The other day I did a memorial service and a wedding. In between, the organist and I discussed service music for the year over a salad. She ordered a Greek Salad. I had a Japanese salad. Hers had Feta and grape leaves. Mine had pan-seared tuna and seaweed. She told me that feta was the healthiest cheese in the world.
I didn't know the woman who died all that well. Her housebound mother, in her 90's, was an active participant in two general conventions during the 60's. The woman's husband was Jewish and secular. The children were all pretty secular, although one had married a religious Catholic. We read the Mourner's kaddish in Hebrew at the beginning of the service.
I knew that she didn't have much to say about organized religion, but she had a particular fondness for taking communion with her mother at home. She was clearly a child of the 60's. She had even stormed a president's office. I was clearly preaching to a crowd that wasn't used to being in church. I knew I would, so I had everything printed up in the bulletin ahead of time.
It is difficult to preach John to an audience full of Jews. John is pretty clear who is in and out. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I asked the community to translate "Jesus" as "love." "Love" is the way the truth and the life. If you think this is unorthodox, there are scholars who think this is exactly what the Johannine community did. I then asked them to consider what a resurrection faith might look like.
I said we might be free from anxiety; we might not fear death.
I said we might live as if we had a future. Always, even until we died.
We would understand that even those who were marginalized have a say in the way the world works.
I might be asked, well where is the physical resurrection of the body? To be honest, the problem for me is not whether this will happen. I guess it would be great to return, physically, in heaven. I just hope I'm better than in my prime when it does happen. But is this God's greatest hope. I mean, I don't know if I really want to be physically resurrected. It seems quite... primitive.
After, I assisted another priest, a canon from England, who celebrated the marriage of a good-looking media business couple. They had four hymns, three arias, eight groomsmen and eight bridesmaids, a unity candle, and a Eucharist. I told the priest that I usually demanded the church get one tenth of the entire cost of the wedding. He laughed.
I got a call from him today. He remarked the reception was also "elaborate." "FR Wilkins," he said, "after the dinner, I realized that I might have asked that the church be offered a bit more, given your excellent suggestion."
Understatement. It's almost an art.
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