"mmm mmm Good!"
March 26th Soup Supper/ Prayer Service
 SJA's Lenten Tradition

When news of the world is getting you down, there is a place you can go to eat good food, share great conversation and actually try a laugh or two. The place is St. Joan of Arc and the event is the Soup Supper, held every Wednesday at 6 p.m. during Lent in Hospitality Hall. And it is Hospitality Hall - I’m not kidding you.

I was greeted last Wednesday by Heidi Frenz - soup supper organizer and hostess extraordinaire. I met Heidi last January at the “People Get Ready” concert. We had bonded instantly that night, sharing an inner need to dance as much as possible. I was delighted to see her again and could tell she had not lost her groove since the last time I saw her. She was sashaying with pots and stirring with style. And she was not alone. The kitchen was teeming with the happiest people I had seen in a week (since the last soup supper of course). Maybe it was the wine (I noticed it was kept back in the kitchen) but more likely, it was the amazing company.

Confirmation candidate volunteers Cathleen Yeeland, Mick Janson, and Dana Lutenegger
From stovetop to countertop, the movement of soup was ever flowing. There were those who stirred and those who poured and those who hauled pots between. There were bread cutters and bread stackers and a few peanut butter trackers (well kinda, but it did rhyme). I observed that Rosanne was the keeper of wine and compliments; that Jeff was handy with a spigot; that Julie Madden can always brighten a bright room; and that Cathleen, Mick and Dana found the best way to complete their confirmation service project. I was told that “Jean is the best,” that David Rand is the real “soup guy,” and that Mark is a pillar of the soup supper with his mmm mmm good chicken soup. Wheh! And I hadn’t even tasted the soup.

The soup possibilities were overwhelming and some had combinations I didn’t think were allowed. We had:

I tried as many as I could get away with - sometimes bringing two bowls of soup to my table at a time. I met inquiring eyes with the explanation “this is for research.” All the soup was great but my favorite was Crème de la Carrot. The texture was velvety, the color soft orange and the taste - Yow! Who put the chili peppers in there? And I thought Red Hot Chili Peppers was a band. It was truly amazing and I send my thanks to its creator.

My table talked about war, peace and food processors. We passed around photos of the protest at Senator Coleman’s office and shared information about upcoming speakers. I knew some of the folks and met new ones that night. At the end of the evening, I was feeling very full - from the great food and wonderful company. I was thankful to my friend Maggie for suggesting I remove the lens cap before taking pictures (hmmm, did I mention the red wine?) and I was most thankful there was a prayer service to attend, just one floor above. It was time to express my gratitude for the wonderful community we share at St. Joan of Arc.

Prayer Service

Last Sunday at mass, Ann Reed sang to us “It is time I will open my eyes…every step is a leap of faith.” Wednesday’s prayer service “The Walk of Discipleship”
Prayer Partner Theresa Healy
was a continuation of this music and the liturgy of Sunday, focusing on the steps we need to take to be a follower of Jesus. The evening service was led by Roger Dick and Theresa Healy. We opened by singing “Holy Ground” and praying for those who realize that the walk of discipleship is the only life to live.

We moved into the readings, listening to the words of Joan Chittister, who tells us that the walk of discipleship is dangerous…that the price of discipleship is a high one. And we listened to a beautiful, mind-twisting poem “As Kingfishers Catch Fire,” by Gerald Manley Hopkins.
As king fishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
    As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
    Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell's
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;
Each mortal thing does one thing and the same:
    Deals out that being indoors each one dwells;
    Selves - goes itself; myself it speaks and spells,
Crying What I do is me: for that I came.

I say more: the just man justices;
    Keeps grace: that keeps all his goings graces;
Acts in God's eye what in God's eye he is--
    Christ. For Christ plays in ten thousand places,
Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
    To the Father through the features of men's faces.


Deb Harley making us happy
Deb Harley was on hand to share her deep, rich voice with the crowd. She explained that she wanted to sing a song that reflects a broad sense of discipleship. We may feel that we can never measure up to the great disciples of our time - the Martin Luther King Jrs. or Joan of Arcs, but we can share our love with someone. Her song “Make Someone Happy” tells us:

Just make someone happy
And you will be happy too
Love is the answer
Once you’ve found it, build your world around it
We followed this lovely song with a meditation on the walk of discipleship. We envisioned a walk in a garden - lush and heavy with fragrant, thriving plants. Yet, in the midst of this abundance, a patch of sickly plants sits waiting. Do we pass by these plants and let someone else tend to them? After all, there must be a gardener - right? Or do we stop and do what we can for them? The walk of discipleship teaches us that it is our responsibility to care for those in need - we can’t assume someone else will do this work.

We listened and drew inspiration from a litany of disciples - from well-known men and women like Martin Luther King Jr. and Dorothy Day to lesser-known individuals like Herbert Schlesser and Gerald Manley Hopkins. We were reminded that it is sometimes our everyday contacts who flame our own desires for discipleship through their writing, speaking and passion for life.

We concluded with a prayer to guide us as we take the walk of discipleship. We prayed to see the divine in each other and to recognize Jesus in all his disguises. And then we sang one of my favorite songs (how did they know?):

We are called to act with justice; we are called to love tenderly,
We are called to serve one another; to walk humbly with God!
Adult Program
The more time I spend at St. Joan of Arc, the more I realize what a rich parish we have. Not rich in terms of funds (though I’m sure that wouldn’t hurt) but rich in the talents and gifts the community members have to offer each other. The adult program, “Power and Discipleship” led by Tom Smith-Myott, was an example of the incredible, thought-provoking programming that is available to us on a weekly basis.

Tom started the program off with some questions: If we are to be followers of Jesus, how do we approach power? After all, isn’t power something good Christians generally avoid because of its corrupting influence? When do we feel powerful? When have we felt powerless? How do those situations make us feel? We reflected on the fact that in order to use power responsibly, we need to understand it.

We moved into a description of power - that power is not a thing. Rather it is a social transaction between people, used to make things happen. It is morally neutral. The outcome of using power can be good or bad depending on how it is used or the intentions behind using it. It depends on whether power is used out of love or out of fear.

Tom described two kinds of power, personal and social. Personal power is the awareness of ourselves as strong. Having virtue or being virtuous is another way to describe personal power. Being virtuous is rooted in inner power - in our spirituality and spiritual practices. Personal power takes many forms in our lives and can include our ability to imagine and thus transform our lives; to be intuitive; to be conscious and self-conscious - aware of our identity; to be vulnerable; and to be intimate - the power of love with another person.

Social power is the strength among us - the energy and authority of a group. True authority is earned and trusted - it is power with us, not over us. Tom reminded us that many of the most powerful people were not in office (a governmental position). Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa and Jesus are examples.

Power can have many sides. It can be exploitive, manipulative, and competitive yet also nurturing - power for others, and - power with others. We discussed God’s wild dream for us - where the power of love, not fear holds sway. We reflected how violence is a sign of powerlessness.

We considered: what kind of power did Jesus use? Jesus used the power of healing and the power to liberate. Looking at the most common phrase Jesus used in the bible “Fear not….,” we understand that he liberated people from fear. Jesus took his sense of inner power and used it non-violently. We too have this inner power. Through practice and hard work we can get in touch with our inner divinity and be powerful like Jesus - though for most of us, it is a life-long journey.

Most of the power we have experienced has come out of dominating systems (sexist, elitist, etc) where the power comes from the top down and works from fear. It works from a scarcity model where we are told there is not enough to go around so there must be control. We find that knowledge is withheld to control others and hierarchies and dualities are created to separate people (this minority group vs. that one.)

partnership, collaboration, servant leadership ... power
Jesus and St. Joan of Arc work from a partnership model - where there is abundance, so let’s share it. In this power structure, a system of equality develops. There is collaboration - power with, instead of power over. It also uses the subversive power of non-violence because it refuses to play the games of the power system. Yet this model also comes with responsibility - servant leadership. We find it is life giving rather than life controlling.

We have the power to choose our attitude, our behavior and how we will respond to life. There is a paradox that power is made perfect in weakness. By facing our weaknesses and letting go, we allow God to work in us. It is a spiritual journey.


and
Jeanne Morales has been active at St. Joans for the past year. She loves working in her garden, attending the St. Joan of Arc Bible Study and sneaking off for camping trips when she has time. Jeanne can be reached at moralesj@Macalester.edu.
We concluded the evening by breaking into groups and discussing several questions on our own power - its fruitful uses and the struggles we have. Many ideas were shared when we regrouped including how we sometimes run away from power; how knowledge is power; how power can be used to inspire others; how power can take the form of manipulation; that there is power in saying “no”; that we need to find our own power within and not take on someone else’s ideas for us; that St. Joan of Arc is a nurturing partnership model for us to draw on.

Todd Dalebroux his wife Karen and their children have been active in several ministries at SJA including Sister Parish, Soup Suppers, and Religious Ed.
It was a wonderful presentation and I encourage you to stop by next week to reflect and challenge yourself about what discipleship means in your life.

Back