Space for Conversation

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

"We need less religion, less politics, and more culture," said the Rev. Mitri Raheb when I met with him in Bethlehem this summer. For just this reason, the college he founded is devoted to nurturing art, dance, music, theater, poetry, and the culinary arts. His objective is to develop the bonds of civil society in the West Bank so Palestinians can become a unified people without resorting to religious or political extremism.

I heard this idea expressed by a number of Palestinian leaders including a young man in Hebron who had organized a co-ed 5k run. Predictably, the co-ed run had provoked a clash between more traditional Palestinians and more modernizing Palestinians. The young man took this in stride as the cost of progress. His goal was to carve out a secular space for civic activity that could build the health of his people.

Do we need less religion, less politics, and more culture here in the United States? Would a resurgent or newly conceived common culture mitigate the intensity of our political and religious polarization? I will not pretend to have complete answers to these profound questions but I do have some themes I would like to explore.

Over-confidence in religious beliefs is often named as a major contributing factor to disputes that resist resolution. The corrective is said to be a healthy skepticism and doubt of any value or assertion that comes from a religious worldview. Unlike Palestine, the United States has a long history of a secular civic space and we cast the fantasy that religion has nothing to say in this space. The problem is; how does a religious person leave their religion behind when making moral decisions that shape our common life through politics?

Professor Jeff Stout, recently retired Professor of Religious Studies at Princeton University, puts it this way: "The line between church and state does not run through the heart of a believer." I agree with Jeff - one of my intellectual heroes - and would add, "If I call Jesus Lord, how can he be Lord of only one facet of my life? Mustn't I seek to follow him in every place I make decisions that effect my neighbor?"

My answer to those who counsel doubt and skepticism in religious belief is to wonder why religion should be the thing we doubt most of all. When we are honest, we admit that we do not live each day doubting the values and beliefs that make our day functional. We believe our car will run without knowing the first thing about engineering. Really what we need is to simply be upfront about our commitments, wherever they come from, and contribute them as a way of enriching the moral discussions that form our life together.

Some will object that politics is corrupt and selfish and I want religion to be pure and transcendent. My gentle reminder is that we follow a God who took on incarnate life and battled sin hand to hand to the point of a sordid and disgraceful death. Perhaps we need to follow him into the muck and the squalor for the sake of love of neighbor and God?

If you're interested in further discussion around this topic, I highly recommend that you join us on Sunday morning, October 28, for Parish Forum at 9:15 a.m. Chris Satullo will lead us in the first of a two-part series on Conversations Across Differences. See you in the parish hall!

Blessings,
Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector
Parish Forum - Sundays at 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall
Oct. 28: Conversations Across Differences
The common denominator in all of our communities is they are divided by differences of all kinds. How do you get people to discuss their differences and put their solutions into action? Our guest speaker at Parish Forum this week is Chris Satullo and he's an expert on the subject. Chris is the co-founder of the Penn Project of Civic Engagement and is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He will demonstrate how faith plays as important a part of breaking down barriers as anything else does. Join us for the first of this two-part series this Sunday at 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall.

Chris Satullo

Nov. 4: Conversations Across Differences, Part II
This week Chris Satullo continues his discussion on how faith can play a role in slicing through differences we face in our communities in part two of this important series. Today he’ll discuss strategies to start conversations, arrive at solutions, and put those solutions into action. We can save the world one small piece at a time. Your first lesson awaits you at Parish Forum.

Aesthetic, Ethical, or Religious?

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

I apologize in advance that this Rector’s Note is rooted in the writings of Soren Kierkegaard. On sabbatical in the library at Princeton Theological Seminary, I renewed my love for this Danish philosopher and spiritual writer. Kierkegaard observed that the spiritual life moves through three phases; the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. 

Episcopalians famously flock to the first and the second phase. The aesthetic phase is all about our enjoyment of beauty. Music, art, liturgy, poetry and literature all contribute to our immediate aesthetic experience of pleasure. Kierkegaard states - and I agree - that all of these experiences are good except when they are treated as ultimate goods in their own right. Pleasure in beauty serves its full function when it leads us to transcend ourselves toward God in praise and thanksgiving.

The ethical phase concerns ordering and shaping our lives toward right action. Many mainline Christians would identify with this phase. We want to live a good life and make good decisions and contribute to the common good. The odd problem with the ethical phase is that often we merely import our existing commitments and sprinkle the holy water of the church on them, rather than derive them from the teachings of Jesus. Liberal Christianity - which is practiced by the whole range of political stripes - goes even further and says that doubt prevents us from making any ethical claims based on our faith. More on this in my next note!

Finally, we have the religious phase. This is the phase where we orient our whole life toward relationship and ultimately union with God. Our preoccupation with self goes on the back burner and we seek God as our ultimate end. All else becomes secondary to the unmatched importance of our dependence on God. Through prayer, worship, sacrament, service, study, conversation, and contemplation we strive to accept God’s invitation to participate in God’s life. 

In my experience, this last phase is most difficult because we resist dependence and we resist submission. The gateway to God is trust and devotion to the God we know in Jesus through the Gospels. For many modern people this feels foolish and embarrassing. While I know those feelings, my life has only grown healthier and more honest, the more I put myself under the teachings of Jesus. When we embrace the religious path, we receive the aesthetic and the ethical again in a new way, with freedom, love, hope, and endurance to fuel our enjoyment and our ethical striving.

Blessings,
The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector

Boiler Update: Mid-work

As we reported on September 13, the boiler that failed on us last December is currently undergoing replacement. This project continues on schedule. Here is what has happened over the last month: 

The Trefz Mechanical crew removed the defunct boiler in mid-September. In order to get the pieces out, they had to build a custom dolly, narrow enough to fit through the basement door. Incredibly, each section was removed by two men! 

Dumpster at St. Martin's

Custom cart made to haul the boiler components out of the basement

Old boiler components (800 lb. cast iron!) in dumpster, pending recycling

As mentioned in the previous message, the one boiler will be replaced with two compact and energy efficient boilers. A new concrete pad was set, and the new boilers have been installed.

Two new boilers on their concrete pad. Ever seen the inside of a boiler before?

Back/control side of new boilers.

New exhaust ducts are being installed to connect to the existing chimney. You can see the U-hangers in the photos above.

New piping set for installation.

Jake and Kevin are assembling the new piping on site.

Important improvements included in the work are the introduction of more thermostats and valves, so that heating can be better-controlled to provide heat when and where it is needed in the Parish House - rather than the all-on-in-every-space as we have had in the past. The new boilers are 83% energy efficient (vs. 60-70% estimated efficiency of the old boilers), which will result in operating cost savings and support St. Martin's commitment to sustainability.

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel explains the new control valves for zoned heating.

  

New thermostats have popped up around the building.

This work is estimated to be completed, with the church and parish house heated by the two new boilers, by mid-November. In the meantime, the remaining older boiler is being started up this week.

All will agree that this work is necessary and of obvious value to the parish, as it permits our buildings to be used. Yet, it should be noted, the work is difficult, and the components are expensive. The entire project will cost about $200,000, per the following cost breakdown:

Labor – $34,000

Material – $27,200

Electrical – $5,200

Insulation – $7,800

Control – $15,500

Major Equipment – $54,000 (The heat-exchanger is about $2,500. The rest is the two boilers and boiler control.)

Commissioning – $3,600 

Permitting (allowance) – $3,000

Contingency (allowance for unforeseen scope)* – $30,000

Engineering Fees – $24,800

Total: $205,100  

*note that it is hoped that $10,000 to $15,000 of the contingency will not need to be spent

Thank you for your patience during this time. We'll continue to keep you updated on our progress.

Blessings,

Dave Harrower, properties committee chair

Come Together

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

I hope all of you will join me at our Parish Party on October 20! On that evening,  people of all ages in the congregation will COME TOGETHER for food, fun, music, and fellowship. I don’t know about you, but a good party with people I love restores my heart and soul.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “The sabbath is a temple in time.” In other words, when we observe the day of rest called sabbath, we enter into a sacred space of time set apart. There, our humanity can be restored to our original goodness.  

I heard this quote at a synagogue in Jerusalem this summer just before joining their joyful and beautiful sabbath worship. With all the competing demands in life it is certainly a good thing to set aside time to let the world-as-it-is fall away. Then we can let the world with God at the center reorder our sense of peace and well-being, and our priorities as well.

Let our Come Together Party be a sabbath of fun, relaxation, and community for you and your family.

Blessings,

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, rector

RSVP here!

Interim Rector's Note: The Blessing of the Pets

Editor's Note: Since this is Rev. Kerbel’s first week back, Rev. Taylor was gracious enough to leave us one more post from her for us to use this week. Today is St. Francis' Day and by our tradition, we'll be offering pet blessings on Sunday, October 7. We have two times and locations for you: here at St. Martin’s at 12:30 p.m., and at Pastorius Park at 1:30 p.m.

The Rev. Phyllis Taylor

When I was a child we had a dog named Trigger. He wasn’t much to look at and he wasn’t terribly clever, but we loved him. He was our dog.

He was willing to play with us, and he would take on just about any role we assigned him. He would wear a baby bonnet and lie on his back in a doll stroller while my friends and I walked him around the block. He would allow my brother to strap a holster and six-shooter around his middle and he would mosey out with “the boys” to clear the neighborhood of outlaws. He was a good sport.
He was a great support. He would walk alongside me while I delivered the newspapers on my paper route. In the winter, it was dark and cold and often snowing (it was Canada, after all) but Trigger still kept me company, block after block. He was a faithful friend.

He was a good listener and dear comforter. He always knew when we needed a cuddle. Many a time his fur was soaked with tears as we poured out our childhood troubles to him. He accepted everything we had to tell him without judgment.

Our dog taught me a lot about God.

Years after Trigger had gone to Doggie Heaven, I took my first confirmation class on a retreat to the convent the Sisters of Saint Margaret had in Germantown. Some of the children were shy. Some were a bit leery about staying overnight in a convent with nuns. Some were less than enthusiastic about a “retreat” with all that religious stuff.

When we rang the doorbell, however, it was answered by a nun and a dog. A big, soft, smiley, retriever sort of dog. He wagged his tail in greeting. He followed the children around, joined them for a movie, mooched a few snacks during their discussion. When it was time for each of the chapel services, the dog came too. He flopped down near the altar and listened to the prayers and the readings and the singing. It seemed perfectly appropriate.

That convent dog taught the children a lot about God.

I’m glad that this Sunday the people of St. Martin’s are bringing their beloved pets to be blessed. Their animals bless them every day. It’s time to stand together, human and animal, and thank God for all the blessings we are to one another.

In the words of St. Francis, “All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voices, let us sing: Alleluia, alleluia!”

Blessings,
The Rev. Phyllis Taylor
Interim Rector