Grail: October 2010
Transcript of Grail: October 2010
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Whatqualiessomethingforthe
moniker“Christian?”Ifwelookaroundourcommunitytoday,wecanndquite
afewthingsthatclaimthattitle.There
are“Christian”bookstoreswhichpre-
sumablysellChristianbooks—though
Ihavetoadmitthatevenwhenthe
qualityisnotuneven,theclaimcanbe
questionable.ThereareChristiantele-
visionstations(there’soneheadquar -
teredrightuptheroadfromSt.Joseph
ofArimatheainfact).Andyet,Iwoulddoubtthateverythingstalkingthe
airwavesfromanyofthesenetworks
wouldreallyqualifyforthedescription,
despitethegoodintentionsofthose
involved.Andnally,hereinNashville,
there’stheChristianmusicindustry.In
listeningtomusiclabeledChristian,I
oftenndmyselfattemptingtodiscern
whatmakesthisorthatsongquanti-
ablymoreChristianthanthatwhichis producedbyotherartistswhoeschew
thelabel.CertainlyGodandJesusare
mentionedmoreofteninthelyrics,but
isthatenoughtolabelthismusicas
Christianandothermusicas“secular”
ornon-Christian...evenanti-Christian?
MoreandmoreIndmyselfreject-
ingthelabel“Christian”whenap-
pliedtoanythingotherthanpeople.Of
course,IrecognizethatthereisaChris-
tianartistictradition,andthatthereare
genresofmusic,writingandschoolsof
paintingthatowetheirexistencetothe
Christianfaith.Buttoday,whatseems
tohavehappened,isthatpeopleuse
thelabelasashorthandnotsomuch
forthecontentofthework,butforthe
targetmarkettheyhopetodrawtothe product.
Icometondmyselfthinkingin
thisway:anauthorisaChristian,his
bookisnot.Amusicianmaysingbeau-
tifullyaboutherdevotiontoChrist,
withherfaithshiningthrough,butI
don’tbelievethatmakeshermusic
Christian.Thetruthofthematteristhat
Christianvaluesandperspectivescan
beexpressedbyChristiansandnon-
Christianswhethertheyareawareof
itornot.AChristianmaywriteawork
devoidofChristianmeaning,whilea
professedatheistmayhaveinternalized
someaspectofthetraditionandex-
presseditinadramaticway.
OctOber 2010
GrailThe
St. Joseph of Arimathea 1 0 3 C o u n t r y C l u b D r . H e n d e r s o n v i l l e , T N 3 7 0 7 5 | s t j o s e p h o f a r i m a t h e a . o r g |
T : 6 2 5 - 8 2 4 - 2 9 1 0 | i n f o @ s t j o s e p h o f a r i m a t h e a . o r g
Our Mission: “To encourage and
equip one another as the baptized peopleof God, to witness to
the transforming and
reconciling power of Jesus Christ.”
Continued on p. 2
Want to see the Grail in Color? Interested in extended content, such as devotionals?
Ifyou’rereceivingtheGrailinprintedformandwouldliketoseeitincolorwithmorecontent,youcanvisit
http://stjosephofarimathea.org/congregational-resources/grail todownloadaPDFversion.
From the Priest’s Desk
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Continued from p. 1
RecentlyIreadareviewofthelm“GetLow”
staringRobertDuvallinwhichthereviewersaidthat
thiswasnota“Christianmovie.”Hedid,tohiscredit,
admitthatthelmisChristhaunted.Nottofallinto
thetrapIcondemnabove,Iwon’tsaythatthislmis
aChristianone,butIwillsayafterviewingitthatI
believeit’salmthatChristiansoughttosee.
Forthepastseveralweeksmanymembersof
ourcommunityhavebeenreadingthebook Free of
Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped
of Grace bytheologianMiroslavVolf.Ibelievethat
thislmmakesapowerfulcompaniontoourreec-
tionsonrepentanceandforgiveness.Thelmiswell
acted,asonewouldexpectfromacastthatincludes
Duvall,SissySpacekandBillMurray,anditdoesagoodjobatpullingtheviewerinandpullingthem
alonginevents.“GetLow”isthestoryofahermitin
thewoodsofWestTennessee.Thepeoplefromtown
tellstoriesabouthimandthechildrenthrowstonesat
hishouse.Hisonlyfriendisanoldmule.Asthelm
progresseswecometosuspectthatthereissomething
deeperinthisoldman,ashestartstoencouragefolks
totellhimthestoriesthey’veheardandtriestoorga-
nizehis“funeralparty,”agatheringhewantstoattend
whilealive.Eventuallywelearnthedarksecretthat
causedhimtobuildaprisonandputhimselfinitfor
fortyyears,andinaninspiredscene,thetormented
FelixBush(Duvall)revealswhathaskepthimcon-
ned—literallyandguratively —forsomanyyears.
Get Low maynotmeetsomefolks’standardof
whatcharacterizesaChristianlm,butitcertainly
doesdealwiththerealhumanissuesofguilt,repen-
tanceandforgivenessinanamazingway.Theclergy
evengetafewgoodwordsin.Ihighlyrecommendit.
ECW BakE SalE
TheECWwillbeholdingabakesaleonSaturday,November6.Weask
thatalltheladiesbringatleastonebake-saleitemtothechurchearlythat
morning.IfyoucannotgetitthereonSaturday,contactanothermember
tohavethembringyouritem(s).ThisBakeSaletakesplaceinconjunc-
tionwiththemen’sBBQChickensale.Asign-upsheetwillbedownstairs
forthosewillingtoparticipate.
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TwoweeksagotheHendersonvillepastor’sassoci-
ationdraftedalettercondemningtheplannedburning
ofQuransbyPastorTerryJonesofDoveWorldOut-
reachcenterinGainesville,Florida.Ofcourse,any-
onefollowingthenewsheardaboutthispublicitystunt
asitspreadquicklythroughthevariousnewsoutlets.Therewastheexpectedoutcryaspeoplesoughtto
convincePastorJonestoreconsiderhisactions,since,
asPaulremindsuswhatislawfulisnotalwaysbene-
cial(1Cor.10:23).Eventuallyherelentedandsaidhe
wouldnotholdtheQuranburning.PeopleinAmerica
breathedasighofreliefthatsuchanoffensiveaction
wasavertedandthenpromptlychangedthechannelon
theTV,movingonwiththeirlives.Iknowthatwas
myreaction.
Andyet,IshouldhavebeenthinkingaboutthesecondhalfofthatversefromCorinthians.Itreads,in
itsentirety:
‘Allthingsarelawful’,butnotallthingsare
benecial.‘Allthingsarelawful’,butnot
allthingsbuildup.Donotseekyourown
advantage,butthatofothers(1Corinthians
10:23-24NRSV).
Ishouldhavethoughtofthesetwoversesforafew
reasons.Therstissimplytoreectonthequestion
ofhowsuchanactivitycouldpossiblybesalubrious,howitcouldpossiblybuildupthebodyofChrist,
thecommunityatlargeortheMuslimsthatmight
becountedamongPastorJones’nearneighbors.In
perusingthisaction,wasPastorJonesseekinghisown
advantageorthatofothers?Whateverthesincerity
inhisactions,PastorJonessetthestageforavery
sadexampleofthelawofunintendedconsequences.
WhenIopenedmyemailonSeptember15thtoread
theupdatefromAnglicanCommunionNewsService,
Iwasgreetedwiththefollowingheadline:Call to
protect Christians after “most beautiful school” lost to
Quran anger violence.
Theheadlineisalittlerough,butthestoryeshes
outthedetails.Aschoolwasdestroyedbyamobin
Kashmir,theMuslim-dominatednorthernterritoryof
India.CertainradicalsinthatcommunitytookPas-
torJones’threatastheoccasiontoattackandburna
schoolsupportedbytheChurchofNorthIndia(the
detailsareprovidedinthestorybelow).Thissitua-
tionhighlightsoneofthereasonsweasChristians—
especiallyAmericanChristians—needtobeparticu-
larlyawareofwhatishappeningaroundtheglobe:
ouractionscanhaveimmediateconsequencesforour
brothersandsistersoverseas. Accordingtoanothernewssource,themobthat
attackedtheschoolasretaliationforinsultstothe
Quran(which,ofcourse,wereneveractuallycarried
out)managedtoburnseveralcopiesoftheQuranthat
werehousedintheschool.Somemightseethisas
poeticjustice,butinrealityit’sjustthatlawofunin-
tendedconsequences,andhighlightsthesortofthing
thathappenswhenweresorttohatefulpolemicand
violence.
Call to protect Christians after “most beautiful
school” lost to Quran anger violence
ACNS: http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2010/9/15/ACNS4731
TheBishopofAmritsarhascalledonthe
PresidentofIndiaPratibhaDevisinghPatilto
protectChristiansinnorthernIndiaafteramob burneddowntheoldestschoolinKashmirand
alsoattackedotherChristianinstitutions.
TheChurchofNorthIndia’sRtRevdPradeep
KumarSamantaroy,wrotethatitwas“witha
heavyheart”thatheinformedthePresidentofthe
completedestructionoftheTungmargTyndale
Biscoebranchschoolthatprovided“quality
educationtovehundredftychildrenfromone
hundredftyvillagesaroundTangmarg.”
Theschool,managedbytheDioceseof
Amritsar,had27staffand16supportstaffand
hadbeenfoundedin1996byTyndaleBiscoe
andMallinsonSchoolEducationalSocietyto
caterfortheeconomicallydeprivedsectorsof
thecommunity.
Thewholethree-storeywoodenstructurewith26
classrooms,computerlabsandalibrarycontaining,
ThE laW of UninTEndEd ConSEqUEnCES
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amongotherbooks,copiesoftheQuranwas
completelydestroyedonMondayafterbeingseton
rebyalargemobthatmarchedontheschoolafter
hearingreportsofamandesecratingtheQuranin
America.Noneofthestaffwereinjured;theyall
managedtoescapetheblaze.
“Iampainedtostatethatthoughthelocal
authoritieswereinformedaboutapossible
attack…noprotectionwasprovided,”said
BishopSamantaroyinhismessagetothe
President.“Asaresultofitthewholebuilding
wasburnttoashesincurringahugelossof
propertyandcausingirreparabledamagetothe
sentimentsoftheChristianCommunity.
“YouareawarethattheChristiansintheState
ofJammuandKashmirareatinyminority
whoalwaysliveandserveunderstressfulandsometimesthreateningsituations.Thepresent
situationhasmadetheChristiansinJammuand
Kashmirfeelveryinsecure.”
Theschool’sheadmasterRahinderKaul
expressedhissorrowatthedestructionofthe
school:“Aswordspread,myphonehasn’t
stoppedringing,withstudents,parents,staff
members,friendsandwell-wishersallexpressing
theirshockanddisbelief—many,manystudents
brokedowncompletelywhiletalkingtome—
theirsisbyfarthebiggestloss.
Headded,“Todaytheschool,theprideofthe
childrenwhostudiedhereandthestaffwhohave
puteverythingintotheschool,isaheapofashes.I
cannotexpressmyownshockandsenseofloss.”
OtherChristianinstitutionsalsocameunder
attackincludingtheRomanCatholicGood
ShepherdHighSchoolatPulwamathatwasalsosetonreandtheChurchofNorthIndiahospital
atAnantnagwasstormedbyprotestors,twoof
whomwereshotandkilledbysecurityforces.
Continued from p. 3
Intheearly1990smyGrandmaAdams,whohad
beenawidowforseveralyears,begantohangout
withawidowernamedBob.GrandmaandBobgot
alongfamously.Theycomplementedoneanother:GrandmawashardofhearingandBobwasalmost
blind.Mybrothertellsastoryaboutjoiningthemone
nightatarestaurant.Grandma,Bobandmybrother
werejusttuckingintosteaksandbakedpotatoeswhen
anamiablefellowapproachedthetable.Hisdemeanor
wasthatofalongtimefriend,andhetalkedtoBoband
Grandmaforseveralminutes.GrandmaandBobnod-
dedandsmiledasiftheyknewwhatwasgoingon.
Afterthegentlemanleftthetable,Bobasked,
“Whowasthatman?”Grandmareplied,“Idon’tknow—whatdidhesay?”
Grandmahasbeengoneforyearsnow,butthis
storyremainsafamilyfavorite.Welaughfreelyabout
itbecausewearenotlaughingatGrandma(sheloved
thetaleherself).Wedon’tassigntoGrandmaanymor -
alresponsibilityforherhearinglossanditssometimes
amusing(andsometimesfrustrating)consequences.
Herphysicalcapacitytohearhadsimplywornout.
Butblamecanbeassociatedwiththefailureto
hear.ThinkofStepheninActs7:51,railingatanaudi-
enceofreligiousofcials:“Youstiff-neckedpeople,
uncircumcisedinheartandears,youareforeverop-
posingtheHolySpirit...”AndwhenJesusframesa
parablewiththecomment,“Letthosewithearstohear
listen,”heisintimatingthatthereissomeelementof
moralorspiritualchoicebehindsuccessorfailurein
hearingandunderstandingtheparables.
Ishearingorthefailuretohearamatterofrespon-
sibilityandculpability,orisitnot?Maybeanother
familystorywillhelpsortthisout.Eightyearsago,I
sufferedanearinfectionthatledtoapuncturingofthe
eardrum.Adoctorwantedtotesthowmuchdamagehadbeendone,soIwasusheredintoasound-proof
boothandadministeredanumberoftests.Whenwe
werenished,Iaskedthetechnicianabouttheresults.
Sherepliedthat,fora45-year-oldman,myhearing
wasslightlyaboveaverage.
“Well,isn’tthatinteresting,”Isaid.“NowIhave
medico-scienticproofthatmywifeanddaughterare
wrong.TheythinkI’mgettinghardofhearing.”The Continued on p. 5
hard of liSTEning
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techniciandidn’tmissabeat.“Thereisadifference
betweenhearingandlistening,”shesaid.
Sothereyouhaveit:thereisadistinctionbetween
hearingandlistening.Wemayhavefunctioninghear -
ingorgansandstillfailtolistentowhatothersare
saying.Putdifferently,hearingisamatterofphysical
endowment,butlisteningisaskillatwhichwecan
worktobecomebetter,moreadept.
Howdoesthevirtueoflisteningfareinournoisy
culture?Listeningrequirespatience,andweareimpa-
tient.Listeningrequiresabackgroundsilence,andwe
seemdeterminedtouseradiosandiPodsandtelevisions
toblotouteverythreatofquietness.Listeningrequires
focusingattentiononanotherasheorshespeaks,and
ouromnipresentconsumerismhabituatesustofocus
rstandforemostonourselves.Theoddsareagainstus
learningthevirtueorskilloflistening.Wewon’tjuststumbleintogoodlistening.Ifwearetoachievesome
levelofaptitudeinlistening,wewillhavetobequite
intentatpracticingandsharpeningtheskill.
Christiansespeciallyhavealotatstakeinlearn-
inghowtolisten.AsthetheologianStephenWebb
remarks,“Allofbiblicalreligioncanbesummarized
intheShemaofDeuteronomy,whichbegins,‘Hear,O
Israel.’”Hearing—listening—istheprimarysenseand
skillthatmustbehonedifwearetofollowtheGodof
Israel.Thisistruefromcreationonwardinthebiblicalstory.Webbagain:“Weareusedtothinkingthatitwas
lightthatbroketheprimordialdarknessfromwhichall
lifecomes,butitwasreallyGod’svoice...‘Letthere
belight.’Soundprecedeslight;wehearbeforewecan
see.”Truetothebiblicalnorm,Jesusispreeminently
thevoiceofGod,andwehavehiswordstohearrather
thanphotographsorportraitsofhimtogazeupon.
Grandmawasontosomethingthen.Whenitcomes
toknowingtheGodofIsraelandJesusChrist,therst
andmostimportantquestionis:Whatdidhesay? byRodneyClapp
AmericanSoundings
August24,2010
RodneyClapp’sAmericanSoundingscolumnappearsinevery
otherissueoftheCentury.Copyright © 2010 by the Christian Century. Reprinted bypermission from the August, 2010, issue of the ChristianCentury. Subscriptions: $49/yr. from P.O. Box 700,Mt. Morris, IL 61054. (800) 208-4097.
Continued from p. 4
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hElp WanTEd
Nursery Worker
Doyouknowsomeonewholovestoworkwithchildren?WearehiringanurseryworkerforSundaymornings,
preferablysomeonewhoisnotalreadyamemberofSt.Joseph’s.Thisisapaidposition.Abackgroundcheck
willbedone,andtheemployeewillhavetoattendthe3-hourclass“SafeguardingGod’sPeople.”Contact
Fr.Jodyformoredetails.
Vestry Clerk
Thevestryneedsanewclerktotakeminutesduringeachmonth’smeeting.PleaseseeFr.Jodyifyouare
interestedinservinginthisrole.
UnCondiTional lovE
AstoryistoldaboutasoldierwhowasnallycominghomeafterhavingfoughtinVietnam.Hecalledhis
parentsfromSanFrancisco."MomandDad,I'mcominghome,butI'veafavortoask.IhaveafriendI'dliketo
bringhomewithme."
"Sure,"theyreplied,"we'dlovetomeethim."
"There'ssomethingyoushouldknowthesoncontinued,hewashurtprettybadlyintheghting.Hesteppedon
alandmineandlostanarmandaleg.Hehasnowhereelsetogo,andIwanthimtocomelivewithus."
"I'msorrytohearthat,son.Maybewecanhelphimndsomewheretolive."
"No,MomandDad,Iwanthimtolivewithus."
"Son,"saidthefather,"youdon'tknowwhatyou'reasking.Someonewithsuchahandicapwouldbeaterrible
burdenonus.Wehaveourownlivestolive,andwecan'tletsomethinglikethisinterferewithourlives.Ithink
youshouldjustcomehomeandforgetaboutthisguy.He'llndawaytoliveonhisown."
Atthatpoint,thesonhungupthephone.Theparentsheardnothingmorefromhim.Afewdayslater,however,
theyreceivedacallfromtheSanFranciscopolice.Theirsonhaddiedafterfallingfromabuilding,theywere
told.Thepolicebelieveditwassuicide.Thegrief-strickenparentsewtoSanFranciscoandweretakentothe
citymorguetoidentifythebodyoftheirson.Theyrecognizedhim,buttotheirhorrortheyalsodiscoveredsomethingtheydidn'tknow,theirsonhadonlyonearmandoneleg.
Theparentsinthisstoryarelikemanyofus.Wenditeasytolovethosewhoaregood-lookingorfuntohave
around,butwedon'tlikepeoplewhoinconvenienceusormakeusfeeluncomfortable.Wewouldratherstay
awayfrompeoplewhoaren'tashealthy,beautiful,orsmartasweare.Thankfully,there'ssomeonewhowon't
treatusthatway.Someonewholovesuswithanunconditionallovethatwelcomesusintotheforeverfamily,
regardlessofhowmessedupweare.
Tonight,beforeyoutuckyourselfinforthenight,sayalittleprayerthatGodwillgiveyouthestrengthyou
needtoacceptpeopleastheyare,andtohelpusallbemoreunderstandingofthosewhoaredifferentfromus!!
--AuthorUnknown
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BirThdayS & annivErSariES
Oct.2 NancyManis
Oct.3 SarahWatts
Oct.5 WadeDouglass
Oct.6 DonHolt
Oct.7 DeborahJordan
Oct.11 DebraMaggart AnneTheis
Oct.12 JaneBlack
Oct.13 FredFrank
AndrewMason
Oct.14 ZoeManis
Oct.15 JackMason
Oct.16 AndrewGibson
Oct.17 DonnaHolt
Oct.18 DorothyJones
Oct.24 DenineTorr
Oct.26 DawnHarmanOct.28 DavidHeeks
Oct.29 DavidRose
Oct.30 LauraMelcher
Oct.7 Paul&StephanieLove
Oct.23 Bill&SandraDisney
Oct.24 Al&RuthTorri
adUlT dinnEr groUp
TheAdultDinnerNightOutwillbeheldonSunday,
October 10,at6:00p.m.,atSteamboatBills,248
SandersFerryRoad,Hendersonville.Alladultmem-
bersareinvitedtoattend.Thissocialeventisagreat
mixerwithmanydifferentmembersfromourchurch
attendingeachmonth.Forreservations,pleasecon-
tactDonnaHoltbyFriday,October8,at452-7242or
hoSpiTal admiSSion, SiCknESS,
or faCing SomE oThEr diffiCUlTy?
Ifyouoralovedoneareadmitedtothehospital,
pleaseletusknow.Whileadmissionsclerksmayask
specicquestionsregardingreligiousafliation,due
togovernmentregulationstheycannotandwillnot
notifySt.JosephofArimatheatoletusknowthatyouarethere.Pleasegetintouchwiththechurchof -
ce(615-824-2910)orwithFr.Jody(615-440-6492)
Ifyou’resickandinneedofassistancepleaseletus
knowthataswell.Youcancallorlloutournew
carecalendarinformationsheetlocatedat:
http://www.stjosephofarimathea.org/how-can-we-
help-you/
7
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T h e G r a i l
S t . J o s e p h o f A r i m a t h e a E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h
1 0 3 C o u n t r y C l u b D r i v e
H e n d e r s o n v i l l e , T N 3 7 0 7 5
C h u r c h P h o n e : ( 6 1 5 ) 8 2 4 - 2 9 1 0
h t t p : / / s t j o s e p h o f a r i m a t h e a . o r g
S e r v i c e S c h e d u l e
S u n d a y
8 : 0 0 a m H o l y C o m m u n i o n , t r a d i t i o n a l l a n g u a g e
( R i t e I ) , n o m u s i c
1 0 : 3 0 a m H o l y C o m m u n i o n , c o n t e m p o r a r y l a n g u a g e
( R i t e I I ) , w i t h m u s i c
9 : 1 5 a m C h r i s t i a n f o r m a t i o n f o r a l l a g e s
A d d r e s s S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d
N o n - P r o f t O r g a n i z a t i o n
U . S . P O S T A G E
P A I D H e n d e r s o n v i l l e , T N
P e r m i t N o . 1 2