Jesus on the Steps of the Church

Remember the story of Jesus when he washed the dirty feet of his friends? This past week a friend of mine from California sent me a message where that story was retold and its implications unraveled. I read it and promptly ignored the meaning of it for myself. Here's the story...
Today as I was walking out of a church where we just finished another rehearsal for the new CD a man walked in to the church. He seemed a bit disoriented. He sat down and said he was waiting for the Pastor of the church to come because the Pastor had promised him a sandwich. SO , he was hungry too. As I looked at him more closely I'd say he might have been homeless. I explained to him that I needed to lock up the building and that he would have to wait outside on the church steps. He kindly obliged and sat on the steps outside. It started to rain. I locked up and said goodbye to the man and got in the car and drove off, trying not to look at the man sitting on the church steps waiting in the rain for a sandwich. I was in a hurry.
Only later did I realize what had just happened. I hope next time Jesus shows up and asks for a sandwich I will say yes. Washing feet is what Jesus calls us to do. It takes many forms...

In the name of the Man on the Steps of the Church,

Stefan Andre

Sing a New Song!

This past weekend we gathered at St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis to begin to record music for a new CD of Celtic music. We were thirty singers, a harpist, a guitarist, two video cam recorders rolling and two very competent recording engineers from Ardent Records. Words like " exciting, exhilarating, exhausting" come to mind. Two very long days of " let's do it again". It was a lovely gathering of people from various faith communities around the city and two very fine soloists - one from California and one from New York City. After these first two recording sessions we'll go into the studio to add other instruments and do the necessary editing. After that we'll begin to rehearse more music including new songs and chants. It is a long process and a very good process indeed.
As we enter the second half of this work I want to extend my sincere thanks to all who are involved in this creative work. Singing a new song with you is an honor and a delight!
And to those who would like to join ...you are most welcome!

Peace,
Stefan Andre

In the Face of Horror...Murder in Memphis

Dear Friends,

How to respond in the face of the horror of murder? Here in Memphis , on Lester street, in the neighborhood of Binghampton, we have witnessed the unthinkable . A family was murdered and mutilated -four adults and two children. Three other children in the family are in serious condition. The reality of this horror is slowly seeping into our stunned consciousness. It is the unthinkable. The unsayable... I hesitated to even mention this here but it seemed to me that to speak of it was more healing than to not speak of it.
It seems to many here in the city that the level of violence, anger, and rage is rising . Over the past few years more and more shootings, killings, expressions of anger and rage. What is happening? Why? How to understand this? How to respond? In the spirit of compassion, courage, and hope may we reflect together on these and other important questions.

First, it is clear that as a community we are grieving. The grief is very real...very deep. At times it feels overwhelming. How to feel this grief and how to express this grief is our human task. Our media reports all kinds of things in rapid succession giving us precious little time to respond as feeling beings. But to be human is to feel, and to feel deeply. And so we grieve. We allow oursleves to experience the pain of loss and suffering. Collectively we enter the wound. And we support each other as we do so. At the same time we offer ourselves to those who are living through this horror. We especially offer our expressions of practical loving to those little children who remain alive and in serious condition in hospital. Memphis is responding in many ways to help medically, financially, and in the emotional and physical healing of the people directly involved.
One question: Can it be said that Memphis is a place of relatively high anger, rage and violence? Many would say yes to that question. Many point to the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968 in Memphis and the ongoing culture of poverty here in Memphis as key elements in a peculiar legacy of violence that shapes the general climate of the city and seeps into our everyday interactions. At the same time one police report indicates that the violent crime rate in Memphis has declined by 18% over the past year. Perhaps both are true.
One thing is clear: we must do all in our power to learn non-violent ways of being. We must pray and work toward being more and more non-violent in our many relationships. And when we are confronted with violence we must learn creative and courageous ways to respond.
As an example one report says that every time a neighborhood holds a block party the level of violence in that neighborhood goes down. Something to ponder...
May it be so.

In Memphis...In Grief...In Hope...
Stefan Andre

Breathless...at 30,000 Feet!

Oh, to be a painter or a poet! Moments filled with exquisite sights that take the breath away and stir the heart! Imagine... flying thirty thousand feet looking out the tiny window of a Delta Express Jet onto an infinite expanse of unbelievable colors, shapes, and textures of the California coastline. And God said, " Let there be Beauty." It seemed as though I had never seen such a sight. As the sun was setting I was transfixed. Before the magnificence of the sky's display there lay the humble, and eloquent cities offering their own visual splendor - strings of glistening, golden-blue pearls lovingly laid across a darkened earthly body. Above her -an adoring sky covered with shifting gray-black phantom clouds hiding slim streaks of the palist blue. And in the center and farthest side of it all, everything came together in a blazing artistic horizon of every possible hue of intense fire and flame where boundaries of land and sea and sky are joyously blurred. On and on , for mile after mile, I gazed absorbed, lost in Divinity's Dance.
Finally, I looked away ... and breathed.

Deo Gratias,
Stefan Andre

Once...

Have you seen the latest film called, " Once" ? Do....

A story about two ordinary/extraordinary people, creativity, some beautiful songs, courage, contemporary Irish society, and much more.
It is a startlingly refreshing film created with a low budget, camcorder, and shot in lovely Dublin.
In addition , this is one movie with special features that are worth viewing.

Did I say that this film is brilliant? It is. More please...

Astonished and Delighted,
Stefan Andre

Playing the Game of Faith with Passion...

" Go, Go, Go!" " C'mon, Get 'em" " Yes!" " No!" "Yeeeeeeessssss!!!" "Nooooooo!!! " These are only a few of the passionate cries coming from an enthusiastic family here in Memphis as we watched the basketball game on television between the Memphis Tigers and the University of Tennessee Vols. It was INTENSE! Did I say INTENSE? I mean INTENSE!!! The intensity was magnified intensely by the fact that some members of the family were cheering for Memphis while others were cheering for Tennessee. Delightful...
Besides being intense it was also beautiful. Beautiful in that a wide range of free, spontaneous, raw emotion was being felt, expressed, released, and enjoyed together. A deeply human experience...a shared community of passionate agreement and disagreement.
Flash forward or backward to your local neighborhood church, synagogue, temple and anticipate or remember your own church, synagogue, temple experience. Compare... How would you describe it? Intense? Passionate? Beautiful?
Spontaneous? Free? Deeply human? Delightful? Enthusiastic? Can it be? In our religious communities can we bounce the ball of faith with such fierce intensity back and forth , playfully, seriously,and remain committed to remaining together in the game? Maybe if we could " play" like this, our communities would be filled with passionate participants and our church , synagogue, temple experience would rise to the level of YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

Just wondering...
Stefan Andre

An Ecumenical Celtic Celebration in Song!

Little by little, a growing group of people, both singers and instrumentalists, is forming to record a new CD of music that is both ecumenical and Celtic in sound. Based on traditional Irish melodies this new music will consist of a Celtic Mass, songs and chants. Singers will be accompanied by flute, harp, fiddle, pipes, drums, guitar and more. Representaives from various Protestant and Catholic Churches will come together on March 16 , Palm Sunday and on March 17 , St. Patrick's Day at St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis, TN.. With one voice this emerging group of Christians will fill the glorious space at St. Mary's with the sound of many voices and many instruments singing and playing in praise of God and in love of neighbor!

The invitation is open to all. Come... sing... pray... bless and be blessed!

Yours,
Stefan Andre