George of Sylvania

Tag: abortion is healthcare

  • Bitter is the Mouth

    Bitter is the Mouth

    About six months ago, I purchased a bottle of Absinthe because, for some unknown reason, I thought it was a good idea. It had been at least a decade since I had tried it, and it did not go down very well. The wormwood in the drink, if you have never had it, leaves an incredibly bitter taste in your mouth if you don’t mix the properly. The other day, as I sat drinking my morning coffee, I was wondering what mixture of mouthwash/seltzer water/whatever I had that is now leaving this similar taste in my mouth.

    That’ll flavor combination will wake you up.

    As I am sipping this, I have been working my way through the prophet Amos in my morning quiet time. This reading of the prophet has been compounding some outlying frustration. A genocide has been broadcasting in real time, in spite of murdering journalists, in Palestine for those of us paying attention. Children, and people of all ages have been intentionally starved, and the footage of it will leave a mark. Kids, and others, have been murdered while waiting in line for water, food, etc. The intentional cruelty, and war crimes committed is an abomination.

    So reading through Amos, seeing this massacre play out in real time over the past 18 months and all of it taking place in the region the prophet is talking about has brought a new flavor to the text. For about a week, Amos 5:7 (NIV) has had its claws in me, “There are those who turn justice into bitterness and cast righteousness to the ground.” I have been meditating on this, and it has like a stick in my craw, but I couldn’t figure out why.

    There is the obvious tug at what Amos is saying on face value, but I decided to check out the Apostolic Polyglot, an interlinear literal Greek-English of the Christian Bible. When I read it, and it made no sense, I looked to the New Oxford Annotated Bible. It is just a fancier version of the New Revised Standard Version, which reads:

    “Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood, and bring righteousness to the ground!”

    There it is, the stick in my craw.

    The verse in the New International Version was too nice for me. Bitterness can be a variety of things. I love lemons, and they can be bitter as hell. But you know what, wormwood will make almost anyone gag!

    Every time we read or see what has been happening in Palestine, Sudan, and to the Uyghurs, we should taste wormwood in our mouths.

    Every time we read about those fighting against releasing the Epstein client list, we should taste wormwood in our mouths.

    Every time we see another mass shooting in the news, we should taste wormwood in our mouths.

    Every time we see or hear reports of ICE agents snatching people off of the streets, we should taste wormwood in our mouths.

    Every time we see military personnel being mobilized against citizens, we should taste wormwood in our mouths.

    In fascism, there is no peace. There is no peace without reconciliation. There is no reconciliation without justice. There is no justice in attempting to control others. Control is void of love, and without love, God can be incredibly difficult to find.

    It may seem like nothing, but speaking about what is going on may help wake people up. Going on the record and contacting your representatives is called slow activism for a reason, but it is worth doing. If you have not tried 5 Calls yet, follow the link, and use it for good.

    Everyone has to start somewhere, and I hope the bitter taste in your mouth that the Trump administration has helped bring about in the past eight months spurs you into action.

    Grace and peace.

  • Prayer Service Reflection

    Prayer Service Reflection

    Jesus said to his disciples, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you– that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

    Luke 24:44-53

    Every other week, I have the privilege of leading a noon prayer service. This week I decided to use the Ascension of Jesus early, and this is what you get.

    Jesus has a way of revealing to us what is already present, but we, like the disciples at times, are unaware.  In the Sermon on the Mount, he drills down on the underlying feelings that we can harbor until they become too much and come out in various ways. Whether that is anger that turns into murder, lust that turns into adultery, or praying and giving money to the poor so we can be seen doing it. When he speaks about the kin-dom of heaven in Matthew 13:47 and speaks of it as a fishing net that is full and brought into the boat, then the bad fish are discarded. Something that makes sense when we realize that in a new heaven and earth, where love and justice reign, those who continue to choose and seek power over others would not be happy there.

    In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Sower, where the different seed falls on various terrain, and the plants that grow reflect wisdom and following his teachings, or the rejection of it. These are people that the disciples would have experienced first-hand but presented to them in a new way. We all know the Parable of the Prodigal Son where we are confronted with our own internal conflicts of being the younger son, older son, and parent in that position. However, what Jesus does here is something kind of new, but what their ancestors would have wrestled with. While God sends the power of the Holy Spirit to the disciples, that power is all around us. It is easy to forget that at the time God showed Godself to Abraham, religion was regionally based.

    When the Temple was destroyed and the ancient Israelite’s found themselves enslaved in Babylon, they believed God left the temple and went to dwell with them. When they moved back to ancient Palestine and rebuilt the temple, God went back to dwell in it. Even in parts of Christian theology when the temple curtain is ripped from top to bottom, it has been said that was when God left the temple because of Jesus’ sacrifice. The idea being, there was no barrier between God and God’s people anymore.

    But what Jesus points out in this part of Luke’s gospel, is that Jesus’s students will be sent what was promised. The power of the Holy Spirit will come to the disciples after Jesus ascends to be with God. While the delivery may look differently, Jesus is telling the disciples to expect something that has always been around them. While I cannot remember if I had read it, or was told this, but there was an idea that the burning bush Moses found himself in front of had been on fire or generations. This bush that was on fire but not consumed by fire was just sitting there for who knows how many years just waiting to be noticed, and it wasn’t until Moses came along that it was. Similar to Jacob waking up after seeing the dream of the ladder and realizing God was that place and he did not know it.

    What comes to mind when I find myself in this dichotomy is the ending of the Obi-Wan Kenobi television show from Disney+. Kenobi has just completed a mission and re-found his purpose in a new way. Through the season, Kenobi is desperately alone and calling out to his old Jedi Master, Qui-Gon Jinn for guidance. It is believed that the living force can bring those from beyond to the present. When we think the series is over, out in the desert, we see an image appear. A blueish ghost of Qui-Gon appears, and Kenobi is surprised. In his reaction to seeing his old master, the Jedi responds with, “I was always here Obi-Wan, you were just not ready to see.” It is easy to compare spirituality of today to Acts 1 and forget that the same Spirit Jesus promises his students here, is the same that is alive and well today.

    Friends, may we remember that, although some of us don’t speak in tongues, we do have the ability to awaken to the spirit around us unrealized.

    Amen

  • Darts

    You can watch the scene here

    There are few scenes from television that I can re-watch like the dart scene from Ted Lasso. I’m sure most of those reading will have seen it but if not, let me set the scene. Two men are playing darts in a crowded English pub, and there is a bet on the line. The bet is that if the former owner of the team Ted works for wins, he can pick the lineup for the rest of the season. If Ted wins, the former owner can’t come near the owners box while Rebecca (his ex-wife) owns the team.

    Ted is down in points, and needs to triple twenties and a bullseye to win the game. Before he takes his turn, he begins to speak to his opponent about how he has been underestimated by guys like him his entire life. Ted points out how those people aren’t curious, and their assumptions of him, had nothing to do with who he actually is. Ted comes to this because, curious people ask questions, they don’t make assumptions.

    It is a such a simple observation by Ted, but personally, it really packs a blow at the same time.

    The ability to be curious in a world we know is such a rare thing found in adulthood. This is why I think Ted Lasso stands out compared to other positive characters written for TV. It is also something I think tends to be lost in the Church, an observation pointed out to me by a former mentor. One of the things I had found most helpful during the major deconstruction phase of my faith were good questions. It took a little while for me to want to be curious about reconstructing my faith, but curiosity is what helped it grow.

    Reading rabbinic materials did a great job in re-cultivating the curiosity that evangelicalism killed. Knowing that there is space in faith traditions to play with the text, imagine what it was like, and disagree was such a foreign concept. Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Weinreb in his article, Korack: Two Jews, Three Opinions, writes:

    It is noteworthy in this regard that every single chapter of the work known as the Mishnah, which is the core around which the Talmud developed, contains a dispute between the rabbis on one point or another.

    With the heaviness of the world to come, and the rhetoric that will continue to ramp up (we saw last week at the capitol over bathrooms), it is good to remember that curiosity and questions belong. Not only do they belong, but it curiosity is how we grow and become humans deeper in the image of God. Only those who are afraid (toxic people, christian nationalists, homophobes, transphobes, etc.) will tell you otherwise. The way the writers of Ted Lasso nail this point home in such a disarming way lends to the longevity of the show.

    Stay curious my friends, it will only strengthen our resolve as we march forward. I needed a somewhat uplifting post because I have been stressed, worried, and even a little scared. I hope this gives you room to jump into something new to help balance the way things are going. You can’t fight fascism without remembering the beauty that exists and is worth maintaining. Try Ted Lasso if you haven’t seen it, or Gardner’s World with Monty Don, two sources that allow you to unplug and be filled for an hour.

    Barbecue sauce.

  • Super Tuesday

    I just left the line to vote. This is the first time since moving here that I had seen a line that will last more than 5 minutes.

    The picture above is one I took while dropping something off to a friend back in August. The heart your neighbor sign came from a group trying to reach out to neighbors. Their mission is, “during a year where neighborly love and values are tested through voting, we strive to bring neighbors together in love and harmony.”

    On the surface, it’s a great idea. But I, for the life of me, cannot understand how someone can put a sign like that their yard and vote for hate. Maybe in 2016 I could have understood.

    Maybe.

    But we know better now, and I’m only speaking for myself.

    To love your neighbor is to do what is best for everyone with the privilege you hold. Former Presiding Bishop Michael Curry wrote during the 2016 election:

    Go and vote.  Vote your conscience.  Your conscience informed by what it means to love your neighbor.  To participate in the process of seeking the common good.  To participate in the process of making this a better world.  However you vote, go and vote.  And do that as a follower of Jesus. 

    I would amend that to say, if you are a follower of Jesus;

    If you are someone who seeks justice, cares about the poor, widow, and orphan;

    If you strive to till the soil of this world to usher in the kin-dom of heaven;

    Do not vote for him. Lives are on the line.

    Women’s lives are on the line.

    LGBTQIA+ lives are on the line.

    People of Color lives are in the line.

    Those who rely on social security lives are on the line.

    Those who live on the margins lives are on the line.

    I support Palestinians, and she took too long to talk about Gaza in any “meaningful” way. And I’m not sure I trust the outcome. But like uncle Bernie said, “he must be defeated.”

    I can go on, and on but I’ll end it with this:

    Christ have mercy,

    Lord have mercy,

    Christ have mercy.

  • Welcome

    Welcome

    This is my personal website. The thoughts here reflect my own, and not those of my employers, unless they overlap.

    The title of the blog came from Sister Joanne Frania, a spiritual director I saw for a short time. During one of our sessions, I was lamenting about identity in ministry. During it, she blurted out, “what do you expect, you’re just George, George of Sylvania.” At some point I knew I’d restart a blog and I had found the perfect title.

    This is a space where I’ll drop ideas about religion, poetry, or whatever thing I’m writing about. Mostly religion though, as I work in a professional religious setting.

    A little about me, best I am infrequent blogger, and it’s been that way for years. It will most likely stay that way. I’m a suburban dad that lives in an affluent part of Northwest Ohio, with his family and three cats. Privilege is something I recognize and try to use mine to support others.

    Black lives matter.

    Trans lives matter.

    LGBTQIA+ support is not a negotiation.

    Abortion is healthcare.

    God loves everyone, no exceptions.

    I’m George of Sylvania and this is my dumping ground, welcome.