Contributed by Stephen Wickman: St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
“What would they do if they were tested with a great tragedy, wouldn’t they need God for comfort?”
That was the question asked by one of our Baha’i friends at last week’s Interfaith Coffee House (please come!) in response to my snarky suggestion that, looking at the lives of my son and his wife and daughter at least, one doesn’t have to believe in God or practice a particular faith to lead a good and contented life. It got me thinking.
It’s not always the need for comfort that brings us to God, although there’s a long strain in Christianity that sees this. In fact, listening to a BBC broadcast about prison conversions the other day, I was struck by how these events occur most often when a person is at their lowest ebb.
But then there is the case of Saul on the road to Damascus: the man who became Paul knew in his heart that persecution was not God’s will. Justice, humanity, and love for one’s enemies – not comfort – was the basis for his conversion. Of course, when Paul was imprisoned in what is now Turkey, he led his fellow prisoners in hymns to God even as they experienced a massive earthquake. He told them to take comfort in the Lord and not to escape and ended up converting their jailor!
If you examine the life of Christ or Buddha or perhaps of other religious leaders, “comfort” is not the first word that comes to mind. They struggled often, and almost as frequently they called us to live a life of discomfort. As Jesus put it in Matthew 10:
‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.
Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.’
Not exactly a message of comfort.
But I’m sure our Baha’i colleague had something else in mind when he used the word “comfort.” In the face of adversity, one can indeed take comfort in the assurance that God is with you and that someday soon this will be overcome. That’s what motivated Paul in captivity, and that’s what has helped so many in the world overcome injustice.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Susan Posey, Redeemer Lutheran Church, McLean
A friend of mine recently shared a link to an article published in Time entitled, We All Deserve Dignity and Respect. It is authored by Russell Nelson, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on the occasion of his 101st birthday! Mr. Nelson’s observations are his gift to us, and I for one, found them to be very encouraging.
Here are a few snippets:
“The world has changed dramatically. Yet what I have learned is that some truths do not change. These enduring truths are what anchor us in turbulent times.”
On the occasion of my 101st birthday, I wish to share two such truths – lessons that I believe contribute to lasting happiness and peace.
First: Each of us has inherent worth and dignity. I believe we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. But no matter your religion or spirituality, recognizing the underlying truth beneath this belief that we all deserve dignity is liberating – it brings emotional, mental, and spiritual equilibrium – and the more you embrace it, the more your anxiety and fear about the future will decrease.
Second: Love your neighbor and treat them with compassion and respect. A century of experience has taught me this certainty: anger never persuades, hostility never heals, and contention never leads to lasting solutions.”
Regardless of your religious or spiritual practice, I think there is much wonderful food for thought in this article, the full text of which can be found here.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Nelson, and thank you for sharing your wisdom with us.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
I had forgotten all about the book I had to read in high school until I heard this show about the Greek goddess Hestia (Vesta to the Romans). (BBC Audio | Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics | Hestia That book is long gone, but my memory synchs nicely with the classicist podcasters message: she was the most important deity in classical Greek society – so fundamentally known to everyone that she hardly ever gets talked about in literature (you know, Homer and all those guys).
Hestia’s story is “juicy,” not because she flaunted her obvious physical attractiveness but because she spurned romantic approaches from her more well-known brother, Poseidon and her nephew, Apollo, vowing to Zeus that she would not take a partner. She also stood up to other women, like Aphrodite, who Homer tells us had no power over Hestia.
Hestia is identified with fire and the hearth and the abstractions of community and domesticity, not the fire of metalworking or war. Every Greek city had a communal hearth where her fire was set and worshiped. In art, she is often depicted simply and modestly in a veil or holding a staff or by a large fire, or sitting on a plain wooden throne.
The Christian tradition brings the Greek gods down to earth in the form of saints or maybe angels, and the one that Hestia reminds me of is Martha, who busied herself about the kitchen (the hearth) and complained that her sister Mary was doing nothing, just sitting and listening to the words of Jesus. And she appears in the Gospel of John as the sister of Lazarus. “There they made him a supper; and Martha served.”
Hestia, a bit like Martha, is the patron saint of those who focus on community and domesticity, two bookends that are closely related. If we love and tend to the needs of our own family that will lead to love and service to the greater community, a value that all our faith traditions share.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
This Sunday morning while walking my son’s ever-curious dog along the well-lit, beautifully engineered Vesper St. trail, which connects Route 7 and the toney suburbs of Vienna, I was not surprised to see an “unhoused” man, who quickly turned off his flashlight as we ambled past the path that enters the Tysons Forest to the east. Frankly, though I had seen unhoused individuals in Tysons, principally around the entrances to our new Silver Line Metro stops, I was somewhat astonished that no one had found the beautiful natural areas of our neighborhood.
After walking around almost every part of the Tysons area, with and without the dog, I could draw a map of areas that are amenable to hosting the unhoused, particularly when the weather is warm. I do not know if this individual was pushed out of Washington, D.C. by the National Guard and federalized police now clearing the encampments downtown (I was not going to interview him, especially since he discreetly turned off his light).
The irony is that this man was camped out in the shadow of the Amazon-financed affordable housing high rise, a stone’s throw from the Porsche and Land Rover dealership, and in sniffing distance of my 20-dollar cigar. The new housing complex, while commendable, will never accommodate this individual, who I dare conjecture brings in nothing like the 60% of “average median income” needed to qualify for the new apartments.
Also of note, the Tysons Forest has been home to the unhoused since the Paleolithic Era. During a cleanup of this beautiful watershed, a Park Authority expert showed us where he had found the makings of flints by human beings who lived here long before the Native Americans, White Europeans and freed slaves inhabited it. Yes, Tysons as you will see in an earlier blog post, was home to a community of freed slaves – notably Alfred Odrick, whose White Virginian master freed him after purchasing him and bringing him here from Haiti. ( Odricks Corner, Virginia – Wikipedia)
We at Tysons Interfaith are working with the Tysons Community Alliance (TCA) and the county to find a site for a meditation garden, most likely in the Tysons Forest. It would be fitting to honor Odrick and his predecessors with a sign or some sculpture. It would be even better if we could find a way to house this newcomer.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Andra Baylus, Regional Director of the Meher Baba Spiritual Community
Carrying out protecting citizens and the many variations of being a citizen, which includes people of different faith traditions, cultures, the wealthy, the poor, the middle class, the homeless and the immigrants, should be done carefully and respectfully taking into consideration each individual’s circumstances, thus ~ judiciously.
This is what America is all about.
When issues are raised of crime being rampant in DC and people not feeling safe to attend their houses of worship at night or people “disappearing” who are citizens and have not committed any crime, then of course, it is an invitation for action of some kind to take place to remedy these valid concerns. The questions then would be, “What kind of action is needed?” and, “How best can these actions be fairly implemented?”.
Not to act would be an abdication of governmental responsibility to protect its citizens, however, rounding up people indiscriminately may not be the wisest way to go about protecting the citizens of DC.
Muhammad (May blessings and peace be upon him- bpbuh) often spoke about the ” middle path”. He also was thought to have said that, “One hour of reflection is worth 70 years of prayer.”.
Would it be possible to follow the ” middle path” suggested by Muhammad (bpbuh) and pause to reflect upon how best to proceed?
Speaking to people who have experience in these areas of concern to seek their guidance would tap their knowledge and experience and help guide and refine actions to be not only fair to all citizens, but also effective. The importance and value of knowledge is firmly rooted in Islamic teachings. There are authentic Hadith that emphasize the obligation of seeking knowledge, such as: ” Seeking knowledge is obligatory upon every Muslim.”
“Seek knowledge even if you have to go as far as China” is a widely known saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad (bpbuh), however, its authenticity as a hadith is debated among scholars. Many Muslims interpret this as a figurative expression emphasizing the importance of seeking knowledge diligently even if it requires traveling to the ends of the Earth.
Why not then seek advice about the issues of crime from professionals and before stepping forward to do something, is it possible to pause, do “due diligence”, inquire, reflect and use discernment to gauge the proper course of action.
All of our many faith traditions have wisdom embedded in our respective holy books and writings, as referenced above regarding Islamic texts. In today’s world, surely this guidance is more important than ever before.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
There is an ongoing debate in the Christian community about the “sacraments,” or what is essentially necessary to be a Christian. All of our communities agree on two: Communion (Eucharist, the Great Thanksgiving, the Mass) and Holy Baptism. Some traditions (primarily the Roman Catholic) claim you must be baptized in order to partake of the former. My church practices an “open table” theology, which is discouraged by some Episcopal Bishops. In short, the “open table” approach allows anyone to join in the Communion.
This is a sensitive matter for me, since I was “conditionally” baptized on August 19. You see, near the end of her life, my mother admitted to me that I may not have been properly baptized in the Pilgrim Holiness (now Wesleyan) tradition since they frowned on infant baptism. This was startling news because I was confirmed as a Methodist and then an Episcopalian on the basis on what I thought had been my infant baptism. But my mother said I may have just been “dedicated, not baptized.
If you believe all this mumbo jumbo, it’s a big deal. Hence my last-minute conditional baptism, which neither of my parish priests had ever administered. The only difference, is when the priest lays on hands he/she says “if you have not been baptized, then” etc.
It was an emotional moment for me. Adults are very different from infants. They can consider the surroundings, the few parishioners who joined a Tuesday noon mass at my church, the candles, the liturgy, the water on one’s head, the scent of the chrism applied to the forehead.
My rector, the Rev. Fran Gardner-Smith crooked her arm in mine as she presented me to our Assistant Rector. I was very moved. After all, I had served on the vestries of two Episcopal churches and I’m a certified lay Eucharistic minister.
But now I am “properly” baptized. This coming Sunday, we will baptize several Iranian converts. As I recite the baptismal vows, I will rededicate myself to some of the most extraordinary promises that any human can utter. If you are interested, please read What We Believe As Episcopalians, Starting With The Baptismal Covenant
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Rev. Dr. Trish Hall
We have, in plain sight, an opportunity to create a world that works – a world that supports itself by connecting and nurturing all aspects of creation. The common phrase “hidden in plain sight” applies to much of our human experience. Life in all its messy diversity is blatantly in front of and all around us. We are immersed in it. We can pretend that it is not, and such pretense will only cause greater and greater rifts.
The idiom “hidden in plain sight” used by Edgar Allen Poe in his short story, “The Purloined Letter,” demonstrates the limits of human perception and the importance of observation, suggesting that something can be both conspicuous and inconspicuous at the same time.
Buddhism addresses the concept of “hidden in plain sight” by suggesting that the path to awakening is not about seeking something external or extraordinary, but about recognizing the truth that is already present in our experience.
Christianity guides followers to see the “hidden things of God” that are hidden in plain sight for those who have opened their eyes to see and their ears to listen.
Similarly, we often miss opportunities, such as the possibility of changing the whole world, because we go through life so preoccupied with routine activities. We miss the richness that is constantly presented to us. The admonition, “slow down and smell the roses,” advises us to take respites from our busyness to appreciate what is right in front of us.
Within current times that are often described as “tumultuous,” some of us withdraw into our personal cocoons, isolating from others, resulting in loneliness. Alternatively, we join communities with which we have a lot in common, and which exclude people unlike ourselves. To insulate from perceived dangers, these groups can take on the nature of gangs clustering together against assumed enemies.
With either approach, barriers emerge that block our ability to connect with the richness of Creation. The sense of separation – separateness –arises as fear and loneliness. Loneliness has been labeled a pervasive epidemic. Whether individuals isolate or withdraw into the assumed safety of cultural/community bounds, a shared fixation on contrast and differences, causes “othering.” Hostility and aggression ensue, and the chasms between peoples grow.
The opportunity presenting itself “in plain sight” is to become cultural connectors – bridge builders.
Creation is immeasurably diverse. Whether you count insects, reptiles, birds or mammals including humans there are myriad individuations – each unique – each one-of-a-kind! When we hide among those with whom we have an affinity, a resemblance or cultural connection, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to experience the richness of the creation.
Cultural blindness refers to the lack of awareness and understanding of cultural differences, often leading to the imposition of one’s own cultural values on others. It’s a state of being unaware of, or actively ignoring, the diverse cultural backgrounds, beliefs, and practices present within a group or society.
The practices of ignoring and/or othering are, unfortunately, exceedingly common. If we ignore those who are different from us, not only are we denying them recognition, we deprive ourselves of opportunities to learn and connect. If we engage in othering – labeling – we are judging, devaluing and relegating them to something unacceptable. We are separating them from us. We are denigrating and discarding them. Who are we to judge others based on our assumptions?
Whether you consider yourself a humanist, deeply religious or somewhere in the middle, it makes sense to interact with everyone and everything for the betterment of all. Inclinations to divide stem from fear based on biases, preconceived notions, or a lack of critical thinking.
I am inviting you to consider enhancing how you see the world. Even if you already embrace the concept of oneness (not to be confused with “sameness”), hidden biases probably are lurking within you. The way we humans learn is to observe, compare and store all our experiences. The moment we compare we are filtering our observations. That filtering function is the imposition of unconscious biases. Unless such biases are addressed at the conscious level, they alter perceptions like bugs in software that can cripple our operating systems. Although people often assert, “I’m not biased,” their internal controller adds: “provided people live their lives within my comfort zone.”
Does your heart yearn for a world composed of individuals, families, neighborhoods, cultures and communities living together in peace? Mine does. John Lennon’s song, “Imagine,” immediately comes to mind.
Wayne Dyer taught, “When we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change.” Life is composed of myriad cultures so cultural differences are ubiquitous. You may encounter communication disconnects within your own family, neighbors, religions, partisan perspectives, ethnicities or internationally. It’s important to acknowledge that gaps exist everywhere and all too often within our closest relationships. Many disconnects have taken on proportions that seem wider than the Great Rift Valley in Kenya.
When we shift how we see our world, we shift the world – we radically change relationships: interpersonal, interfaith, intercultural and international.
A Colleague stated, “How you see them is how you serve them.” How we see each person in our lives impacts how we relate to/with them!!
The opportunity to change the whole world by shifting how we relate to our fellow humans and all creation, is right in front of us, in plain sight.
Cultural diversity abounds around us. We get to be trail blazers changing the world by starting conversations even when we feel scared and especially when we feel unsure about whether our presence will be welcomed. Actually, our internal dialogue is a bold indicator that a situation is the perfect one to enter.
To foster and strengthen healthy intercultural connections requires that we step out of our own comfort zone to offer new ways of connecting. Such an approach requires sensitivity to bridge the gaps.
It doesn’t matter what your color, geography, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, age, station, economic/community, or any other way in which you identify yourself, everyone is different!
Bridging such divides requires that we enter our pursuit with compassion, gently gleaning a sense of how it is to be someone. The task is huge and complex.
It requires commitment, determination, kindness and compassionate perseverance. The process requires delicacy and loving boldness.
The components are surprisingly simple. The application of those components can be challenging. The arena in which we need to apply those components is fragile. The essential element is trust undergirded by Love. Trying to reassemble trust, if broken, is much like trying to put Humpty-Dumpty together again, so let’s avoid breaking trust.
To build a bridge, we must assess the current situation:
- What are we moving from? Feeling discontent
- What are we spanning? Perceived differences/separation
- What is our desired outcome? Supportive interconnection
Peace and equity will only come to pass when we learn from and with people of other perspectives.
Together, we get to be bridge builders – to be initiators. Now is the perfect time to establish new patterns and new ways of relating – to embrace oneness boldly so that an observer would never doubt our belief in it nor our commitment to create a world that works for all.
Like love, our embrace of oneness cannot be conditional. It cannot depend on our comfort. Knowing that, as cultural connectors, we are facilitating the emergence of a world that works – a world that supports itself by connecting and nurturing all aspects of creation.
Engage in “witness consciousness” – observe yourself and others without forming opinions and jumping to conclusions. Not easy yet incredibly rewarding!
Embrace “beginner mind” and open to how it is to be someone of another culture or perception. Be flexible and adaptable. Identify shared values and common concerns. Open to possibility.
Encourage others to join you by creating a tsunami of connections. Barge out of your comfort zone. Accept that any stories you are carrying about other cultures are rooted beneath your conscious awareness, so you need to consciously release the hold they may have on you.
Now is the perfect time to embrace that YOU are a Cultural Connector – a transformative force in the universe creating a world that works for all.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Susan Posey: Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, McLean
A friend of mine recently brought to my attention an initiative taken by the Muslim and Jewish Communities in Manchester, England this summer.
Concerned about the rise in hate incidents against both Muslims and Jews in the UK and in the world, and acknowledging that, “(t)he conflict in Israel and Gaza continues to be a source of distress and despair,” leaders from the Greater Manchester Jewish and Muslim communities met for months at meetings chaired by the President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Manchester.
These meetings, “…. allowed for honest and forthright opinions to be shared which in turn led to the building of mutual trust and a commitment to ensure foreign conflicts do not become an instrument of division within our diverse communities of Greater Manchester.”
The end result was the signing of a Declaration on July 28, 2025, that commits all parties to continuing honest and respectful dialogue. The Declaration reads in part:
“These conversations will not and cannot be expected to resolve, for example, the issue of borders, the status of Jerusalem etc. but will be about accepting that both communities have a right to hold strong views and opinions which need to be respected alongside the willingness to sit down and listen to each other’s views. If we can collectively agree on just this principle then, if nothing else, we are confident that we can begin to help reduce anti- Muslim and antisemitic hate incidents/ and crimes in our city region.”
I was encouraged by the steps taken by faith leaders in Greater Manchester and hope their actions can be emulated both here in the US and abroad.
The text of this Declaration in its entirety can be found: HERE.
As an interfaith community, Tyson’s Interfaith celebrates diversity of thought, cultures, and religious practices. We uphold the principle of the “Oneness of Humanity” which recognizes the value and inherent worth of every human life and our interconnectedness. An injury inflicted on a person anywhere in the world is an injury to us all. We pray for healing in this, our beloved world. We commit ourselves to promoting love, understanding and mutual respect among neighbors – for we are all neighbors.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
When you travel this great country by car – and yes, IMHO, it’s already great – and stay in motels, getting up in the middle of the night to view the deer and the tall cornfields and meet others who are nocturnally inclined, you realize just how wonderful, inquisitive, diverse, and caring are your fellow Americans and other fellow creatures. And when you are retired in a sort of semi-permanent “staycation,” it’s invigorating to get out of town like we did last week, when I ferried my wife and Brooklyn-resident daughter to my sister-in-law’s place just outside of Asheville, NC in Weaverville. They went on to the John Campbell Folk School JCCFS | John C. Campbell Folk School while I, having nothing better to do, spent a week at the Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College for “Old Time Week,” their most popular event. Old-Time Week – Swannanoa Gathering They studied respectively, tapestry making, yarn dying, and making animals out of found objects. I sang, learning shape-note singing, unaccompanied Appalachian ballads, and singing in tight Southern harmony.
My shape-note teacher, a fellow “Whiskeypalian,” as he liked to dub our Christian denomination, was a walking, talking encyclopedia from Kentucky. And I have never seen so many fiddlers gathered in one place, along with guitarists, banjo players, dulcimer hammerers, mandolinists, bassists, cloggers, square dancers, concertina artists, and folks who played instruments I’d never seen before. The guest artists who guided us in the pavilion after lunch included a young Cherokee flautist from Cherokee, North Carolina. A banker by day, he spent his leisure hours keeping alive a musical tradition born on this sacred ground long before the settlers came. (When he played, he said it was okay to fall asleep, since he sometimes did while he was performing!) Their dance traditions, which mimicked the native animals they cherished, influenced the dance moves of the incoming settlers. Even as almost all of the Cherokee were “removed” to Oklahoma, the remaining natives somehow kept their traditions alive.
And there was the best fiddler I have ever heard, who hailed from Galax in Southwest Virginia, where country music was born, and where my son spent one high school Summer in the eye-popping Virginia Conservation Corps. Without getting too political, it is interesting to note that Galax is the only “blue” area in a sea of “red.” (There must be an interesting story there.)
Warren Wilson never set foot in North Carolina, but he was the most productive and progressive Presbyterian you could ever imagine. The college named after him started as a farm school for boys over a hundred years ago, and the 800 or so students who attend there still work the same farm as they study the arts, sciences, and humanities.
Needless to say, I came back to McLean “revived.” The highlight was on Saturday, when a local shape-note club that piggy-backs on the annual gathering brought their covered dishes to the pavilion and serenaded the bear that roam freely on campus. Our leader told us that one year a large bear emerged from the trees to sniff the dishes laid out on a table in the pavilion only to turn and walk up the steps to the dorms. He apparently respected the singing.
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.
Contributed by Stephen Wickman, St. Thomas Episcopal, McLean
Every Sunday the BBC carries a church service from somewhere in the United Kingdom. This morning (June 29) was a choral matins service from the heart of the Anglican Communion, of which my church, an American Episcopal Church, is a member. The service and the music of Orlando Gibbons and of William Byrd, himself an unreformed Roman Catholic, is perfect. Listen here www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/ or follow the text below, which speaks for us here today and, indeed, for all time.
CHAPLAIN: Good morning and welcome to Sunday Worship from the Chapel of The Queen’s College Oxford. I’m the Chaplain, The Reverend Alice Watson.
CHOIR: O Lord make thy servant (Byrd)
CHAPLAIN: In 1627, a Queen’s College fellow recorded in his diary that he attended a performance of Gibbons’ music for stringed instruments, perhaps in a similar recital to the ones which we enjoy weekly to this day.
Gibbons hailed from an Oxford family and was baptised on Christmas Day 1583 in St Martin’s Church, the surviving part of which is now known as Carfax Tower.
He studied in Cambridge and became a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1605, serving as one of the two organists of the Chapel Royal and as a composer and keyboard player in the household of Charles, Prince of Wales. He also became organist of Westminster Abbey.
Our first hymn is Eternal Ruler of the Ceaseless Round, set to a tune by Gibbons.
CHOIR/ORGAN/CONGREGATION: Eternal Ruler of the Ceaseless Round (Song 1)
CHAPLAIN: As I lead us in prayer, we give thanks for those who enhance our worship with their many gifts, especially the gift of music. Let us pray:
Lord, you have taught us, that all our doings without love are nothing worth: send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for your son Jesus Christ’s sake, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
CHAPLAIN: We return to the year 1625: Charles became king in March, at the death of James I. On 31 May the King left London to greet his wife, Henrietta Maria, who was travelling from France. A large number of the royal musicians, including Gibbons and the other members of the Chapel Royal travelled with him, and stayed in Canterbury, where the king’s entrance into the city was marked with celebratory music.
While the king was at Dover awaiting his queen on Whitsunday, the 5th of June, Gibbons died suddenly after attending a service in Canterbury Cathedral; and he was buried, with some haste, the next day, in the cathedral. The people of Canterbury were somewhat afraid that he had died of the plague, for the year saw the worst plague in living memory, and these anxieties accompanied the new King and Queen as they returned to London.
Our service of matins continues with the preces, followed by the first four verses of Psalm 145, both set to music by Gibbons.
CANTOR/CHOIR: Preces (Gibbons)
Cantor: O Lord, open thou our lips;
Choir: And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
Cantor: O God, make speed to save us;
Choir: O Lord make haste to help us.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:
and to the Holy Ghost
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be:
world without end. Amen.
Praise ye the Lord.
CHOIR/ORGAN: Psalm 145:1-4 (Gibbons)
I will magnify thee, O God, my King : and I will praise thy Name for ever and ever.
Every day will I give thanks unto thee : and praise thy Name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and marvellous worthy to be praised : there is no end of his greatness.
One generation shall praise thy works unto another : and declare thy power.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
CHAPLAIN: The first lesson is taken from the book of Deuteronomy, the fifteenth chapter, beginning at the first verse. This part of the law code focuses on the remission of debt, and the assurance of God’s blessing if the commandment is observed.
READER 1: Deuteronomy 15:1-11
Every seventh year you shall grant a remission of debts. And this is the manner of the remission: every creditor shall remit the claim that is held against a neighbour, not exacting it from a neighbour who is a member of the community, because the Lord’s remission has been proclaimed. From a foreigner you may exact it, but you must remit your claim on whatever any member of your community owes you. There will, however, be no one in need among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you as a possession to occupy, if only you will obey the Lord your God by diligently observing this entire commandment that I command you today. When the Lord your God has blessed you, as he promised you, you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.
If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted towards your needy neighbour. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near’, and therefore view your needy neighbour with hostility and give nothing; your neighbour might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbour in your land.’
CHOIR/ORGAN: Jubilate, Second Service (Gibbons)
CHAPLAIN: The second lesson is taken from the Acts of the Apostles, the twenty-seventh chapter, beginning at the thirteenth verse. This reading describes the great storm off the coast of Crete, which shipwrecked Paul and his travelling companions.
READER 2: Acts 13:13-26
When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and began to sail past Crete, close to the shore. But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete. Since the ship was caught and could not be turned with its head to the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. By running under the lee of a small island called Cauda we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. After hoisting it up they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea-anchor and so were driven. We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard, and on the third day with their own hands they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul then stood up among them and said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and thereby avoided this damage and loss. I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.” So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we will have to run aground on some island.’
CHAPLAIN: The anthem ‘O clap your hands’ is a setting of words from Psalm 47 by Orlando Gibbons.
CHOIR: O clap your hands (Gibbons)
CHAPLAIN:
In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Orlando Gibbons’ anthem “O Clap your Hands” is amongst his best known pieces and almost certainly is his grandest work. It takes its text from psalm 47, one of a subgrouping of the royal psalms known as enthronement psalms – songs which call others to praise God in the light of his kingship. Because of this they have become connected with earthly ruling and monarchy also. This is the same psalm of which a section was sung at our own King’s coronation – clap your hands together all you people, rejoice, for the Lord is high and greatly to be feared. Its themes are those of power and kingship; both earthly and heavenly.
But how do we conceive of this power? How do we untangle that power which is earthly and that which is divine? The last 400 years have given a great shift in our conception of kingly power, one which was ultimately played out in the life of Charles I, one with more facets and debates than this homily could ever capture. But today, our current King portrays a more gentle kingship, and following in the path of his mother, our late Queen, one which offers a sense of stability and unity among all people, of many backgrounds and faiths. But as we look across the world we see a spectrum of ruling styles and philosophies, earthly kings of many flavours. And above this bustling throng, this anthem reminds us, God reigns.
We see earthly powers rise and decline, ideologies and philosophies of rule come in and out of fashion. We witness the great harm done by unjust leaders, and see that history sometimes shines unexpected lights on some. We do not know how this era of ours will be remembered. Many words have been written with the aim of defining power, of capturing its essence, of laying out how to rule; in whatever sphere of life, from Machiavelli to management tomes.
But God is beyond these myriad human conceptions. God’s power is beyond our searching, his Kingship above our ideologies: In our psalm, 145, the choir sang: ‘Great is the Lord, and marvellous worthy to be praised : there is no end of his greatness’ – ideals of Kingship or methods of power will change here on earth, but God remains – for his rule is not one of any power as we are able to conceive it.
His power is the type of power made real, made flesh, evident in the cry of a newborn baby, in the touch extended to those in need, or the struggle of a dying breath at the hands of empire. But also in the raising of the dead and the judgement that is to come. We worship a God who is as comfortable, as intimate, with the mess of the manger as with the throne of heaven.
Four hundred years ago, as today in many places around the world, life seemed one full of change and often fraught with confusion or danger. Most of us know these feelings on some level from our own lives. But through the many storms of life; through the greyness of grief, or the tumult of political uncertainty, conflict, or personal illness and pain, God’s presence and God’s love remain unchanging. For God is a great King, as merciful and tender as he is awe inspiring, and in His sure ways we can ever place our trust.
So rejoice, and clap your hands.
CHOIR: Three-fold Amen (Gibbons)
READER 3:
Let us pray:
God of justice we pray for your will to be done in the world around us. As we reflect upon your commands in Deuteronomy, we pray for those held in bondage or any kind of debt. For those struggling with financial burdens, those worn down by the cost of living or gnawing poverty. For those who today are forced into lives of servitude, those who are trafficked or controlled. We pray for a world in which all are seen with their created dignity, and where power is not cruelly wielded over others.
Loving God, whose arms are sanctuary and whose paths are peace, we pray for those cast upon the storms of our own world. For those living with the effects of natural disaster, or human-made conflict. We pray for peace in our world today, for those with the power to bring peace, and for those called to political leadership of any kind. We pray for King Charles and the royal family, giving thanks for his gentle rule.
We lift to you those in need of any kind, those who are anxious or despairing, those who are unwell, in mind, body, or soul. Comfort those who mourn and make your presence familiar to those who feel alone. We pray for those who long to know more of you, those approaching baptism or ordination, and those pondering your call upon their lives.
We wrap these, and the prayers of our own hearts, in the words of the Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come;
thy will be done; in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.
CHAPLAIN: Our final hymn is Forth in thy name O Lord I go.
CHOIR/ORGAN/CONGREGATION: Forth in thy name O Lord I go (Song 34)
CHAPLAIN: The peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. And the blessing of God almighty; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
ORGAN: VOLUNTARY: Voluntary in A minor (Gibbons)
This blog post is the expressed opinion of its writers and does not necessarily reflect the views of Tysons Interfaith or its members.