I have this feeling that the changes in how we conduct our daily lives have just snuck up on us. And here we are. A small tree came down in the last windstorm. No change there. But then I went about the business of trying to find someone to chop it up. I went to my computer.

In days past, I would have gone to the yellow pages. Now its computer for everything. This might seem totally as it always has been to younger generations, but it is not. My sister does not even own a computer and she is part of the human race and otherwise up to date, informed enough to vote, and able bodies enough to care for a husband with Parkinson’s.

The first person I called about the tree, after tracking him down on Google, asked me to send him a picture of the tree. A simple request…today. I can go outside, take a picture of the tree and text it to him. (I can’t email it because I don’t want my email on my phone and transferring it to my computer is a bother. That’s when it hit me. Does anyone today know how amazing this simple act is? A picture from a phone and instant communication of it?

Of course, when I call these people, I get an answering machine or a robot. No one knows where the person you are calling is these days. Most probably not in their office thanks to work remotely anywhere possibility. My son had to remind me one day that I do not need to be nice when talking to a robot. I do not need to say “thank you” and “please.”

It’s true. I have come to take all of today’s forms of finding things and communicating for granted, though I am not fond of robotic answering systems. “For this press 1, for that press 2”, and on and on, and if what you are calling about isn’t in the list, too bad. Well, if you are lucky, you can talk to a real person after waiting for over a half-hour. Not really efficient, or well, human.

Don’t get me wrong. I am attached to my computer. It is my constant companion and connection to work and play. When it went down the other day because the power cord was bad, I was lost. I panicked, I almost had a breakdown. I found an old, out-of-date computer to save me, temporarily. Of course its old operating system didn’t work for many things due to planned obsolescence. I NEED my computer. Yes, my files are backed up, I think, but I would not know how to retrieve them. Besides, those video games, how can I survive without them?

But, for some reason, today it dawned on me in a new way, how changed life is. I thought of all those who are not part of the electronic age. I could feel the pages of the Yellow Phone Book, I could see myself going through the catalogue drawers at the library, of hearing real people on the phone from the getgo. I also thought of how my computer corrects my terrible spelling, enables me to correct things without whiteout, reaches across the miles in seconds. My phone lets me and everyone else with a “smart” phone take pictures anytime, anywhere. My poor old cameras sit unused for the most part along with the pictures they took which were somewhat special. Those of us who are older could go on and on with this in all directions.

Of course change happens, and we have to adapt. This change is huge, make no mistake, and we are not all wired to adapt. And something of a personal touch is missing. I don’t want to go back to the “good old days.” I do want to take some of what we had then with us into the future. I don’t want to lose our humanity. I want us to continue to like the feel of things. I want to love other people and need them more than my computer (or phone). I want us to care and be outraged and grieve and speak out when human life is considered expendable. I want us to weep over Gaza. I want truth to matter. I want “real” to mean something. I don’t want to care about “likes” or “followers.” I want to ditch the mass mob mentality for community. I want us to know that a person with “no likes” matters. That person could be any of us even when we are really liked in person.

Of course, I am only somewhat computer literate so that may color my views. My children and grandchildren know more than I do about these things and I value all the help I get. I still do know about other things. I like to think that life lessons matter.

Let the transition to our electronic age be incomplete, modified, judged by the soul in humanity, and, if one is a believer, by the Spirit of Holiness among us.

I republish this document for July 4, 2022, at a time when our nation is in desperate need of it, on behalf of all those who brought it into being for all those who can bring it to life today and tomorrow. Patricia Kepler

DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE

and

DECLARATION OF IMPERATIVES

Presented to the nation by the Women’s Coalition of the Third Century on July 4, 1976 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA. Original in the Smithsonian Institution

Preamble 

Two hundred years ago the United States of America was born of the courage and strength of women and men who while searching for liberty, gold or adventure, endured to lay the foundation of our nation with their lives.

Believing in a people’s right to govern themselves, they drafted a Declaration, initiated a revolution and established this republic.  Some who struggle for freedom were not fully free themselves: youth, native Americans, blacks, women of all races, and the unpropertied.

Each of us emerges out of the past with a different story to tell. We inherit a nation which has broken through to a technological age with all the dangers and promises that holds.  Responsibility rests on us.  We are committed to the Constitution of the United States, amended by the Equal Rights Amendment, and the evolving democracy it protects.  We believe in the right of all peoples to self-government.

History teaches us that both unlimited power and powerlessness breed corruption; that where all human beings are not valued, humanity is violated; that where differences divide us, they limit and distort us; that independence is an illusion and unlimited freedom is tyranny, plunging whole societies and people into chaos and bondage.  Human survival requires interdependence.

We have been called to new consciousness by impending crises that threaten to overwhelm us if we obediently serve institutions that do not serve us.

We will no longer endure the corruption of power which risks the world’s future by ignoring the rights and well-being of persons and communities.  The imperative of the present is to integrate the struggle for greater humanization.  To be more fully human is to share life, to respond to the dignity of ourselves and others, to be committed to the growth of one another, to develop and vitalize human community.  It is necessary then to risk, to be in conflict, to suffer, to love and to celebrate.

We therefore make this declaration.  We are interdependent with the good earth, with all people, and with divine reality.

In declaring our interdependence with all peoples, we recognize geographic communities of persons and their interdependence with one another. We affirm our common humanity and we respect one another’s uniqueness.  We accept our responsibility to share the visions, hopes and dreams of one another and pledge ourselves to protect each other’s freedom.

  We shall be dedicated to the empowerment of all people and to the expression of each person’s
  creativity.

  We shall commit ourselves to a world in which food, shelter, clothing and health care are the rights of all people.

  We shall seek protection for people in need of care in our society, and work to provide support systems for those responsible for their care and nurture.

  We shall create a climate for the creative development of each person’s human potential, and for the utilization and enjoyment of all human resources for the good of all people.

  We shall respect the dignity and privacy of expressions of individual personality and living relationships.

  We shall be committed to lifelong learning with access to education for all persons and for the responsible uses of communication media.

  We shall be committed to all people’s responsibility for public institutions of government, law,  education, business, and religion, and to the concept that those institutions be responsive to the direction of the people.

  We shall value and share use of free access to all public information and shall protect and value individual privacy.

In declaring our interdependence with the earth we affirm our reliance on it, our mutual responsibility for it and the rights of all persons to the fruits thereof.

  We shall enjoy, protect, restore and improve the world that we inherit.

  We shall produce the world’s resources and share them among all peoples.

  We shall enjoy and cherish the sacredness and privacy of our bodies and shall bring into the world children who are wanted.

  We shall use and control technology for the survival and protection of nature and all people.

In declaring our interdependence with Divine Reality we recognize the possibilities of a sacred mystery within and around us.

  We shall honor and protect people’s right to gather as they choose in religious communities.

  We shall support each other in pursuit of truths which emerge from our diverse experiences and  histories, rejecting those exclusive claims to truth which deny the sacred existence of others.

  We shall be open to revelations that extend beyond the boundaries of our current understanding and wisdom.

  We shall recognize the divine within ourselves and in one another.

We women and men and children make this Declaration living in the midst of a world in which women are subservient and oppressed, men are repressed and brutalized, and children are violated and alienated.  In making this Declaration we seek a new order and covenant ourselves to a fully interdependent society.  We live in a world in which love has yielded to war, art to science, religion to materialism, and sexuality to violence.  We are committed to the discovery of a humanity which lays claim to the fulness of life.

We disclaim any right to privilege in order to honor the full dignity and development of all and take up responsibility for instituting freedom.

We long for light to shine on our darkness and life on the shadow of death, and for our feet to be guided in the way of peace. We shall live with grace and struggle with courage through the transitional years that lie ahead.

______________________________________________________________________________

The Women’s Coalition for the Third Century offers this Declaration of Interdependence to the people of the United States for response.  In so doing we declare our intent to be architects of our Third Century.  The future belongs to those who can dream with courage and creativity, plan with intelligence and wisdom, and act with power and compassion for the liberation of humanity. We invite others to join us in this declaration.
______________________________________________________________________________

Declaration of Imperatives

We are aware of humanity’s suffering, for as women we have been in bondage to unjust systems.  Now we will define ourselves and find release from the values, images, myths, and practices that for centuries defined us.

We will no longer be governed by institutions that do not seek, respect and include our leadership.

We will not be taxed without representation.

We will not be bound by the authority of legal systems in which we participate only minimally in the making and administration of the laws.

We will not be exploited in the labor force.

We will not be the only ones responsible for child care, homemaking and community building.

We reject educational systems that distort our reality.

We will not accept philosophies and theologies that deny our existence.

W will not abide prophets of the future who ignore our struggle.

We will not be reduced to sex symbols nor have our sexuality determined by others.

We will not be the principal source of morality for this nation.  We insist that our contributions to conscience be incorporated into the public as well as the private sector.  And we will not be destroyed by unethical and immoral leadership.  We will not be divided by the distinctions that have traditionally alienated us from one another.

We will share the leadership of society and its government. We will demand respect for work inside and outside the home. We will share in the labor force and treasure leisure. We demand education that maximizes human potential. We will share in raising families.  We will develop philosophies and theologies.  We will enjoy our sexuality. We will create the future and act with strength in the fulfillment of these imperatives.
­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________________________________________

The Women of the Coalition for the Third Century make this Declaration to make certain our rights are not once again denied and our value and values ignored.  Our concern for interdependence requires of each full partnership with all in the search for a human order.

************************************************************************

President of the Women’s olation: The Rev. Patricia Budd Kepler

The Reverend Thomas Fitch Kepler of Arlington Massachusetts died peacefully asleep at his home on April 30, 2022, after having led a long, varied, and full life. All who knew him will remember his deep devotion to the cause of peace. They will remember both his compassionate kindness to others and his fiery opposition to injustice. They will remember his sharp wit, penetrating intellect, and extraordinary command of the English language. They will remember his rich baritone voice, singing hymns, folk songs, or oratorios, as well as delivering sermons.

Among those who will remember him most dearly are his wife, Patricia Budd Kepler, and his three sons: Thomas Kepler and wife Grace Martinelli Kepler, James Kepler and former wife Lisa Kepler, John Kepler and wife Martha Erickson; his grandchildren Lenora, Kieran and wife Alyssa, Manda and husband Brian; James and fiance Erica, Alyssa and partner Jake; Alana, and April; and his two great-grandchildren, Addalyn and Atlas; his brother, William and wife LuEllen; , and all of his nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews., and dear friends.

Tom was born in Changsha, China, on 16 November 1933, the son of missionaries, Raymond Kepler and Margaret Blain Kepler, themselves China-born children of missionaries, as were Tom’s older brother Mercer (1931-2019), and his younger brother John (1938-2005). The youngest brother William, was born in the U.S. (1942). Tom attended Shangai American School and made the long sail between the U.S. and China several times before returning to the U.S. permanently with the rest of the family following the Chinese Revolution of 1949.

After graduating as valedictorian from the Mount Hermon School, he studied at Yale and then at Princeton Theological Seminary where he earned his MDiv and ThM degrees. It is there that he met his classmate Patricia Budd. He was ordained to Christian Ministry in the United Presbyterian Church USA in 1958 and served as the pastor of the first Presbyterian Church of Englishtown, NJ. Soon after the Presbyterian Church voted to allow the ordination of women, Pat was made pastor of Westminster Presbyterian in Manalapan, NJ and Tom and Pat became the first married clergy members in the Presbyterian Church.

He entered the Ministry at a time in history when the Civil Rights Movement was on the rise. And he, like his father who was a minister with a parish in the south, espoused a faith which stood for justice for all, and the equality of all. Under Tom’s leadership, the Englishtown church built a new educational wing and celebrated its centennial. He was instrumental in developing new childhood and adult education programs, engaged in pastoral care, became involved in the wider church and community, and in civil rights advocacy. He and Pat were active in the local Theater Company, where he, among other things, acted in Rashomon.

Toward the end of his eighth year serving the parish, both his own and Pat’s fathers died unexpectedly in close succession and Tom reevaluated his life’s work. He chose to engage more directly with the educational component of his ministry, becoming a teacher at the Vanguard School, first in their Florida campus, and then in Haverford, Pennsylvania. He continued to serve churches on weekends and to lead church summer music camps.

Thomas Kepler pursued this “tent-making” ministry for the rest of his life, doing secular work during the week and serving churches on weekends. After so much moving in his early days, he settled down for the last fifty years in Arlington, MA, where he was a member of Boston Presbytery. As a member of the Presbytery and the wider church he became involved in Palestinian liberation issues and peace in the Middle East. He had close ties to friends in churches in Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Korea.

While in the Boston area, he worked in senior services, in banking, in assessing, and at General Electric. He pastored churches in Somerville, Lynn, East Boston, and Hingham where he was Pastor at New North Church for ten years. In retirement, he and his wife served churches in Easton and Waltham. He was Pastor Emeritus at Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church in Somerville, where Pat is still Minister Emerita.

A Memorial Service is being held at Clarendon Hill Presbyterian on September 10, 2022 at 1:00 PM.

“And what does anyone require of me, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to know that I’m no better than anyone else.” –Thomas F. Kepler

(Micah 6:8)

May 2022

(In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church for their Peace and Justice Circle, 155 Powerhouse Blvd. Somerville, MA 02144)

The other day I found myself carefully folding a used piece of tin foil so I could use it again. Shades of my mother’s early experience of Germany’s terrible economic depression after World War I. That was so long ago and yet this saving thing I learned from her lives on. Turns out, it is environmentally a good thing to do in today’s world. But not all of the past is of repeatable value.

What followed in Germany after that terrible depression and the rise of Hitler is one of history’s darkest times, never to be repeated.

Sometimes, what has been done to us, we do to others. Violence can live on if it is not interrupted. It is said of Putin’s war of March 2022 that memory of the destruction of Leningrad by the Nazis is driving him to invade Ukraine today. We are watching a tragedy unfold before out eyes as the result of one man’s hardness of heart, unresolved rage, and megalomania. Suddenly World War II is in focus again and fear of World War III.

War itself is madness. An outmoded relic of past ages. How can real live men and some women be actually killing other people at some leader’s calculated expression of fear and hatred and need for power as a nation’s leader?

I find myself wondering whether Ukraine’s fighting back can accomplish anything more than yet more death. With the rest of the world, I admire the courage and strength and commitment to freedom of Ukraine’s people and their President. Still, I want the leadership to worry about a third world war. Still, I pray that their resistance will bring Russia to the negotiting table. I also wish that some form of passive resistance would work. War brings such unimaginable suffering and destruction. Ukrainians may still need some non-violent resistance in the future.

I think President Biden’s and Europe’s sanctions are the right move rather than armed engagement. But I am not hearing what I think also needs to be said. War is obsolete, tragic, and unthinkable in the Twenty-First Century. We all shudder at the killing of civilians and the war crimes that are being committed. War is a crime. It is not a strategic game. Still, how do we stop aggressors with their weapons of destruction?

Even the God of Judaism and Christianity who was once seen as a warrior evolved in Scripture would come to be knownow known as a God of justice, mercy, and peace, and love. It seems that in eras past, we were wrong about who God is and what God wills. Still, I find myself wishing that God would swoop down and slay the Putin dragon. But in my heart, I know that even if I pray for that, God will not swoop down. Surely the Holy is in all those offering compassionate care and shelter to those fleeing for their lives and those sheltering in place. And the Holy is calling humanity to wake up.

How do we respond to such deadly aggression in our time? Maybe for awhile, all we can do is fight back even as we pray for peace. And we can support those Russians who protest against Putin and his war. Ultimately though, we have to make clear that war itself is wrong. if we are going to train military personnel for war and killing, deploying them will be an option. The military/ industrial complex is lucrative and global.

We may think we are preparing for a just war and ready to fight for democracy. The trouble is, there will never be a just war anymore. We do need national and international police forces to enforce just laws, and ways to restrain perpetrators of violence and invaders and stealers of the land and lives of others. We need a functional international justice system that works. We cannot survive a war mentality. War is juvenile. The world must nature and come of age. We all must.

While we do what we can to support Ukraine without widening Putin’s War, we need wise people to look ahead. War needs to be declared outmoded, a. thing of the past if we want human beings to survive in this world. We can elect people who stand for a peaceable world, those of us who vote. All of us have attitudes and ethics that carry weight. We all need to lead from within and not from the voices of propaganda..

Let the refrain of this spiritual sing in our hearts and minds and will:

“I ain’t gonna study war no more.”

This Document was presented to the United States in 1976 on the occasion of our Bicentennial by the Women’s Coalition for the Third century. I was privileged to serve as its President. I share this on July 4, 2021.

Preamble 

Two hundred years ago the United States of America was born of the courage and strength of women and men who while searching for liberty, gold or adventure, endured to lay the foundation of our nation with their lives.

Believing in a people’s right to govern themselves, they drafted a Declaration, initiated a revolution and established this republic.  Some who struggle for freedom were not fully free themselves: youth, native Americans, blacks, women of all races, and the unpropertied.

Each of us emerges out of the past with a different story to tell. We inherit a nation which has broken through to a technological age with all the dangers and promises that holds.  Responsibility rests on us.  We are committed to the Constitution of the United States, amended by the Equal Rights Amendment, and the evolving democracy it protects.  We believe in the right of all peoples to self-government.

History teaches us that both unlimited power and powerlessness breed corruption; that where all human beings are not valued, humanity is violated; that where differences divide us, they limit and distort us; that independence is an illusion and unlimited freedom is tyranny, plunging whole societies and people into chaos and bondage.  Human survival requires interdependence.

We have been called to new consciousness by impending crises that threaten to overwhelm us if we obediently serve institutions that do not serve us.

We will no longer endure the corruption of power which risks the world’s future by ignoring the rights and well-being of persons and communities.  The imperative of the present is to integrate the struggle for greater humanization.  To be more fully human is to share life, to respond to the dignity of ourselves and others, to be committed to the growth of one another, to develop and vitalize human community.  It is necessary then to risk, to be in conflict, to suffer, to love and to celebrate.

Declaration of Interdependence                                                                              

We therefore make this declaration.  We are interdependent with the good earth, with all people, and with divine reality.

In declaring our interdependence with all peoples, we recognize geographic communities of persons and their interdependence with one another. We affirm our common humanity and we respect one another’s uniqueness.  We accept our responsibility to share the visions, hopes and dreams of one another and pledge ourselves to protect each other’s freedom.

  We shall be dedicated to the empowerment of all people and to the expression of each person’s
  creativity.

  We shall commit ourselves to a world in which food, shelter, clothing and health care are the
  rights of all people.

  We shall seek protection for people in need of care in our society, and work to provide support
  systems for those responsible for their car and nurture.

  We shall create a climate for the creative development of each person’s human potential, and
  for the utilization and enjoyment of all human resources for the good of all people.

  We shall respect the dignity and privacy of expressions of individual personality and living
  relationships.

  We shall be committed to lifelong learning with access to education for all persons and for the
  responsible uses of communication media.

  We shall be committed to all people’s responsibility for public institutions of government, law,
  education, business, and religion, and to the concept that those institutions be responsive to the
  direction of the people.

  We shall value and share use of free access to all public information and shall protect and value
  individual privacy.

In declaring our interdependence with the earth we affirm our reliance on it, our mutual responsibility for it and the rights of all persons to the fruits thereof.

  We shall enjoy, protect, restore and improve the world that we inherit.

  We shall produce the world’s resources and share them among all peoples.

  We shall enjoy and cherish the sacredness and privacy of our bodies and shall bring into the
  children who are wanted.

  We shall use and control technology for the survival and protection of nature and all people.

In declaring our interdependence with Divine Reality we recognize the possibilities of a sacred mystery within and around us.

  We shall honor and protect people’s right to gather as they choose in religious communities.

  We shall support each other in pursuit of truths which emerge from our diverse experiences and
  histories, rejecting those exclusive claims to truth which deny the sacred existence of others.

  We shall be open to revelations that extend beyond the boundaries of our current understanding
  and wisdom.

  We shall recognize the divine within ourselves and in one another.

We women and men and children make this Declaration living in the midst of a world in which
women are subservient and oppressed, men are repressed and brutalized, and children are violated and alienated.  In making this Declaration we seek a new order and covenant ourselves to a fully interdependent society.  We live in a world in which love has yielded to war, art to science, religion to materialism, and sexuality to violence.  We are committed to the discovery of a humanity which lays claim to the fulness of life.

We disclaim any right to privilege in order to honor the full dignity and development of all
and take up responsibility for instituting freedom.

We long for light to shine on our darkness and life on the shadow of death, and for our feet to be
guided in the way of peace. We shall live with grace and struggle with courage through the transitional years that lie ahead.

______________________________________________________________________________

The Women’s Coalition for the Third Century offers this Declaration of Interdependence to the people of the United States for response.  In so doing we declare our intent to be architects of our Third Century.  The future belongs to those who can dream with courage and creativity, plan with intelligence and wisdom, and act with power and compassion for the liberation of humanity.
We invite others to join us in this declaration.
______________________________________________________________________________

Declaration of Imperatives

We are aware of humanity’s suffering, for as women we have been in bondage to unjust systems.  Now we will define ourselves and find release from the values, images, myths, and practices that for centuries defined us.

We will no longer be governed by institutions that do not seek, respect and include our leadership.

We will not be taxed without representation.

We will not be bound by the authority of legal systems in which we participate only minimally in the making and administration of the laws.

We will not be exploited in the labor force.

We will not be the only ones responsible for child care, homemaking and community building.

We reject educational systems that distort our reality.

We will not accept philosophies and theologies that deny our existence.

W will not abide prophets of the future who ignore our struggle.

We will not be reduced to sex symbols nor have our sexuality determined by others.

We will not be the principal source of morality for this nation.  We insist that our contributions to conscience be incorporated into the public as well as the private sector.  And we will not be destroyed by unethical and immoral leadership.  We will not be divided by the distinctions that have traditionally alienated us from one another.

We will share the leadership of society and its government. We will demand respect for work inside and outside the home. We will share in the labor force and treasure leisure. We demand education that maximizes human potential. We will share in raising families.  We will develop philosophies and theologies.  We will enjoy our sexuality. We will create the future and act with strength in the fulfillment of these imperatives.
­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________________________________________

The Women of the Coalition for the Third Century make this Declaration to make certain our rights are not once again denied and our value and values ignored.  Our concern for interdependence requires of each full partnership with all creation.

It is the Monday after our second Covid Easter, 2021. Almost everything was on Zoom, the glorious Easter celebration, the family gathering, and forget the family dinner. We did see some family and a friend outside for an in-person time and have another gathering planned. And there were some very important Easter  phone connections around the globe. But the lack of in-body experiences   sent me back to remembering Easter growing up and in our family when we were young.

The thing I loved about our Easter when I was a child, was how really into it my family was, the secular parts and the religious parts. They went together and it was great. As a minister, I found out that some people frowned on the Easter “extras.” But we had it all and it spelled life and joy for me as a kid. Both my mother and father made it a big day, mostly my father, and my grandmother when she was alive, which was until I was sixteen.

Of course, church was at the center of celebrating Easter. It was all about the resurrection of Jesus. It was in his honor that we got dressed up for Easter, the day my little brother wore a suit. We always had some new and bright and beautiful to wear (in our eyes). And because we had on “Easter bonnets” we went to Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia and had a lovely walk to enjoy and show off our finery. (We only did that some years.)

We had Easter baskets all around. Before the big day, we dyed eggs for the baskets and my father got the chocolate bunnies and coconut cream eggs from some special place to go in them. They were filled with that Easter grass that gets everywhere and a toy or two. We got to eat the candy before church because, after all, it was a time of joy.

Easter dinner too was a big thing. Between our mother and grandmother, I didn’t need to do much with food except enjoy it. I remember some special dishes like cinnamon buns, cole slaw, pickled eggs and ham. I was probably too full of candy to eat much food. No alcohol that I remember. That wasn’t a big part of it. There probably was some wine.

The thing about it all was how much fun it was. We were really into it. Our family came from religious roots, our  father was a Methodist and our mother started out as a Catholic. They ended up Presbyterian, and our grandmother was a devout Catholic her whole life. Good Friday was important to her and to me in my teen-age ears. We had no relatives on my mother’s side. She was an only child and my grandmother was an only child. What cousins there were were in German, from her father’s side. My father’s family was our extended family.

My father’s relatives took religion in stride as a part of life. A given. They were what I have come to think of as irreverently deeply religious. Religion for them was never legalistic or set apart. It was built into the fabric of life. So when I learned that the secular part of all of our Christian holidays was supposed to detract from the religious part and the fulness of its meaning, it was too late. I had learned that that was part of it all. It didn’t detract, it added to it. I knew the difference between Santa Clause and God and Jesus and the Easter bunny. I knew that God and Jesus were real and that  good old Saint Nicholas and the Bunny were not. But it was fine that they were in the service of God and there to make those special days better.

I think I went into Ministry because religion was so much a part of life and connected all the other dots. We were not purists. I don’t want to put purists down. These days, commercialism has tended to overshadow the meaning of our deeply religious holidays, stripped them of their meaning, reduced them to that which is not real. I am grateful for the purists who reclaim Christmas and Easter.

When do we tell the children that Santa is not a real person. How do we get beyond the Easter bunny on the Day of Resurrection? How do we remember that God is the great “I am?” Real. Real through all time. So it is harder now to hold it all together. That does mess with the joy of holding it all as one in celebration.

When I became a Minister and a Mother, married to a Minister and a Father, holidays became more complex for me than they were when I was a child. And, as a result, probably more complex for our children. I should check. I tried to do it all and hold it all together, but there are physical and theological limitations. Not to mention the fact that my husband was the son of a Minister who had grown up with a more purist approach to holidays. And since they were so often on the move,  there as missionaries, there was not always a single place to call home.

For clergy, by the time Easter Monday arrives, we are totally used up. We have had services for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter sunrise and regular special Easter service. We have planned and led it all. We have also made sure there are palms, an Easter candle, flowers, special music. We have attended to pastoral needs which seem to explode at those times, and we have had to keep up with all the ministerial add-ons as well. The week after Easter was always a week off, or a slow week, at least. So, some of the joy is lost.

We always tried to keep the faith and celebrate faithfully with our Alleluias on Easter and our Easter baskets. I have a whole box full of Easter decorations that includes several bunnies and special eggs. And, for those who could join in, Easter dinner was a joy though I was often exhausted by the time I was preparing it.

Times and circumstances change. I accept that. This Covid year was over the top change and heart break for so many. And I have become aware of the struggles of Palestinian Christians in the land of Jesus’ life. Living is an unending struggle for Palestinians against one of the worst remnants of colonialism and occupation. Nonetheless, the promise of new life, visible in the greening of the earth, and invisible though real in the promise of the hope and mystery beyond death, and justice with peace in this world, is real.

Most of the Easter things have stayed in the box this year. My husband struggles with health issues and I with the fact of aging and coping in isolation during Covid. So, Zooming turns out to be a gift. And the love between all of us is real and palpable. So I should be grateful. And I am. After all, in days gone by, it was love that kept the wheels turning, that kept body and soul together, and allowed us to celebrate in secular ways that highlighted the central to our faith which we celebrated in worship and community. When we sang out Easter hymns and lit the Christ candle anew, nothing could take away the reason for joy. The rest was fun and trimming. Like trimming Christmas trees and dying Easter eggs and having at least one item of new clothing if we could afford it.

Love. That’s what it is all about. And, if you think about it, it is love that survives whatever happens to our bodies. I am remembering my grandmother, my father and mother, my brother, my in-laws, mother and father and brothers, from all those celebrations years ago. The love remains. Always expressed or even unexpressed imperfectly, but love is love, and at its core, in our hearts, good and right. Even perfect.

So, I’ll take love now in our family as the deepest meaning of Easter. Jesus didn’t just rise to disappear into the ether, the unknown, but to make sure that his disciples and family and all who followed would pass on the good news that death is overcome by love. Live it, preach it, teach it, have fun with it, carry on. Life can be hard and sometimes tragic. But at its core, is hope. The Realm of God is loose among us and it is never going away. Have some chocolate or whatever appeals to you. Celebrate. Never forget how to celebrate though some years it may be harder than on other years. Just keep what’s real in your minds and heart’s eye.

Thank You,  African  Americans

I want to thank black Americans for saving American democracy and moral compass once again. All eyes have been on Georgia during both the Presidential election and the election of Senators from Georgia. The majority of Americans were ready to finally overthrow Trumpism and protect our nation from authoritarianism. The black vote was key to victory, the black voters and voters of all shades who stood with them.

Black Africans were among the first to set foot on the shores of the United States. Though they were slaves, their culture, their worldview, their religion, has helped form, enrich, and define American culture.

Black lives matter more than we have acknowledged. Out of the struggle for freedom from slavery and racism has come a call for liberation that extends to all. Out of the struggle for Civil Rights has come a call for justice as a human value and right without which we cannot live. And out of suffering has come an ethic that understands the cost of tyranny and the beauty of democracy.

In the presidential election of 2020-2021, we have witnessed how much black live matter in the political arena. Thank you! Because of you all lives matter more.

Epiphany 2021 in Washington, DC.

The mob that descended on and attacked the Capitol this week was urged on by Donald Trump and protected by him. And as he told them, loved by him.

Most of them were probably ordinary people who believed Trump’s spin and lies and the power he was strutting. The crowd harbored some people infected with the demons of white supremacy, Neo-Nazis sentiments and patriarchal pride and aggression. Some carried Confederate flags. Men and women turning to violence to take back what they were told was a fraudulent Presidential election.

Five people are dead as a result of the attack. It is tragic that these lives were lost. It is amazing really that more life was not lost. The police and other security forces were certainly restrained and at several points, outnumbered.

The President watched events unfold and did not call out the guard. The rioters were his troops.

This all took place In the midst of the worsening COVID-19 pandemic. As Legislators scrambled for their lives with the aid of the Secret Service, it is not likely that they were paying attention to social distancing. in the midst of sacred space being violated, meeting chambers, offices, all desecrated. A whole government was jeopardized by the attack of the rioters and also by Covid.

And the people who made up the mob, they seemed to be disregarding the Virus, putting their lives and anyone in future contact with them at risk.

This all happened on December 6, the day of Epiphany in the Christian Church. The day of Epiphany marks the coming of the Magi, the Wise Ones, to worship the baby Jesus, prince of peace. We need wise ones now.

I was so grateful when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi spoke of the fact that this was all unfolding on Epiphany. Epiphany means revealing. The events of the day were indeed a time of revelation and reckoning.

In Jesus’ time, his life was in danger after the Magi returned home. Being warned in a dream, they took a route that avoided Herod. Herod wanted Jesus dead because he felt he was a potential threat to his power. Mary, Joseph and Jesus fled to Egypt.

The spectacle of the invasion of the Capital by domestic terrorists who see themselves as heroes is over. But the equivalent of malevolent King Herod lives on. Our leaders, going forward, are going to have to avoid future harm to themselves and the nation.

Twitter and Facebook have finally blocked the tweets of our sitting President. Up until now, they have provided a platform for the lies and propaganda and character assassination spread by Trump and his loyalists that left a significant portion of Americans questioning the validity of the Presidential election.

As a nation, we need a way to distinguish free speech from dangerous and incendiary speech. Democracy depends on an informed not misinformed citizenry. The electronic age and its institutions, hit before we knew what to do with them. Those institutions  need the same oversight other institutions do. It cannot just be controlled by a few wealthy people. Corporations, like government, are accountable to our democracy.

Epiphany 2021 in Washington, DC. Seeing people storm the bastions of democratic power, unrestrained, was horrifying. Their empowerment coming from Donald Trump’s maniacal need for power and supremacy was even more horrifying. It did not make America great again.

I am very proud of and grateful for our elected officials for returning to the meeting of Congress and completing the work of the day, confirming the votes of the electoral college that finalized the election of the next President and Vice-President of the United States.

In sadness, I thank God for that eruption that was such a revelation. A boil that has been allowed to fester has exploded. Now it can be addressed openly.  As speaker after speaker said last night when Congress resumed, we have to be respectful to one another across our divisions, “on both sides of the aisle.” That is true, but it is not going to be enough.

We need to remember what it took for some Trump loyalists to break away from him. Why was everyone silent until the insurrection, defending a tyrant who made no pretense at being anything else.

I puzzle over how decent people have been able to accept the insults Donald Trump hurled at everyone, entertaining as they were for a while. How could those in the know accept his lies around Covid that cost lives? Didn’t his instigating racial and immigrant hatred bother people?

Well, waking up now is better late than never. But remember down the road when new elections take place, who supported the man responsible for the Epiphany Invasion.

What has been cannot continue to be. We are trying to get vaccines against Covid into arms. Now we need to get ethical sensibility and respect for moral action into people’s hearts. We could even begin by reviewing the Ten Commandments.

We need the wise ones of long ago to speak to our time. We need a Holy star to guide us to righteousness. We need a proper dose of intense fear of authoritarian power. We need common sense to know that living together takes seeking the common good of all and accepting, even celebrating our differences.

Epiphany came with a great revealing this year!  

Ps. I went to the Post Office to mail our epiphany letters and it was crowded. I used the kiosk to get the stamps I needed. I was told they would be flag stamps. Fine, though I love the more interesting ones they come out with. To my surprise, the flag on the stamp was huge. It reminded me of the flags I saw waving at the epiphany invasion. I wondered if I wanted to use them. Then the phrase came to mind, “Take back the night.” It was coined by women who didn’t want to live in fear of going out at night anymore. So, “Take back the flag” seemed right. It is my flag, the flag of every American. I honor it, I don’t worship it, nor should anyone. Patriotism is not intended to be a religion in any nation.

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 [PK1]

I am looking at my dog sleeping on the sofa and preparing for her to soon wake up and ask to go outside .She is young and needs to move and have something interesting to do.

My husband and I need to get out too. The difference is that we can get ourselves out. Our dog is dependent on us. This got me thinking of ways in which I am dependent. At the moment, I am fortunate to be able to meet my daily needs on my own. Of course there are many other ways in which I am dependent. The one that occurs to me at the moment is that I can’t escape the political or viral climate that we are living in.

There is no point in my shouting, get me out of here! Actually, I want to stay. I Just need some respite like I want for my dog. A break from the heaviness and craziness of the times.

It comes to me that, bound as I am to time and space in this world, I am related to One who is not, the mysterious, present, transcendent Spirit of God. A little feeling of transcendence would go a long way now. That is the truly big picture that can lift me out of being overwhelmed by the here and now. That realm where the Holy is, is more permanent than dreaming, exercising, meditating, or a trip to the store. Valuable as those things are, I need the Ancient of Days today.

Dependence on transcendence at this point in time will open a door to keeping me sane and balanced, give me a much needed overview. There is more to life than the eye can see or the evening news report.

Of course, I am not giving up on justice and peace in this world. The Holy is right here with us in that pursuit even as it is transcendent Other. I just need to know that powers beyond my own, beyond any of our own, are here beside us , part of us, and yes, beyond us.

My dog doesn’t seem to mind her dogness or dependence. She lets me know when she needs something. I can learn from her. I can accept my humanness. And I am letting the Divine know that right now, I need some depth of perspective. A break now and then to make living life in challenging times, doable.

OF course, I am eating ice cream once in awhile to soothe myself too.