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Yonder is the great and wide sea, with its living creatures too many to number, creatures both small and great. And there is that Leviathan which you made for the sport of it. (Psalm 104:26-27)

My first year here, my son Tom and I were invited to go to the tidepools at Abalone Cove. I’d never been to tidepools before and didn’t know what to expect. I could not have imagined the abundance and variety of life that exists in those shallow pools of water. There were anemones, sea urchins, mussels, several different-looking octopi, teeny-tiny crabs, and hermit crabs; there were certainly other types that I didn’t see and/or can’t remember. In the air, there were terns, gulls, and pelicans, and there was a pod of dolphins out in the ocean.

I too often forget that God is a creator, indeed, is THE CREATOR of ALL things. The Psalmist wrote, “There is that Leviathan which you have made for the sport of it” (1979 Book of Common Prayer). The King James Version of the Bible says, “There is that Leviathan, that thou hast made to PLAY therein [caps added for emphasis],” while the New International Version uses the word frolic instead of play, and the New American Standard Bible says, “have fun.” God made the Leviathan for sport, for play, to frolic and have fun.

The Leviathan was a giant sea-serpent or dragon and was often equated with evil and/or the adversary. It appears four other times in the Old Testament; one other time in the Psalms, once in Isaiah, and twice in Job. Why would God make a destructive beast for fun and frolicking? Context makes all the difference. The Psalmist is writing about how God has made all things, how wonderful creation is, and how all the creatures look to God for their food and comfort. ALL of the creatures, Leviathan included. Even the big, scary dragon looks to God for its food in due season.

I like thinking of God as a creator; it makes God seem more approachable and relatable. It’s even better to think of God as making things for the fun of it—of taking joy in all that she creates. God is unfathomable; there is no understanding him. But we get a sense of her through the lens of scripture, the revelation of nature, and our relationships with one another. God takes joy in her creation.

I like to think of God making the dinosaurs, whales, and mastodons, enormous creatures that inspire fear and trembling. But it’s also cool to think of God finding ways to fill the tidepools with tiny awe-inspiring creatures. We are surrounded by God’s creation; even in the middle of the city, there are dandelions coming up through the cracks in the sidewalks, squirrels fighting over french-fries, and pigeons vying against crows and gulls for everything the squirrels miss. God made all of it, for the fun of it.

The Rev. Jason Shelby
Rector
jason.shelby@stfrancispalosverdes.org

Header image:
Wikimedia Commons, “Destruction of Leviathan” by Gustav Doré. Public domain PD-US.

I am going to miss our discerner, Cara Nilsen. We both like Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and art; she lived in Indiana—on purpose—for four years while in college. From the very start, our conversations were both fluid and wide-ranging, hopping from tangent to tangent until we realized how far we were from the start and how long we’d been talking. We could discuss difficult topics honestly and without fear, and she challenged several of my viewpoints respectfully but pointedly, and I grew because of it.

When she arrived at St. Francis, she seamlessly fit in from the very start. She unabashedly loves Jesus and the liturgy of the church (though the two are not mutually exclusive), and was eager to learn all that she could, from preaching to altar guild to attending vestry meetings. She gladly took on the role of teacher, co-leading a class with Shelley Reece about the Women’s Lectionary by Wilda Gafney, and helping Deacon Celeste on Sundays with the “Who is Jesus” class between services. She is an incredible student and servant, and we were blessed to have her with us.

Unfortunately, Cara and I never got around to talking about Lord of the Rings or Star Wars (though we did talk about art quite a bit). However, Cara did give me some amazing vintage Star Wars stickers that she’d received as a child (see picture above the article). These stickers have been across the country, packed and unpacked, put in storage, on a truck, unboxed, placed somewhere safe, lost, found again…and now they are mine, safe and sound in a secure location known only to me. The stickers are cool—look at the picture again if you doubt it—but her willingness to let them go after all this time is an incredible gift. That exuberant act of kindness is who Cara is. She is already a minister and pastor—as are so many people in our congregation—and she will be an amazing priest when she is ordained.

I am incredibly grateful that we had the privilege of walking with her for this part of her journey towards the priesthood. She will be missed, but I am excited to see where she goes from here, and she knows that if she ever wants to come back, there is always a place for her here at St. Francis.

The Rev. Jason Shelby
Rector

Guest Reflection by Cara Kilsen

I never tire of catching that magical view of the ocean as I drive into the lower parking lot of St. Francis, as I have over the past nine months. Often, after exiting my car, I walk to the edge of the lot to linger for a few minutes looking out before walking up the steps to the church campus. It’s a gorgeous view, but I think part of the allure of looking out to sea is the sense of expansiveness and the wild unknown. Those descriptors happen to feel very apt when applied to my Discernment journey.

For any who may not know, or may not be clear on the particulars, I have been spending these last 9 months at St. Francis as part of my “Diocesan Discernment Year” (DDY). Several years ago, I started to feel a call toward a deeper ministry of some kind, possibly of the ordained variety. With the blessing of my rector and parish at St. Luke’s in Long Beach, I entered into the Discernment process. One of the steps, as set out by our governing diocese, is to be sent for a year to another parish that is “different” from one’s home parish. When it came time for that step, I was assigned here to St. Francis. It is, indeed, different at St. Francis from St. Luke’s. Some of you graciously volunteer at the Shower Program at St. Luke’s and have a sense from that of the very different communities and needs of these two churches. I am very, very grateful for the chance to reflect on my own call through the opportunity of a different lens offered by my experience here at St. Francis. The same way that looking at an artwork-in-progress from across the room can clarify important insight to an artist, looking at ministry from the vantage point of another church community has helped me to better understand what serving and loving a particular body of believers means.

I have been so deeply touched by the model of Christ-like community that I have been able to observe here. I had a few nerves about how I might fit into this church, and my experience has far exceeded my expectations. I feel absolutely blessed by the authenticity and generosity I have overwhelmingly felt at St. Francis. I can really spiral into self-doubt about my capabilities, and my time spent here has been utterly transformative in helping me to gain confidence that I may actually have something to offer in ministry, together in a loving community, and with the grace and help of our wild and expansive, and utterly loving God.

In particular, I must thank Reverend Jason for saying “yes” when the Diocese called (with very little notice!) and for being such an amazing mentor to me. His warmth and generosity, knowledge, humility, humor, and deep devotion to Christ and the Church have been a treasure to me. I also must thank my wonderful lay discernment committee: Holly Valiquette, John Bukowski, Kristen Pela, Jill Lynch, and Mark Hamilton. These individuals gave me so much of their time and hearts, coming alongside me in exploring my sense of call. Shelley Reece, Missioner of Youth and Programming, has been a rock and the best co-leader I could wish for in the weekly Women’s Lectionary Study. I also want to thank Elaine Mistele in the church office, who has always been ready to chat about my journey with warmth and curiosity. There are many others I haven’t named who have touched me deeply during my time here. To all of you, thank you!

May 24 will be my last Sunday at St. Francis, after which I’ll be back at St. Luke’s. As far as what’s next in my Discernment journey, much of it is still unknown. Seminary is hopefully on the horizon, along with Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), perhaps at a hospital. I want to remain open to wherever God may be leading my wife, Leah, and me. I know that God intends whatever it is for the good. I also know I will continue to carry with me the people of St. Francis who have become part of my heart.

Cara Nilsen
Diocesan Discerner

This past Monday through Wednesday, I was at the Mission Inn in Riverside for the Diocese of Los Angeles’ annual Clergy Conference. Our program this year was Sacred Resistance, led by the Rev. Dr. Francisco Garcia. It began with a talk from Bishop Taylor, who spoke about the importance of being strong witnesses to Christ’s reconciling love for the world. He reminded us of the centrality of the Golden Rule and how we are to always respond in love, especially to those who hate us. He nicely set the stage for the rest of the program.

Our first session was called Courage to Be…Actually Christian in the Face of Cruelty and Confusion. In this session, we spoke about Story and Story Telling, and how the stories we tell about ourselves and others shape the ways we feel we ought to act. But stories also can inspire us to have the courage to act in ways that scare us but reflect the love and light of Christ.

Session two was called Being Good News and Sharing Good News. We explored the people, institutions, and moments in our lives that shaped us, for good and ill. We then looked more deeply at the experiences we are proud of as leaders and members of the larger community and how race, class/labor, gender/sexuality, immigration, politics, and faith have shaped us and informed the ways we interact with the world. Our last question for reflection asked: Who are your people? What do they/you care about and why, and what’s the story you would tell about this?

The third session was a little like chewing on aluminum foil: Prophesy My People! Getting Pentecostal even though we’re Episcopalians. Just the title made me want to go back to my room or out for a cup of coffee. But the Rev. Dr. Garcia wasn’t talking about clapping with the music or using fog machines, but rather a Biblical notion of Pentecostal—who are we, and can we speak/hear in one shared language. While there are many things that divide us, it’s God’s endless love for all people that binds us together.

Our final session was titled Sacred Resistance is all of Us: Responding to the Fierce Urgency of Now. We were asked what urgent challenge we as individuals would call on the church to face, the consequences of action or inaction, and what we could achieve if we do act. Our last question was what action would we call upon others to join us in taking?

It was a good program, and we had time to think and discuss foundational questions. It was all centered on Christ and our Baptismal Covenant, which draws heavily from Matthew 25 and Luke 10 (“Whatever you have done unto the least of these,” and the Good Samaritan, respectively). How can the church be the hands and feet of Christ in today’s broken and hurting world, and more to the point, will we do so wholeheartedly?

The Rev. Jason Shelby
Rector
jason.shelby@stfrancispalosverdes.org

Too often, we forget just how radical Jesus was; we paint a soft picture of Jesus as a nice guy, bending down to teach little children about God’s Kingdom. Nice guys don’t do what Jesus did; nice guys are too worried about being nice to upset anyone. Jesus wasn’t a nice guy; He was a good guy, good beyond anyone else in this world.

We shouldn’t be asking what would Jesus do, but rather we should be thinking about what He did, and asking ourselves, what did He ask us to do? He did not ask us to be nice, but he did ask us to be good, to love God and to love our neighbor.

Loving God and our neighbor means that sometimes we will have to forsake being nice in order to be good. But we are not called to do what Jesus did. There is only one Jesus, and only Jesus could do what He did. Asking ourselves to do what Jesus did places us in the role of savior, not of the saved. We are none of us saviors, but we are all saved.

The tomb is empty, and sin and death are destroyed. Not through anything we did, but through God’s only Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is our Lord, our leader, our God; He is in charge, which we forget all too often. He has asked us to love God and to love our neighbor; what are we doing to follow His command?

The Rev. Jason Shelby
Rector

Should we keep politics out of church? Should we keep all politics out of church? What are we defining as political? What is political? Are national holidays too political for church? Should we acknowledge Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day? Should we pray for political leaders? Should we have the American flag in the church?

Is it acceptable to talk about historical political events and times, such as the Roman Empire? How close can we come to the present without angering people?

If we preach the gospel, and never say a word about political parties or platforms, will people pay attention to what is being said? Is loving our neighbor too abstract a notion to apply to everyday life? What about respecting the dignity of every human being? Can we make these bold claims in church—that we will seek and serve Christ in all people with God’s help, and work to follow through during the week?

Do we come to church to be challenged in our faith—to strengthen our resolve—or do we come to be reassured that no matter how much we ignore God’s word we are still loved? How do we strengthen our faith? Can faith be strengthened?

Why do you come to church? What is church to you? Who is Christ to you? What would Jesus say about the state of the modern church? What would he say about our church? How are we supporting one another in our faith? Are we holding each other accountable? Are we genuinely working to way only what is useful for building people up? Are we living as the people we were made to be?

“Do not fret yourself over evildoers; do not be jealous of those who do wrong. For they shall soon wither like the grass, and like the green grass fade away.

Put your trust in the Lord and do good.

Dwell in the land and feed on its riches. Take delight in the Lord, and he shall give you your heart’s desire. Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass. He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noon day.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil,” (Psalm 37:1-9, BCP 1979).

The Rev. Jason Shelby
Rector