The other Sunday, I was ready for church early and was on my way to my “pew” by a red piece of stained glass in the window above the choir and organ. Taking a rest, I began looking at the religious banners that Marla Dell has made that hang in the sanctuary. I got to looking at the one right above my head and I wondered, “what was Marla trying to communicate with her art work?”Then I began to wonder, “What does Marla’s artwork say to me?” Wow! In five minutes of meditation on that question the banner I was contemplating got me thinking about lots of things. Some apiritual and some just every day things that I encounter in my daily life.

Knowing how many Episcopalians feel about the current state of unrest in the Anglican Communion and how we tend to think about the demonized “thems” in Africa who hold a different viewpoint, I found myself thinking about how the current state of unrest in the Anglican Communion must seem to the “thems.” Specifically, I’ve been thinking about our sister parish of Lohso in the Diocese of Lui, in Sudan, for which we say we are praying every Sunday. For them, we are the “thems” and perhaps just as demonized.History has repeatedly demonstrated that even monumental disagreements only get resolved when people begin to demonstrate their sincerety for mutual resolution on a one-to-one basis. Toward that end, perhaps it is time for us, the community of believers at Church of the Advent, to begin fixing what the leaders of the Communion seem unable to do.

Did you ever notice that often the most successful people are often also, by local standards, the better looking?  Today’s “scandal” is the fact that a nine-year-old girl with a fetching smile and even teeth lip-synched “Hymn to the Motherland” at the opening of the Beijing Olympics that had been previously recorded by a seven-year-old girl who won a tough competition to sing but was not considered cute enough with her plain appearance and buck teeth.  A politician made the switch, saying both girls were winners (one has looks and the other a great voice) and the show was a great success.  

Don’t be too tough on the Chinese.  It works the same way here in the U.S.  In the 1950’s and before, there were some classic singers in a variety of venues (country music comes to mind) who had wonderful voices, but were rather plain in appearance.  Looks didn’t matter much back then because most performers were more often heard rather than seen, as television was not yet a multiple item in most households.  Today, some of those voices wouldn’t stand a chance, not because their voices wouldn’t measure up, but because their looks wouldn’t.

At a worship service I attended once, a man stood up to sing the special music.  He was a leper and his face was greatly disfigured by the disease.  It was difficult to look at him and many averted their gaze.  Then he opened his mouth and out came the first notes of one of the familiar tunes of the “Ave Maria.”  By the end of his performance, all eyes were fixed on the man’s face, and I doubt there was a dry eye in the sanctuary.  I will ever forget that moment, nor the lesson that I learned:  no matter how a person looks, it’s what’s on the inside that matters.  If you doubt that, consider 1 Samuel 16:7. 

I find it interesting when Country A condemns Country R for taking military action against Country G, especially when Country A took military action against Country I, for reasons of similar credibility.  Why is that?  Perhaps God takes sides?  Perhaps, with apologies to George Orwell, it’s because all are equal, but some are more equal than others?  I’m just askin’.

This week the campaigns of the Republican and Democrat presidential contenders seems to intent on hurling accusations and the campaigns of the opposition that the other guy is just a glitzy celebrity without much substance.  It’s beginning to sound, to me, like an elementary school yard competition: “Nyah, nyah, your a celebrity!” 

What I’d like to hear is some substance based on fact.  Not that the fix for oil prices is new offshore drilling that won’t affect the market for 10 years, but something of substance.  I want to hear from both candidates how they will put an end to divisive partisanship that does nothing to move the nation forward.

One of the heroes of my youth once said, “Some men see things as they are and ask ‘why?’  I dream things that never were and say ‘why not?’”  That’s what I’d like to hear.  Not more of the same, but dreams about the future.  Such dreams once achieved the impossible of getting us to the moon in ten years.  If there were less partisanship and more nationalship, what could we do for our nation in the next ten years?

Grow up, celebrities.  Be a candidate.

On Saturday, Marites N. Sison, staff writer for accwebnews of the Anglican Church of Canada wrote the following while in Canterbury, England:“The Archbishop of Hong Kong, Paul Kwong, on Saturday said he found it “a little disappointing” that the Lambeth Conference is ending tomorrow with “no concrete action” to resolve the issues around sexuality that have triggered deep divisions within the Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Daniel, head of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, visited Church of the Advent not long ago.  He was most gracious, preached an inspiring sermon, and thanked us profusely for all of the support we have provided to the Diocese of Lui.

Unlike other African archbishops and bishops who have boycotted the Lambeth Conference, Archbishop Daniel and others from Sudan chose to participate in the conference.  The Sudan clergy met with U.S. bishops and others who have been providing support to the Episcopal of Sudan, and all went well.

Much to the surprise of many, the archbishop later publicly denounced the Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church in the United States, saying it is wrong to have gay and lesbian clergy, same-sex couples living in committed relationships, and called for Bishop Gene Robinson to resign his office because is is gay and lives in a committed relationship with his partner.

Some people agree to disagree and the ministry of the church gets done.  We have experienced that at Church of the Advent.  But seemingly, the archbishop demands that we give up our support of gay and lesbian persons,  and continue to send support to the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

Not sure I buy that.  What do you think?

Of late, the politicians have debated whether surges work and whether or not there ought to be one in Afghanistan so that the “war” in that country can be won, as, some say, the “war” in Iraq is being won.

In addition to the two “wars” above there has been the Vietnam “war” in Southeast Asia, and the Korean “war,” as well as other skirmishes along the way.  War appears in quotes because a true war must result, in the United States, from a declaration of war passed by the Congress.  None of the above conflicts resulted from a formal declaration of war, but more from an abrogation of powers by one branch of government to another. 

Many were hoping that talk of draw down in Iraq would mean the end of conflict in the Middle East.  But now politicians are talking of a “surge” in Afghanistan to put an end to conflict once and for all.  Have they not read a history book?

A true war consists of one entity attacking another and obliterating it so badly that it cannot sustain itself without outside help, often from the original attacker who can mold the attacked country into an ally.  Witness Japan and Germany following World War II.

In the Korean Police Action and the Vietnam Conflict there were no winners.  Everyone got tired, called a truce and went home.  On the Korean peninsula, the South Korean capital of Seoul remains three minutes from destruction by North Korean aircraft, and in Southeast Asia, the communists, against whom thousands of lives were sacrified, control all of Vietnam.

In Afghanistan, the Soviet Union fought to control the country, only to have the country ultimately taken over by the Taliban, and the Russians went home.  Lives wasted.

In all the “wars” since World War II, the scenario is the same.  A world power attempts to change a weaker nation and bend it to its will.  The cost in human life and materials becomes too great a strain on the world power’s economy and the country picks up and goes home.  The attacked country goes on, often with a government not too different from the one that was originally opposed by the attacking world power.

It happened in Korea.  It happened in Southeast Asia, in more than one country.  It is happening in Iraq.  It should be expected to happen that way in Afghanistan. 

In the end, thousands of young lives, the future of our nation, will have again been sacrificed for a situation that, when it’s all said and done, won’t look much different than how things looked when the conflict began.  Politicians say things will be different, but history says they won’t.  Afghanistan is a good example, having been repeatedly run over by outside interests at least since the British East India Company rolled into Kabul in 1839; and when the outsiders left, things remained much as they were before the invaders arrived.

There are no winners in a war.  Why does humankind ignore history and try to prove it wrong?

For many years when I heard the words, “in remembrance of me,” I understood them to mean that when we ate the bread and drank from the cup at Eucharist we were to remember or think about Jesus and all that he did.  Sort of a memorial meal.  Passive. 

I recently heard a sermon that put a different spin on the words “in remembrance of me.”  Not remembering or thinking about, but re-membering as the opposite of dis-membering or taking apart.  Active.

The point of the sermon was that Jesus knew that his death would or could likely break up his small community of followers — it would be dis-membered.  His hope was that by breaking and eating the bread, and drinking from the common cup, his followers, including us in 2008, would re-member and keep in community the followers that others had sought to break apart, or dis-member.

If everyone took this approach to “in remembrance,” I wonder how different the atmosphere in the Anglican Community, especially at Lambeth Palace, would be?

There is a commercial currently playing on TV that portrays and young seemingly college-age woman who is diabetic.  She enumerates all the things that she has to do in a week and how life is made easier by the device she uses to check her blood glucose level.  What I find troubling with the commercial is that the young woman is portrayed as a “successful” individual because of all the activities in which she is involved throughout the week.  When does she rest or play?

Endless involvement seems to be today’s mark of success for someone in their 20’s.  Involved as many hours of the week as possible, going to college, making a name for themselves; and, many parents wonder where they have fallen short if their children to not seem to fill that sort of image. 

My friends Nikon (”Victory”) and Agamemnon (”Very Resolute”) are both in their early 20’s and both live lives that run counter to that of the “successful” young woman above.  Both have dropped out of college, at least for the nonce, which has caused parental consternation, and both seem to follow their heart rather than a prescribed list of life-success activities.

Nikon, for at least six or seven years has been interested in computers, graphics and technology.  This evening at the Tivoli Theatre, Nikon’s short fantasy film will debut as part of the 2008 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.  I’ve already seen it.  Generationally, most of the movie went over my head, but I appreciated the technology behind what I saw.  Fantastic!!  Where did Nikon learn all this?  Paying tuition at Hard Knocks University. 

Nikon is blessed to have understanding parents who let him follow his dream, and supported his efforts.  His movie has been accepted by another film festival elsewhere in the nation.  He’s making a couple of commericals for a toy maker to review.  A major computer manufacturer is interested in seeing more of his work.  He’s going to go places. 

Agamemnon is something of a renaissance man.  Some may think ”renaissance” means “old fashioned.”  Correctly defined, a renaissance man is one “who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences.”  That fits Agamemnon to a “T.”  He can talk intelligently, in depth, and at length about politics, social issues, or the Epic of Gilgamesh, as well as any number of technological and scientific topics. 

Agamemnon, too, is blessed to have understanding parents who have let him follow his dream and supported his efforts.  Not a filmmaker, but a young man with well-grounded values who, like Thoreau, follows the beat of a different drummer.  The world will be a better place because of it.

Perhaps the current youthful generations would fare better in life if more parents let their children play more, worried less about making them fit a mold or parental expectation, and let them find their way or follow their dream.  Nikon and Agamemnon’s parents have done that (not always without exasperation), but the two have blossomed in ways no one would have expected five or ten years ago.