Sunday, April 12, 2009
A Resurrection Time prayer and sermon
(This is the 25th anniversary of my attending Glide Memorial Methodist Church for the first time. I don't go to Glide much anymore but continue to be thankful for their presence. The following was written in 1999.)
Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved God... Jesus Christ, Dr Ling, Ida
Rolf, Milton Trager, Moshe Feldenkrais, Thomas Hanna, Loren Berry, Lani Ross,
Margaret Elke saints and sages of all bodywork modalities, I humbly bow to
you all... Please direct your energies through those who have entered into
the realms of touch leaving them with just a speck of your learned knowledge
and gained wisdom so they are more able to carry on the work which you
started and so generously left behind for us to carry on. Leave behind the
wisdom you gained as a starting point for us to begin from. Constantly
remind us, it is not how the work is done, it is the work being done free of
restriction enabling us to do the work as we see it from, as was the case
with you, our individual path. Remind us we are mere bubbles on a sea of
cosmic consciousness separated by the thin case of ego and help us break
those cases and become one with each other. Ohmmmm.. Peace.. Shanti..
Amen..
A Sermon...
Cecil Williams, the minister of Glide Memorial Methodist Church, in SF, is a
Libertarian Theologian in the vein of Paul Tillich who wrote a book called,
'The Courage To be'. Glide Memorial is in the heart of downtown SF, in the
middle of the Tenderloin, the red light district and where one can find one
drug of choice. The ol' Boston combat zone and the ol' Times Square, pales
by comparison.
I found Cecil and Glide by way of the entertainment section of the SF
Chonicle, on the Saturday prior to Easter, in 1984. 1984 was the second
worst year of my life up 'til that time. I had been totally burned out in a
fire, 5 hours into the new year and the year went downhill from there. I had
my health. Anyone who has had illness knows things are not all that bad if
one has their health. My worst year was sickness, in 78.. Other than a
wedding a few years before, I had not been in a church for over 10 years.
Having made it that far into '84, I thought it appropriate to give thanks to
what ever powers that be. I went because the Datebook(entertainment section)
advertised a Jazz Sunrise Celebration. What better way to celebrate an
Easter than by taking in a Jazz celebration? I was brought up Pentecostal
and Methodist. I knew many churches had moved to folk services and such in
their efforts to bring back the youth that had gone astray but, what I walked
into was totally outside of my frame of reference. The place was ROCKIN'..
I had never experienced anything like it. It was a true celebration of life.
6AM and the church was damned near full of people, dancin' and singin'. The
diversity was astounding. It was RESURRECTION TIME only I didn't know I was
being put on a path leading me to what would be my own resurrection.
Long ago, Cecil Williams removed the cross from the altar and said to the
aging congregation, "One does not need to be reminded of the cross. The
people outside these doors are carrying the cross." From the windows of
Glide he could look down and see his people(black) self-destructing on crack
cocaine. He stopped calling Easter, Easter and called it Resurrection Time.
Resurrection Time is when one lets a part of ones self die and lets ones self
come back in a cleaner, healthier form free of what ever addiction one has
killed off.
I was so moved by the sunrise service I stayed, served food to some of the
4500 people Glide would serve food too and stayed for the 9AM service. The
balcony filled for the 9AM service. Cecil was "hot". One 'standing O' after
another as he hammered the Resurrection theme home. The Resurrection Band(no
organ in this church) seemed to be even hotter than they were at 6AM. The
Glide Ensemble(no choir at Glide) was totally soulful.. I met my first Glide
friend who said, "If you think the 9 was good, stay for the 11". I did.
Between the 9 & 11 services, in a park across the street, they had an urban
Easter Egg hunt for the kids. What made this hunt so unique was Cecil giving
thanks to the city for allowing the park to be used for the hunt and giving
thanks to those volunteers who, overnight, had made the park clean of
hypodermic needles and broken class so the park was safe for the kids to do
the hunt. The kids were mostly Asian and black... It was a sight to see. I
was told it was a real zoo scene because many of the kids were poverty
stricken and were told to get as many eggs as possible for survival. One
could see from the frantic nature of the hunt that for many it probably was a
chance to have extra food. The hunt was over only minutes after the hunt
began. Some of the kids did not even get into the park before all the eggs
were gone.
11AM: Standing room only... The aisles were jammed. Folk were sitting on
the window sills, on other peoples laps. It was wall to wall humanity of
every race, every religous persuasion, every sexual preference, every level
of society as we know it, from the disenfranchised street person and hooker
to the founder of Espirit.. From ragss to minks.. All under one roof.
Cecil is a master at working the crowd. "I know most states are represented
in todays crowd but, what about countries?" India, Japan, France, Germany
came the shouts... Shout if you are HINDU.. BUDDHIST... on and on.. For
EVERYBODY.. IT'S RESURRECTION TIME!!! Cecil was hot...
Paul Tillich writes, "Courage is strength of mind, capable of conquering
whatever threatens the attainment of the highest good. Courage, united with
wisdom, includes temperance in relation to oneself as well as justice in
relation to others". .
I do not remember what Cecil quoted from Tillich, that day, but, whatever it
was, it spurred me on to read some of Tillichs' writings... I have the tape
of that 11AM service as a reminder as to why I did not go back to Glide until
Christmas of that year and then did not go back until Easter, of '85. At
that 11AM service, Cecil spoke to me.. It was like he took me by the collar
and shook me. His words struck home. scaring the living hell out of me... I
had little courage at that time... I didn't have the strength to do much more
than survive and wallow in the muck and mire of a life made difficult, by
choice. Too much smoke.. Too much drink.. Too much of many other things..
Life was difficult... He was telling me that that day but, I was not yet
ready to hear it. He was crazy.
On Christmas of '84, he spoke of the immaculate conception in the context of
having read a good story in a good book. If you want to believe it was an
immaculate conception, go ahead.. Christ is the son of Man.. He spoke of
Unconditional Love and how many people are unable to receive that love. He
spoke of the Christ in terms of humanitarianism... He was crazy and not the
type of person I wanted to deal with or listen to.. I bought the tape and
went home.
I met Gale on Easter Sunday, 1985... We hit it off and became friends.. Gale
was a bodyworker... We put our heads together and put together a class
called 'Turning It Upside Down' and taught it at what Glide was calling
University of the Streets... It was for those caught up in the layoffs and
downsizing of the 80's.. How to get started again.. I ran Bay to Breakers(6
1/2 miles) and then rode my bike across town on one of the Sundays we were to
teach that workshop. I was too sore to teach/ She layed me on a conference
table and within twenty minutes had worked my legs giving me the feeling I
had not done much exertion at all.. I was familiar with massage via
receiving at the Cambridge Y, in the 70's and early 80's but had nothing like
what she did... It was a time for Resurrection...
I volunteered at Glide doing a number of things. I became a Big Brother to a
few ghetto kids and taught them how to garden. There has been nothing to
match the look on those kids faces as they handed the harvest to their
mothers.. Visiting shut-ins was a favorite... The Glide programs encompass
most anything one wants to be involved in... It was through the Glide
experience I gained the courage to do what had to be done.
It' s 15 years Sunday since first attending Glide. I have missed one Easter
visit.. Resurrection Time is my time of year. I give up something. I let
something die. I forgive myself or someone for something and try to
resurrect what was before what needed to be forgiven(I have yet to learn full
forget).
On Good Friday, I do the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley.. They
recreate what is called the service of the Tennebrae. It is a ritualistic
mass steeped in mysticism spiritualism taken from the Early Catholic
Church... It gives one the chance to experience how the church could get so
much power over the masses... It leaves one in awe...
In closing... Last year I took in the Easter service at Montclair
Presbyterian Church in Oakland.. I ended up there because Glide did not
serve me at the sunrise service. Cecil was on vacation and the service
consisted solely of song. I need to hear the message of the "spirit" of
Easter. The minister was in her first year, replacing a long ministry by a
relatively conservative Presbyterian male. It was the anniversary of her
mothers death..
She told of her days in a ministry in Argentina during the days when many
people were "disappeared" by the Allende forces. She told how during
meetings when people felt the absense of the "disappeared", a ritual would be
performed. The master of ceremonies would start by invoking the name of a
"disappeared" person and the crowd would shout, "PRESENTE'".. She started by
invoking the name of her Mother and some shouted, "PRESENTE".. The names
flowed.. One invocation after another.. ":PRESENTE" resounded louder with
each name... When it was apparent the invoking was done she said, "Who does
not feel how full this chapel is, NOW?" One could hear the sobs of those
touched by spirit or in this case many spirits.
SO, I suggest to you, especially if you are feeling alone or lonely, invoke
some names.. Get one person close to you to help bear witness. Between you
and that one other, you may be able to fill a room with some much needed
energy and support to carry you through whatever difficulties you may be
going through.. Hey folks.. It is always RESURRECTION TIME...
Rev Robert Flammia
btw... To hell with the kids.. KEEP THE CHOCOLATE FOR YOURSELVES..
HAPPY EASTER..
Roberto
(This is the 25th anniversary of my attending Glide Memorial Methodist Church for the first time. I don't go to Glide much anymore but continue to be thankful for their presence. The following was written in 1999.)
Heavenly Father, Mother, Friend, Beloved God... Jesus Christ, Dr Ling, Ida
Rolf, Milton Trager, Moshe Feldenkrais, Thomas Hanna, Loren Berry, Lani Ross,
Margaret Elke saints and sages of all bodywork modalities, I humbly bow to
you all... Please direct your energies through those who have entered into
the realms of touch leaving them with just a speck of your learned knowledge
and gained wisdom so they are more able to carry on the work which you
started and so generously left behind for us to carry on. Leave behind the
wisdom you gained as a starting point for us to begin from. Constantly
remind us, it is not how the work is done, it is the work being done free of
restriction enabling us to do the work as we see it from, as was the case
with you, our individual path. Remind us we are mere bubbles on a sea of
cosmic consciousness separated by the thin case of ego and help us break
those cases and become one with each other. Ohmmmm.. Peace.. Shanti..
Amen..
A Sermon...
Cecil Williams, the minister of Glide Memorial Methodist Church, in SF, is a
Libertarian Theologian in the vein of Paul Tillich who wrote a book called,
'The Courage To be'. Glide Memorial is in the heart of downtown SF, in the
middle of the Tenderloin, the red light district and where one can find one
drug of choice. The ol' Boston combat zone and the ol' Times Square, pales
by comparison.
I found Cecil and Glide by way of the entertainment section of the SF
Chonicle, on the Saturday prior to Easter, in 1984. 1984 was the second
worst year of my life up 'til that time. I had been totally burned out in a
fire, 5 hours into the new year and the year went downhill from there. I had
my health. Anyone who has had illness knows things are not all that bad if
one has their health. My worst year was sickness, in 78.. Other than a
wedding a few years before, I had not been in a church for over 10 years.
Having made it that far into '84, I thought it appropriate to give thanks to
what ever powers that be. I went because the Datebook(entertainment section)
advertised a Jazz Sunrise Celebration. What better way to celebrate an
Easter than by taking in a Jazz celebration? I was brought up Pentecostal
and Methodist. I knew many churches had moved to folk services and such in
their efforts to bring back the youth that had gone astray but, what I walked
into was totally outside of my frame of reference. The place was ROCKIN'..
I had never experienced anything like it. It was a true celebration of life.
6AM and the church was damned near full of people, dancin' and singin'. The
diversity was astounding. It was RESURRECTION TIME only I didn't know I was
being put on a path leading me to what would be my own resurrection.
Long ago, Cecil Williams removed the cross from the altar and said to the
aging congregation, "One does not need to be reminded of the cross. The
people outside these doors are carrying the cross." From the windows of
Glide he could look down and see his people(black) self-destructing on crack
cocaine. He stopped calling Easter, Easter and called it Resurrection Time.
Resurrection Time is when one lets a part of ones self die and lets ones self
come back in a cleaner, healthier form free of what ever addiction one has
killed off.
I was so moved by the sunrise service I stayed, served food to some of the
4500 people Glide would serve food too and stayed for the 9AM service. The
balcony filled for the 9AM service. Cecil was "hot". One 'standing O' after
another as he hammered the Resurrection theme home. The Resurrection Band(no
organ in this church) seemed to be even hotter than they were at 6AM. The
Glide Ensemble(no choir at Glide) was totally soulful.. I met my first Glide
friend who said, "If you think the 9 was good, stay for the 11". I did.
Between the 9 & 11 services, in a park across the street, they had an urban
Easter Egg hunt for the kids. What made this hunt so unique was Cecil giving
thanks to the city for allowing the park to be used for the hunt and giving
thanks to those volunteers who, overnight, had made the park clean of
hypodermic needles and broken class so the park was safe for the kids to do
the hunt. The kids were mostly Asian and black... It was a sight to see. I
was told it was a real zoo scene because many of the kids were poverty
stricken and were told to get as many eggs as possible for survival. One
could see from the frantic nature of the hunt that for many it probably was a
chance to have extra food. The hunt was over only minutes after the hunt
began. Some of the kids did not even get into the park before all the eggs
were gone.
11AM: Standing room only... The aisles were jammed. Folk were sitting on
the window sills, on other peoples laps. It was wall to wall humanity of
every race, every religous persuasion, every sexual preference, every level
of society as we know it, from the disenfranchised street person and hooker
to the founder of Espirit.. From ragss to minks.. All under one roof.
Cecil is a master at working the crowd. "I know most states are represented
in todays crowd but, what about countries?" India, Japan, France, Germany
came the shouts... Shout if you are HINDU.. BUDDHIST... on and on.. For
EVERYBODY.. IT'S RESURRECTION TIME!!! Cecil was hot...
Paul Tillich writes, "Courage is strength of mind, capable of conquering
whatever threatens the attainment of the highest good. Courage, united with
wisdom, includes temperance in relation to oneself as well as justice in
relation to others". .
I do not remember what Cecil quoted from Tillich, that day, but, whatever it
was, it spurred me on to read some of Tillichs' writings... I have the tape
of that 11AM service as a reminder as to why I did not go back to Glide until
Christmas of that year and then did not go back until Easter, of '85. At
that 11AM service, Cecil spoke to me.. It was like he took me by the collar
and shook me. His words struck home. scaring the living hell out of me... I
had little courage at that time... I didn't have the strength to do much more
than survive and wallow in the muck and mire of a life made difficult, by
choice. Too much smoke.. Too much drink.. Too much of many other things..
Life was difficult... He was telling me that that day but, I was not yet
ready to hear it. He was crazy.
On Christmas of '84, he spoke of the immaculate conception in the context of
having read a good story in a good book. If you want to believe it was an
immaculate conception, go ahead.. Christ is the son of Man.. He spoke of
Unconditional Love and how many people are unable to receive that love. He
spoke of the Christ in terms of humanitarianism... He was crazy and not the
type of person I wanted to deal with or listen to.. I bought the tape and
went home.
I met Gale on Easter Sunday, 1985... We hit it off and became friends.. Gale
was a bodyworker... We put our heads together and put together a class
called 'Turning It Upside Down' and taught it at what Glide was calling
University of the Streets... It was for those caught up in the layoffs and
downsizing of the 80's.. How to get started again.. I ran Bay to Breakers(6
1/2 miles) and then rode my bike across town on one of the Sundays we were to
teach that workshop. I was too sore to teach/ She layed me on a conference
table and within twenty minutes had worked my legs giving me the feeling I
had not done much exertion at all.. I was familiar with massage via
receiving at the Cambridge Y, in the 70's and early 80's but had nothing like
what she did... It was a time for Resurrection...
I volunteered at Glide doing a number of things. I became a Big Brother to a
few ghetto kids and taught them how to garden. There has been nothing to
match the look on those kids faces as they handed the harvest to their
mothers.. Visiting shut-ins was a favorite... The Glide programs encompass
most anything one wants to be involved in... It was through the Glide
experience I gained the courage to do what had to be done.
It' s 15 years Sunday since first attending Glide. I have missed one Easter
visit.. Resurrection Time is my time of year. I give up something. I let
something die. I forgive myself or someone for something and try to
resurrect what was before what needed to be forgiven(I have yet to learn full
forget).
On Good Friday, I do the First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley.. They
recreate what is called the service of the Tennebrae. It is a ritualistic
mass steeped in mysticism spiritualism taken from the Early Catholic
Church... It gives one the chance to experience how the church could get so
much power over the masses... It leaves one in awe...
In closing... Last year I took in the Easter service at Montclair
Presbyterian Church in Oakland.. I ended up there because Glide did not
serve me at the sunrise service. Cecil was on vacation and the service
consisted solely of song. I need to hear the message of the "spirit" of
Easter. The minister was in her first year, replacing a long ministry by a
relatively conservative Presbyterian male. It was the anniversary of her
mothers death..
She told of her days in a ministry in Argentina during the days when many
people were "disappeared" by the Allende forces. She told how during
meetings when people felt the absense of the "disappeared", a ritual would be
performed. The master of ceremonies would start by invoking the name of a
"disappeared" person and the crowd would shout, "PRESENTE'".. She started by
invoking the name of her Mother and some shouted, "PRESENTE".. The names
flowed.. One invocation after another.. ":PRESENTE" resounded louder with
each name... When it was apparent the invoking was done she said, "Who does
not feel how full this chapel is, NOW?" One could hear the sobs of those
touched by spirit or in this case many spirits.
SO, I suggest to you, especially if you are feeling alone or lonely, invoke
some names.. Get one person close to you to help bear witness. Between you
and that one other, you may be able to fill a room with some much needed
energy and support to carry you through whatever difficulties you may be
going through.. Hey folks.. It is always RESURRECTION TIME...
Rev Robert Flammia
btw... To hell with the kids.. KEEP THE CHOCOLATE FOR YOURSELVES..
HAPPY EASTER..
Roberto
