A Farewell From Charis

A Heartfelt Farewell & Thanks

To all who love Echoes,

 Charis here. I had the honor of starting Echoes 8.5 years ago, and today I’m making the hard-to-believe official announcement that I’m stepping away from leadership in order to take a call to serve as the pastor at Burlington Lutheran Church. I’m thrilled to also announce that Emma is taking the helm - I don’t think there could be anyone more suited for leading Echoes. That’s the summary in case such a long letter is daunting to read!

 Here is a bit of my reflection regarding my experience with Echoes:

 My goodness, what an amazing 8.5 years it has been. As I write this letter I’m thinking about the early early days, even before the first official Echoes event at Bellingham Pride in 2013, to the full-on excitement of the first thought of starting a brand-new spiritual community. It started with me and my housemate, Andrea. Then we met a couple at an Easter service who were interested, and they recruited another couple. Six! We had six!

 At Pride a few other folx joined in. Then a few came from google searches. A few came as a result of the first totem pole blessing. One couple saw the banner hanging at one of our meetings. Several were word of mouth. I’ve never failed to marvel at people finding Echoes. Some stick around, some stay as long as they need the community, others have moved (those have been so painful!), and for others Echoes just wasn’t a good fit. We are unique enough that some folx just can’t quite envision this community as something they might need, and we are small enough that some can’t hide in the background. Echoes has always had, and will always have, extremely permeable boundaries - anyone is welcome to come, and welcome to exit when the time or spirit moves. Those who have been at Echoes for years are part of my very being.

 When someone hears about a church the first question is usually, “Where is your building?” That’s never been easy to answer, because we’ve been intentional about not owning property. Meetings started at my house, and then they moved to the Re Store, and then to the Whatcom Land Trust. When we were outgrowing the land trust, St Paul’s offered us free space in their auxiliary building, which was absolutely perfect - plenty of space for larger gatherings, tables for creative church, a sound system, and a kitchen. Covid changed that, of course, and our community pivoted to online, more outdoor gathering, and, more recently, meeting in the ground floor of Our Saviour’s. (I’m hoping that more gatherings can happen at the Black Drop, too!)

 A few years ago we did the hard work of coming up with a mission statement. I still think it’s awesome. "Echoes is an evolving community of faith that promotes wholeness, practices radical welcome, and fosters relationship with each other, our neighbors, and our natural home.” Honestly, it’s better than any other church mission statement I’ve read. And it’s real.

 I’ve certainly grown as a human, becoming more whole. When Echoes started I was a staunch ally of the queer community. I knew I was bi, but for a variety of reasons I didn’t come out publicly until 2017. It was so freeing that that was never going to be an issue at Echoes. This community has been safe for me, even as we were providing safety for others. I’m not sure I would’ve been able to step out as a queer pastor, likely the first in Skagit County, without Echoes.

 In 2018 I met some incredible people who became the first “staff team” of Echoes. Jory came to a few meetings, Victoria was introduced to me by a professor who had come to Bellingham so her students could go on the Easter Walk, and Emma —— we met, appropriately, as a result of a storytelling event. Having co workers who “got” the vibe and mission of Echoes changed so much for me - we were able to expand what we offered (hello creative church and wild church!), and provide different leadership. This year we have had our first intern, Torie, who considered us their best fit of any faith community in the whole region. Wow.

 Echoes is definitely the only church that has partnered with the Whatcom Land Trust for a year-long series. We’ve volunteered with scores of non-profits, we’ve blessed animals and totem poles, melded metastory with local story for Easter walks, hosted Doctober movies, marched at protests, and highlighted so many people doing amazing things. We’ve planted so many trees, and pulled up hundreds of pounds of invasive species, protecting salmon habitat all over the county. Pub Church is drawing good-sized crowds, Wild Church has expanded to other communities in our region, and Creative Church offers unique spiritual engagement found nowhere else locally (thanks to Emma!).

 I can think of at least 50 names of people who have been integral members of this community, past and present. I’m grateful for Each. And. Every. One. Of. You……Truly.

 The regional leadership of our denomination, the ELCA, has strongly, fervently supported Echoes from day one. The national leadership has, too. And they still do. My hope is that Echoes will continue to evolve and grow in ways that will continue to be instructive for the wider Church. This really is a unique Jesus-following community that has a lot to offer.

 I’m leaving so that I can work full-time as a pastor in a church that is loudly promoting inclusivity and community engagement. Burlington Lutheran is also a unique church, and I’m incredibly honored to be elected as their next pastor. I being there on Feb. 1st.

 I can envision attending Echoes occasionally, and possibly subbing in for Emma when needed. I’ll be following how y’all are doing, and all the friendships will remain active. Don’t hesitate to reach out! And let me know when you do outdoor stuff, okay?

 Some things to consider as Echoes continues to evolve:

• Giving regularly if you’re not already (even if you don’t attend Echoes); all amounts help

• Volunteering to lead things or provide behind-the-scenes support

• Tell others about Echoes; especially since many gatherings are now online

• Keep praying for this community!

 Ever grateful, and ever committed to the mission of Echoes,

Charis
burlingtonlutheranpastor@gmail.com

Stuck in Ash Wednesday: Anxiety in the face of COVID-19. What do we do?

by Charis Weathers

Some parts of the world have been hit HARD by epidemics in my lifetime. But not here, not in the North America. Most of my generation and younger have never faced anything like the coronavirus. Nothing that would cause mass isolation for weeks at a time, possibly months at a time, with everyone needing to play their part in order for this virus to be subdued and decrease the hospital crush that we know is coming.

“That we know is coming.” As of today, here in Washington state we’ve had fifty deaths, half of the total for US casualties. Many families already know the grief and loss. Almost a 1000 people in Washington are already in the midst of a desperate war in their body to fight off this cure-less invasion - and these are only the confirmed cases.

Anxiety has settled in, to varying degrees. It’s remarkable that this is happening during Lent, a season that starts with Ash Wednesday during which we remind ourselves that “we are dust and to dust we shall return.” This is typically a very wise annual ritual in that we have the opportunity to reflect on our lives, how we’re living, and the fact that it’ll all end one day. We give this one day in the church. But in COVID-19 it’s like we are stuck in Ash Wednesday.

Every day we are faced with the uncertainty of disease - will we get it, or possibly worse, will we pass it on to others who can’t survive it? How bad will it get? Will the possible worst case scenario of over a million deaths in the US alone come true? Will our economy collapse entirely? Is there anything we can hold on to as a surety right now?

With this rise in anxiety comes a rise in collective stress. This increase in stress for everyone means, for me, that I have a shorter fuse, have a hard time moving on things, and just don’t feel like I’m okay.

Because it helps me to feel like I have some sort of control when I know more facts, and because it seems vital to talk about how we’re all feeling, yesterday Echoes hosted an online panel discussion with two experts - one a medical doctor, and one a behavioral health consultant. We needed to postpone our regularly scheduled ‘hamster church guest because he was going to play the harp, and we really want to experience that in person. So in the midst of trying to offer something helpful into the world we hosted this panel. We couldn’t meet together, but we could bring some wisdom to a group larger than our own. That felt good.

Some of the content, though, certainly didn’t feel good. The reiteration that there is no cure, that we’ve gone beyond the point of being able to stop this thing, that we’re all in a constant state of worry - these weren’t fun to hear, but they are also super important to hear right now as we all need to do our parts to suppress the spread of COVID-19.

“we all need to do our parts”

What was also good to hear, however, is the reminder that we need to remind ourselves that because we are in a state of stress we need to take extra measures to be compassionate - with others and with ourselves. This can be hard in normal times, and these times are certainly not normal. There is also the potential that we could see more clearly that we are all actually connected to one another. Can we use this time to re-learn how to work together instead of against each other? It’ll take a lot of us practicing this to make it stick on a larger scale, and frankly, not many individuals are good at it to begin with. So there’s work to do, even in the midst of social distancing.

Below is a video of last night’s zoom call. Dr Jennie McLaurin and Josh Whaley demonstrated a generosity of time that I hope we can all practice in some form or fashion. This conversation contains helpful tips and important medical facts about COVID-19. Feel free to give it a watch when you’re in social distancing mode. Maybe it can actually help bring us together.

Even though we are stuck in Ash Wednesday, the hope that rises from death, Easter, is coming. Let’s hasten that hope and new life, shall we?

What we need to admit about Thanksgiving

Today is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate meaningful relationships, share delicious food with one another, and express all the gratitudes. 

It’s also a day that we can recognize that the history around Thanksgiving in the US has been told incorrectly. The real story is quite dark, and, as you might guess, involves murder and the pursuit of wealth. Oh, America.

This video is worth watching today. Please do. It’s also worth finding out what Native American land you’re on today and acknowledging that when you say thanks at your meal.

A few years ago an article in the NY Times highlighted inaccuracies in our traditional thanksgiving story. (If you can’t access it, message us and we’ll send you the text.) 

A few excerpts:

And Plymouth, Mr. Loewen noted, was already a village with clear fields and a spring when the Pilgrims found it. “A lovely place to settle,” he said. “Why was it available? Because every single native person who had been living there was a corpse.” Plagues had wiped them out.

It’s been taught that the Pilgrims came because they were seeking religious freedom, but that’s not entirely true, Mr. Loewen said.

The Pilgrims had religious freedom in Holland, where they first arrived in the early 17th century. Like those who settled Jamestown, Va., in 1607, the Pilgrims came to North America to make money, Mr. Loewen said.

“They were also coming here in order to establish a religious theocracy, which they did,” he said. “That’s not exactly the same as coming here for religious freedom. It’s kind of coming here against religious freedom.”

And the translator Squanto? 
He was captured by the English in 1614 and later sold into slavery in Spain, Ms. Sheehan said. He spent several years in England, where he learned English. He returned to New England in 1619, only to find his entire Patuxet tribe dead from smallpox. He met the Pilgrims in March 1621.
**

And this is why we need to remember correctly. Our history affects today, how we live, how we act. Colonial oppression is big and strong when we think we are the heroes, the friendly neighbors, the patrons of betterment. Let’s change that, yes?

I’ve appreciated reading this Thanksgiving Address at the dinner table:

The Thanksgiving Address (the Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen) is the central prayer and invocation for the Haudenosaunee (also known as the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations — Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora). It reflects their relationship of giving thanks for life and the world around them. The Haudenosaunee open and close every social and religious meeting with the Thanksgiving Address.

It is also said as a daily sunrise prayer and is an ancient message of peace and appreciation of Mother Earth and her inhabitants. The children learn that, according to Native American tradition, people everywhere are embraced as family. Our diversity, like all wonders of Nature, is truly a gift for which we are thankful.

When one recites, the Thanksgiving Address the Natural World is thanked, and in thanking each life- sustaining force, one becomes spiritually tied to each of the forces of the Natural and Spiritual World. The Thanksgiving Address teaches mutual respect, conservation, love, generosity, and the responsibility to understand that what is done to one part of the Web of Life, we do to ourselves)

Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address

Greetings to the Natural World

The People

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as people.

Now our minds are one.

The Earth Mother

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Waters

We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms-waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of Water.

Now our minds are one.

The Fish

We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Plants

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.

Now our minds are one.

The Food Plants

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and send them a greeting of thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Medicine Herbs

Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning, they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.

Now our minds are one.

The Animals

We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have

many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.

Now our minds are one.

The Trees

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life.

Now our minds are one.

The Birds

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds-from the smallest to the largest-we send our joyful greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Four Winds

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. From the four

directions, they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.

Now our minds are one.

The Thunderers

Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We are thankful that they keep those evil things made by Okwiseres underground. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.

Now our minds are one.

The Sun

We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.

Now our minds are one.

Grandmother Moon

We put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.

Now our minds are one.

The Stars

We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to the Stars.

Now our minds are one.

The Enlightened Teachers

We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring teachers.

Now our minds are one.

The Creator

Now we turn our thoughts to the creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

Now our minds are one.

Closing Words

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our

intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

Now our minds are one.

The power of storytelling....even adventure stories!

Photo by Charis Weathers

Boldy Went is a storytelling organization that has been traveling the PNW for the past few years, hosting events where locals can tell their adventure stories. Ordinary people get to share their stories, whether they are life-or-death, or life-changing, or memorable for a mishap or a new courage. Stories are a max of ten minutes, and some are incorporated into Boldly Went’s podcast. They are seriously fun events!! Stories can connect people in powerful ways, which is why organizations like Boldly Went do what they do, and why we focus on stories so much at Echoes.

THIS WEEK, on Thursday, Nov. 14th, from 7-9pm, Boldly Went is hosting their second storytelling event in Bellingham! Tickets are $5-$15, and the sales go toward producing the podcast. Any additional contributions during their tour will go toward the Youth Experiential Training Institute, the recipient of the Great Outdoors Youth Advocacy Award from Bellingham’s own Recreation Northwest! Location is the ever-popular Boundary Bay Brewery, specifically in the Mountain Room. Get your tickets and either work on a story to tell, or support others who will share boldly.

In May, 2018, Boldly Went hosted their first-ever Bellingham-based storytelling event. It turned out to be a monumental occasion for Charis, the person who started Echoes (the funky, experimental church that hosts the blog you’re reading right now).

Charis’ side of things: (You can read Emma’s perspective here)

I’ve been an avid follower of the Moth and of other storytelling podcasts, so I was super pumped to come across the Facebook post for the Boldly Went event. Maybe I’d get to tell a story! Although I’m fairly reserved by nature, I do actually like to tell stories and observe the reactions of people listening. But would my name get chosen? I didn’t know, but I put it on my calendar, and prepared a story anyway.

The venue was the Honey Moon Cider House. A sizeable group had shown up for this inaugural event, which was super encouraging in terms of supporting storytelling, but also reduced the chances of one’s name being selected to tell a story. All of the storytellers names are put into a bag and drawn randomly. Because names are drawn on a rolling basis – a new name is drawn right after a story is told – if your name is drawn there isn’t much time to collect your nerves before you’re on.

It already takes a bit of hutzpah to add one’s name to the bag, but to be the first name drawn? That’s always more than a bit intimidating as that person will be the one to set the stage for the whole evening.

I missed the name of the first speaker. She walked to the microphone with quite a lot of poise, I thought, for someone who was just super surprised to have her name called first from of a pile of paper slips. Bellingham had never witnessed a Boldly Went event, and this person was the first-ever to share a story!

She told of a solo hike to a beautiful lake. I can’t recall many of the details, but I do remember my head snapping back when she mentioned that she was a pastor, and during this hike she was wondering about her future as a pastor. I won’t ruin the remarkable, beautiful story with spoilers (here’s the link to listen), but I will say that I sat there, supremely impressed by her storytelling skills, her courage to share her vocation with a non-churchy crowd, and dumbfounded that I didn’t know her! Who was this female pastor? Bellingham is not that big, and there aren’t that many women pastors, especially younger women pastors, so Who? Was? She? I needed to know. Meeting her became my biggest priority.

First, though, was waiting through the rest of the event to see if my name was called. It came down to the last story. I so, so wanted to share the misadventure of my friend Karyn and I canoeing on the Chattooga River, and my heart almost stopped as the LAST…name…was drawn...and…it…was….me! This particular story (listen with this link) is ridiculously funny, and it was satisfying to watch and hear the enjoyment of the crowd as they paddled along with me in this story of poor decisions, inadequate skill, and awkward professions of love from a smitten canoe seller.

The crowd was generous with their laughs, and I sat down, jittery with post-story excitement, but also aware that the event was ending, and I HAD to find that first story-teller! But where was she? I couldn’t see her, and the venue is not that big. All of a sudden it felt a little Cinderella-like – where could she have gone? I didn’t even have her name!

It turned out that someone I knew at the event was good friends with her, who I now knew was named Emma. Emma. I had to meet Emma. I wasn’t exactly sure why it felt so important other than she seemed super cool and I wanted to be friends. And then, a few months later, Echoes had a new vision of creating a collaborative structure and we needed three other pastors to help lead this church plant. Emma was the first one I thought about, and she was the first one to say yes.

So I can say without reservation that Boldly Went increases and deepens community. This is what storytelling does, and it’s why we major in stories at Echoes. From the incredibly meaningful stories we hear each month at ‘Hamster Church, to stories shared at Pub Church, to story exploration at Creative Church, to indwelling the stories of our spiritual connection with God, the created world, and each other at Indoor and Wild Church, there can’t be enough emphasis placed on the value of telling stories.

Echoes has been imminently blessed with Emma’s presence, as have I. Who would’ve known that a storytelling event could do so much? Boldly Went is hosting another one in a few weeks. Echoes even gets to be a co-host! I wonder might happen at that one? Want to put your name in the hat to share a story and see what unfolds?

 Emma’s: https://www.boldlywentadventures.com/93-on-love-and-landscape.html

Charis’: https://www.boldlywentadventures.com/86-canoe-stories.html

Blessing Our Kin, the Animals, Who Bless Us

reKINdling through the Blessing of the Animals

by Victoria Loorz

This month, we at Echoes are focusing on another RE word…rekindle, as in rekindling your love for your spouse after the kids move away.  That kind of rekindle.  But I’m intrigued by another use of rekindle.  As in re-KIN.  Become kin again.  It is a call to remember that we are already kin with all created beings, with all creatures and more-than-human-others.  But, because of centuries of (what I think is intentional) perceived separation, it is urgently important to remember that we belong in a larger family than a couple of parents and siblings.  We are intimately connected with All That Is.  

Saint Francis, whose feast happened this week and in whose name the lovely Blessing of the Animals service is dedicated, was consistent in calling all Others kin:  Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Wolf, Sister Starling.  Emma told a story this morning during Wild Church about how Francis went to talk to his brother, the Wolf when his human kinsmen wanted to go hunt down the wolf out of fear. Francis had a chat with his brother and the wolf didn’t bother the village again.  I want to talk to wolves like that.  Gathered among us this morning were a handful of humans, including Joanna Schmidt, our Bellinghamster guest for Monday night’s Hamster Church.  Among other gifts, she has developed a similar ability to talk to animals, and to listen to them.  6:30 pm Monday, Oct 7 at the Old Parish Hall.  Just a quick plug.  

Joanna and her husband brought two amazing friends whom they are foster parenting until someone comes and offers these two cuddly ladies a permanent home.  Charis offered kind and holy blessings for all the wolf descendants in attendance, and a few whose photos were shared to proffer proper blessings.  Oh, it was so lovely.  The pups also were the privileged recipients of Communion Jerky that Emma got permission from Molly to share.  The body and the blood of Christ offered to all beings.  

We began Wild Church this morning with a reminder from the Old Testament, from the Book of Job, that animals and the earth herself has wisdom to share with us…if only we’d listen:

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,

or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

or let the fish of the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know

that the hand of the LORD has done this?

In God's hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all humankind.”

(Job 12:7-10)

And an invocation I adapted from my friend, Gary Nabham, an eco-theologian, a Franciscan oblate, and a farmer who launches his Wild Church in southern Arizona this weekend:

Invocation for the Blessing of the Wild Animals

Our Creator is the Elder on the trail blessing the herds and flocks.  

Let us also bless the herds and the flocks!

Our Creator is the Shepard seeking out the lost, the rare and those at risk, 

Bringing them back to safety. 

Let us also care for the lost, the rare and those at risk!

Our Creator cares for the migrants facing perils and walls along their way.

Let us also pray for safe passage for all kinds of migrants.

Our Creator listens for the ones who have taken flight.

Let us also listen & support those in flight.

Let us now, each in our own turn, offers blessings and prayers for the wild animals

Who move through the lands and waters around us, enriching our own lives.

Let us bless the wild among us.

Let us bless the wild among us.

Bless the bald eagles and the swans and other migrating birds who move cryptically among us, crossing borders and facing perils that threaten their survival. Let our prayers travel with them.

Bless the Great Blue Heron who have been displaced from their nests by construction and extraction. Let our prayers travel with them.

Bless the chum, chinook, pink, sockeye and coho who swim through our streams, whose life journeys have been interrupted by human obstruction. Let our prayers travel with them.

Bless the deer and squirrels and raccoons, the crows, ducks, rabbits and bats, and all the creatures who adapt to human-adjusted habitat and co-exist easily with us.  Protect them from cars and poisons and may they find food and safety.  Let our prayers travel with them.

Bless the orca whose hunting grounds have been decimated by overfishing and climate changes affecting the sea.  In their struggle to survive, Let our prayers travel with them.

Bless the tree frogs who swim through our streams, whose life journeys have been interrupted by human obstruction. Let our prayers travel with them.

Bless the cougars and owls, the coyotes and bears and other predators who need to be stealth and stay hidden to survive. Let our prayers travel with them.

Bless the domestic animals on farms and in our homes.  May we be compassionate friends and care for them, as they companion with us. Let our prayers be with them.

And, as our Benediction, we heard from Father Zossima, the great priest from Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s brilliant novel, The Brothers Karamazov:

“Every blade of grass, every insect, ant, and golden bee, all so marvelously know their path; though they have not intelligence, they bear witness to the mystery of God and continually accomplish it them-selves.”

“Love all of God’s creation, the whole of it and every grain of sand. Love every leaf, every ray of God’s light! Love the animals. Love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will soon perceive the divine mystery in things. Once you perceive it, you will begin to comprehend it better every day. And you will come at last to love the whole world with an all-embracing love.”

Thank you.  What a blessing and honor to share these sacred moments with friends, human, dog, bluejay, black squirrel, and all.  

Amen.

Rebooting Lenten Practices

So. We’re halfway through Lent.

For me, that means I’m supposed to be half way through some kind of Lenten practice. Traditionally this meant a fast of some sort. I’ve fasted from sugar (not all out, mind you, or my sweet teeth would have rotted away), I’ve fasted from technology (that one didn’t go very well), I’ve fasted from negative self talk, fasted from buying new outdoor gear, and fasted from complaining.

At some point I realized that instead of removing something in my life, maybe I should add something in. So I added in Bible time, or praying, or reading great spiritual books, or getting more exercise.

And yet, I just don’t know. Several weeks ago, when Lent actually started, I saw a Facebook post with a quote from a famous person about how Lenten practices have zero gain if they don’t benefit someone else. Of course I can’t find that quote now. Dangit.

BUT, it’s what I’ve been leaning toward for several years. If this faith that we have is world-changing, if the radical love that Jesus gave to all persons is actually for all and not just a privileged few, then wouldn’t Lent be all about benefiting others?

So, yeah, great, it’s a fantastic idea to have a Lenten practice that brings goodness to others! I mean, I can cut out sugar and fast from negative self talk anytime because hey, that’s about ME. Seriously, I can start and stop this on a whim.

And yes, I could also start and stop an others-benefitting spiritual practice anytime, too. But what about now? Midway through Lent? Can’t we just start next year?

What if we could reboot Lent and say, “Hey, so I might’ve missed the Lenten boat. So what? That Lent ship returns to the dock every single day through Sat., Apr 20. It sails every day! Let’s go check it out.”

If we want to benefit others, then why would we be bothered about starting a Lenten practice halfway through Lent? It’s okay. I certainly haven’t done well with sticking with anything this Lent, and I don’t want to feel crappy about that. So how about we abandon the crappy feels and instead just feel good about doing something positive instead.

If you’re game for this, here are a few suggestions:

-       Buy no plastic (plastic is harming life everywhere)

-       Send a message of kindness every day to someone who doesn’t usually hear from you (or to a business or non-profit or politician or person that you value)

-       Donate every day to charities or churches doing good stuff

-       Offer to do favors for others and actually do them

-       Drive less; carpool, take public transit or use your own human power

-       Give away a lot of stuff that you don’t need

-       Volunteer for service projects

-       Babysit for parents/guardians who trust you (please don’t endanger the kid’s life if this isn’t your jam)

-       Highlight a social injustice every day on social media

-       Highlight a goodness every day on social media

-       Take edible treats to your neighbors (again, please don’t endanger your neighbor’s lives is this isn’t your jam)

-       Write postcards to politicians asking them to work toward common good

-       Stand on a corner and hold a sign that says something awesome and life-giving

-       Address bullying

-       Start a fundraiser for something important and work on it every day

-       Use less water

-       Buy local

There’s an infinite number of ways that we can benefit others.

If it’s the ONLY spiritual practice that we do, it’s still well worth it. 

Lent on.

by Charis Weathers

The one and only 'Hamster Church begins

by Charis Weathers

At the beginning of 2019 Echoes entered into a new phase: collaborative leadership. We now have a team of four who are working together to set some direction for Echoes, in hopes of greater community engagement and offering more ways for the “church” to be accessible.

Jory has started a weekly text study, both Jory and Emma will be leading Creative Church, Emma will be starting a weekly offering of Pub Church in March, and Victoria just started a monthly Church of the Wild that we’re calling Outdoor Church. It is So. Freaking. Exciting.

The one thing I’ve wanted to do for quite a long time is to start a monthly public dialogue series. A few years ago the Whatcom Land Trust invited Echoes into a partnership. We teamed up to interview local spiritual leaders asking the question, “How does your faith (or non-faith) lead you toward conservation?”

This “Faith & Nature” series had such a wonderful line-up! A Rabbi-in-training, a former Catholic priest who was Hindu by birth, a Unitarian Universalist, a Zen Buddhist, an Atheist, an Evangelical Christian, a yogi, a Lummi elder, a Muslim. It was rich, meaningful, and thought-provoking. We had the opportunity to dialogue about perspectives and ideas that were new to many of us in attendance, we became acquainted with a greater spectrum of people who reside here in the ‘ham. These gatherings helped to promote understanding, compassion, and forged new relationships. For me, it was the embodiment of church.

Public dialogue provides opportunity for getting to know people on a deeper level, developing new connections (relational, mental, psycho-spiritual), learning about amazing things going on in Bellingham, creating greater compassion and building synergy. Listening in on a meaningful conversation can be world-expanding. This particular endeavor is sort of like internet phenomenon Humans of New York meets the On Being podcast - pure magic. Our dialogue partners will be people who are connected to Bellingham in some way. They will share some of their life story that relates to living here, and how they are getting along in/contributing to/challenging the ‘ham. They might be business owners, be from a marginalized people group, be in politics, be caretakers, be innovators, be dreamers, be activists….they might be….you.

This is my hope for ‘hamster church. If you have a suggestion for a dialogue partner, do please contact us.

We’re working toward making a podcast to develop from this series as it can create additional reach and impact. Consider contributing to this endeavor - a little goes a long way.

Our first ‘hamster church is THIS Monday at 6:30pm at the Whatcom Land Trust. Our special guest is Natalie Whitman. It’s going to be awesome. All are welcome; do join us.

Gratitude, Liberation, and Thanksgiving

Photo by Ethan Weil on Unsplash

An aboriginal woman from central Queensland, Australia, Lilla Watson, and her aboriginal collective, have been credited with the saying,

“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

At a local pub on Monday night members from Echoes and another church engaged in conversation about gratitude. One of the tougher things to recognize about gratitude (especially at Thanksgiving time) is that it can come as a result of the oppression of others. Thanksgiving is understandably a day of mourning for many, many Native American persons living in what is called the USA. I’m thankful for a roof over my head, a job, an education, food on the table, security….all things that have come as an after-effect of the genocide of approx 90% of all Native Americans who lived in the US. The survivors of this genocide continue to live in marked oppression.

What do I do with my gratitude when it comes at the expense of others?

The fellow pastor who was co-facilitating this pub conversation, Emma Donohew, told us about a book titled, “Grateful,” by Diana Butler Bass. The author says that it is short-changing gratitude to always look at it as something that we feel by looking backwards – we are grateful for things that have happened in the past. Instead, our gratitude needs to be in a future tense as well.

Our conversation group struggled with this. How does one move gratitude into the future?

I think part of the answer is embodying the notion that our liberation is truly bound together. I can’t be truly free to experience the good things in my life when they are withheld from others. Humanity, and all life on this planet are interconnected. For you and I to be free, all need to be free.

And it won’t be the colonials who set the oppressed free. It HAS to be us – all of us - working together, sharing power, listening, acting, humanizing….and sharing in a common liberation.

Earth Day & Good Shepherd Sunday: why have we not seen these two together?

(This message was offered by Charis Weathers at Echoes on April 16, 2018, and St John's Lutheran on April 22, 2018)

Today is what is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The three passages we have work together really well in a shepherd-y way. In Psalm 23 and in the John 10 passage God is called a shepherd.

- In Psalm 23 we read “God is my shepherd…”, [1]

Photo by joseph d'mello on Unsplash

- In John 10:11-18 Jesus says that he is a good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep.[2]

- The 1 John:3:16-24 passage uses the exact same words that Jesus’ uses by saying that followers of Jesus ought to lay their lives down for one another.[3]

So these three texts are very well connected – two passages describe God as shepherd, and the third recommends that God’s followers to imitate the shepherd’s call by laying down one’s life down for others, which reveals a strong love for others.

Today is also Earth Day. It seems to me that there is some great connection with these two observances.

When I got to digging around, though, I found a disappointing lack of available material that ties together shepherding with stewardship of the planet. In looking up environmentalism and “Good Shepherd” most of the few articles I could find were distressing.  They bashed efforts by Christians to advocate for the environment, and referred to this parable in ways that I had not considered.

A few suggested that ownership was the key to saving the planet. Because the Good Shepherd protects his stuff while the hired hand runs away, then the answer to protecting the earth is for more people to own pieces of the earth. Essentially, for these authors, this parable highlights a free market environmentalism, supporting capitalism and consumerism.[4] James Watt, Secretary of the Interior in the Reagan administration, was quoted in another, “The earth was put here by the Lord for His people to subdue and to use for profitable purposes on the way to the hereafter.”[5]

So this Good Shepherd passage has been used in some odd ways that I had not considered before. And these are not articles from kooky fundamentalist websites. They are sites that are primarily reporting on policy, investigating non-profits, and even in the Case Western Reserve Law Review.

Truth be told, there are probably a whole lotta people in the world who will think that the connections that I see so clearly between Good Shepherd Sunday and Earth Day are very strange indeed as well. Feel free to keep that in mind.

It’s very interesting that the early church very, very frequently used depictions of Jesus as a shepherd in art. He is depicted in simple clothing (a white tunic, usually), with a staff, amidst some sheep. It was super common.

Christianity became the religion of the Roman Empire in the year 380 CE. Soon after, these shepherd images began to give way to depictions of Jesus as a teacher, or as a King, in a more royal setting. Christianity had become the religion of the Empire, and it was now on top.  No longer did they need a humble, protective Savior who could identify with the meager and offer protection for the vulnerable, a caring shepherd over the religion of the oppressed. Instead, artists showed a Jesus who looked fit to be a king.

Boniface Ramsey writes in the Harvard Theological Review,

Good Shepherd mosaic in the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna

 “…the early fifth-century mosaic of the Good Shepherd in the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna, which is the last of its kind, does not at all picture a Good Shepherd in the traditional sense. In his gold tunic, sewn with blue bands, and with a purple mantle draped over one shoulder, Christ has become a royal or imperial personage: he is the king of his sheep, rather than their shepherd.”[6]

While we don’t particularly understand how the early church interpreted the image of Jesus as a shepherd, and it’s too simplistic to say it was ONLY due to the rise of the power of Christianity, it is telling that this representation fell out of fashion. Jesus wasn’t needed as a shepherd anymore. People weren’t being martyred or jailed or pushed to the margins for their faith. The Christian religion was on top, and it became beneficial to profess faith in Christ – you’d never gain traction politically if you didn’t swear allegiance to the church.

This power motif bleeds into a lot of our faith.

I don’t want to bash Christianity today, and yet we need to be honest that the sense of Lordship extended into the assumed right of humans to dominate the rest of the planet.

Genesis speaks of our need to care for the rest of life on this planet, and yet it became all too predictable to interpret the beginning Genesis passage as humanity’s God-given right to “have dominion” over the earth. The earlier statement by James Watt clearly illustrates this, “The earth was put here by the Lord for His people to subdue and to use for profitable purposes on the way to the hereafter.”

It’s almost like this shift from shepherd to king parallels the movement of Christians who ignored the original role of Adam and Eve as gardeners carefully tending a plot of land, and instead opted for the “Lord over” motif by running with the dominion theme. The thought that “God placed humans over this creation, so let’s beat it into submission and get as much out of it as possible for our own pleasure and gain,” is a sad legacy of a lot of Christendom.

Add to that the belief that we are only on this planet until Jesus comes back so we can deplete it as much as we want, and it’s a recipe for disaster.

This posture tosses aside Jesus as a shepherd.

But what, exactly, is being tossed out? What does it mean to be a shepherd, and what is lost by moving toward this king-ship, or dominion model?

Photo by Charis Weathers; photo taken by permission

Shepherds watch, guard, guide, protect, feed, shear, nurture, and LOVE the sheep. A shepherd cares for and works on behalf of their flock. Sheep don’t typically do well on their own, so it’s up to shepherds to make sure they thrive.

As the John 10 passage says, the shepherd lays down their very life for the sheep.

In our discussion about this in Echoes someone asked, “But isn’t this the same thing as being concerned for what you own? The shepherd is going to risk their life because it’s their livelihood.”

This is true.

The hired hand does the same bullet points as the shepherd, so maybe it does come down to ownership and this parable is really teaching us that capitalistic consumerism is the way to save our planet.

But no, that can’t be right.

Ownership certainly does NOT necessarily equate compassionate caretaking – look at mountain top removal mining, or deforestation, or aggressive fracking, or drilling for oil in fragile backcountry. Many of these locations are owned and yet the owners could care less about how their caretaking affects the well-being of the landscape or the wildlife.

However, if it was in the owner’s backyard – well, then you’d have something different.

There’s a reason why the Dakota Access Pipeline was slated to go through the Standing Rock Sioux Indian reservation instead of the original plan of Bismarck. There’s a reason Flint, MI, has been subjected to lethal water. These are people who are “over there,” and don’t have as much voice or power.  Owners and caretakers in these cases and many others don’t have a vested interest in the well-being of the life that is on or adjacent to what they own, when what they own can be reaped for profit.

So what’s the difference here between a profit-driven owner and shepherd?

I’m not entirely sure.

But I *think* it has something to do with an understanding of the inter-connectedness of life.

Yes, the shepherd makes a living from the wool, and maybe the milk, and maybe even the meat of the flock. Yes, there is self-interest. But there is also some kind of mutuality – the shepherd relies on the sheep for money for food and a home, and the sheep rely on the shepherd for food and a home. The shepherd knows that they are intricately connected with the sheep – their well-being is bound up together.

And it goes beyond this: the well-being of the land and the well-being of the water sources is vital for the health of the sheep and the shepherd. The well-being of the water table or the mountains is vital for the water.

Alessandro Galantucci, flickr creative commons

And it goes on and on. Ask a permaculture farmer what they do, how and why they do it, and you’ll be aghast at how all of life is so interdependent.

A loving shepherd probably has a sense of this. In order for the whole thing to keep going, the shepherd has to do their part, even if that part means laying down their life for their flock. It’s all-in commitment, all-in community with a bunch of smelly, stubborn, and dim-witted creatures that directly provide life and sustenance to others through wool, and milk.

We are interconnected to all of life on this planet. Maybe even in this galaxy and universe. My well-being is bound up with the well-being of all the other life.

This is the basis for racial justice, for peace, for sustainable progress.

And yes, for Earth Day.

We ARE called to be shepherds. 1 John uses the exact same language as John 10, “Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”

And it is love that brings us here:

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 

23 And this is God’s commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as we have been commanded.

Love is not word or speech (or, “thoughts and prayers”), like this sermon. Instead, love is truth and action, and yes, laying down our lives for the sake of other life.

In this week’s clergy discussion group for the texts of the week someone said essentially, “we KNOW what we need to do in regard to being better stewards of this earth, and if I’m not doing it, then who am I to tell others what we already know to do and collectively aren’t doing?”

Well, because following Jesus sometimes isn’t easy. Just because we’re not doing something now doesn’t mean we don’t’ change.

Reducing our carbon emissions WILL require inconveniences and even hardships on our part.

It WILL mean using less fossil fuels.

It might very well mean giving money to alternative energy projects.

It might mean volunteering to collect signatures to get policies like ground-breaking initiative 1631 on the ballot for November.

Jason Karn, flickr, creative commons

It might mean imparting severe restrictions on plastic in your home, or committing to ecological restoration projects, or never buying another [“insert very strong expletive”] plastic bottle of water ever again, or getting a bus pass, or not flying, or learning to ride a bike in the rain, or joining the political sphere to advocate for better policies that will have a substantial effect on the health of our land, our flora and fauna, and our world.

We can’t just focus on our own little slice of life here in whatever home you have, in whatever neighborhood you live in. We NEED to focus on that, believe me, we do, but this mandate to lay our lives down for one another goes as far as making significant enough changes and personal hardships so that the non-westernized, non-industrialized people on low-lying islands aren’t consumed by rising tides, so that the plastic and acidification in our oceans that is killing them, KILLING them, is slowed and eventually reversed,

When we see that we are shepherds, when we see that we are intricately bound up with all life on this planet, when we see that we have agency and power in the current and future well-being of other life on this earth, then maybe we can begin to understand and to move toward laying down our lives for one another.

Laying our lives down for the life with which we are intricately bound. Which means laying our lives down for ALL life.

For all the keystone species across the world, like salmon and eel grass is here, like all the trees that keep us breathing, and the soil and water that keeps them growing, like the species on the verge of extinction, like refugees who are displaced due to severe weather events. Our actions here, from day to day, and year to year, has an affect on life near and far.

How will we use this life to do what we are called to do, to love one another?

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. It’s also Earth Day.

We have power, we have agency, and WE HAVE the Good Shepherd who has endless love, and endless compassion, and who gives of these unceasingly.

May we know this love. May we live it.

‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down their life for the sheep. 

Amen.

[1] 1 John 3:16-24   We know love by this, that Jesus laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a sibling in need and yet refuses help?

18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and God knows everything. 21Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22and we receive from God whatever we ask, because we obey the commandments and do what pleases God.

23 And this is God’s commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as we have been commanded.24All who obey the commandments abide in God, and God abides in them. And by this we know that God abides in us, by the Spirit that has been given to us.

[2] John 10:11-18  ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down their life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as God in heaven knows me and I know God. And I lay down my life for the sheep.16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason God loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from God.’

[3] Psalm 23  A Psalm of David.
1 God is my shepherd, I shall not want.  2 I have the freedom to lie down in green pastures; I am guided to still waters; 3 my soul is restored.
For God’s own sake am I led on right paths. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of God my whole life long.

[4] https://cei.org/content/environmental-protection-there-better-way, https://capitalresearch.org/article/greener-than-thou-the-american-left-takes-up-christian-environmentalism/, https://capitalresearch.org/article/greener-than-thou-the-american-left-takes-up-christian-environmentalism/

[5] https://capitalresearch.org/article/greener-than-thou-the-american-left-takes-up-christian-environmentalism/, from the original source, Watt, James. Ours Is the Earth. Saturday Evening Post (January/February 1982): 74-75.

[6] Ramsey, Boniface. Source: Harvard Theological Review, 76 no 3 Jul 1983, p 376

Is Jesus a Vortex? Thoughts on Epiphany

Andrew-Art / pixabay

This past Sunday many churches recognized Epiphany. This event recognizes one specific story: the journey of the Magi from “the East,” who want to pay homage to a child who has been born the “King of the Jews.” They have deduced this baby-king by reading the stars, and even though they are from a completely different land, the Magi undertake a long journey to revere an infant of another culture and religion. Of course, Epiphany, literally, means some kind of personal revelation of a new concept/realization/experience that has the power to change one’s life or way they look at the world. It’s a massive “aha” moment. Or at least that is how I usually define it, but the word can also mean “the appearance or manifestation, especially of a divine being.” In the case of the Magi, the Epiphany is the first manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles.

During this winter break I went for a walk at Lake Padden with a new friend. She had wanted to swap stories about how we have experienced God in our lives. I had made a comment a few weeks before about having heard God talk to me, and she wanted the particulars. The bonus was that I got to hear bits of her story as well.

I told her about the two instances that I have deemed as God talking to me, and in the telling of those stories, I realized another, and then another, and then another, when it felt like I was receiving pretty clear direction from God. I’m really, REALLY cautious about stating “God told me,” like REALLY, and yet in these occasions it feels fairly safe to restate to others with at least a little confidence that “It certainly felt like God was speaking to me.” These experiences were quite significant in my life, and it felt good to remember them as a group of incidences.

My walking partner relayed stories to me where she had woo-woo experiences that she, in the same cautious way, said were occasions where she thought God was communicating with her directly. The interpretation might be a little sketchy, but her best explanation was that God was reaching out to her, which induced a sense of wonder, gratitude, and mystery.

Two weeks prior I had a lovely phone call with a person who used to attend Echoes but had moved away. They told me that they had had a recent epiphany experience with God. They wanted me to know that God had reached down and revealed God’s self to them, and they were basking in the glow of the love, acceptance, and harmony of that encounter. My skeptical self is usually to be like, “hmm, okay…” It’s possible that the energy behind this encounter will fade, but there’s no point in MY denying that this epiphany really happened. And in the retelling of their story I learned a few things theologically that were really profound. God met this person, and I got to hear the story because they wanted to say thanks that Echoes had given them a safe space to re-envision the church as a place that could be safe. They said, “Echoes led me to the river of God, but didn’t push me in.” After this experience they feel like they are in the river, and that Echoes had a role in getting there. I loved hearing that.

This past week, in reading the story of the visit of the Magi in preparation for Epiphany I was struck by the vortex that was created by the birth of Jesus. Jesus is born and the shepherds are recruited to drop what they’re doing and worship this newborn baby.

Jesus is born and travelers from the East show up because they’ve been reading the stars and they want to locate the “child who has been born the King of the Jews” because they want to pay homage to the child.

Yeah, probably not (pixabay.com)

We don’t really know who these people are. Christmas carols would say that they are three Kings from the Orient, we have no idea how large the party was, no idea what their occupation of society position was, nor exactly where they were from. So we cannot confirm that there were three, that they were kings, nor that they were from the Orient. There’s good reason to believe that they were magicians or astrologers, but we don’t know. And if they came from a long way off they might have had a really party with them, maybe men and women. There is so much speculation around this story, speculation that adds nothing of value.

The people presumably had NOTHING to do with Israel. They aren’t Jewish, they don’t need to be in good graces with Israel, and they probably had careers that would be very reviled by the religiously-observant in Israel. But they saw a star, determined what it was, and seemingly could not resist coming to Jerusalem to find this infant who would become the King of the Jews. It’s not like we have stories in the Bible where this is a common practice.

Something about this story, and this baby, pulled them in.

From a long way off.

From a very different cultural context.

From a very different religious context.

From a very different political context.

And yet they came.

Maybe or maybe not on camels, but they came a long distance.

The stories that I have experienced, that the friends I mentioned above have experienced, that these travelers in the Matthew 2 text experienced, plus the shepherds, plus the crowds that gather to hear Jesus preach, plus the millions of people throughout history who have been pulled in, mysteriously, inexplicably, to this Jesus person…it all kind of sounds like a vortex.

And I didn’t really know what a vortex really was, but it sounded appropriate, so I looked it up.

I got, “a mass of fluid (such as a liquid) with a whirling or circular motion that tends to form a cavity or vacuum in the center of the circle and to draw toward this cavity or vacuum bodies subject to its action;  especially: whirlpool, eddy” (Merriam-Webster)

So, something swirling creates a pull towards the center of the swirl by the very nature that it’s swirling.

Jesus seems like this swirl, this vortex. He is born and people start gravitating towards him immediately. Shepherds come, travelers from the East come, and even Herod get pulled in toward him when Herod perceives Jesus as a threat.

If Jesus really is a vortex, how are we pulled in?

In the conversations that I had with the people I mentioned earlier it was helpful for my connection to God to consider how and when I had been pulled in by God.

This being Epiphany, and it being the beginning of a new year, I’m wondering of the many ways Jesus might still be a vortex. In the course of discussing this concept at a weekly clergy gathering today, someone said something like this: “Maybe it’s simply a fact of realizing that we’re in a vortex toward Jesus. That in itself might be the Epiphany.” Maybe so.

- Charis Weathers