Ha Ha Darkness

Make no bones about it Christmas in the western world purposively placed the birth of True Light in the midst of the darkest season of the year. Yesterday we celebrated the Winter Solstice.

Growing up I never paid much attention to the changing and disappearing sun during the seasons. I only remember going to school in the dark and coming home from school in the dark. Moving 800 miles north and east and active gardening has given me a new appreciation of the solstice and the anglining of the sun.

In a primal and rudimentary way I understand why the ancients celebrated the solistice some much. I am glad the earth is titlting back toward summer and warmer rays. Yesterday I took this picture as the sun set at 4:12PM!!


This week we sing:
In the bleak midwinter, frost wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God transcends all heaven, earth, and its domain;
heaven and earth shall flee away when Christ comes to reign;
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed the
sovereign God almighty, Jesus Christ.

Angels and archangels, may have gathered there,
cherubim and serpahim thronged the midnight air;
But his mother only, in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I offer poor as I am?
If I were a shpherd, I would bring lamb.
If I were a wise one, I would do my part; but
what can I offer: all my heart.

Christina G. Rossetti, 1872

And the gingerbread house went splat

We, okay once again the wife, made a gingerbread house this week.

We, yes we, put it together, but it didnt stand too long.

Pricing

As we planned for the Open House a couple of weeks ago I noticed that gas fell below $2.00 but is now averaging around $2.15 a gallon. I also noticed that a case of Rolling Rock, $15.99, was cheaper than a cas of Bud, $17.99 (that just aint right). While at the liquor store I also noticed that Genesse was on sale, $7.99 for a 30 pack with a $1.50 rebate bringing it to $6.49 for 30 beers - that comes to 21.6 cents per beer (I dont think tap water is that cheap). Just for the record every summer I buy a case of Genesse just to connect with my Rochester life.

The other day Ben and Jerry's was on sale at the local megalomart for $1.89 a pint. I offer this picture of our freezer:

I couldn't get to the camera quick enough to include the pint of Gobstopper that had been demolished minutes before this image.


The wife wants me to add that the only reason these two are still standing is directly related to my frequent feasting on cookies, gingerbread, broken pieces of chocolate and what not, she may have a point.

Chili

On Saturday we made, okay the wife made, a pot of chili. It was great. We made it in one of Christmas presents, we had permission to open it early, a Le Creuset dutch oven. I think the chili tasted better because it looked so beautiful cooking in the pot. The picture does not do it any justice.

Recipe:

1-1 and 1/2 cups dried pinto beans
1-1 and 1/2 cups dried kidney beans
1 large container of tomatoes, we like the Fire Roasted Muier Glen
couple cloves of garlic, minced
meduim sized onion, chopped
some chili powder
some salt
some pepper

soak beans over night, drain next morning. then fill a pot with about a knuckle more water than the beans. simmer till cooked and water is gone. When the water is more than halfway gone add the onions and garlic. When cooked add tomatoes, chili powder, salt, pepper, perhaps some hot peppers or meat if you want.

We serve with chili powder tortilla wraps (ask the deli department at Whole Foods for a package of these; They are huge and cheaper to buy this way) a dollap of sour cream and some grated cheese and of course beer. I am a sucker for Rolling Rock, but I sometimes venture out for darker and oatier brands. I prefer wine but I cant find a good match for chili.

The Man Does Fart Jokes

Brought to you by the lovely folks at Prairie Home Companion:
Why is Santa jolly all the time?
He knows where all the naughty girls live.

I chuckled at that one last night.

A couple of years ago after we arrived in the 13th state the church bought us tickets to PHC when it came to Boston. We first went to Bob's Southern Bistro for an early dinner. Bob's is a great place for food and jazz but not too much happening at 5:00 on a Saturday evening. Then we drove down a piece for the show. We took our kids with us, we take the pretty much everywhere with us.

During intermission some woman came by and made some kind of saucy remark about having our kids with us. The wife quickly snapped back and calmed her right down. Then someone in front of us turned and made a shush sound. For the record our kids were not making much, if any noise! I thought to myself, you know this is not high art - this is popular art. On top of that the man does fart jokes! Some people.

On more note, the first time I listened to the show in seminary I logged onto the computer to see where I could buy Powder Milk Biscuits, it took a while.

Roger to the Rescue

Last night I finished Roger Williams from the Lives and Legacies series by Edwin S. Gaustad. If you have ever been fishing for a quick, informative, delightful read on the life, thought and times of Roger Williams this is the book for you. It can easily be read in one setting, if you chair is comfortable, you dexterity is up and your consternation is cooperating.

Did you know he was a friend of John Milton, palled (sp?) around with Oliver Cromwell, and raised goats on an island in the Naragannsett Bay? Well you do now.

Here I am a Baptist in the Rhode Island and have never done a serious inquiry into this fine gentleman. This book pushes me to go and read the seven volumes of Roger's collected work. So there you go my first book recommendation.

Emergent + Mainline

Over the past few weeks I have been exploring the writings and exploration of the emerging church. this morning I found a link of an address Brian McClaren gave at Princeton Seminary. I am still a little wary of the movement but quite hopeful of this exploration. In Feb. I am going to a theologicial conversation at Yale Divinity School. I am interested to see who is there and what is going on.

A Public Repentance

Yesterday I took a personal afternoon; everyone at the church seemed okay, the sermon was finished, bulletin sent in and hymns all set. I celebrated the afternoon by traveling up to the new theatre to see Walk the Line. As I wrote earlier the CBS special left a bad taste in my mouth and the fact that the actors sing all the songs left me apprehensive about viewing the flick.
So I drove up and caught a matinee attended by four older couples, one elderly (solo) and one elderly mother and her not so young daughter.

I am repenting because I loved the movie! I couldnt believe the acting job Reese Witherspoon pulled off and was pleasently surprised by Mr. Phoenix. It was a good biopic.

It was hard to see my hero portrayed as such hard husband and father to his first wife though.

it reminds me of the time that i learned one of my favorite theologians was an alcoholic, or when a favorite preacher was a jerk. But it is a helpful reminder cautioning against idolatry. But that doesnt mean all the good from folk with a particulary troubled streak makes all they did wrong or unworthy.

Advent 4

This Sunday, Advent 4, include some the most playful texts of all of Advent. I particularly appreciate the 2 Samuel story. God seems perfectly content to live in a tent and not in a house of cedar. It makes me think of my son who is perfectly content to wear sweatpants everyday and everynight. Why would a two and half year old want to weat jeans or khakis when he has a drawer full of broken in sweatpants?

The story along with the Announcement story and the Magnificat also remind me of a saying Carlyle Marney used to say: God is like a wild mustang, you try and tame him and he bucks you right off. Regardless of our attempts of holiness, codification, institutionalization, bogus omni terms and what not God refuses to let us keep God in our back pockets. God chooses to stay in a tent and chooses to have a young girl deliver his chosen one. odd stories for an odd God.

I close with some words from Paul Tillich. I never was locked into Tillichian modes and ways, but I really grooved on The Courage to Be, especially the God above God.

But a church which raises itself in its message and its devotion to the God above God of theism without sacrificing its concrete symbols can mediate a courage which takes doubt and meaninglessness into itself. It is the Church under the Cross which alone can do this, the Church which preaches the Crucified who cried to God who remained his God after the God of confidence had left him in the darkness of doubt and meaninglessness. To be as a part in such a church is to receive a courage to be in which one cannot lose one's self and in which one receives one's world. (TCTB, p.188, 1952)




That quote has always left me wanting more of Tillich, but he never ventured deeper into that area of his writing. But the God above God idea is a great Protestant Principle against idolatry.

Let Down

I learned today that my cartoon caption did not make the cut for consideration in the weekly caption contest for the New Yorker. There is the cartoon. My unwinning caption: the skeleton is in the shop.