Over the Moon, Religiously Speaking

 

 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
    praise him in the heights!
² Praise him, all his angels;
    praise him, all his host!

³ Praise him, sun and moon;
    praise him, all you shining stars!
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens,
    and you waters above the heavens!

⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
    for he commanded and they were created.
⁶ He established them forever and ever;
    he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed

Psalm 148: 1-6

This is the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the forecast says in will be sunny and hold the promise of the season with a modest but hopeful high of 8 degrees celsius. We will also experience a full moon tonight, a so-called supermoon, the final supermoon of 2019, don't you know. In case you care about these things, the equinox (equal daytime and night-time) occurs around 6:00 this evening and the full moon at roughly 10:00.





Leaders of the Sanhedrin proclaim full moon with trumpets

Judaism has traditionally observed each month's full moon as a minor religious holiday and there is a blessing which is still used in orthodox Jewish communities to mark the occasion. 

The moon is also important in Islam and there is currently an exhibit at the Aga Khan museum in Toronto which includes artifacts from different centuries. I plan to take it in and will report on my experience later.

And once again, I'll mention that Christian Easter is always on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring equinox...got that? This year Good Friday is the day of that full moon (April 19th), so Easter is April 21st.




Moon Sculpture Luke Jerram -- Aga Khan Museum 

WS Merwin, Contemplative Poet

 

Place
 

On the last day of the world I would want to plant a tree
what for not the fruit
the tree that bears the fruit is not the one that was planted
I want the tree that stands in the earth for the first time
with the sun already going down
and the water touching its roots
in the earth full of the dead and the clouds passing
one by one over its leaves
  
W.S. Merwin, from his book The Rain in the Trees

In January the celebrated American poet, Mary Oliver, died.  She was revered for her ability to invite us into a different way of paying attention in the natural world. Now it is W.S. Merwin who has died, perhaps less known, but also deeply respected. As with Oliver he was a Pulitzer Prize winner, along with many other literary awards. 

Merwin began studying Buddhism in the 1970's and there is spiritual quality to his work which I appreciate. While Merwin was born in New York City he eventually moved to Hawaii where he and his wife began planting trees on a desolate property he purchased there. He planted a tree each day, often from threatened species The 2,700 trees and an array of other flora became a lush palm forest. Eventually this property became the  Merwin Conservancy with the goal of maintaining the house and forest as “a place of stillness and reflection for retreat, study, and contemplation, that will serve to inspire innovation in the arts and sciences.”

 

 Yesterday A. Hope Jahren offered a thoughtful tribute to Merwin in the New York Times called The Poet Who Planted Trees which concludes with these poetic thoughts:

 Mr. Merwin died at home, in his bungalow, surrounded by green. He was the tree in the middle of the forest. Not the tallest tree, or the one with the most leaves, but the tree in the middle — the one that got there first. The one that funneled rain and churned soil for those who came after. The one who returns to the ground, and nourishes us on what he leaves behind.

Rest in peace.



For the Anniversary of My Death

Every year without knowing it I have passed the day
When the last fires will wave to me
And the silence will set out
Tireless traveler
Like the beam of a lightless star

Then I will no longer
Find myself in life as in a strange garment
Surprised at the earth
And the love of one woman
And the shamelessness of men
As today writing after three days of rain
Hearing the wren sing and the falling cease
And bowing not knowing to what

W.S. Merwin from his book The Second Four Books of Poems 

 

W.S. Merwin in a 2009 photograph in his study at is home on Maui, 

that he only wanted published after his death. 

Credit Tom Sewell

Worship in Woods and By Water

Last summer I began a conversation with an area artisan named Robert White who creates remarkable pieces from wood. I first spoke with Robert at a farmer's market, lost touch, and found him at another. I asked Robert if he would be interested in creating a portable communion table for me to use in outdoor worship experiences along the Bay of Quinte. My hope then and still is to invited anyone interested to attend gatherings called Worship in Woods and by Water.

So many people, including plenty from congregations I've served have told me how deeply aware they are of the presence of the Creator in the natural world. As someone who appreciated worship within buildings and who is still attends Sunday services inside I am enthusiastic about getting "out there" to contemplate and praise the One who brought all things into being.

The story of the people of Israel is of worship in the wilderness as well as in synagogues and the temple. Jesus was often rejected within worship spaces but spoke profoundly to crowds on hillsides, on shorelines, and even in boats.

The Celtic Christians were inclined to worship outside as well, both communally and alone,  long before they built churches, and long after. 

After several months Robert has completed the project, not without detours along the road. We felt it fitting to incorporate local woods so he used black walnut with maple inlay to create a beautiful table which includes Celtic knot-work. It was fitting that I picked it up at his shop north of Wooler, Ontario -- on St. Patrick's Day no less! I brought along some "holy hardware" to give him an idea of who it would look in action.



There is a growing interest in worshiping outside and even a coalition of enthusiasts called the Wild Church Network. The nearest of these worshiping communities in Cathedral of the Trees near Maynooth Ontario. I will lead an outdoor service for Trenton United, the congregation in which we now participate, on Good Friday morning and the communion table will probably make its debut.

I'm grateful to Robert for his craftsmanship and enthusiasm. I've taken to describing myself as a "be-wildered outsider" and he has helped to bring my passion to fruition.

The Thames -- Sacred River?

 I slow down crossing bridges over rivers these days and look longingly at their frozen surfaces. This has been a long, cold Winter and local rivers are encased in ice, even in sections which often open. We have gone for a first paddle in March in a number of years but it might not be possible in 2019. Perhaps this is why I've been thinking about sacred rivers these days, those recognized as holy and God-blessed, in some instances for millennia. The Jordan comes to mind, as do the Ganges in India, the Nile in Egypt, and the Yangtze in China. The Mississippi is a sacred river for First Nations peoples, as are the Sacred Headwaters rivers in British Columbia, and many more.

How about the Thames, in England? It certainly doesn't come to mind for me, or at least it didn't until I came across Thames: Sacred River, by the excellent writer Peter Ackroyd.When I think of the Thames it is of a polluted waterway used as a shipping highway, bordered by concrete and stone in the city of London. It turns out that the Thames was a sacred river for the pre-Christian Celts and then adopted as such by the Romans and eventually by Christians.We are tremendous pilferers.

There is a patron saint of the Thames, Birinus. I know, I know, you've never heard of him, but he lived in the 7th century and baptized a lot of pagans -- in the Thames. There are churches named after him along the river, and he established a church dedicated to St. Mary. In fact, Mary is something of a patron of the river herself, with a number of churches with her name along the Thames. St. Alban is said to have parted the river on the way to his execution so he could cross, a la Elijah parting the Jordan. 

I'm fascinated by this history, but for me even the most obscure streams and rivers have a holy quality. Where there is water there is life. Trees and birds flourish near water and the temperature is moderated.Last summer we took our grandsons, three and five at the time, for a paddle on the nearby Salmon River. We saw turtles and dragonflies, kingfishers and herons. The boys were enchanted, and so were we. 

Thank you God for sacred waterways, great and small.  

 






Baptism of Jesus illustration from the St. John's bible
Donald Jackson

Giving it Up for Lent, and the Earth

Each part of creation reveals unique aspects of God the Creator,
who is both in creation and beyond it.All parts of creation, animate and inanimate, are related.
All creation is good.
We sing of the Creator,
who made humans to live and move
and have their being in God.
 
A Song of Faith United Church of Canada
 
I must admit that I was surprised to hear that the Ontario government is considering banning single use plastics, or at least some of them. It isn't an initiative I'd associate with the Ford administration, but I'll try to keep an open mind!
 
It's an excellent idea, and while it's difficult to decide which items to eliminate and a devil to enforce, we need to find ways to reduce the ton of waste every Ontarian produces each year and to keep plastics out of our landfills, our lakes and rivers, and our bodies. In 2017 alone, volunteers with the Alliance for the Great Lakes collected more than 16 tons of plastic at beach cleanups and 10,000 tons of plastic enters those lakes each year, messing up the critters who live in them and the water supply for millions.  
 

 
I was also encouraged to hear CBC Ontario Morning hosts talking about reducing plastic waste after one mentioned her daughter wanted the family to do so during Lent. I wonder if the daughter heard about the Citizens for Public Justice program called Give it Up for the Earth. Some schools are taking up the challenge by encouraging students to reduce single-use plastics in their everyday lives.
 
It can be tough to follow through though. The other day I went to Canadian Tire to buy a straw broom with a wooden handle which was on sale. I like a straw broom better for my front walk. Well, the bristles were wrapped in plastic with foam sleeves on the handle for comfort. We're addicted to the stuff, often for no good reason. Ruth tries to use mesh bags at the grocery store instead of plastic, but that ain't easy, either.
 
Perhaps we should all write Environment Minister Rod Phillips to let him know that this discussion is a step in the right direction. It can be part of our Lenten commitment
 

Suite 209
1 Rossland Rd. W
Ajax, ON L1Z 1Z2

rod.phillipsco@pc.ola.org

Tel   905-427-2060                
                                              

Wild Lent and Canadian Winters

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished.

Luke 4:1-2

We are about two weeks into Lent, the 40 day (plus Sundays) season of the Christian liturgical year during which we get ready for our celebration of Easter. In Canada we are often still in the throes of Winter as Lent begins with February 4th as the earliest possible date, although that won't happen again until 2285! This means that we're usually huddled inside during the entire season even though at the beginning we hear about Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River and spending 40 days in the wilderness before his public ministry begins.

I never attempted to get people outside for an Ash Wednesday service although I burned palm branches for ashes in a snow storm a couple of times. We're good at ignoring how much of the bible is outside rather than inside, so I like the notion of Wild Lent, a resource from Britain. Here is a portion of the description.

What does it say on the tin?

Wild Lent will change how we all experience and think about Lent. How? Simple! Instead of a nice cosy room, coffee, biscuits and lots of discussion about the meaning of Lent, you’ll be wrapping up warm and heading off into the wilds! It’s time to get close and personal with creation and make a shadow clock, have a sunrise breakfast walk, go on a giant egg hunt, hug a tree, walk barefoot…and share God’s creation with others.
 What do you get?

Rachel Summers is a Forest School Practitioner and this book is designed to help you connect with God’s creation around you. To take time, to slow down and to reconnect with God’s world...Each category features five or six activities connected with that theme, all of which are designed to enable the participant to explore their surroundings and to seek God in them.

As well as the different categories, the author helpfully lists a way to make the most of the material across the book by focusing on six different themes, perfect for using over the six weeks of Lent:

 Putting Down,
Picking Up,
Setting Off,
Journeying On,
Into the Wilderness,
Finding Home.

Despite the risk of frostbite, it sounds worthwhile to me!

 

Holy Rivers

Kumbh Mela Pilgrimage, India

Okay, sometimes I just blow it. I've been meaning to blog about the largest religious gathering on the planet, one which only happens every few years in India. Kumbh Mela  2019 began on January 15 and concluded last Sunday, March 4th. Attendance was estimated at more than 100 million people from across the world, the largest peaceful gathering of religious pilgrims. By comparison, the pilgrimage to Mecca last year attracted 2.5 million.

Kumbh Mela is a Hindu festival during which pilgrims engage in ritual bathing for the forgiveness of sins in several rivers including the Ganges. During this year's gathering there were six bathing dates listed on the government website, the final holy bath taking place last Sunday.



Namaan healed in the Jordan River

I can say with confidence that I would not want to participate in any communal activity with such a vast crowd, and I know that these rivers are highly polluted. Yuck. Yet bathing as a religious activity for healing and repentance is very much a part of our Judeo-Christian tradition. In 2 Kings we read about Namaan, the Syrian commander, who is healed of leprosy after Elisha tells him to bathe in the Jordan river seven times. Jesus refers to this story in Luke 4: "There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian."

The gospel of Mark was probably the first of the four to be written and it begins with the baptism of Jesus. John the Baptizer is immersing people in the waters of the Jordan for the forgiveness of sins when Jesus arrives.

It makes sense that water, which is essentially to life on Earth would be considered sacred in different religions. Perhaps we all need to make some effort to acknowledge of the holiness of rivers.
 

Baptism Scene in Brother Where Art Thou