Epiphany/El Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos: Shine On

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Damarius is there waiting for me when I arrive, ready to help me set up and get everything ready,sweeping the steps to make the way clear. Cara is not far behind.

Today we are celebrating Epiphany...and for our congregation, el Dia De Los Tres Reyes Magos. 

I start the service by playing the Bruce Cockburn arrangement of Early on One Christmas Morn...

Three wise men saw the star at night

Star that lit the heavens so bright

Star that led them to where Christ was born

Early on one Christmas morn

In that city of Bethlehem

Wise men brought Him jewels and gems

Born in a manger humble and low

That is why we love Him so 

And of course we sing We Three Kings of Orient Are...John R asks which verse goes with which king... I mention that by tradition they were Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar...and one time in my cousin’s family when there weren’t enough verses to go around my youngest cousin said And I’ll be Orientar....

Growing up, our proper protestant Presbyterian church didn’t make much of Epiphany. I first really experienced it it  New Haven, while I was in seminary, working for an Episcopalian church because there was no downtown Presbyterian church. I came back from my Christmas vacation to experience a beautiful candle lit service. 

When I came here, I was happy to find that it was a tradition here...the celebration of Los Tres Reyes Magos....the Three Kings....the major cultural Christmas day for Puerto Rican  and other Latinos. It was the kings whi brought the gifts. I find the creeping Santa Clausification of Christmas around the world a bit like cultural imperialism. Give us our tres reyes magos...

We’ve had big years and small years, years with processions and children and fully costumed Kings...

During our years of exile at SPSA, we brought our celebration to them. 

So what exactly is epiphany?

The dictionary gives us three meanings:

1. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.

2.  A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.

3. A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization: 

It’s roots come  from the Greek epiphaneia, manifestation, from epiphainesthai, to appear : epi-, forth; see epi- + phainein, phan-, to show

So I guess it’s kind of show and tell? Or is it more  like show and get it? What’s being shown? What do we get?

So what do we have here ?

a star

a mother, father and baby in a house (not a stable)

wise men from the east

an angry king

gold, frankincense and myrrh

So what does it add up to? What do we get immediately from this scene?

The star:  it has cosmic significance

The wise men: this new born king isn’t just for the children of Israel, but ALL people

This one will be upsetting to the political and religious authorities, because he will reveal their own illegitimacy

And the addition of myrrh  tells us there will be suffering

(Matthew always has the whole gospel story in any part of the gospel 

BUT most of all this is about LIGHT....Epiphany ushers in a season of LIGHT...like the magi we bring gifts....we bring our own LIGHT....could we truly celebrate a season of LIGHT....could we declare this a  year of LIGHT....what is your light?

While we take up the offering, I play Emmy Lou Harris singing Beautiful Star of Bethlehem

...Oh Beautiful Star the hope of rest 

For the redeemed the good and blessed 

Yonder in glory when the crown is won 

Jesus is now the star divine 

Brighter and brighter he will shine 

Oh Beautiful Star of Bethlehem shine on (shine on).....

Before we share our communion, I share my story of the Christmas trees...and we finish with This Little Light of Mine, I’m Gonna Let it Shine...

They brought a feast

Then we head up to Mc Alpin for our celebration. The Santiago family has prepared a feast. Others have brought fruit to share, including grapes (eat 12) for good luck. And Arcadia has brought a rosca de reyes, a Mexican kings’ bread with several little baby Jesuses embedded in the bread. Whoever gets one is responsible to throw a party or bring a treat. Especially before Candelaria, the feast of the presentation...

Arcadia explains the rosca

Don finds the first Baby Jesus

We share stories of our traditional holiday celebrations in our own countries. Nirka in Cuba waiting anxiously to see if the Kings had come, others dinners after midnight mass. And then Arcadia cuts the rosca....and Don gets the first baby Jesus.  

Bobby walks in for the first time in months. Looking amazingly well. Living in a new place, regular services. 

We finish with an update on where we are in our building process. Still tenuous. Much in the air. No real resolution yet. Bobby occasionally commenting, usually on target. We look at our circle. Jamie shakes her head, smiles a warm smile and says That’s West-Park.... And so it is....

...shine on....

and to our friends in Russia...

Счастливого Рождества

The 12th day of Christmas: One more cup of coffee

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It’s the second round of the annual  urban forest that begins when the trees arrive from Quebec the day after Thanksgiving lining the streets with fragrant corridors of fir, pine and balsam for a month. It vanishes on Christmas day. Then in the days after Christmas begins to reappear when the trees that have lived for awhile in homes and offices, decorated with lights and favorite ornaments, pieces of beauty and nostalgia, find their way back to the streets again dry, stripped and naked. They reach a peak a week or so later lining the streets again with the smell of the forest, waiting to be picked up. I love that these trees, immigrants from Canada, are ground up and turned into mulch to added to the life of Central Park. Helping things grow. I feel like there’s a parable in there somewhere. 

I’ve wound up with very little time to prepare the church for tomorrow and finish my service. I’m happy to see that Chris has knocked everything  down from last night’s memorial service. There’s a pounding on the door. I finally get the door open and a Spanish woman says A man looking for you...maybe he come back...

Soon enough, Dammarius appears in my doorway. It’s been awhile. He’s back in the city. Has his own apartment. Wants to check in. Help out if he can. I can get him to help with the physical set up for tomorrow, moving the communion table, the piano...table cover, candles. He’s happy to help.

I go back to working on my service.It’s a good story. He came here from the south to be an actor. Won a part in Glen’s play. Told Teddy he needed a place to stay. Teddy hooked him up. After the play, he used the opportunity to get a job with Verizon and then his own place. Spent time in their training program in Connecticut. And now he’s back. Wants to pay back. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

When he’s done, we’re sitting and visiting when RL looks in. You are spending way too much time here, he says. Got to finish my service, I say. There’s probably a joke or two in there somewhere.  I introduce him to Dammarius. 

I mention the Noche performance last night. How the right flamenco dancer could get me to leave everything and roll away in a gypsy caravan. Which leads to a good segue into a story about RL and his cover of Bob Dylan’s One More Cup of Coffee, on his Silence is Golden album. How Dylan called him, accused him of spoiling his song. I told him, Spoil your song? You’re in France writing with a French writer and a Hungarian fiddle player about gypsies and I take it to Mexico and spoil your song? I told him, Bob, if you ever paid attention, you just might learn something and actually be successful... 

Dammarius is looking wide eyed. I shrug, say, It’s true...

I open up my Itunes and play RL's version.With his own added verse.   Dammarius wide eyed again. 

I’m running our of time.  Reluctantly tell them both I got to get back to work. Alone again. With my service. It’s dark outside. Twelfth night. 

Zeljko's tribute to Teddy

Award winning Serbian filmmaker Zeljko Mircovic has taken his interview of Teddy for his new project, My Dream Is, and edited it to a 18 minute film. Here is the link:

The 11th day of Christmas: An orchid was on the steps

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I arrive at the church to find a giant orchid has been left on the steps. Glen tells me it’s still alive, needs trimmed, but is worth a couple of hundred dollars.  Wonders if someone left it for Teddy. When I bring it inside, I place it on a table that immediately collapses leaving me half bent over with the orchid box. Marc jumps into rescue me and takes the table to his workshop to repair. 

Earlier, Marc and I checked out the nurse’s room and found that most of out Sandy relief supplies were still there.  Lilly and her team had carefully out the way in the closet. I feel relieved. One less thing out of control.

I ask Chris for his help in preparing for a memorial service. And he does, sweeping all around and sets up the circle of chairs just like the people wanted. It’s clearly important to him to be able to help out. 

Glen and I continue to talk, covering many subjects. The loss of Teddy has struck him hard. And it’s always worse when there are unresolved issues. I shared with him the story of Father Dan Allen in Tulsa and Neighbor for Neighbor,whose guiding principle was unconditional affirmation for that person on their own terms, period. Mutuality leading to self respect and dignity preparing the way to self-sufficiency. (http://danallencenter.org/index.php?id=projects ) Dan remains inside of me, a constant critic and conscience. NFN was the essence of faithful witness. It's not abut charity, it's about being neighbors. 

RL comes in and engages Glen in gentle banter. Notices his dog in a bag. I tell him we’re just about set from Teddy’s memorial service for February 17th. Coming into church on a Sunday is uncomfortable for RL which I enjoy.

Marc returns the repaired table.

I have to stick around to welcome the people for the memorial service. everyone else is out of town or not here. I greet them, try ad figure out how to get lighting that will be appropriate for them. I see there’s a picture of a young man which makes me wonder if there is a tragic story here. And if I should have asked. Been less a set up man, or a pastor. 

Just enough time to run home and train down to the village to see Noche’s performance. On the street outside Joes Pub, I get a call from Chirstopher. The memorial service is running long. He can’t make the performance because he feels responsible to stick around and lock things up, make sure everything is safe and squared away. Asks me to apologize to Martin and give him his best. Thank you, Christopher. 

the 10th day of Christmas: Whoever has two coats

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Someone has left a very dirty white winter coat as a donation. So why that supposed to be OK? It’s disrespectful. Poor people, people who have suffered through hurricanes deserve clean if not new clothes. Clean and in good repair. I quickly toss the coat.

Exchange greetings with Martin as he heads off to Joe’s Pub to get read for opening night of Noche’s run there.  

Our friend who kept us going back at Thanksgiving has come back for another visit. Hanging in the balance is a possible long term commitment. An intention to invest. In a serious way. At the end of the conversation, we are expecting a letter of intent from an attorney on Monday. 

A woman come in with fresh food, looking for George. I tell her that he’s gone back home, but she’s welcome to leave the food there. It’s soon gone.

Two more friends tour the building. With their own agent/advisor. Another compatible, attractive vision. People I like. I have another appointment and leave Jamie to continue the conversation.

When I get back from a visit to my old friend Jack, he was overjoyed to see Zeljko’s trailer and hear about the project, I hear a pounding on the front doors. Feeling annoyed, but I get up and open them to find a young woman with a Caribbean island accent who has brought three beautiful, clean warm winter coats. For these I  truly thankful. 

....Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none... Luke 3: 11

Off to visit Rachel.

The 9th day of Christmas: you gotta walk with the sinners if you wanna dance with the saints

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Martin drops by to see what logistical issues we have to deal with today and how they are going to get done. As we are talking, two women come in looking for comidas, alimentos...Martin looks at me, I say,Aqui, no hay...se necesitan ir dos bloques al oeste a la igleisa de St. Paul y St. Andrew, me entienden? They nod yes and are on their way.

A woman comes in wanting to plan a memorial service for a relative..husband? brother? father? For Friday night. With Stephen and Jay gone, who’s going to handle this?

Then Kara flies  in, as if blown by the wind. She’s back to her usual overly dramatic but basically OK self. She has found a volume by CS Lewis. Mere Christianity. She’s interested in the book, even if he had a thing for Alice. I pause for a moment. Oh, no, you're thinking about Lewis Caroll. Altogether different guy. And I tell her all about the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the lion Aslan. (He is fierce, but he is good...) She likes that.

And then for good measure, I throw in

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

and she laughs, claps her hands  and joins with me....

And I say, I am the walrus....and she laughs again...

Before she goes off to play the piano, she says, Ahhh, pastor, you gotta walk with the sinners if you want to dance with the saints...and gives me a big wink.  Sitting at the piano, I notice, hair down today. 

I’m on my way to visit Jim W. He’s more or less shut in these days. When I get there, he too, is reading CS Lewis, in this case, the Joyful Christian. OK, what is it with CS Lewis today?

Back at  the church, Martin  again. Trying to get together plans for Teddy’s memorial service. RL comes in while we’re talking.

Steps in to say, by the way, we made up, in a way....there’s more, but it I’ll let it go at that....

Later on, I go up. Check in on RL. Has he seen the trailer yet? Answer, yes. I play for him Mary Gauthier’s I Drink...a song my brother gave to me in North Carolina at his daughter’s wedding...  RL plays one to match it about a room with a mirror with an old newspaper on it. And then, his song New Old Friend that he played that Saturday at Harvey’s and dedicated to Teddy. A journey through Time Passes Slowly (http://www.myspace.com/rlhaneymusic/music/songs/time-passes-slowly-11138092) He finishes with his Stay Awhile and we both joke about Amanda’s ukelele backed cover)  And he shares his plan to meet her cover tag challenge. (Not a word...)

I feel the need to be moving on. But I can’t help but stop in my office and pull out the guitar. I’m playing when he looks in, Inspired you eh?

Well, yeah. He looks like he’s expecting me to play. When I don’t he says, when I get the open  mikes going, you're going to play. 

I look him back, I will. Just tryin' to get it together...

Which is what I said to you, just before I started playing for you...

And I just smile.

And he smiles and heads out the door. I put the guitar away and head home.

You gotta walk with the sinners if you want to dance with the saints....

The 8th day of Christmas: Happy New Year 2013

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Happy NewYear to all who read this blog....wherever you may be.....

Here is Zeljko Mircovic's trailer for the new docufairytale  about dreamers and their dreams shot last fall at West-Park:

Looking back on 2012,  here were our most significant experiences:

1. Teddy's death
2. Occupy Wall Street moves into West-Park
3. Our new members: Willa, John, Don, Teddy, Stephen, Glen and Luisa
4. Hugo and Arcadia's wedding
5. Surviving our Thanksgiving financial crisis
6. Advance screening of Zeljko's The Second Meeting
7. Our night with Osagyefo Sekou and Cornell West
8. Our Purisima Celebration
9. Noche Flamenca moves in
10. West-Park named Manhattan drop off center for Presbterian Disaster Relief

Any other thoughts?

May the New Year be better for us all and bring us closer to making the vision real