Seven whole days

From the Gospel appointed for today’s commemoration of James Theodore Holly.

Come, labor on.
Who dares stand idle on the harvest plain
while all around us waves the golden grain?
And to each servant does the Master say,
“Go work today.”

Come, labor on.
The enemy is watching night and day,
to sow the tares, to snatch the seed away;
while we in sleep our duty have forgot,
he slumbers not.

Come, labor on.
Away with gloomy doubts and faithless fear!
No arm so weak but may do service here:
by feeblest agents may our God fulfill
his righteous will.

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Great satire of Hollywood’s sad state, churning out formulaic blah-blah.

Tip of the director’s beret to a dozen friends on Facebook.

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This text is attributed to Gregory the Great, whose feast is kept today. Wish I had gotten it posted this morning when it was a bit more timely. Well, enjoy.

Father, we praise thee, now the night is over;
active and watchful, stand we all before thee;
singing, we offer prayer and meditation;
thus we adore thee.

Monarch of all things, fit us for thy mansions;
banish our weakness, health and wholeness sending;
bring us to heaven, with thy saints united;
joy without ending.

All-holy Father, Son, and equal Spirit,
Trinity blessed, send us thy salvation;
thine is the glory, gleaming and resounding
through all creation.

Words: Attributed to Gregory the Great (540-604); translated by Percy Dearmer (1867-1936)

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Here’s a video that combines two of my loves: junk food and technology. This is, of course, in honor of Apple’s new iPad.

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This hymn is not particularly connected to today’s readings, but it seems meet and right for our Lenten journey. Thanks to Barbara for emailing the suggestion.

Bless now, O God, the journey that all your people make,
the path through noise and silence, the way of give and take.
The trail is found in desert and winds the mountain round,
then leads beside still waters, the road where faith is found.

Bless sojourners and pilgrims who share this winding way;
your hope burns through the terrors, you love sustains the day.
We yearn for holy freedom while often we are bound;
together we are seeking the road where faith is found.

Divine eternal lover, you meet us on the road.
We wait for lands of promise where milk and honey flow,
but waiting not for places, you meet us all around.
Our covenant is written on roads, as faith is found.

Words: Sylvia Dunstan (1955-1993)

I didn’t think I’d find this one in video form, but you never know what the Interwebs can reveal. Enjoy.

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Last summer, I served as a Deputy to General Convention. We were told that we Deputies could not tweet or access the Internet in any way during legislative sessions because we might be distracted. (Never mind that people distract themselves in countless ways.) The sense seems to be that there is some kind of risk in allowing Deputies to tweet.

Here are a couple of case studies. Astronauts are allowed to tweet on the job (even when in orbit). Now I’ve learned that brain surgeons can tweet on the job! Surely Deputies can manage the hazards of tweeting whilst following legislative debate.

There is, of course, a real risk that has gone unnoticed in the current policy. We are a church that is sliding into precipitous decline. The whole business of General Convention is widely perceived, by many Episcopalians, as hopelessly irrelevant to the actual mission and evangelism work of the church.

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Check the headline against the photo. This is an excellent reminder that context really does matter.

Tip of the shiny hat to Boing Boing.

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I thought of this hymn after reading the second evening psalm appointed for today (Psalm 82).

Judge eternal, throned in splendor,
Lord of lords and King of kings,
with thy living fire of judgment
purge this land of bitter things;
solace all its wide dominion
with the healing of thy wings.

Still the weary folk are pining
for the hour that brings release,
and the city’s crowded clangor
cries aloud for sin to cease;
and the homesteads and the woodlands
plead in silence for their peace.

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Everyone’s going on about the “Missional Church” these days. It seems that anyone who wants a bestselling churchy book slaps the word “missional” on the front somewhere. But what does that word mean? This brief video pretty much sums it all up in two minutes.

And what does this mean for Anglicans?

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A while back I posted “WWJT: What would Jesus tweet?” here on 7WD. Maybe I should have posted a companion piece, WHY would Jesus tweet? Twitter is one of those things that’s easier done than explained.

Not long ago, a colleague of mine signed up for a Twitter account. After a couple of days, I got the inevitable question. “What’s the point of this?” I asked the same question myself when I first signed up. The New York Times has one of the best suggestions around for grokking Twitter.

Even the most prolific users say Twitter has become more useful as a way to tap in to the discussions of the day than to broadcast their own thoughts. And once you get pulled in, you might just find you have something to say after all.

Biz Stone, Twitter’s co-founder, suggests that naysayers simply log on to Twitter’s home page and search for a topic they are interested in, whether it’s their favorite sports team, the name of their company or a topic in the news. Within a minute, they understand the appeal, he said.

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Telling someone to “trust in God” can be profoundly inspiring or profoundly unhelpful. ASBO Jesus gets it right.

Don’t get me wrong. I think trusting in God is generally the right answer. It would be alarming if a priest were to say otherwise. But telling someone to trust in God often isn’t enough. When someone is hungry, they need food. When someone has lost their home due to a foreclosure, they need a place to live. When someone is going through a painful time in a close relationship, they need someone to listen to them. So, sure, encourage someone to trust God. And then get some food, help find a home, and provide a listening ear. After all, God is likely to work through us rather than through parted clouds and a ray of light accompanied by a nice soundtrack.

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This one’s from the Gospel appointed for today’s feast commemorating Gregory of Nyssa. I considered some other hymns, but I settled on this one because I think we Anglicans pay too little heed to the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this will get you thinking about the third person of the Holy Trinity.

Holy Ghost, my Comforter,
Now from highest Heaven appear,
Shed Thy gracious radiance here.

Thou the heart’s most precious Guest,
Thou of comforters the best,
Give to us, o’erladen, rest.

Blessèd Sun of grace, o’er all
Faithful hearts who on Thee call
Let Thy light and solace fall.

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