Weekly Pastoral
I hope this transmission finds you warm and well and that you had a sacred Allhallowtide. I know we did. Our dear friend owns a historic inn that she turned into a haunted house. She invited a bunch of us over to choose a room and haunt it however we wanted. You can see our hijinx here. ‘Twas a fantastic All Hallows Eve.
We have a ton of snow headed our way in the Sierras, which we’re looking forward to. We can use the moisture and I’m ready to hit the ski hill. I can’t believe that winter is quickly approaching.
I have my denominational ‘approval’ interview coming up next week, so hold me in your prayers. If the synod (which, in the ELCA, is kind of like a diocese) committee gives me a green light, I’ll be able to find a ‘call’ (job) as a pastor. Fingers crossed!
I don’t know when it happened, but Starbucks is in full secular Christmas mode. I worked on a paper for seminary in a Starbucks establishment a couple of days ago, and was shocked to hear Bing Crosby’s White Christmas coming from the outdoor speakers at the entrance. As I settled in with my decaf oat peppermint mocha, I was immersed in a warm blanket of red with smells of candy cane and gingerbread wafting through my olfactories. Ahhhhh…
I’m not hating on secular consumerist Christmas. As a US citizen, there’s a warm place in my heart for it. I love the commercials on TV for Christmas. Costco is such a joyous place right now. Yes, I will, maybe like you, grow weary of it in a few weeks. But right now, it’s like, yeah… Let’s DO this, America. I mean, I’ll hand it to them… I do appreciate that Starbucks has a seasonal secular liturgy of sorts. Though marvelously premature for fall (PSL time, y’all!) and Christmas (sorry, “the Holidays”), it marks our calendar and anchors us in time. For those who don’t have a liturgical church, at least it’s some kind of liturgy, I suppose.
Prayer of the Week
All Saints Sunday
Almighty God, you have knit your people together in one communion in the mystical body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Grant us grace to follow your blessed saints in lives of faith and commitment, and to know the inexpressible joys you have prepared for those who love you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Weekly Grab Bag of Links and Things
If you don’t think you can be a Christian and fully embrace the ghoulish and goblinishness of Halloween at the same time, think again. Give a listen to my dear friend, Fr. Vincent Pizzuto’s sermon for Samhain that he preached on All Hallow’s Eve at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Inverness, CA…
I’m so jealous of people who can listen to any kind of music while they work. I cannot. Maybe if I were a woodworker or a bartender, I could. But since most of my work (if you can call it that) involves reading and writing, if the music I’m listening to includes spoken words, I start listening to those words and can’t hear the voice in my head that I read and write with. So, I can only listen to instrumental music while I work. Alas, here’s one of my favorite playlists to ‘work’ to this time of year (yes, there is a seasonal liturgy to playlists)…
I’ve been geeking out on Celtic Christianity this year and am reading a fantastic book right now by John Philip Newell called Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul. Here’s just a taste of what Newell shares in the book. It’s about the Celtic cross - you know, this thing…
Newell writes this:
Typically, the Celtic cross design consists of two conjoined symbols. The first is the symbol of Christ, represented by the cross form. The second is the symbol of the cosmos, perhaps also a sun image, represented by the circle that overlays the cross. Both symbols are centered on the intersection of the vertical and horizontal shafts of the cross. Thus, Celtic art speaks of Christ and the cosmos coming forth from the same point of origin. The deeper we move into the Christ mystery, the closer we come to the true heart of all life. The deeper we move in anything that has being, the closer we come to the presence that Christ embodies. The sacred was seen as the very heart of all things.1
The cosmic Christ. What a wonderful concept.
Posts from earlier in the week
Weekly Snaps
Because I had several papers due in class last week, I didn’t get out much to take many photos. These are both from our local mercantile - Lombardi Mercantile in Loyalton, CA. The owner, Kim, puts such care into the displays and the building is an old creamery that I think is just so… photogenic.
As Ever,
Jonas
Newell, J. Philip . Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul (pp. 83-84). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.
Praying that your interview goes well and that some lucky parish calls you soon!