Virginia Tech

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I know we will read profound statements regarding the tragedy at Virginia Tech all month. I have nothing profound to say. My writing style is more conversational than poetic. Yesterday, I would try to catch the news between meetings at work, watching events unfold. It's hard to even grasp what those affected personally are feeling. As I was driving home, a car passed me on the road that had a Virginia Tech bumper sticker. I remember thinking, "I wonder what he is going through. Did he attend there? Do one of his children attend now? What is he thinking?"

I think people in Austin felt a particular empathy with those at Virginia Tech. After all, prior to yesterday the University of Texas had the dubious distinction of being the location of the deadliest student-perpetrated shooting in U.S. history. No one I encountered was relieved they are no longer on the top of that list. They just felt grief for those at VT. Today, Governor Rick Perry ordered flags at half-staff. University of Texas is going to darken the tower (the very tower Charles Whitman positioned himself with a sniper rifle) in honor of the victims at VT.

I hope the people at Virginia Tech feel the thoughts, prayers and sympathies from people all over the nation, possibly all over the world. I hope they feel the loving comfort of God in the midst of this horrible evil. I also pray the family of the killer find peace. I can only imagine how horrified and guilty they must feel, even if they did nothing to warrant that guilt.

Lord, help us to get through that which we just can't understand.

San Jacinto Day

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Today is San Jacinto Day. The phrase "Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!" was forever etched into Texas history (although "Remember the Alamo!" seems to have "stuck" more than the full phrase). I stopped in Goliad while traveling one day and read about the massacre. Of course, every good Texan has been to San Antonio and toured the Alamo. It's sobering to ponder what men were willing to go through to secure freedom from tyranny.

Of course, San Jacinto Day is a celebration of victory, not of martyrdom. There were soldiers as young as 15 and as old as 60 fighting in the battle for Texas freedom. I don't know the exact statistics, but I think I remember over 600 Mexican soldiers died and over 700 were taken prisoner. Only 9 Texians (as they were called then) died and a small number (maybe in the 30s) were wounded. This is what a panel on the side of the monument at San Jacinto says:

"Measured by its results, San Jacinto was one of the decisive battles of the world. The freedom of Texas from Mexico won here led to annexation and to the Mexican War, resulting in the acquisition by the United States of the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. Almost one-third of the present area of the American nation, nearly a million square miles of territory, changed sovereignty."

Jerry Falwell

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Well, no doubt Jerry Falwell's death has created a bit of a stir out in internet land. I have read he's everywhere from sitting with Jesus on the throne to taking the pitchfork from Satan and assuming his rightful throne in Hell. Obviously, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I'm not referring to Purgatory. I mean his legacy, not his eternal state. The only quote I feel is worth repeating came from from Larry Flynt:

The Reverend Jerry Falwell and I were arch enemies for fifteen years. We became involved in a lawsuit concerning First Amendment rights and Hustler magazine. Without question, this was my most important battle – the 1988 Hustler Magazine, Inc., v. Jerry Falwell case, where after millions of dollars and much deliberation, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in my favor.

My mother always told me that no matter how much you dislike a person, when you meet them face to face you will find characteristics about them that you like. Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of that. I hated everything he stood for, but after meeting him in person, years after the trial, Jerry Falwell and I became good friends. He would visit me in California and we would debate together on college campuses. I always appreciated his sincerity even though I knew what he was selling and he knew what I was selling.

The most important result of our relationship was the landmark decision from the Supreme Court that made parody protected speech, and the fact that much of what we see on television and hear on the radio today is a direct result of my having won that now famous case which Falwell played such an important role in.

I just find that fascinating. I appreciated Falwell's willingness to stand up for his beliefs. When he was a mere preacher and not a politician, he was pretty darn good. He survived the televangelist scandals of Bakker and Swaggert. I questioned his mixing of church and state. I cringed at some of his goofy statements - Tinky Winky and 9/11 come to mind. However, no one can doubt that the 80s political landscape was largely influenced by Falwell. Even today, love them or hate them, the Religious Right is a force in America.

Rest in Peace, Jerry. Whether they see you as a hero or a villain, you will be missed by many.

Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Church

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The Maronite Church is one of the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with the Pope, but allowed to operate autonomously. They are largely Lebanese, having roots tracing back to a monk named St. Maron, for whom they are named. Separate from Rome for many years, they later became affiliated with the Pope around the 12th century.

Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Church is largely Lebanese, but not exclusively by any means. I have passed the church on several occasions and have been curious about visiting. The building has a style similar to what you might see at an Orthodox Church. As you approach the entrance, you pass a memorial garden that's attractive enough that you almost want to just go sit there for awhile. Entering the building, I immediately smelled the familiar smell of incense throughout the place. If you have been in liturgical services that use incense, you understand how that smell can immediately put your mind and body in a place where you are ready to worship. Although the people were generally warm, no one greeted me coming in and I found my way to the service books and into the sanctuary on my own. The church isn't very large, so this was no problem.

The sanctuary is absolutely beautiful. It has stained glass windows with pictures of various saints and depictions of key scenes in the life of Christ throughout. There is an altar, which sits behind a curtain up front (it is similarly positioned as an iconostasis is in an Orthodox Church). The ceiling has a large icon of Christ on it and the ceiling above the altar has one of Mary. The sanctuary is not particularly large, but it is wonderful to be in! You can really feel the presence of God while sitting there in a place that has been specifically designed for worship and reverence of Him.

The service was equally beautiful. The Maronite Rite feels like a cross between an Orthodox and Catholic service (which makes sense, given it's an Eastern Catholic Church). The service has an ancient feel to it, with chanting, incense and beautiful music. There are quite a few prayers as well. Although the liturgical language of Syriac is used some, the services are largely in English. It was very heavenly and being a part of the service really brought me to a great place of worship. The prayers, chanting, music and all really bring you to a place where you appreciate and remember the greatness of God (and kind of makes you feel silly that you sometimes pray for things like your football team to win).

The focus of the service was on those who have died in the faith. There were pictures on display of family members and others. The homily also revolved around loved ones who have died. The minister was fairly brief and very interesting to listen to. There was also a baptism. This, of course, is always a special moment in the life of the church. The child was cute and cried several times, reminding us that in the midst of this life-giving sacrament, we are still just human. The baptism rite included the congregation renewing their baptismal vows. One thing the minister said about baptism that stuck in my mind was that it was like plugging in a lamp. It plugs us into the energy source. However, as he pointed out, we still have to turn the lamp on. That's our response to God and our baptism.

Anyway, I can't recommend this church enough. I wish I was more eloquent and could describe the service in a way where you can picture it, but instead I will just say this: You will truly know that you have been in a holy place set aside to honor God for worship as you leave.

St. David's Episcopal Church

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St. David's Episcopal Church is a beautiful church located in downtown Austin. It's a very active church, with multiple services all during the week. I was looking forward to this service as my personal experience is that the Episcopal Churches have possibly the most beautiful liturgy in the world (of course, that is merely my opinion). Parking is in a parking garage right next to the church. I recommend the church post signs explaining what to do once you pull into the garage. I wandered a bit, finally walked around the side of the building, stepped over a couple of homeless people sleeping on the sidewalk (yes, something felt strange about stepping over a homeless person on the way to worship), and came in the back door. I take these little cards with me and drop them in the offering plate after I visit a church. I had forgotten my card, so I went back out and around the building, into the garage and got the card. I then realized some people were taking the elevator and I went that way. (Again, no real indication on which floor to take). I went up a level, walked around a corner and then found the entrance to the church, which is kind of counter-intuitive because it's the entrance that faces into the block rather than the street. Of course, then I couldn't find my way to the sanctuary! Fortunately, I looked lost enough that a very nice lady asked me if I needed help and she gave me directions to the sanctuary. So, I finally got back to my seat and was able to take in the atmosphere.

The building is beautiful. What is most interesting about the stained glass windows is the dates when they were dedicated. Many were in the 1800s. The church, on the inside, simply does not look that old. It's very well kept and, although large and breathtaking, really has a cozy feel to it. Another thing I noticed is that there was a large number of people of all ages. I have been in many Episcopal Churches in which the crowd appeared to be mostly elderly. This was definitely not the case. The people appeared fairly enthusiastic about being there.

The music in the church is outstanding and everyone in the service was singing. In fact, I initially thought they were piping in voices or had the choir miked with speakers in the back, but it was obvious that the singing was coming from all around. Throughout the service, the people were truly engaged with the Scripture readings, the responsive readings, the prayers, and the sermon. During "the peace" people were walking all over the building to greet each other. At one point, the person behind me introduced herself and asked if I was new. She said she used to attend here before moving and she missed the place very much. She went on to say how great a church it was. Again, lots of enthusiasm.

The service followed the Book of Common Prayer liturgy. Something they do that is the first time I've seen in an Episcopal Church is they put the entire liturgy in the bulletin. That way, you don't have to flip back-and-forth through the BCP to figure out where you are. In fact, a common joke among Episcopalians is you can tell who has been in the church the longest based on whether or not they have the liturgy memorized (that's the longest), whether or not they know how to follow the order of service (that's a little newer), or whether or not they are flipping back-and-forth lost most of the time (that's the newest people). Not having to navigate the BCP allows one to focus on the service. Very nice touch!

The Scripture reading from the Old Testament was about the bronze serpent Moses raised up for the Israelites to look to as a cure for the snakes biting them. The Gospel reading referenced it as well. The sermon was delivered by Amy Moehnke, who is the Director of Youth Ministries. She talked about how the people were told to look to the serpent rather than avoiding the snakes biting them and how this really required suspending rational thought and trusting in the cure. She went on to apply that passage to Jesus, as He did Himself, in the Gospel reading. It was a little surprising, and I think appropriate, to hear an Episcopal sermon telling people to suspend their rational mind and trust in something that doesn't make sense. Typically, the knock you hear from outsiders on Episcopalians revolves around their denial of some of the tenants of the faith due to rational and logical arguments. However, this sermon demonstrated this is most likely an exaggeration of Episcopal theology. Amy is an engaging speaker and was very enjoyable to listen to.

Communion was served. All who believe in Christ were invited to participate. Music continued through communion and then the service closed. I really enjoyed the service. It's great to be among people who, although following a structured liturgy, do not appear to be just "going through the motions." Put that in the context of this historic church, beautiful building with reminders of their past as well as evidence of a vibrant, present life, and you will find this to be a great place to worship. Add on top of that the inclusive, loving and inviting hearts of the people and I think you'll find this a place most anyone could call home. I will probably take advantage of the multiple opportunities each week to worship to return to this church again.