John Gurney 3/8/20 John Gurney 3/8/20

Notes for the Week Second Sunday in Lent March 8 2020

Dear friends,

There is much for us to contemplate this Lent. We are not only preoccupied with our inner thoughts but with what is going on around us in the world: continued war, continued hunger, continued discord, hate and racism and now a world-wide virus that has the power to stop the world in its tracks. We are viewing the possibility of non-movement, of losing our grip on our norms, witnessing the very real power of a cell too small to see, to create immense change in the way we live our lives. One thing is certain, we are on a track to the unknown.

The change is not gently gradual, benignly allowing itself to be contained or compartmentalized in faraway places. It is unpredictable, popping up where we least expect it to appear, and, I suppose, we should be grateful that it is sending warning shots over the bow to effectively seize our attention. These warning signs are not to be ignored, and we like so many others who gather for like reasons, must re-think how it is we will conduct ourselves and our ways of being, until the danger of contamination passes. We can be sure, that when it does, many of our ways of being together will have changed completely, leaving old worship traditions behind, as newly created traditions take their place in history.

So, we keep on. After much prayer and consideration of our congregation, and thinking of how we like to conduct ourselves and our life together at St. Aidan’s, and through conversation with priest colleagues in our diocese, I am asking us to follow the practices set forth in Bishop Greg Rickel’s message to the Diocese of Olympia, This is an updated message following his words from last week.

I urge you to read it carefully, and know that we will be following much the same path as Bishop Rickel is outlining, by immediately incorporating and adhering to three important practices:

Beginning immediately, we will not be using the chalice for Holy Eucharist. The chalice will remain on the altar, holding a very small amount of wine for the priest and to remind us of the sacred significance it holds for us all.

The Sacrament will be administered in the following ways:

I will offer the wafer by dropping it into a paper cup which you will pick up as you approach the rail. I am asking you to then eat the wafer. Prior to this, I will wash and sanitize my hands.

The Lay Eucharistic Minister will come behind me, as usually, this time s/he will pour a very small amount of wine into your cup. After you have received the Sacrament, I am asking you to drop your empty paper cup into a waiting receptacle. I will then take these and dispose of them by burning.

At the time of passing the Peace, we will greet each other with love without touching, hugging, etc. It’s time to be creative!
The font will be emptied, as will all vessels holding holy water. The only time we would use the font will be for baptisms, when fresh water and cleaned vessels are used.
Hand sanitizers will be made available at each end of every pew, in the narthex and in the chancel.
All Lay Eucharistic Visitors have been directed to curtail visits until the epidemic has passed.

I urge all to curtail visits to hospitals, assisted living facilities, etc. unless absolutely necessary.

Please do not come to church for worship, meetings, events or activities, if you are unwell. If you feel you have symptoms, please seek medical attention as soon as possible to determine if you are free of the coronavirus. If you have been exposed to the virus, I ask you to alert us as soon as possible.

If you are feeling free of symptoms, come to church! We worship and pray together, we laugh and cry together, we play together, and we are used to fighting off all that would plague us!

We journey together,

Mother Esme+

Guest User 2/21/20 Guest User 2/21/20

Notes for the Week Last Sunday after the Epiphany February 23 2020

Dear friends,

You never quite know when you’ll find a little hope. Like love, they say, it comes where you find it, if you take time to look. Here is a bit of hope found on a train somewhere underneath London. This small poem of large possibility is read (or noticed) by a daily ridership of five million people. Yes. Five million. According to the London Underground information page, the trains carried 1.357 billion passengers in their 2017/18 accounting. That’s a lot of people to whom one can bring the possibility of slowing down long enough to look, listen or to smell the roses. Yet still this powerful little poem promises more. It offers nothing less than the opportunity to be known, by all things.

We all like to be known for something, even if not much. It’s not hard to be known for one’s sculpture or painting, or violin playing, or singing voice, or dancing or sports genius, or even for one’s amazing bread pudding. Yet, even for the gifted, it’s harder to be known for who you really are…..how you move and have your being. Yet, as Sorescu’s poem imparts, sometimes, we are known for things and we don’t realise it because we haven’t taken time to let what matters in life actually get to know us. To know and be known takes intention, dedication and perseverance.

As Lent approaches, we hear many good intentions about what one will or will not do for forty days. We fill ourselves up with good intentions, dedication and steel ourselves to persevere. Perhaps, the part we often forget is the part about learning to know ourselves fully and completely, as God does. We begin to enter into a need to sacrifice, in order to show God that we’re doing our part in remembering the wilderness days, the temptations and the ultimate decision to keep on keeping on toward Jerusalem, knowing full well what will happen there. But I’m pretty sure God doesn’t take much notice about how well we know about history, or how well we succeed in giving up sugar for Lent, or reading Augustine’s The City of God in its entirety, or even the Book of Isaiah, in its entirety, and understanding either of them. While any of these, or efforts like them are probably very interesting and good for us, that well-intentioned effort, probably doesn’t really earn us too many points in heaven.

Perhaps God notices closely when someone who works for the London Underground decides to offer a little bit of hope to a few million people every week after week. Even if only ten percent of the riders really read the poem and, of that ten percent, ten percent internalized it to the extent that it transformed how they live their lives, then that would get God’s attention. That’s about 250,000 people who will now take time to know and become known by all that is waiting to be mindfully noticed in the world. So, perhaps 250,000 people will begin to understand the meaning of Lent, whether they are Christians or not.

Perhaps the greatest gift we can offer to God during Lent is to be mindful of all God has created in the world, including us. While giving up things we think we “should” in order to please ourselves, maybe we should start something new in order to please God. Like walking through Creation and just by really looking at it, and allowing the time for it to teach us what it means to persevere in pursuit of beauty, grace and peace, even in the midst of ignorance, anger and neglect.

We journey together,

Mother Esme+

I shall look at the grass

Till I obtain the degree

Of Doctor of Grass.

I shall look at the clouds

Till I become a Master

Of Clouds.

I shall walk beside the smoke

Till out of shame

The smoke returns to the flame

Of its beginning.

I shall walk beside all things

Till all things

Come to know me.

(Marin Sorescu)

“By your endurance, you will gain your souls” Luke 21:19

THIS WEEK WE PRAY FOR:

– Toby, Charlotte; Lyman; Bill & Donna; Julie; Ruth; Sandy; Joyce; Nathan; Heidi C.; Michelle; Julia; Pene; Stephanie; Terry; Curtis; Marlene; Bruce; Yvette; Deacon Diana; Carroll; Rich P.; Beverly; Martin, and Laura..

“O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayers, and grant to your servants the help of your power, that their sickness may be turned into health, and our sorrow into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen.” BCP 458

We pray for the Church throughout the world and for the faithful in every place.

For +Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury, +Michael, our Presiding Bishop, +Michael, our Bishop and all who minister in Christ and for all the holy people of God. Lord graciously hear us.

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer,

We pray for the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America, The Right Revd Julio Murray Thompson - Primate of IARCA & Bishop of Panam

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer,

We pray for Calvary in Seaside – David Sweeney, Rector; Diane Higgins, Deacon and for St. Martin’s in Shady Cove – Allan Miles, Deaco

We also pray for the Bishop Search in the Diocese of Oregon

Eternal God, our times are in your hands. We trust in your providence and care for each of us and for the Diocese of Oregon. Guide us by your Holy Spirit that in all our praying, planning, discerning and decisions for the election of our new bishop that your plans unfold with grace and power through the work you have given us to do. Unify the diocese in love and strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. Amen

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Workshops coming up!

In order to continue in any of these roles,

one must attend a training.

Saturday, February 22nd

10:00 a.m. Lector Workshop

11:00 a.m. Intercessor Workshop

12:00 Noon, LEM/LEV Workshop

12:30 p.m. Prayer Partner Meeting

Tuesday, February 25th, Noon, Altar Guild Meeting

Tuesday, March 3rd, 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Acolyte Training (Non-Licensed)

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ST. AIDAN’S SHROVE TUESDAY PANCAKE SUPPER

and

MARDI GRAS TALENT SHOW!

A Fundraiser for Anam Cara events.

(Commonly known as SAACSTPSF!)

PANCAKE DINNERS WILL BE SERVED FROM 6:00PM – 7:30 PM!

WHEN: NEXT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25th

MINIMUM SUGGESTED DONATION $5.00/PLATE

We’ll be serving pncakes, eggs and sausages, applesauce, fruit, coffee and tea.

and we’re looking forward to serving you lots of carbs before Wednesday .

Then back to spinach you go!

6:00 – 7:30pm. Tuesday. Be there!

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ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICES

February 26, 2020

7:00 AM

12:00 Noon

7:00 P.M.

LENTEN PROGRAM

First Sunday in Lent: March 1, 2020

WEDNESDAYS IN LENT

How do the psalms speak to you?

Which psalms do you go to for guidance, solace,

an outlet for grief, anger or for joy?

Who wrote the psalms and why?

What is their meaning for us in our modern, fast-moving world?

A Light Upon My Path

A Study of the Psalms

You will always view the psalms a little differently after this study.

There will be four evenings for Lenten study of the Psalms.

MARCH 4, 11, 25 and April 1.

Lenten Evening Prayer 6:00 p.m.

Program 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Halfway through Lent, on Wednesday, March 18, Bishop Hanley here

Evensong with Holy Eucharist

6:30 p.m.

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THIS WEEK at St. Aidan’s

Monday – February 24th

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. “Saint Aidan’s Fire” – Open Mic [Sanctuary]

Tuesday – February 25th – SHROVE TUESDAY

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Pancake Supper and Talent Show [Murdock Hall]

Wednesday – February 26th – ASH WEDNESDAY

7:00 a.m. / noon / 7:00 p.m. Imposition of Ashes [Sanctuary]

Thursday – February 27th

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I [Sanctuary]

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. “Bible Study for Grown-Ups” – Study on the Apocrypha during Lent

Friday – February 28th

9:30 p.m. – noon. Rummage Sorting [Murdock Hall-Basement]

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Greeting Card Ministry [Likowski Hall]

1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tai Chi Class ($5/session) [Murdock Hall])

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Choir Practice [Sanctuary]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Coming Up

Wednesdays during Lent (March 4th, 11th, 25th, and April 1st)

6:00 Evening Prayer

6:30 – 7:30 Lenten Program: Light upon My Path – a study of the Psalms

Wednesday - March 18th

6:30 pm Bishop Hanley Visitation with Evensong & Holy Eucharist

John Gurney 2/13/20 John Gurney 2/13/20

Notes for the Week Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany February 16 2020

Dear friends,

Walking the dog at a park in the heart of the city, we came across this art piece someone felt called to create. It might be the first mandala* created by a young person, just starting out on a life of creating wherein all is complexity and possibility is limitless. It might be the work of an elderly person, who has seen much and has come to the conclusion that, at the end of the day, life really is very simple and deeply beautiful, if we would but look. It might have been created by two people, of any age, who are deeply in love with each other and express that love through the first blooms of Spring, or perhaps by a child, for whom there are no barriers to imagination’s call to be free.

No matter who created it, it speaks softly of magnificent human power to rise above all chaotic noise, all stretched bodies, minds and spirits yearning to feel some ease, all constant awareness of the ominous waiting to land yet again into our daily waking, and we give thanks. We give thanks to Mother Nature for her unstoppable determination to continually renew herself, regardless of our attempts to thwart her. We give thanks for all those who notice her undeterred announcement of presence, as if to remind us that we foolishly have no understanding of our own renewal, and that we have little or no knowledge of how this universe of many universes, really operates. It is one moment when our arrogance is bared for all creation to see.

We stood to admire the work for a few moments. Humbled by its simplicity hiding so much complexity. Perhaps it is just a simple arrangement some pretty blossoms, or maybe it’s a cry for us all to remember that beauty comes from the heart of one who loves all creation and all that exists within creation has at its heart, beauty. When God made humankind in God’s own image, maybe that was what God had in mind.

We journey together,

Mother Esme+

“By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God,

so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. (Hebrews 11:3

*A mandala means “circle” in Sanskrit. The circle reminds us that life is never ending and that all is connected in life. It represents the spiritual journey within each of us. It is meant to assist in moving our minds from being centered the world into a more enlightened understand of our place in the universe. The mandala offers us insight and authenticity which is ours to embrace. Like all art, our understanding is a process.

THIS WEEK WE PRAY FOR – Toby, Charlotte; Lyman; Bill & Donna; Julie; Ruth; Sandy; Joyce; Nathan; Heidi C.; Michelle; Julia; Pene; Stephanie; Terry; Curtis; Marlene; Bruce; Yvette; Deacon Diana; Carroll; Rich P.; Beverly; Martin, and Laura..

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A Connection from the Past

“I would like to introduce myself. I visited St. Aiden 53 years ago when Father Tom Murdock was the rector there. Since then Father Tom helped me in my undergraduate academic career and I have had good continuing relationships with some of the congregation there. When I left after graduation from the University of Oregon, I donated one of my paintings (my minor was fine art) to St. Aiden. Mrs. Rosene, one of my very close friends, who gave me your email address and whose mother was a member of St. Aiden, found that the painting is still hanging on the wall in a stairway at Murdock Hall. I very much appreciate that the painting has been well taken care of by the congregation!

This past August, I published an edited book entitled "Trust in Contemporary Society" through Brill Academic Publishers. Its front cover is an adapted copy of the painting hanging at St. Aiden. The book was selected as an open access book by an organization called Knowledge Unlatched (www.knowledgeunlatched.org)..

Please send my best regards to all your congregation members.

Best wishes,

Masamichi Stephen Sasaki”

(Here is Stephen’s special message, written inside the book,

to the St. Aidan’s congregation…..

“To all members of St. Aidan’s, I very much appreciate that the painting has been well taken care of by the congregation! With warmest regards, Masamichi Stephen Sasaki,

October 2019”)

· International Comparative Social Studies, Volume: 4. Editor: Masamichi Sasaki

Trust in Contemporary Society, by well-known trust researchers, deals with conceptual, theoretical and social interaction analyses, historical data on societies, national surveys or cross-national comparative studies, and methodological issues.

John Gurney 2/7/20 John Gurney 2/7/20

Notes for the Week Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany February 9 2020

Dear friends,

The ubiquitous phrase advises to “keep calm and carry on.” For Donna Watkins, it must be something like, “keep cooking and carry on.” We all have our ministries, and for some, like Donna, the call to “feed my sheep” runs deep and true. A true ministry doesn’t wait until life is perfect in order to carry it out. It exists regardless. If you call on Donna, you call on her to cook, to feed and to show up with enough food to feed six churches. She’s a cooking tour de force.

Perhaps “tour de force” is a good descriptor for all true ministries. A call to ministry, in whatever form it may be designed, is an “all in” proposition. One doesn’t respond to a call by sampling the edges of it, as if sampling the edges of a pie. One goes for it, wholly and completely. If it’s the right call, you want more. If it isn’t, you know in a heartbeat, and you move to whatever it is you are passionately called toward. Eventually, you’ll find it and you’ll know it when you do….like you know when you taste something you’ve never tasted before, and you know you just want more of it. After all, there is a ministry for everyone, and everyone has been given a particular gift in order to carry out that ministry. The problem is, we too often miss our God-given gift by practicing a ministry we’re not particular wild about or feel much passion for conducting. I know I wasn’t called to feed 200 people at a time, like Donna. I was called to do something else, and I thank God for it.

Maybe that’s the answer. When we can thank God for the gift God has given us for ministry, then we know we must be on the right track. We enter into that call and allow it to lead us to wherever the Holy Spirit deems important, necessary and in line with God’s plan for the living of our lives. At the end of the day, we need to worry less about what the world expects of us and think more about what we are compelled to be eternally thankful for.

There are as many God-given ministries as there are God’s people. Some are more obvious than others and seem easy to enter into. The problem is, sometimes we enter into them because they are there, not because we are called to them by God. The “somebody’s got to do it, so it may as well be me” phrase is almost as cliché as the “keep calm” one. We “do it” because we are called. We “do it” because we desire to do it for the benefit of God’s people. If we are compelled to do it because we know we are particularly gifted and are called to offer our gift for the good of all, then we have a ministry. If we feel resentful or put upon for being asked to offer a ministry, we can offer a constructive answer which informs about we feel we are truly called to do. If we find ourselves reaching for excuses for not offering our God-given gifts, then it is we who need to examine our own thoughtful hearts.

As we draw closer toward Lent, perhaps instead of giving up chocolate, a discipline that is as cliché as keeping calm and carrying on, we might enter into some self-examination about our ministerial priorities. Perhaps it is time to separate the call to ministry because we feel we have to do something, in order to satisfy the world, from the God-given gifts that compel us to offer ourselves in such a way, that we light up the world and our hearts, when called to “feed my sheep” even if we’re not called to cook for them.

We journey together,
Mother Esme+

John Gurney 2/1/20 John Gurney 2/1/20

Notes for the Week Presentation of Our Lord February 2 2020

Dear friends,

You know a parish is alive and well, when all who belong to it feels called to come together to support, to celebrate, to mourn and to rejoice for two straight days. Such was the life at St. Aidan’s last weekend.

A sweet farewell…..
On Saturday, almost the entire parish arrived to pay lasting respects to a beloved member of the Vidito family. We brought Angelina Marie to her final resting place and gently bathed her memory in love and remembrance.

Many of the very beautiful flowers brought to the church in honor of Angie, were left for us all to enjoy for our Sunday service, and for our Annual Meeting. Thank you, Mike and Shirley. Rest in peace, Angie.

Recognition of faithful service…..
On Sunday, our Annual Meeting was long, and I cannot imagine that there is anything left for the Vestry to tell our congregation about the state of the church! After almost an hour talking about budgets, the meeting ended on a high note, as we celebrated a lifetime of service to the church, especially to St. Aidan’s, by Byron McKinlay. Byron was our recipient of the Third Annual St. Aidan’s Service Award. Congratulations, Byron!

One of the things I love about St. Aidan’s is that, even though we all are aware we are at the beginning of, what we know will be a conservative year, everyone knows what it is to which we must pay attention, and what it is we will or will not be able to accomplish. Yet, no matter the depths of our valleys or the height of our mountains, we still walk together, still filled with love and caring for each other, still filled with hope and confidence in the future, and still faithfully following the footsteps of Christ, serving God and God’s people how and where we can.

Our congregation is called now to invite, inform, and educate people they know from other communities within which they move, about every aspect of life at St. Aidan’s: our worship, our art camp, our Celtic Festival, our rummage sale, our music and our meditation, and more. At our annual meeting, everyone present was given two St. Aidan’s cards to offer to prospective members or contributors to the life of St. Aidan’s. We are ready to tell out the good news of how powerfully God works in the world, and how the awareness of God’s presence in one’s life can change that life from struggle and hopelessness, to strengthening trust, hope and joyful anticipation of the future!

We have a story to tell, and we can make that story richer and even more compelling by working hard this year to accomplish some of our goals set before us: to build a safe harbor for children and their families, to build a labyrinth that calls to all who need to walk softly with quiet acceptance, to make our presence known by the sound of a bell, by the sound of our music, by the sound of our singing, our laughter, and by the sound of our love. My friends, it is not ours to convert the world, but it is ours to make a loud noise and be glad in it!

We journey together,
Mother Esme+

“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.
Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands,
Lift up your voice, rejoice and sing” (Psalm 98:4,5)

John Gurney 1/24/20 John Gurney 1/24/20

Notes for the Week Third Week after the Epiphany January 26 2020

Dear friends,

Throughout all of nature, one is compelled to call things order, or make order out of chaos, or create chaos, or to keep things the way they’ve always been, or to change them just for the heck of it.

Here the Great Blue Heron, obviously in charge, is quite possibly pontificating about correct use of the Columbia Slough flying rites and the rights of geese, or what to do about dogs and people and the tides. Of course, they might not be in a business meeting, they might be in church. The Great Blue looks as if he has a prayer or two tucked up in his wings. Regardless, it is clear there is much business to be discussed, whether bird or human, whether regarding one’s habitat or one’s church, or both.

Everyone needs representation. Even geese and Great Blue Herons. That’s probably why everyone showed up for the bird meeting, including the fellow on the end of the log, who even though he might well be at the wrong meeting. It looks as though someone has taken a stand to speak, perhaps because he is running for office or he’s volunteering as a delegate to the Great Goose Convention coming up at Lake Heron come Spring. After all, you get out of everything, whatever you put into it. Thank goodness someone has taken some leadership.

And now it’s our turn.

This Sunday, following our coming together in community for Holy Eucharist, we will come together in community to discuss the business of St. Aidan’s at our Annual Meeting. We will look back at what we have accomplished during the last twelve months and we’ll look forward, as we consider what it is we are to be about in the year to come. Many people hold some dread about annual meetings of any kind, thinking that it will be a confrontive or adversarial experience. Not so.

While the Annual Meeting of St. Aidan’s offers us the opportunity to take an honest look at where we are and how we are faring, it is also our opportunity to celebrate the same. I look forward to spending this time with you, hearing your thoughts, sharing our progress and our continuing vision. We will elect new leadership to the Vestry, and Delegates to convention. These are the people who will stand up to represent us all by assisting in making decisions for us in the coming months and who will represent us amid the greater body of the Church.

Some come to listen, come to speak, come to stand and be heard, and celebrate the ones who dare to take a lead. There is room for all this and more. Even if you think you could the odd duck out on the end of the log, you still belong!

We journey together,
Mother Esme+

“And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another,
and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

John Gurney 1/16/20 John Gurney 1/16/20

Notes for the Week Second Sunday after the Epiphany January 19 2020

Dear friends,
You have probably figured out by now that I’m a big Fred Buechner fan, because I often quote him sermons or occasionally in these notes. Carl Frederick Buechner is in his nineties now, after writing at least 30 books over the course of his life so far. An ordained Presbyterian priest, Buechner has won many prestigious awards for his various writings: his articles, essays and stories, his poetry, theological works and his novels. His quotes are among my favorites, and this is probably one of his most famous:
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladnessand the world’s deep hunger meet.”
The quote is used a lot in the church, especially around stewardship time, when we are called to examine our priorities around our spending habits and our faith. But I think the meaning of the quote can get easily lost as does its significance at any other time of the church year. God calls us to a place, not of obligation but to a place of deep gladness. For God’s faithful, the giving away of time and money is not a box to be checked in the name of mere duty or even kindness. It isn’t a box at all. It is a way of thinking, a direction toward self-lessness, a possibility to escape from the trap of thinking only about oneself and one’s preservation. It is a concept of giving in order to receive deep pleasure, rather than pride. It is the place we are all called to take as the people of God. It is God’s place. A place of awareness of the other and the other’s needs, beyond our own.
Those of us who come together as people of God are called to take stock of our priorities, our attitudes, our openness, our trust in God and each other. To undermine any of these is to lose our way in discipleship. We are called to give as much of ourselves as we dare, bringing our passions and gifts, our very reasons for living, and lay them before God so that we can, with God’s help, find our purpose for the life we have been given.
As we still stand perched on the edge of this new year, perhaps we can re-examine any New Year’s resolutions we might have made. What is the underlying motivation beneath them? For instance, do we want to lose weight just to look better, or to be more fit and able to do God’s work in the world? Maybe we should resolve to examine all our resolutions in order to find the ones that cannot past the test to further God’s work in the world and toss them out on their ears. Perhaps we can replace them with resolutions that will bring us joy in serving God’s people, will fill us with gladness for the opportunity to feed and fulfill bodies, minds and souls.
Where will your deep passion for God’s Kingdom lead you this year? Which is the one, meaningful resolution wherein which you may have included God? In which place, and where, will you find deep gladness in serving those who hunger for loving care and sweet survival? When called to serve, to whom will you turn, and will God be there?
We journey together,Mother Esme+
“The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you.” (Frederick Buechner)

John Gurney 12/28/19 John Gurney 12/28/19

Notes for the Week First Sunday after Christmas December 29th 2019

Dear friends.

Christmas is a time for rejoicing and celebration for the birth of Our Lord, but it is not without profundity. It was only four days after the birth of Christ that, King Herod, insane and insanely jealous of any other who might be proclaimed king, ordered all boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and under to be executed. In his warped mind, he considered that by killing all the baby boys, Jesus would be executed as well. No-one can actually prove this happened and the reliable historian at the time, Josephus, who recorded all that was going during that period, left no record of this awful event. However, since Herod was known to be impetuous, power-hungry, cruel and very capable of such an order, there is a great deal of likelihood that something like this occurred. Mary and Joseph were warned to leave Bethlehem due to this horrific massacre. They did so, however, there were many innocent young boys who lost their lives because of King Herod’s greed. Jesus was saved for the moment, but he, too, was executed as a young man, for the sake of truth in the face of political gain. Thus, on the 28th of December, the Day of the Holy Innocents is celebrated in churches around the world.

Here is a very fine piece published this morning in the New York Times. You may enjoy reading it. The Bloody Fourth Day of Christmas https://nyti.ms/3629C4c

Please pray for all those innocents around the world

who fear for their lives because of their faith

or because they are victim to violence and oppression.

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”- Matthew 2:18

John Gurney 12/22/19 John Gurney 12/22/19

Notes for the Week Fourth Sunday after Advent December 22 2019

Dear friends,

I’m not much into bumper stickers, they clutter up perfectly well-designed trunks, they mess with car paint and they try to mess with my mind. Driving behind a car that says, “I bet Jesus would be using HIS turn signals,” is a less-than-disguised imperative that the driver thinks I’m supposed to learn from and obey. Jesus gave loads of signs and signals for people to turn and obey, and pretty much everybody ignored him. Usually, I try very hard to ignore bumper stickers, because I don’t like being told what I’m supposed to think. I don’t have any interest in how someone voted in the 2004 election or what they think is funny, especially when it is clear what they think is funny is actually ignorant, rude and offensive.

During rush hour, however, one doesn’t get much choice. You get to know the back end of someone else’s vehicle pretty well when you’re creeping toward home at 10 mph and, if they planned it right, it’s very hard to avoid their bumper sticker. After forced learning about everything from how someone’s child made honors in school, or that someone’s other car is a unicorn, one does tend to tune out.

Yet, all this being said, just a few days ago, I happened to drive behind a sticker that made me smile and whose message has remained in my mind and heart long after the driver flipped the car’s signal and turned left.
This bumper sticker simply announced, “Dopeless Hope Fiend.” At first it didn’t mean much to me. But after about 30 minutes of unavoidable eye contact with the message, I began to like the person inside the car, about whom, I assume, the message referred. The sticker didn’t hold any expectation that I should conform and become a Dopeless Hope Fiend, myself. It held no imperative to the world that we should all become Dopeless Hope Fiends, but nevertheless, I decided that I was already a member of the club.

I don’t take drugs, and I don’t think too many people I spend time with take drugs, yet we all can confess to having our little cravings and vices and we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to kick the habit of eating too much of this or that, or trying to kick the habit of watching too much television instead of getting outside in the fresh air, shopping too much, or just trying to kick the habit of keeping the glass half empty instead of half full. You have to work at dropping some of your favorite vices to become truly “dopeless.” But you can hold on to a full measure of hope.

I think Jesus would say we should all become Dopeless Hope Fiends, if he saw one of those “What would Jesus do?” bumper stickers. In a world that seems to test our hope at every turn and seems to work hard to drain hope completely away in many parts of the world, we need to shore up as much hope as we can. In fact, we need to keep shoring it up to make sure we never run out of it.

As Christians, at any time of the year, but most especially in late Advent when we prepare to celebrate, anew, the Nativity of our Lord, we are all invited to become card-carrying members of the Dopeless Hope Fiends club. We are acutely aware of all things made possible again, all things made new and pure, and we can be lifted up out of our dopey complacency by all the hope we dare to keep and feel in our souls. The Hope that is soon to come among us, shines beams of Hope that reaches to every part of the planet and on into the infinite cosmos of God. And, come Christmas time, we can shore up all that hope to help us keep ahead of the world’s need to take it away up ahead.

So……yes…..I’m a Dopeless Hope Fiend. The driver of the car has no idea of the impact his bumper sticker made on this flawed, tired human crawling along in the car behind. But I give thanks for that driver for reminding me, simply, that no matter what, a true Dopeless Hope Fiend never, ever loses sight of hope.

You can be Dopey, Grumpy, Sneezy and the rest….but that’s driving in a different direction with a whole different message. So, on Dasher, on Dancer, on Prancer and Vixen, On Comet, on Cupid, On Donner and Blitzen and…..oh yes, you too, Rudolph, you little Dopeless Hope Fiend, you!

We journey together,
Mother Esme+

John Gurney 12/13/19 John Gurney 12/13/19

Notes for the Week Thrid Sunday after Advent December 15 2019

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Dear friends,
Is that a pink chasuble?
No. It’s not pink. It’s rose. We’re may be “pretty in pink,” and even “in the pink”, but on the Third Sunday after Advent, otherwise known as Gaudete Sunday, we wear rose. Gaudete is a Latin word which means “rejoice,” and purple vestments just don’t seem quite right when you are into rejoicing. That’s why we wear rose vestments, light the rose candle and, well, lighten ourselves up a bit, as we make our way through the more somber purple vestments and candles of other Advent weeks.
Gaudete Sunday can be little like an early Christmas gift to us, a fleeting glimpse into all the no-holding-back rejoicing that is to come. Like the gifts we give to our children when they just simply cannot wait one second longer for Christmas Day to arrive, and we give them the dinosaur pajamas or the fuzzy new pink slippers with the rabbit ears just to tide them over. It usually works for the children, and Gaudete Sunday can work for us, too. A little bit of rejoicing in rose never, ever hurts, even during times that seem just too grey or purple for rejoicing.
We are coming closer and closer to Christmas, and it’s tempting to have done with all the purple and go straight for the red and green. But we’re not there yet. There’s still some waiting to do, before we get to the really big gift of Christmas. There’s still time to make our paths straight for the Lord, to repent, make ourselves right and prepare ourselves for His coming. none of which is easy. So, maybe we should be glad of all the time we can get to accomplish just a little of that before Christ actually comes.
Let’s be glad for Gaudete Sunday and the chance to open the gift of joy it brings. The words of the song tell us “We need a little Christmas, right this very moment,” but maybe it’s just as wonderful to receive and embrace a little joy for now and wait patiently for Christmas, which will come in its own good time and will be well worth the wait.
We journey together,
Mother Esme+
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. (Phil.4: 4-5)

John Gurney 12/10/19 John Gurney 12/10/19

Notes for the Week Second Sunday after Advent December 8 2019

Dear friends,

The old stones. What do they know? What have they seen and what will they see long after we have left them behind? They don’t move. They haven’t moved for hundreds of years, except for the odd slippage here and there. For all the winds of change, for all the constant battering from North Sea storms and from endless hot summers and freezing winters, they still stand. Their constancy makes room for human joy or tragedy. And, as they do, they continue to wait, like Advent, unmoved by life’s vagaries. Like John the Baptist, who waited in the desert; a place just as remote, just as beautiful, just as challenging.

Like John and Advent, the old stones wait for something that is bigger than all the rest that any desert or ocean life, or life itself, could deliver. For John it was the jeering Pharisees who needed sorting out, and for the old stones, it could have been a threat to hearth and home, like the Vikings coming around a coastal spit. The old stones helped to sort them out and still the old stones wait. They silently absorb human stories, tears and laughter and help to sort them out even today, even as they wait for more. The old stones are the watchmen for all of us who wait like the Baptist, who said “God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.” (Matt: 3:9b) I think the old stones already knew that.

Some of us are faithful like the old stones. Like them, some of us are worn and weathered by the chanciness of life and by its bewildering maze of paths taken or not, yet finding ourselves still standing. Some of us newer stones, fashioned by old hands to fit into the life of the old stones, take our place with trust, to faithfully wait alongside.

We are called to be like the old stones of Advent. Seeing life come and go, looking out searchingly for what we pray will come again.

The One, for whom we wait will come in the midst of the storms, in the midst of our fires and our fears and will defend and shield the old stones who stand so faithfully to greet Him. And, when He comes, there will be joyous celebration and renewed strength to face the future, so that, like the old stones, we will wait with faith, for whatever joys or challenges are to come next.

We journey together,

Mother Esme+

“for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:9b-10)

John Gurney 11/21/19 John Gurney 11/21/19

Notes for the Week Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost September 1 2019

Dear friends,

It’s Celtic Festival time, and we’re wondering, who will be our champion caber* tosser this year! What? We don’t have a caber tosser? Then perhaps a hammer thrower? This could be you running forward, holding up an entire tree, or throwing that iron ball across campus. Just look at that elegant form. If we want to be serious about our game, we’ll have to start practicing, and soon.

Of course, we’ll have our chance to practice our new fundraiser on Saturday. Running the Tea House, the Refectory and selling Bumbleberry pies, playing music, singing and just plain talking to people, takes energy, strength and determination. As does doing booth duty. All that explaining everything about our Celtic Festival to hundreds of people (well, maybe hundreds), and helping people to make masks at the art camp booth, selling this and that, and talking about Sandy River and our plan to go green, and pointers about bees, and birds and all things that grow in creation, like people and kids who like to create. That’s really Celtic.

Celtic is more than just highland dancers or throwing things, although they add a lot of flavor. Celtic is about loving all God’s creation and all that grows in it. It’s about loving the earth, and one of God’s favorite saints, Mother Nature. It’s about God wanting us to preserve Mother Nature, to nurture Nature herself so that she can continue to nurture us. To help Nature take care of all the responsibility it takes to sustain earth and sea. And it’s about making music and art as a response to Mother Nature and all things authentic and natural. About being filled with joy and gratitude that we are a part of it all, part of Creation itself. No wonder people celebrate all things Celtic all over the Western world.
We are blessed with all of the above, here at St. Aidan’s in our little corner of God’s creation. And to celebrate, we will fill our day with beautiful music, poetry, art, dance and good food. Like these lovely people to our left. Regular little rays of sunshine, who might brighten considerably at the prospect of some shepherd’s pie, or a cup of tea.

Regardless, of how we measure success, or who comes to see us on Saturday, or what their interests might be, our Celtic Festival is our day to enjoy. We are mere infants in the Celtic Festival game, and that’s just fine. We are still learning, still growing, still finding our way. We’re on track and that’s what counts. We may not have perfected our caber tossing or our hammer throwing, but we’re getting pretty darn good at making people welcome. So, come prepared to enter in, to enjoy and have fun on our day to be together with good food and fellowship, as we continue to build for the future. The hundreds may not show up this weekend, but they are on their way.

John Gurney 11/2/19 John Gurney 11/2/19

Notes for the Week 19th Sunday after Pentecost October 20 2019

Dear friends,

Packing: the action or process of packing something. Like way too much or the wrong things. Or finally listening to “Old Red”, the luggage that has logged more miles around the world than I can count. She’s getting a little older, like me, and we would both appreciate carrying far less than in the past.

We’re off home to England to see family and friends, and most importantly to gather in Scotland for third-born Geoff’s wedding to the lovely Shasta. Once the happy couple have been well seen off on their honeymoon, we’ll all disperse to our various interests and destinations.

After a quiet, private retreat up on the Aberdeen coast, I’ll be meeting Mother Jaime+ in Durham and we’ll begin travelling together in England and Wales. Along the way, we plan to hold a little Oregon soiree for some of my English/Welsh family. So Old Red will be carrying some tightly wrapped Oregon wine, Moonstruck chocolates and a box of smoked salmon, in the midst of a few well-chosen items of clothing and the Mother-of-the-Groom dress.

It feels just about right. Packing just enough to survive well, leaving behind all that we really don’t need to carry with us. It’s the same whether we’re travelling 6,000 miles, or going up to the local store, maybe to work, or just staying home. Much of what we pack around with us is extraneous, like too many shoes. The baggage gets heavy and at some point, just too hard to carry through the day to day. Perhaps Old Red has something to teach us all.

In a world that would like to weigh us down with its war and conflict, its judgments and prejudices, its greed and insatiable demand for our souls, why not refuse to carry that kind of baggage. Why should we allow the world to force too much weight on us? And why do we allow ourselves to keep piling baggage we don’t need onto our own shoulders, like resentments, accusations, judgment? Why not travel a little lighter through life? Why not discard as much trial, tribulation and pain as one can do without? Why not simply forgive? Why not simply love? Why not be simply grateful? Even though forgiveness, gratitude and love are powerful enough to change the world, they don’t weigh much at all. In fact, when you embrace all three, the lightness of Spirit makes you feel like you’re walking on air.

Old Red stares at me, daring me to pack lightly on this trip and the Holy Spirit challenges me to travel a little lighter through life. One sock too many, and there goes the zipper. One snap judgment too many, and there goes a relationship. Ok, I get it. I’m taking these out, those out and that. I am packing only what is necessary and leaving behind all that simply feeds my ego or insecurity.

Old Red and I will be travelling lightly as we fly away, feeling free and unencumbered by too much baggage. I pray it will be the same for us when we come home.

We journey together,

Mother Esme+

‘Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body,

what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)

John Gurney 11/2/19 John Gurney 11/2/19

Notes for the Week 18th Sunday after Pentecost October 13 2019

Dear friends,

You always know when the Holy Spirit is on the scene. The Spirit just seems to follow you around so that if you turn too quickly, you literally bump into Her (or Him, depending on the Spirit’s mood and life’s circumstances.) There is no one particular path, either. The faithful heart can be moving down several varying paths, each with its own joys and sorrows, and the Spirit seems to have the capability to walk down all those paths, too, all at the same time. That’s God for you.

I think the particular path that led me to this window sign started when St. Aidan’s began looking around itself and discovered its potential to become a place to be visited by the faithful, and seekers and people who just like to be in beautiful places. It’s when we began to think about how we could maintain that beauty that we created guardians for it, the Garden Design Committee. Then we began to think about how inviting it would be for people who might like to walk quietly in contemplation, and the labyrinth began to take form in our imaginations. Our thoughts then just naturally turned to sustaining this little bit of God’s creation. Taking dominion over it, stewarding it in such a way that it would not subtract health and goodness from the earth, but rather add to it. Not only that, we thought about all God’s creatures, from the most tamed to the wild, and decided that the beauty belongs not only to us, but to all of them too. They deserve to eat the grass and drink the dew and not be poisoned. We realized, too, that they needed their own sacred space and Sophia’s Garden was created. As our awareness became more and more acute, the Spirit was still hard at work. Our paths crossed with Sandy River Watershed Council, and they decided to become part of our St. Aidan’s community. In their own way, they are supporting our efforts in caring for creation, in all its forms.

And then I saw this sign. It was speaking to the world about the need for healing and how Mother Nature understands that. The sign seemed to speak to me in a very special way, as if the Holy Spirit wanted me to pay close attention. And, even though I was in a hurry, the Spirit made me stand there and read the whole thing.

Its message and goal is phenomenal. Its mission is to heal the broken by offering up the opportunity for those in need of healing to assist in healing Mother Nature. It is a visionary and far-seeing mission and provides proof to us that there is goodness afoot in the world, despite all the bad news we hear. Whether or not they go to church or believe what we believe, or whether they know it or not, the Spirit has been at work inside the minds of Soul River Mission. To birth loving relationships between humankind and nature from souls who have known great challenge and damage, is to do the work of God, by any name.

Let this sign be for us straight from the heart of the Holy Spirit. May we, too, create opportunities for those who seek comfort from the ravages of life, and who seek to find fulfillment by contributing to all that is beautiful and filled with renewed life. It is the meaning of stewardship. It is the meaning of resurrection.

As God’s faithful servants, we embrace those who find their fulfillment in service to God’s creation in all its forms. Let us give thanks to the Holy Spirit for opening our eyes and leading us down paths which lead to our own renewed hope and possibility.

God loves us regardless, yet our loving stewardship of all that is God’s, is what God loves to receive from us. A little gratitude would be welcome, too.

We journey together,

Mother Esme+
https://www.soulriverinc.org

“The earth is the LORD'S and all that is in it, *
the world and all who dwell therein.”
Psalm 24:1

John Gurney 11/2/19 John Gurney 11/2/19

Notes for the Week St. Francis of Assisi October 6 2019

Dear friends,

This Sunday we will gather to celebrate the ones who share our lives, bring us joy and laughter, frustration and chaos, and endless unconditional love. Yes, we always celebrate our children, but there are others for whom we give great thanks. They often come with fin and fur, tooth and claw, and never outgrow this year’s clothes. Just like our children sometimes they fly and sing, sometimes they swim and like to peer at us as we approach with food. Sometimes they bound around our patience and sometimes they’re the only ones who can manage to pull us out of our doldrums and on to our feet to help us keep on keeping on.

They are sometimes easier to understand than human children, and they try their best to determine how to please us. They speak to us in the best way they know how, and we in turn, find our words are only somewhat helpful. It is our body language, our tone and our demeanor that conveys that sense of comfort they seek. Just like us, they want safety, comfort and love, with fresh water to drink and food fit to eat. They require little else other than an understanding of true acceptance and respect for who they are and what God created them to be and to do.

We give thanks to God for creating all kinds, all shapes and sizes of companions for all kinds, shapes and sizes of God’s people. We seem to find each other, or maybe the Spirit works to ensure our paths cross. No matter. If we are holding to our promise to God to be stewards of all God’s creation, we can only reap the rewards of that stewardship. It comes to us on wings, with fins or fur, and most usually on four paws.

We journey together,
Mother Esme+
And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. (Genesis 1:2)4

John Gurney 9/12/19 John Gurney 9/12/19

Notes for the Week 13th Sunday after Pentecost September 8 2019

PHOEBE 9/29/13 – 9/4/19 — PHOEBE
9/29/13 – 9/4/19

Isaiah said God would be with us no matter the depth of the rivers, the swiftness of the rivers or the heat of the fire. With God with us, we are able to face anything. (43:2) Phoebe wasn’t afraid of any of these things, so maybe she knew more about God than I realized. I’m pretty sure all dogs know about the great Creator of all things. Probably better than we humans do.

Owning a dog is a little like playing God or having the opportunity to glimpse a little of what God recognizes as pure faith and absolute trust. We are presented with these opportunities in countless ways. I know now, that I was chosen by God to give Phoebe someone to love and trust for as

long as required. I was chosen to give her someone in whom she could have complete faith. That was God’s call to me for Phoebe. Now I know how God must feel when God receives that from us.

Phoebe was chosen to enter into my life in order for me to learn the meaning of loving and welcome sacrifice. She led me down paths of beauty, curiosity and frustration, adventure and danger, sweet respite and absolute chaos. She taught me how to hold on to a brave, fearless heart, even when frightened, as well as preserving some perennial innocence, even when in danger of becoming too cynical for it.

Marginalized by society because of her fear of strangers and her conflicted understanding of friend versus foe, Phoebe ultimately came face to face with worldly demands on all non-humans for a particular way of being. The demands were too onerous for one so sweet…..and far too human.
She spent her last morning taking a stroll around the garden, continuing her work on digging a trench for the garden rake, and discovering, for the first time, that she enjoyed eating cherry tomatoes directly off the vine. I hope my last day will be spent in the same way…enjoying favorite things, taking care of business and discovering something new.

So now….run free sweet girl. Run free…..through the heavenly fields of unconditional love…through water wherever you find it, muddy or not…..through the fresh scent of acceptance and total freedom. No more need to fear.

Jesus was right when he taught us to love the downtrodden, the misunderstood and the marginalized. Over the years of my life, I have met and deeply loved many people who were deemed outcasts and sinners by society.

And one dog.

We journey together,
Mother Esme+
“Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds….”
Psalm 36:5

John Gurney 9/12/19 John Gurney 9/12/19

Notes for the Week Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 25 2019

Dear friends,

When is a pie not a pie? When it’s a galette! That is, it’s a pie with pastry that is simply folded partially over the pie contents in a rustic, dare I say, somewhat creatively Celtic way. For the sake of all things berry, we’re calling this our Bumbleberry Galette. What, you may ask, exactly is a bumbleberry and how did a pie (or galette) come by that name?

I grew up knowing about and eating Bumbleberry Pie, so naturally have spent the rest of my decades to date, claiming the pie for its English roots. In truth however, Bumbleberry pie is only indirectly English, is that it started out life in Canada. However, no matter what side of the Atlantic it is made, the recipe is pretty much the same, depending on what berries or fruits are on hand. In order to qualify as a Bumbleberry Pie, it must hold at least three kinds of berries and one might leave it at that. But to be a true Bumbleberry, one throws in whatever is left over in season: a bit of apple here, a bit of rhubarb there, the odd blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries. But absolutely no bumbleberries. Why? Because they don’t exist.

Therefore, we promise you there will be no bumbleberries in our Bumbleberry Galettes, which we’ll be serving up at the Celtic Festival. The delicious contents, however, will be comprised of at least three different kinds of berries, along with the requisite bit of this and that in the fruit department. The Celtic Festive Bumbleberry Brigade is prepared to sell you a delicious dish of delightful bumbleberries, or an entire Bumbleberry Galette for yourself to share with others.

And recall, bumble rhymes with humble….which is really what it is. A humble gathering, reflective of God’s genius, gently formed from a variety of different yet harmonious life-giving fruits designed to come together for the benefit of all. Which makes we wonder why more people haven’t heard of Bumbleberry Pie, or humble pie, or even just a little bit of humility here and selflessness there. Perhaps that’s why you don’t see Bumbleberry Pie as much anymore. Maybe people need to worry less about getting more than the biggest slice of the pie in life, and think more about simply finding a good spot, with some good people, with a good view of trees, to enjoy a good piece of Bumbleberry Pie. See you at the Celtic Festival, under the trees, perhaps with a little berry juice on our shirts, just to keep us humble.

We journey together,
Mother Esme+

John Gurney 7/17/19 John Gurney 7/17/19

Notes for the Week Sixth Sunday after Pentecost July 21 2019

Dear friends,

Now you see him, now you don’t. Amid the immensity of all that surrounds him, the lone fisherman is brought down to the perspective God must have of all we humans. Small, vulnerable, alone, and yet part of the beautiful whole, we call Creation.

For what is one without the other? How does habitat survive for any of us, without the complete participation of each and all? How do any of us manage to survive without the unending largesse of the One who created us all at the start?

When one notices a lone figure like this, one can’t help but wonder what propelled him to come to this place? Solitude? Peace? The challenge of hunter and the hunted? Food for the table and nothing more? Regardless of his motivation, he is in no hurry to move away, and is content to simply stand, gaze, and allow his mind to move from particular worldly demands only he knows, and from the rush of worldly expectation which binds us all. Perhaps his are thoughts of anticipated pleasures, thoughts of loved ones in the here and now, or in the past, or who could still be. Perhaps his is a simple determination to come back to this place more often in order to gather his thoughts peacefully, and to know that somehow the trees and the still waters will hear them, like the prayers that they are. Prayers for peace. Prayers for sanity. For direction through the confusion. For compassion, in the midst of misunderstanding. For a calm heart amid ricocheting strident rhetoric. All his prayers mingling together in a quest for peace and a little tranquility, for course correction and new direction, searching for someone to listen, in a place that is big enough to hear each prayer clearly.

Look up, fisherman. Look up for us all so that we, too, can add our prayers to yours. They are much the same. Look up, around, down and across. No matter your questions, no matter your prayers, in the place where you stand, the answers are all around you.

We journey together,

Mother Esme+

“Immortal, invisible, God only wise,

in light inaccessible, hid from our eyes…

most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,

Almighty victorious, thy great Name we praise”

Hymn #423

Walter Chalmers Smith (1824-1908)

John Gurney 7/12/19 John Gurney 7/12/19

Notes for the Week Fifth Sunday after Pentecost July 14 2019

Dear friends,

Every now and then you lose yourself. It can happen when you’re walking along the beach alone, or with family, or when you’re camping, and you lie back in your plastic lounger peering up at the dark tips of old growth that have been there long before campers were invented. You lose yourself when your everyday drops away, for just a few moments. There are no bills, no climate change, no wars, no threats, no posturing, no cruelty, no political landscape. The only landscape you find yourself in is God’s. And then, if lose yourself enough, you might actually glimpse God.

Phoebe the Dog and I were walking in a bit of wilderness, both losing ourselves in the moment, and it seemed like we saw the face of God. The very presence and essence of God was carved into this rock, immoveable, impenetrable, inscrutable, and older than time, or at least, when God made heaven and earth. Maybe the rock was put here by God, when God moved the mountains a few zillion years ago, as a reminder of God’s mighty power. Maybe the rock is a marker, letting us know that God passed by this place as God was building the universe and all that lived and had its being. Somehow, I sensed this must be true, or else why would I feel the presence of God so strongly in this place.

When Moses met God on Mount Sinai, Moses asked God if he could see his glory. God told him no, because “no one may see me and live.” Maybe Moses shouldn’t have asked. Maybe God expected Moses to see God’s glory everywhere, if Moses would only take the time to lose himself and look. Maybe it was a lesson for Moses, which is why God put Moses in the cleft of a rock and covered him, until God had gone by, so that Moses could see only God’s back. If Moses wanted to see God up front and personal, he was going to have to learn to do that for himself.

Seeing God’s face, as I did, was a good reminder of that for me. God is everywhere, all the time, and available for us to not only see, but even touch, whenever we choose to lose ourselves to the world, in order to enter into God’s space. I felt the softness covering this rockface, like an ancient beard, surrounding far seeing clefts and weathered features. How far can this GodFace see? How far back and how far into the future? I think I must come back to find God here and ask my questions. One question I’m asking right now is how many others will pass by this way, tomorrow, next year…. a million years from now, and see the face of God? Given the way the world is handling things, God only knows.

We journey together,

Mother Esme+

“Rock of ages. cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee…..”

1982 Hymnal 18th C

What Moses saw….

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This week we pray for…….

Bill & Donna; Linda; Julie; Michael R.; Ruth; Sandy; Joyce; Nathan; Heidi C.; Michelle; Pat; Angelina; Beverly; Julia; Pene; Jenn; Stephanie; Terry; Beth; Curtis; Marlene; Bruce; Mel, Yvette; Deacon Diana, and Carroll.

And we pray for our Catechumens as they prepare for renewing their Baptismal Vows on July 21st.

Leslie Hirsch, Jenny Langley, Sienna Liljenwall, LindaCarol McKinlay, and Diane Nash

A Prayer for the Bishop Search in the Diocese of Oregon

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer,

We pray for the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, The Most Revd Joel Atiwag Pachao - Prime Bishop of the Philippines

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer,

Oregon City: St. Paul. Shawn Dickerson, Rector; Portland: All Saints. Andria Skornik, Rector; Kathleen Borsch, Deacon, Portland: Ascension. Phillip Craig, Rector

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What’s the next best thing to Spring Cleaning?

Summer Cleanout!!

At last, the basement is to be addressed! We will be bringing in a dumpster on July 18th and will have it for two weekends and we will be clearing out the basement of anything that is of no further use to St. Aidan’s.

So…

If you have been storing anything that belongs to you there

that you want to keep,

please rescue it and take it home by July 12th.

If you have been storing anything that is yours, in any rooms on campus, that you want to keep,

please rescue it and take it home by July 12th.

Sticky Note Code and Process!!

Green Sticky Note or Dots: Needs to go to dumpster

Red Sticky Notes or Dots: Need to keep

Yellow Sticky Notes or Dots: Needs to go in the driveway for free giveaway

No sticky note/no dot: not applicable,

(because you took the item home for sentimental reasons and it now resides in your own basement!)

Yay!

Questions? Call Jenny Langley 503-752-7925

Or talk to LindaCarol McKinlay or Mother Esme

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ST. AIDAN’S BASKET

St. AIDAN’S COMMUNITY DINNER RETURNS THIS

THURSDAY, JULY 11TH.

YOU ARE INVITED TO BRING A FRIEND TO DINNER,

OR JUST COME YOURSELF!

5:30 Serving

(If you like, come early to help set up, or stay to clean up)

THERE WILL BE A PLATE FOR YOU!

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Saint Aidan's Green Awareness Project

is proud to present

SACRED F👡👟TPRINTS

An environmental awareness project

supported by Gresham Green Program

St. Aidan's is continuing to rise up and meet the goals towards sustainability. We have recently been audited by Gresham Green Business and by PGE electrical audit. We have a list set before us and we have no doubt we will accomplish the goal, one step at a time. Not only will we learn how to be more environmentally savvy as a community we will bring our sustainable savviness to our own homes.

UPDATES

Look out for new recycle bins and signs that

keep us updated with Gresham recycling Policies.

If you have questions or interested to learn more, contact

Beth Voss at urbanfarm2012@gmail.com

This week’s Sacred Footprints Tips:

Watch for new recycling bins coming your way

And use them!

Recycle at home, too!

Always walk with Sacred Footprints!!

Notes for the Week Fourth Sunday after Pentecost July 7 2019

Dear friends,

It all started with her. Mnemosyne. According to the Greek Myths, she captivated and inspired God Zeus and, as a result of their encounter, produced the Nine Muses. They were called “Muses” because, from birth, they seemed to be inspired by the arts, and in turn, inspired all others, including Gods like Apollo, who would play the lyre for their dancing. That’s what a Muse does, according to the dictionary. A Muse is “a person or personified force who is the source of inspiration for a creative artist.”

The Nine Muses had their specialties. To each one was accorded creative inspiration for artistic interpretation of poetry: lyrical, sacred, historical, comedic and tragic. Two Muses focused on inventing theory and practice in learning. Three worked to perfect musical sound, using the Lyre and invented musical vibrations in music. They looked to the planets and stars for their own inspiration and turned to inventing musical chords and developing languages, far too ancient for us to understand now.

Apollo introduced them to the amazing and beautiful Mount Elikonas, the site of the old Temple of Zeus. It just doesn’t get much more inspiring than that, unless you haven’t heard about the Holy Trinity. Regardless, knowing what they did, the Muses lived their lives encouraging creation, enhancing imagination and inspiring all called to love of the arts: music, dance, poetry, prose; everything that delights the senses and evokes emotional response, from pain to euphoria.

Just thinking about these daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne gets me thinking. Who or what is my muse? God? Jesus? The Holy Spirit? Aren’t they already a Divine 24/7 presence far beyond mere Muse status? Surely, God must be in charge of Muses. Since God created all, then God must cause intersections of humans and their Muses, whenever God deems it necessary to do so. Does a Muse have to be a one and only thing, or maybe assigned to a particular task we are facing, or can we be inspired by whatever Muse happens along? Phoebe the Dog could be my Muse when I need to write or think or compose anything about compassion and trust. The first flower of Spring can be a Muse, filling one’s heart with hope and a sense of personal resurrection and possibility for the world. Or maybe the setting sun, that gets everyone up out of their seats to stand and watch in wonder, each sharing unsaid knowing that Space, Time, The Universe, are all God’s, and far bigger, grander and more important than we mere mortals. That our issues and problems, our cruelties and need for power or money or status, are just things we make up on earth, and are of no consequence to God, the planets, the stars, Creation and all that is in it. Those kinds of things make no sense to Phoebe the Dog either. Muses want so much more from us, something in us that needs to be expressed and is too often held back, something that far outweighs who is the biggest and the best, something that allows us to acknowledge the beauty and power of the humble, natural and pure. Like simply planting a minute seed just to watch it grow into something breathtaking.

So, maybe when Zeus and Mnemosyne got together, they hoped, even back then in ancient Greece, that they could unleash on the world something more important than our precious human game of survival of the fittest. Perhaps they thought that, by creating Muses, they could help us all understand how much more rich life can be, if we would simply allow ourselves to be inspired by all that is beautiful, all that is Creation, all that is God’s, all the time.

Maybe each day upon waking when we say, “Lord open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise,” we could then search for our Muse to inspire us throughout our day, so that we could be just a little more creative in the way with which we spend it. Maybe, in our searching for our Muse, if we take just a moment to listen to the still, small voice that speaks from within, we will find it.

We journey together,

Mother Esme+

“He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart,

yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11

This week we pray for….

We pray for our Catechumens as they prepare for confirmation and to affirm their faith:

Leslie Hirsch, Jenny Langley, Sienna Liljenwall, LindaCarol McKinlay, and Diane Nash

A Prayer for the Bishop Search in the Diocese of Oregon

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer

We pray for the Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea - The Most Revd Allan Migi - Archbishop of Papua New Guinea

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer

Eugene: St. Thomas: Ann Gaillard, rector; Eugene: U. of O. Campus Ministry. Doug Hale, chaplain; Florence: St. Andrew: Angelito Cubillas, vicar; and Forest Grove: St. Bede: Marlene Mutchler, vicar; David Pero, deacon; Marcia Hobart, anchoress

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What’s the next best thing to Spring Cleaning?

Summer Cleanout!!

At last, the basement is to be addressed! We will be bringing in a dumpster on July 18th and will have it for two weekends and we will be clearing out the basement of anything that is of no further use to St. Aidan’s.

So…

If you have been storing anything that belongs to you there

that you want to keep,

please rescue it and take it home by July 12th.

If you have been storing anything that is yours, in any rooms on campus, that you want to keep,

please rescue it and take it home by July 12th.

Sticky Note Code and Process!!

Green Sticky Note or Dots: Needs to go to dumpster

Red Sticky Notes or Dots: Need to keep

Yellow Sticky Notes or Dots: Needs to go in the driveway for free giveaway

No sticky note/no dot: not applicable,

(because you took the item home for sentimental reasons and it now resides in your own basement!)

Yay!

Questions? Call Jenny Langley 503-752-7925

Or talk to LindaCarol McKinlay or Mother Esme

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COMMUNITY DINNER WILL NOT BE OFFERED ON JULY 4TH

DINNER WILL RETURN ON THURSDAY, JULY 11TH.

YOU ARE INVITED TO BRING A FRIEND TO DINNER,

OR JUST COME YOURSELF!

THERE WILL BE A PLATE FOR YOU!

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Announcing our new ministry at St. Aidan’s….

Saint Aidan's Green Awareness Project

is proud to present

SACRED F👡👟TPRINTS

An environmental awareness project

supported by Gresham Green Program

UPDATES

Look out for new recycle bins and signs that

keep us updated with Gresham recycling Policies.

If you have questions or interested to learn more, contact

Beth Voss at urbanfarm2012@gmail.com

This week’s Sacred Footprints Tips:

Use less paper and make less copies!

Hooray!!

We’re on the right track with our Pew Copies and weekly service inserts.

Good for you for your flexibility and desire to walk with Sacred Footprints!!

Featured Articles

https://www.earthsfriends.com/why-recycling-important/

http://www.dwswa.org/recycle-reuse-articles/

Did you know…..?

SACRED F👡👟TPRINTS

also includes

St. Aidan’s Animal Ministry?

Here’s what Sophia

(our little resident bunny)

would like you to know.)

Suggest to your grocer to stop selling mesh bags.

If you must buy a mesh bag, cut it up into little pieces before throwing it into the garbage.

Cut plastic rings, so that they can pop off a bird’s beak, before disposing rings in the garbage, and recycling milk/juice cartons in recycling.

Thank you, Sophia!

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Need a Muse?

If you are seeking inspiration for naming your next child or grandchild, animal companion your goldfish, your bird or your boat, your next epic novel or your next symphony, you might consider musing upon one of these Nine…

1. Clio: The Muse Clio discovered history and guitar. History was named Clio in the ancient years, because it refers to “kleos” the Greek word for the heroic acts. Clio was always represented with a clarion in the right arm and a book in the left hand.

2. Euterpe: Muse Euterpe discovered several musical instruments, courses and dialectic. She was always depicted holding a flute, while many instruments were always around her.

3. Thalia: Muse Thalia was the protector of comedy; she discovered comedy, geometry, architectural science and agriculture. She was also protector of Symposiums. She was always depicted holding a theatrical – comedy mask.

4. Melpomene: Opposite from Thalia, Muse Melpomene was the protector of Tragedy; she invented tragedy, rhetoric speech and Melos. She was depicted holding a tragedy mask and usually bearing a bat.

5. Terpsichore: Terpsichore was the protector of dance; she invented dances, the harp and education. She was called Terpsichore because she was enjoying and having fun with dancing ( “Terpo” in Greek refers to be amused). She was depicted wearing laurels on her head, holding a harp and dancing.

6. Erato: Muse Erato was the protector of Love and Love Poetry – as well as wedding. Her name comes from the Greek word “Eros” that refers to the feeling of falling in love. She was depicted holding a lyre and love arrows and bows.

7. Polymnia: Muse Polymnia was the protector of the divine hymns and mimic art; she invented geometry and grammar. She was depicted looking up to the Sky, holding a lyre.

8. Ourania: Muse Ourania was the protector of the celestial objects and stars; she invented astronomy. She was always depicted bearing stars, a celestial sphere and a bow compass.

9. Calliope: Muse Calliope was the superior Muse. She was accompanying kings and princes in order to impose justice and serenity. She was the protector of heroic poems and rhetoric art. According to the myth, Homer asks from Calliope to inspire him while writing Iliad and Odyssey, and, thus, Calliope is depicted holding laurels in one hand and the two Homeric poems in the other hand.

The Nine Muses have been inspiring artists since the antiquity and there countless paintings, drawings, designs, poems and statues dedicated to them. All artists of the Renaissance acknowledged their importance in artistic creation, dedicating their works to the Muses.

Today, the most famous depiction of the Muses in sculpture is in Greece, in Corfu; the Empress Sissi of Austria had their statues made for her, in order to ornament the garden of her retreat house in Corfu, the famous Achilleion.

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WEEKLY AT ST. AIDAN’S

A complete version of the calendar for St. Aidan’s campus activities

is posted below and around the campus, and on the website

Sunday

9:00 a.m. -10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist – Rite II [Sanctuary]

Wednesday

6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Evening Prayer [Sanctuary]

6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Benedictine Group/Cuthbert Community [Murdock Hall-Kitchen]

All are welcome (bring your own supper/snack)

Thursday

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist - Rite I [Sanctuary] (no services July 4th)

10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Bible Study for Grown-ups [Kitchen](No Bible Study July 4th)

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Community Suppers (Doors open at 5 p.m.) [Murdock Hall]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

COMING EVENTS at ST. AIDAN’S

July 9th, TUESDAY Church Office is Closed

July 12th, FRI: Last day to pick up items you’ve been storing in the Murdock Hall basement. “Spring “cleaning & sorting begins Saturday, the 13th.

July 14th, SUN: Second Sunday: SERRV Shop is open after church

August 7th, WED: First Wednesday: “Healthy Cooking” (SOS Free) with Rachel & Beth

4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. [Murdock Hall - Kitchen]

August 31st, SAT: St. Aidan’s CELTIC FESTIVAL (time NOW to plan baskets to raffle)

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. [All Campus]

September 1st, SUN: St. Aidan’s “Mass on the Grass” [Outdoors]

10:00 a.m. followed by Pot-Luck Coffee Hour

THIS WEEK on ST. AIDAN’S CAMPUS

July 4th, Thursday FOURTH OF JULY – Office Closed

Holy Eucharist Rite I [Sanctuary] – will resume next week

“Bible Study for Grown-Ups” [Likowski Hall – Guild Room] – will resume next week

FREE Community Dinner will resume next week

July 5th, Friday

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Tai Chi Class / $5 per session [Murdock Hall]

July 6th, Saturday

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Kingdom Harvest - Praise Team [Sanctuary]

July 7th, Sunday Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper9)

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist – Rite II [Sanctuary]

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Santa Cruz: Santa Eucaristia [Sanctuary]

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Jesus el Camino Service and Sunday School [Murdock Hall & Library]

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Kingdom Harvest Ministries [Sanctuary & Library]

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Santa Cruz: Baptism Class [Likowski Hall – Guild Room]

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Narcotics Anonymous [Murdock Hall]

July 8th, Monday

Opportunities Kitchen resumes on July15th [Murdock Hall and Kitchen]

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Music Group Sessions [Murdock Hall]

July 9th, Tuesday

– Office Closed

July 10th, Wednesday

6:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Evening Prayer [Sanctuary]

6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Benedictine Group/Cuthbert Community [Likowski Hall – Guild Room]

All are welcome (bring your own supper/snack)

July 11th, Thursday

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I [Sanctuary]

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. “Bible Study for Grown-Ups” [Likowski Hall – Guild Room]

12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Prep for Community Dinner

5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. FREE Community Dinner [served until 7 pm] – Murdock Hall

July 12th, Friday

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Kitchen Meeting [Murdock Hall and Kitchen]

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Tai Chi Class / $5 per session [Murdock Hall]

July 13th, Saturday

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Catechumenate Retreat [Likowski Hall – Guild Room, Murdock Hall, & Sanctuary]

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Kingdom Harvest - Praise Team [Sanctuary]

July 14th, Sunday Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper10)

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist – Rite II [Sanctuary]

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Santa Cruz: Santa Eucaristia [Sanctuary]

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Metro-East Convocation meeting at St. Paul’s in Oregon City]

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Jesus el Camino Service and Sunday School [Murdock Hall & Library]

4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Kingdom Harvest Ministries [Sanctuary & Library]

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Santa Cruz: Baptism Class [Likowski Hall – Guild Room]

7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Narcotics Anonymous [Murdock Hall]

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Beloved Community at St. Aidan’s Includes…

Santa Cruz/Holy Cross

The Rev. Roberto Maldonado, Vicario

Domingo/Sunday @ 11:00 a.m.

Iglesia Jesús es el Camino

Pastor Alberto Herrejon

Domingo @ 2:00 p.m.

Kingdom Harvest Ministries

Pastor J. Hilary Gbotoe, Jr.

Sunday @ 4:00 p.m

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Rev. Esme J. R. Culver

Rector

St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church

17405 NE Glisan Street

Portland, Oregon 97230

“Listen with the ear of your heart.” St. Benedict

Notes for the Week Second Sunday in Lent March 8 2020

Notes for the Week Last Sunday after the Epiphany February 23 2020

Notes for the Week Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany February 16 2020

Notes for the Week Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany February 9 2020

Notes for the Week Presentation of Our Lord February 2 2020

Notes for the Week Third Week after the Epiphany January 26 2020

Notes for the Week Second Sunday after the Epiphany January 19 2020

Notes for the Week First Sunday after Christmas December 29th 2019

Notes for the Week Fourth Sunday after Advent December 22 2019

Notes for the Week Thrid Sunday after Advent December 15 2019

Notes for the Week Second Sunday after Advent December 8 2019

Notes for the Week Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost September 1 2019

Notes for the Week 19th Sunday after Pentecost October 20 2019

Notes for the Week 18th Sunday after Pentecost October 13 2019

Notes for the Week St. Francis of Assisi October 6 2019

Notes for the Week 13th Sunday after Pentecost September 8 2019

Notes for the Week Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost August 25 2019

Notes for the Week Sixth Sunday after Pentecost July 21 2019

Notes for the Week Fifth Sunday after Pentecost July 14 2019

Notes for the Week Fourth Sunday after Pentecost July 7 2019

Services

Sunday - 10:00 am Eucharist

Thursday - 9:30 am Morning Prayer