The Beacon, July/August 2007

The Earth is the Lord's

During stewardship time, a phrase we often use is "The Earth is the Lord's." But does that not imply that the earth is by nature sacred, and that "things" we take for granted are sacramental experiences? I've shared with most of you that when I was twelve years old a lightning bolt hit the road about ten feet in front of me. To this day, I regard that incident as sacramental. God became more real to me at that moment than at any other time in my young life, but there are many other examples in life. A farmer plows through a wilderness, seeds the land, and soon there is bread for his hunger. One of the purposes of the land then becomes clear. Michelangelo takes a brush, some greasy pigments and a stucco wall, and for centuries, looking at his completed works, we have "seen God." And thus a deep purpose for brushes, paints, and surfaces is revealed.

A martyr like St Stephen takes stones flung at him, and soon, through his mortality, light pierces us, as it did St Paul, even though we often try to close every window against it. With this example, I can just as easily use African Americans in Alabama or Mississippi during the civil rights marches of the 1950's and 60's. Certainly we have made progress since that time, maybe progress itself is sacramental.

What I'm leading up to is this — Jesus once took bread and wine, found in every household, and made of them food to satisfy the deepest hunger and thirst of our hearts. Who could have imagined that common things like bread and wine could have such a wondrous use? This same Jesus took darkness at noon, flies buzzing around his wounded head, two pieces of wood with three nails, a thong, and a spear — and made history's greatest sacrament. This was done through his body and through these tokens of the earth. How could this be? Because "The Earth is the Lord's" and God can use it as God chooses. God's will is love, even through death and destruction.

Faithfully, Fr Bill

Top

On The Beach

It's been a family month for Sharyn and me. We started on June 9th with a week at Dennisport, Cape Cod, with fifteen of us sharing a main house and two cottages. Although the weather was not great, we still managed to have a good time. The younger kids had a great time playing in the sand and climbing on the rocks. In the evening we played all kinds of games. The adults particularly enjoyed "Royalty," a word game that can get rather intense at times, especially for those who were bent on defeating a retired English teacher. But I held my own for the most part. One night we had a lobster feast with steamers on the side; and the day before we had to leave, I managed to catch a small striped bass that just happened to wander too close to the beach. And since no visit to the Cape is not complete without a visit to Cuffy's for sweatshirts and t-shirts, we paid thie emporium a visit anmd got sweatshirts for everyone. Naturally, the weather on Saturday, the day we had to leave, was gorgeous.

Our family from Tallahassee then spent another week with Sharyn and me in Northborough. We spent a lot of time in Boston. David's wife Tammy wanted to show the kids some New England history. So we did a trolley tour one day, went to the aquarium on another, then had a tour of Fenway Park the day before they left to go back to Tallahassee. Sharyn and I were pretty tired, but we were sad to see them go.

On July 3th, Sharyn and I drove down to Dennis, MA, and spent the holiday with Bob, Paula, Alex, and Jake, our Holliston family. We saw a terrific fireworks display the night of July 3th, spent the Fourth doing Cape-type stuff, then left first thing Thursday morning so Sharyn could get back to work.

On July 8th, my brother and his wife from North Carolina spent a little time with us. We had an all-too-brief visit. Then they left to return south and Sharyn and I drove to Watertown, CT, to celebrate Sharyn's youngest sister Pam's 50th birthday. In the meantime, I had called my sister in Camden, ME, and spent some time chatting with her.

Our week at the Cape was a joyous time. Our son and daughter hadn't seen each other in two years so they had time to catch up on things. Sharyn and I got to spend good time with the grandchildren (all seven of them!) and we all enjoyed the company of one another. We have reached that stage in our lives when opportunities to get everyone together are rare.

Through all this time we could see the hand of God working in our lives. Our 14-month old granddaughter is walking up a storm and can throw hissy fits with the best of them, but can also charm your heart like nobody's business. The other grandchildren contribute greatly to our pleasure. My sister in Camden, who is afflicted with MS, has achieved a peace with her condition, and Sharyn's sister Pam is celebrating 22 years of being cancer free.

We feel so blessed that we could spend this time with family, and we thank God for making it possible. Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Peace, Fred Philcox

Top

The Psalmist's Gift

Last month I made my annual retreat at Adelynrood, an Episcopal Retreat and Conference Center, located in Byfield, MA, on the north shore. It had been a particularly hectic week, but as soon as I arrived there, I could just feel God's peace envelop me. Set amongst acres of beautiful woodlands and flowers, it is like entering another world. It truly is "holy ground."

It was a small group this year and we quickly felt a bonding with one another. An old friend, who I had actually met at Adelynrood four years ago returned again this year. We enjoyed catching up on each other's lives during the social hour on Friday evening. One of the things I most enjoy about Adelynrood is the holy routine that we keep there. Much like at a monastery or convent, the chapel bell summons us to services. These include Morning Prayer, Noon Day Intercessions, Service of Compline in the evening and Holy Eucharist on Sunday. This holy routine helps to keep one focused on our purpose for being there, to seek to grow in relationship with Christ.

This retreat was entitled "Praying The Psalms from Darkness Into Light". It was led by Lyn Fraser, a Hospice Chaplain also works with incarcerated teenagers and is the author of several books. The Book of Psalms is actually the longest book in the Bible. Lyn explained the wide range of emotions that the Psalms express: joy, thankfulness, praise and peace. The psalms also express negative emotions — pain, grief, frustration, anger and even feelings of vengeance. These negative emotions are expressed in the psalms of lament which comprise 40% of the psalms. While we rarely hear these psalms read in church, they are in the Bible.

The psalmist of old dealt with many of the same situations we deal with today: sickness, aging, addiction, rejection, divorce and others. These psalms often cry out in anger to God to redeem them. What safer outlet, to express our feelings, could there be than in prayer to our creator? These difficult psalms can be helpful in expressing our own frustrations and anger and may prevent us from taking action on these feelings.

One very moving story that Lyn told us was of an elderly Hospice patient, suffering from ALS. This woman was angry at God but she felt so guilty about it. Lyn introduced her to expressing her feelings through the psalms. She began sweetly singing some of these psalms with her, that expressed anger. Soon the woman was making up her own verses and singing them. As she released her anger, she came to peace with her situation and she came to peace with God. She lived much longer than anyone had expected. Another thing Lyn said that I found quite interesting was that when the psalmist cried out to God to avenge his enemies, it could very well have been a non-human enemy such as cancer or the enemy of addiction.

One of the things that I came away with is that every part of the Bible is there for a reason. There is a wealth of information within its pages and it is revealed to us, when we are open to receive it. It is our instruction book for life.

"I will instruct you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you." - Psalm 32:8

Blessings Always, Phyl Endicott

For information on the retreats visit Adelynrood on the web.

Top