Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Teacher of the Faith, 386 – Com
Prayers at Mid-day (contemplative)
Author Archive for Brian Kauk – Page 8
Officiant: the Reverend Rosemary Parker
Preacher: The Reverend Canon Mary Ellen Berry
Reader: The Venerable Brian Kauk
For 14 days, the yeast will work away on the wine. At first, it blooms, which is how we know it’s working. Have you ever met a new Christian who blooms? A baby freshly baptized baby who radiates love? An adult who finds a community who really does want them, just the way they are? Love makes us bloom.
The yeast works it’s way through the whole batch of wine, and eventually sinks to the bottom where we can’t see it working. But we know it’s working. We can measure it.
A gadget called a wine thief sneaks into the pail and doesn’t disturb the yeast, allowing us to draw a sample. We transfer the sample to a test jar with a hydrometer.
watch the wine thief in action
The hydrometer measures how much sugar is in the liquid. SG stands for “specific gravity.” In plain water, it reads an even 1.000. The sugar-rich grape juice reads 1.086.
If it weren’t for the hydrometer, we might not know the yeast was doing its work. By day 3, we’re at 1.085. It looks like the yeast is going away. But by day 6, some real action is happening (1.048!) and it’s all under the surface.
We won’t be transformed by God’s love all at once. Sometimes it’s a little slow to get going, after the bloom fades. You might even be fooled into thinking the bloom is all there is, and when it’s gone, it’s all done. But really, the action of God’s love has only just begun. Over time, love takes hold, and works it’s way through our whole being.
Day 8, and we’ve passed our target. We can move on with the process, but there’s no rush. We can let it go for a few more days. It won’t go much past 0.996, but we can take our time.
Follow this series at http://stjamescarletonplace.ca/wine-into-water/
Early Christians were called “People of the Way.” Transformation of our lives by God’s love is the way. It is the purpose of our church communities, our liturgies, our spiritual disciplines. As we are transformed by love, we seek to become agents of transformation in the world God loves.
The wine is ready to start. There are two things we need: juice from grapes and yeast.
The bag of concentrated juice is 10 litres. It goes in the pail with the bentonite slurry, and about 9 litres of water. The water that goes in is slightly warm, so that we end up with 23 litres of grape juice that is just the right temperature.
Everything we need is here. The sugars in the juice will be transformed into alcohol. The tannins from the grape skins, stems and seeds give the wine texture. The varietal of the grapes give the wine particular smells and flavours.
You and I are like this pail of grape juice ready to become wine. Everything God needs is right there. You are the complete package, full of the raw ingredients that God will use and transform with love, making a new thing. Even the parts we might not be proud of make us who we are, and are included in the final product.
The transforming agent in our wine is yeast. It gets sprinkled on the top of the juice, and gets to work right away. We’ll be careful not to disturb it too much. It needs the right conditions to thrive. Enough sugars, the right temperature. We’ll need to keep the temperature of the room even for the next 14 days. Sometimes the yeast stops working. It can be reactivated, or if need be, another packet of yeast can be added.
If we are to be fully transformed by God’s love, there will be an incubation period where we need focus and attention to what’s going on around us. It seems delicate and fragile at first, but once it takes hold in our lives, the process cannot be stopped.
Follow this series at http://stjamescarletonplace.ca/wine-into-water/
Bentonite is used widely in a number of industrial applications. A small pouch of the dried clay is included in our wine-making kit, and we add it to four litres of water in our freshly cleaned and sanitized pail.
It seems strange to wash everything so carefully, and then start with muddy water. It’s going to help clarify the wine – grab a hold of particles that would make the wine cloudy – helping produce a shiny, clear, ruby-red liquid.
We use ashes to mark the beginning of Lent, a small cross on our foreheads. “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” We cover ourselves with dirt to make things clear. It becomes clear that we are justified by grace, not by our own doing. It becomes clear that our mortality s always with us. It becomes clear that transformation of our lives by God’s love is the way forward. A little bit of dirt helps remind us of that.
Follow this series at http://stjamescarletonplace.ca/wine-into-water/
Continuing with our theme of ‘…finding holiness in ordinary life…’ come join us for a day of Pysanky, when we will take the humble egg and turn it into a holy and personal work of art. Pysanky is traditional Ukrainian Easter Egg decoration that gives rise to those beautifully designed and coloured eggs you’ve seen at Easter time. The workshop is being given by Doris Wionzek, an Almonte calligraphic artist, who will lead us in learning this Ukrainian technique. The date is Satur- day, April 4th from 9:30 am – 3:00 pm and will take place in the Church Hall at St James, Carleton Place. There is a $25 fee for this workshop. All materials will be provided – but please do bring along an empty egg carton so you can safe- ly transport your treasures home. Lunch will be provided. The maximum number of participants is 20 persons, so please do sign up soon on the sheet provided. THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL.
“Celtic knotwork is well-known as an artful way of illustrating everything from gospel manuscripts, and greeting cards, to forearms. But did you know that the act of drawing a celtic knot can be a form of quiet centering meditation? Think of it as being like walking a labyrinth, but with ordinary paper and an ordinary pencil in-hand instead of feet on the ground. If you are interested in learning how to draw beautiful simple celtic knots as an act of centering prayer then this may be the workshop for you. All materials will be supplied. Workshop 1: Basic Knots will run on Tuesday, March 10th from 10 am – Noon. Workshop 2: Adding a Few Twists will build on the skills learned in the first workshop and will run on Tuesday, March 24th from 10 am – Noon. Both workshops will be held in the Quiet Room at St James, Carleton Place. Pre-registration is required, so if you would like to attend please contact the office or add your name to the sign-up sheet when you’re in church.
Water, flour, salt, sugar and yeast. The most common and everyday of ingredients that when combined create something warm, hearty and magical. Bread is the staff of Life, God’s gift. Bread has the ability to nourish, to comfort, to provide a moment of reprieve from all the coldness out there in the world.
Come explore the spirituality of bread making with the Reverend Jan Staniforth while we make a few varieties of bread together (Jan was a professional Baker before going into ministry). Don’t forget your appetite as we will “break bread together” with our oven warm bread, preserves and local honey. Please sign up by February 28th 2020 by contacting the church office, or calling 613-257-3178. Registration is required for us to obtain baking supplies.
Workshop is Tuesday March 3rd 2020. 12 noon to 4 pm. St James Hall, Carleton Place
The wine-making process begins with cleaning and sanitizing, not unlike the season of Lent in our church. On Ash Wednesday, we proclaim our need for repentance, mercy and forgiveness. We are invited to spend the season in self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Before we add anything to the wine, all the equipment we will use must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. A solution of sodium metabisulphite in a spray bottle works well. Everything gets washed in soap and water, and then sprayed down with the sanitizing solution. Every time a piece of equipment touches the wine, it will be sanitized and rinsed to make sure the living culture that transforms the grape juice into wine is preserved.
Telling people to purify themselves and keep themselves pure for forty days is a little weird. “What kind of religious nut-bar are you?” But setting that aside for a moment, we can ask ourselves what it is it we are trying to preserve? In the case of our wine, it’s the living culture of yeast slowly turning sugars into alcohol. In our lives, it’s the living spirit of God working away on the good things we already have in us, empowering and strengthening us for the work of the kingdom. In both cases, it is possible that the transformation becomes contaminated by agents that would introduce other kinds of change. In and of themselves, the competing changes may not be bad — in some situations they may even be desired. For for the wine to be enjoyable, we must start with a clean slate.
Create in us clean hearts, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.
Follow this series at http://stjamescarletonplace.ca/wine-into-water/
Sermon by Fr Brian on Sunday, September 16, 2018
Mark 8:27-38 – Link to all the readings for this day
Context is king. Have you ever heard that expression? The context for Jesus’ words today is a location, a place called Caesarea Philippi. A guy named Philip was a local ruler in the first century. He built himself a capital city, and he wanted it, and himself, to look impressive to the rest of the Roman empire. He named it Caesarea Philippi. No ego there.
Caesarea Philippi had all the amenities of a Roman city. Temples to the gods: symbols of power, wealth and sexual pleasure. A wide main street for soldiers to march on. And a place for the ruler to live, everything around him in its proper place.
It’s with this place in the background, as the disciples crests the hill coming into town, that Jesus asks, “Who do people say that I am?” It’s standing in front of symbols of someone else’s power that Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?”
Imagine these words in front of the Cenotaph at Memorial Park, or in front of the Hospital. Imagine Jesus asking, “Who do people say that I am?” in front of Town Hall, or beside an intersection full of elections signs. Or on the site of the old Foundry or one of the mills in the area. In front of one of our churches?
How does Peter get it right, and then wrong in almost the same breath?
“Jesus, you are the Messiah”: Ding, ding, ding, cue the applause, right answer.
But then, almost right away, Jesus is saying “Get behind me, Satan!” Fail. Epic fail.
Why does Peter see things so clearly, and then so completely miss the point? Peter’s having trouble understanding how Jesus can be the Messiah and lose the battle. Those things have never gone together before. Peter would never expect a suffering Messiah. Perhaps Peter is caught up in a vision of himself as victor triumphant, standing up there on the Olympic podium with Jesus the Christ, leader of the tribes of Israel. That vision of himself, if that’s what is getting in the way, is more dangerous to Jesus’ mission than all the scribes and Pharisees, Romans and Sadducees. It’s no wonder Jesus wants to get this right before they go any further.
How we hear Mark’s Gospel today depends on what we believe Jesus means by denying ourselves, taking up our cross and following him. Many of us will hear this in economic terms. We’re relatively rich by world standards. But Jesus was talking to the crowd, many of whom were already living hand to mouth. So, I don’t think he means “buy less stuff, take up your cross, and follow me.”
Healing people is one of the things Jesus does constantly and consistently in this gospel. Jesus just came from healing a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment. He clearly wants people to be healthy and whole. So denying the needs of the body is not where he was going with this. Jesus just released a little girl who was possessed by a demon, so the state of souls – spiritual, psychological, social: these are all of concern to Jesus.
What’s left? What other aspect of ourselves is there left to deny? Our ‘selves’ means our identities. How we see ourselves. I think that might be closer to what Jesus is suggesting we need to release and invite God to recreate in God’s image.
Think about those times when we are challenged to the core, when it feels as if life is slipping away:
- The devastation of losing a job
- Coping with the loss of a spouse
- Watching your child leave home
These are crossroads in life when we are forced to redefine ourselves. Our core identities are challenged. Mark’s gospel is saying that the life of discipleship, following Jesus, is about willingly surrendering that core identity and finding a new life in the death of Jesus.
Some of you may have read books by Thomas Merton, an American monk. Merton is recognized as a writer, theologian and mystic. He was also a poet, a social activist, and a scholar of comparative religion. One of his most influential works is his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain.
I found this reflection online, on a blog by a pastor named Christopher Brown:
“As Merton shares his life story, it becomes apparent while he’s studying at Columbia that his false-self is the self that wants to be a famous writer. He works on two novels which never get published, spends all his time in literature, and writes book reviews and stories for periodicals. Once he gets to the monastery, he thinks he’s left that false-self behind, until his superior starts assigning him translation and writing projects:
Merton writes:
“By this time I should have been delivered of any problems about my true identity. I had already made my simple profession. And my vows should have divested me of the last shreds of any special identity. But then there was this shadow, this double, this writer who had followed me into the cloister. He is still on my track. He rides my shoulders, sometimes, like the old man of the sea. I cannot lose him. He still wears the name of Thomas Merton. Is it the name of an enemy? He is supposed to be dead.”
The Seven Storey Mountainby Thomas Merton, pp. 448-449, Harcourt (1998)
“He’s admittedly confused: Merton thought he gave up his prideful pursuits only to enter a monastery where he became a bestselling author. What was God doing with him?”
Thomas Merton’ life follows a pattern that seems to be what Jesus is getting at, what Jesus wants for his disciples and the crowd.
Denial of one’s self
Seeking a greater good
Discovery of the true self
What would you and I be asked to deny about ourselves? Being church leader or a priest? Being a parent? Being someone of influence in this community?
How might God use us if we weren’t so concerned about preserving ourselves? The only way to find out is to do what Jesus suggests: to pick up our cross and follow him.
Not to get too hung up on language, but Jesus invites followers to deny themselves, not necessarily to stop being themselves. Sometimes it’s not about abandoning our identity at the side of the road. It’s about asking our ego to get out of the drivers’ seat for a while and sit in the back so that our true selves can take the wheel.
Jesus isn’t asking for token denial of the things we like, but for a complete surrender of who we are in service of the realm of God. This is his way, the way of the cross. Christians at the earliest time were called people of the Way, and this is what they were referring to. This Way of the cross leads to the fullness of life, a life God wants for all God’s children. To follow Jesus in this way is to set aside other visions of ourselves, and to pursue who we really are, and who we might really become.
