Post Election Blues

The day after the election and we discover that a little more than a third of the potential voters bothered to show up and vote. So much for my "responsibility" angle.

It is no wonder that modern depictions of Christ show him as someone who battled with disappointment and rejection. (I'm thinking particularly of Jesus Christ Superstar) If, as is my effort in this "Water to Wine" project, I actually get to where I feel like we have some sure fire strategies for feeling truly filled with the spirit, will I get as frustrated with people even try to do so? If we find ways that really nurture who we are as spiritual beings, share these with others, and they won't even try, will I feel rejected? Will the kids feel that way as well? Am I setting them up for feeling powerless? I sure hope not.

I guess that's where the "faith" angle comes in. Faith is what keeps us going in the face of adversity, rejection, disappointment, and powerless feelings. Perhaps that is my problem...my faith is weak.

I think that is what I felt when one of the kids, this past Sunday, talked about knowing that she wanted to be the best she can be, but that it was hard to be her best in the face of all the influences surrounding her. There's the peer pressure to conform. There are the images of beauty that are presented in various media. There are the acceptable behaviours being advocated in popular dramas and comedies. None of them truly advocate honesty, caring, generosity, non-violence, or nurture. None of them advocate acceptance of ourselves as we are. None seem to say, "Be you!" When honesty is advocated, it seems that it is the cruel honesty that identifies weakness in others rather than the gifts that shine through them. This cold, hard, honesty seems to be used to get others to conform to an image that may be foreign to the person who is getting the "honesty." It reminds me of the song "You gotta be..."

You gotta be bad, you gotta be bold
You gotta be wiser, you gotta be hard
You gotta be tough, you gotta be stronger
You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm
You gotta stay together

Ok, so it ends with "Love will save the day." All the same, why do we have to be hard, tough, stronger, cool, etc. in order to have love "save the day?" It seems like an oxymoron. Whilst being tough, hard, bold, cool, and stronger; am I also not building walls so thick that love can't possible enter to "save the day?"

I get a different message from my experiences. It is when I make myself vulnerable, when I open myself up to the ambiguous, when I try to see the infinite possibilities and uncertainty that I find truth, love, connection, and peace. Now there's an oxymoron: peaceful uncertainty.

Today must be one of those tired days. My faith is not strong. I'm not feeling very "bad."

Happy National Grouch Day!

Can you believe that they have a day for grouches? Apparently, today is the day. Though I am really tired, I do not feel grouchy today.

I'm actually feeling the opposite. I voted on my way in to work today-I had to stop and see a friend in order to wait until 10:00 AM when the polls opened. It was wonderful to be able to spend a little time with my friends, and I exercised my democratic responsibility as well.

Voting is such a privilege! I am amazed at how many people do not see that this privilege is also a responsibility. Often, when I was teaching in schools, students would tell me that their parents never voted. I didn't usually believe them. Then I started asking parents of my students. "Your son tells me that you never vote. I told him that he probably just didn't know when it was that you voted." Then they would actually confirm what their child had said.

• "Oh, I never vote."
• "My vote would never matter. My husband and I would just cancel each other out."
• "All politicians are the same. One is just as bad as another."
• "How would my vote ever matter?"
  
• "Politicians are all a bunch of crooks anyway."
  

and other such incredible statements.

If we don't vote, then we should never complain about what governments do! Maybe that's why I always vote - I like to feel free to complain! I'm pretty sure that isn't the reason I vote. I vote because I want to influence what governments do. This year, I spent some time with one particular candidate to see what that person's thoughts and values were regarding issues that are important to me. That time helped me make a decision about my vote.

When the Bible tells us that God gave us dominion over the world that was created, I don't think that we are being told to dominate nature. I really believe that the Bible is promoting our responsibility to be active and accountable for what happens in our world. We need to try to influence every aspect of what occurs around us to try to make it as good as it can be. We have a responsibility to work together to try to make our part of the world as good as it can be. Some take this further and try to use their influence to make things better where there is obviously a need for something to change. I have a harder time doing that because I am never sure what that change should be. If I start in my own locale, I think I have a better chance of "getting it right."

Being the "best we can be" means that we to be engaged in the world. In becoming wine, I want to be aware of issues that are influenced by my voting. I want to act locally in order that I might influence the global nature of our world.

I just went back through my writing to find out where I explained this "Water to Wine" project that is on-going here at Knox. I can find lots about it, but no explanations. So.....

The Water to Wine Project of Huda Hakawi
On September 23rd, the readings and sermon regarded the Wedding Feast at Cana where the first of Jesus' "miracles" occurred. The wedding that was attended by Jesus, many of the disciples, and his mother Mary, was three days along. (I was amazed that weddings were that long. They apparently continued for over a week!) They ran out of wine. This was a big deal considering the wedding wasn't even half over.

So Mary (remember how your mother was always trying to get you to show off?) looks to her son and tells him that the wine is gone. His response? "So what? This is not MY problem!" Does Mary listen? Of course not. She just tells the servants to do whatever her son tells them to do.

In spite of his effort to try to ignore and not get involved, Jesus tells the servants to take some huge earthen pots over to the well and fill them with water. He then tells one of the servants to take a dipper-full of water over to the wine steward.

Does Jesus make any magic sign over the water? No.
Does he say any special magic words over the wine? No.
Does he even say a prayer, touch the wine, look at the dipper? Nope. Nothing at all.

However, by the time the dipper gets to the wine steward, it contains some of the best wine the steward has ever tasted.

Jesus just used what was lying around. He didn't use "special" jugs. No "Special Well." No magic dipper. Just water from the well. Filled large jugs that were already nearby.

What I have learned from my colleagues here at the church is that "water" is often an analogy (in the Bible) for people. Water signifies people who are going along in their day-to-day existence, not doing anything particularly spiritual or righteous or holy. "Wine" is also an metaphor for our existence when we are "filled with the spirit." (No wonder they call alcohol-based beverages "spirits".)

As the kids and I were discussing this, we were pretty amazed at the idea that water could become wine so rapidly. We wondered if we could go from water to wine is such a short period of time.

Rather than try to do anything in a rush, we decided that we would make some wine and use the time it takes us to make wine to change ourselves from the "water" metaphor to "wine." So we used a wine kit and began on the 30th of September. You can go back on this site of the blog to see what we've been doing to get to where we want to be by the end of the project.