It is I, Miss Jenna Rose Katz and here to post. I know that I am not the most regular poster in all the world, but I can make up time. Sounds like the church there is really meaningful and inspriational for you, and hey you went to McDonalds! I know that is your favorite resturant in the states so you must have been thrilled, even though it doesn't sound like you really ate anything. I also have a question... why do they call it a flee market? It just sounds sketch.

Being a Christian is fundamentally about what you carry in your heart, and in the case of a worship service, what you bring in your heart to the service. Worship is about what's inside you, not what's going on in front of you.

I'm glad you made it back home safely. Take care of yourself and get well soon.

hey Jenna! Did you ever get my email back to you? (Sorry Bec - just using your blog for a bit of ancillary business...)
Wow bec - sounds like a miserably fun day... I wish I could make you some chickenless noodle soup.
Yesterday the pastor at EAC presented an interesting thought about certain church practices you mention. He was talking about in the 10 comandments God states that He doesn't want us to make any idols... and then talked about how the Isrealites made a gold bull waiting for Moses to come back down the mtn... what may be possible is the Isrealites in their ernest desire to be spiritual felt they needed to have "someting" in front of them to aid in worship. A bull means strength and other things that would be a good representation of God. The problem was that it distracted them from the God they intended to worship. Rituals, symbols (even like the cross)and music...even if with best of intentions can become objects of worship. It is an interesting thought... And it's interesting that your church visit corresponds to the sermon I just listened to (in its entirety - unabrdged! and smoke free :) ) I probably should make a disclaimer that the pastor's thoughts are not my own. But I am thinking about what he said though...
As far as your situation in a dangerous part of the world - Sidney Bristol you are not. Don't get into a bind where you wish you were her...

Miss Jenna Rose Katz, congratulations: You have achieved the lofty status of non-lurker. I hope that you remain among our ranks in the future.

In answer to your question about flea markets, flea markets are called flea markets because they originally sold items that were infested with fleas (see wikipedia article here). It is not, as your spelling suggests, because it induces a visitor to flee, as perhaps Miss Gutwin would have preferred to do.

Catholicism in particular incorporates many graven images and idols, such as the virgin Mary, which the ten commandments explicitly prohibit.

BTW, I am in Massachusetts. You are in South Africa. Thus, you are not allowed to get sick.

Hey Becca - Sometimes our best-laid plans fall prey to forces beyond our control ... and then things really get interesting! In your case, it sounds as though you encountered a stranger who looked out for your safety, 3 men perceived to be threatening who didn't harm you, and "a very helpful girl" - not bad for an otherwise understandably frustrating and taxing day. It sounds as though you handled yourselves really well.

Your experience strikes me as cause for greater reflection on the texts that were read in the, ahem, Episcopal (not "Episcopalian") service you attended on Sunday, which are so profound, especially positioned as they are in the buildup to the passion and resurrection. It's a shame the sermon was abridged, as the preaching in Episcopal churches is generally excellent - I'll attach an example of what you might have heard below.

Becca, I am surprised to hear you dismiss a 500-year-old denomination with a rich history based on such cursory experience and, from the sound of it between the lines, hearsay. As an Episcopalian and daughter of an Episcopal minister, I can tell you there is much more to it than too many hymns and smelly incense.

What we do on Sunday morning isn't how we worship God -- how we live the rest of the week is how we worship God. Sunday is a time to refocus, recommit and reconnect, and there are as many ways of doing that as there are Christians - some hoot and holler and bang their tambourines (if you come to New York again, we'll go to Temple of Greater Refuge in Harlem - talk about too many hymns, they sing for 4 hours straight - but there's no mistaking the spirit is present!), others like the Episcopalians are more reflective and contemplative, but we are all the body of Christ. I hope you hit upon a style of worship and a church home that suits you. Meanwhile, I hope you remember that the "Episcopal church" is not a building or a style of worship but a living, breathing body of millions of people around the world who are genuinely seeking to know and serve God.

On a technical note, the injunction against worshipping idols has nothing to do with things like incense, music and crosses. These things aren't objects of worship, and they certainly aren't worshipped in place of God. They are our way of engaging all of our human senses our worship and serve as signposts to the divine, not the thing itself.

As for rituals, they are the inevitable byproduct of people coming together in an organized fashion to communicate about anything - going to church and listening to a sermon is a ritual - there's nothing inherently wrong with them. If by criticizing "ritual" you mean "liturgy," again it comes down to a matter of taste. The Anglican liturgy is an extremely well-thought-out, refined framework that touches on all the elements of our faith but also accommodates varying content from week to week. Some people find it very helpful as a way of guiding their meditation and deepening their reflection, while others prefer a more free-wheeling format. Some critics say we're mindlessly repeating the same things, week after week, but it's really more like memorizing music, where knowing the words frees you to think more deeply about what you're saying and why you're saying it. Others say that we shouldn't need to be told what to say, we should speak freely and extemporaneously with God - but we feel in the area of corporate worship the body needs to speak with one voice from a distinct point of view, and there are other places in the service and the week for more direct and personal communication.

Sorry this turned out to be so long-winded! If you seek to understand Anglicanism better, we can point you to some good information, including some short books we have that give a good summary. If not, I hope you can reserve judgment until you do have a better understanding.

The main thing is that each of us finds a faith practice that nourishes and sustains us ... we have found such a place in the Episcopal Church, and our prayer for you is that you find such a place for Becca, wherever that may be. The body of Christ is an enormous, sprawling, somewhat spastic organism - there's a place for everyone and each one of us is essential.

Here is the sermon I mentioned above - as I said, your odyssey reminded me of it:

March 6, 2005 - Fourth Sunday in Lent - Year A

by the Rev. Dr. Frank Hegedus

1 Samuel 16:1-13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 5: (1-7) 8-14; John 9:1-13 (14-27) 28-38
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rise and anoint him; for this is the one. 1 Sam. 16:12

Remember that survey course of English literature you took back in high school or college? You probably used a textbook that was, in essence, a collection or anthology of literary classics representing the wisdom of many centuries and cultures. It was a potent witness to the power of the word to transform individuals and the societies they lived in. Scripture, of course, is also first and foremost an anthology of literature—an inspired collection of ancient yet living works, works with a profound capacity to change us still today.

According to Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann, the task of interpretation is to “transpose ancient voices into contemporary voices of authority,” and to recognize the power of the Word to generate transformation in our own world and society. In a video presentation produced some years ago called “Imagination: New Approaches to the Bible,” Brueggemann examines the text found in our first reading today from the First Book of Samuel, the story of David’s selection as king of Israel. He details the power of this narrative as it transformed David and ancient Israel.

This narrative has always been a great favorite among Christians. Samuel is sent to Jesse on a dangerous mission: to find a new king among Jesse’s sons while the powerful Saul is still on the throne. One after the other, the sons of Jesse come before Samuel. One after the other, they are rejected by the Lord. Finally, the youngest of the sons, David, is brought forward—almost as an afterthought. “This is the one,” announces the Lord, definitively. Samuel anoints David as king in the presence of his brothers, and “the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David.” Still, we could hardly blame David if he did not wonder at the transformation that was about to take place in his life and in his native land.

In choosing David as king, Brueggemann maintains, the Lord overturns the established order. David represents not only new leadership; he also embodies, in his youth, inexperience, and humble background the peculiar fondness of the Lord for those whom Brueggemann describes as the “marginated” of society. In other words, rather than choosing a king from among the princes and leaders of Israel, the Lord turns to a simple shepherd boy with no pretensions to greatness and no qualifications to be a king other than the Lord’s favor. The Lord surprises Samuel and even Jesse, David’s father, with his choice. Saul, the legitimate king with all his authority and influence, is no match for David in his innocence and powerlessness. The implication is that the Lord continues to challenge our assumptions about our world and its values, and to call us to radical transformation, reminding us of our own divine election as children of God.

In some ways, the world has not changed much since the time of Samuel and David, in spite of technological advances and economic development. A scant few months ago, our nation was in the midst of one of the hardest fought political campaigns in recent memory. Powerful forces were arrayed against each other in a battle for influence and control. No matter what one’s own political persuasion might have been, it was easy to feel small and insignificant in the tug of such forces. David must have had similar feelings as Samuel anointed him king.

Yet centuries later, the technology of the human heart remains the same. The economy of God’s favor is unchanged. In spite of everything, God still cares for the marginalized and outcast, and confounds the mighty and powerful. We need only the eyes of faith to see the Lord at work in our world today, whether it is in the overthrowing of brutal dictatorships or in the promise of justice and new beginnings for the disadvantaged and least favored in contemporary society.

Today’s Gospel account delivers a similar message. Jesus grants sight to the man born blind, a favor gratuitously given to one living on the fringe of society. The blind man himself asks nothing of the Lord and does nothing to merit Jesus’ notice and intervention. But as Jesus says of the sometimes paradoxical workings of God, “He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” Blindness, and the radical separation from the society and culture of the sighted, which it represented in the ancient world, becomes in God’s wisdom the means of revelation and enlightenment.

The blind man gains his sight, finds faith, and proclaims, “Lord, I believe.” Yet, in a further note of irony or paradox, those in authority remain blind to the marvel of God’s grace at work in their midst—even when it is literally staring them in the face. They repeatedly question and cross-examine the man born blind and his family, skeptical that one such as he should have found God’s favor. It becomes manifestly clear that those who claim to be “in the know” are left in the dark. They do not get it. Once again, humanity’s most vulnerable witness to God’s power and loving-kindness. The world as we know it is turned upside down.

It is all too easy to remain blind to the reality of God at work in our world today. It is easy to turn aside our glance when confronted by the stranger and the homeless, God’s favored ones in our world today. It is tempting to believe the world as it is must be the world as it was meant to be. But the Word of the Lord still has the power to change everything. The story of God’s love for his people is not over. We are as much a part of that story as was the young and inexperienced David or the man born blind in today’s Gospel account. Our eyes were opened to spiritual reality in the waters of our baptism. There we were anointed for greater things.

We may be tempted to think that we do not matter—that what we do is of little account. After all, most of us are not powerful or wealthy. Few of us exercise much clout or authority, as the world knows it. We will not be running for president anytime soon. Most of us quietly go about our lives, not realizing the abundant favor God has bestowed upon us. We may not be destined for the world of statecraft or high finance, but God’s measure of greatness is far different from that of the world. Who we are does matter. For we are all agents of the Lord’s transforming Word in our communities and in our families.

As David stands before Samuel, the Lord commands, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” These words from an ancient text retain their force and might through the centuries. The message is meant for us as well. The Lord looks upon each of us today, as he did David, and proclaims anew, “This is the one.” You and I are the ones. And in faith, we can only respond, as did the man born blind, “Lord, I believe.”

Amen.

First Miss Diana, I'm pretty sure I recieved no such email, but I've been called a "lurker" so I don't know if you can trust me in regards to online contact.... however, I do appreciate the concern for my absence.

Second, thank you "mom" Sharon for finding that out; however, it makes me very leary about going to flea markets, as fleas tend to gross me out, so I don't know where I will be purchasing my big ticket items in the future.

Oh, and third.... H! Oh church, what an issue and a blessing. Lately I've been going to both a catholic church (at night) and a southern baptist church (in the morning) and I like them both in different ways and for different reasons I don't like them. I'm sure this is not the same as you, but it is how I can currently most relate. Just worship in your heart. Peace.

I think Miss Katz is trying to make up for lost time here by posting three times. Clever!

(What do you mean, "no such e-mail"? From me or from Becca's mom?)

I hope you're feeling better. I was sorry to hear of your illness when so much is taking place in your life that is challenging and exciting at the same time.

It sounds as if you made some tough choices well enough to get you back safely. I know it's a little to consider now but what made you decide not to wait the hour and a half for the next bus to Bellville? What makes that a safer way to travel than a taxi or train?

I look foward to hearing more of your adventures especially when you're not under the weather.

Note: Sometimes, before you can see your comment, you have to refresh. This happened to me before I figured out what was up. I have found that this occurs when commenting on a Moveable Type site using a Firefox browser, but not when you use IE. Either that, or you both just want Becca to pay a lot lot lot of attention attention attention to you... and what is magic about the number three?

I'm glad to see that so many people are so enthusiatic about commenting! I like comments. :-) And I'm also happy that I finally got one from Bruce! Don't worry about posting multiple times, because it doesn't take much for me to just delete the extra ones.

In terms of the transportation safety issue, there are several things that we keep getting told not to do here. The first is the taxi issue: for those of you who don't know about South African taxis, which I'm guessing is the majority, they're basically Volkswagen Vanagons that have a couple more rows of seating and way too many people crammed in. Therefore, if you're riding one by yourself or it's at a sketchy time of day, it's easy for someone to take advantage of you. The busses, on the other hand, are supposed to be safer (for reasons that aren't incredibly clear to me). And the train is dangerous because you could potentially find youself in a very bad situation with no way out and no one who can help you. But we wanted to get home as soon as possible, because I wasn't feeling well and we were all pretty exhausted, and hanging around at the bus station or train station didn't seem like very good ideas.