The Anglican Cathedral of Second Life

So said Martin Luther King Jr on August 28th, 1963. He shared his dream with the crowd gathered at the Lincoln Memorial and inspired a generation.

King Nebuchanezzar had a dream but he chose not to share it. Instead he set his wise men the impossible task of telling him his dream and its interpretation. As they said to him, no man could do such a thing. Well, no man alone anyway. Daniel and his friends prayed to God and Daniel received the details of the dream and its interpretation.

In my reflection on Thursday at the 2pm service I shared what the interpretation is generally considered to mean in terms of the history of the world. Even if you disagree, there is still something to learn.

The readings were Daniel 2:31-45, Psalm 2 and Luke 21:5-11.

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There is an old Mexican tradition called Posada in which the young people of the community would dress up as Mary and Joseph and go from house to house in the village. They asked for a room for the night and announced to the people that Jesus was soon to be born. A full scale nativity play was then acted out on Christmas Eve at their church and the stable scene was completed with Mary and Joseph.

This tradition is celebrated nowadays with figures of Mary and Joseph being hosted in different places each night of Advent. When they stay in a place it offers a chance for a party for friends and family of the host. The form this takes varies but may include worship and carols and a telling of the message of Christmas and perhaps food and drink. It’s more important that it’s a time of gathering together than that it is something elaborate.

The Anglican Cathedral of Second Life is engaging with Posada this year and would like to invite you to offer a place to Mary and Joseph for a night. If you would like to help, please let Cady Enoch or Helene Milena know as soon as possible. The figures will be passed from host to host, starting at the Cathedral on Sunday 29th November (Advent Sunday) and finally arriving back at the Cathedral on Christmas Eve when they will be placed in our own stable scene.

If you host Mary and Joseph we can advertise any event you may be having via group notices and you will be able to use the group IM to remind members of the community of the event if you wish. It would be wonderful if you could take a photo of Mary and Joseph in your home, church or other venue and send it to Cady plus a brief diary entry of what happened that day.

Greetings all!

The Anglicans of Second Life Leadership Team is pleased to announce that five of our community members have accepted an invitation to become part of the Team!  Joining us are Joyous Schism and ZoeRose Eiren from the US, Able Shepherd from the UK, Charlie12string Lax from Australia and Patapon Monday from New Zealand.  With the benefit of their energy, talents and perspectives, it is our hope that the Leadership Team will be better able to meet the needs of our growing SL community.  Please join us in welcoming them!

Also, on Sunday, December 6, at noon SLT, we will hold a special service to commission our new Leadership Team members, as well as all those who serve in other ministries at the Cathedral, for the work to be done in the coming year.  We will also take the opportunity to thank those who have served in leadership positions over the past year.  Please make plans to join us if you are able!

This Sunday was the last in the Church year before the cycle begins again next Sunday with Advent, when we prepare for Christ’s coming as a baby and his second coming at the end of time. Despite Jesus’ humble beginnings as a human baby, despite spreading God’s word as a travelling rabbi without a home of his own, it was still possible for those who really looked at him to appreciate his kingship. Some found that more than they could cope with and so missed the wonderful opportunity of getting to know the King of kings. It’s the same for us today.

The reflection at both Sunday services in the Cathedral looked at Jesus through the eyes of Pontius Pilate. It should be read after reading the gospel for the day, John 18:33-37. The other readings were Psalm 93 and Revelation 1:4b-8.

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The Anglican Cathedral of Second Life is a wonderful piece of work, one which draws many people to admire it, many of whom are not Christians. It’s probably one of the jewels of Second Life. I am very aware of just how fortunate we are to have such a place as a focus for our ministry.

On Thursday at the 2pm SLT service I was musing about the possibility of having a patron saint for the Cathedral. It was the day we remember St Hilda (or Hild to give her the Old English name). She shone like a jewel in a time of change in the church in Britain, a time when Celtic and Roman traditions of Christianity existed side by side, causing difficulties. Maybe Hild would be a good patron saint, should we ever decide to have one for the Cathedral. See what you think when you read her story.

The readings were Psalm 112:1-9, Isaiah 26:1-11, Matthew 5:17-26.

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Over the centuries people have built wonderful buildings to worship God in. The Temple in Jerusalem was one of these and was very important to the Jews. Christians too have cathedrals which soar upwards and speak of the glory of God. It’s very easy to focus on the buildings, to depend on them for our security in our faith, but the security we need is found in Jesus. Depending on him allows us to cope when all around us is disturbed. It gives us a still centre, unaffected by circumstances.

The readings for the Pacific Rim service at 10pm SLT on Saturday were Psalm 16, Hebrews 10:11-14, 19-25, Mark 13:1-8. The reflection follows.

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If you know that something special is going to happen, you don’t want to miss it. You make sure you know the time and the place, or what route number to follow. The Pharisees were somewhat similar regarding the kingdom of God. First century Israel was full of anticipation of the Day of the Lord, when God would usher in his kingdom and the glory of the time of King David would be restored. Is there any wonder they went to Jesus to see if he could help them out? But Jesus told the Pharisees they were on the wrong track; there was no sign to watch out for to know the ‘when’ of the kingdom. In fact there wasn’t even a ‘where’ of the kingdom.

The readings were Psalm 146, Philemon 7-20, Luke 17:20-25. The reflection from the 2pm SLT service on Thursday follows.

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I wonder if you remember the character of Uriah Heep in David Copperfield, written by Charles Dickens. He epitomises the sort of insincere humility that could really annoy other people. Humility is a virtue to be cultivated by Christians. It was demonstrated by Jesus when he washed his disciples’ feet. The kind of humility expected is not at all like that of Uriah Heep but is sincere and is not secretly self-seeking as Uriah was.

To learn more read on. What follows is the reflection from the 2pm SLT service on Tuesday. The readings were Psalm 37:3-5, 30-32, Titus 2:1-8, 11-14, Luke 17:7-10.

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In many parts of the world, this weekend has been one to remember those who have fallen in war. Perhaps part of the challenge and the opportunity of being church in Second Life is that our traditions are not all the same in our real life churches and nations. Celebrating Remembrance Sunday might have seemed odd to some for whom this is not their normal tradition. However, people from around the world attended and read at the two Remembrance services which we held, one at 10pm SLT on Saturday for the Pacific Rim (and insomniacs elsewhere!) and one at noon SLT on Sunday for the UK, Europe and America. Many took the opportunity to wear a poppy on their lapel and to light a candle as a sign of their response to the sacrifice of many for our sakes. However unusual the service might have been for some, comments suggested that it spoke to many of those there in a very personal way and gave them food for thought. There is definitely value in sharing and learning from the traditions of others.

The readings were Psalm 62:5-end, Hebrews 9:24-end, Mark 1:14-20. The reflection follows.

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It’s possible to see the wonders of creation and acknowledge the existence of a Creator. The vastness of creation and the mystery of God can make us feel small and insignificant. We may find that we hold God at arm’s length as a result. However, Christians believe that God is a personal God and that in order to relate to us with understanding, he came in the person of Jesus Christ to live a human life and to die for us. The fact that God cares for each one of us so much that he is prepared to seek us out  is staggering but true.

The readings at the 2pm SLT service on Thursday were Psalm 8, Romans 14:7-12, Luke 15:1-10.

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