Juxtaposition again

It is almost three years since my first tentative step into the blogosphere, and my first real post reflected on the juxtaposition of Mothers' Day and Pentecost in that year of the super-early Easter. This year the full moon has meant Easter Day falls almost as late as it possibly can, and Easter Monday coincided with ANZAC Day. Apparrently this last happened in 1859, and will happen again in 2095. A suitable occurrence for returning to blog after loitering in the FB world for several months. And it is possible for Easter Day to fall on April 25th which it did during World War II (1943), and will again in 2038.

I was approaching Easter worship with some trepidation. Distrustful of the way the juxtaposition might be handled, especially in this land I love where "supreme sacrifice" is the phrase I hear most commonly in relation to diggers' deaths. Contrasting with my perception in New Zealand where the more prosaic "killed in action" appears on rolls of honour and memorials. And where ANZAC rhetoric has more to do with the futility of war than the birth of a legend. And so my muscles tensed on Sunday evening when the Uniting Church minister began the talk/homily with acknowledgment of ANZAC Day. It was not as bad as it could have been. He talked about a young man from the district who had heard the call to fight for God, King and Country against a "very bad enemy" and who had been killed in Anzac cove. The talk then meandered into various kinds of salute used in the defense forces, that a salute is a way of saying someone else is more important, and that the Easter greeting and response "Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed!" is the way that Christians signal that God is the most important person of all.

There have of course been many comments about this juxtaposition.

At Defence Anglicans Chaplain Andrew Grills note that the clash " highlights the existence of two distinct religions. One, the faith in a crucified and resurrected carpenter which is seemingly doomed in the post Christian west, and the other, a resurgent religion that cherishes the sacrifices, upholds the virtues of its soldiers, exalts the Australian nation and suggests that the way to be saved is through cherishing and emulating the sacrifice of these diggers." and encourages Christians to redeem, rather than reject or receive, this day in our history.

Spirited Crone articulates some of my inner turmoil as she notes "Both Jesus and the soldiers at Gallipoli were killed by powerful regimes that wanted complete domination. ... The tragedy with Anzac Day and Easter is that we have been sucked into the idea that someone else has to die so that we can live better lives."

And a tweet also came up in the Google search "This Anzac/Easter coincidence is challenging. Trying to explain to kids why all those soldiers didn't rise from the dead three days later..."

And a political perspective reminding politicians of every persuasion of the strong religious roots of their organisations and challenging us to live believing that "the current imbalances and inequities are not only wrong, but that they can be changed, and hope resurrected, through political action."

So what would I have said if I was contributing to an Easter Day worship event on the eve of ANZAC? Within my extended family I know that the cousins Thomas and Donald, who died in the Great War, came from God-fearing families and that their faith would have been an integral part of their involvement in that war as indeed is was for their nephews and great-nephews in succeeding conflicts. But I would fall short of likening their participation in the enterprise of war to that of Jesus' participation in our life. They responded to defend a way of life where State and Faith were intertwined. Jesus' coming brought into focus the sharp contrast between the empires of this world and the Kingdom/Commonwealth/reign of Godde. And I would make reference to the Ataturk memorial inscription.

Those heroes who shed their blood and lost their lives, you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side in this country of ours. You, the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries wipe away your tears, your sons are now lying in our bosoms and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they become our sons as well.

At this particular Easter the words of a hymn come to mind:

And when human hearts are breaking
under sorrow's iron rod
then we find that self-same aching
deep within the heart of God

The juxtaposition of Easter and ANZAC is, for me, an opportunity to remember that the One Christians worship knows the reality of the death of a child at the hands of others. And a time to proclaim that One love that is stronger than death. The common theme of love rather than sacrifice propels me to peacemaking. Which requires far more than commemoration of battles past or singing praises without action.

FRIENDS

Friday Five from Songbird at RevGalBlogPals is a good stimulus to 'at-least-weekly' blogging. She writes:

If you're ever in a jam, here I am.
If you're ever in a mess, S.O.S.
If you're so happy, you land in jail. I'm your bail.
It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship.
When other friendships are soon forgot, ours will still be hot.


I'm thinking a lot about friends these days, the ones who rush to you in times of trouble, with a casserole or a socket wrench or an invitation for coffee or lunch or a trip to the foot sanctuary. We meet friends in school or on the playground or at church or in the workplace and even on the Internet. Even as blogging has experienced some decline, the community here has been strong.

For today's Friday Five, some questions about friendship.

1) Who is the first friend you remember from childhood?
My first 'best friend' was Pamela. She lived up the road and our mothers often arranged for us to play together. Like me she was the oldest in a family. Her farm provided lots of opportunities to roam and explore.
2) Have you ever received an unexpected gift from a friend?
The most recent surprise was from a student group (not exactly friends I know but the surprise part is true) who gave me a most beautiful orchid when I had taught them for only a few weeks.
3) Is there an old friend you wish you could find again? Or have you found one via social media or the Internet?
Just this week I was thinking of my Girls Brigade Captain, who was one of those people who influenced me in choosing a medical career. Browsing through someone else's friend list on facebook I found her and made contact. She and husband have just retired from Christian ministry. Facebook has led to a lot of renewed friendships for me, and also wider family connections.
4) Do you like to get your good friends together in a group, or do you prefer your friends one on one?
Both. Generally a one-on-one gal. But love an occasional girls-night-in or group movie outing.
5) Does the idea of Jesus as a friend resonate with you?
Rankles more than it resonates. Jingly stuff really turns me off. And superficial intimacy with the divine seems blasphemous. Yet at a deep level the idea does also resonate. I have seen that deep abiding friendship lived out by countless saints in my immediate and extended family and in religious community. The recent death of a family friend brought to mind the old hymn: 'O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee' That kind of friendship resonates.

BONUS song (which funnily enough does resonate -maybe irrationally or maybe because in its own quirky way this song does encompass both the 'otherness' of the divine, AND the personal grace)

It's been a month ....

and what a month it's been.

• Accreditation visit for our school (outcome not available but assumed OK as they would presumably tell us to make other arrangements for the students if they were closing us down)
  
• Selection process for 2011 entry completed. Less angst than last year. More philosophical/ fatalistic. We won't have got it 100% right. Some great applicants will have missed out. Possibly some unsuitable ones will have slipped in. But from the 1116 applicants we have selected a class of 112. Many of whom are outstanding in many respects.
• HSC commenced. Youngest member of the family has embarked on this right of passage unique to the Australian education system. Advanced English seemed okay but outcome unpredictable.
• Personal reflection. Now that's where there is a bit of a block. Seem to have got too busy to do the most important. As evidenced in part by lack of blog entries. And erratic participation in worship. And minimal intentional exercise (even cutting back on the incidental everyday exercise)
• So that's where I'm at. Looking to engage more and reflect deliberately.
  

Friday Five: Baby Showers!

Jan has posted a Friday Five wonderfully early this week. As you'll see it's a bit beyond my experience and fun all the same.

Friends are giving my daughter-in-law AA a baby shower, which happily brought her and DC down for a visit to Corpus Christi. looking forward to having my first grandchild in two months and all these preparations, like baby showers, are getting me excited! So I hope you'll participate in telling about your likes and dislikes about baby showers for you and for others.

1. What were baby showers like for you and your friends in the past?
Hardly a part of my experience (not really sure why) I think I have only been to one which is a great memory

2. Did you play games? What kinds?
There was a "guess the sex and birth date of the baby" game. A collection of 'handy hints' for the mum-to-be. That's about all I remember.

3. In your job, especially if you are a pastor, do you get invited to a lot of baby showers? What do you do about them?
No

4. Are baby showers different for our daughters (or younger friends) than they were for us?
No idea

5. Do you like hosting baby showers or do you avoid that responsibility?
Never have, although not averse to the idea

Bonus: Any silliness about baby showers you wish to contribute.
At the one-and-only event I attended there was an awkward moment when one friend made a comment about having to watch out for the mother-in-law. Only to find that the lovely woman she was sitting beside was said mil. Who thankfully laughed as much as anyone.

Lovin' Sydney

Kathrynzj (whose name always reminds me of my homeland) posted the Friday Five at RevGalBlogPals this week. She posted from the beach which for her is more than a vacation destination, it is a trip home... she asks us to please name five things we like about where we are living now... and as a bonus - one thing we don't like.

So for the wonderful city of Sydney I like:

1. The weather. Even this rather wet winter week is warm and temperatures are never or at least seldom (actually) freezing.
2. The people. I am so privileged to have met some fantastic people in this place.
3. The Parramatta river. A special treat is walking to Meadowbank and catching the river cat to the city. But just a few metres from our front door I can walk along the banks of this beautiful landmark.
4. The environs. Within a day the Botanic Garden, or Manly dam, or Lane Cove National Park, or Blue Mountains, or Royal National Park, can be explored (and more). Closer to home Bicentennial Park and Olympic Park provide walking and cycle tracks for short excursions.
   
5. The history. Black. Convict. Colonial. A rich and textured mix of conflicting values and actions with varied motives. Many captured in monuments and statues, plaques and information boards that illuminate my understanding of this place.

I don't like the electoral system and I really miss beign able to vote

RevGalBlogPals: Sunday Prayer 11C

Another borrowed post in my days of infrequent blogging. A Northern Hemisphere prayer for this time of the calendar year with every time and place wisdom
RevGalBlogPals: Sunday Prayer 11C

Friday Five: Decisions, Decisions

Time for the Friday Five again. This week Songbird has posted a seemingly simple meme that provokes a bit of thought. She writes:

Since I've been in the midst of a discernment process, I've done a lot of reflecting on how we make decisions. But don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to reveal a dark story about a poor decision, or a self-flagellating story about an embarrassing one. Let's keep it simple and go with five word pairs. Tell us which word in the pair appeals to you most, and after you've done all five, give us the reason why for one of them.

Here they are:

1) Cake or Pie
2) Train or Airplane
3) Mac or PC
4) Univocal or Equivocal
5) Peter or Paul

I bake cakes more than pies, but enjoy few things more than a delicious pie; train is a daily journey with smaller carbon footprint - I also enjoy long distance train especially in NZ; use a PC but really miss the Mac from a previous workplace; I had never even heard of the word univocal so I'm clearly equivocal; and the final decision required a bit more thought.

In a nostalgic Rove-like moment I initially thought "What the!" And then began reflecting. The story of Peter and Cornelius is one of my all time favourites. The way I remember it, Peter was a compliant, careful, rule-abiding person who was confronted by a dream that urged him to break the rules. And to realise that his allegiance was to the law-giver and not the law itself. Which opened his eyes to new experiences and to appreciate that people different from himself could be equally followers of the Way, of the Christ who claimed Peter's love and allegiance. Paul was also a faithful follower who had an experience of a new relationship with the risen Christ. Somewhat more aggressive in his pursuit of righteousness, he saw rooting out opposition with fatal combat as the way to demostrate his devotion to truth. I am way more a compliant, seeking-to-please, reared in a faith with an emphasis on personal piety and a later awakening to the 'social gospel' and issues of justice and equity. Peter I think. Rather than Paul.

Try not to pull on the big cat's tail when you answer. :-)