Guest House

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Guest House

This being human is a guest house

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes

as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of its furniture,

still treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent

as a guide from beyond.


--Rumi

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Belizean Dinner: You're Invited!

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Learn more at the St. Anne's website

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With That Moon Language

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With That Moon Language

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Admit something:

Everyone you see, you say to them,
“Love me”.

Of course you do not do this out loud;
otherwise, someone would call the cops.

Still though, think about this,
this great pull in us to connect.

Why not become the one
who lives with a full moon in each eye
that is always saying,

with that sweet moon language,

what every other eye in this world
is dying to hear.

- Hafiz

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What do you see, when you look at the sky?

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SERMON FOR SUNDAY JANUARY 4, 2009
2ND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
MATTHEW 2:1-12 – THE MAGI


When you look up at the sky, what do you see?

There was a Peanuts cartoon from long ago, that showed Charlie Brown and Lucy and Linus out on a hillside, on a beautiful day with blue sky and white puffy clouds. They are lying down in the grass, looking up, and Lucy says, “If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud formations… What do you think you see, Linus?”

“Well,” says Linus, “those clouds up there look to me like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean… That cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, the famous painter and sculptor… And that group of clouds over there gives me the impression of the stoning of Stephen… I can see the Apostle Paul standing there to one side…”

Lucy replies: “Uh huh. That’s very good. What do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?”

“Well, I was going to say I saw a ducky and a horsie, but I changed my mind.”

When you look up in the sky, what do you see?

The magi long ago saw a star. Not just any star, but a star incredibly bright and big. Maybe a comet. Maybe 2 or 3 stars or planets lined up together so that they blurred into one spot of dazzling light in the sky. Maybe a divine beacon that appeared directly from heaven, like the pillar of fire and cloud that led the children of Israel as they escaped through the desert.

Whatever it was, it gave them pause. This was no ordinary heavenly object. It gave them pause – only long enough to realize that they had to move. It was time for action. You don’t see a sign like that star and then just turn your eyes down and go about business as usual. At least… You could, but the rest of your life you would wonder what would have happened if you had believed in your heart what you saw with your eyes.

Do you ever wonder why it is that only the magi seemed to see the star? If it was so bright and so clearly a sign from heaven, why weren’t there throngs of travelers following it? Why weren’t the desert oases booked solid with pilgrims on their way to wherever the star was leading?

One answer is that… well… this is a story that Matthew tells, to help us understand some things about the birth of the Messiah. Just like in Luke’s story of shepherds on the hillside, and the whole sky being lit up with an army of angels singing about peace and good news for all people – but only the shepherds saw it – the stories are not about everybody. They are not news accounts. They are not objective historical record. Matthew tells us this story so we will know that Jesus’ birth was foretold by ancient prophets… And so we will know that Jesus came for everyone, even people from far away with different customs and different names for God.

Or perhaps other people did see, but didn’t let it make them do crazy things. They looked up and saw a ducky and a horsie and said “How nice,” and went about their day. But the magi saw a star, a divine portent, and it changed their lives forever.

There are still people today who see things – in the sky, in their neighborhoods, in their sister’s or brother’s eyes – that seem to be signs from God. There are still people today who are looking for the Christ child, and who notice signs that give them pause and then call them to action. And just like the magi, they bring gifts. The gifts and abilities they have help them know what kind of action to take.

Some people see poverty and need, and they pack their bags and go on a journey – to Africa or Belize or North Dakota or New Orleans … any number of places where there is hunger or homelessness or need for education. Some people give up their vacations or weekends to staff Project Home’s temporary shelters, or to build houses, or to mentor children. Some people give their gifts of gold (that’s more common than frankincense or myrrh these days). Some people write encouraging notes, and make praying for others a daily priority. Some people go out of their way to drive others where they need to go. Some people cook food, some people just sit and listen, some people share their knowledge… And there are many more ways that those who recognize the signs of God in our world respond.

Here’s what they have in common: They have seen something, in the sky or at least beyond themselves… Something that gave them pause, that changed the course of their life and makes them do things that it would be easier not to do. Like the magi they follow the sign from God that they have seen. No matter how hopeless, no matter how far. And they continue on because, well, what else would they do? Having seen the star, you just can’t put your head down and pretend it’s not there.

Or you could… but you would miss out on the great adventure of traveling together, with others who are also following the star, finding Christ again and again, offering our gifts again and again.

What do you see, when you look at the sky?


- Lydia Huttar Brown

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For Amy

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O God of grace and glory, we remember before you our sister Amy. We thank you for giving her to us, her family and friends, to know and to love as a companion on our earthly pilgrimage. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us faith to see in death the gate of eternal life, so that in quiet confidence we may continue our course on earth, until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


- Book of Common Prayer

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People Look East

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People look East the time is near
Of the crowning of the year
Make your house fair as you are able
Trim the hearth and set the table
People look East and sing today
Love the guest is on the way

Furrows be glad though earth is bare
One more seed is planted there
Give up your strength the seed to nourish
That in course the flower may flourish
People look East and sing today
Love the rose is on the way

Birds though you long have ceased to build
Guard the nest that must be filled
Even the hour when wings are frozen
God for fledgling time has chosen
People look East and sing today
Love the bird is on the way

Stars keep the watch when night is dim
One more light the bowl shall brim
Shining beyond the frosty weather
Bright as sun and moon together
People look East and sing today
Love the star is on the way

Angels announce with shouts of mirth
Christ who brings new life to earth
Set every peak and valley humming
With the word the Lord is coming
People look East and sing today
Love the Lord is on the way

People Look East

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Let Us Be Lights

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SERMON FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2008
ADVENT 3B
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
John 1:6-8, 1928


According to the gospel of Luke, the first public act of ministry that Jesus did was this:

He was in Nazareth, his own hometown where he had been raised, and on the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as usual. And when it came time to read, he stood up and opened the scroll and read from the prophet Isaiah, from the portion that we just heard:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and release to the prisoners;
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

These were words that a prophet of Israel had written about 5 centuries before Christ… written to comfort and encourage people in exile, far away from their homeland, living in a reality far different from what they had been expecting… A reality that seemed bereft of the presence of God and very far away from the fulfillment of God’s promises to them.

And the prophet wrote these words, to encourage them that in spite of all the tragedy and difficulties and challenges they had endured, God was working for their good and would bring them home.

And when Jesus picks up the scroll and reads these words, they still have their historical meaning, but they are no longer bound by space or time to just that one meaning. They leap forward 5 centuries and take on greater meaning in a new context.

Jesus read: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. The Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. To comfort the broken hearted… to proclaim liberty… freedom… to announce the good will of God toward all the world.

And as we hear these words, they have come completely undone from their tether. They are no longer just about the Israelite people in exile in Babylon. They are not just for first-century Nazarenes. They are words of hope for all who are estranged… all who are oppressed… all who are brokenhearted… all who are captive… They are words of hope for us.

The message of all our lessons today is a message of hope and joy. Of light in the darkness. A message of God’s promise for good – in our lives and in our world.

Paul, writing to the fledgling church in Thessalonica, advises them: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances… hold fast to what is good. They are struggling, facing persecution, and he tells them to be joyful.

This past week Warren Taylor wrote on the CaringBridge website that Amy’s condition was worsening. The cancer has taken over her bones and her liver, and it is absolutely incurable. They are making plans now for hospice care, and praying for time – weeks, if possible – for them to have as a family before Amy dies. And then Warren asked for stories and jokes. Something to bring a smile. Stories of children’s antics… one-liners that bring a chuckle or guffaw… Even in the darkness of impending death and loss, joy and laughter can help lighten the path.

The Lord has anointed me to bring good news… Rejoice in the Lord… Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with shouts of joy…

Our world is full of unspeakable pain and also of dazzling joy and goodness. As Christians, we choose to see the goodness. We don’t deny the pain, but we believe that goodness is stronger. We believe the light is stronger than the darkness. And, believing this, we look for the light in even the darkest moments. And we hold the light for one another, so that we can find hope.

A favorite hymn says:

“I will hold the Christ-light for you, in the nighttime of your fear.
I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.”

We draw on the Divine Light that has come into our world, and fills our world and our hearts, and we let that light shine through us. We become light.

There was a man sent by God whose name was John. He himself was not The Light, but he came to testify to the light. He came to tell about the light, to draw attention to the light.

But you know, and I know, that when we take light from light, (as when lighting a candle from another candle) the source does not grow smaller, but the light becomes brighter. And you know, as well as I, that the best teaching is not only about words. It’s the example of how a person lives that is the real testimony about their convictions.

You can’t just talk about God’s light and love. You have to live them. You have to become them.

Colleen Watson can recite this poem by memory – it’s called “Sermons we see,” by Edgar Guest. Here’s an excerpt:

I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day;
I'd rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.
The eye's a better pupil and more willing than the ear,
Fine counsel is confusing, but example's always clear;
And the best of all the preachers are the ones who live their creeds,
For to see good put in action is what everybody needs.
… … … …
When I see a deed of kindness, I am eager to be kind.
When a weaker brother stumbles and a strong man stays behind
Just to see if he can help him, then the wish grows strong in me
To become as big and thoughtful as I know that friend to be.
And all travelers can witness that the best of guides today
Is not the one who tells them, but the one who shows the way.


Yesterday afternoon about 40 people gathered in this sanctuary to pray for Amy and Warren and Isabella and Arbor. We lit candles and we prayed and we read scripture and poetry and we mostly sat in silence.

We did this for the Taylor family, and we also did it for ourselves and each other. Because we need to remind ourselves and each other: The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it. Rejoice. Even in sorrow, give thanks. God’s goodness and love are over all and in all, and goodness will triumph. Love will have the last word. The Light will never be extinguished.

Let us be lights that shine and point to the Divine Light that has come into our world.


- Lydia Huttar Brown

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