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Sunday, October 14, 2012

When in San Francisco's Bay Area at the start of October, check out the Mill Valley Film Festival


Mill Valley Film Festival a small, mighty affair with an audience of 40,000 afficianados is ongoing through the first part of October, 2012

Be Home Soon is a very well made film on a new topic: A granddaughter coming to terms with the loss of her grandfather. It’s her investigation…her father was an Episcopal Priest who went off to war as a Priest. He survived a death march and later died from malnutrition in a prison of war camp. His body was returned from the prison graveyard to his home Cathedral in New Mexico..




Uploaded by deafsubtitles on Jun 16, 2009
“San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)” is a song, written by John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, and sung by Scott McKenzie. It was written and released in June 1967 to promote the Monterey Pop Festival.
McKenzie’s song became an instant hit. The lyrics tell the listeners, “If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair”. Due to the difference between the lyrics and the actual title, the title is often quoted as “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)”. “San Francisco” reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, and was number one in the United Kingdom and most of Europe. The single is purported to have sold over 5 million copies worldwide. The song is credited with bringing thousands of young people to San Francisco, California during the late 1960s.[citation needed]
In Central Europe, young people adopted “San Francisco” as an anthem for freedom, and it was widely played during Czechoslovakia’s 1968 Prague Spring uprising against Soviet rule.[citation needed]
The song has been featured in several films, including Frantic, The Rock and Forrest Gump (Wikipedia).

Many someone’s like to be introduced to a selection of films shown at The Mill Valley Film Festival for their alternative and spiritual cinema experience. This small but mighty San Francisco Bay Area work of movie viewing goes on 11 days a year, and is now in its 35th year. This year they have sold many tickets; there are currently 40,000 ticket goers who will enjoy their brand of movie.
There are more ticket holders to Mill Valley Film Festival than there are Episcopalians in San Francisco’s Bay Area. Is film-going a kind of religion, or is it an escape, or is it a way of life? Perhaps you as reader of this introduction to some of the work of spiritual kind showing at the Festival in Marin County’s small town Mill Valley read the Walker Percy book, “The Movie Goer.” That told the well written tale of a man who more than liked movies, but loved them almost as a reverential act. Of course, the book was published about four decades ago, but this Religion Writer recommends it as a reading delight even still.
In an effort to learn more about the spiritual works shown at the successful San Francisco Bay Area event that has a kind of fame, maybe even a cast of the more glamorous counter culture sensibility that has marked the City of San Francisco since young people came to it with flowers in their hair. That was when the current generation in their retirement years were more mobile and restlessly ready for a transformed world The charming and exclusive town Mill Valley but 12 miles from San Francisco has kept the faith alive.




Peter Coyote MVFF 2007




Peter Coyote is a man who transcends this period of flowers in your hair to the contemporary successes of The Mill Valley Film Festival and its popularity. The activist and established voice- over actor who narrates a film about a granddaughter of a World War II Chaplain declined an interview for this piece, not responding in time for deadline.


The established bodies public of Mill Valley, that pretty little town that knows how to enjoy life as many young fans do because of this Festival’s support and well organized presence of activities, including active support of the Mayor and the Chamber of Commerce. If you get to The Film Festival, visit the Sweetwater, a local mythic vision of music and hospitality which is listed on the Festival’s web page www.mvff.com .

Experienced Film Festival programmer, Janis Plotkin, was kind enough to talk about spiritual films to see. These are her picks noted in this report of a conversation by phone from this Religion Writer’s home office to Janis’ place of work. For a number of years, ending in 2003, Janis Plotkin was Director of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, a very successful and often copied event of the Jewish Community in the Bay Area.
  • The experienced veteran Festival programmer of 30 years says, We do ask ourselves what is a Mill Valley film…clearly, we know people love films about their own environment. They have an attraction for spiritual issues. Anything from Buddhism to the Himalayas.
  • Another choice would be representing where we live. And also very good story telling. Also films that have an alternative point of view. Elemental, or Bidder 70. Bidder 70 is political in that it is an attempt to auction off national park lands. It’s a documentary. …the protagonist is a political activist.
  • Good story telling and technical achievement are at the very top of a film festival list. One of the strongest films in the festival are: Portuguese film called Tabu, Caeser Must Die. …These are all Janis’ picks
  • The film I was thinking of was Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth (spiritual). The film is presenting six intimate stories of modern Modern Mayan People. …It’s considered spiritual by Mill Valley Festival goers …because it is about the spiritual life of native Central American Indians. The film has been presented in other countries, including Guatemala. It is in Spanish with Mayan and English subtitles. For me it was a way to engage with a deeper understanding to their sacred lands. It’s visually stunning. The directors are a man and a woman, Frauk Sandig and her working partner and partner in life, Eric Black. This is a perfect example of the alternative taste of the Festival.

  • The Rt. Rev. Dr. Michael Vono at the grave of Fr. Howden/Photo by Father Raymond Raney.


    Be Home Soon is a very well made film on a new topic: A granddaughter coming to terms with the loss of her grandfather. It’s her investigation…her father was an Episcopal Priest who went off to war as a Priest. He survived a death march and later died from malnutrition in a prison of war camp. His body was returned from the prison graveyard to his home Cathedral in New Mexico..
The Festival which began with an opening night October 4, 2012 holds a screening of Be Home Soon, directed by Marissa Howden, granddaughter of Chaplain Frederick “Ted” Howden who died in a World War II prison camp after surviving the Bataan Death March.  A review of the October 13, 2012 evening showing will be the subject of a review and interview with the Director by this Religion Writer. For the pleasure of readers interested in getting a grasp of the kind of man Chaplain Howden was, here as addendum is the prayer proposed for the book “Holy Woman, Holy Men” where it is hoped he will be celebrated for his sacrificial and religious Chaplaincy each year in the Episcopal Church December 11.

The Episcopal Cathedral of the Diocese of the Rio Grande in New Mexico will celebrate the Chaplain December 11. The Episcopal Cathedral Press Office writes: “Director and granddaughter Melissa Howden will be addressing the Diocesan Convention on October 18 and her documentary will be screened that evening in the Crown Plaza Hotel, in Albuquerque. We also have invited Melissa’s father, Fr. Howden’s son, to attend, and expect him to be present if his health permits.”





ADDENDUM

The Rev. Frederick B. ‘Ted’ Howden

Priest–Soldier–Martyr, d. December 11, 1942



Collect (traditional)
Almighty God our strength and sustenance, Thou gavest Thy servant Frederick Howden the grace and courage to put the need and hunger of others before his own life and health. Inspire us with directness of purpose in the training of body, mind, and spirit that we may better serve Thee, our country, and our fellowmen. Give us the vision to know what is right, and the courage to follow after it. Strengthen us with Thy Spirit for the duties of life that we may continue Thy faithful servants unto our life’s end, and at the last enter into Thy heavenly kingdom: through Jesus Christ our Lord who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect (contemporary)
Almighty God our strength and sustenance, you gave your servant Frederick Howden the grace and courage to put the need and hunger of others before his own life and health. Inspire us with directness of purpose in the training of body, mind, and spirit that we may better serve you, our country, and others in your name. Give us the vision to know what is right and the courage to pursue it. Strengthen us with your Spirit for the duties of life before us, that we may continue your faithful servants to our life’s end, and at the last enter into your heavenly kingdom: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


Preface of a Saint (2)

Isaiah 40:25-31
To whom then will you compare me, 
   or who is my equal? says the Holy One. 
Lift up your eyes on high and see:
   Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
   calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
   mighty in power,
   not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob,
   and speak, O Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord,
   and my right is disregarded by my God’? 
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
   his understanding is unsearchable. 
He gives power to the faint,
   and strengthens the powerless. 
Even youths will faint and be weary,
   and the young will fall exhausted; 
but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
   they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
   they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 18: 1-6, 18-20
1 I love you, O Lord my strength, *
O Lord my stronghold, my crag, and my haven.
2 My God, my rock in whom I put my trust, *

my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my refuge;
you are worthy of praise.
3 I will call upon the Lord, *
and so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The breakers of death rolled over me, *
and the torrents of oblivion made me afraid.
5 The cords of hell entangled me, *
and the snares of death were set for me.
6 I called upon the Lord in my distress *
and cried out to my God for help.
7 He heard my voice from his heavenly dwelling; *
my cry of anguish came to his ears.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemies
and from those who hated me; *
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster; *
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out into an open place; *
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Matthew 25:34-40
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

This article originally appeared Church of England Newspaper, London.

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Guest Sermon: Preacher Reverend Richard Helmer proclaims 'actions deemed correct in the hopes of influencing God or the gods to bring rain at the right time ' is not so.

Guest Sermon: Ethical Christianity as a way of Christian Life not quite the Gospel way, so this Preacher Reverend Richard Helmer of Our Saviour (Episcopal), Mill Valley, CA says...


This urge to curry divine favor is so deep, it can pervade our daily lives even in the secular world. We live in a meritocracy, believing if we play by the rules and work hard, we will improve our lot. If that sounds strange, listen closely to our politicians this election season. Driving the rhetoric on both the left and right is this notion of earning, planning, and guaranteeing an abundant destiny. It speaks of a sense of control that we all crave.
Faith Statement and Instruction by a Church Rector


Reverend Helmer in Church




Jesus said, If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.  Mark 9:42-50

Fr. Richard Helmer at piano
Most of us believe at least sometimes in and even more often behave in a way we might call ethical Christianity. Its born of the notion that our righteous actions garner Gods providential favor; that by being good little Christians, we might earn Gods grace. Some of you may already identify the problem with this approach to faith: it is not the Gospel. But it is a strand of the Biblical witness nonetheless, and we ethical Christians find ourselves in the company of not only well-attended Christian communities across the centuries, but with our ancient ancestors who offered sacrifice and undertook actions deemed correct in the hopes of influencing God or the gods to bring rain at the right time, assure a plentiful harvest, preserve societal security, or help guarantee a healthy inheritance after they departed this world.

This urge to curry divine favor is so deep, it can pervade our daily lives even in the secular world. We live in a meritocracy, believing if we play by the rules and work hard, we will improve our lot. If that sounds strange, listen closely to our politicians this election season. Driving the rhetoric on both the left and right is this notion of earning, planning, and guaranteeing an abundant destiny. It speaks of a sense of control that we all crave. But sooner or later we learn that ethical Christianity doesnt always work. And this becomes perhaps one of the greatest stumbling blocks to our spiritual life. Who is God if he doesnt reward our best efforts? What is God if she doesnt love us for being good boys and girls?

Ethical Christianity also tends to drive our institutional religion to homogenize our members. We want good folk who believe, perceive, and behave like us. And then we can wonder why religiosity is often viewed as an imposter by the wider world, and a dangerously oppressive game by too many who have felt crushed by the impositions of their faith heritage.

Jesus knows we suffer this spiritual malaise, and it is nothing new. Primitive religiosity has always haunted human society. But Jesus minces no words when it comes to our more controlling, religious selves. He wants more than mere conformists, a band of good ethical followers. The Pharisees were consummate ethicists. He had little time for their religiosity. He found it deadly.

No, Jesus wants salty disciples: salt-of-the-earth folk made of primordial, divine mineral stuff and unstoppable in their transformational witness; a diverse, even ragtag and unexpected community of God-lovers who touch the surrounding world at every level.

Salt was critical for survival in the ancient Near East, and any chef today will tell you that salt is essential to preserve, flavor, and enhance food. Jesus seeks salt in his disciples: the seasoning that gives life and enhances the flavor of an often death-dealing, flavorless world.

Gregory's 'Pastoral Care' translated.
The Kingdom, the Reign of God, depends a great deal on our saltiness. And saltiness is far more than being ethical. Jesus demands not just that we be good, but that we be in relationship, and nothing halfway about it. Anything less than the salty relationship, imperfections and all, does not really transform us or others. And anything less than the offering of our full, true, salty selves to God and each other is good for nothing, destined only for Gehenna, the name of the garbage heap outside Jerusalem, which we often translate simply as hell.

The problem with ethical Christianity is that it turns the Gospel on its head. We cant earn Gods grace or love. Jesus tells us again and again it is already among us. God loved us first, and more than we can ever possibly love back. Nor can we control outcomes. Even our best actions have unforeseen and often unintended consequences. So we are either stuck on this spiritual rubbish heap, or we look for a new place to build our values, ethics, and worldview.

The challenge of the spiritual life is to stop obsessing over Gehenna and embrace the Kingdom Jesus brings among us. How do we become salt in the way he suggests?

Salt, Jesus says, is in ourselves. When we stop forcing ourselves into our tiny notions of what or who we should be or the worlds and surrender to the mystery of God who is making us and all the mystery that is there, we uncover our true saltiness made for our joy and the joy of everyone around us.

This may be well our hardest, and yet our most important spiritual task. Living into our saltiness means courageously offering everything we are in relationship and then simply seeing what happens next. We are in for surprises. Salt can enhance flavor, but it also can corrode the iron of our egotistical notions of power and control; it can react in the presence of injustice and bring out the flavors of compassion. It can heighten life-giving divine priorities in our lives and mask the noisy busyness that often blights them.

Saint Francis
Francis of Assisi, a salty saint if ever there was one, and whom we remember this month, was known to pray quite simply: Who are you, God, and who am I? This might be the best place to begin embracing our saltiness, because it abandons ethical Christianity and the trash-heap of Gehenna for the rich, verdant fields of divine mystery. It starts with relationship and assumes no control of the outcome. It practices (even if we are initially scared to death to believe) that God loves us enough to respond, reveal, direct, and remake us to whatever life-giving ends God sees fit.

My prayers are for each of you as you undertake this journey in your own salty way this season. Your saltiness not only will flavor this parish, but bring out the best in the world around us, enhancing a divine recipe that is cooking up a Kingdom for all eternity.

Love to you all in our Beloved, Salty Christ,

Br. Richard Edward+



Caption for picture 'Pastoral Care." The Reverend Helmer practices the spirituality of Gregory as it is a part of the Gregorian Apostolic order where he is a brother, and a novice.This image of translated writings:  A page from a contemporary copy of Alfred the Great's translation of Pastoral Care into Anglo-Saxon. This copy was sent to the bishop of Worcester.

Photo of The Reverend Richard Helmer at Easter, 2012 at his Parish Church Our Saviour (Episcopal), Mill Valley, CA USA, taken by architect and photographer Terry Peck.