grail: october 2010

8/8/2019 Grail: October 2010

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/grail-october-2010 1/10

Whatqualiessomethingforthe

moniker“Christian?”Ifwelookaroundourcommunitytoday,wecanndquite

afewthingsthatclaimthattitle.There

are“Christian”bookstoreswhichpre-

sumablysellChristianbooks—though

Ihavetoadmitthatevenwhenthe

qualityisnotuneven,theclaimcanbe

questionable.ThereareChristiantele-

visionstations(there’soneheadquar -

teredrightuptheroadfromSt.Joseph

ofArimatheainfact).Andyet,Iwoulddoubtthateverythingstalkingthe

airwavesfromanyofthesenetworks

wouldreallyqualifyforthedescription,

despitethegoodintentionsofthose

involved.Andnally,hereinNashville,

there’stheChristianmusicindustry.In

listeningtomusiclabeledChristian,I

oftenndmyselfattemptingtodiscern

whatmakesthisorthatsongquanti-

ablymoreChristianthanthatwhichis producedbyotherartistswhoeschew

thelabel.CertainlyGodandJesusare

mentionedmoreofteninthelyrics,but

isthatenoughtolabelthismusicas

Christianandothermusicas“secular”

ornon-Christian...evenanti-Christian?

MoreandmoreIndmyselfreject-

ingthelabel“Christian”whenap-

pliedtoanythingotherthanpeople.Of

course,IrecognizethatthereisaChris-

tianartistictradition,andthatthereare

genresofmusic,writingandschoolsof

paintingthatowetheirexistencetothe

Christianfaith.Buttoday,whatseems

tohavehappened,isthatpeopleuse

thelabelasashorthandnotsomuch

forthecontentofthework,butforthe

targetmarkettheyhopetodrawtothe product.

Icometondmyselfthinkingin

thisway:anauthorisaChristian,his

bookisnot.Amusicianmaysingbeau-

tifullyaboutherdevotiontoChrist,

withherfaithshiningthrough,butI

don’tbelievethatmakeshermusic

Christian.Thetruthofthematteristhat

Christianvaluesandperspectivescan

beexpressedbyChristiansandnon-

Christianswhethertheyareawareof

itornot.AChristianmaywriteawork

devoidofChristianmeaning,whilea

professedatheistmayhaveinternalized

someaspectofthetraditionandex-

presseditinadramaticway.

OctOber 2010

GrailThe

St. Joseph of Arimathea 1 0 3 C o u n t r y C l u b D r . H e n d e r s o n v i l l e , T N 3 7 0 7 5 | s t j o s e p h o f a r i m a t h e a . o r g |

T : 6 2 5 - 8 2 4 - 2 9 1 0 | i n f o @ s t j o s e p h o f a r i m a t h e a . o r g

Our Mission: “To encourage and

equip one another as the baptized peopleof God, to witness to

the transforming and

reconciling power of Jesus Christ.”

Continued on p. 2

Want to see the Grail in Color? Interested in extended content, such as devotionals?

Ifyou’rereceivingtheGrailinprintedformandwouldliketoseeitincolorwithmorecontent,youcanvisit

http://stjosephofarimathea.org/congregational-resources/grail todownloadaPDFversion.

From the Priest’s Desk



Continued from p. 1

RecentlyIreadareviewofthelm“GetLow”

staringRobertDuvallinwhichthereviewersaidthat

thiswasnota“Christianmovie.”Hedid,tohiscredit,

admitthatthelmisChristhaunted.Nottofallinto

thetrapIcondemnabove,Iwon’tsaythatthislmis

aChristianone,butIwillsayafterviewingitthatI

believeit’salmthatChristiansoughttosee.

Forthepastseveralweeksmanymembersof

ourcommunityhavebeenreadingthebook Free of

Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped

of Grace bytheologianMiroslavVolf.Ibelievethat

thislmmakesapowerfulcompaniontoourreec-

tionsonrepentanceandforgiveness.Thelmiswell

acted,asonewouldexpectfromacastthatincludes

Duvall,SissySpacekandBillMurray,anditdoesagoodjobatpullingtheviewerinandpullingthem

alonginevents.“GetLow”isthestoryofahermitin

thewoodsofWestTennessee.Thepeoplefromtown

tellstoriesabouthimandthechildrenthrowstonesat

hishouse.Hisonlyfriendisanoldmule.Asthelm

progresseswecometosuspectthatthereissomething

deeperinthisoldman,ashestartstoencouragefolks

totellhimthestoriesthey’veheardandtriestoorga-

nizehis“funeralparty,”agatheringhewantstoattend

whilealive.Eventuallywelearnthedarksecretthat

causedhimtobuildaprisonandputhimselfinitfor

fortyyears,andinaninspiredscene,thetormented

FelixBush(Duvall)revealswhathaskepthimcon-

ned—literallyandguratively —forsomanyyears.

Get Low maynotmeetsomefolks’standardof

whatcharacterizesaChristianlm,butitcertainly

doesdealwiththerealhumanissuesofguilt,repen-

tanceandforgivenessinanamazingway.Theclergy

evengetafewgoodwordsin.Ihighlyrecommendit.

ECW BakE SalE

TheECWwillbeholdingabakesaleonSaturday,November6.Weask

thatalltheladiesbringatleastonebake-saleitemtothechurchearlythat

morning.IfyoucannotgetitthereonSaturday,contactanothermember

tohavethembringyouritem(s).ThisBakeSaletakesplaceinconjunc-

tionwiththemen’sBBQChickensale.Asign-upsheetwillbedownstairs

forthosewillingtoparticipate.



TwoweeksagotheHendersonvillepastor’sassoci-

ationdraftedalettercondemningtheplannedburning

ofQuransbyPastorTerryJonesofDoveWorldOut-

reachcenterinGainesville,Florida.Ofcourse,any-

onefollowingthenewsheardaboutthispublicitystunt

asitspreadquicklythroughthevariousnewsoutlets.Therewastheexpectedoutcryaspeoplesoughtto

convincePastorJonestoreconsiderhisactions,since,

asPaulremindsuswhatislawfulisnotalwaysbene-

cial(1Cor.10:23).Eventuallyherelentedandsaidhe

wouldnotholdtheQuranburning.PeopleinAmerica

breathedasighofreliefthatsuchanoffensiveaction

wasavertedandthenpromptlychangedthechannelon

theTV,movingonwiththeirlives.Iknowthatwas

myreaction.

Andyet,IshouldhavebeenthinkingaboutthesecondhalfofthatversefromCorinthians.Itreads,in

itsentirety:

‘Allthingsarelawful’,butnotallthingsare

benecial.‘Allthingsarelawful’,butnot

allthingsbuildup.Donotseekyourown

advantage,butthatofothers(1Corinthians

10:23-24NRSV).

Ishouldhavethoughtofthesetwoversesforafew

reasons.Therstissimplytoreectonthequestion

ofhowsuchanactivitycouldpossiblybesalubrious,howitcouldpossiblybuildupthebodyofChrist,

thecommunityatlargeortheMuslimsthatmight

becountedamongPastorJones’nearneighbors.In

perusingthisaction,wasPastorJonesseekinghisown

advantageorthatofothers?Whateverthesincerity

inhisactions,PastorJonessetthestageforavery

sadexampleofthelawofunintendedconsequences.

WhenIopenedmyemailonSeptember15thtoread

theupdatefromAnglicanCommunionNewsService,

Iwasgreetedwiththefollowingheadline:Call to

protect Christians after “most beautiful school” lost to

Quran anger violence.

Theheadlineisalittlerough,butthestoryeshes

outthedetails.Aschoolwasdestroyedbyamobin

Kashmir,theMuslim-dominatednorthernterritoryof

India.CertainradicalsinthatcommunitytookPas-

torJones’threatastheoccasiontoattackandburna

schoolsupportedbytheChurchofNorthIndia(the

detailsareprovidedinthestorybelow).Thissitua-

tionhighlightsoneofthereasonsweasChristians—

especiallyAmericanChristians—needtobeparticu-

larlyawareofwhatishappeningaroundtheglobe:

ouractionscanhaveimmediateconsequencesforour

brothersandsistersoverseas. Accordingtoanothernewssource,themobthat

attackedtheschoolasretaliationforinsultstothe

Quran(which,ofcourse,wereneveractuallycarried

out)managedtoburnseveralcopiesoftheQuranthat

werehousedintheschool.Somemightseethisas

poeticjustice,butinrealityit’sjustthatlawofunin-

tendedconsequences,andhighlightsthesortofthing

thathappenswhenweresorttohatefulpolemicand

violence.

Call to protect Christians after “most beautiful

school” lost to Quran anger violence

ACNS: http://www.aco.org/acns/news.cfm/2010/9/15/ACNS4731

TheBishopofAmritsarhascalledonthe

PresidentofIndiaPratibhaDevisinghPatilto

protectChristiansinnorthernIndiaafteramob burneddowntheoldestschoolinKashmirand

alsoattackedotherChristianinstitutions.

TheChurchofNorthIndia’sRtRevdPradeep

KumarSamantaroy,wrotethatitwas“witha

heavyheart”thatheinformedthePresidentofthe

completedestructionoftheTungmargTyndale

Biscoebranchschoolthatprovided“quality

educationtovehundredftychildrenfromone

hundredftyvillagesaroundTangmarg.”

Theschool,managedbytheDioceseof

Amritsar,had27staffand16supportstaffand

hadbeenfoundedin1996byTyndaleBiscoe

andMallinsonSchoolEducationalSocietyto

caterfortheeconomicallydeprivedsectorsof

thecommunity.

Thewholethree-storeywoodenstructurewith26

classrooms,computerlabsandalibrarycontaining,

ThE laW of UninTEndEd ConSEqUEnCES

Continued on p. 4



amongotherbooks,copiesoftheQuranwas

completelydestroyedonMondayafterbeingseton

rebyalargemobthatmarchedontheschoolafter

hearingreportsofamandesecratingtheQuranin

America.Noneofthestaffwereinjured;theyall

managedtoescapetheblaze.

“Iampainedtostatethatthoughthelocal

authoritieswereinformedaboutapossible

attack…noprotectionwasprovided,”said

BishopSamantaroyinhismessagetothe

President.“Asaresultofitthewholebuilding

wasburnttoashesincurringahugelossof

propertyandcausingirreparabledamagetothe

sentimentsoftheChristianCommunity.

“YouareawarethattheChristiansintheState

ofJammuandKashmirareatinyminority

whoalwaysliveandserveunderstressfulandsometimesthreateningsituations.Thepresent

situationhasmadetheChristiansinJammuand

Kashmirfeelveryinsecure.”

Theschool’sheadmasterRahinderKaul

expressedhissorrowatthedestructionofthe

school:“Aswordspread,myphonehasn’t

stoppedringing,withstudents,parents,staff

members,friendsandwell-wishersallexpressing

theirshockanddisbelief—many,manystudents

brokedowncompletelywhiletalkingtome—

theirsisbyfarthebiggestloss.

Headded,“Todaytheschool,theprideofthe

childrenwhostudiedhereandthestaffwhohave

puteverythingintotheschool,isaheapofashes.I

cannotexpressmyownshockandsenseofloss.”

OtherChristianinstitutionsalsocameunder

attackincludingtheRomanCatholicGood

ShepherdHighSchoolatPulwamathatwasalsosetonreandtheChurchofNorthIndiahospital

atAnantnagwasstormedbyprotestors,twoof

whomwereshotandkilledbysecurityforces.

Continued from p. 3

Intheearly1990smyGrandmaAdams,whohad

beenawidowforseveralyears,begantohangout

withawidowernamedBob.GrandmaandBobgot

alongfamously.Theycomplementedoneanother:GrandmawashardofhearingandBobwasalmost

blind.Mybrothertellsastoryaboutjoiningthemone

nightatarestaurant.Grandma,Bobandmybrother

werejusttuckingintosteaksandbakedpotatoeswhen

anamiablefellowapproachedthetable.Hisdemeanor

wasthatofalongtimefriend,andhetalkedtoBoband

Grandmaforseveralminutes.GrandmaandBobnod-

dedandsmiledasiftheyknewwhatwasgoingon.

Afterthegentlemanleftthetable,Bobasked,

“Whowasthatman?”Grandmareplied,“Idon’tknow—whatdidhesay?”

Grandmahasbeengoneforyearsnow,butthis

storyremainsafamilyfavorite.Welaughfreelyabout

itbecausewearenotlaughingatGrandma(sheloved

thetaleherself).Wedon’tassigntoGrandmaanymor -

alresponsibilityforherhearinglossanditssometimes

amusing(andsometimesfrustrating)consequences.

Herphysicalcapacitytohearhadsimplywornout.

Butblamecanbeassociatedwiththefailureto

hear.ThinkofStepheninActs7:51,railingatanaudi-

enceofreligiousofcials:“Youstiff-neckedpeople,

uncircumcisedinheartandears,youareforeverop-

posingtheHolySpirit...”AndwhenJesusframesa

parablewiththecomment,“Letthosewithearstohear

listen,”heisintimatingthatthereissomeelementof

moralorspiritualchoicebehindsuccessorfailurein

hearingandunderstandingtheparables.

Ishearingorthefailuretohearamatterofrespon-

sibilityandculpability,orisitnot?Maybeanother

familystorywillhelpsortthisout.Eightyearsago,I

sufferedanearinfectionthatledtoapuncturingofthe

eardrum.Adoctorwantedtotesthowmuchdamagehadbeendone,soIwasusheredintoasound-proof

boothandadministeredanumberoftests.Whenwe

werenished,Iaskedthetechnicianabouttheresults.

Sherepliedthat,fora45-year-oldman,myhearing

wasslightlyaboveaverage.

“Well,isn’tthatinteresting,”Isaid.“NowIhave

medico-scienticproofthatmywifeanddaughterare

wrong.TheythinkI’mgettinghardofhearing.”The Continued on p. 5

hard of liSTEning



techniciandidn’tmissabeat.“Thereisadifference

betweenhearingandlistening,”shesaid.

Sothereyouhaveit:thereisadistinctionbetween

hearingandlistening.Wemayhavefunctioninghear -

ingorgansandstillfailtolistentowhatothersare

saying.Putdifferently,hearingisamatterofphysical

endowment,butlisteningisaskillatwhichwecan

worktobecomebetter,moreadept.

Howdoesthevirtueoflisteningfareinournoisy

culture?Listeningrequirespatience,andweareimpa-

tient.Listeningrequiresabackgroundsilence,andwe

seemdeterminedtouseradiosandiPodsandtelevisions

toblotouteverythreatofquietness.Listeningrequires

focusingattentiononanotherasheorshespeaks,and

ouromnipresentconsumerismhabituatesustofocus

rstandforemostonourselves.Theoddsareagainstus

learningthevirtueorskilloflistening.Wewon’tjuststumbleintogoodlistening.Ifwearetoachievesome

levelofaptitudeinlistening,wewillhavetobequite

intentatpracticingandsharpeningtheskill.

Christiansespeciallyhavealotatstakeinlearn-

inghowtolisten.AsthetheologianStephenWebb

remarks,“Allofbiblicalreligioncanbesummarized

intheShemaofDeuteronomy,whichbegins,‘Hear,O

Israel.’”Hearing—listening—istheprimarysenseand

skillthatmustbehonedifwearetofollowtheGodof

Israel.Thisistruefromcreationonwardinthebiblicalstory.Webbagain:“Weareusedtothinkingthatitwas

lightthatbroketheprimordialdarknessfromwhichall

lifecomes,butitwasreallyGod’svoice...‘Letthere

belight.’Soundprecedeslight;wehearbeforewecan

see.”Truetothebiblicalnorm,Jesusispreeminently

thevoiceofGod,andwehavehiswordstohearrather

thanphotographsorportraitsofhimtogazeupon.

Grandmawasontosomethingthen.Whenitcomes

toknowingtheGodofIsraelandJesusChrist,therst

andmostimportantquestionis:Whatdidhesay? byRodneyClapp

AmericanSoundings

August24,2010

RodneyClapp’sAmericanSoundingscolumnappearsinevery

otherissueoftheCentury.Copyright © 2010 by the Christian Century. Reprinted bypermission from the August, 2010, issue of the ChristianCentury. Subscriptions: $49/yr. from P.O. Box 700,Mt. Morris, IL 61054. (800) 208-4097.

Continued from p. 4



hElp WanTEd

Nursery Worker

Doyouknowsomeonewholovestoworkwithchildren?WearehiringanurseryworkerforSundaymornings,

preferablysomeonewhoisnotalreadyamemberofSt.Joseph’s.Thisisapaidposition.Abackgroundcheck

willbedone,andtheemployeewillhavetoattendthe3-hourclass“SafeguardingGod’sPeople.”Contact

Fr.Jodyformoredetails.

Vestry Clerk

Thevestryneedsanewclerktotakeminutesduringeachmonth’smeeting.PleaseseeFr.Jodyifyouare

interestedinservinginthisrole.

UnCondiTional lovE

AstoryistoldaboutasoldierwhowasnallycominghomeafterhavingfoughtinVietnam.Hecalledhis

parentsfromSanFrancisco."MomandDad,I'mcominghome,butI'veafavortoask.IhaveafriendI'dliketo

bringhomewithme."

"Sure,"theyreplied,"we'dlovetomeethim."

"There'ssomethingyoushouldknowthesoncontinued,hewashurtprettybadlyintheghting.Hesteppedon

alandmineandlostanarmandaleg.Hehasnowhereelsetogo,andIwanthimtocomelivewithus."

"I'msorrytohearthat,son.Maybewecanhelphimndsomewheretolive."

"No,MomandDad,Iwanthimtolivewithus."

"Son,"saidthefather,"youdon'tknowwhatyou'reasking.Someonewithsuchahandicapwouldbeaterrible

burdenonus.Wehaveourownlivestolive,andwecan'tletsomethinglikethisinterferewithourlives.Ithink

youshouldjustcomehomeandforgetaboutthisguy.He'llndawaytoliveonhisown."

Atthatpoint,thesonhungupthephone.Theparentsheardnothingmorefromhim.Afewdayslater,however,

theyreceivedacallfromtheSanFranciscopolice.Theirsonhaddiedafterfallingfromabuilding,theywere

told.Thepolicebelieveditwassuicide.Thegrief-strickenparentsewtoSanFranciscoandweretakentothe

citymorguetoidentifythebodyoftheirson.Theyrecognizedhim,buttotheirhorrortheyalsodiscoveredsomethingtheydidn'tknow,theirsonhadonlyonearmandoneleg.

Theparentsinthisstoryarelikemanyofus.Wenditeasytolovethosewhoaregood-lookingorfuntohave

around,butwedon'tlikepeoplewhoinconvenienceusormakeusfeeluncomfortable.Wewouldratherstay

awayfrompeoplewhoaren'tashealthy,beautiful,orsmartasweare.Thankfully,there'ssomeonewhowon't

treatusthatway.Someonewholovesuswithanunconditionallovethatwelcomesusintotheforeverfamily,

regardlessofhowmessedupweare.

Tonight,beforeyoutuckyourselfinforthenight,sayalittleprayerthatGodwillgiveyouthestrengthyou

needtoacceptpeopleastheyare,andtohelpusallbemoreunderstandingofthosewhoaredifferentfromus!!

--AuthorUnknown



BirThdayS & annivErSariES

Oct.2 NancyManis

Oct.3 SarahWatts

Oct.5 WadeDouglass

Oct.6 DonHolt

Oct.7 DeborahJordan

Oct.11 DebraMaggart AnneTheis

Oct.12 JaneBlack

Oct.13 FredFrank

AndrewMason

Oct.14 ZoeManis

Oct.15 JackMason

Oct.16 AndrewGibson

Oct.17 DonnaHolt

Oct.18 DorothyJones

Oct.24 DenineTorr

Oct.26 DawnHarmanOct.28 DavidHeeks

Oct.29 DavidRose

Oct.30 LauraMelcher

Oct.7 Paul&StephanieLove

Oct.23 Bill&SandraDisney

Oct.24 Al&RuthTorri

adUlT dinnEr groUp

TheAdultDinnerNightOutwillbeheldonSunday,

October 10,at6:00p.m.,atSteamboatBills,248

SandersFerryRoad,Hendersonville.Alladultmem-

bersareinvitedtoattend.Thissocialeventisagreat

mixerwithmanydifferentmembersfromourchurch

attendingeachmonth.Forreservations,pleasecon-

tactDonnaHoltbyFriday,October8,at452-7242or

[email protected].

hoSpiTal admiSSion, SiCknESS,

or faCing SomE oThEr diffiCUlTy?

Ifyouoralovedoneareadmitedtothehospital,

pleaseletusknow.Whileadmissionsclerksmayask

specicquestionsregardingreligiousafliation,due

togovernmentregulationstheycannotandwillnot

notifySt.JosephofArimatheatoletusknowthatyouarethere.Pleasegetintouchwiththechurchof -

ce(615-824-2910)orwithFr.Jody(615-440-6492)

Ifyou’resickandinneedofassistancepleaseletus

knowthataswell.Youcancallorlloutournew

carecalendarinformationsheetlocatedat:

http://www.stjosephofarimathea.org/how-can-we-

help-you/

7



T h e G r a i l

S t . J o s e p h o f A r i m a t h e a E p i s c o p a l C h u r c h

1 0 3 C o u n t r y C l u b D r i v e

H e n d e r s o n v i l l e , T N 3 7 0 7 5

C h u r c h P h o n e : ( 6 1 5 ) 8 2 4 - 2 9 1 0

h t t p : / / s t j o s e p h o f a r i m a t h e a . o r g

S e r v i c e S c h e d u l e

S u n d a y

8 : 0 0 a m H o l y C o m m u n i o n , t r a d i t i o n a l l a n g u a g e

( R i t e I ) , n o m u s i c

1 0 : 3 0 a m H o l y C o m m u n i o n , c o n t e m p o r a r y l a n g u a g e

( R i t e I I ) , w i t h m u s i c

9 : 1 5 a m C h r i s t i a n f o r m a t i o n f o r a l l a g e s

A d d r e s s S e r v i c e R e q u e s t e d

N o n - P r o f t O r g a n i z a t i o n

U . S . P O S T A G E

P A I D H e n d e r s o n v i l l e , T N

P e r m i t N o . 1 2

grail: october 2010

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