St.
Andrew’s NET
April, 2007
Dear Friends,
I have been wanting to write about the Hindu God Indra’s Net for
The St. Andrew’s Net for a while and it happens that I am
doing it at Easter. I suspect that the two images can feed each other.
Indra’s Net has been described as follows:
In the Heaven of Indra, there is said to be a network of pearls,
so arranged that if you look at one you see all the others
reflected
in it. In the same way each object in the world is not merely itself
but involves every other object and in fact IS everything else.
Indra’s Net is thought of as
having a crystal or pearl at every intersection and every pearl is an
object in the universe. What happens in one
pearl
influences every other pearl; all the pearls are interdependent and
caught up in infinite feedback loops.
It seems to me that often when we think of a net, we think of a
fisherman’s net and of ourselves as swimmers. We need to be
very careful not to get caught in this net and drown. We strive to stay
as high in the water as we can and to have as much control as possible.
We tread water vigorously and keep our heads up. As we struggle to
survive we become increasingly focused on our own small world and
increasingly mistrustful of the world around us. We allow ourselves to
be aware only of what we can control.
Instead of thinking of the net as a fishing net that we can get caught
in, we could think of Indra’s Net as a safety net that we can
fall into and become part of. Instead of striving to reach upwards, we
could relax and fall down. To leave the grave on Easter morning could
be thought of not as fighting gravity to rise into the sky but as
falling down into the earth, yielding to gravity. We are falling into
the bosom of Abraham, into the lap of Mary. We are letting go because
we trust; we are relaxing because the universe is a net that holds us
up. We are falling into an experience of the interconnectedness and
interdependence of all beings. As this awareness becomes more and more
real, it becomes clearer that when we say "I want" we are voicing the
wants of all people, birds, fish, trees and galaxies.
As we fall from
the grave of independence to the depths of interdependence, we come to
know that each of our I’s is composed of all the
I’s in the universe. Just as our spouses and our children and
our jobs are important parts of how we identify ourselves, so too are
the mountains and the stars and the snakes and the ants. Just as our
children’s concerns become our concerns, so too do the
concerns of all beings. What happens anywhere impacts us and what we do
impacts everything. We no longer have to prove that we are any better
than anyone or anything because we are they and they are we. We are all
in this together, all of us, everything.
This image of Indra’s Net expands the image of the mystical
body of Christ to include the universe. We are one net; we are one
body. Dropping out of our egotistical grave into this awareness is one
meaning of Easter. Dropping out of our respective graves and trusting
the Net is important as we decide whom to call as our
priest-in-partnership. Blessings, Jeffrey Kay
VESTRY NOTES
The Vestry and the
discernment committees of St. Andrew’s and St.
Peter’s in Lyndonville continue to explore the possibilities
of joint ministries and the search for a new priest.
Laura Clark, recently returned to the Northeast from Utah, will be
playing the piano and potentially also the organ for us for the next
two months to see if the position as organist is a mutually acceptable
fit.
We will be relieving Lin Hill and Diane Montague, our dedicated
volunteers, of their responsibilities cleaning the church soon
– we are negotiating a contract with a cleaning service.
Everyone will have a last chance to serve the church with elbow grease
and assist in cleaning on Saturday, March 31 in preparation for Holy
Week.
PASTORAL CARE
If
you are looking for pastoral care please don’t hesitate
to contact someone on the Pastoral Care Team:
Sybil Hazen 626-8678, Marion Parks 748-3083, Lisa Norsworthy 695-1408,
Jocelyn
Burrell 748-5247, Lin Hill 467-3308, and Robin Bergman 633-2871 (Sybil
and
Marion head up this group). Pastoral care is the work of the
congregation – this is our group of
facilitators -- all of us should feel encouraged to send notes or make
phone
calls when we see the need, particularly at this time where we lack the
spiritual guidance of a priest. We also must remind ourselves
to reach
out for help when we need it.
ODDS AND ENDS
Our Bean Supper, postponed
due to the St. Patrick’s Day blizzard, was held on March
24th. Attendance was moderate but everyone raved about the great time
they had which certainly made it worthwhile! Our thanks to the many
volunteers who made it possible!!
IN MEMORIUM
On March 2nd we received the balance of the bequest from Dr. Herbert H.
Quimby. The total of this generous bequest is $500,166… over
½ million dollars! It has all been invested for income and
growth. This bequest helps significantly in meeting operating expenses
and should permit some needed improvements to our facility.
Dr. Quimby was born in St. Johnsbury on October 24, 1924, the son of
Albert K. and Laura E. (McCutchen). He died at his home in Rutland on
December 22, 2005 at age 81and is interred in Grove Cemetery in East
St. Johnsbury. He attended St. Andrew’s in his early years
and had a successful veterinary practice in Rutland starting in 1947.
The vestry is planning suitable recognition for Dr. Quimby.
KIDS FOR PEACE
(K4P) PROGRAM by Libby Hillhouse
I've been teaching since
early February in both Ka'abiya and Shefa Amer and .it feels wonderful.
The kids are excited, motivated, eager to learn and, impressively, come
to me with a really solid foundation in the basics of English - even in
4th grade! The Abrahamic project is in Shefa Amer (the original Arabic
name for this village, which was changed to the Hebrew Shefar'am when
the Israeli State was formed in 1948). Interestingly, there are no
Jewish kids in the Shefa Amer class… and that, in itself, is
a story about Jewish-Arab relationships. Most Jewish friends think that
the Jewish kids and their families are not interested in Arab
relationships. Others think the Jewish kids are too busy and spending
time with their Arab neighbors is not a priority. It's a mixture of all
that, I'm sure. However disappointing it may feel to me, it's a reality
here and the Arab families have noticed.
Nonetheless, the Christian and Muslim kids meet with each other in the
hall of a Catholic church. The surroundings are spare, there is no
heat, and the chairs and tables scrape loudly against the stone floor
as we move furniture around. We've started cooking together, using that
as a way to come together, learn vocabulary, practice social language
and just enjoy each other's company. Despite the fact that most of the
kids live in the same town, they are still separated as Muslims and
Christians. They don't attend the same schools and have little to no
opportunity to play with each other. I have found one main commonality,
however: this past summer's war between Israel and Lebanon. The kids
all had to stay indoors, and they heard bombs falling regularly nearby.
They talk about it with some stress, have drawn some pictures about it,
but are still not comfortable enough to talk about what it is like to
be Arab in an Israeli state. The lost opportunity, however, is that
there are no Jewish kids to share with them their same anxieties and
fears about the bombing.
So, the kids are practicing expressing themselves in English and
acquiring some new Abrahamic playmates. In that respect, the project
here is meeting its goals. The time is way too short for all the ideas
and potential ways to build relationship between them... and there are
no Jews. I am, however, acting as a sort of ambassador between the
kibbutz and the classes, because I tell my Jewish friends about the
Arab kids and what we are doing. Some look a little sorry that they
have not joined. I am learning tons about the Arab way of living,
thinking, their warm hospitality - and the foibles of intercultural
communication! They have so much more to teach me, I believe, than I
have to teach them. For that, I am blessed.
HEAVEN OR HELL?
A holy man was having a
conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to
know what Heaven and Hell are like.” The Lord led the holy
man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked
in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of
the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the
holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin
and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with
very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it
possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because
the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons
back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the sight of their
misery and suffering. The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."
They went to the next
room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one.
There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made
the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same
long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump,
laughing and talking. The holy man said, "I don't understand."
"It is simple" said the
Lord, "it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed
each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."
KIDS
KORNER
• Teen Night at St.
Andrew’s - We have been meeting regularly on first Mondays at
6pm since early winter to watch a film and have dinner together. The
theme of our series seems to be spiritual journeys and self-knowledge:
Rabbit Proof Fence -
Three girls are determined to get home from forced enrollment in a
mission school, thwarting an Australian government official carrying
out a policy of blending the races.
Gospel—A successful musician is on a spiritual journey to
reconnect with his family and church community.
Joshua—The journey of a modern Jesus and how He brings a
community together.
I am David—A young boy’s journey of self-discovery
after he escapes from a prison camp in Eastern Europe.
We welcome any
suggestions for films that make us think about our connection to the
human and the divine... or that exemplify the qualities we strive for as
Christian people--love, forgiveness, compassion, truth telling,
understanding. Sarah Maynard lent me a copy of Godspell;
we’ll look forward to viewing that in May.
We will meet next on
Monday, April 2, in Jones Hall. We will be viewing a film selected by
one of our young people entitled "A Walk to Remember" (2002). When bad
boy Landon (Shane West) is cast opposite the campus bookworm (Mandy
Moore) in a school play, no one expects romance to bloom. Despite peer
pressure and strict parents, the newly minted lovebirds forge a
heartfelt bond ... until tragedy tears them apart. Lizzie highly
recommends this film! Join us if you can.
• Worship for our younger
children continues with Anna on first Sundays and me on third Sundays.
Many thanks again to the young people who help support this program on
Sunday mornings. Since Christmas I have been telling banquet and
feast
stories, the parable of the Great Banquet, Passover, and The Last
Supper. Our children will be celebrating with us upstairs on
Easter.
All are welcome at the table! - Nene Riley
• After his first couple
of services as an Acolyte, nine-year-old Thomas Keon had the following
to say:
"Acolyting is fun because you're a helper to the Priest instead of just
sitting there. Its fun getting dressed up! In the beginning it's kind
of hard following the steps [of the service] but once you learn all the
steps, it's easy. It is fun being an Acolyte, you should try it!
God
bless you, Thomas! We’ll look forward to having you on the
vestry some day!!
MARK
YOUR
CALENDAR!
Lenten prayer and lunch series
reflects on “Christ on
Trial”
Lenten prayer and lunch
series reflects on “Christ on Trial.”
The long-standing tradition of ecumenical noontime Lenten prayer
services with lunch began on Wednesday, March 7 at St.
Andrew’s. The theme of this year’s
worship is “Christ on Trial.” Each Wednesday, we
heard testimony from someone in the gospel story about who Jesus is.
• Matthew, a tax collector,
will testify on Jesus’ association with sinners.
• A once crippled woman will
testify that Jesus illegally healed her on the Sabbath.
•
Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, will speak of Jesus
disturbing the peace.
• A woman caught in adultery
will testify how Jesus halted her execution.
The series
will conclude differently this year, ending with an ecumenical Tenebrae
service during Holy Week at 5:15 p.m. on April 4 at
St.
John’s Church.
Updated 5/27/07