11 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 30

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

There's something special about cookbooks. We can learn about different cultures, history, strangers, even relatives, just by reading cookbooks. With the current unpleasantness it seems there is more home cooking going on that is usual. I've heard it said that "We're all coming out of this either alcoholics or really resourceful gourmet cooks." I know I'd prefer the latter. Resourcefulness is a good thing. To illustrate that, here's a brief cautionary tale:

A new bride called her mother one evening in tears.

"Oh, Mom, I tried to make Grandma's meatloaf for dinner tonight, and it's just awful! I followed the recipe exactly, and I know I have the recipe right because it's the one you gave me. But it just didn't come out right, and I'm so upset. I wanted this to be so special for George because he loves meatloaf. What could have gone wrong?"

Her mother replied soothingly, "Well, dear, let's go through the recipe. You read it out loud and tell me exactly what you did at each step, and together we'll figure it out."

"Okay," the bride sniffled. "Well, it starts out, 'Take fifty cents worth of ground beef'..."

I've always heard that it's important to know the context of what you're reading. I guess it really does pay to know something about when and where what you're reading was written!

That goes for Scripture too, of course, and we're about to hit the pinnacle of the Greatest Story Ever Told - here comes Easter! To prepare for that, and considering that we're all stuck at home with our ovens, I've found a great project for you. Please post pictures of your results tagged with #PlagueJournal30.

Read this whole recipe before beginning, and try to do this with family or friends, or whatever co-quarantinians you have tonight: the night before Easter Sunday.

Resurrection Cookies

Even if you don't like or eat these cookies, making them will be a meaningful devotion.
Even if you don't make these cookies, reading this recipe will be a meaningful devotion.

Ingredients:
1 C whole pecans
1 C sugar
3 egg whites
1 t vinegar
pinch salt
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Place pecans in zipper bag and have someone beat them with a wooden spoon to break into small pieces. This represents how Jesus was beaten by the soldiers after His arrest. Read John 19:1-3

Smell the vinegar. Put 1 t into mixing bowl. This represents the vinegar Jesus was given to drink when He was thirsty on the cross. Read John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. This represents Jesus giving His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11

Sprinkle a little salt into each person's hand. Everyone should taste it, then put a pinch into the bowl. This represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers. Read Luke 23:27

So far, the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1 C sugar to the bowl. This is because the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know Him, and to belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 11-15 minutes, until stiff peaks are formed. Now, the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoon-full onto waxed paper-covered cookie sheet. Each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27:65-66

Put cookie sheet into the oven. Close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each person a piece of tape, and seal the oven door, just as Jesus' tomb was sealed.

GO TO BED!

Although it seems sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight, this represents the despair Jesus' followers felt when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie! Notice the cracked surface, and take a bite: the cookies are hollow! On the first Resurrection Day, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb opened and empty. Read Matthew 28:1-9

The Lord Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed! Hallelujah!

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

In times like these, it's more important than ever to come together. Grand Teuton Press is proud to join the #StayHome Movement uniting our entire industry to encourage everyone to stay home if you can to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Together we can save lives. #AloneTogether

10 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 29

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

Today is Good Friday (unless you're of the Orthodox persuasion, in which case, come back in a week and read this. Thanks.). When things happen like the amazing craziness going on all around us, Christians resort to prayer; we pray and we gather together in community to worship, praise, and petition God. Well, here we are, all needing that sense of community, that experience of corporate worship and prayer, and we simply can't do it. We can't get together in our churches. Leave aside whether that's right, good, or proper for now, the plain fact is that we can't do it. The church is not feeling powerful; and still, we know that the church is not a building, it's not an institution, the church is the Body of Christ, and as such we are all members of that Body. Rather than hide behind our masks - physical or metaphorical - we need to act. We need to act the part of the Body of Christ, reaching out to the world and to one another with the Good News that Christ not only lived, died, and rose again for us, but that He still stands as our high priest, making intercession for us always.
This nation was founded with a firm belief in the Providence of the Almighty. How can the church espouse anything less? We cannot.
While I was looking for something else altogether, I came across a prayer for the church from the old Methodist Hymnal (the one we snuck in before we became the United Methodist Church). It is more than appropriate on Good Friday as it talks about Christ's sacrifice and calls the church to cease seeking her life lest she lose it. If you have that old Book of Hymns it's #743. (If you don't have it, it's still #743.)

O God our Father, we pray for thy Church, which is set today amid the perplexities of a changing order, and face to face with new tasks. Baptize her afresh in the life-giving spirit of Jesus! Bestow upon her a great responsiveness to duty, a swifter compassion with suffering, and an utter loyalty to the will of God. Help her to proclaim boldly the coming of the kingdom of God. Put upon her lips the ancient Gospel of her Lord. Fill her with the prophets' scorn of tyranny, and with a Christlike tenderness for the heavy-laden and downtrodden. Bid her cease from seeking her own life, lest she lose it. Make her valiant to give up her life to humanity that, like her crucified Lord, she may mount by the path of the Cross to a higher glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Amen indeed.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.




Bonus: Today is also Poet in a Cupcake Day, so decorate a cupcake to match your favourite poet or poem. I'm trying to decide how to make an "I am a Cowboy in the Boat of Ra" cupcake. Photos of your oeuvres marked with #PlagueJournal29 will be most warmly welcomed.

In times like these, it's more important than ever to come together. Grand Teuton Press is proud to join the #StayHome Movement uniting our entire industry to encourage everyone to stay home if you can to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Together we can save lives. #AloneTogether

09 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 28

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

You may remember Sunday's post about missing Communion (if not, why not go review it? I'll wait here for you to get back. Right, here we go.), well today's is a bit of an extension of that, while also being a blast from the past. This is a devotion I wrote years ago for the GPUMC Lenten Devotions. I don't remember for sure when it was written, but it has reappeared a few times, and here it is again.
Why? Because today is Maundy Thursday, again, a day when I'm missing Communion.

Bread and Wine

Read: John 6:35-58, Hebrews 10:1-25

    Bread of the world, in mercy broken
    Wine of the soul, in mercy shed,
    By whom the words of life were spoken,
    And in whose death our sins are dead
    (from "Bread of the World" by Reginald Heber, UM Hymnal #624)


Communion. The Eucharist. The Mass. The Last Supper. The Passover.

What is it that happens when we participate in Communion? Are we commemorating the Last Supper? Are we looking forward to that Heavenly Feast? Are we celebrating a special closeness with the Lord Jesus?
Yes, we are.

The elements, the bread and wine, are taken from the Passover meal celebrated by Jesus with His disciples before His Crucifixion. They are a part of the tradition of the Jews from the days of the Exodus down to our own day, and they truly foreshadowed the sacrifice Christ was to make for us. So when we take Communion, we take part in that long line of history; but that's not the whole story!

"This is My Body" "This is My Blood" The ceremony, as completed by Jesus, not only took in the Passover, but the whole sacrificial system under which His people had been living since the days of Moses. Think what a devout Jew would have seen at the Temple: the sacrifice was literally a bloody affair. The blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on the altar, and covered the sins of the people.

But what happens in Communion? The blood of Jesus doesn't merely cover our sins, leaving us needing another dose later. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from our sins; and the word in the Bible is in a tense that lets us know that it not only has cleansed us, but it keeps on cleansing us of all unrighteousness.

What is it that happens when we participate in Communion? We celebrate the amazing Love of God for us; a Love expressed in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, our Lord – Jesus Christ. Feed on Him, and know that in Him you are forgiven.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You confidently in prayer, knowing I stand cleansed by the blood of Your Son, Jesus. In His name I ask that the Holy Spirit who indwells me will make me ever more aware of the fellowship I share, both with You and with other believers. Thank you for the sacrament, and for allowing me to share in it.
Amen.

Thought for the Day:

    Too soon we rise; the symbols disappear;
    the feast, though not the love, is past and gone.
    The bread and wine remove; but thou art here,
    nearer than ever, still my shield and sun.
       (from "Here, O My Lord, I See Thee" by Horatius Bonar, UM Hymnal #623)

  Charlie van Becelaere

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

In times like these, it's more important than ever to come together. Grand Teuton Press is proud to join the #StayHome Movement uniting our entire industry to encourage everyone to stay home if you can to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Together we can save lives. #AloneTogether

08 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 27

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

In an ongoing effort to rekindle the childhood creativity that seems to be snuffed out of most folks as they "mature" or simply age, we bring to your attention today's celebration of Draw a Picture of a Bird Day!
Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is to (I hope you've guessed it already) draw a picture of a bird. Feel free to share your artwork online. We'd love to see the hashtag #PlagueJournal27 attached to an avalanche of avian artworks all over these interwebs.



Perhaps some inspiration might be gleaned from this Thanksgiving-themed example:

Once you've finished your drawing, perhaps you'll be inspired to wrap some leftover chicken or turkey in some dough and fry it. That would be at the very least appropriate, as today is also National Empanada Day. You're welcome.


Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

Many folks are trying to fight the sore throat and cough that COVID-19 brought here from China, but apparently that hoarse left the stables long ago.
In times like these, it's more important than ever to come together. Grand Teuton Press is proud to join the #StayHome Movement uniting our entire industry to encourage everyone to stay home if you can to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Together we can save lives. #AloneTogether

07 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 26

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

As there are every day, there are many things being celebrated today, but let's single out a couple, shall we?
Hmm. Can one single out a couple? Oughtn't that be couple them out? At any rate....

Today we celebrate two things that can connect us to one of my favourite words, that being crepuscular. The sound of it alone is enticing and enjoyable, don't you think? It makes one think of twilight (no, not that one, actual sun-going-down-in-the-evening twilight. please.) and, for that matter of the pre-dawn stillness just before sunrise.
So to aid in our lifting up of all things crepuscular, we find today is International Beaver Day, as well as National Beer Day (speaking of lifting up things).
Both of those things - beavers and beers - can be enjoyed in the crepuscular parts of the day. Mightn't one term those the crepuscules? One might, and I just have. You're welcome.


Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

In times like these, it's more important than ever to come together. Grand Teuton Press is proud to join the #StayHome Movement uniting our entire industry to encourage everyone to stay home if you can to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Together we can save lives. #AloneTogether

Here's another bonus bit of information and celebration:
Today is Metric System Day, and it might perhaps be a good time to reflect on the French Revolution's attempt to decimalize the calendar. An interesting thought, that, but rather misguided I think.

06 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 25

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

How many of you have had the experience of braving the dangers of a grocery store, only to find shelves empty of all but the least desired items?
Thank you, you may put down your hands now.

Clearly in these times of hoarding hordes pillaging the paper product aisles, we find ourselves wondering what items we ought to purchase; what items will actually be useful, and will last long enough to be worth taking home with us.

Once again, the panorama of celebrations shines a light on our current situation.

Most of us have heard that Twinkies will last well past any zombie apocalypse or thermonuclear holocaust we poor humans can imagine or initiate. Let's take that as a given.
In that vein, it is nearly pleasant to discover that today is National Twinkie Day.
My advice is to make sure you have a month's supply of Twinkies laid in, just in case. Naturally I leave it up to you to determine just how many Twinkies it will take for your month's supply.
To further fuel the favorable attitudes toward, not to say fawning over, these golden cakes, I can also suggest a visit to the Wayback Machine to view the wonder that once was the TWINKIES Project.
This may be a time-sink / rabbit hole kind of excursion, so consider yourself warned.
Please enjoy responsibly.

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.

Today's bonus: If you can, why not watch Lady and the Tramp today, as it's National Siamese Cat Day!

05 April 2020 - Plague Journal Day 24 - Missing Communion

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

This Lent, in addition to the devotions found here, I've been going through a little book titled "40 Days with Wesley" by Reuben Job, and it's been a really delightful journey so far.

As you likely know, churches around the country are busy creating virtual worship services through YouTube and Vimeo and Facebook Live and probably Twitch and everything else remotely useful out there.
One thing that just doesn't seem to work virtually is Communion - the Eucharist - The Lord's Supper, and I'm not sure I understand why. Growing up, I remember always seeing in the TV Guide (gasp! how old are you?! You remember a printed TV Guide?!) that there was always a show on Sunday mornings called "Mass for Shut-Ins" on some channel or other. The Roman Catholic church at least thought that was something worth doing, but the current United Methodist leadership disagrees. We are enjoined from doing any kind of "virtual communion" services.

John Wesley encouraged the early Methodists to take communion weekly, and apparently took communion even more frequently than that. He urged us all to take advantage of all means of Grace available to us.

I've long had trouble understanding the difference between communion and an agape feast (or love feast). We have only two sacraments in the United Methodist Church - baptism and communion - and any Christian can perform the former at need, but only ordained clergy can perform the latter. Why is that?
As a church we affirm the priesthood of all believers, but in this one particular we don't. Do we believe that ordination - with the laying on of hands by a bishop - endows our clergy with magical or mystical powers? Perhaps.
Still, that doesn't really comport with the general tenor of Methodist belief. We have a "representative" clergy in our polity, and while we do have an episcopal model, there are real threads of congregational and even (shudder) democratic governance in the church. I have a feeling that the term "Methodist Mystic" would be seen as an oxymoron (I certainly don't feel that way, and would describe myself as one). So if there's not some magic going on, why can't we gather virtually around a virtual table?
Is it that - as a creed I can't quite remember said - communion provides a way to grace which only the church provides? (I'll update that if I can find the real line.)

In John 6:32-40, Jesus tells us that He is the Bread of Life. It is Christ whose grace we receive, not the church's. Further, while there is no question that communion is - at least in part - about coming together as a single body (the Body of Christ) to share a commemorative meal, it is also where each of us meets Christ individually and intimately. It is our taking part in His sacrifice for us that sanctifies our sacrifices for Him.
We are all - all of us - invited to the table of grace. As Reuben Job puts it, "The Lord's Supper is built on our oneness with Christ and with one another. At this table power flows equally to all; none is excluded, and none need go away empty." Later in this same reflection he says, "At the Lord's Table there is enough for all. No matter how broken, hungry, or needy I am, there is always enough of the bread of life for me. And my need does not prevent another's need from being recognized and met. No one is shortchanged or denied what is needed. My great need does not jeopardize the resources for my sister or brother. At the Lord's Table there is enough for all...."

So how are we to access this Grace? this Bread of Life? Is it only at the organized communion service of a church? I find that incredible, frankly. God offers us His Grace, His Life, His Love, and His Joy through Jesus at all times and in all places.
If our communion services are simply a reminder of this, then there is no reason to avoid it in a virtual meeting.
If our communion services are actually a mystical encounter with God in Christ through the elements, then there is no reason to avoid it in a virtual meeting: it is God who meets us, not the pastor who commands that the Holy Spirit endow the elements with their significance.

If you've read this far, I apologize to you for the sort of rambling presentation here, but I simply don't understand this, I guess. I've struggled with it before (see this posting from 2015), and I think I'll continue to struggle with it.

So, until we can meet together again and share the bread and wine, may God the Father grant that the Grace, Peace, and Joy of Christ rest with you through the power of the Holy Spirit, now and always. Amen.

Now, Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.