a tale of two (actually FOUR) cities . . . .

 it was the best of times . . . it was the worst of times . . . .  so begins 'a tale of two cities'.  why is this relevant, you might ask?  well, to answer that question, i have to back up to march 24th, and the evening of palm sunday; the start of holy week.

i received word that week that i would be leaving merced (city number one) and would be appointed to santa cruz (city number two) on july 1st.  goodness!  remember to breathe....all those things i say to myself and the congregation went out the window when i became in a state of flux; having lived with this news, and the reality of coming and going, of selling and packing and unpacking and settling-in, i'm much better now.

while i hate to leave, i'm also awed by the possibility, and prayerful for merced and for santa cruz.  it has been a long time since i've had to be prayerful for pastoral families and congregations in transition . . . . and now i am a part of that transition!

 but during holy week, a pastor really does not have time to digest the reality of a move.  but holy week is a good time to know and experience the change of life in which jesus went through; all the emotions of pain right on up to the joy of the resurrection.  god has something in mind; we just don't always know what that is, or how we fit in.

and so easter came, and the next day, april 1st (no foolin') i flew to washington d.c. (city number three) to begin a working vacation in which i would do sight seeing in the nation's capital and spend the day (yes, just one day) in 'the big apple' (city number four).

people wondered, 'why only one day in new york city?!'  the short answer to that is that the white house couldn't offer me 'high tea' on the thursday of my trip, so i had to do something special!  nyc is pretty special.

so, i began sharing pictures on this blog of city #4; nyc; the new 'tower', the empire state building, and liberty (closed for repair).  it was a full day, and a six hour round-trip train ride, but worth every moment.  and yes, people DO look like ants from the top of the empire state building!

nyc is still in recovery from sandy, but nothing seems to keep the big apple down for long.

now i heard a nasty rumor while i was in nyc that i was actually got caught trying to have 'breakfast at tiffany's'!  it simply isn't true.  i actually tried, but i never did find it on 5th avenue, so i went to bloomingdales on park avenue instead, and settled for  ny pizza.  central park, however, is everything you can imagine...and it might just rival golden gate park, but the (grand) jury is still out deliberating on that fact.  my suggestion; if you ever get a chance to go to new york city, do not pass go, do not collect $200; just do it!  and wear your walking shoes!  i walked 30,561 steps that day; over 15 miles!!

the real reason for my trip back east was to attend the ecumenical advocacy days in arlington, va (ok, technically city #5, but we'll just stay focused on the four, since it is only a metro stop away!)

the focus of the conference was 'a place at the table'; food scarcity and poverty, and learning to be advocates as a people of faith with our legislators focusing on the farm bill (our legislator's third priority after gun control and immigration).  a gentle reminder to each one of you is to remind your legislators of the need to care for our land, our food/water sources, and the ways in which this issue is a world-wide issue.

while in city number three, i was able to experience the chill of winter, the changes of spring, and the sunny warmth of summer.  when i arrived on monday, the chill of the season had prevented any cherry blossom from even offering a tip of bloom.  and it stayed like that until friday, when the weather pattern dramatically changed.  by saturday, the blooms were evident, and by monday the cherry blossoms were out, and so was every visitor from every country in the world (i think!)

 

 our capital is really a beautiful city; the monuments are meaningful -- often a painful reminder of what it means to live with freedom and responsibility.  but the streets are clean and sunny; there is building going on, and people's spirits were positive and up-beat.  having a change in the weather also helped, i understand.  the capitol to the right is well worth a tour; a sculpture of president lincoln resides there with an unfinished (left, i believe) ear, as a reminder that justice is as yet, incomplete.  one of the chandeliers was donated by (what was then) a methodist church.  so don't hesitate to plan a trip to this wonderful city -- and remember to stop by and view julia child's kitchen, archie bunker's chair, and dorothy's ruby slippers!
 

we were reminded at the conference that faith isn't just about rituals; it is about action, and what it takes to rekindle our faith when we become passive.  representative jim mcgovern (not related to george) from massachusetts was profiled in the movie 'a place at the table', a documentary about our hunger issue, and now available on dvd.  we were reminded that hunger and starvation can be eliminated, when we begin to expanding our thinking to understand that we all need food for our soul, and that we have a responsibility to help create sustainable communities.

what can we do?  as people of faith, we can help build resilient communities, and help move the world from insecurities to hope, with education, compassion, and social change in the way we eat, shop, plant, and attend to our personal and national responsibilities.

the washington monument stands as a reminder that anything is possible, as we set our sights on changing our habits and caring for one another.  be it in city number one, two, three, or four, the way in which we serve god and one another with the hands and feet of christ can make all the difference in the world.  how are you making a difference this day?