Marriage: a key to surviving cancer

According to this USA TODAY article, married patients are more likely to survive cancer and cancer treatments.
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Scientists say they may have found the key to surviving cancer: marriage.

Married people with cancer were 20% less likely to die from their disease, compared to people who are separated, divorced, widowed or never married, according to study published online Monday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Married people in the study fared better than singles no matter what type of cancer. In certain types of tumors — prostate, breast, colorectal, esophageal and head/neck cancers — the survival benefits of marriage were larger than those from chemotherapy.

"Improving social support for our patients may be equally important as providing effective therapy, and it is less costly to develop and implement," said senior author Paul Nguyen, a radiation oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, in a statement....

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I am glad to see a growing awareness in our medical industry that each of us is a unity of body, mind, spirit, and emotions, and that if the medical industry is really are interested in healing us that there is more involved in this than simply bio-chemical treatments of certain isolated bits of our bodies (such limited ways of thinking no doubt reflect the highly fragmented, and compartmentalized world in which we live).

I am convinced that marriage is one of God's great gifts to Mankind - to strengthen our ability to love (and to learn what "love" really means); to enter into "deep community" with one who is truly an "other" as woman is to man and man to woman; to grow in personal maturity; and to experience healing in our souls and bodies.  Though I (with all Methodists) don't consider it a Dominical Sacrament on the level of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, I do believe Holy Matrimony is a divinely-instituted rite and institution with a sacramental character, that really can be a means of God's grace in our lives.  In fact I personally had a minor ailment that spontaneously cleared away when I got married.

I also firmly believe that the decline of marriage in our culture is a sign that we are not more mature, more courageous, and more loving than previous ages, but (if anything) less so.  It takes virtues like charity, justice, temperance, patience, chastity and courage to make a marriage work over the long haul, and I am afraid that as a society we have not been trained up in these virtues, but rather in consumeristic individualistic indulgence and instant gratification ("obey your thirst" and "have it your way" and "just do it" are the marketing slogans I was perpetually bombarded with growing up).  Teaching the virtues required for deep relationship in a society of individualistic consumerism and social media is, I believe, one of the great vocations of the church in this era (which is related to my opposition to "online communion" that has been much discussed of late: because it adds an element of artifice and thereby makes more shallow what has always been a face-to-face experience).

It is also worth noting that divorce is bad for the environment, but marriage is good for the economy.  These are, I believe, further indications that Marriage is a key to the Shalom (holistic Peace) that the Lord intends for his whole creation - which in turn is another reason we should not take lightly the meaning and definition of Marriage itself.  

BBC Radio forum on The Book of Common Prayer

Here is a radio round-table discussion from BBC Radio focused upon The Book of Common Prayer of 1549.  The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) in its various revised forms is the official liturgy of Anglicanism across the world.  Because John Wesley loved the Common Prayer Book and revised it for Methodist use, the BCP  is the primary source for Methodist liturgical texts as well (particularly the 1662 Book of Common Prayer of Wesley's day, and the 1979 American BCP which was in use when our liturgical texts and our Book of Worship were last updated). 

Check it out here.

Wisdom from Lewis: Technology and humanity

From the "unexamined consequences of technology category" - Automobiles and the human experience of space:

I number it among my blessings that my father had no car, while yet most of my friends had, and sometimes took me for a drive.  This meant that all these distant objects (the mountains) could be visited just enough to clothe them with memories and not impossible desires, while yet they remained ordinarily as inaccessible as the Moon.  The deadly power of rushing about wherever I pleased had not been given me.  I measured distances by the standard of man, man walking on his two feet, not by the standard of the internal combustion engine.  I had not been allowed to deflower the very idea of distance; in return I possessed "infinite riches" in what would have been to motorists "a little room."  The truest and most horrible claim made for modern transport is that it "annihilates space."  It does.  It annihilates one of the most glorious gifts we have been given.  It is a vile inflation which lowers the value of distance, so that a modern boy travels a hundred miles with less sense of liberation and pilgrimage and adventure than his grandfather got from traveling ten.  Of course, if a man hates space and wants it to be annihilated, that is another matter.  Why not creep into his coffin at once?  There is little enough space there.

-C.S. Lewis, from Surprised by Joy, chapter X

Wesley's Prayerbook Litany (updated English)

One of the exciting things happening right now in Methodist/Wesleyan circles is the formation of the Wesleyan-Anglican Society - reconnecting Methodists with our Anglican heritage, connecting Anglicans of a Wesleyan bent (the Wesley brothers were Anglican priests, after all) with other Wesleyan Christians, and serving as a platform for dialogue between Methodist and Anglican Christians. 

As a member of the Society, I am committed to pray the daily office (either from The Book of Common Prayer of 1662, Wesley's revision thereof, The Sunday Service Book, or one of the liturgical books descended from these sources), which I have already been striving for using The United Methodist Book of Worship.  Members of the Society are also encouraged to pray the Litany from one of these Prayerbooks on Wednesdays and Fridays (in accord with the Anglican tradition and Wesley's own recommendation); for me this is a new practice I am striving to "pick up."
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The Litany was the first service to be prepared in English for the Church of England in 1544, 10 years after King Henry severed ties with the pope in Rome. The Litany was compiled by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer based upon several sources: the Medieval (Latin) Sarum Liturgy that was widely used in England during the Middle Ages, Luther's German Litany, and the Greek Orthodox Litany. The Litany has remained a core element of all editions of The Book of Common Prayer, including the 1662 Prayerbook that was used by the Wesley brothers.

When John Wesley revised the Prayerbook in 1784 for Methodist usage in North America, he made virtually no changes to the Litany, though some prayers relating to the ruling authorities (such as the King of England) were revised for American use. While the Litany was originally recommended in the Anglican tradition for use on Sundays (as a bridge between the Morning Prayer service and the Holy Communion Service) and Wednesdays and Fridays, Wesley maintains only the recommendation to use it on Wednesdays and Fridays (in order to shorten the Sunday liturgy).

This modern-language revision is based upon the litany in Wesley's Sunday Service book, and has been compared with the 1662 and the 1979 Common Prayer books.

Recommended for Wednesdays and Fridays, or for other occasions;

O God the Father of heaven; have mercy upon us sinners.

O God the Father of heaven; have mercy upon us sinners.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world; have mercy upon us sinners.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world; have mercy upon us sinners.

O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful; have mercy upon us sinners.

O God the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful; have mercy upon us sinners.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God; have mercy upon us sinners.

O holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God; have mercy upon us sinners.

Lord, keep no record of our offenses, nor the offenses of our ancestors; and do not punish our sins: spare us, good Lord, spare your people whom you have redeemed with your most precious blood, and do not be angry with us forever.

Spare us, good Lord.

From all evil and harm, from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil, from your wrath, and from everlasting damnation,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all spiritual blindness, from pride, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all lack of love and charity,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From sinful affections, fornication, and any other deadly sin; and from the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from dying unprepared,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all oppression, conspiracy, and rebellion; from false doctrine, heresy, and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of your word and commandment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By the mystery of your holy Incarnation; by your holy Nativity and Circumcision; by your Baptism, fasting, and temptation,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By your agony and bloody sweat; by your Cross and Passion; by your precious death and burial; by your glorious Resurrection and Ascension; and by the coming of the Holy Spirit,

Good Lord, deliver us.

In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the Day of Judgment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

We sinners ask you to hear us, O Lord God, and may you govern and guide your holy catholic Church in the right way,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you strengthen the godly faith, the righteousness, and the holy living of all your servants who hold the authority of government in this nation,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you lead their hearts to trust, fear, and love you, that they may evermore seek your honor and glory,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you enlighten all ministers of your church and your gospel with true knowledge and understanding of your holy word, that both by their preaching and living they may set it forth and declare it,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you bless and keep all magistrates and judges, giving them grace to execute justice and maintain the truth,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you bless and keep all your people,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you give to all nations unity, peace, and concord,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you give us hearts to love and revere you, and diligently to keep your commandments,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you give all your people an increase of grace to hear your Word, to receive it with pure hearts, and to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you bring into the way of truth all those who have erred and who are deceived,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you strengthen those who stand firm in faith, comfort and help the faint-hearted, raise up those who fall, and finally beat down Satan under our feet,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you sustain, help, and comfort all who are in danger, need, and tribulation,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you preserve all who travel, women in childbirth and their little ones, all sick persons and young people; and show your pity to all prisoners and captives,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you defend and provide for all orphans and widows, and all who are desolate and oppressed,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you have mercy upon all people,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you forgive our enemies, persecutors, and slanderers; and turn their hearts,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you give and preserve to our use the good fruits of the earth, that in due time all may enjoy your creation,

Hear us, good Lord.

May you grant us true repentance, forgive all our sin, negligence and ignorance, and pour upon us the grace of your Holy Spirit to conform our lives to your holy word,

Hear us, good Lord.

Son of God, we beg you to hear us.

Son of God, we beg you to hear us.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,

Grant us your peace.

O Christ, hear us.

O Christ, hear us.

Lord, have mercy upon us. (Kyrie eleison)

Lord have mercy upon us. (Kyrie eleison)

Christ, have mercy upon us. (Christe eleison)

Christ have mercy upon us. (Christe eleison)

Lord, have mercy upon us. (Kyrie eleison)

Lord, have mercy upon us. (Kyrie eleison)

Our Father, who art in heaven, 

hallowed be thy Name;

Thy Kingdom come;

thy will be done on Earth,

as it is in heaven:

Give us this day

our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those

who trespass against us;

And lead us not 

into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. 

For thine is the kingdom,

the power, and the glory forever.

O Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins,

And do not reward us according to our iniquities.

Let us pray.

O God, merciful Father, who does not ignore the sighing of a contrite heart or the anguish of the sorrowful: Mercifully help us to turn to you with prayer in all our troubles and adversities; and graciously hear us so that the evils brought against us by the craft of the devil or the work of human hands may all come to nothing; and grant that we your servants may not be harmed by any persecutions, but may evermore give thanks to you in your holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for your Name's sake.

O Lord, we have heard with our ears and our ancestors have declared to us the noble works that you have done from of old,

O Lord, arise, help us, and deliver us for your honor.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

From our enemies defend us, O Christ.

Graciously look upon our afflictions.

Behold with pity the sorrow of our hearts.

Mercifully forgive the sins of your people.

By your favor and mercy, hear our prayers.

Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon us.

Hear us, Lord Christ, now and always.

Graciously hear us, O Lord Christ.

O Lord, let your mercy be shown to us,

Because we put our trust in you.

Let us pray.

We humbly ask you, O Father, to look upon our infirmities with mercy; and for the glory of your name to turn away from us all those evils that we have deserved; and grant that in all our troubles we may put our whole trust and confidence in your mercy; and that we may evermore serve you in holiness and purity of life, to your honor and glory; through our Advocate and only Mediator, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Free prayers may be offered here, as the Spirit leads

Prayer of St. John Chrysostom

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his name, you will be in the midst of them and hear them. Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

The Blessing – 2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all evermore. Amen.

The Shutdown!

As most everyone knows we are living through the first (partial) Federal Government Shutdown in almost 20 years.  Despite some of the more hysterical characterizations of what that was going to mean for us, to this point I have not yet had to defend my home from hoards of marauding vikings, and the children in my community are still going to school; which all makes me appreciate that a great deal of government as I experience and depend upon it actually happens at the local and state levels.  Thanks be to God.

Like many of you, I've been very interested in just what a federal shutdown means, and what its effects will be, and how we the people will respond to it.  TIME magazine has several interesting articles that give some differing perspectives on this whole event:
Shtudown Highlights Basic fact: Most of government is 'non-essential'
and
Founding Fathers liked Shutdowns

Polls are showing that most Americans are not too happy with the way either the President or the Congress is handling this, since both sides have been giving lip-service to the importance of civil discussion and compromise, but then outline everything they are not willing to budge or compromise upon, or what 'the other side' needs to do before any negotiations can even begin.  Not surprisingly, the GOP has particularly earned the ire of the people, since what Republicans are calling "standing on principle" looks (at least according the the news sources I use) a lot like putting ideology ahead of the common good.  Interestingly, one of those polls says 60% of us are so mad we would like to see a 3rd party option.  Maybe 2014 will be the year for a serious centrist party or libertarian break-through?  If we still remember all this by next November. 

On the positive side, a deal among our political leaders is looking more likely all the time.  Some who look for a deal to be announced soon to "restart" the federal government, have applied to our politicians that great quote from Winston Churchill: 

“We can always count on the Americans to do the right thing, after they have exhausted all the other possibilities.”

Still the shutdown has led to interruptions in numerous services, that will no doubt affect the poorest among us most significantly.  Though it may not go widely reported, I celebrate that Churches and religious leaders have stepped up in various ways to help people who are feeling the pinch due to closures, furloughs, and service interruptions.

What about you?  Has the shutdown affected your life/family/community in significant ways? 

Of course, the REAL threat (it seems to me) that must be dealt with is not so much the shutdown, but the possibility of a default on the nation's debt followed by extreme inflation (and the devaluing of all my savings).  But they've still got a few days to work all that out.

PBS piece on UM Church and sexuality

United Methodist pastor, Reverend Walter Fenton has described the recent PBS special on The United Methodist Church's position (and ongoing debate) regarding sexual morality as "A Missed Opportunity."  His very thoughtful and carefully-argued piece can be found here (with a link to the PBS video so you can get the full picture in this discussion - always a helpful thing to do for integrity's sake).

And now, a tiny little rant:

If you watch the video and then read the piece I believe it will be difficult indeed not to come to the conclusion that I long ago reached: our mass media is not simply reporting about changes in American morality in an un-biased fashion; rather media outlets are actively working to promote a new morality and are working to deliberately misrepresent, denigrate, and dismiss all those (including Bible-believing Christians) who are willing to speak out in opposition to this new vision.  As one of those being misrepresented, denigrated, and marginalized, I naturally find that quite frustrating. 

Far more significant than my own frustrations or feelings, however, is the real issue of misuse of power and the ignoble disservice that the Press is doing to our whole society, since (even still) so many people trust them to present "just the facts" in a clear and fair way.  And this our mainstream news media has not done, raising the question of whether they deserve our attention (many have suggested that in the age of blogs and internet news we can safely unplug from traditional mass media companies in favor of independents, but I believe there real downsides to simply 'disconnecting' from them).

But Rev. Fenton is correct, this was indeed a missed opportunity; for as long as the media is presenting skewed depictions of the various sides in any debate, true breakthroughs in understanding cannot be achieved.  But I fear that promoting true breakthroughs in understanding of other people and ideas, or of what is actually happening in our world is no longer especially important to the mainstream media.  'Spin' is the order of our day (both among left-leaning and right-leaning media outlets); and we all lose because of it.