Wednesday Morning Thoughts

Each week on Wednesday, George Yandell, the Rector of the Parish, or other invited parishioners, share their thoughts on any topic that they choose. The most recent are presented here.”

January 13, 2021

The Rev. George Yandell, Rector

People of the Lie

I read The Exorcist when it came out in 1971. A chilling, nightmare inducing read. The movie was horrifying as well. It provoked a strong interest and fear in me about human evil and demonic possession. In 1983 Scott Peck published a book called People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil. It followed his remarkably successful book The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth published in 1978. (My well-worn copy of The Road Less Traveled was a gift from my parents in the fall of 1981, inscribed by them.) In the introduction to People of the Lie, Peck writes: “Evil people are easy to hate. But remember St. Augustine’s advice to hate the sin but love the sinner. Remember that when you recognize an evil person that truly, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ We cannot begin to hope to heal human evil until we are able to look at it directly.”

Peck was baptized by 2 colleagues of mine in 1980 during a conference at Kanuga in North Carolina- he called it a “non-denominational baptism” altho’ it was held in the chapel of an Episcopal Conference Center by two Episcopal priests. He says that he has a Christian bias that causes him to be guided by the teachings of Jesus.

Continue reading January 13, 2021

January 6, 2021

The Rev. George Yandell, Rector

Images, Signs, Symbols

Raised in the Church, I’ve been surrounded by symbols and icons, although I didn’t realize that’s what they were early on. I do remember the language of the ‘Offices of Instruction’ my comrades and I had to memorize in 6th grade Confirmation classes. When the question was put before us by Mr. Garner, our rector, “What is the outward part or sign of the Lord’s Supper,” we had to reply, “The outward part or sign of the Lord’s Supper is, Bread and Wine, which the Lord hath commanded to be received.”

Then he asked us, “What is the inward part, or thing signified?” We answered by rote, “The inward part, or thing signified, is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are spiritually taken and received by the faithful in the Lord’s Supper.”

There were about 35 of us in that Confirmation class. How Mr. Garner survived us I do not know. I do recall loads of questions about ‘things signified.’ I know now that the capacity to ‘grok’ symbols usually doesn’t arise in young people until age 10 or older. (‘Grok’ was coined by Robert Heinlein in his landmark book Stranger in a Strange Land. It meant something like getting inside a thing, knowing it mystically, completely.)

Flash forward. In the fall of 1985, I was persuaded to start a Centerpoint class in the parish I was serving in Memphis.

Continue reading January 6, 2021

December 23, 2020

The Rev. George Yandell, Rector

In the Chattanooga Times Free Press November 8 issue, there appeared a long article about Advent calendars. I scanned it and discovered the following: Advent calendars have gotten more elaborate. “These days you can them filled with candy or toys for kids, and wine and whiskey for adults.” What?!

Godiva’s Advent calendar is filled with the company’s luxury chocolates. Aldi has more than 20 Advent calendars for foodies. “If you give them as gifts, the recipient will be reminded of your friendship for 24 days and they’re practically guaranteed to lift your mood at the beginning or end of each day.”

This one really caught my attention:

“Cheese lovers will love a daily dose of cheese with Ilchester’s Advent cheese calendar. Its assortment includes Red Leicester cheese, Wensleydale cheese with cranberries and the company’s delicious sharp cheddar. The cheese is from Ilchester, a village in southwestern England, an area known for making quality cheeses. And what you’ll find in each window is just the bite you need to pair with your favorite afternoon wine. $24.95”

I am not making this up. Pretty cheesy, eh?

When I was growing up, it was only the Episcopalians, Roman Catholics and a few protestants who employed Advent calendars. They were teaching tools for us kids to learn about the impending birth of the savior of the world. None were at all savory.

Continue reading December 23, 2020

December 16, 2020

The Rev. George Yandell, Rector

Early this morning I woke to the soft sound of the rain starting to fall on our roof. It was like a caress from the heavens. As I grow older, the subtle things of life take on more meaning. In the Nicene Creed, when we recite, “We believe in one God…maker of all that is, seen and unseen,” I find myself more paying attention to the word “unseen”.

I Kings describes Elijah’s subtle encounter with God. Elijah is instructed by the word of the Lord to stand on the mountain to witness God passing by. First came hurricane-force winds, but God was not in the wind. Then came earthquake and fire, but God was not in either. After the fire came “a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here Elijah?’ (NRSV, I Kings 19: 11-13) And Elijah knew God’s presence through the sheer silence.

Thomas A. Kempis wrote his remarkable book, The Imitation of Christ, in 1410. It has be-come the second most frequently published book after the Bible. Thomas wrote, “Blessed are the ears which receive the echoes of the soft whisper of God, and turn not aside to the whisperings of this world.” I hear in both Elijah’s encounter and Kempis’

Continue reading December 16, 2020