The 911 Call Heard Around the World

Have you heard the 911 call?   Recorded live as a gunman stormed a school in Georgia on Tuesday, a calm woman took control of chaos and helped avoid another Newtown mass shooting.  

The hero of the moment is Antoinette Tuff, a bookkeeper at the Ronald E. McNair Academy. When the fully armed (packing 500 rounds of ammunition) suspect Michael Brandon Hill stormed the school, by some stroke of good fortune and God's grace it was Antoinette who talked the would-be mass murderer off the proverbial ledge.  You must listen to the call. She schooled those who would ever hope to train as hostage negotiators.  

What is so stunning is that she spoke to the shooter first and foremost as a person and not as potential murderer or mentally unstable person. She called Hill 'sir' and 'sweetie.' She confessed her own struggles. At one point she told him "I just want you to know I love you, though, OK? And I'm proud of you."  

When it was all over and no lives were lost, it was clear that Antoinette was fully aware of the danger she was in on that day. She also said "Oh Jesus" when it was finally over.  I do not know of her religious upbringing, but I have a hunch that her church and faith formation gave her the words and the courage to tell the shooter that she did not hate him.  All would be well.

We say at each baptism service that we covenant to live out our faith by "respecting the dignity of every human being."  How do we do that? The school bookkeeper from Decatur showed us the way.  Share our humanity. Do not hate. Meet suffering with compassion and look to God to deliver us from moments beyond our ability to manage alone. 

Caught between a Kindle and a Hardcover

Christ Church, Exeter

August 8, 2013

Summer Reading: Caught between a Kindle and a Hardcover

I am really trying to like my Kindle. Actually it is an older model that I gave to my wife some years ago. (She's moved on to an I-Pad). I want to like it, and I do, but I am having a hard time giving up THE BOOK.  An actual book.

For me part of the joy of reading is the process of selecting a book. I rarely like a book purchased for me at the holidays because I have been denied the all-important browsing stage part of the process. I need to browse. Read the back jacket. Or at the very least, go online and read the reviews. Plus I like feeling the paper, turning the page, and holding the book in my hand. Dinosaur I am.

So what am I reading this summer? As one always thinking about the next potential church discussion book group, I am half-way through James E. Atwood's America and Its Guns: A Theological Expose ..  30,000 people die a year from guns in America and Atwood, a Presbyterian pastor, tries to get at the why. Sobering read.

Knowing that I would be traveling this fall for a Cross of Nails conference in Germany, a parishioner recommended to me to read Stark Decency: German Prisoners of War in a New England Village by Allen V. Koop.   Stark, New Hampshire is a small town that learned a great deal about war, hospitality and humanity during the cold years near the end of World War II.  I could not help but read it in light of Guantanamo and the challenges we face as a nation today with regard to the treatment of so-called "enemy combatants."

I know I am over ambitious for my week of vacation at the end of August, but I hope to finish at least one of the three real hardcover books I just purchased. Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick (heard the author on public radio and the books sounds interesting for a history lover). Hope to get my political fix with This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America's Gilded Capital by Mark Leibovich who spills all the inside info in Washington DC. I am also eager to see what the fuss is all about with Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan.  Aslan, a Muslim, who hit the jackpot after an overly contentious interview on Fox recently takes another look at the historical Jesus, which has always fascinated me.  Who would like to read Zealot during August and pitch a book group?

Happy reading.   

Who am I to Judge?

August 1, 2013

Feast of Joseph of Arimathaea

Who am I to Judge?

The world it seems, and many Episcopalians I talk to, are swooning over Pope Francis. I wrote about his first meeting with the Archbishop of Canterbury back in June. In Brazil this past week the Pope was met by huge crowds, millions of young people from around the world, and parents thrusting their babies towards him for them to be kissed and blessed.

Perhaps his biggest splash came not on the beach in Rio but on the flight back to Rome when he gave a rare press conference to stunned reporters. The statement that received all the buzz was an answer he gave in response to a question about the presence of gay clergy in the Church. Yet, as he responded, his subject and audience seemed to be much larger than a so-called 'gay lobby' at the Vatican. When asked directly about gay and lesbian people, Pope Francis said "If they accept the Lord and have good will, who am I to judge them? They shouldn't be marginalized."

"Who am I to judge?"

My first take is this: shouldn't we expect a Pope or any Christian for that matter to be on firm and well-worn ground when he or she is simply quoting Jesus? Should not be news. But it is.

In the gospel for this coming Sunday from Luke, Jesus responds to a question about dividing a family inheritance by saying: "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?"

We know, as Jesus knew, that people do judge. We judge from our deep sense of self-doubt and insecurity that family pedigree, academic achievement, and material possessions can never paper over. We judge out of a fear that someone is looking over our shoulders and peering down into our lives and secrets. We judge out a place of self-righteousness, political correctness and misplaced superiority.  We judge from our humanity. We do not judge all the time, of course, but enough to be mindful and aware.

So I say: "You go Pope Francis!" Keep reminding us of what Jesus preached. And may Christ give you strength to be a Christian leader from whom all of us can learn and be inspired.  

  

Our Man in Havana

Christ Church, Exeter

July 18, 2013

Our Man in Havana

The phrase 'Our Man in Havana' conjures up for me images of the Cold War, Latin heat, and intrigue. Published in 1958, and later turned into a movie, Graham Greene's thriller evokes nostalgia as it offers a satirical way of looking at the world that never seems to get old.

Back in 1986 I was that imaginary man. I spent a year, mostly based out of Havana, working for the Episcopal Diocese of Cuba and attending classes at the seminary two hours away. The Episcopal Church's presence in Cuba goes back to the late 1800's when Americans began taking more of a commercial and political interest with the islands in the Caribbean. Before Fidel Castro took power, the Cuban Episcopal Church was a church of the middle class, with schools having been planted throughout the countryside by American missionaries. Though the government confiscated its schools, no churches were closed by the Revolution. Today the diocese is led by the Rt. Rev. Griselda Delgado Del Carpio, a native of Bolivia but who has lived in Cuba for over three decades.  

My son Will leaves for Cuba on Monday as a Young Adult Service Corps volunteer of the Episcopal Church. Though obviously new to Christ Church since April, you all are his official sending parish. Donations have been arriving from his supporters around the country into our parish office (thank you Lucia!) and then sent on to the Episcopal Church offices to fund his year.  

YASC is inspired in many ways by the Peace Corps.  YASCers are meant live simply, be hosted by local Episcopal dioceses, and use what skills and gifts they possess to further the work of the church.  Will will be assisting in the hosting of various groups visiting from other countries, as well as coordinating the communication of several development and building projects around the diocese.  The plan is for him to live with a clergy family (my former classmate from 1986) about two hours east of Havana, while traveling to the capital often.

This Sunday we will commission Will for his year away in the service of the church at the 9:30 service. As his father, I ask for your prayers for him - for his safety and for the possibilities of what the year can bring. You are invited to follow his journey at his website < http://pendletonyasc.blogspot.com/>  which is named, of course, 'Our YASC Man in Havana.'

I am planning a trip to Cuba in January. If you would like to join us, please do let me know.  

The Rev. Mark B. Pendleton

Rector

The Feast of Independence Day

Christ Church, Exeter

Did you know that Independence Day is considered a Major Feast day in the Episcopal Church? Many of those who had a hand in founding our nation were also one-time members of the Church of England and soon-to-be communicants of the newly named Episcopal Church.  

This is the collect for July 4.

Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Enjoy the day and may God continue to bless, protect, and inspire our nation.  

Mark

  

The Rev. Mark B. Pendleton

Rector

Make God Real

Christ Church, Exeter

June 27, 2013

Make God Real

"It could be worse!" I announced at the beginning of last night's Celebration of New Ministry.  Though warm, humid and sticky, the afternoon rain cooled down Pine Street just enough to ensure that folks would not topple over from heat stroke by sermon time.

By all accounts, it was a night to celebrate the ministry we share.  Bishop Rob gave a thoughtful, personal and inspiring message that called on all of us to make God real in this world and to love everyone... "love them all" he echoed throughout his sermon.

The musical group Surcari from Connecticut was warmly welcomed and we hope to have them back some time in the future for a Sunday morning. (For those who were asking, I do have a few of their c.d.'s in my office that can be purchased for $12.) Many thanks to the choir for reassembling for the occasion.  

I was surprised and delighted by the Latin-themed food at the reception and thank all of those who made it possible.  

So I believe last night was the last official event in your Search process. Amen. Now: forward.  

I leave you with the text of a quote that Bishop Rob mentioned last night. He framed the quote as a gift to me which I will display in my office.  

Archbishop of Canterbury (1961-1974) Michael Ramsey wrote this to a priest to be ordained:

Through the years people will thank God for you. Let your reason for their thankfulness be not just that you were a person whom they liked or loved, but because you made God real to them. Put yourself into God's hands in joy and thankfulness, and in the words of St. Peter, 'Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that God may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon God, for God cares for you.'

Blessings,

Mark

   

The Rev. Mark B. Pendleton

Rector

Canterbury goes to Rome

The Archbishop of Canterbury meets Pope Francis

One of the first things people new to the Episcopal Church are likely to ask, especially if they come from a Roman Catholic background, is what we think about the pope. Usually I launch into a mini-historical overview that begins with King Henry VIII and his daughter Queen Elizabeth I and takes us through the Colonial era in the U.S. right down to the Second Vatican Council.  Which is a round-about way for me to say that, no, the pope does not exercise authority over Anglicans/Episcopalians and that the Archbishop of Canterbury is an important figure as a spiritual leader of the world-wide Anglican Communion but he is not our version of a pope.  

Episcopalians live into the Via Media or Middle Way of our heritage and theology: we are of the catholic tradition with influences from the Protestant Reformation. Many of our new members come to our church because they are comfortable with the middle ground we create.  Clearly we have many former Roman Catholics in our pews.

So I do pay attention to when any Archbishop of Canterbury travels to Rome.  Their meeting happened on June 14. The former oil executive turned priest and then archbishop Justin Welby met with the Argentina-born Jesuit priest turned pope. Both men made all of the right public statements that Christian leaders should make for the good of the universal church.   Pope Francis has already in his brief pontificate shed increased light on the need to alleviate poverty and minister to the poor: he has chosen not to live in the palatial papal residence in favor of more modest lodging.   The two men also agreed on the need for Christians to act as peacemakers around the world, which they acknowledged could only be done if Christians "live and work together in harmony," the pope said. "I pray that the nearness of our two inaugurations may serve the reconciliation of the world and the Church," Archbishop Welby said.

Both the archbishop and the pope acknowledged that differences between Roman Catholics and Anglicans have caused pain in the past and would present challenges in the future. But the archbishop said that a firm foundation of friendship "will enable us to be hopeful in speaking to one another about those differences."

I'm glad the ABC and Pope met. May Christians everywhere remember that we share more in common than what may appear to separate us. We need to work together and know one another. Closer to home, may we continue to work with ecumenical partners on the Seacoast to make our corner of God's earth resemble the kind of world that God desires for us.  

Blessings,

Mark

  

The Rev. Mark B. Pendleton

Rector