Readings:

Acts 7, 55-60,  They threw Stephen out of the city, and began to stone him. 

Psalm 97,  The Lord is king, the most high over all the earth.

 Revelation 22, 12-14, 16-17,  I, John, heard a voice speaking to me.

 John 17, 20-26,   I pray that they all may be one. 

Mothers' Day Notes:

• The idea originated, ca. 1870, with 3 women who had worked in hospitals during the Civil War. 
• Julia Ward Howe (Battle Hymn), Anna Maria Reeves Jarvis, & her daughter, Anna Jarvis wanted a Mothers' Day of Peace because of the horrors they had seen in the military hospitals.
• Woodrow Wilson, 1914, established the national holiday.

CC at the creation table.

A Mother’s Day Story

I want to share a Mother’s day story with you this morning.  It is not about a woman, but about a caring that was maternal and which we all share, even us guys.

As you probably know, last weekend Rosemary & I went to NYC for her big family reunion and to ride in the Sunday 5 Boro Bike Tour of the city.   To say nothing about celebrating again our 8th on Sunday, Cinco de Mayo.

Kara and James arriving.

So, it is 6:30 Sunday morning, a beautiful but chilly 48 degree day.  We have just arrived on Staten Island where we plan to park our vehicles, a sedan and two big diesel pickups loaded with bikes.  We are driving up and down the hilly streets.  Cars are already parked everywhere.

Celeste arriving.

At some point a guy passes us, turns left at a corner, stops his old station wagon, gets out, and yells to us, “You wanna place to pahk yo cah?”   Newyorkese.  Rosemary can translate.

Colleen arriving.

“Sure,” Brian says from the driver’s seat of the truck Rosemary & I are in.  Brian is Rosemary’s nephew and it is at his nice house in Essex Fells, NJ where we have the reunion.  He also rents the bikes for us.

The special Community blessing for Tom preparing for a shoulder operation Wednesday.

So we follow the guy,  probably a middle aged Italian construction worker.  But we are uneasy.  Even Brian, who has a construction company, says he has doubts about the guy. 

Suddenly we spot an empty space on a tree covered hill with little cottages.  We dive in.

When we had 3 extra Cupcakes of The Week, by unanamous acclaim the music team was awarded.

Joe, however, who is following us, continues following the guy and eventually parks where the man indicates.  It turns out the place is in front of the guy’s house and the truck is so long it covers they guy’s driveway.  He tells Joe that it is no problem.  He is not going out.

Niki arrives with her mom, Frances, and her grandmom, Mary.

The car parks somewhere else, and we all mount up and ride two, three, or four miles down the hill to the Staten Island Ferry.  This ferry is a national treasure.  It is run free by NYC, it heads straight into the southern tip of Manhattan, you pass the Statue of Liberty, and you can see the skyline as it comes closer, including the new World Trade Center.

Emma arrives.

As I’m riding the ferry in a state of marvel, I am thinking to myself, “We could return after this ride to find that pickup without wheels, the seats all gone, and even the engine extracted.  Just the shell”.  But, what to do?  Go ride.

Mary Ann arrives.

By noon we have all finished up with the marvelous ride and are again on Staten Island.  We head up the hill to retrieve the vehicles.  What do you think we found? 

The truck was sitting right where it had been left, whole and entire, completely safe.  The guy has been for real, no fraud, no car thief, just a guy in the spirit of the bike ride.  He cared and he wanted to help out.

Mike Carrell's beautiful mom.

I was most touched and I felt guilty for judging again the book by the cover. 

Only later did Rosemary tell me that another caring act had taken place.  Joe, who was driving that truck, left $20 bucks under the windshield wiper of the guy’s old station wagon.

The station wagon man showed he cared.  Joe showed he cared.  How do you show you care this Mother’s Day?

Kayla and Zoe await the Special Mother's Day Blessing.

Readings:

Acts 15, 1-2, 22-29,  Unless you are circumcised, you cannot be saved.   

Psalm 67,  Oh, God, let all the nations praise you

Revelation 21, 10-14, 22-23,  The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain.

John 14, 23-29,  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.

John Cade celebrates.

 WHAT: Acts

WHO: same as author of Gospel of Luke

WHEN: late 60’s, before 70

WHY: To further Paul’s desire to make “The Way” of Jesus’ followers acceptable to people in the Greco-Roman world of his time.

Today’s reading from Chapter 15 of Acts gives us another example of how the followers of Jesus at that time were originally Jewish. We have no documents from the 20 years following Jesus’ death. Scholars conjecture that there were writings from that time that became sources for the authors of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.

Chloe.

Whether or not there were such documents, the focus of the Jesus movement was on the “kingdom of God.” The movement gathered around the belief that Jesus preached with urgency and intensity the need to establish God’s reign on earth. The movement was a way of life and was radical in its embrace of Jesus’ preaching.

It is highly likely that in this 20 year period Jesus was considered by members of the movement to be a Jewish prophetical figure. The movement’s concern was to change this world. The focus was on Jesus’ preaching a way of life that would express the Divine Presence in human living and loving.

Buddy with his momma, Michelle.

It is also important to acknowledge that this was a Jewish movement rather than a new religion. There is no evidence to suggest that any members of the Jesus movement thought they were part of a new religion.

Then, beginning mid-century with Paul’s writings and culminating in John’s Gospel at the end of the century, a monumental shift in thinking occurred. The short answer is that Paul, himself a Jew, embraced the idea that Jesus’ preaching and message was intended for Jews and Gentiles alike. So, in his letters, Paul wrote about Jesus in a way that could be heard and would be acceptable to the Greco-Roman world of his time.

This raises many other questions for us, for another time.

Torri with her granddad, Gil.

 Homily: 

When Lambrini left for Baton Rouge 2 weeks ago for a week of business training, I thought my home job would be watching after and preparing meals for my mother-in-law, Kalliopi. That changes when we discovered on Wednesday morning she had some serious bleeding. I took her to the ER. Eventually she was transferred to a room in the hospital,  given 2 units of blood by transfusion, and several tests ordered.

Cupcake of the Week, Patricia.

A colonoscopy indicated that diverticulosis was the likely culprit. Kalliopi was in hospital till Friday, still in a lot of pain from the broken arm. I was moved by the peace with which she accepted all the questioning and poking and testing she endured along with the pain of her broken arm. She shared her gratitude for the treatment she received from the doctors and nurses and techs. She did not whine or demand special treatment.

Cole getting ready to be…

When Kalliopi was moved from the ER to the room I met her roommate, Margaret. I spoke with Margaret off and on and actually asked about her story. About 5 years ago Margaret was bitten by a dog in the abdomen and she developed sepsis, a dangerous blood infection that is often fatal. In her case it led to the amputation of both legs and about half of her right hand. Her lungs were seriously affected. She is on oxygen all the time. Before we left Margaret told me she was to have a rib removed to facilitate being able to treat her lungs that need drainage and other treatment.

Cupcake of the Week, Cole.

In talking with Margaret I observed how calm she seemed to be and how she did not complain about being in the hospital again for more surgery. The only time she complained was when we met her. She had been taken for tests and had not been given a meal. I offered to get food for her down on the 1^st floor, but she kept asking nurse at station for a meal and eventually got it. When they brought her food, it wasn’t great. When she heard me say I was going down to eat, she asked me for a favor, to bring her a Hershey bar with almonds, which I did.  

Emma Checking out the altar.

Eventually I asked Margaret how she was able to have peace in the midst of all her trauma.  Margaret replied, “I pray a lot.” She added that when she woke each morning, she gave thanks for her life. I told her she was an inspiration to me in the way she accepted her life just as it came to her, and in the way she received peace and shared that peace with others.

Emma with her mom, Beth, and her favorite train.

This past Sunday Lambrini and I were at Joey’s home for the 70^th birthday celebration of my former wife, Kay. Joey, as a surprise gift for her mom, had flown Kay’s granddaughter, Chyna, and Chyna’s 10 month old daughter, Catrina, from Florida for the weekend.

Buddies, Emma and Cowboy Cole.

I mention this because I got to experience again the peace that Chyna, the new mother in our family, has. I won’t go into details, but Chyna has had plenty of trauma in her young life. Yet she displays so much peace in her life, in her mothering and in her relationships.

Sienna and her mom, Erin.

A few words about peace, inner peace. Although some people may live in a more-or-less constant state of peace, most of us experience moments of peace in our lives. For me it is most often close contact with nature and in special relationships that I experience peace. Sometimes we are surrounded by nature (trips to mountains or oceans eg) and sometimes we are struck by nature in our urban lives (sunset, cloud formation eg). Peace received in relationships sometimes comes with those we are closest to, and sometimes it is a chance moment like my meeting Margaret.

Offertory, Donna, Jim, Sydney and Hue.

My question is how do you receive and experience peace? And how do you share this peace with others?

Readings:

Acts 14, 21-27,   From there they sailed to Antioch.

Psalm 145,  I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.

Revelation  21, 1-5,  He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them.  I, John, had a vision of a great multitude.

John 13, 31-35,  A new commandment, love one another.

Vicki with her mom, Vivian.

Acts, a couple of observations:

1.  Remember the three rings of Acts, Jerusalem, Palestine, the World (Mediterranean & Rome)?   Since we are at Chapter 28 of 28, you can guess in what ring we are today, yes, the World.  Paul and Barnabas are in the region of Greece.
2. The author, the same as the Gospel of Luke.
3. The date again, before 70

Emma and Zoe.

A New Commandment, Love One Another

I want to talk this morning about the new commandment, love one another. 

It has been a couple of rough weeks, folks. 

Leo.

First there was the Boston Marathon.  I have been at those finish lines, like running the Mexico City Marathon.   I know both the exhilaration and the fatigue, like after the Hotter N’ Hell 100 mile bike ride in Wichita Falls the end of August.

Cara.

Then, West.  I just happened to be in West the afternoon of the evening of the explosion.  I wonder about the delightful ladies at the famous Czech bakery, where we had stopped for kolaches

Then a story that has been gnawing at me, the 10 year old boy starved to death by his father and step mother.  At times I cannot get this nightmare out of my mind.

Torri.

See enough of this and I could get pessimistic and lose perspective on people.  Which is why I don’t normally listen to local news.  Which is why I want to tell you 3 antidote stories of loving one another.

Maureen and Fred renewing their wedding vows at their 50th.

The first is about a Plano boy Rex Burkhead, who has just graduated from Nebraska.  I found this article Friday in the Dallas Morning News.  Anyone know him?  The article does not say which high school he attended.

Mike & Dee renewing their vows at their 55th.

In 2011, Rex had lunch with the Hoffman family of Plano as part of his Nebraska football team’s outreach program.  Why the Hoffmans?  They have a 7 year old son, Jack, who has had brain cancer for 2 years.

Jean and John renewing their vows at their 55th.

As a result of the lunch, Rex and Jack have become buddies.  Even the parents of both families have become good friends. 3 weeks ago the Nebraska football team staged its spring intersquad game.  Little Jack, wearing Rex’s 22 on a small jersey, lined up in Rex’s position in the backfield, was handed the ball on a play, and he ran 70 yards for a touchdown.  Everyone cheered Jack and Rex’s video of Jack’s run became an Internet sensation

Curtis and Mabel renewing their vows at their 60th.

Rex Burkhead exemplifies loving one another.

This even happens in our very own community in so many ways.

For instance, I know one anonymous person who cleans houses once in a while.  One elderly family, in particular, she visits once a week.  It takes her at most an hour to clean the house.  But she always plans to stay with the couple about 3 more hours to talk with them and do little helps. 

I know, also, of a couple of women from our community who visit Rita once or twice a week to help her and especially to change her pressure sox, which she cannot do herself. 

Rosemary preparing her blessing.

This is living it out, loving one another.

Give me one way you love another.

Reference: Dallas Morning News, Sports section, Friday, April 26, 2013