Epiphany

From distant lands they came
Journeying many days and nights
Guided by a star in the sky--
A special star, a sign they
Discovered through their
Astronomical studies.
Wise men: magi from
Gentile lands bearing
Treasures fit for a king.

For a King He was,
Thought not as any expected.
Not born in a palace warm,
But without even a room.
Laid for warmth amongst
The rough straw in the manger
Where the livestock fed.
Surrounded by shepherds
Rather than royal knaves.

A King like no other:
Coming to free the prisoner,
Bring justice to the oppressed,
Give sight to the blind,
And love to all who would
Have them as their Lord.
One who rules from a
Heavenly throne yet walks
Amongst the leper and whore.

What treasure can I give?
I have no gold or silver;
I lack precious incense
Or embalming oil.
And would I readily give
What I do have?
My money? My time?
My heart? My life?
These I shall try to give

To the One who alone
Is worthy of my worship;
To the one who came
To save the lost and forsaken--
People like me in need
Of a Savior, in need of
Love, in need of forgiveness.
What He has given me,
I shall return through worship.

* * * * * * *

Church was cancelled tonight because of the extreme cold in Minnesota (the Governor called off all school across the state tomorrow). Still, I wanted to be there. It's Epiphany, and I wanted to be at church for it, not at home. So I thought I'd draw and reflect upon the holy day at least.

We don't know how many magi there were. We number them three because of the gifts. The truth is there could have been more. They might not have even been all men for all we know. We don't know where they were from other than that they followed the star from the East (or the star was in the east--some translations don't make that very clear even.

Traditionally the three are given names: Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar. They are often depicted as being from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East (or Persia, India, and Arabia--do a wikipedia search if you're interested in finding out more about what the church has historically believed about the magi). It's unlikely that they were from differing continents; Matthew 2 makes it sound like they came from the same country. But if I'm going to depict the traditional three magi, I like the thought of making them from a variety of places.

They were likely the first Gentiles to come and worship the Jewish child (Jesus wasn't likely a baby nor in a stable--the text says they went to a home). This is significant. The Christ-child wasn't merely to be worshiped by His own people as many thought the Messiah should be, but by all people. Even those who maybe had no concept of the Hebrew God or the stories and laws of the Torah.

Despite all we don't know about these astronomers, we do know what they did. They came and worshiped Jesus. They brought Him gifts of significance. They knelt before Him.

These are things you and I can do. These are the actions that make us wise like them.

Subbing and Serving

I've been substitute teaching for two weeks now. It's been good to be working some again, but it's not an easy job. Older grades especially don't respect you and you just deal with a lot of hassles and issues. And maybe you get to teach. Mostly I've been subbing for paraprofessionals. It seems to be the way you get your foot in the door in larger school districts (which I have never subbed in large school districts on principle, so this is a new journey).

The paraprofessional jobs have been the most rewarding so far. They pay less (unfortunately), but they tend to give you the most interaction as you tend to spend more focused time with students. I've been in one elementary classroom a couple of times now, which was fun to return to the second time, knowing many of the kids' names when I walked in the hallway. I worked mainly with two boys whose families had come from different parts of Africa. They have some developmental issues going on and can be moody at the drop of a pin, but they're also a delight to be around. During outside recess the other day, they were mad because they couldn't play in the snow on the playground because they didn't have boots or snowpants (any kids without--and there were several who didn't come to school with them--had to just play on the sidewalk). And I have a feeling these boys might not have snowpants and boots at home--nor the available resources to get them. (If your kids outgrow their snowpants and they're still good, please see if you can pass them on to kids who can't afford them at a nearby school.)

Today I was with high schoolers and young adults (18-21) with varying developmental disabilities. I know that some of the classes are rough to be in with some, as some students have behavioral issues and outbreaks. But overall it is highly rewarding. Honestly, today was one of the happiest work settings I've been in in a long time. Most of the other staff were really courteous and friendly. And the students are fun to be around. Yes, it's work...they need to be frequently kept on task or kept from doing things they shouldn't be doing. But they are also a lot of joy. They love to affirm and be affirmed, to give high fives and laugh and joke around.

For the most part, many of these students are kids that the world would classify as "the least of these." This past Sunday our text in church was from Matthew 25, where Christ the King sits on the throne and judges the nations, separating the sheep from the goats based upon how they served "the least of these"--the hungry, naked, thirsty, imprisoned. Jesus tells the sheep that when they served, they were serving Him. The goats are told that they missed out on seeing Christ because they didn't help those who needed help.

St. Benedict tells those who lived in his monastic communities to see Christ in everyone. We are all created in God's image: the immigrant child, the mentally retarded young adult, the imprisoned drug addict, the homeless vet on the street corner.

As much as there are days when I don't want to go to a school, there are also days when being there makes it easy for me to see Jesus. For that I am thankful.

Worship Leading & Communion

Pastor Jan has been out of town visiting her new grandson, so I had the opportunity to lead worship tonight (I didn't have to preach, but that'll come in a few weeks). It was mainly just "officiating" over communion as well as saying the opening prayer, the benediction and directing a few other things. It was actually a bit intimidating to do because our church is slightly different. We all sit in a circle around the table. We don't operate with ushers. We take communion in groups around the table. We're casual, but also very ancient-oriented in our practices. So it was intimidating just because it's different than all my other worship-leading experiences. That being said, all went fairly well. I know some areas I need to focus on or do differently if I every get to lead worship again, but I didn't forget anything major.

I loved the opportunity, though (I usually do). I love communion at our church, and it was a blessing to lead it. I always love leading communion (as well as participating in it), but I love the way we do it at Abbey Way.

After the words of institution and blessing of the elements, we are invited to gather around the table in small groups (six or seven people), with children interspersed between adults ( adult-child-adult-child as we say). The bread is passed around, each person serving the next. There is something special in being given the body of Christ by a young child (especially if it is your son). There are four servers: two with wine, two with grape juice. We take our bread and dip.

Two things make it special for me: 1) the intergenerational-ness of it and 2) the community-ness of it. All are welcome at the table--children don't have to have passed any specific rites of passage. We're all at different points on our faith journey. Children have things to teach adults, just as adults have things to teach children.

Our church has a strong community feel to it as it is, but gathering around the table together makes that sense all the stronger. It's different than just sitting in pews, even though we all still take communion together in that setting. It's bonding to journey to the table and serve one another. We all come together, united as members of one body. Christ gave His body and blood for each of individually, but He also died for the collective church that we may be One in Him. Each week we come to the table. Each week we participate "in remembrance." Each week we are reminded that our sins are forgiven, that we are under the new covenant. Each week we are reminded how much God loves us. Each and every one.