January 12th, 2012
Ingredients:
Toasted baguettes
a mix of mushrooms: Shitakes, Chanterelle, Oyster, Baby Bella, White Button
onions, sliced
fennel, sliced
Artichoke Butter (from Fairway)
Cooking directions:
Sauté the onions and fennel until soft, then sauté the mushrooms and add them to the onions and fennel and season with salt and pepper. Spread the artichoke butter on the baguettes and fill them with the mushroom/onion mixture, then munch! Delicious served with a green salad with cherry tomatoes.
–Prepared with our help by Jen on January 8.
January 12th, 2012
by Elizabeth Bishop
Thus should have been our travels:
serious, engravable.
The Seven Wonders of the World are tired
and a touch familiar, but the other scenes,
innumerable, though equally sad and still,
are foreign. Often the squatting Arab,
or group of Arabs, plotting, probably,
against our Christian empire,
while one apart, with outstretched arm and hand
points to the Tomb, the Pit, the Sepulcher.
The branches o fthe date-palms look like files.
The cobbled courtyard, where the Well is dry,
is like a diagram, the brickwork conduits
are vast and obvious, the human figure
far gone in history or theology,
gone with its camel or its faithful horse.
Always the silence, the gesture, the specks of birds
suspended on invisible threads above the Site,
or the smoke rising solemnly, pulled by threads.
Granted a page alone or a page made up
of several scenes arranged in cattycornered rectangles
or circles set on stippled gray,
granted a grim lunette,
caught in the toils of an initial letter,
when dwelt upon, they all resolve themselves.
The eye drops, weighted, through the lines
the burin made, the lines that move apart
like ripples above sand,
dispersing storms, God’s spreading fingerprint,
and painfully, finally, that ignite
in watery prismatic white-and-blue.
Entering the Narrows at St. Johns
the touching bleat of goats reached to the ship.
We glimpsed them, reddish, leaping up the cliffs
among the fog-soaked weeds and butter-and-eggs.
And at St. Peter’s the wind blew and the sun shone madly.
Rapidly, purposefully, the Collegians marched in lines,
crisscrossing the great square with black, like ants.
In Mexico the dead man lay
in a blue arcade; the dead volcanoes
glistened like Easter lilies.
The jukebox went on playing “Ay, Jalisco!”
And at Volubilis there were beautiful poppies
splitting the mosaics; the fat old guide made eyes.
In Dingle harbor a golden length of evening
the rotting hulks held up their dripping plush.
The Englishwoman poured tea, informing us
that the Duchess was going to have a baby.
And in the brothels of Marrakesh
the littel pockmarked prostitutes
balanced their tea-trays on their heads
and did their belly-dances; flung themselves
naked and giggling against our knees,
asking for cigarettes. It was somewhere near there
I saw what frightened me most of all:
A holy grave, not looking particularly holy,
one of a group under a keyhole-arched stone baldaquin
open to every wind from the pink desert.
An open, gritty, marble trough, carved solid
with exhortation, yellowed
as scattered cattle-teeth;
half-filled with dust, not even the dust
of the poor prophet paynim who once lay there.
In a smart burnoose Khadour looked on amused.
Everything only connected by “and” and “and.”
Open the book. (The gilt rubs off the edges
of the pages and pollinates the fingertips.)
Open the heavy book. Why couldn’t we have seen
this old Nativity while we were at it?
–the dark ajar, the rocks breaking with light,
an undisturbed, unbreathing flame,
colorless, sparkless, freely fed on straw,
and, lulled within, a family with pets,
–and looked and looked our infant sight away.
–Read by Kathleen at St. Lydia’s on January 8
January 9th, 2012
Read Emily’s latest sermon, “Abracadabra, Presto Chango” on her blog, Sit and Eat. The sermon is part of our ongoing exploration of the Gospel of John.
Or, you can listen to it here:
Abracadabra, Presto Chango
January 3rd, 2012
XXXV
Have in your hold the great image
And the empire will come to you.
Coming to you and meeting with no harm
It will be safe and sound.
Music and food
Will induce the wayfarer to stop.
The way in its passage through the mouth is without
flavour.
It cannot be seen,
It cannot be heard,
Yet it cannot be exhausted by use.
–Read at St. Lydia’s on January 1, 2012
January 2nd, 2012
Read Emily’s latest sermon, “Do Not Start Fresh,” on her blog, Sit and Eat.
December 22nd, 2011
by Denise Levertov
‘Hail, space for the uncontained God’
-From the Agathistos Hymn, Greece, VIc
We know the scene: the room, variously furnished,
almost always a lectern, a book; always
the tall lily.
Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings,
the angelic ambassador, standing or hovering,
whom she acknowledges, a guest.
But we are told of meek obedience. No one mentions
courage.
The engendering Spirit
did not enter her without consent.
God waited.
She was free
to accept or to refuse, choice
integral to humanness.
____________________________
Aren’t there annunciations
of one sort or another
in most lives?
Some unwillingly
undertake great destinies,
enact them in sullen pride,
uncomprehending.
More often
those moments
when roads of light and storm
open from darkness in a man or woman,
are turned away from
in dread, in a wave of weakness, in despair
and with relief.
Ordinary lives continue.
God does not smite them.
But the gates close, the pathway vanishes.
______________________________
She had been a child who played, ate, slept
like any other child – but unlike others,
wept only for pity, laughed
in joy not triumph.
Compassion and intelligence
fused in her, indivisible.
Called to a destiny more momentous
than any in all of Time,
she did not quail,
only asked
a simple, ‘How can this be?’
and gravely, courteously,
took to heart the angel’s reply,
perceiving instantly
the astounding ministry she was offered:
to bear in her womb
Infinite weight and lightness; to carry
in hidden, finite inwardness,
nine months of Eternity; to contain
in slender vase of being,
the sum of power –
in narrow flesh,
the sum of light.
Then bring to birth,
push out into air, a Man-child
needing, like any other,
milk and love –
but who was God.
–Read at St. Lydia’s on December 18
December 22nd, 2011
Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions
Modified from Everyday Food
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced lengthwise (pole to pole) into thin wedges
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 ounces fettuccine
2 tablespoons butter
2 ounces Parmesan, grated
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onions and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook, without stirring, until onions have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Uncover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. When bottom of skillet darkens, add a few tablespoons water and scrape up browned bits with a wooden spoon (you may need to do this a few times). Note: To keep onions intact, stir only occasionally.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When onions have about 10 minutes left to cook, add pasta to water in pot, and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Add onions and butter to pasta in pot; season with pepper, sprinkle with grated Parm, and toss to combine. Gradually add enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta.
Simple Spinach Salad with White Beans and Red Onions
Modified from Whole Foods
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
4 ounces fresh spinach leaves, chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
In a large bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar and Italian seasoning. Slowly whisk in olive oil until emulsified. Add beans and onions, toss. When ready to serve, add spinach and toss to combine.
–Prepared with our help by Heather on December 18
December 19th, 2011
Read Emily’s latest sermon, “Shine Through the Darkness” at her blog, Sit and Eat. The sermon is a part of our ongoing exploration of the Gospel of John.
December 17th, 2011
Dear Lydians,
I’m writing today to outline the process we’ll be using to develop the governance system for our community. But before I go one step further, I want to stop for a moment, and, as is our practice, notice a few things.
At the end of July, we said farewell to Pastor Phil and Trinity Lower East Side, and embarked on a time of transition that was just a little longer and more complicated than we imagined it would be! We spend August, September, October and November in a time of significant transition as we moved, wandered, sought, and finally found our new home at the Zen Center.
What have I noticed?
That never once did I worry that we would not survive this transition.
The ease and flexibility with which we adjusted to each new space we worshipped in, improvising together as we did so.
The hospitality and generosity of our congregants who opened their homes to us, helped pack and move boxes, and sorted out new subway commutes to Church each Sunday
In short, that our church is not a building, but a people, made up of all of you, who I am privileged to serve.
Now it is time to embark on our next big project: developing a governance system.
Developing Our Governance System
For the past three years, St. Lydia’s has made our decisions informally, with me asking questions of the community, listening to your responses, and guiding us forward. Church planting experts confirm that this is an appropriate way for a new community to govern itself. In the third year, it is generally time for a community to develop and formalize a governance system.
It is my hope that this process will be guided primarily by you: the community. My role as your pastor is to provide a framework for the process and to facilitate it in moving forward. At the end of this process, my hope is that the community will feel that you have created our governance system as a body.
The Framework For Our Process
We’ll meet once a month for a Community Conversation. These meetings will be in the evenings. The meetings will revolve around a particular subject or issue that the group has decided on. At each meeting, we’ll decide decide when and where the next meeting will be, what we’d like to focus on for the next meeting, and what kind of preparation we should do for the next meeting. Notes on the meeting will be distributed via the update so that everyone can stay up to date on the conversation — even ones they couldn’t attend in person. I’ve planed our first two meetings to give us a broad and biblical foundation from which to explore. After that, the community will take the reigns of the conversation.
Our First Two Meetings
The goal for our first meeting is to think broadly and creatively by reading about a variety of different types of governance systems used by different communities. Jeremy has compiled a list of books and articles for us to explore in the coming month.
Click here to see the list of books and articles and sign up on line to read one of them. Also on the list are some real, live communities that have interesting governance systems. If you’re interested in those communities, you’re invited to set up a phone call or e-mail with a leader there to learn more.
After doing our research, we’ll gather at our first meeting, to be held from 7:00 – 9:00 pm on Monday, January 30, and report back on what we found. We’ll also put together a preliminary list of topics we would like to explore as a part of this process.
I would like our second meeting to focus on biblical models for decision making. We can discuss how we would like to approach this discussion at our first meeting.
Why This Is Important
Read Paul’s letters, and you’ll catch a glimpse of communities in conflict, and sometimes in crisis. Paul writes to these house churches, coaching them through the differences they’re having and the changes they’re experiencing, urging them to hold together as the body of Christ. Looking around us, it is abundantly clear that trying to make decisions together is difficult. Churches, community groups, families, nations — all struggle to remain unified while hearing and responding to diverse voices and opinions. St. Lydia’s governance system will not help us avoid conflict and crisis. Conflict and crisis are inevitable. Rather, our governance system will help us to hold together as the body of Christ when conflict and crisis emerge. Our charge is to create a system that, at its best, equips us to become the congregation God is calling us to be. Your voice, perspective, and experience is important in this conversation, as we build St. Lydia’s together.
Love,
Emily
December 15th, 2011
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 bunches kale or Swiss chard (8 cups sliced)
2 cups undrained canned crushed pineapple (20-ounce can)
1/2 cup peanut butter – I use extra chunky natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
2 tablespoons red curry paste
salt to taste
crushed skinless peanuts (garnish)
chopped scallions (garnish)
In a covered saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. While the onions saute’, wash the kale or Swiss chard. Remove and discard the large stems and any blemished leaves. Stack the leaves on a cutting surface and slice crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices.
Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale or chard, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender. Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco, and cilantro and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, and serve with brown/white rice, millet, potatoes or any other starch.
Serves 4-5.
See the original recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.
–Prepared with our help by Charlotte on December 11
