Is it Possible to be Religious at Thanksgiving?

“ Theologian and Pastor Paul Tillich attempts to define religion in terms of its larger meaning on the basis of the experience of the Holy,” writes Dr. Young Ho Chun in his book Tillich and Religion.  And so Tillich asks the lovely question, “How is it possible to be religious?”

 

  “In the encounter with the Holy we encounter our relatedness to something ultimate in being and meaning.”  He goes on to define our experience of the Holy as one of experiencing our Ultimate Concern, the nature of which is always immediate.  The sacred is never avoided; everyone has something which is sacred, because no one can live without Ultimate Concern. Thus our humanity is to seek and live in relationship with our ultimate in being and meaning.  Tillich shared that the immediacy of our relationship means we are in direct touch and we participate with the Ultimate.

 

My understanding then leads me to believe that a couple actions are necessary for me to be religious.  The first is to acknowledge my humanity and need for relationship.  Thanksgiving gatherings tend to cover this waterfront nicely.  Some relationships are enhanced and made even more robust by encountering the stranger and offering unusual hospitality.  For others to re-engage continuing relationships with new hope and vigor may be enough to find the movement of the Holy.  However, we must be open to the experience of the sacred in relationships.  The second is to understand our participation in those relationships as prompted and in direct touch with the Holy.  How often we turn away from another without any thought of the action of the Holy in our midst.  Anything less than these two foundational understandings leave me wandering in the abyss of a pseudo-holy holiday. 

 

In preparing my holiday encounters, my worship services, and my sermon messages I think I must engage this idea of relationship with one another and how this sacred act leads to an immediate experience of the Holy, and thus my Ultimate Concern.  I believe we can expand this idea to include congregations of people gathering to worship and family groups sitting down for meals together.  Perhaps we may want to be as simple and straightforward enough to name the blessing, as we also ask the blessing in the midst of the people.  Perhaps we can both experience and name the sacred.  That would seem to me to be a good start to answering Tillich’s question.    

 

When Winter Arrives

When winter arrives we will better know the long warm days of summer. 

When winter arrives we will fall together and remember stories of times we shared a meal; shared more than a meal.

When winter arrives we will see ourselves; we will pause to look to one another.

When winter arrives we will count the seeds of spring. 
We will separate the wheat from the chaff, allowing potentials and possibilities to rise high in the sky like embers seeking shelter among the stars. 

When winter arrives we will, someday when winter arrives.

Vacation Reflections

Reflecting on this vacation over the past couple days. I realize we are very blessed to be able to take two weeks and just start down the road. We knew we were going to Seattle, Bremerton more specifically, but other that that we were open as to where and when. We used hotwire to reserve a room each day and had good results. Most days we were upgraded with out asking upon arrival. We planned a day at a time and looked at the map and decided what we wanted to do on the way to and from Seattle. We took some roads less traveled and found that the meat of this country is not found on the Interstates, but on the little country roads and byways. If we always know where and how we are going, we will only be encountering what we already know and expect. It was the unexpected that made this trip so special. We drove the Murano just over 4800 miles in 12 days. We spent right at $2,700 for everything. I know, I know we are blessed to be able to do this. Lots of folks are working two jobs and will not get the opportunity to travel like this. Cheryl and I travel well together. I say this and people roll their eyes, but it is true. We always have and after 40 years we still do. Kind of says it all there. We have decided on our best experiences of the trip and here they are. We took a chance and left the Interstate in Utah and drove a local road from Cisco to Moab. It was about a 40 mile trip down the Colorado river canyon. At times it felt we could have touched the walls of the canyon out one window and the water of the river out of the other. The canyon was quite narrow and deep, paved yet almost no traffic. Amazing and it felt like a gift. We both enjoyed the Bonneville salt flats and to be on the track, or just beside it also felt like a gift. We also agreed driving up Hell's Canyon on a one way gravel with no guard rails was exciting. One of us loved it, and I still have grip marks on the steering wheel. The Columbia River Gorge was beautiful and inspiring as were the mountains. The ferry ride across Puget Sound to Bremerton was memorable. It was also emotional for Cheryl on a number of levels. Being at the Pacific Ocean was outstanding. The smell of the salt and the sound of the surf is beautiful. This country boy from Iowa could live by the Ocean. There is something primordial about the ocean and it speaks to my soul in an unexpected voice. Visiting the Temperate Rain Forest less than an hour from the Ocean was one of our unexpected experiences. Amazing place. Just very special. We noticed the changes in the agriculture of different areas of the country with miles and miles of open plains. We came around a corner in Yellowstone and a Buffalo was slowly plodding up the white line in the hi way. He looked at us as if he was saying, "Oh, please won't you people all just go home already.". We laughed at the sight, still do. He was so humble and unassuming in his walk while surrounded by human traffic. And yet people were interesting and unexpected for us. From the Asian man on the ferry who took our picture to the clerk in a little gas station in Dubois, Wy.; folks were always unexpected and many times a blessing. Maybe my take away reflection at this point in time is simply to attempt to live in the midst of the unexpected and pull off the Interstate every so often to find real people living real lives.

Chimney Rock & Home

Long drive home over 800 miles from Casper, Wo.  Stopped at Chimney Rock and drove through the sand hills of Western Nebraska panhandle before jumping on I-80 at Ogallala.  Home just before midnight.  Having been on West Coast time, not a big deal.  Most traffic we ran into were cars leaving the state fair in des moines. Toby Keith perhaps. 

Into Wyoming & Yellowstone

After a big day of travel from Seattle to Bozeman, Mt. we headed South into Yellowstone and the Teton's ending the day in Casper, Wo.  Yellowstone was beautiful and not too busy.  Here are a couple of our best pictures from the day.

Rain Forest 3

Just a couple more pictures. 

The Rain Forest

After the Ocean we headed an hour north west towards mt. Olympus.  Cheryl found an interesting print of the Quinault Rain Forest in the foothills of the mountain while visiting the Pike Street Market.  So we began another adventure. 
Who knew there was a temperate rain forest in the Olympic Peninsula?  Or in the US for that matter.  It gets between 100 and 200 inches of rain a year.  Iowa gets around 30. 
Again pictures do not do justice.  There is a moss growing and hanging in the massive trees.  Many of the fir trees are 5 feet or larger in diameter, and growing hundred to two hundred feet tall, over several hundred years.  This is one the most amazing and beautiful places we have been in our lives.  Also very remote. Yes, Very remote.

More Rain Forest Pictures

Enjoy the pictures. 

Toward Mt. Olympus

Wanting to see a bit more of the rain forest we headed for the mountain along the Quinault River.  When the road turned to gravel we kept going for another 15 minutes.  Meeting a loaded log truck on a one lane gravel slows one down a bit.  Did I mention this is remote?  Did not see any bears or Sasquatch.  But did see waterfalls and more rainforest and stopped to take these pictures before turning around for the 3 hour journey back to Seattle.  Out was 5:30 when we headed back and out was already starting to get dark out in the big woods.  What a day.

To the Ocean

Went to the Pacific Ocean for the day. We walked in the surf and enjoyed the salt air.  It was about 2.5 hours from Seattle.  Went through Olympia and Aberdeen on the way to Clopias Beach. Just found it on the map and went.  Spent the whole day on the Olympic Peninsula. 

Pike Street Market

Visited the Pike Street Market today in downtown Seattle.  Pretty amazing place.  Like visiting the Iowa State Fair and having the whole thing jammed into the Varied Industries Building.  Yes, they were throwing fresh fish and selling everything imaginable.  Everything!
We had lunch at Cutters Crab House with a table overlooking the waterfront.  Amazing good food.
Did I say again that traffic, parking, and finding our way around is just a mess.  Have to be patient and keep a sense of humor. 
We visited the original Starbucks.  Did not wait in a block long line to buy coffee. 
Bad news: I forgot my camera in the car so no pictures.
Good news: Visited Puget Sound at sunset again tonight.  Here are some of those nice sights. 

Bremerton / Seattle 4

Used my phone navigator to get down to the dock to the ferry in Seattle today.  That worked well until it took us on the streets literally outside Safeco Field 20 minutes before the Mariners played the Brewers today.  So we took a later ferry than planned.  We had joked about this, not guessing it might work out that way.  We kind of wished we had checked the bb schedule and gone to the game today.  Oh well, we had a great day.  Supper tonight at Duke's Chowder House.  Nice.

Bremerton/Seattle 3

Bremerton/seattle

Bremerton

Ferry from Seattle to Bremerton and back today.  The Naval Hospital where Cheryl was born was taken down years ago and replaced in a whole new location.  We visited a navy museum and did some sightseeing.  Interesting and historical place. 

Puget Sound Tonight

Sunset by the water.

Into Washington

Stuck in traffic by Tacoma for over an hour yesterday.  This area is highly populated.  Lots and lots of traffic. Did you know it is against the law to pump your own gas in Oregon?  Slow day to relax today.  Movie and groceries.  Sweet corn for $1 for two ears.  Beef is from Kansas and pork from iowa at safeway. 

Mt. St. Helens

Stopped about an hour North of Portland at the visitor center.  We could see the mountain from the 60 miles distance but it was a bright hazy sky and pictures from the phone did not turn out.  Today we saw Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, and Mt. Rainier.  They all dwarf everything else around them which is quite different from the Rockies.  Reminded me of Denali in Alaska. 
Life Lesson: Mountains become harder to view the closer one get.  Distance offers perspective and opportunity to view the whole mountain.  However to get close is to understand.

Power to the People

On the drive to Portland we stopped at Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River.  This is a major hydro-electric dam which serves power to most of the NW.  Three is also a fish hatchery and a nice visitors center.  Here are some pictures of the fish ladders and power plant.

The Columbia River Gorge

They say this is one of the most beautiful drives in the us.  We would agree.  Pictures are totally inadequate.
We took this road I-84 all the way to Portland.

The Dalles, Or.

Our hotel was just below the Dalles dam on the Columbia River.  Here if a picture from the parking lot.

Aptly Named: Hell's Canyon

We decided to drive up the little traveled section of Hell's Canyon this morning.  I drove.  We had such a great experience a couple days earlier but this was not my cup of tea.  However I must say, Cheryl enjoyed the 41 mile trip. 
Started on very narrow blacktop on a winding ledge above the river.  Then it turned to gravel, then one lane.  All the time on a narrow ledge 50 to 500 feet above the water.  Think mountain roads with no guard rails or markings.  Yeah. We went slow, but steady, and did just fine.  But when it got really high as we climbed out of the Canyon I was praying. Great day.

Think Oregon Trail

Started today in Twin Falls, Idaho on the Snake River Cannon.   Much of the day we followed the going Oregon Trail. Going right past Boise and it was an easy decision to look in on the Blue Turf at Bronco Stadium home for boise state. We headed to Oregon and drove the first section up Hells Canyon.  More on this decision later.  Then a super drive north through rich farming area until we reached the Columbia River.  We followed the river to the end of the Oregon Trail, which is also historic Louis and Clark territory.  What a day.

Idaho potatoes

Can you guess where we are? Now that is a trophy case.  They say, everyone comes to see the blue turf.  We did.  Stadium holds 31k. 

Bonneville

The Murano tastes the salt.  #gofasttoday

Welcome to Bonnevile

Cheryl

Off Road Trail

As we drove on the 2 lane backroad we saw a very interesting rock formation in the distance.  We came upon a one lane gravel heading in that direction and took it.  6 or 7 miles later we ended up at Fisher Tower.  Very interesting place with camping (5 primate sites) and vault toilets.  Pictures just cannot do this justice, but I will try.  One picture is of the formation in the distance through the car window.  The others are from the formation looking back at the Co. River Canyon we just came down. 

Arches national park

From the double arch. Moab, Ut.