THE LION TAMER

A man told the ringmaster that he was interested in joining the circus as a lion tamer. The ringmaster asked what experience he had, and the man said, "Quite a lot. My father was one of the most famous lion tamers in the world, and he taught me everything he knew."

"Really?" said the ringmaster. "Did he teach you how to make a lion jump through a flaming hoop?"

"Yes, he did," the man replied.

"And did he teach you how to have six lions form a pyramid?"

"Yes, he did," the man replied.

"And have you ever stuck your head in a lion's mouth?"

"Just once," the man replied.

The ringmaster asked, "Why only once?"

"I was looking for my father."


Cheers,

Paul (A.)

PRAY FOR THE PEOPLE OF BAGHDAD

A video and a message from Canon Andrew White, Vicar of St. George's Anglican Church in Baghdad:

My dear friends,

There are not words to describe the carnage, terrorism and sheer pain of Iraq yesterday. Not for four years have we seen this level of violence in Baghdad. Everybody has been affected. Even people not injured in this tragedy are filled with trauma and pain. So many people have been affected. Baghdad is hurting. People of all faiths and backgrounds are in tears. The bombs did not just affect one area but the whole of Baghdad.

This is clearly a result of political tension and distortion. To have the Prime Minister put out a warrant for the arrest of the Vice President is most serious and looks like a rise of the Shia Sunni divide. A week after the US troops left we are facing huge disaster.

Whilst the world is celebrating Christmas, Baghdad is hurting and burning. In no way were Christians targeted in these attacks. They appear to mainly be targeted at the Shia, but Sunnis were killed as well and everybody in the church is also hurting.

Once again the call we are called upon to stand with and to help those caught up in this disaster. Thank you for standing with us as we do so.

For me the pain is so difficult. I am torn. I desperately want to be there with the people I love, but at the same time I want to celebrate the joy of Christmas with my family in England.

The news of Christmas is still one of love and joy, because love came down at Christmas. It is only this fact that keeps us going in Baghdad. Despite the tragedy of the moment, our Lord is still here and His Spirit is still with us. Even if we lose everything, we still have our Lord Jesus who came to us at Christmas.

Blessings,

Andrew

PRAYER

O God, you have bound the inhabitants of Iraq together in a common life. Help all your people in Baghdad and throughout the country, in the midst of their struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred, bitterness, or violence and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect to bring peace to the city and to the the country. Amen.

Thanks to Andrew Gerns at The Lead.

ICONIC - NAVY HOMECOMING - LESBIAN COUPLE SHARE A KISS

Perhaps the still from the video below, which has already gone viral, will become the icon of the celebration of the end of 'Don't ask. Don't tell'. From the beginning, when I first heard of the Clinton compromise, I thought it was ridiculous. Hopes were high that Clinton would end the practice of discharging members of the military who had served their country well, if their LGTB sexual orientation became known...but not with the unworkable policy of DADT.




The photo of the lesbian kiss reminded me of the iconic scene below, of the sailor kissing the nurse, photographed by Albert Eisenstaedt in Times Square on V-J Day, marking the end of World War II.

CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND, STRUCK BY EARTHQUAKE

Photo / Geoff Sloan

From the New Zealand Herald:

Quake-weary residents in Christchurch's eastern suburbs were again flooded with silt from liquefaction just two days from Christmas.

Flooding covered streets and homes in suburbs already devastated by the September and February earthquakes, including Bexley, Avonside, Parklands and Wainoni.

Civil Defence said the situation in the city was similar to the magnitude 6 quake in June in terms of damage and liquefaction. St John treated about 60 people with earthquake-related injuries.

Christchurch Deputy Mayor Ngaire Button, speaking while mayor Bob Parker made his way back from a holiday in Taupo, said the timing was almost as bad as the damage.

"Our hearts go out to the people of Christchurch tonight. We're just devastated that this has happened at this time of the year, right before Christmas.

From Bishop Victoria Matthews at Anglican Taonga:

Bishop Victoria’s request for prayer

I feel a bit guilty asking for prayer yet again. Or maybe even greedy. So I ask you to bear with me as I explain our need.

In the early part of this afternoon, shoppers here in Christchurch were thronging the malls.

We know what happened at 1:58pm – and again and again during the afternoon.

Those malls, of course, were evacuated.

And tonight, as I drove through the city and especially through the suburbs, there was hardly a car or pedestrian in sight.

It was as though people were hiding. When the whole world begins to tilt and roll, they’re frightened to be caught again in a crowd.

So I ask your prayers for the people of greater Christchurch.

I ask your prayers for courage and good humour and incredible resilience.

I fear the rise of anger, too. It’s hard to get angry at an earthquake – so the tendency is to turn on others. And what’s doubly sad is that many already experience Christmas as a stressful time.

Oh, and one more thing.

For the most part, we will be worshipping outdoors this Christmas, 'where sheep may safely graze'.

The late night services will be ‘BYOT’ events – Bring Your Own Torch – because candles and earthquakes don’t go together, either.

Would you, in your mercy, pray for those who are frightened?

And pray that they will dare to venture out and that the Christmas services will be havens of praise and wonder at the birth of the new born King?

And that we may all return safely home again as well?

Thank you, and we pray for you who have been at our side every step of the way.

Thank you and God bless you this Christmas.

Prayer from elca.org.

Gracious God, you are our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.
In the wake of the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand,
reveal your presence so that all may know your healing, hope, and love.
As one community on earth bound together by your grace,
inspire us to pray, serve, and help all those who suffer.

Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

H/T to Andrew Gerns at The Lead.

O EMMANUEL

Antiphon sung by the Dominican student brothers at Blackfriars in Oxford.

December 23

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.

O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Text from Fish Eaters.

SHEPHERD IN A MANGER

Nativity Scene was erected in a church yard.

During the night the folks came across this scene.

An abandoned dog was looking for a comfortable, protected place to sleep. He chose baby Jesus as his comfort. No one had the heart to send him away so he was there all night.

We should all have the good sense of this dog and curl up in Jesus' lap from time to time.

This is too sweet not to share.

No one mentioned that the dog breed is a "shepherd!"

Indeed, too sweet not to share.

Thanks to Ann.

Reposted from last year, as it's one of the more popular pages on my blog.

Update from The Daily Tail:

This homeless dog was found sleeping in Jesus’ manger. The Nativity set was located at the central square of Criciuma, a small town in Santa Catarina state, south of Brazil.

...unfortunately I was never able to find out what happened to the dog. I called the local newspaper, and was unable to find any info on the dog. He is probably a street dog who found a really nice place to sleep that night. In Brazil, street dogs are everywhere, and local businesses tend to care for them. That's a possibility.

SOUTHERN CONE ADOPTS ANGLICAN COVENANT - WHERE IS ACNA?

Mark Harris at Preludium puts 1 + 1 together and has a question. The Anglican Communion Office announced that the Province of the Southern Cone adopted the Anglican Covenant. Surprise, surprise!

The news release at the ACO website states:

In response to these novel practices the Southern Cone had held churches in North America under its wing for some time while the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) was formed. However, the Province has not maintained jurisdiction over any local churches there for over a year. As a result, all so called ‘border crossings’ by any provincial members ceased (as of October, 2010) even though the Southern Cone still remains in impaired communion with US and Canadian Provinces. It is hoped that the Covenant can now provide Communion stability.

Mark Harris further:

In ACNA land the Archbishop, himself a deposed bishop in The Episcopal Church was given residence in the PSC... that was in September 2008.

The Living Church stated, "Immediately after his deposition from the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, Bishop Duncan was welcomed into the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone, according to Presiding Bishop Gregory Venables." But those days are over.

Mark is moved to ask:

If Duncan is not in the PSC, where is he?

A very good question. Apparently, that ACNA was no longer under the jurisdiction of the Southern Cone for over a year was a rather well-kept secret until now. Is no one expected to note that ACNA is now free-floating? Unless, of course, there is more that we don't know, and another province is holding the ACNA 'fledgling Province' under its wing.

From Archbishop Robert Duncan of ACNA:

Recent events within the Anglican Mission in the Americas have challenged us all. This letter is a brief report to you all about those events and about our efforts to find a path forward. The present reality is brokenness. The vision, however, that governs our fledgling Province remains unchanged: a Biblical, missionary and united Anglicanism in North America.

So. Brokenness. One thing leads to another. If you read on, you will see that some sort of negotiations will take place between the AMiA bishops who departed from the Church of Rwanda and ACNA which will include discussion of the complication of ACNA's relstionships with the bishops, clergy, and congregations who remain under the jurisdiction of the Church in Rwanda.

The resignation of nine Anglican Mission bishops, including the Bishop Chairman, from the House of Bishops of Rwanda, changed relationships with Rwanda, with fellow bishops and with the Anglican Church in North America. The resigned bishops lost their status in our College of Bishops as a result of their resignation from Rwanda. The Anglican Mission also lost its status as a Ministry Partner, since that status had been predicated on AMiA’s relationship with Rwanda. In addition, confusion and hurt has been created in Rwanda and in North America, and there is much serious work ahead of us.

Are you still with me? I'm not certain that I am still with me. My brain is much smaller than Mark's. The story gets more and more complicated with unexpected (at least to me) twists and turns. I am greatly indebted to Mark Harris and his brilliant thought processes as he made the connections for his post, and I hope I have not done him a disservice by my shameless picking of his brain for my post.

My question: Will this fledgling fly?

'SOON AND VERY SOON' - ANDRAE CROUCH

Awright!! The King is coming soon! Play the video again, clap your hands, and sing along.

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!

Sunrise at Stonehenge on the Winter Solstice

From Wikipedia:

The winter solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of a planet's polar hemisphere is farthest away from the star that it orbits. Earth's maximum axial tilt to our star, the Sun, during a solstice is 23° 26'. More evident from high latitudes, a hemisphere's winter solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is the lowest. Since the winter solstice lasts only a moment in time, other terms are often used for the day on which it occurs, such as midwinter, the longest night or the first day of winter.

The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the winter solstice usually occurs on December 21 to 23 each year in the Northern Hemisphere, and June 20 to 23 in the Southern Hemisphere.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most northern hemisphere cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.

Before I visited Stonehenge, I thought the stones were much larger. They're surely not small, but I thought they were gigantic.

HANUKKAH SAMEACH!

Don't blame thank me. Blame Thank Doug.