All Things Bright and Beautiful, Maybe

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

1st Corinthians 12: 27

Living out the Story

            There is something about this time of year in Upstate New York. Change seems to be in the wind as the last glorious days of summer wane as the rustle of leaves portend Autumn.  An unexpected visitor sat on our neighbor's fence with one talon up and one down,  so large we mistook him for an owl  then realized he was a raptor. For some time our visitor perched, watched, turned his head as black-capped Chickadees buzzed nearby and was still, quite, and patient.  Moving to the top of a tall wire fence he perched there looking first to the right and then to the left, there a silhouette against the afternoon sky and  changing light. When he flew away three times larger magnificent and regal, our visitor told his story.

            He must be passing through our woods. Who knows where he came form or where he is going nor how long he might stay nearby. The raptor was a gift of summer and a reminder of the changes to come, the bounty of the Autumn harvest, the cold of Winter, the new Spring.

             As students and educators move into the new academic year, the changes in Education and in Higher Education present challenges for both success and integrity in both teaching and learning. We demand much of our students and more of our educators.  Social Media changes access to information and to personal information which allows unprecedented opportunity for hurtfulness and personal attack.  Has the definition of integrity changed? The tacit rules of Web2 take ownership of ideas (in some ways) away from authors because if it can be freely found on the web; it can be shared with or without citation and recognition of authorship. I wonder if our perception of integrity is changing.

             However, the real matter at hand is the ability to discuss publicly the important ideas of our time. Are our opinions, ideas, queries, speculations, debates in danger of disenfranchisement of our ability to debate publically and to truly discuss and share reasoned ideas? As citizens we inherited an agreement to accept the rules of living together in a democratic republic. Reasoned debate, integrity of ideas, and actions seem a bit confused by the insecurity ofWeb2's freedom. It seems "the times, they are a-changing".

              At St. David's in our recent past, we have said farewell to long time members, buried them and sung blessings in memory. We welcome new folks and prepare for changes as we grow and take care of our gifts, our talents, and our resources. Just as our visitor is moving through, we will also be making changes as

we move through our time, confront changes, and live out Our Story. mba

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12&version=NIV

The Times They Are a-Changin' by Bob Dylan, 1964

The Epicenter of Generosity

If it is more blessed to give than to receive, then the South Side is the most blessed neighborhood in the whole Syracuse metro area. Hey: how can we get some of those blessings?

Did you read the article about charitable giving in Wednesday’s Post-Standard?

Since I have spent my entire career in the non-profit sector, anything that mentions patterns in charitable giving catches my eye. What motivates people to give -- of themselves, and from their pocketbooks?

Religious participation, for one thing, as SU professor Carol Dwyer noted. The highest percentage of charitable giving in the US goes to faith-based causes.

“That surprises some people because there’s a lack of understanding of the power of religion in some people’s lives,” the article quoted Dwyer as saying.

One other strong motivator for giving is knowing people in need -- knowing them not just as recipients of charity but as human beings, friends, neighbors. When we connect, we give -- we give our hearts, our selves, our souls and bodies. That’s one reason why people go back over and over again to places like the Samaritan Center. If you are hungry, it’s a great place to eat. If you are hungry for something more in your life, it’s a place where you can get that, too.

Giving and receiving go hand in hand. David Tanyhill, pastor of a church on West Castle Street, put it this way:  “We are people who understand mercy because of the fact we have needed so much of it in our lives. It’s because of our giving that we are able to receive.”

Read the full report on How America Gives

We can learn a lot from a walk down to Syracuse’s “epicenter of generosity.” All kinds of data show that church-going and giving rise and fall together. New England, for example, has the lowest rates of both in the country, and curiously, both the affluent and the rural parts of New York State are not far behind.

I have a feeling, though, that there are pockets in our neighborhoods that connect very strongly with the South Side. I have seen extraordinary generosity from people in this congregation -- real engagement, and real feeling, and real connection with people in need. I have a feeling we know that that South Side community is part of our community, that our solidarity, and our giving, outpace the average in these “affluent eastern suburbs.”

Last year we spent a lot of time identifying our assets -- what God has given us -- and now we can imagine what blessings we will reap from those assets: what now are we going to give away?

-- Jacqueline Schmitt