The Mood of Christmas, Howard Thurman

 

It was a time like this

 

It was a time like this

of fear & lust for power,

license & greed and blight –

and yet the Prince of bliss came into the darkest hour

in quiet & silent light.

- Madeleine L'Engle

Bishop Rose Hudkins-Wilkins of the Diocese of Canterbury gives her Christmas Message

 

The Day is Done by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

 

The Day is Done by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW Read by: Tom O' Bedlam The day is done, and the darkness Falls from the wings of Night, As a feather is wafted downward From an eagle in his flight. I see the lights of the village Gleam through the rain and the mist, And a feeling of sadness comes o'er me That my soul cannot resist: A feeling of sadness and longing, That is not akin to pain, And resembles sorrow only As the mist resembles the rain. Come, read to me some poem, Some simple and heartfelt lay, That shall soothe this restless feeling, And banish the thoughts of day. Not from the grand old masters, Not from the bards sublime, Whose distant footsteps echo Through the corridors of Time. For, like strains of martial music, Their mighty thoughts suggest Life's endless toil and endeavor; And to-night I long for rest. Read from some humbler poet, Whose songs gushed from his heart, As showers from the clouds of summer, Or tears from the eyelids start; Who, through long days of labor, And nights devoid of ease, Still heard in his soul the music Of wonderful melodies. Such songs have power to quiet The restless pulse of care, And come like the benediction That follows after prayer. Then read from the treasured volume The poem of thy choice, And lend to the rhyme of the poet The beauty of thy voice. And the night shall be filled with music, And the cares, that infest the day, Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, And as silently steal away.

Notre Dame is splendid!

 

 

 

Jerusalem’s patriarchs and heads of churches issue Christmas message

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[Anglican Communion News Service] On Dec. 13, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem issued a Christmas message that notes it comes ” in the midst of these dark days of continuing conflict and uncertainty in our region” while proclaiming the  the eternal Christmas message — “the birth of our Lord Jesus in Bethlehem.”

Archbishop Hosam Naoum, primate of the Province of Jerusalem & the Middle East and bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, was among those issuing the statement, which follows.

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The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned.”
(Matthew 4:16, quoting Isaiah 9:2)

In the midst of these dark days of continuing conflict and uncertainty in our region, We, the Patriarchs and Heads of the Churches in Jerusalem, remain steadfast in proclaiming to our local congregations and the wider world the eternal Christmas message of the True Light shining in the darkness: the birth of our Lord Jesus in Bethlehem (John 1:5).

For in Christ’s Nativity, the light of God’s salvation first came into the world, enlightening all who would receive Him, both then and now, and offering them “grace upon grace” to overcome the dark forces of evil that ceaselessly conspire to bring about the destruction of God’s creation (John 1:16).

John the Baptist later testified to the light as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Make straight the way of the Lord’” (John 1:23; Isaiah 40:3). As the above passage reveals, its divine rays first dawned upon our spiritual ancestors, who received the message of salvation while dwelling “in the region and shadow of death” (Matthew 4:16). Enduring many hardships, they went on to pass along the Holy Light of Christ’s Resurrection, becoming His witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout the Holy Land, and to the ends of the earth.

This ancient path of redemption leads us full-circle to our time, when wars still rage and untold millions in our region and around the globe continue to suffer grievously. Outwardly, little seems to have changed. Yet inwardly, our Lord Jesus Christ’s holy birth sparked a spiritual revolution that continues to transform countless hearts and minds towards the ways of justice, mercy, and peace (Micah 6:8; Ephesians 2:17).

For those families of the faithful who have remained in the Holy Land, as well as those who have joined us, it is our privilege to continue to testify to the sacred light of Christ in the very places where He was born, ministered, and offered Himself on our behalf, rising victoriously from the grave to a new resurrected life. We do this by offering Him our worship at the holy sites; by welcoming pilgrims and visitors into our midst; by proclaiming His sacred Gospel to all who will hear; by continuing His ministries of teaching, healing, and loving-kindness; and by advocating for “liberty for the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18–19).

In this hopeful Christmas spirit, we give thanks to the Almighty for the recent ceasefire between two of the warring parties in our region, and we call for it to be expanded into Gaza and many other places, bringing an end to the wars that have plagued our part of the world. We likewise renew our appeal for the release of all prisoners and captives, the return of the homeless and displaced, the treatment of the sick and wounded, the relief of those who hunger and thirst, the restoration of unjustly seized or threatened properties, and the rebuilding of all public and private civilian structures that have been damaged or destroyed.

Finally, during this sacred Christmas season and beyond, we call upon all Christians and those of goodwill around the world to join us in praying and working towards this noble mission, both in Christ’s homeland and wherever there is conflict and strife. For by together doing so, we will indeed be truly honoring the Prince of Peace who was born so humbly in a stable in Bethlehem more than two millennia ago.

If— by RUDYARD KIPLING

 

If— by RUDYARD KIPLING If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’ If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much; If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Nature Bathing

 

 

OBITUARY

The Rt. Rev. Dr. Dabney T. Smith

December 7, 1953 – October 26, 2024

                                                                                    

IN THE CARE OF

Baldwin-Fairchild Goldenrod/Winter Park Funeral Home

The Rt. Rev. Dabney Tyler Smith, the retired Episcopal Bishop of The Diocese of Southwest Florida, died on October 26, 2024 from complications associated with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He was 70 years old.

Bishop Smith served as Episcopal priest from 1987 to 2006 and Episcopal Bishop from 2006 until his last official church visitation at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Haines City, on Sunday, October 20, 2024.

Dabney Smith was born December 7, 1953, to The Rev. Dorsey G. Smith, Jr. and Dorothy Leach Smith in Brownwood, Texas. He graduated from Seabreeze High School, Ormond Beach in 1972. He is remembered by his classmates as Mr. Seabreeze 1971. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and entered Nashota House Seminary in 1984. He was ordained to the Priesthood by The Rt. Rev. William H. Folwell in 1987 and began his ministry at Grace Church Port Orange, FL where he served under The Rev. Chris Gray. In 1989, Bishop Smith and his family accepted a call to St. Michael’s and All Angels in South Bend, Indiana. At St. Michael’s, Bishop Smith’s gifts as an evangelical leader emerged and he led the parish in land acquisition and the building of a new parish campus to accommodate the growth of the congregation. In 1998, Bishop Smith accepted a call to Holy Trinity, Melbourne, FL. At Holy Trinity he oversaw the growth of the campus through the acquisition of adjacent properties, enhancing the church’s functionality and visibility. He also worked closely with Holy Trinity’s day school, Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. In 1999, while at Holy Trinity, he completed his Doctor of Ministry from Seabury Western Theological Seminary with a focus on congregational development. In 2004, Bishop Smith accepted a call to Trinity Church in New Orleans Garden District. At Trinity he gained experience as the Rector of a Corporate Church and oversaw aid and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Bishop Smith was elected Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida in December of 2006. He served briefly as Bishop Coadjutor and was consecrated Bishop on March 10, 2007. Bishop Smith lovingly served Southwest Florida until his retirement in December of 2022. He is remembered for his passion for the health of congregations, pastoral care of clergy, development of leaders, the establishment of diocesan wide endowment programs, support of Episcopal schools, and the establishment of DaySpring Episcopal Center’s master plan. Supported by devoted lay leaders and an outstanding diocesan staff, achievements include the relocation and building of the Diocesan House on DaySpring property in 2012, returning the publication, The Southern Cross, to print in 2015, and the establishment of the Diocesan Endowment Management Program. In 2015, he was honored to be one of the four bishops to be nominated to become the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church USA. During the months leading up to the election, Bishop Smith said, “We are given the blessing and the gift of living for others with God’s love. I am excited for the ministry of the Episcopal Church in the living ministry of reconciliation. I believe it is God’s desire and our purpose.”

During his tenure in Southwest Florida, Bishop Smith served on numerous boards within the Episcopal Church including: Bishop Gray Retirement Foundation; Dominican Development Group; University of the South - “Sewanee”, Board of Regents, Nashotah House Theological Seminary Board; the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church; and Board of Trustees, Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa.

Following retirement in 2022, Bishop Smith accepted an invitation from The Rt. Rev. Mark Stevenson to serve as Visiting Bishop in the Diocese of Virginia. Serving in Virginia provided him with the meaningful opportunity to visit churches where his father, The Rev. Dorsey Smith, had grown up and served. After relocating to Orlando, Bishop Smith was appointed in January 2024 by the Rt. Rev. Justin S. Holcomb to

Assisting Bishop in the Diocese of Central Florida. In this role, he cherished the opportunity to return to his sending diocese and visit churches he once served.

Throughout his life, he had a passion for spending time with his family, reading historical biographies, and composing and playing music with his friends. Upon retirement he enjoyed recording the songs he had written over the years in his home studio.

Bishop Smith was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 36 years, Mary Ellen Krieg Smith, and his brother, David L. Smith.

He is survived by wife Mary Wallis Smith; two daughters, Rev. Ashton (Joseph) Williston and Alicia (Jeffrey) Caputo; son, Dabney (Janet) Smith II; step-daughter, Megan (Mark) Riherd; step-son, Ben Wallis; eleven grandchildren ranging in age from 20 to 2; brother, Dorsey Smith; two sisters, Deborah Ryniker and Donna Hille; sisters-in-law, Alison Smith and Kathleen Smith; brothers-in-law, Doug Ryniker and Richard Hille; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A Requiem Eucharist will be held at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in downtown Orlando on November 11 at 1 p.m., with the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry presiding and the Rt. Rev. Jeffrey D. Lee preaching.

Memorial contributions in Bishop Smith’s name can be made to The Episcopal Charities Fund of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, DaySpring Endowment Fund or The Mary Ellen Smith Memorial Endowment Fund, 8005 25th Street East, Parrish, FL, 34219 OR http://episcopalswfl.org/donate/

 

Learn something

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front, Wendell Berry

 

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion – put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

~Wendell Berry

A poem on hope, Wendell Berry

 

A poem on hope, Wendell Berry

The peace of wild things, Wendell Berry

 

When great trees fall, Maya Angelou

When Great Trees Fall

Maya Angelou

When great trees fall,

rocks on distant hills shudder,

lions hunker down

in tall grasses,

and even elephants

lumber after safety.

When great trees fall

in forests,

small things recoil into silence,

their senses

eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,

the air around us becomes

light, rare, sterile.

We breathe, briefly.

Our eyes, briefly,

see with

a hurtful clarity.

Our memory, suddenly sharpened,

examines,

gnaws on kind words

unsaid,

promised walks

never taken.

Great souls die and

our reality, bound to

them, takes leave of us.

Our souls,

dependent upon their

nurture,

now shrink, wizened.

Our minds, formed

and informed by their

radiance, fall away.

We are not so much maddened

as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of

dark, cold

caves.

And when great souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and always

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to be the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can be. Be and be

better. For they existed.

 

Hannah Ward Magoun, 1940-2024

 

Hannah Ward Magoun, 83 of Middlebury

August 21, 2024

HANNAH WARD MAGOUN

MIDDLEBURY — Hannah Ward Magoun of Middlebury passed away peacefully with family at her side on Aug. 14, 2024.

She was born on December 12, 1940, in Boston Mass., to Andrew Henshaw Ward and Carol Eddy Ward. She is survived by children: Mark Niles and Lori Pidick of Denver, Colo.; Lisa and Fred Bisbee of Huntington Vt., John-O Niles and Elsa Cleland of San Diego, Calif.; Lisabeth Magoun of Charlotte, N.C., and Martin Magoun of Topsham, Vt. She leaves behind seven grandchildren: Meredith Magoun and spouse Alex Grosby, Griffin and Alexandra Niles, Eloise and Quinn Bisbee, and Maxwell and Finnegan Niles. She is survived by her brother Andrew Ward of Savannah, Ga., her sister-in-law Suzanne Ward of Middlebury, and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Clinton Magoun, her brother Artemas Ward, and her parents.

Hannah attended Milton Academy and Beaver Country Day before graduating in 1958. She graduated from the Massachusetts General Hospital School of Nursing in 1962. Hannah was a Registered Nurse in Massachusetts, Colorado, New Jersey and New Hampshire before settling in Vermont.

Hannah bravely moved to Middlebury, Vt., in 1970 as a single mom with three kids and all her belongings in a station wagon, to be near her brother Artemas and his family. She soon met her second husband, Clinton Magoun, when her washer broke down and he made a service call late one Sunday afternoon with jellybeans for her three young children. They were married June 15, 1974, and began their adventures, canoeing on Otter Creek, racing the Allen at the Middlebury Snowbowl, ice boat yachting, floating in the ocean, and many deck parties at their camp on Lake Dunmore’s south cove. Hannah and Clint and friends modified an oak feed bucket into a wood-fired hot tub, which they towed from Waterhouses to the camp behind the family’s waterski boat.

Hannah and Clint’s other passion was travel. Whether it was visiting many national parks and campgrounds in their bright yellow Type-Rite van, or traveling through Europe with friends and family. Hannah instilled a deep love of travel and adventure in all her children and grandchildren. Throughout their escapades, the Magouns were joined by many dear family friends, including the McLaughlins, the Kanes, the Thurbers, Jean Andrews and many Middlebury Union High School teachers.

After a stint at Porter Hospital, in 1971 Hannah started her 32-year career as the Middlebury Union High School nurse. Hannah’s optimism, sense of humor and touch of puckishness were infectious. She found the good in everyone and was an inquisitive friend, regardless of your age. As a bedrock of Addison County, she doled out medicine, advice, food and compassionate counseling to thousands of teenagers across multiple generations. She earned her Nurse Practitioner degree from Northeastern University in 1981, one of the first school nurses to do so. In 2000, she was awarded the Vermont State School Nurse of the Year by the National Association of School Nurses. Hannah played an instrumental role in advocating for school nurses and successfully led efforts to have nurses petitioned to be paid the same as teachers.

In addition to raising her own family, Hannah took many young adults under her wings and into her home. These included Martha Commins, Gabriel Uribe, Kim Miller and Charles Seidel.

In retirement, Hannah volunteered for various organizations, climbing ladders to feed eaglets at Dead Creek Wildlife Preserve, delivering Meals On Wheels for almost a decade and helping senior citizens with their taxes. Her crisp gin and tonics were legendary, perhaps so visiting friends could tolerate her mediocre cooking (except for her excellent coleslaw). Hannah moved into the Residence at Otter Creek during the first year of the pandemic, where she continued to make friends and bring laughter to those around her in poker games and at meals.

Hannah’s family is forever grateful for the caring staff at Porter Hospital and the Residence at Otter Creek. Donations in her name can be made to Middlebury Regional EMS or Pandrillus Foundation, P.O. Box 10082, Portland OR, 97296.

A celebration of life will be held at Thanksgiving.

Presiding Bishop the Right Reverend Sean Rowe

 

Presiding Bishop the Right Reverend Sean Rowe

The Rt. Rev. Sean Rowe, bishop of the Episcopal Dioceses of Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, was elected and confirmed the 28th presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church on June 26 for a nine-year term beginning on November 1, 2024.

Rowe was chosen from among five nominees on the first ballot. Following his election by the House of Bishops, the House of Deputies confirmed the election.

Rowe, 49, was ordained bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania in 2007 and became bishop provisional of Western New York in 2019. From 2014 to 2018, he served as bishop provisional of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem. Born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, Rowe earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Grove City College, a master of divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in organizational learning and leadership from Gannon University. Rowe was the youngest Episcopal priest in the U.S. when he was ordained in 2000 at age 24, and he was the youngest member of the House of Bishops when he was ordained and consecrated at age 32.

Known for his research and work on organizational learning and adaptive performance in the church, Rowe serves as parliamentarian for the House of Bishops and the Episcopal Church Executive Council; chair of the Episcopal Church Building Fund; and as a member of the Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, and Constitution and Canons. He also serves on the Greater Buffalo Racial Equity Roundtable. In 2018, he became the first bishop to serve on the House of Deputies Committee on the State of the Church.

Rowe is married to Carly Rowe, a Christian educator; they have a daughter named Lauren.

The presiding bishop will be consecrated at the Washington National Cathedral on Nov. 1. Details about the transition and celebration will be announced after General Convention.