Jackson Community Church

Summit, Spirit, Sky: connect to community and creation!

SUNDAY, Oct 17

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Calendar, Home, Music, WorshipTagged , , , , ,

Water as part of our origin story, as element of chaos, danger, and destruction, and places of crossing and transition

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Unable to perceive the shape of you, I find you all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with your love. It humbles my heart, for you are everywhere. — Hakim Sinai, Sufi poet

They both listened silently to the water, which to them was not just water, but the voice of life, the voice of Being, the voice of perpetual Becoming. ― Hermann Hesse

All water is holy water. ― Rajiv Joseph

No water, no life. No blue, no green. – Sylvia Earle 

… again and again a new land edge emerges a new people emerges where race and class and death and life and water and tears and loss and life and death destruction and life and tears compassion and loss and a fire stolen bus rumbles toward you all directions wherever you are alive still
— Juan Felipe Herrera

  “The Water said to the dirty one, “Come here.” The dirty one said, “I am too ashamed.” The water replied, “How will your shame be washed away without me?”
— attributed to Rumi

SONGS about WATER:

Water Resources:

Water Themes in Scripture:

Mythology of Water:

Water —  Ralph Waldo Emerson
The water understands Civilization well;
It wets my foot, but prettily,
It chills my life, but wittily,
It is not disconcerted,
It is not broken-hearted:
Well used, it decketh joy,
Adorneth, doubleth joy:
Ill used, it will destroy,
In perfect time and measure
With a face of golden pleasure
Elegantly destroy.

The Water Diviner— Dannie Abse  
Late, I have come to a parched land
doubting my gift, if gift I have,
the inspiration of water spilt,
swallowed in the sand.  
To hear once more water trickle,
to stand in a stretch of silence
the divining pen twisting in the hand:
sign of depths alluvial.  
Water owns no permanent shape,
sags, is most itself descending;
now, under the shadow of the idol,
dry mouth and dry landscape.  
No rain falls with a refreshing sound
to settle tubular in a well, elliptical in a bowl.
No grape lusciously moulds it round.  
Clouds have no constant resemblance to anything,
blown by a hot wind, flying mirages;
the blue background, light constructions of chance.  
To hold back chaos
I transformed amorphous mass—and fire and cloud—
so that the agèd gods
might dance and golden structures form.  
I should have built, plain brick on brick, a water tower.
The sun flies on arid wastes, barren hells
too warm and me with a hazel stick!  
Rivulets vanished in the dust long ago,
great compositions vaporized,
salt on the tongue so thick that drinking, still I thirst.  
Repeated desert, recurring drought,
sometimes hearing water trickle, sometimes not,
I, by doubting first, believe; believing, doubt.  

WATER REFLECTIONS

Water is the driving force of all nature. — Leonardo da Vinci

Nothing is softer or more flexible than water, yet nothing can resist it. — Lao Tzu 

We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one. — Jacques Yves Cousteau

In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans. — Kahlil Gibran

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. – Heraclitus

The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea. — Isak Dinesen

Thousands have lived without love, not one without water. — W. H. Auden 

A drop of water, if it could write out its own history, would explain the universe to us. – Lucy Larcom

Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land. – Luna Leopold

Water is the mother of the vine, the nurse and fountain of fecundity, the adorner and refresher of the world. – Charles Mackay

You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” – Rabindranath Tagore

Water is the most perfect traveller because when it travels it becomes the path itself! ― Mehmet Murat ildan

I believe that water is the closest thing to a god we have here on Earth. We are in awe of its power and majestic beauty. We are drawn to it as if it’s a magical, healing force. We gestate in water, are made of water, and need to drink water to live. We are living in water.― Alex Z. Moores

Water sustains all.– Thales of Miletus

To put your hands in a river is to feel the chords that bind the earth together. —Barry Lopez

Water is fluid, soft and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong. – Lau Tzu

Water Water Water Wind Water
— Juan Felipe Herrera

for New Orleans and the people of the Gulf Coast

water water water wind water
across the land shape of a torn heart
new orleans waves come louisiana the waves come
alabama wind calls alabama
and the roofs blow across red clouds
inside the divine spiral there is a voice
inside the voice there is light water wind fire smoke
the bodies float and rise  
kind flames bow down and
move across the skies
never seen blackish red bluish bruised
water rises houses fall
the child the elders the mothers underwater
who will live who will rise
the windows fill with the howling
where is the transfusion
where is the lamp
who who in the wet night jagged in the oil  
waves come the lakes loosen their sultry shape
it is the shape of a lost hand a wing
broken casinos in biloxi
become carnations across the sands
and the woman in the wheelchair
descends her last breath
a rose in the razor rain uptown on mansion hill
even the million dollar house bows
in the negative shade
someone is afloat
a family dissolves the nation disappears
neighborhoods fade across lost streets
the police dressed in newspapers flutter
toward nothingness moons who goes there  
under our floors filtered wooden stars
towels and glass gasoline coffins
the skin of trees and jalopy tires
fish bebop dead from the zoo
the dogs half drag
ward number nine
miss Symphony Spikes and mrs. Hardy Johnson
the new plankton new algae
of the nameless stroll in the dark
ask the next question about kindness
then there is a bus a taxi a hearse a helicopter a rescue team
a tiny tribe of nine year olds
separating the waters the oils and ashes
hear the song of splinters and blood
tree sap machine oil and old jazz trumpeters z’s and x’s
raffia skirts and jujube hats and
a father man holds the hand of his lover
saying take care of the children
let me go now let me stumble
stumble nowhere
drink this earth liquor
going in petals  
stadiums and looters celebrities cameras cases more water cases
again and again a new land edge emerges
a new people emerges where race and class
and death and life and water and tears and loss and life
and death destruction and life and tears
compassion and loss and a fire stolen bus rumbles
toward you all directions
wherever you are alive still

FRI, OCT 15 – SUN, OCT 17

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Calendar, HomeTagged , , , , , , , , ,

FRI, Oct 15

  • Community Resource: LIBRARY OPEN
    2-5pm • Jackson Library
    • Return to full hours of Tu&Th 10-7, W&F 2-5, Sa 10-2. We will continue to close on Sunday for the time being.
    • Masks and distance will be strictly required while in the building. If you’re unable to mask, you can still take advantage of our pickup or delivery service – simply let us know what you need.
    • One family at a time in the kids room.
    • Bathrooms and meeting room remain closed.
    • Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
  • Community Event: JHOM HOUSING TASK FORCE
    10:30am •Virtual
    Rev Gail and members of housing task force participate.
  • C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS 
    5pm • Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83028442916
    Or call on touch-tone phone:  929.436.2866, Meeting ID: 830 2844 2916
    Gather virtually to discuss scripture and explore art images associated with the text.
  • Community Event: SHABBAT SERVICE
    6pm • In-Person @ Bethlehem Hebrew Congregation Sanctuary & Via Zoom
    To join us on Zoom, please register here: bhcsynagogue1920@gmail.com
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Wildcat Tavern: Al Shafner • 6-9pm
    • Shannon Door: Bobby Sheehan • 6-9pm
    • Shovel Handle Pub: Randy Messineo • 6-9pm
    • Red Parka Pub: Riley Parkhurst Project • 8-11pm

SAT, Oct 16

  • UCC Event: NH UCC ANNUAL MEETING
    9am-Noon • Virtual
    Registration to attend is closed. Rev Gail served on planning committee for this event and its affiliated worship.
  • Community Volunteer Opportunity: WINDOW DRESSERS WINDOW INSERT ASSEMBLY (Tin Mountain program, benefits Way Station participants among others)
    Settlers Green, North Conway Sign Up link: https://signup.com/go/dzUfCVW (you will see the volunteer options, days, times and tasks)
    • If you have trouble using the Sign Up form or have any questions, please email Nora Dufilho at nbeem@tinmountain.org.  
    • Note: All build participants will be required to be masked during the build, regardless of vaccination status. We will be spacing work stations as much as possible and encourage build participants to sign up for shifts with household members.
    • The Tin Mountain Energy Team is working with the non-profit Window Dressers to build simple, tight, pine frame insulation frames for leaky windows to cut down heat loss in winter. 
    • We are looking for volunteers to help construct frames as well as help wrap and finish them at our community build in North Conway October 16-20. V
    • olunteers will be trained and do not need a specific skill set, although a familiarity with a power drill is helpful for frame construction. Tasks may include staple guns and blow dryers.
    • Sign Up link: https://signup.com/go/dzUfCVW (you will see the volunteer options, days, times and tasks)
    • This is a pilot program, and the first year of hosting a build in the valley, and we are excited to host this barn raising style community workshop.
    • Tin Mountain encourages folks to sign up for the frame assembly and insert wrapping station, but if you are interested in providing snacks, we appreciate any and all participation.
  • Community Event: Upper Saco Valley Land Trust – DUNDEE PAST & FUTURE WALK
    9am • Dundee Rd: Space is limited; reservations required. Please email info@usvlt.org to register.
    The Dundee Road history walk is back by popular demand. Board members Peter Benson and Anne Pillion will lead a walking tour of the Dundee Community Forest project area, which encompasses fields and forests that were once a thriving farming community. Explore its history, and forces both economic and environmental that brought transitions to the landscape. We’ll walk along Dundee Road from the location of the former Dame House to the Ham House with a little exploring in the woods, too, to find old cellar holes and stone walls. Space is limited; reservations required. Please email info@usvlt.org to register.
  • Community Resource: LIBRARY OPEN
    10am-2pm • Jackson Library
    • Return to full hours of Tu&Th 10-7, W&F 2-5, Sa 10-2. We will continue to close on Sunday for the time being.
    • Masks and distance will be strictly required while in the building. If you’re unable to mask, you can still take advantage of our pickup or delivery service – simply let us know what you need.
    • One family at a time in the kids room.
    • Bathrooms and meeting room remain closed.
    • Contact the library for additional help: 603.383.9731 or by email: staff@jacksonlibrary.org
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Wildcat Tavern: Jonathan Sarty • 6-9pm
    • Shannon Door: Jeremy Holden • 7-10pm
    • Red Parka Pub: Diana’s Bath Salts • 8-11pm

SUN, Oct 17

  • INTERFAITH GATHERING
    8am • Pavilion & Zoom link required
    Poetry and conversation outside. Join us. Bring your own hot beverage on cold mornings!
  • CHOIR REHEARSAL
    9am • Zoom link required
  • YOUTH PROGRAM – Baptism Theme
    9:15am • JCC / In-person
  • VIRTUAL WORSHIP & IN-PERSON
    10:30am •  In-person and/or Zoom link required
    • Join us for worship with music, scripture, prayer and reflection.
    • Live music by Alan Labrie
    • Message with Rev Gail Doktor
    • Remembrance for Judy Shuman by daughter Dawn Shuman
    • Outdoor reception (if weather and volunteer coordination permits)
    • In-person attendance requires social distancing, masking, masking is required for non-vaccinated individuals (additional precautions may be changed based on COVID stats and CDC guidelines).
    • Service will also be live-streamed to website and Facebook (if technology supports this function on the day of event). Afterward, recordings of worship service will be posted to Facebook, Vimeo.com channel & Youtube.com channel.
  • Community Volunteer Opportunity: WINDOW DRESSERS WINDOW INSERT ASSEMBLY (Tin Mountain program, benefits Way Station participants among others)
    Settlers Green, North Conway Sign Up link: https://signup.com/go/dzUfCVW (you will see the volunteer options, days, times and tasks)
    • If you have trouble using the Sign Up form or have any questions, please email Nora Dufilho at nbeem@tinmountain.org.  
    • Note: All build participants will be required to be masked during the build, regardless of vaccination status. We will be spacing work stations as much as possible and encourage build participants to sign up for shifts with household members.
    • The Tin Mountain Energy Team is working with the non-profit Window Dressers to build simple, tight, pine frame insulation frames for leaky windows to cut down heat loss in winter. 
    • We are looking for volunteers to help construct frames as well as help wrap and finish them at our community build in North Conway October 16-20. V
    • olunteers will be trained and do not need a specific skill set, although a familiarity with a power drill is helpful for frame construction. Tasks may include staple guns and blow dryers.
    • Sign Up link: https://signup.com/go/dzUfCVW (you will see the volunteer options, days, times and tasks)
    • This is a pilot program, and the first year of hosting a build in the valley, and we are excited to host this barn raising style community workshop.
    • Tin Mountain encourages folks to sign up for the frame assembly and insert wrapping station, but if you are interested in providing snacks, we appreciate any and all participation.
  • Community Event: TIN MOUNTAIN: Fantastic Fungi I Have Known and Loved
    11:45am • Space is limited and registration is required. Call 447-6991 or click here to register online.
    Currently full. You can call the Center (603-447-6991) to be placed on a wait list. Join mycologist Dr. Rick Van de Poll the field session follow up to his evening program, covering the fantastic (and infamous) fungi of New Hampshire. The guided walk on Sunday will infect the beginner and the practiced amateur with fun-filled facts about our most mysterious kingdom of organisms on the planet!
  • Community Events: MUSIC AROUND TOWN
    • Shannon Door: Bobby Sheehan &Jeremy Holden • 6-9pm
    • Shovel Handle Pub: Scott Baer  • 6-9pm
    • Red Parka Pub: Blue Sunday with Hambone • 5-8:30pm
  • UCC Event: NH United Church of Christ Conference: VIRTUAL STATEWIDE WORSHIP
    Available All Day • Links to be released over the weekend.

Friday, October 15 @ 5pm – C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home

Friday, October 15
5pm – C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS

C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS (zoom link required)

TORAH: WATER in CREATION, CHAOS & CROSSINGS

Genesis 1: 1-2, 9-10
            In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.            9 And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 7: 11, 18-19, 8:1, 9:15
            In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life … on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 7:18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.
            8:1 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded.
            9:15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.

Exodus 14: 21-22
            21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Exodus 17:6
            6 Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.

TORAH WATER CROSSINGS

Deuteronomy 8:7-9
            7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; 8 a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; 9 a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing…

Joshua 3:12-13, 15-17           
12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
          15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away…. So the people crossed over ….
           17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

2 Kings 2:1, 7-8, 11, 13-14
            When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind … Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it.  The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground…. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind … Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

Scroll to top