has never met. But the value of Christian service especially applies to helping those in our own milieu in all sorts of practical ways.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, wrote in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," "Our heavenly Father, divine Love, demands that all men should follow the example of our Master and his apostles and not merely worship his personality. It is sad that the phrase divine service has come so generally to mean public worship instead of daily deeds."
Like prayer and faith, Christian Scientists believe daily deeds are an important part of spiritual practice. Good deeds indicate our growth in grace. We are not to be satisfied with good words instead of good effects. We are to love our neighbor as ourselves, which does not include wallowing in complacency, self-absorption or self-interest. When we do anything out of unselfed love, we are empowered by the divine.
All of God's children everywhere are seen by Christian Scientists as integral, uniquely complete, needed components of God's reflection.
We believe we are all loved and absolutely essential to God, and therefore, not only are we individually responsible for being Christ-like, we are collectively united in this project of expressing God fully. All of us need help, while no one is without something to offer.
In II Corinthians, we read, "For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may bea supply for your want: that there may be equality..."
Christian Scientists are serving God when they are helpful to others. As it says in Ephesians, "With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men." This makes it easy to have the right humble attitude when you are assisting someone. You won't be condescending when it is understood that everyone is just as good as the next, and that we are all engaged in the process of progressing.
However, we believe you really can't serve God if you are serving anything else as well.
Choosing to serve money, materialism, protocol, popular culture, fear, or opinion, is enslaving, and means you are not serving God, who confers freedom and boundless bliss. All those years ago Joshua in the Bible demanded, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve."
The blessings incurred by devotedly serving God in sincerity and truth are enormous.
While being of service to others for God, our thoughts and motives matter.
Right motives inspire and protect, bringing strength and freedom to whatever you do. We believe the thoughts you bring to serving, whether cheerful or grudging, will dictate your experience of it, so in order to have a good time doing it, make a point of seeing God (good) everywhere. Not only does God love a "cheerful" giver, it is so much more fun to be cheerful!
The Bible tells us to love one another, because God is love. We believe active Christian service is one of the best ways to do this. It enriches not only the one we are helping, but ourselves as well. When we seek our own in another's good, we not only feel good about it, we are actually blessed by God for doing it.
There are many opportunities every day for this kind of selfless service. You don't have to board an airplane to find them. They are here in your own communities and families, congregations and schools. When we see all mankind as our brothers and sisters, and strive to help to meet their needs, we find ourselves at home everywhere.
All of us are needed. Each one of us can contribute, in large and small ways, to a more compassionate, loving world. Our motivation is not for self but, rather, to do it for God.
Polly Castor is a Christian Science practitioner, and member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Ridgefield. She can be reached at PollyCastor@aol.com
Dr. Hambrick-Stowe
FORUM ON FAITH
Give thanks for our freedom to worship on Independence Day.
by Dr. Charles Hambrick-Stowe
Published: Saturday, July 2, 2010
Danbury News Times
People of every faith give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy in this country as we observe Independence Day. Among our American freedoms is the freedom to worship.
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states that Congress would create no "establishment of religion" and would not "prohibit the free exercise" of religious life.
This guarantees that the people themselves are free to gather as they will, not as they are told by the state, for worship and other religious purposes. The First Amendment means two things at the same time - "freedom from religion" in American government and "freedom for religion" in American society.
The story of American freedom began long before the first shots of the Revolution and has continued to unfold gradually, sometimes tumultuously, over the course of more than two centuries since the achievement of Independence and the ratification of the Constitution.
The church I serve in Ridgefield was organized in 1712, two generations before the start of the American Revolution. The First Congregational Church had been at the center of community life for 65 years already when British troops burned Danbury and then marched south where American soldiers engaged them in the Battle of Ridgefield.
We have begun to celebrate the church's 300th anniversary, including a series of events that will culminate in the year 2012.
The Congregational churches of colonial New England implanted a number of enduring values in the spiritual character of our nation. While these are distinctively Christian values, they apply in general ways to people of other faiths in American society. In fact, they are among the sources for the tradition of freedom that we celebrate on the Fourth of July.
I'll just mention two.
First of all, the Congregational tradition places God at the center of every aspect of human life. This was symbolized in most New England towns in the colonial era by placing the meeting house in a prominent spot on the common or village green.
In the early days the meeting house served both civil and religious functions, but when town business moved to a separate building the church retained its central location.
The Congregational church in Ridgefield was situated in this way on the town green until 1888, when the present building was erected farther down Main Street. Over the years, of course, other congregations were organized by citizens of various faiths, so today there is no one spiritual focal point for the town, geographically. But the value of putting God at the center of life endures.
A second value implanted by the Congregational tradition in the American soul more broadly is that the church is the people (hence the name, Congregational). Spiritual life is not defined by a hierarchy headquartered somewhere else, nor is it relegated to the professional expertise of the ordained leader, whether that be pastor, priest, rabbi, imam, or whatever.
Religious life in America is, like civil government, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, "of the people, by the people, and for the people."
Congregationalism's focus on the people was expressed as early as 1648 in the Cambridge Platform, which served as a standard for New England churches throughout the colonial period. The definition of what it means to be the church is still relevant: "A Congregational church is, by the institution of Christ, a part of the visible church, consisting of a company of saints by calling, united into one body by a holy covenant, for the public worship of God and the mutual edification one of another in the fellowship of the Lord Jesus."
It's important to note that the word "saints" here refers to ordinary believers, not to some spiritual elite like St. Francis.
These two values can be summed up like this: In the Congregational tradition there is an enduring sense of people and place - of ordinary people living their faith in this place.
It should not be too hard to see the connection between New England Congregationalism and some of the qualities of American life that we honor on Independence Day.
As our church celebrates its 300th anniversary we thank God for these enduring values and that the church's story goes on through successive generations. The 1904 Manual of the First Congregational Church of Ridgefield, Connecticut, put it this way: "Thus it appears that from time to time this ancient church renews its youth and continues to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints."
Dr. Charles Hambrick-Stowe is senior minister of the First Congregational Church of Ridgefield, 103 Main St., Ridgefield CT06877.
Rev. Joshua Sander
FORUM ON FAITH
Journey of Homage changed lives in Boston.
by Rev. Joshua Sander
Published: Saturday, June 25, 2010
Danbury News Times
When I was a seminarian at Andover Newton Theology School, I became friends with a Methodist classmate named Preston.
One day he and his wife Kathy were riding the "T" back to Newton from Boston. They were deep in conversation because it was December, and while everyone around them was thinking about Christmas, Preston and Kathy had taken notice of the homeless who had been begging in the "T" station. They wanted to do something good for the people they had seen.
As they spoke, they were reminded of a parable of Jesus, about how we will be judged before the throne of God. "And the King will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'"
And they remembered the story of the Wise Men and their reaction to seeing the infant Jesus, "When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage."
And so Preston and Kathy realized two things: They had seen Jesus begging for change in the "T" station, and they wanted to pay him homage.
They decided to give a Christmas present to every homeless person in Boston that they could. And it was quite simple. They went back to Andover Newton and organized a collection. They accepted no secondhand items, because, really, would you want somebody's castoffs as a Christmas present?
So they collected new pairs of socks for frozen and swollen feet, new pairs of gloves for frozen and swollen hands, new winter hats to keep body heat from escaping and gift certificates to fast-food places, because the inside of a restaurant is warm and out of the elements and a gift certificate makes you a paying customer. And then they bought some nice gift bags, packaged the items up all nice and even threw a few pieces of holiday candy into each.
Then they gathered up as many people as they could and hit the streets of Boston, looking for homeless people. They would travel in large groups, but approach people in twos and threes while the others watched from a short distance away.
And they would say, "Hi, my name is Preston, and this is Kathy, and we're from Andover Newton Theological School, and we wanted to give this to you. Merry Christmas!"
When I learned about the Journey of Homage, I decided to take the youth group from my field education church on the Journey with us.
As you can imagine, I was met with resistance.
The youth were fine with it, but their parents said, "You want to bring our children into the streets of Boston to talk to homeless people? That's too scary and too dangerous."
And so I invited the parents to come, too. But they didn't. And not very many of the youth came, either. But the ones who did come had a life-changing experience that they will never, ever forget.
We were near the Boston Common, in among the huge department stores. Barnes & Noble and Macy's towered over us. And there he was, standing outside of Macy's with a sign made out of the bottom of a cardboard box and a dead marker in one hand and a paper cup in the other. You couldn't read his sign, it was too ratty and faint, but you got the idea ... only people seemed to not get the idea. Weighed down with their huge bags and bundles from the surrounding stores, people bustled by without seeing the man.
But we saw him. And so we sent two of our young ladies up to him, and they said, "Hi, we're from Second Congregational Church of Newton, and we'd like to give you this present, Merry Christmas!"
And they started to move away from him, but he stopped them, saying, "Wait. I have to show you something." And he pulled up his pant leg, and I could see from where I stood across the street that his leg was deeply lined with a hideous roadmap of scars.
And with tears in his eyes and in his voice he said, "I got this in Vietnam. And I knew at the time that I must have been fighting for something. But until now, I didn't know what it was."
Rev. Joshua J. Sander is the Associate Minister for Youth at the First Congregational Church of Bethel (United Church of Christ), 46 Main St., Bethel.
Rev. Marilyn Anderson
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Framing a response to the Gulf oil disaster for people of faith.
by Rev. Marilyn Anderson
Published: Saturday, June 18, 2010
Danbury News Times
These are just a few of the words we are hearing in the news media to describe the explosion of the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico off of Louisiana that took the lives of 11 men, injured many others and is still responsible for setting in motion the disgorging of a huge amount of oil into the Gulf of Mexico for the last seven or so weeks.
The oil is being moved by undersea currents. Some forecasters are predicting it may enter into the Atlantic Ocean and even travel up the eastern coast of the United States.
It is damaging coastal wetlands in Louisiana and threatening them elsewhere along the Gulf Coast. It affects the hatcheries and nurseries of much wildlife in these wetlands. It coats and kills seabirds and causes wholesale death of fish and mammals in Gulf waters. It has begun to rob many Gulf Shore residents of their livelihoods.
As people of faith, what is our responsibility in this disaster, and how might we frame a good response to it?
Genesis 1:26 reminds us that God created humankind to "have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air. . . ."
Theologians have long discussed just what it means to have dominion. Almost all agree that it doesn't mean to use up our resources rapaciously, but instead to care for the fish, the birds, the water, the oil, the people, and the whole of the created order so as to enhance ecological health.
We are to be stewards of pelicans and shrimp and marshlands and help them to thrive. We are to work to preserve our crystal-clear blue water in the Gulf and all our surface waters -- all of which make up 71 percent of the earth's surface.
So how are we doing?
This particular catastrophic event has suggested to many that we as a people have allowed our hunger for petroleum products to override our good sense. Corporations make decisions and take risks, weighing the expected profits against the likelihood of accidents. But this particular accident is far more devastating than the likely "worst case scenario" in any such calculation.
It appears that there also has been a regulatory failure on the part of government agencies in charge of overseeing drilling operations and we can only speculate as to whether this is because of laziness or material gain.
And let's face it: Our own patterns of consumption encourage the corporate world to cut corners, too. We as a people want more and more. Yet we often seem unwilling to acknowledge that our hungers fuel more and more drilling that sometimes poses a significant risk to the environment.
Might we be called now to repent of our behaviors that are a part of the chain of practices that have led to this catastrophe in the Gulf?
To that end, the Episcopal Order of the Mission of St. Clare publishes a litany for the Deepwater Horizon Disaster, which can be found at www.missionstclare.com. It is a litany of repentance for the greed that promotes risky drilling, as well as a prayer for animals, plants, ocean, and people who are affected by this incredibly tragic situation. Here are a few of the petitions in this litany:
"We bless greed, and we, ourselves are filled with greed. Lord, have mercy.
"We demand more energy for our homes, autos, farms, industries, war machines. Lord, have mercy.
"On the souls of the 11 men who died in the explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, Lord, have mercy.
"On the executives of British Petroleum, Transocean, and all other associated companies, Lord, have mercy.
"And bless us to understand and to acknowledge that we should not have made and can no longer make the demands we have been making. Lord, have mercy."
Now is a very good time, not only to pray for the restoration of the people and animals and water in the Gulf, but also to make our own significant changes in lifestyle, our own small tokens of repentance.
There are myriad ways we might save energy: conserve resources, recycle, walk, and leave behind some aspects of our lifestyle of consumption. Now is a good time for us to consider clean energy alternatives. We might ask God not only to heal the Gulf and its resources and people, but also to heal our own hearts and appetites.
The Rev. Marilyn Anderson is rector of Christ Church Parish in Redding Ridge. She also holds a master's degree in geological sciences.
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Pentecost brings thoughts on diversity to mind.
by Kendall Palladino
Published: Saturday, June 11, 2010
Danbury News Times
As I stood watching my fourth son being baptized on Pentecost, which was May 23 this year, I thought about what this day means for Christians.
The red vestments and decorations around the church were a reminder of the day nearly 2,000 years ago when the Holy Spirit descended like tongues of fire upon the early apostles and gave them the ability to speak other languages.
Diverse ethnic groups had come to Jerusalem from all over the known world of the time. The people were surprised that they understood the apostles in their own languages, and 3,000 of them were baptized, becoming Christians. Many consider Pentecost the beginning of the Christian Church.
In the early Christian tradition, there was an increasingly outward focus and openness to "every tribe and tongue and people and nation." After Pentecost, Christianity went from a minority sect within Judaism to a significant religion throughout the Roman Empire in a very short amount of time.
It embraced many different ethnic identities, races, languages, and peoples. In the last book of the Christian Scriptures (Revelations 21:24-26), when God is pictured as coming in glory to join God's people, God is not pictured as aloof to human cultural and ethnic diversity. Rather, God is pictured as inviting people into a new city which they fill with the good aspects of every nation.
This picture of God's new city made me think of the Memorial Day Parade in Danbury. I always feel a sense of pride as the city's diversity is celebrated with cultural displays from Ecuador, Portugal, Brazil, India, Ireland, Philippines and other places. As a person who enjoys the foods and cultural richness of Danbury, I am glad that the early tradition of Christianity embraced the good stuff of "every tribe, tongue, people and nation." It gives me hope that I may enjoy diverse music, art, languages, cultures, foods, and ethnicities not only on this earth but in the life to come.
Strangely, however, I have been surprised that so little diversity exists among hospice patients throughout the country. Heaven may be diverse, but apparently those receiving hospice care are not.
While there is religious diversity, and hospice patients tell us that hospices provide respectful support for diverse spiritual and religious needs, racial diversity is harder to find.
Nationally, in 2009, 92 percent of hospice patients were white or Caucasian. These percentages differ from the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau statistics for the United States which shows 66 percent non-Hispanic whites, 15 percent Hispanics of any race, 14 percent African-Americans, and 5 percent Asian-Americans; Wikipedia indicates that 76 percent of people in Danbury in 2008 were white. Hospice patients, including those of the Regional Hospice of Western CT, do not seem to match the racial profile of their communities.
Over the last nearly 10 years that I have been with Regional Hospice, I have read many hospice journal articles that mention the need to make hospice care more familiar to a wider array of people. I have also seen continued efforts to make the services known and welcoming to people of various cultural, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.
I am part of the team at Regional Hospice that is made up of nurses, social workers, chaplains, home health aides, bereavement counselors, volunteers, doctors, administrative professionals, physical therapists, pharmacists and others. The aim of our team is to help people from every part of our community obtain compassionate care that addresses the very real physical, emotional, social, spiritual and practical concerns that arise with life-limiting illness.
The programs of Regional Hospice, which include a continuum of home care, hospice, and bereavement services, are to date 100 percent covered by local donations, grants, fundraising, Medicare, and other insurance plans.
I look forward to the day that people from every background, racial and ethnic group who need the services of hospices are equally supported as they face the challenges of life-limiting illness and loss so that all people receive the right care at the right time.
Kendall Palladino is Director of Spiritual and Bereavement Services at Regional Hospice of Western Connecticut, 405 Main St., Danbury, CT 06810.
Rabbi Jon Haddon
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Observing Memorial Day with gratitude.
by Rabbi Jon Haddon
Published: Saturday, June 4, 2010
Danbury News Times
Our nation observed Memorial Day this past Monday. Or, more precisely, a part of the nation did. The rest, I fear, regarded it as little more than an opportunity for a long holiday weekend - a day of barbecues or an occasion to take advantage of retail sales.
Maybe we Americans should learn from the comparable observance in Israel. The entire country comes to a complete halt for a few minutes during its Memorial Day, called "Yom Hazikaron." Sirens can be heard throughout the land, cars stop and the drivers get out, joining other Israelis in standing in eloquent silence. A nation pays a moving - and collective - tribute to the more than 21,000 soldiers who have fallen in defense of the country's freedom.
We owe the memory of our own soldiers no less. It is especially appropriate this year, which marks the 65th anniversary of the end of World War II, to recall the more than 16 million Americans who served in the armed forces and defeated the deadliest evils the world had ever seen. Their courage, valor and sacrifice helped save the world from the onslaught of German Nazism, Italian fascism and Japanese militarism. The U.S. military cemeteries overseas and at home are powerful testimony to the high price we as a nation paid for our ultimate victory - nearly 300,000 battle deaths.
And, of course, we were not alone. It is important to remember those who fought with us in common cause against our enemies. They were many, but let me mention just two nations.
In June 1940, after France's supposedly invincible Maginot Line proved anything but, Britain stood alone against the Nazi onslaught.The only other major European power, the Soviet Union, had entered into an unholy alliance with Germany the preceding year, while the U.S. was still more than a year away from entering the war. For 12 months, the British, under the leadership of the indomitable Prime Minister Winston Churchill, fought with unparalleled bravery. The soaring rhetoric of Churchill during this yearlong period stirred a nation, indeed a world. His words bear recalling, particularly at this moment in history.
"The gratitude of every home in our Island, in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world, except in the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess and by their devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." (August 1940)
The other nation deserving of mention is the Soviet Union. For some, this acknowledgement is difficult to swallow. Taking advantage of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Nonaggression Pact of 1939 and the subsequent Nazi-Soviet Friendship Treaty, Moscow occupied the three Baltic states and significant parts of eastern Poland. And, surely, Joseph Stalin was not fighting to defend "the four essential human freedoms," as Roosevelt referred to - freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Far from it.
But if the enemy of our enemy is deemed our friend, at least during wartime, then for four years the Soviet Union bore the brunt of much of the fighting and a disproportionate share of the casualties.
Indeed, the death toll of its soldiers and civilians was simply staggering: well over 20 million were killed. And the tough, relentless fighting spirit of the Red Army was absolutely indispensable to Hitler's ultimate defeat.
jI believe freedom has been our nation's most precious gift, but we must always keep in mind that it does not come free of charge. As the 19th-century British philosopher Jeremy Bentham said, "The price of democracy is eternal vigilance."
Members of what Tom Brokaw memorably dubbed the "Greatest Generation" responded to their nation's call, endured years of combat in distant lands, witnessed death and devastation, suffered loss and injury, experienced fear and deprivation and coped with separation and fatigue. But they persevered and they prevailed. And we, the beneficiaries of their sacrifices, owe to our veterans, past and present, an eternal debt of gratitude.
Rabbi Jon Haddon is Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield and a board member of the Association of Religious Communities.
Rev. Vicky A. Fleming
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Kairos Prison Ministries of Connecticut takes righteous action.
by Rev. Vicky A. Fleming
Published: Saturday, May 28, 2010
Danbury News Times
In the 25th chapter of Matthew, in a portion sometimes called The Judgment of the Nations, Jesus gives a list of things righteous folks have done: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting those who are sick or in prison. And when he is questioned as to when these things had been done, Eugene H. Peterson in "The Message" tells us that Jesus answered, "Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me."
I was introduced to Kairos Prison Ministries of Connecticut after I became a pastor in Bethel. I learned that some of the members of my congregation believed they were fulfilling Jesus' directive by participating in these laity-led ministries with laity and clergy from all branches of Christianity.
Their intention is to minister to some of the most ignored and forgotten people in our society, those who are incarcerated and their families.
Since I had never heard of Kairos Ministries, I thought that perhaps you hadn't either, and that's why I'm writing today. I believe this work has the capacity to bring hope, strengthen faith and change the lives of men and women who have lost their way.
This outreach ministry comprises three programs. Kairos Ministries presents programs for incarcerated men and women who request to participate.
In cooperation with prison chaplains, trained teams of about 25 people visit a prison for a three-day weekend that is described as a short course in Christianity. The volunteers sleep off-site. The chaplain selects the inmate attendees from the applicants and the numbers are limited. Only female volunteers enter a women's prison and only male volunteers may participate in a weekend at a men's prison.
The weekend programs consist of a series of short talks given by the volunteers and then small group discussions are facilitated, focusing on the subjects of the talks and how they relate to day-to-day living.
The small groups are designated one's "family" for the weekend and each family is given a name. The discussions remain confidential and sometimes the beliefs of the individuals involved are discussed. There's also lots of singing and prayer time.
These weekends are not just about having warm and fuzzy feelings for oneself and others. They focus on applying one's beliefs, taking responsibility for wrong things done, learning why and how to pray, forgiving oneself, forgiving others, and preparing to move on with one's life and one's family after prison time is served.
Those who complete the weekend may choose to participate in a half-day monthly reunion at the prison. This is designed to renew and strengthen what was gained on the weekend and to spend some fellowship time with the volunteers who return. Again, singing and praying are a large part of the program.
Kairos Torch is a similar program designed for youthful offenders. It stresses unconditional love and acceptance and encourages young men or women to share their life journey through participation in a long term mentoring process. The weekend event is similar but the reunion process lasts for six months on a weekly basis. It is a big commitment of time for the volunteers who work with the young people but they believe the impact on lives can be tremendous.
The third segment of Kairos Ministries, the one with which I have become involved as a spiritual director, is called Kairos Outside. This program is only for women. Those invited to participate are the so-often forgotten families of men and women who are incarcerated.
It has been my experience that when someone we've read about in the newspapers or heard about on television news is sent to prison, there is a sense of relief. A miscreant has been removed from the streets.
We give little thought to the situation of the family left behind. Are they going to be able to support themselves? Do they feel like they have to keep secret the information that one of their loved ones is incarcerated? Are they embarrassed and avoiding their relatives and friends? Families of the incarcerated "do time" right along with their loved ones.
The women invited to the weekends are family members of inmates who have attended a Kairos weekend in prison and have been moved to wish for a similar experience for one or more family members.
Kairos Outside weekends provide an opportunity not only to hear the talks but also experience fellowship together. It provides a safe space to meet others living in a similar situation and to begin networking and forming support groups. Not only is there listening and sharing, singing and praying. There are lots of tears and a bit of quiet time. It touched my heart to see women, not sure of what they were getting into and not sure they could belong, come together and begin sharing experiences at their table discussions. Again, confidentiality was stressed. What was said in that space stayed in that space. And the place where this retreat took place was the beautiful and spacious St. Thomas' Seminary in Bloomfield. They were very gracious hosts.
The volunteers, who had participated in 36 hours of training in order to be part of the weekend, reached out with loving hearts, understanding smiles, and listening ears to what the guests had to contribute.
And I discovered these were not faithless women. They could well articulate their beliefs. They just needed some support.
I saw that these ministries can change lives. People are sometimes, but not always, reintroduced to the faith of their childhood. It is a big commitment of time for volunteers. But I believe it is worth the effort.
More information is available on the website for Kairos Ministries: www.kairosprisonministry.org.
Rev. Vicky A. Fleming is pastor of Bethel United Methodist Church, 141 Greenwood Ave., Bethel. She can be reached at vafleming@comcast.net.
Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer
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Where would you rather be? How about the present?
by Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer
Published: Saturday, May 21, 2010
Danbury News Times
A few weeks ago, I was driving on the highway and the car in front of me had a red bumper sticker that caught my eye. It said: "I'd rather be at a Neil Diamond Concert." I thought it was a pretty funny thing to put on your car.
We've all seen those "I'd rather be" bumper stickers. If I were going to put one on my Honda, it would probably say: "I'd rather be fly fishing." This feeling of "I'd rather be" is common. Whether at work, or fighting traffic, we all daydream of being somewhere else.
However, Judaism teaches the value of being present, focusing on where we are right now.
In Hebrew, the word for being present is heenaynee, which means, "Here I am." When God first spoke to Abraham and Moses, they replied: "heenaynee," Here I am. They were ready to listen to God and had nothing else on their minds.
Being present in the moment is what allowed Moses to find God in the first place. Moses was shepherding his flock on the mountain when he saw a bush burning without being consumed. How can you tell if a bush burns without being destroyed? Only if you spend enough time looking at it. So Moses was living in the present.
Time spent in an airplane is also an opportunity to be present. It is easy to think of the hours we spend in a plane as dead time, wasted time. After all, we are just trying to get somewhere else.
However, when I try to be present on the plane often something nice happens. I hear a young girl telling her mother how excited she is for the upcoming trip.
At night I see a moonless sky, and the dark ocean in all directions, and I feel the peace of the sleeping earth. Being present allows us to appreciate the small miracles of life.
Living in the present allows us to connect to those we care about. In our multi-tasking, cell-phone, Internet world, sometimes it is hard to be with our family and friends even if they are sitting right next to us! I have friends who go out to dinner, but spend half the time on their cell phones, sending e-mail or checking the score of the game. We all know the cell phone called a Blackberry. Some people call it a "crack-berry," because it can become addictive, and can pull us away from the present and into our own little worlds.
When the Israelites were leaving Egypt, there were two Jews who always looked down at their shoes as they walked. At first the ground was sandy and dry and they complained about the dust in their shoes. Then the ground became muddy and it was hard to walk and they complained about that. After a little while, the ground became dry and sandy again.
Since they were looking at their shoes, these two Israelites missed the splitting of the Red Sea! The ground was muddy because they were walking at the bottom of the ocean, with walls of water on both sides. Surely, miracles do not happen every day. But if we spend all of our time complaining and looking down at our shoes, we may miss something amazing.
One last story about being present comes from the movie "Groundhog Day." In the film, Bill Murray is forced to relive the same day, over and over again, at least a dozen times. Murray lives in a prison of present-ness. At first, he enjoys not having any tomorrow, eating whatever he wants and getting into trouble. Then he becomes desperate.
Finally, Bill Murray learns the lesson of being present. He uses the day to help others. He connects with a woman and falls in love. Having learned the lesson of living in the present, then Murray wakes up and begins his life anew.
We do not have to be stuck in the same day in order to learn the lesson of being present. We need only to stop spending so much time being somewhere else. Then we may discover the small miracles all around us, and find ways to connect to those we love.
Maybe I will get one of those bumper stickers. Mine will not say: "I'd rather be on the beach." Instead, it would read: "I'd rather be right where I am."
Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer is the spiritual leader of Temple Shearith Israel in Ridgefield, www.tsiridigefield.com, and author of the blog The Fly Fishing Rabbi, www.flyfishingrabbi.com.
Rev. Karen Karpow
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Plants (and people) sprout when the time is right.
by Rev. Karen Karpow
Published: Saturday, May 14, 2010
Danbury News Times
One late afternoon a couple of weeks ago, I went to the pantry looking for an onion. I keep them in a basket there, where it's dark and cool, so they don't get all moldy the way they do in the bag.
I reached in and pulled one out - and was surprised to see it had sprouted. Not just a little, either. The onion bulb was supporting about five inches of light-green leaves.
I put it down on the kitchen counter, wondering what would happen if I planted it in the garden. Then I reached for another onion. Also sprouted. And another, and another.
All of the onions had sprouted.
That got me to wondering: How did the onions know it was spring? The pantry is in the middle of the house, with doors that close. The onions were sitting in the dark.
If anything, it was cooler in there now than it was during the winter, because I had turned the heat off in the house. The onions weren't getting more light or more heat-but still they sprouted.
I can only conclude that they sprouted because it was time. The onions had sat there for weeks, some of them for many weeks, without sprouting. The onions that preceded them sat there for at least as long during the winter without sprouting. But now it is spring and time for onions to sprout.
It is the same way with us humans. The seasons in our lives have different qualities and produce different results. Sometimes we rest, sometimes we gather our energy, sometimes we sprout, sometimes we grow like crazy.
Why? I believe it is because God made us that way - just like the onions.
When it's time to sprout, you know it. I have experienced it as a restless feeling, almost like an invisible hand on the center of my back pressing me, gently pushing me forward in to the unknown.
I don't know about you, but I'm not wild about the unknown. I have resisted that invisible hand, explaining to it why it was mistaken - why I could not possibly do what it was pressing me to do - and why my own ideas were superior.
But the impulse to sprout really can't be denied. And then it's important to remember to trust.
Trust in what? That is an important question. I believe the same power that causes the sprouting also will guide the growing. Every time I have experienced this sprouting, God has provided what I needed to grow. But the resources don't just drop from the sky. I have found the things I needed in community.
And that is why I think churches (and synagogues and mosques and sacred communities of all sorts) are important. I know people who believe strongly in a power beyond themselves, but who prefer to pursue that spirit on their own.
I did that for a while, too, and it was really hard. I found I got discouraged easily. I also learned I was surprisingly lazy when I had nobody to hold me accountable to my own ideals.
So I choose to live my spiritual life along with a bunch of other people who are trying to do the same thing. We worship together, study together and pray together. We work together, eat together, laugh together and cry together.
We watch over each other, take care of each other, and (usually gently) call each other to account when we wander off the path. We have received this great gift of God's love and we try to share it with the community and the world.
I am with the group of Methodists on Clapboard Ridge, but I don't think it matters too much what group you choose. When it's time to sprout, though, I believe it's important to plant yourself someplace.
If the onions stay in the pantry, they grow for a while and then they dry up. If I plant them outdoors, they grow into what they are meant to be.
Is it your time to sprout? Get planted!
Karen Karpow is the pastor of the Danbury United Methodist Church, 5 Clapboard Ridge Road. The church telephone is 203-743-1503 and its website is www.DanburyMethodist.org.
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Mother's Day brings 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' lyricist to mind.
by Rev. Suzanne R. Spencer
Published: Saturday, May 7, 2010
Danbury News Times
Every year, Mother's Day reminds me of a story from Unitarian Universalist history. It involves Julia Ward Howe, a feisty Boston Unitarian, wife of Samuel Gridley Howe, a pioneering educator of special-needs children. If her name sounds familiar, it's probably in connection with the great "Battle Hymn of the Republic," to which she wrote the lyrics.
During the American Civil War, Julia Ward Howe visited Washington, D.C., where her heart was broken to see wounded soldiers walking the streets of the city and grief-stricken families reading the lists of the dead. She visited the Union camps in Washington and saw the terrible suffering there.
As she toured the camps, she heard the Union soldiers singing their favorite war song, "John Brown's Body." She thought to herself what a stirring tune it was, but with terribly depressing words. With her minister's encouragement, she decided to write a new set of lyrics, to help people face the war with inspiration and hope. They came to her all at once as she awoke from a night's sleep and she jumped out of bed to write them down.
Once the Civil War was over, Howe embarked on a new initiative. She had believed that terrible, bloody war to be a just war, necessary to save the Union and abolish slavery. Even so, the horrors of war sparked in her a fervent longing for peace.
In 1872, she began a campaign to establish the celebration of Mothers' Day. As she envisioned this observance, it would be a day devoted to promoting peace. She believed that mothers could tap into the love they bore their own children and extend it to embrace the whole human family.
Her proclamation began, "Arise, then, women of this day!" It called upon women everywhere to "leave all that may be left at home for a great and earnest day of counsel." They would "bewail and commemorate the dead," but also confer "as to the means whereby the great human family can live in peace."
This happened years before Mother's Day as we know it came into being. And yet, the day we celebrate also has its roots in the Civil War and in a longing for peace and reconciliation. Anna Jarvis' successful 10-year campaign to make Mother's Day an official holiday was sparked by the inspiration of her own Methodist mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis.
Like Howe, the elder Jarvis had a deep social conscience. In 1858, she established Mothers' Work Days in her West Virginia town to improve public health (or "sanitation," as it was called) and working conditions. During the Civil War, these Mothers' Work Days were extended to promote sanitation in both Union and Confederate towns. After the war, Jarvis saw them as a means of reconciliation between North and South.
In this spirit, akin to that of Howe, Anna Jarvis campaigned to establish a national Mother's Day, as a tribute to her activist mother. In 1914, it was finally proclaimed an official holiday. But toward the end of her life, Anna Jarvis protested against the exploitation and commercialization of her original vision. She objected especially to the tradition of greeting cards, which she saw as "a poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write."
Nevertheless, the vision still lives of Mother's Day as a day of peace and reconciliation. In Boston, for example, there's an annual Mother's Day Walk to promote peace in neighborhoods, dedicated to the memory of Louis D. Brown, a young man caught in the crossfire of two gangs.
Mother's Day is a difficult time for many of us, including those who are grieving their mothers, or have complicated relationships with their mothers or children, or who had hoped to bear and raise children but never had the opportunity. Seeing this holiday in a wider context, against the backdrop of hope and history, may give us not only a reason to celebrate, but also a renewed sense of purpose. For peace is the task of everyone - mothers, fathers, children, non-parents. The peace we create in our own lives will radiate out, into the life of the world.
The Rev. Suzanne R. Spencer is interim minister at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, 24 Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury 06811. She can be reached by e-mail at RevSueSpencer@gmail.com.
Rev. Leo McIlrath
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Chaplaincy at the Lutheran Home of Southbury means recreation and re-creation.
by Rev. Leo McIlrath
Published: Saturday, April 31, 2010
Danbury News Times
When I was a young man growing up in Danbury, I was told, both by family and parochial school teachers, that it wasn't right to go into churches other than of my own persuasion, i.e., the Roman Catholic Church. And believe it or not, I didn't; that is, except when I was attending an educational/social activity or was playing a basketball game on their respective courts. Most of my friends abided with this guideline.
Only once a year did large numbers of kids from the Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, AME Zion, Disciples, Lutheran, Congregational, Episcopal and other local congregations gather in front of St. Peter Catholic Church and file in as members of the Frank H. Lee Memorial Youth Club. This united body participated annually, into the late 1950s, in a Memorial Mass in honor of its founder.
Over the next several years, people began to attend religious services, together, in one another's churches. Vatican Council II, led by the inspiring figure, Pope John XXIII, opened up tightly closed windows and let in the Spirit of a new Pentecost.
Christians addressed each other in more civil terms and looked for opportunities to work, study, play and yes, finally, to pray together. Christians also began to reach outward beyond their Christ-centered borders, to their neighbors who espoused Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and a host of faith communities worshipping the one, true God.
All of these events, accompanied by a number of years working alongside my brother and sisters in ministry in North Carolina, fostered a spirit of ecumenism in each one of us. We began to preach at each others' churches and to serve the greater community, together. This period embraced the late '60s and early '70s. And "the Spirit was a-movin'!"
Fast forward to 2007-10. As ecumenical chaplain and director of Pastoral Care for the Lutheran Home of Southbury, I am blessed with a congregation of people, many of whom are afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease or one of the other dementias.
It is a faith-filled group of people who know how to celebrate Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, Mass, the Divine Liturgies and services of the Word. They signify a true spiritual community, People of God, the "Body of Christ, "as proclaimed by Saint Paul. And they often choose to do this together. Unity in diversity exemplified!
This congregation of 120 residents includes a number of diverse Christian communions including members of the Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Leaders of their respective communities are encouraged by the chaplain's office to minister to the needs of their people and to celebrate worship services and sacramental rites with them. Several rabbis, likewise, minister to the Jewish residents, especially on the High Holy Days of their calendar. A similar invitation is made to the religious and lay leaders representing each resident.
"Re-creation," to this chaplain, includes any number of personal and communal services, including counseling and spiritual direction, weekly bible studies, and reflections on spiritual themes such as giving and forgiving, love and compassion, hope and consolation, faith and fidelity and steadfast patience. These discussions help residents to focus on virtues that fashion their daily lives. Participants bring their own personal thoughts to these gatherings and they share them generously.
Residents, though they are well-founded and content with their personal faith journey, are open to learn about others who think and believe differently from themselves. Many are enamored by a special series entitled "The Religions of the World." This appears to broaden their own world view and outlook on life and they do this in a gentle and non-threatening way.
The Lutheran Home of Southbury is a faith community where people work, play, learn, pray and continue to grow together as family. In this chaplain's mind, it is a microcosm of what I hope all faith communities will one day be.
The Rev. Leo McIlrath is ecumenical chaplain to the Lutheran Home of Southbury. He can be reached at lionofjudah56@hotmail.com.
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Rev. Laura Westby
FORUM ON FAITH
Compassion, love, community, justice, equality are key words in God's vocabulary.
by Rev. Laura Westby
Published: Saturday, April 23, 2010
Danbury News Times
Compassion, love, community, justice, equality. Members of the United Church of Christ believe these are the most important words in God's vocabulary. Always have been, always will be. And we believe God continues to call those who would be faithful to the Divine to embody those words, to "speak" them through the way they live every day.
Compassion, love, community, justice, equality. These are the key words in the new :Language of God: social media ad campaign of the United Church of Christ. Released on April 16, the ad has been shared tens of thousands of times.
Compassion is a deep awareness of another's suffering, coupled with the desire to alleviate that pain. Compassion is more than a sympathetic feeling; it is an active solidarity that enters the experience of another.
Christians believe that Jesus was the incarnation of God's compassion. And we believe that those who follow Jesus must embody that compassion. This is why so many UCC congregations host homeless shelters, soup kitchens and clothing ministries.
God's compassion is rooted in God's unconditional love. No matter who we are, no matter where we are on life's journey, no matter how badly we have messed up - God welcomes us because God is head over heels in love with us.
Jesus commanded us to love God and one another the same way. Like compassion, this love involves our whole being - our bodies, minds and spirits. This is the love of Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa and Dorothy Day. It demands everything we have and provides everything we need.
God's love creates community. We believe at the heart of the Christian understanding of the Trinity is the belief that God expresses Godself as a community which creates, sets free and empowers. Jesus welcomed all kinds of people to join this divine relationship and to be part of his ministry; so UCC churches welcome all kinds of people to be part of their community.
We also believe that God can best be experienced when we are together. Our congregational ancestors believed this so strongly that they placed ultimate decision-making authority in the hands of a congregation gathered to discern God's leading.
jContrary to the skewed viewpoint of one political commentator, God's command to work for justice is at the heart of the scriptures. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible's harshest condemnation is reserved for those who use their resources to benefit themselves at the expense of others. Jesus taught his followers that they will be judged by their actions toward the vulnerable and the oppressed, the "least" of his brothers and sisters.
The history of the UCC demonstrates its deep commitment to justice. Its members have played an important part in advocating for affordable health care, racial justice, marriage equality, abolition of the death penalty and workers' rights.
The United Church of Christ is committed to working for justice because we believe that all people are of equal value in God's eyes. Differences in gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and ability do not lessen a person's value. These differences may make a difference to us, but they make no difference to God. They are merely characteristics that add richness to the amazing tapestry that is God's beloved human community.
All faithful Christians take the Bible seriously. I believe understanding what it says about who God is, who Jesus was and what that means for us as individuals and as a human community is of critical importance to all who follow Christ. Where we vary is in the extent to which we believe that God said everything there was to say in the words found there.
In the United Church of Christ, we believe that God is still speaking. The Bible remains the foundation of our faith. It is God's first and best word.
But we also believe that God spoke these words to a particular people and situation, so we take into consideration how these unique conditions shaped God's message. We try to discern the universal themes which underlie each word of God and hold these principles to be binding upon us.
The human condition is continually changing. We move closer to God in some ways and farther away in others.
So God continues to be in dialogue with us. God continues to offer compassion, love, justice, equality and community to all creation by addressing new situations - with new revelations.
If you'd like to view the UCC "Language of God," there is a link on First Church's website, www.firstchurchdanbury.org. We believe it is a helpful resource to learn to speak God's language.
Rev. Laura Westby is the pastor of First Congregational Church of Danbury. She can be contacted at 203-744-6177.
FORUM ON FAITH
Beyond basics of faith, the rest is just detail.
by Rev. Robert M. Ross
Published: Saturday, April 16, 2010
Danbury News Times
My father-in-law, Ted Gleason, was walking to his classroom at Virginia Theological Seminary. The Episcopal Church's triennial convention had just taken place and there was great rancor concerning an important issue of our time. As he rounded the corner he bumped into his friend and mentor, the Rev. Dr. Charles Price, esteemed theologian and a member of the faculty.
"Dr. Price," my father-in-law said, "the convention goers seemed particularly worked up this time. What do you suppose was going on?"
Dr. Price paused and asked Ted three questions about the content of the discord. These questions had to do with the basics of their faith, Christianity. Ted assured him that the arguments were not concerning the basics of the faith.
"Well then," exclaimed Dr. Price, "the rest is just detail."
There is great division along religious lines these days despite the fact that most religions have similar core beliefs. The Golden Rule, for example, is common to all the world's great religions. With rare exception, most all religions have a belief in an afterlife.
When Queen Elizabeth I came to power, she used her power as queen to put an end to religious strife between Protestants and Roman Catholics. In doing so, she said that the things that separate us were mere trifles.
Does all this mean that certain issues aren't important? Of course not. But I have noticed that many people of faith get horribly distracted when practicing their religion. They let the "small things" prevent them from helping with the "big things."
The earliest Christian churches were established primarily to assist widows and orphans, the neediest people in those times. I have seen many churches become so consumed by disagreements over smaller issues that they forget to help the needy.
There can be time set aside to debate these issues. This discourse must take place, but what I am arguing for is the recognition that those things that unite us are far more powerful than those things that divide us as people of faith. Once, while advocating for this position in a public forum, a person stood up and said to me, "typical Episcopal mushiness, always looking for the middle ground, never taking a stand."
In the Episcopal Church there are many people like me who prefer to practice our religion while walking down the via media, which is Latin for the Middle Way. We do so not to avoid conflict, but when you walk down the middle you get to see both sides more clearly. If you set yourself down in the far right or left of an issue, I believe you blind yourself to seeing both points of view.
I guess you could call me another mushy Episcopalian. However, I prefer to think of myself as a radical moderate. I strive to find commonalities. I seek the middle way, not because it is easier, but because it allows me to put myself in the shoes of others as we all walk our journey of faith.
As we read the newspaper every day, we see how religion impacts so many dimensions of our world. From Tibet to Indonesia to Turkey to Iraq and Iran, religion is often at the center of the disputes. If we take a step back to see those aspects of our faith that we have in common, we are better able to understand the world we live in. I believe moderation is not a political stance, rather it is an all-inclusive way of looking at things.
If we all became just a bit more "mushy" and a lot less strident, I believe the world would be a better place and religion would be seen as an avenue to peace rather than a road to disaster.
The Rev. Robert M. Ross is chaplain at Wooster School in Danbury.
Rev. Angelo Arrando
FORUM ON FAITH
Thou Shall Not Take the Name of God In Vain.
by Rev. Angelo Arrando
Published: Saturday, April 9, 2010
Danbury News Times
We Christians are still in our Easter season - a time when we celebrate the wonder of God's love lived out in the person of his son, Jesus. St. Paul reminds us Christians that Jesus is the invisible God made visible. But somewhere along the way, we derailed ourselves.
From early childhood we were cautioned "not to take the name of God in vain." Yet much of what "religious" Christians are saying about God these days amounts to slander. This is especially happening when we hear predictions about impending wrath and God's "hatred" of certain groups of people.
Believers who are tempted to accept the existence of this vengeful god have to stop, reflect and pray to reclaim once again our scriptural roots and traditions and embrace our faithful God, who is without deceit and without hatred of "certain groups of people."
Is God not our Father who created all of us? Has not God made us and established us?
At this time in our history we, as a church, have to seriously ask ourselves if we are sliding toward a vision of our God who is angry and powerful and demands to be appeased and pacified.
I believe this vision is merely a projection of the way sinful humans behave with one another. To say that God needs to be pacified suggests the image of a petulant and narcissistic child who gives us no peace until it gets its way.
Whenever Scripture is quoted in those terms, we know that it has reverted to a "religious version" of its story. The fact is, the religious version (as opposed to the "faith version") of Christianity is itself incredible, that is, not to be believed.
It simply will not do for us to paint a picture of God that violates the revelation that Jesus is the full embodiment of the graciousness of God. He is God's gift of himself to the world. Jesus is a gift with a capital "G," and therefore, gives a reason to hope to all humankind.
If the Incarnation means that we shall be graced by God only on the condition that we do this or that, then with the Herod of "Jesus Christ, Superstar," we would be justified in saying to him: "You're not the Lord, you're nothing but a fraud."
To be the Lord is both to be, and to announce to the world, that unconditional gift of God toward all men and women.
At this critical time in our faith journey, there is a need to reject the manufactured god of religion:
To know that god is not to know the YHWH Elohim of Scriptures, the Father of Jesus and the God who dwells within us. The "manufactured god of religion" is the very antithesis of the God of faith.
The Rev. Angelo S. Arrando is the pastor of St. Gregory the Great R.C. Church in Danbury.
Rev. Mark S. Delcuze
FORUM ON FAITH
Celtic knot, blank paper both depict interconnectedness of life.
by Rev. Mark S. Delcuze
Published: Saturday, April 2, 2010
Danbury News Times
At first glance, Celtic decorative artwork is just an intertwined mass of loops and knots. It usually appears filling the empty spaces of monuments and documents.
Looking more closely, one discovers that the circles and swirls invite a deeper investigation than their fanciful arc might imply. The triangles of the Trinity, the four arms of the cross, can be found inhabiting all kinds of spaces.
From the lace of Irish curtains to the calligraphy of Book of Kells one begins to see more than simple decoration. The indigenous people of the British Isles, the lands we now call Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, sought to depict their perception of interconnectedness of life through art.
For many Christians, time is equally intertwined. The observances of Holy Week and Easter help to define everything Christians do in the rest of the year.
Our weekly gathering on Sundays reminds us that it was on the first day of the week that the disciples experienced the Easter Resurrection. Sunday is holy for us, because that is the day we believe that God began the new creation of a world freed from the power of sin and death. Similarly, the Lord's Supper, the Mass or the Holy Communion creates an intertwining of holy time as we remember and partake of the meal that Jesus shared with his friends on the night before he died.
Even as I type these words, our Jewish sisters and brothers are clearing their pantries and preparing for Passover Seder. This holy time stands out beyond all times as Jews remember the bitterness of slavery and hope for the restoration of God's shalom, peace. Christians owe a debt of honor to our elders in the monotheistic faith of Abraham. The life of Jesus would make precious little sense if it were removed from his essential identity as a Palestinian Jew.
Some may ask, "Why do you keep doing the same liturgies every week, every year?" "Why do we need a Sabbath, a Holy Week, a Seder or an Easter?"
I believe the systematic enactment of rituals helps us return to awareness just how interconnected all of life is. The choices we make in a day, a week, a year shape more than just what is before us. How we go about our daily lives affects course of the whole world.
I believe that our connectedness goes even deeper than the religious labels of distinction we attach to ourselves.
Earlier this month, in preparation for a talk I gave at Temple Shearith Israel, I re-read a meditation by the Vietnamese Buddhism monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He is a great advocate for the importance of acknowledging the connectedness of everything. His book, "Peace is Every Step," was transformational for my prayer life a decade ago, particularly as he focuses on Walking Meditation. Perhaps this teaching can be useful to all people of faith.
Teaching on connectedness, Thich Nhat Hanh asks us to think of a blank sheet of paper: "If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet 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."
He goes on to suggest that sunshine is in the sheet of paper and the logger who cut the tree and his parents. So, too, the wheat for bread and the paper mill exist within that single empty sheet.
Looking even more deeply, we ourselves are in the paper because without our perception, the paper would not be for us. The teaching of the book concludes with the insight that all things, all thoughts, and all actions are deeply inter-connected.
Both the Celtic artists of old and a modern Buddhist monk from Vietnam recognize how intertwined all things are.
Holy things, holy days, holy observances are linked essentially with things and days and observances which we might otherwise view as secular or profane.
The next time you look at the beautiful patterns of a piece of ancient calligraphy or simply take a sheet of paper from the drawer, take the time to remember in that moment that all things are intertwined: even you, the beholder.
The Rev. Mark S. Delcuze is rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Ridgefield.
Rev. Cindy Maddox
FORUM ON FAITH
Do you see who Jesus truly is or who you expect Him to be?
by Rev. Cindy Maddox
Published: Saturday, March 26, 2010
Danbury News Times
This weekend is Palm Sunday in most Christian churches. We celebrate what is called "the triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, when Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time before his death. The story says people lined the road, waving palm branches in adoration and placing their cloaks on the ground to soften his step.
But many of the people did not see Jesus - at least not who Jesus truly was. They saw what they expected to see. Some saw a freedom fighter, who would lead them in revolt against the Roman occupation. Others saw a troublemaker, who was threatening the stability of the kingdom. Some saw a king and others saw a fool. But they didn't see Jesus.
To be honest, I don't know if I would have either.
I like to think I would have recognized his true intentions, but I'm no cleverer, no more insightful, no closer to God than my counterparts in the religious community of Jesus' day. I probably would have seen what I wanted to see. Or maybe what I expected to see.
That's what we do, with God and with humans.
Two of my fellow students in seminary had cerebral palsy. One of them - I'll call her Mary - had what I presume is a pretty severe case. She couldn't walk, her hands were twisted and her speech was slurred. She had a large wheelchair with a head rest, and she was always accompanied by her therapy dog.
Lauren's condition was different. She always used her wheelchair to get around campus, but she was capable of limited walking with a wheeled walker. Her speech was clear. She had no dog.
On the first day of our second year of graduate school, I walked beside Lauren as we crossed the campus for a class. When we entered the room, the professor greeted us and said to Lauren, "So where's your dog?" Lauren, of course, was not the one with the dog.
Mary was a blond and Lauren was a brunette. Mary was tall and Lauren was small. The two of them looked nothing alike. But the professor wasn't looking at the woman. He was only looking at the chair.
It was a common mistake. As Lauren's friend, I saw others do the same thing. Although Lauren was working on her theology degree and her law degree simultaneously, people often related to her as if she were stupid. All they saw was disability.
Years ago, I had a conversation with a woman named Karla about a condescending boss she had when she was first out of college. The first time Karla was required to travel on business, her boss pulled her aside to explain how airports work.
Why would her boss think she needed such instruction?
"Because I'm black,: she said. "Because I'm African-American, my boss assumed that I grew up poor and therefore had never traveled."
Her boss didn't see a well-educated young professional woman. All she saw was the color of her skin.
We do it too often. We make snap judgments about people simply because of how they look. But the problem is not only that we make assumptions based on gender, race, ability or sexual orientation. The other part of the problem is that we only see what we expect to see, leaving ourselves blind to what truly is.
I believe many of us are guilty of the same offense when we look at God. We see what we expect to see. We know that we were created in the image of God, and we promptly return the favor - creating God in our image. If we are harsh, judgmental, unforgiving people, then we worship a harsh, judgmental and unforgiving God.
Writer Anne Lamott says, "You can safely assume that you've created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates the same people you do."
God does not hate. God does not hate Muslims or Jews or Christians. God does not hate Republicans or Democrats. God does not hate Americans or Palestinians or immigrants. God does not hate health care reform opponents or proponents. God does not hate our president. God does not hate our previous president.
This weekend in Christian churches around the world, we will sing "Hosanna." It's not just a word of praise. It is a plea for mercy.
The Rev. Cindy Maddox is pastor of King Street United Church of Christ in Danbury. She can be reached at 203-748-0719 or by e-mail at pastor@kingstchurch.org.
Pastor Mary Gardner
FORUM ON FAITH
Our souls need to be anchored in the Lord.
by Pastor Mary Gardner
Published: Saturday, March 19, 2010
Danbury News Times
The lyrics of a song say, "My soul is anchored in the Lord." We are living in just such a time that if we are going to be sound, our soul needs to be anchored.
Our soul, the seat of our emotions, what we think, feel, and want in these turbulent times, has to have an anchor, a stabilizing place. I believe that place has to be in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are looking for peace, and a medium of joy, security, a safe place, and I believe we must know that the safest place in all the world is in the will of God.
To me: Jesus is our anchor and the head of the body of Christ, the church. It's key to our very existence to remember who he is in these times. The purpose of Paul writing to the church at Colosse was to remind them that Jesus is the head of the Church, the body of believers. He is not a creed or a doctrine, but the second person of the Godhead.
I believe Jesus himself spoke of the times in which we are now living. In Matthew 24, he said "and wars will break out in many places, but don't panic. The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But this is only the beginning of the horrors to come. Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold, but those who endure to the end will be saved."
It has been greatly tragic for the world, the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and Turkey. Many souls lost and families and cities destroyed, but we must endure.
How will we endure? For me, the answer is by anchoring my soul in the peace that Jesus bought for us. He said peace, I leave with you, not as the world gives it, but a peace that surpasses all understanding.
He left with us a peace that goes beyond the comprehension of the mind, a peace that in the midst of recession, I'm still confident that God will provide. Yes, a peace that says that though enemies may rise up against me in God will I be confident. Why, because my soul is anchored in the Lord.
When there is a plethora of decisions to be made in any given day, I can be confident that it is God who started this, and he will bring it to an expected glorious end.
Every hour is an opportunity for me to anchor my soul in the word of God, pray and seek his face. Every hour is an opportunity to be vigilant and watchful, anxious for nothing, and through supplications, make requests known unto God.
Pastor Mary Gardner, of Victory Christian Church in Danbury, can be reached at 203-778-4444.
Rabbi Nelly Altenburger
FORUM ON FAITH
A link exists between International Women's Day and Passover.
by Rabbi Nelly Altenburger
Published: Saturday, March 12, 2010
Danbury News Times
The International Women's Day has just passed (it was this Monday, March 8) - and Passover, which is probably the second most well-known Jewish holiday, is about to arrive (on March 29). No one, if asked, would imagine that there is a link between the two celebrations - but there is.
Jewish tradition has many stories that complement the stories found in the book of Exodus, where we are encounter the Jewish people being put into slavery by Pharaoh. As the second chapter opens, we read that "a man of Levi went and took a woman of Levi" and the narrative plunges into the birth of Moses. The couple, however, already had two children, Aaron and Miriam, of which we are informed later.
The rabbis use this apparent contraction of events to create one of the most interesting stories about Miriam. Amram, the father of Moses, Miriam and Aaron, was the leader of his generation. When he saw that Pharaoh had decreed that all the boys be cast into the Nile, he proclaimed: "We give birth to sons who will be killed!" And so, he divorced his wife. All Jewish men saw this, and so they also divorced their wives.
Miriam, who was 5 or 6 years old at the time, said, "Daddy, daddy, your decree is harsher than that of Pharaoh: Pharaoh only decreed against the males, but you have decreed against both the males and the females! Pharaoh decreed only against this world, but you decreed against both this world and the next (an unborn child would not reach the World to Come)! It is doubtful whether the decree of the wicked Pharaoh will be fulfilled, but you are a righteous person, and your decree will undoubtedly be fulfilled!"
Amram then heard his daughter, and remarried his wife in a public celebration with all pomp and circumstance, putting her on a pedestal and had Aaron and Miriam dance before her. The story finishes by telling us that all Jewish men saw this, and they, too, remarried their wives. The rest is history. The Jewish history.
But it could almost not have been. Amram was a victim of despair. Of looking at a situation and giving up - and because he did so, all Jewish men did so too. Miriam, whose name might come from the Hebrew meri, rebellion, rebelled against this state of affairs. She is the one, according to this rabbinic story, who impelled her father to seize hope and not let it go -- for the benefit and salvation of the Jewish people.
In times like these, when the economy is on the news and many are despairing; when our world seems to be melting in front of our eyes, it is easy to give in to despair. To forget that each of us has a part to play, both in the environment and in the economy. It is good to remember that in one of the darkest moments of Jewish history hope was almost gone - and then re-encountered.
And of course there is the fact that it was by the hand of a girl, who would become one of the leaders of the Jewish people later, that hope came back. Women have an important part in the rabbinic retelling of the Passover story: in many other pieces the rabbis bring the connection between women and hope. And just like in the Jewish tradition, women have had an important part in the history of the world, which is being recognized more and more - in global celebrations like the International Women's Day.
Having hope, however, does not mean sitting idly and just hoping for things to get better. Hope must infuse our action - acting is essential. In the story, Miriam spoke up - going against her father, pointing out that his actions needed to change. Her father did act - in the most public way possible, giving hope to all of the Jewish slave families in Egypt.
Miriam just found what she could do - she found which words could persuade her father, and she spoke them. Likewise, it is upon each and every one of us to find what we can actually do to better the many difficult scenarios in front of us. Whatever we do does not have to be huge - it has to be doable, and done.
May we all be inspired by the image of Miriam, and find that hope does spring eternal - when coupled with action.
Nelly Altenburger is the rabbi of Congregation B'nai Israel in Danbury.
Rev. Ophir DeBarros
FORUM ON FAITH
Those of faith can now easily publish peace.
by Rev. Ophir DeBarros
Published: Saturday, March 5, 2010
Danbury News Times
Men and women are God's method. This article attests to a woman of faith who has deeply impacted the vision and the practices of an entire group of her disciples. She brought hope and meaning to so many people who looked for teachings, counseling and love.
Born in Brazil during the hard World War II times, Joana d'Arc was raised in a steelworkers' town - the big plant built on the intent to help Allied forces in the war. Since childhood, she demonstrated her artistic and spiritual interests and gifts, helping strangers in the streets. In her early teens, she served a man who stopped in front of her home a delicious breakfast, because he looked so hungry, just to discover later that he had evaded prison and was wanted by the police!
She was very young, 8 years old, as she later recalled, when she experienced God in a deep manner inside a church in her hometown. Her name was given by Catholic parents honoring the famous French woman who become a saint, and like Saint Jeanne d'Arc is known by the revelations she allegedly had from heaven. Joana always told of her dialogues with God, her dreams, her visions. Not that I believe her naming after a saint had any mystic influence on her experiences, but like the martyr, Joana developed a very peculiar intense faith.
In 1998 she moved to Danbury, to be a spiritual leader in the flourishing Brazilian c ommunity together with me, her husband. Baptist traditions don't give a formal title to a pastor's wife, but she soon was called "pastora," because she tirelessly devoted herself to the task of helping people as God would help them. Through visiting, counseling, admonishing and teaching, Joana d'Arc gathered a flock, people in need of strength and faith.
A room downstairs in our home became a place of rest, where she eagerly mentored so many disciples. If a needy woman got pregnant in the community, Joana would house her in the blessed room and provide every need, sometimes until the baby was delivered and the woman was able to support herself.
I began noticing people would come from distant communities as the word spread about her care. Couples would come, stay one or two days, and leave with a grateful heart for blessings received.
Although she had a background as a licensed psychologist in Brazil, her skills and charisma were more spiritual than scientific. She openly made a disclaimer to all people about her method - a spiritual way rather than a technical or professional approach. But in my opinion it was her faith - a robust and firm belief in God's providence and in God's power to overcome evil, that was the magnet to attract people in need.
Sometimes people were amazed how Joana d'Arc quickly would come to the truth in their lives, as a revelation from God.
Another of Joana's amazing influences was her concept of faith in God's provision. In many situations where most people would give up because apparently there was no solution, Joana would tell people to trust in the Lord and uttered a word of hope. It could be a divorce, an ordeal in life, a family conflict. And people were astounded because she made things happen - or better, God did.
She was always trying to begin a new dream, a day care for the Church, a training program for mothers, and a lot more. One day she came with the idea of a Well Shape Conviviality. I asked her what she meant. She explained it was kind of a gym in the Church, but made better with faith, Nowadays we still have the program - since her passing away in 2008 the program was renamed after her. It is based in the belief that losing weight is a matter of the mind and can be attained by a spiritual transformation, when one loves him or herself as a child and image of God.
The life and ministry of All Nations Baptist Church has definitely been shaped after the vision and experiences of this woman of faith.
Now when we talk about inner healing or "cura," everyone remembers the basic foundational concepts Joana d'Arc left in their hearts. They discuss the action Joana would enact in a certain situation.
Her life benefited many, her teachings last in the hearts and minds of friends, family and fellow believers. She was in fact, as we remember her, God's method to her community. And the method lives on.
The Rev. Ophir DeBarros is the pastor of All Nations Baptist Church, 234 Main Street in Danbury. He can be reached at ophir@snet.net.
FORUM ON FAITH
Those of faith can now easily publish peace.
by Bishop Joseph Summerhays
Published: Saturday, February 26, 2010
Danbury News Times
I believe we live in an age when mass media is less defined by the media consumed by the masses, but rather by the media the masses are producing, writing, distributing and sharing. I'd rename it "Masses Media," if you will.
Taken together, I believe all the current texting, photo-sharing, video-uploading, Skyping, pinging, Tweeting, Facebooking, IMing, etc., dwarf the total output of the entire history of TV, print, and Hollywood every month.
On YouTube alone in the past two months, more video has been uploaded than ABC, CBS and NBC have broadcast in the previous 60 years.
What an opportunity for those of faith. In addition to a congregation meeting to hear a sermon on Sunday, they also can tweet each other about it on Twitter, discuss it on Facebook, post on their blogs or upload a video of the sermon, if the preacher so wishes.
Isaiah said, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!"
This raises a question: How to publish peace?
The tools exist for every man, woman and child in the U.S. and most of the developed world to publish peace. Are you God-casting? Do you, of your own accord, expound your love of God, fellow beings and all that is good via the amazing publishing tools at your disposal?
A few years back, one of our Mormon Apostles, Elder Russell Ballard, encouraged college students to start blogs about their faith. For those with ears to hear, this was a major shift in the "publishing peace" efforts of the church.
The LDS church has long been an active user of mass media. Our television ads about family life have won national and international awards. The Tabernacle Choir has been continuously broadcasting since the 1940s. But it was all coming from a central publishing arm of the official church.
For an apostle of our church to stand and encourage the spread of the good word through blogs marked the first time in my life where the institution of the church looked to its members to start publishing, too.
This is a breathtaking act of faith from leadership on behalf of its members, especially in a church that historically has so carefully crafted its message in mass media.
And publish we have. The insider's slang for the LDS blogging world is The Bloggernacle, playing off the Tabernacle Choir reference. And, like the Tabernacle in which the choir sings, it is a big tent under which a wonderful bazaar of opinion and stream-of-consciousness publishing play out.
A brief glance at a list of current blogs produces Feminist Mormon Housewives, And Now She's a Mormon, Answering the Critics, Faith Promoting Rumors, Mormon Matters, StayLDS, Bishop Blogging, Diapers and Divinity, and Rational Mormonism.
We decided locally to have our kids produce animations about Old Testament stories last year. If you go to www.oldtestamentmovies.wordpress.com, you'll find familiar Bible stories animated, voiced and edited by kids and posted for all the world to see.
The site has received more than 10,000 visitors from at least 23 countries. The kids will never forget that experience.
Disappointingly, not all publishing is peaceful. Many former Mormons, anti-Mormons, and lapsed Mormons also publish their diatribes. But this is standard for any forum online, whether it is political, theological or financial. All sides are in the bazaar, publishing their pitch. It's a noisy place.
So what are you publishing? Are you podcasting? Blogging? Tweeting? No? If not, perhaps it is because you were never trained or encouraged to publish glad tidings via new media.
You can start a blog in just two minutes if you have e-mail. Go to www.wordpress.com or www.typepad.com. Get the word out to publish peace.
Not comfortable expressing yourself on religious issues? Then you can make your posts personal. You can share what God is doing in your life on a real-time basis.
Not comfortable with that? Then you can share your favorite quotes from others on Twitter with followers who share your zest for knowledge.
We live in an amazing age. You can leave a footprint of your own by posting peace, glad tidings and good will. You can distribute the divine to those who you feel need to hear it. There are people searching to hear it. Literally.
Perhaps when someone Googles a question about the meaning of life, they will find your words, your faith, your beautiful feet!
Bishop Joseph Summerhays, of the Danbury Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints in Newtown, can be reached at 203-270-7684.
Rev. Karen Judd
FORUM ON FAITH
What does it mean to be self-loving?
by Rev. Karen S. Judd
Published: Saturday, February 19, 2010
Danbury News Times
When asked to write an article for the month of February, I knew I wanted to write on the topic of love.
A theme I have been encountering in my community ministry is how we confuse being self-loving with being selfish. A song comes to mind that originated from the gospel tradition, that alludes to the importance of loving oneself - "This Little Light of Mine." Perhaps you recall hearing those simple, sweet lyrics that remind us to shine our light so others can see.
The light within us, the God essence, called the soul, is a precious, sacred light that needs to be taken care of and nurtured. We do this by being self-loving. What does it mean to be self-loving? How is self-loving different from being selfish? How are we to be self-loving when navigating through situations in our life that are not so black and white, but shades of gray?
Being self-loving is to accept, appreciate and to love ourselves unconditionally. It's embracing ourselves with all our imperfections and positive attributes. Playing this internal mantra, when necessary, "I am perfect in my imperfections and I am a creation of the Divine," can be the first step in helping us to heal our negative and judgemental thoughts about ourselves.
During the course of our lives, we internalize a great deal from our environment through our families of origin, our teachers, the children and adults in our civic and faith communities, through the media and the arts. Through our internal filters, we process information and we form our thoughts. These thoughts we create and take on from others can be fear-based.
These fear-based thoughts cause our inner light, our God essence and self-love, to diminish.
Fear-based thoughts are those that keep us a prisoner of our own life. They keep us playing small or not at all. Thoughts such as: I'm not good enough yet; it is dangerous to be noticed by others; I have nothing of value to share - no gifts, skills, talents or personality. Thoughts that begin with "should" or "have to." Thoughts that: give away our power, judge ourselves and others, have us seeking the approval of others, that support our addictions, that ignore our intuition, and that deflect genuine compliments.
A fear-based thought is to judge ourselves as being selfish when we are in the role of caregiver, for we are accusing ourselves of disregarding the needs and interests of others, of keeping things for ourself and not sharing.
Navigating your way each day, in the role of a caregiver, is demanding; it's a balancing act, with gray moments. Moments when you are in need of self-care and you are needed by another for their care. To be self-loving is to be open to learning creative ways to respect and honor your needs and the needs of others, those you are caring for.
Concretely, being self-loving is putting that oxygen mask on yourself first so you can then be available and able place the mask upon your child or someone else in need. It's caring for yourself so you have the energy and the sincere willingness to share yourself with others from a place of love, instead of fear. Selfish is putting on your own mask and not caring what happens to anyone else on the plane.
If you have desire to learn more about how to be self-loving, how to refuel that inner light of yours and to make choices in your life that empower you to let your light shine - sharing your God essence, I recommend the following two books. The first book is by Louise Hay, "You Can Heal Your Life," and the second book is by Debbie Ford, "The Right Questions: Ten Essential Questions to Guide You to an Extraordinary Life."
I will conclude with some of the lyrics to "This Little Light of Mine," those that encourage us to be self-loving by shining our light.
"This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine ... I'm going to shine my light both far and near ... I'm going to shine my light both bright and clear ... Some say, 'Turn around and just go hide,' But we know we have the power to change the tide ... the real power is yours and mine, So let your little light shine."
The Reverend Karen S. Judd, LCSW, is an interfaith minister in Bethel. She can be reached by e-mail at karen.judd@sbcglobal.net.
FORUM ON FAITH
Universalist outlook shapes our vision.
by Rev. Suzanne R. Spencer
Published: Saturday, February 12, 2010
Danbury News Times
In the 1950s, when people often assumed everyone went to a church or synagogue, my militantly unchurched father-in-law was admitted to a Manhattan hospital.
Tired of the raised eyebrows and cold stares that accompanied an assertion of "no religious preference," he decided, when asked about his affiliation, to make something up. He told the admissions clerk he was a "universalist," and this was duly noted on his hospital record.
Imagine his surprise a few days later when a minister walked into his room for a visit, introducing himself as a Universalist. My father-in-law quickly dismissed the man, saying he wasn't interested in religion, and the minister graciously withdrew.
My father-in-law was hardly alone in not knowing about the homegrown American tradition of Universalism. Brought to North America in the 1700s by an English preacher, John Murray, the Universalist Church of America quickly took root and flourished, especially in New England and New York State.
By the mid-20th century, however, it had dwindled to a small, financially struggling, denomination. In 1961, it disappeared as a separate body, merging with the larger American Unitarian Association to become part of what we now know as Unitarian Universalism.
Nevertheless, Universalism continues to stand for a powerful idea. Its central doctrine, universal salvation, holds that God's love embraces everyone, without exception. In the end, all people - not just an "elect" few - will be saved.
Universalist doctrine was based not on a belief in human perfectibility (that was more the province of Unitarians), but on faith in God's infinite love. The early Universalists found it inconceivable that a loving God would condemn anyone to eternal punishment.
Thomas King, the first minister of the Universalist Society of Danbury, put it this way:
"The basis of Universalism is the nature of the blessed God. It recognizes the impartial and unchangeable love of our heavenly Father, and its grand moral design is to assimilate humans to the likeness of their maker."
That early Universalist society was founded in Danbury in 1822, when 12 individuals gathered for worship and signed a charter. The first services took place in the schoolhouse on Great Plain, and later in the Danbury courthouse.
In those days being a Universalist was not without risk. Some members of other churches deemed Universalist belief "a censurable heresy." Those who embraced it faced discrimination and excommunication. Universalist preachers, including John Murray, were sometimes pelted with eggs and rocks.
It's no wonder, then, that at least one founding member in Danbury attended the first meetings fearful for his safety, "going across the swamp to the court-house in order not to be seen."
But the good news proclaimed there impressed and heartened him. Soon, he was :no more ashamed - but proud - to be seen going to the Universalist meetings."
Over time, Universalism became less of a threat and even part of the establishment. The Danbury Universalists moved to 347 Main St. in 1893, and worshipped there until 1967.
Nationally, faith in God's universal love fueled a passion for universal justice. Universalists became involved in movements for women's equality and prison reform, and for the abolition of slavery and capital punishment.
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury is the direct descendant of those early Universalists. Some of its members continue to profess, as John Murray did, "the kindness and everlasting love of God.: Others are more comfortable with humanistic language. Either way, a Universalist outlook continues to shape the Danbury congregation's vision.
The congregation welcomes everyone, regardless of religious belief, as long as they "respect the inherent worth and dignity of each person." This respect for human dignity leads its members to feed the hungry, to support community organizations, and to work for immigrants' rights, marriage equality, and a sustainable Earth.
This Sunday's services in Danbury are dedicated to "Re-imagining Valentine's Day," in conjunction with "National Standing on the Side of Love Day," an initiative of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Together, we'll consider the power of love in the public square - how it offers hospitality to those who have been excluded, helps us triumph over fear and dehumanization, and ultimately transforms communities. I like to think that our Universalist ancestors would approve.
This Valentine's Day, whatever your religious faith, I invite you to consider how you, in your own unique way, might extend your love beyond your immediate circle of friends and family. What will you do to "stand on the side of love?"
The Rev. Suzanne R. Spencer is the interim minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Danbury, 24 Clapboard Ridge Road, Danbury, CT 06811.
FORUM ON FAITH
Rev. Dr. Sheldon Smith
Faith communities are called to be stewards of the Earth.
by Rev. Sheldon T. Smith.
Published: Saturday, February 5, 2010
Danbury News Times
Recently, a parishioner inquired of me, "Do we recycle used bulletins?" With a twinge of guilt, I had to admit we do not. I tried to save face by saying, "but I think we should."
That encounter caused me to consider what role faith communities need to play in the stewardship of the Earth. Even though the land is still in the grip of winter and Earth Day on April 22 may seem far off, now may actually be a good time to consider what it means to go green.
The recent Copenhagen Climate Conference sought to address some of the major issues associated with global warming. Hopefully, this will set a positive tone for the future of our planet. Sometimes when problems loom large, we tend to do nothing from fear and inertia. Small steps may be the answer.
I believe people of the Judeo-Christian faith have a scriptural mandate. We are called to care for the Earth and avoid polluting or defiling the land in Numbers 35: 33-34.
We are called to acts of healing, which are nothing less than a genuine faith response. The Psalmist reminds us that "The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." (Psalm 24:1).
Theologian Walter Brueggemann, in his book, "The Land," said, "The land has its own life and its own meaning." There is a call to repent and a reminder that the Earth is for all to enjoy. Careless disobedience constitutes abuse.
What sorts of things might comprise a practical response for faith communities, not only on a global level, but, just as importantly, in their individual houses of worship? I decided to consult the Internet to see what others are doing.
I discovered that the Environmental Protection Agency has an 88-page Energy Star Guide for Congregations. Jerry Lawson of the EPA said, "While ministries are not concerned about profit, they are concerned about saving money." Of course, saving money translates into greater mission and outreach.
The guide suggests that beyond money, there are practical aspects, which include increased comfort and better lighting for education, fellowship and worship.
From an architectural standpoint, new houses of worship are being designed and constructed with sustainability in mind. This is a wonderful concept. However, our church building was constructed in 1865.
So what can be done to help existing buildings become more environmentally friendly? One church in Milwaukee is installing solar panels, with an estimated electrical saving of over $1,000 a year and 10 to 20 percent less electrical usage.
Fellowship activities such as coffee hours are important to the life of faith communities. Suggestions for making these gatherings more ecologically responsible include bringing your own coffee mug from home rather than providing plastic ones every week and replacing plastic plates with paper.
To keep members informed and communicate effectively, most church offices utilize a great deal of paper. Church Web sites can be used to make announcements, cutting the need for printed material. Monthly newsletters can be e-mailed rather than sent by ground mail.
Additional energy-saving suggestions include replacing old light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs and replacing an out-of-date furnace with a more energy-efficient model. One move I am proud to say we have made is to install programmable thermostats. This provides considerable savings when rooms are not occupied.
A pastoral letter on faith and environment, titled "And Indeed it is Very Good," issued a call for a "robust advocacy" and asserted "one thing is certain: for the love of the Earth and one another, we may not remain indifferent."
While each faith community will respond to the challenge to "go green" according to its own needs, we do share similar concerns. I look forward to receiving more ideas about what can be done to be faithful stewards of this beautiful planet.
Maybe the first thing I'll do is get a recycling bin for those used bulletins.
The Rev. Sheldon T. Smith is senior minister at First Congregational Church United Church of Christ in Bethel.
Rev. Joseph Krasinski
FORUM ON FAITH
Instant access to news calls us to action more quickly now.
by Rev. Joseph Krasinski.
Published: Saturday, January 29, 2010
Danbury News Times
Living in the electronic age of the 21st century does have its bane and blessings.
We now have instant access to almost anything in the world - from live shots of the current traffic conditions on the L.A. freeway (would they not change by the time I got there?) - to the current traffic conditions on Route 84 through Waterbury.
But we also have instant access to information that calls us to action much more quickly than it used to. If you happened to have your news link up on your computer, you knew about the earthquake in Haiti while it was happening. For those with family, friends and loved ones there, it struck fear into our hearts.
Short news clips that we used to have to wait until the evening news to see are now live. We see the current conditions of the devastation, the maiming, the loss of human life, the destruction of buildings, knowing there are people still buried beneath the rubble we're looking at.
For 25 years now, one of the special places in Haiti in my ministry has been the St. Vincent's School for Crippled Children, located in Port-au-Prince. While it was not meant to be an orphanage, in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere children who are not physically healthy are seen as a burden on society and are just dropped off at the door.
The horror of this poverty is that the children themselves believe they are a burden on society. St. Vincent's is able to not only give the children new limbs, but teach people how to make these limbs so they have a livelihood.
The school has a vision center to provide glasses to the children and staff who would otherwise have a double-challenge of sight and body. And it provides a sense that in God's eyes these blessed children have great worth.
So far, I have only seen a very brief glimpse of the school after the earthquake. It was totally destroyed. Six children and staff died in the earthquake. The director of the school is trying to relocate the children outside the city for safety.
The Episcopal Bishop of Haiti, the Rev. Jean Zache Duracin, is one of my new heroes. One of the true joys of Anglicanism is that we Anglicans (Episcopalians) have traditionally lived in a tension that says "we are not all the same - we do not all agree about everything theological - but we are still brothers and sisters in Christ."
Bishop Duracin and I would not necessarily agree on every aspect of the practice of the faith. But to watch him, on one of the many clips concerning Haiti, talk about faith in the midst of such devastation is inspiring. While a tent city builds up around the ruins of the Cathedral, Bishop Duracin has said, "Keep the faith, knowing that God is with us in good days and bad days. We must keep the faith."
We in the United States, no matter how bad our conditions might be, will never know the horror of living in Port-au-Prince at this time. We know that within the next few days and weeks, it will get much worse as food and water supplies dwindle and disease starts to spread. In the future, there is the possibility that Haiti can rebuild. But if they are not able to receive basic necessities like food, water, and medicine today, there will be no Haitians left to rebuild. We have always been a generous nation - let us continue to be so now.
As brothers and sisters in faith, we mourn the death of Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Serge Miot who was killed during the earthquake. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.
The Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Krasinski is the rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in Danbury.
Rev. Leo McIlrath
FORUM ON FAITH
Its time for us to move out of Toyland.
by Rev. Leo McIlrath.
Published: Saturday, January 22, 2010
Danbury News Times
Remember the nostalgic song of our youth? It was perhaps one of the first songs we heard as kids. "Toyland, toyland, dear little girl and boy land; While you are within it, you are ever happy there.
"Once you've crossed its borders, you can never return again."
Bittersweet, isn't it? It has the warmth of our early days -- still being at home with parents, siblings, playing on the living room floor with our simple toys -- eagerly waiting for other family members to come home from work, school or other activities -- and sometimes having the luxury of commingling with other little boys and girls in the neighborhood,
There was local and world news on the radio; we were not yet dreaming that a picture would one day be added to the fireside chats. We were longtime inhabitants of this toyland and deeply immersed in its safety and security.
The years that followed were full of significant world events, school and homework, sandlot athletics, Saturday morning cartoons at the Empress, Palace and Capitol theaters, dances at the Elks Hall, and church or temple services where we would be welcomed and nourished.
Seems so long ago, doesn't it? In a simple phrase, we grew up! Or did we?
Consider the abuses of power manifested by the leaders of other nations, and of corporations, faith communities and politicians throughout our own country and state.
They cling to their toys, both religious and secular, and they utilize said toys just like little girls and boys -- to power their way, in a childish manner, over the weak, the poor, and the innocent children they were called to serve.
Contemplate, also, people who think their freedom and independence is founded on their absolute refusal to live interdependently with their neighbors, people who choose money, castle-like residences, lavish vehicles, private jets and yachts as their toys of choice.
There's nothing wrong with these possessions as long as they were not acquired through someone else's savings (enter the Bernie Madoffs of society.)
And what about the childish games played by people who lack a spirit of courtesy and decency and manifest their immature attitudes by verbally abusing opponents at athletic events. They shout obscenities with no concern for younger (or older) fans who are present.
Such displays of ignorance remind me of what an ancient Roman, Tertullian, wrote about people attending the vicious gladiator games in the Colosseum -- "Sounding like dogs that are mindlessly barking in the night." He identified them as "supervacue et idiotae," which is easy to translate.
Yet these misguided fans have been hailed as dedicated and loyal followers of the home team. And how often we witness their juvenile behavior following victory in a major sporting event, when they take to the streets and destroy property in the name of celebration. Are these the childish games they want to keep playing?
Under the bogus claim of freedom and rights, some dare to get behind the wheel of a car impeded by drink or drugs and/or use their cell phones, endangering other drivers or pedestrians.
These are among my examples of people attempting to return or remain in toyland. I believe psychologists would simply say "they are stuck in childhood" and not ready to move on to the next level of maturity.
Toyland! Joyland! Make 2010 a time full of wonder for girls and boys of all ages. Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans, written nearly 20 centuries ago, had this to say, and I would suggest it still makes lots of sense:
"When I was a child, I spoke like a child; I acted like a child. But when I became a grown man, I put away the things of a child." In other words, he recognized when it was time for him to stop being childish and begin to take on the "childlike" attitude of a true disciple of the Christ, whose birthday Christians recently celebrated.
The Rev. Leo McIlrath, ecumenical chaplain of the Lutheran Home of Southbury, can
be reached at lionofjudah56@hotmail.com.
Charles Hambrick-Stowe
FORUM ON FAITH
Epiphany is an opportunity to put Christian faith in context of the wider world of religious experience.
by Charles Hambrick-Stowe.
Published: Saturday, January 8, 2010
Danbury News Times
Most everybody may know the song about the Twelve Days of Christmas, with its lords a-leaping, maids a-milking, golden rings, and a partridge in a pear tree. Many people probably assume that it has to do with the last twelve shopping days before Christmas. In fact, the 12 days start after Christmas Day and culminate on Jan. 6, which is Epiphany, also called Three Kings Day.
Epiphany literally means "showing" or "revealing." The Gospel of Matthew contains the narrative of how "in the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem." They had seen a unique star-an unexpected astral phenomenon-which they took to be a sign of the birth of a new "King of the Jews." They paid him homage by bringing gifts.
In some European and Latin American cultures, the festivities of "El Dia de los Reyes Magos" carry as much excitement as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Children receive presents left by the Magi, who visit each home on their camels and families enjoy a feast with symbolic foods and traditional treats.
In my church, we do not conduct a special service on Jan. 6, but we designate the next Sunday as Epiphany Sunday. During worship, we sing "We Three Kings" and the sermon is generally on some aspect of the Magi's visit.
The themes are not all sweetness and light, however. King Herod's deceit, the horror of his slaughter of children, and the Holy Family's flight to Egypt as refugees all convey relevant messages for today's world.
Not every Christian group pays attention to Epiphany. While it would be hard to find anyone these days that does not celebrate Christmas and Easter, less liturgical churches have tended to disregard days like Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Ascension, or Pentecost.
But because interest in ritual seems to be on the rise - even among non-liturgical churches and because of the importance of Three Kings Day in Hispanic cultures - perhaps Epiphany will come into its own across the spectrum of Christianity in the United States.
As American society becomes increasingly pluralistic, Epiphany could serve as a significant time for Christians to acknowledge the universality of God's activity in the world. The Wise Men were neither Jewish nor Christian, nor is there any suggestion that after visiting the Christ Child they converted to Judaism or even held to a monotheistic faith.
We do not know how their experience in Jerusalem and Bethlehem influenced the rest of their lives. The narrative simply states that "having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road."
The Magi were from "the east" - probably modern-day Iran or Iraq. They were scholars with broad interests and expertise, including both the movement of the stars and movements in world political events. They may have been adherents of Zoroastrianism, an ancient dualistic religion originating in Persia and still in existence today.
In Matthew's account of the birth of Jesus, the role of the Magi or Kings is to testify to the world-embracing nature of the gospel.
They represent the Gentile world, the nations beyond the land of Israel. They introduce the idea that Jesus would be not only be the Jewish Messiah, but the Savior of the world.
The Magi also are part of the intrigue that leads to Mary and Joseph's escape from Israel to safety in Egypt, where, according to Matthew, they live until after Herod's death. So the birth narrative of Jesus Christ includes a positive assessment of two traditions outside of Judaism - the cultures of the Wise Men from "the east" and of Egypt as a safe haven.
A respectful view of other religious traditions does not cut the nerve of Christian evangelism. Jesus commissioned his followers to go into the all the world and make disciples. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the one sure way to salvation. But the unique claims of the gospel are no warrant for a hostile stance toward other religions.
Epiphany - Three Kings Day - not only caps the Advent and Christmas season, it is an opportunity to consider Christian faith in the context of the wider world of religious experience.
The visit of the Wise Men and the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt reminds me that the gospel engages us within a pluralistic world.
Charles Hambrick-Stowe is pastor of The First Congregational Church of Ridgefield. He can be reached by e-mail at charles@firstcongregational.com.
Polly Castor
FORUM ON FAITH
Making resolutions an exciting process rather than demoralizing.
by Polly Castor.
Published: Saturday, January 1, 2010
Danbury News Times
It is the time of year for New Year's resolutions. Maybe you want to lose weight, de-clutter your home, get more sleep, spend less money, exercise more, be more patient or less critical.
This is good, and I offer this column on how Christian Science helps to further such goals with some practical ways to think about achieving them.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, talks about two different ways of arriving at the perfection we desire. As shorthand, I have dubbed these two approaches as "up to perfection," and "out from perfection."
The first method is what I believe most of us think of - the path full of the examination of shortcomings and the slogging effort of removing them. The other is a spiritual view that also can bring about radical change.
On the one hand, Eddy says in her best-selling book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," that "self-immolation" is required on the sinner's part. Immolation is a word we don't often use today, but it means the act of sacrificing something for a better concept.
jThis is what is needed in so many of our resolutions. For example, to embrace being thinner, we need to give up inactivity or gluttony. In order to take something new in our hands, we often need to let go of what we are clutching with them.
An honest self-assessment is a necessary step toward change, and a willingness to let go of familiar behavior also is required. But, after that, many people try gutting it through with human will.
This often fails, because the new territory is unfamiliar and therefore difficult or scary, and it also feels like beating oneself up all the time is necessary to keep toeing the line. This is where Christian Science offers an alternate approach by discouraging the use of human will.
Christian Science takes very seriously the first chapter of Genesis, where God made us in "his image and likeness" and made us "very good." Is God overweight, exhausted, in debt, or slothfully living in chaos? No! As His image and likeness, we reflect and express God, and since God is perfect, spiritually we must be as well.
We usually don't see our innate spiritual perfection since we've superimposed so many flaws over the way God made us.
Eddy says: "The way to extract error ... is to pour in truth through flood-tides of Love."
You can work at scrubbing that moldy cup, or you can pour clean water in it until the junk flows out the top. The clean water she wants us to pour into ourselves is the idea of the original spiritual perfection that we reflect from God.
This feels very different from getting down on yourself enough to change, and it banishes the need for that often unsuccessful human-will approach. What you are working to accomplish in your New Year's resolution is actually natural and has been part of you all along.
It is already there; it was just dormant or latent, needing to be awakened. This resolution business then becomes an exciting process instead of a demoralizing one.
"We must look where we would walk, and we must act as possessing all power from Him in whom we have our being," Eddy writes.
Note we are not "acting as if" we have that power, we already are truly endowed with it. So to be successful with a resolution, you start by seeing how incredibly wonderful you are because God made you - and maintains you - that way.
We can be who we need to be (even if we haven't been that yet), simply because God made us to be that way. How freeing.
Christian Scientists move into the New Year from that refreshing standpoint. We believe you can act on your resolutions from the spiritual fact looking forward, instead of looking back on human shortcomings and trying to fix them.
Jesus commanded us, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."
We can do this, not because we are anything of ourselves, but because God made us as His flawless reflection.
We find such passages to be very practical, especially at the beginning of a new year, as a reminder not to try to struggle your way up to perfection, but to try working out from it instead.
Polly Castor is a Christian Science practitioner and member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Ridgefield.
