Online Summer Camp - FIRE- Day 4

 

FIRE

energy, heat, passion, warming/soothing

(campfire - community, nourishment)

FOODS

Spicy foods, turmeric [curcumin]

Ginger

Peppers (bell and hot varieties)

Fire-cooked foods -- grilled or campfire

It can seem counter-intuitive that spicy food often originates from hot climates! Spice can stimulate sweating (our body's cooling mechanism), can stimulate appetite in weather that otherwise might suppress desire to cook/eat, and can also act as an antimicrobial agent (so historically helped reduce rate of meat decay). 

Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric (a root in the ginger family), is now widely used as an anti-inflammatory supplement. Capsaicin, the active compound in peppers (bell, black and hot pepper) also has anti-inflammatory effects and may slightly increase metabolism. Many Indian curry spice blends combine turmeric, ginger and pepper, so curry dishes can be a delicious way of connecting to the healing properties of Fire! 

Serving spicy foods with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt can balance the spice and increase protein and calcium in the meal. Try this easy weeknight recipe you can make with a grocery-store rotisserie chicken. Serve with green vegetables and rice or Naan bread.

The Better Butter Chicken
From Eat Shrink and be Merry by Janet and Greta Poldeski
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onions
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger-root
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 can (19oz/540ml) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 whole cooked rotisserie chicken, skin removed and meat cut up (keep the pieces fairly large, as they will break apart when cooking)
1/3 cup light (5%) cream
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro (plus more for garnish)


1. Melt butter in a deep, 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook slowly, stirring often, until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add gingerroot, chili powder, turmeric, and cinnamon. Cook 1 more minute. Add undrained tomatoes, and cinnamon. Cook 1 more minute. Add undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add cut-up chicken, cream, and Greek yogurt. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve with an additional scoop of Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro for colour.

                                                            ----Meredith Lapp, RD

Dinner Invitations

St. Lawrence – yes, the namesake of the St. Lawrence River, and patron Saint of Canada. 

Lawrence was deacon in the city of Rome 3^rd Century and martyred August 10^th, 258 at age of 32.

Born in Valencia, Spain, Lawrence left for Rome with Sixtus a famous and highly esteemed teacher of his time. Lawrence was ordained archdeacon of Rome, a position entrusting to him the care of the treasury and riches of the Church, along with the responsibility for the distribution of alms.

Roman authorities saw the riches of the Church and decreed that Christians, specifically the Church, was to have their wealth confiscated for the Empire treasury, on pain of death.

 

St. Ambrose recounts the tale that Roman authorities demanded that Lawrence turn over the riches of the Church. Lawrence asked for three days to gather these riches. During the three days, Lawrence redistributed to the poor what property and wealth he could. After three days, arriving before the Roman authorities he came with what he referred to as ‘the treasures of the church.’ --- with him were people - the poor, the lame, the blind, the forgotten, the marginalized, and the outcast. Lawrence declared, “the Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor.” This act of defiance led directly to his martyrdom.

 

Lawrence took to heart Jesus’ directives on who to invite as dinner guests when hosting a banquet.

 

Perhaps if St. Lawrence lived today, he would pen a blog titled, “Living the Directives of Jesus,” with a page dedicated to ‘The Etiquette of Hosting a Dinner Party:’

 

·         Choose guests that challenge culture’s finely honed system of reciprocity governing social interactions;

·         Choose guests that challenge human notion’s of worth and acceptability;

·         Choose guests that challenge ones’ want to feel self-important;

And choose a space with room to make the table longer.

 

St. Lawrence might continue, reflecting on Jeremiah’s image of a cracked and empty cistern – where the cistern represents the emptiness of the people; an emptiness brought about by sending out inappropriate dinner invitations. Invitations sent not to people for who they are, or out of the pleasure of sharing each other’s company, or one’s bounty, but for the benefit they can give the host: respectability, status, favour, power, an invitation in return, a place to be seen.

 

In contrast, living water, or as the Psalmist wrote of the people being satisfied with the finest wheat and honey from a rock- these are the dinner parties focused on relationship: hospitality to strangers, mutual love, a strengthening of community, a sharing of bread and wine. Meals where people are simply welcomed – with or without an invitation.

 

Today’s readings ask us to change our appetites: to drink living water by following Jesus’ directives; to feast on relationship; to indulge in hospitality; to revel in community.

 

As a church we are asked to change our appetites – each week we gather around the banquet table, God’s table. We are shown a broad table (with seating here, in homes, a feast in the world to come, clouds of witnesses, heavenly hosts) – a table with an open invitation that spans across the ages. Everyone is invited to receive God’s gift of grace through Word, bread and wine. Participating in this weekly meal demonstrates following Jesus’ directives: humbly coming to the table without fanfare or hierarchical order, helping those who need assistance, providing bread and wine in various forms for various needs, and waiting for all to eat.

Luther’s Catechism reminds us that, “Eating and drinking certainly do not do it, but rather the words that are recorded: ‘given for you’ and ‘shed for you for the forgiveness of sin.’

Participating in the meal is receiving this grace, a grace that changes our appetites.

We are satisfied with a small morsel of material food because the food is more than material. The food at the banquet is grace – forgiveness- that is embodied in the meal itself:

hospitality to strangers, mutual love, and a strengthening of community.

 

September is a month where some congregations emphasize a ‘Back to Church Sunday.’ Churches ask parishioners to invite family, friends, and neighbours to church; to hand out invitations to come. On a weekly basis when we come and participate in communion, we are being fed and reminded that the hospitality shown to us through the meal is to be turned to action – an action of giving ourselves away as bread for the hungry. One way to do this is to invite others to the table; specifically guests who can not reciprocate the invitation, guests whom we might judge as unworthy or unacceptable, guests who will not raise our self-importance. Who will you invite to God’s table?

 

As Jeremiah spoke to the people, they were a people who had forgotten relationship with God and each other, no longer sitting down together to share food and conversation. They had become -religion and faith had become- a cracked and dry cistern. The story could be the same for the church…

Yet, we commit to weekly celebration of the Eucharist – the Great Thanksgiving- to continually change our appetites, filling us with grace and Living Water.

Congregational vitality depends upon Living Water!

 

And this vitality is shown in hospitality to strangers, mutual love, and strengthening of community.

Come, inviting others along the way, to the banquet for all is now ready.  Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Online Summer Camp - FIRE - Day 2

 

 Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine… when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. --- Isaiah 43: 1b, 2b

We went through fire [wilderness] and through water [Jordan river]; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place. --- Psalm 68: 12    

 

READ- Daniel 3: 13-28

 

Once upon a time at camp, I singed my hair with the flame on the candle I was holding. It was during outside evening prayer. 

Gathered in a warm circle, praying with friends, watching the flicker of flames reflecting on faces, I was entranced – at one with all – including the candle. With a swift blowing out of the candle and a slap to the side of the head, all was fine (minus the smell of singed hair that hung around for hours).

Have you ever been on fire?

A passion with a growing urgency to share or to act?

A voracious appetite to fan the flames of change or love unconditionally?

A heart aflame with a vision for a refined and rejuvenated world?

Traditional wisdom says that the power and personality of FIRE is change, passion, creativity, motivation, will power, drive, and sensuality. Scripture presents characters who illustrate various ways of ‘being on fire;’ on FIRE for God (and God’s kindom).  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have a FIRE within them: will power to stick to their trust in God, passion to share their faith in time of persecution, actions that change perceptions, motivation (courage) for each other…

 

Have you experienced being in the fire?  --- A place where others have imprisoned you to keep you quiet or punished you for speaking out or taking action?

For what cause or beliefs are you willing to be put in the fire?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego knew the words of Isaiah found at the beginning of this devotion, do not fear…flame shall not consume. The friends sang or recited the Psalm, through fire …you have brought us out. I wonder if they recalled them at the time of their furnace adventure. The Word people carry – is the kindling for fire, sparks of hope, smoking of faith, heat of courage, and warming coals of God’s presence.

In closing, I return to memories of camp and songs by the fire. Every week as a parting song, camp participants sang, “Pass It On.” I believe this is our call – our FIRE – passion for God’s kindom. #forthehealingoftheworld. Be filled with God’s fire and live these words:

It only takes a spark to get a fire going. And soon all those around, can warm up to its glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love, once you’ve experienced it, you spread God’s love to ev’ryone. You want to pass it on.

 

Holy Fire, set our hearts ablaze with love for God and with God's passion to share and kindle love and compassion the world over. Amen.

COVID Journal + Isaiah 5: 1-7

 I have with me today a journal book. Most of what is in this book is my journey through COVID, starting April 3^rd, 2020. There are facts, descriptions of life under lockdown, church re-defined, pages of frustration, anxiety doodles, fears, calming colouring pages, expressions of hope, lists, reflections on self and how I’ve changed, moments of capturing vision of what could be, exercises in emotional intelligence to reframe my thoughts and feelings. …

 As you know, I have been taking an Emotional Intelligence Practitioner Course, over the summer. In one session the instructor shared a helpful exercise and analogy – one that resonated with my COVID journal and the passage from Isaiah 5: 1-7.

 

Life is the writing of a book.

Understanding life in this way opens a myriad of possibilities.

 

The prophet Isaiah sings a beautiful song of a vineyard; describing God creating a space, tending it, and caring for a people; an abundant illustration of God’s kindom. A great song! Until one reads the next sentence, to find out that the vineyard yielded wild grapes.

There is a self-reflective section where God commiserates that the people have turned to judge God and the vineyard; the people were not thrilled with kindom living and turned on their relationships with God, creation, and each other.

God throws up God’s hands and the whole vineyard, already in disarray, becomes a real mess:  trampled, overgrown, untended, infertile, with no more fence and no water. If we continued to read the book we would find out that the people end up in exile in Babylon. Each turning of a page in the book of Isaiah, has the reader on alert, unsure if the text will be happy and glorious describing beautiful images of vineyards, wholeness, heaven, springs in the desert; or depressed and lamented accounts of destruction, forgotten and broken relationships, unhealthy practices, exile; or hopeful visions of the Messiah, days to come, God’s vision of covenant living, the heavens and earth made new.

 

The book of Isaiah is finished – a story that spans 200 years. History. It is over and done, and yet not.

 

Emotional intelligence learning has individuals consider their own story, ‘the Book of You,’ so to speak. This narrative counseling approach separates life into past, present, and future. The past is historical recounting, the present is now and the only moment in which we truly live, and the future is a question mark – unknown.

A lot of people spend their lives hashing through previous chapters of life. I could read my COVID journal and get emotionally caught up in what has already been – reliving and re-feeling anger, fear, depression, confusion, disappointments. I could dwell on the situations and circumstances that were and make descending spirals of questions about ‘why?’ ‘how long?’ and have unhelpful conversations ‘if only’ ‘it’s COVID’s fault’. I could get stuck and lost in a never-ending film and forget to live in the present.

 

The book of Isaiah – the destruction of the vineyard – what if the reader didn’t continue to read? What if the reader kept rehashing this negative event, again and again? The people did rehash the story over and over through the years of exile; getting stuck in what had happened; weeping, ignoring the prophet’s words, continuing the same practices, living on autopilot.

In the book of Isaiah, we turn the page and find many chapters of recounted unhappy history.

And then, we turn the page to chapter 11 where we read:

A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots…

The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with kid…

They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord…

What a beautiful picture of the future – a future that is not yet but, could be.

 

The idea of narrative counseling is recounting the past as fact and description of experience, without attaching present emotion. The historical recounting of ‘the Book of You’ gets you to this moment where we are right now. The blessing of this moment is that it is an opportunity to turn the page. When I turn the page of my COVID journal, it is blank, unwritten, full of possibility.

 

When aware of myself - my emotions, my beliefs, my values, my hopes and dreams – I can choose how to act in the situations and circumstances of the present.

If I find myself in a place where a prophet speaks of a beautiful vineyard disregarded and destroyed by human beings – which in some ways describes present times on earth – I have choices:  

1.       I can, to my own detriment and the detriment of the world, go back and fret about what has happened, why, how, blame the who did it, judge others, say it wasn’t me, or whatever;

2.       I could live on autopilot and shuffle along, dragging my feet, waiting for some day, putting what energy I do have into believing that everyone will eventually get what they deserve;

3.       Or I can live a resurrected life – one filled with grace and gratitude, where I choose to live now; where filled with the Holy Spirit and the love of God I turn the page, and can start again; ….(flipping the pages in the journal that are as yet empty); look how many times the gift is given to start again.

 

There is that choice in Isaiah 5, where the people (and there is record of a remnant who did) had the opportunity to turn the page and consciously change their emotions and actions. The remnant were those who continued to pray, to stay in relationship with God, to act out God’s covenant, keeping the commandments, and live as faithfully as possible despite the world around them; and to continue to hold onto hope and live that hope out through actions. The remnant set about recreating the vineyard – while others despaired about what was and still others only talked about what could be.

 

We are called to live a resurrected life – one filled with grace and gratitude; a life lived in the now; turn the page of ‘the Book of You’ and begin again creating and tending

God’s vineyard to yield good grapes and produce wine that freely flows.