AnnMarie Kneebone

Peace In Christ

2011-12-09T14:04:00.000-08:00

Mark 4:35 – 5:1
On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took Jesus with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" Jesus woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. Jesus said to his disciples, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes.

Philippians 4:2 – 7
I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche (Sin’-ta-key) to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Today is the second Sunday of Advent – Peace Sunday. Out of all the Sundays of Advent I think this is the most challenging to wrap my mind around. Peace. What does peace mean? And what does it mean for us to have peace in Christ.

In the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” But in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

Jesus did not come to be the King who conquers enemies and to take over a region of land. Jesus does claim that his presence will divide households. There will be those who believe in him and those who don’t in one household. There will be some in one household who believe in Jesus one way and some who believe in Jesus in another. The incarnation of our Christ did not settle these kinds of disputes. We still have wars, fighting, factions, and oppression. Jesus did not rally an army. He rallied a band of healers and insisted that his followers need to lay down their lives for the oppressed.

This is a radical notion of love. It is a radical notion of peace. The way of Jesus is to create peace by not fighting. It is to love when you are hated. Being committed to this way of life ruffles feathers and can actually make people become violent against you. It is also a difficult life to sustain. We can get weary of well doing. Galatians 6 says, “8 If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” Paul writes this to the Galatians probably because they are growing weary and they need to be reminded to not grow weary. It is so much easier to go along with the greed and violence of the world. Paul tells his people … and us … to continue sowing in the Spirit. Do not give up.

Sometimes we need to see something with our eyes to encourage us. In our reading in Mark we see the disciples with Jesus in a boat during a bad storm. Apparently Jesus is a sound sleeper but the disciples are preparing for their death. They wake Jesus and he calms the storm with his words, but before going back to sleep he chastises them. "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" This is one of the few times that Jesus makes circumstances more convenient. Usually he is willing to let the chips fall where they may. Maybe he is taking pity on his friends because he loves them. Or maybe he is just too tired to use this as an elaborate teaching moment. Either way, we see the power of Jesus, the kinds of miracles that he can perform, and the choice of miracle that he makes. He calls for peace. He commands stillness.

This voice of Jesus is one that I think we would do well to heed for our own internal storms. As we work for external peace in the radical way of Jesus, we also need to work on our internal peace. In fact, I think that the reason we often cannot sustain the work of being Jesus’ hands and feet and eyes and life here on this earth is because we have not taken the time and effort to let Jesus be our peace within.

Our reading from the letter to the Philippians could have been easily used next week when we celebrate Joy in Christ, but what caught my eye for this week was Paul’s instruction to not worry. Paul tells us that after we make supplication to God with thanksgiving we can find peace, a peace that passes our understanding – what I call a peace that doesn’t make sense.

Paul doesn’t say that we will have peace once God answers our prayers. It is in the turning over of our concerns to God that will result in peace. Not a peace of situation, but a peace that “will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Rejoice in God. Celebrate God. Don’t give yourself to worry but instead pray. Do these things and you will experience a peace that your mind won’t understand. Don’t analyze this peace. Don’t deny yourself this peace because it is beyond your understanding … because it doesn’t make sense. Give yourself to it.

This is what Jesus was talking about in the Gospel of John when he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

When we look for peace that our minds can understand then we might miss the peace that Jesus has to offer us. It is a hard-fought peace. We have to recognize our fears, not pretend that we don’t have any. Once we recognize those fears we have to give ourselves to God in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, and then we have to look steely-eyed into our own internal storm and say with Jesus, “Peace. Be still.” I have found no other way to experience this “peace that doesn’t make sense.” It is part faith, part act-of-will and part surrender. It doesn’t happen all at once. This is a process that goes deeper and deeper all our lives.

The best metaphor that I have for this peace is in a story that my dad told me. I hope you aren’t getting tired of hearing my dad stories. My father was in the navy in WWII. He was an underwater bomb demolition expert; a strong fearless man who could hold his breath up to 3 minutes. The oxygen tanks that they had back then were clumsy so they routinely went down in relays. They were on a small ship. He says it was the kind that knocks your kidneys loose. Well, one day they got into a bad storm. Jesus was not laying on a cushion in the back of the ship. One after another the men on the ship were getting sick. My dad was one of the few left able to do anything so he took the helm. The wind was whipping them around something fierce. He had to head straight into the storm as it overtook them. He told me that he thought for sure they were all headed to Davy Jones's Locker. After a day and a half they got through the storm and he tells me the sea was as smooth as glass and that the wind was still. It was like a perfect day. And then they realized that what they were in was the eye of a hurricane. He knew that the other side of the hurricane was going to overtake them in a matter of time. He was at the helm for three days total not knowing if they were going to make it alive. But in the middle of it all there was a calm and a peace that he hadn’t know before and hasn’t known since. All around him a storm was raging, but in the eye of the hurricane you wouldn’t know it.

Once I asked him why they didn’t just stay there, in the eye, until the storm calmed and they could safely move on. He laughed and said that the storm was moving way to fast. They didn’t go through the storm. The storm went through them. He had no choice but to try to steer the ship as strategically as possible and then hang on.

People of God, I think the peace of Christ is like a hurricane. In the center of the raging storm you can find peace. It is hard-fought and you sometimes have to steer strategically to get there. But in the center of it all there is a peace that is beyond anything else you have experienced. Some people will think you are crazy because it doesn’t make sense. They are looking from the outside in and they see the raging wind and water. You will have been through all that storm and know the truth of it, but if you can find the center, unlike the hurricane my dad was in, I believe you can ride out the storm in Christ’s peace.

This is the second Sunday of Advent. Jesus is our Immanuel … God-With-Us … Our Prince of Peace.

Hope In Christ

2011-11-27T15:56:00.000-08:00

Texts: Psalm 33:13-22 and Matthew 12:9 - 21

Happy Advent! Today we are celebrating HOPE. The One who fashions our hearts and observes all our deeds is our Hope. Psalm 33 cautions us that our own strength and our own wiles are not enough. Our hope is to be in the steadfast love of God.

What we are talking about today is big hope. Not little hopes that are more like wishes, but big hopes. Life hopes. Hopes that are born out of the gnawing concerns in our souls. Hopes that are created by amazing promises of things like Eternal Life. Hopes for a future in this world. This is what we are talking about today. These hopes are not mere wishes attached to a fantasy, but foundations of our existence … of our lives.

Our hopes … the foundation of our future … is found in the steadfast love of God. We may be strong. We may be smart. We may be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. But our hope, what we count on, must be in the steadfast love of God.

The story in Matthew that we read takes it a step further. Jesus is healing people and getting into trouble with the authorities. He’s trying to keep a low profile, healing as many people as he can. His calling is to bring wholeness to those that he encounters. Jesus is the beloved of God, whose Spirit rests upon him. This story ends with, “in his name the Gentiles will hope." Even though he is performing miraculous healings, we are told that it is in the name of Jesus that hope will be found. The name alone evokes a hope in us that is beyond all the miracles he performed. Jesus the healer; Jesus, the one who brings wholeness; Jesus, the one who offers a future; Jesus, the one who reaches outside of his own circle and offers hope to the Gentiles.

The season of Advent is a time of active waiting and reflecting. This week as we wait, let us reflect on hope. What does it mean to us that our hope is in Christ? How does that come to bear on our lives? Is it an ethereal wispy hope or is it a concrete hope that shapes the decisions that we make? Is it both? Can our hope in Christ be active in the realms of the mysterious and mystical as well as in our flesh and bone existence? Is mystery just as concrete as the stuff we can touch? I believe it is.

Our hope in Christ lives in our spirits and becomes manifested in the way we live our lives. It can move us forward and reveal to us from one day to the next how the Holy Spirit is abiding within us. Whether we are sick or healthy, poor or rich, weak or powerful, we move forward from one day to the next until the day we die. How we move forward and what propels us is something we can control. If our hope is in our own strength or wisdom, if it lives in our accomplishments, then it is fragile and can be crushed. If our hope is in our strength and we become weak or ill, then our hope becomes weak and ill. If hope lives in power and we are beaten or oppressed, then our hope is beaten and overcome. If our hope lives in our power and we maintain our power, then it feels like our hope is strong but the truth is that our power is only as powerful as our next conquest. Relying on some manifestation of our strength or health is not living in true hope – it is living in conquest and control. Our hope is to be in the steadfast love of the Lord.

The Big Hope – the foundation of our future, what we count on – is more than circumstantial. It is more than Jesus’ healings and miracles, it is in the essence of who Jesus is. It is Jesus as Christ. That might seem esoteric or flimsy, but because of who Jesus is, this gives our hope more substance than we can even imagine. Jesus is the one who was, who is, and who is to come. Jesus was in the beginning and nothing was created without him. This is the one we call the Christ.

Moving through life day by day with Christ as our hope means digging deep to build a solid foundation. Philippians 4:12 and 13 says, “I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In other words, the essence of my strength is not derived from my health or fitness, from my status or influence. It is the strength that comes through my relationship with Jesus that gives me my solid foundation.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. No merit of my own I claim but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

It is important for us to remember from whence our hope comes. When we are well fed and have power, do we remember that our true foundation is in the steadfast love of God and in the hope of Christ? If we do, then we will be more apt to not abuse what power we have and not take for granted our needs and wants being met. When we are powerless, hungry, or sick do we remember that our true foundation is in the steadfast love of God and in the hope of Christ? If we do, then our Big Hope will not be crushed by our circumstances even if our smaller hopes are.

Finally, as we reflect on hope this week I want to ask you to consider the children in our lives. Where do they see your hope coming from? Do they see you relying on the love of God and Christ? Do they see you relying on your circumstances and your strength? Do they know there is a difference between big hopes and smaller hopes and wishes?

Kids are not fooled easily. Even if they can’t articulate the incongruity that they see in our lives they will see it and it will teach them their core values.

Big Hopes have to do with our future. We want to build our future and this church on a solid foundation – on the love of God and on Jesus our Christ. If this is what we want, then we have to make sure that we are living out this truth and teaching it to the kids. To quote some lyrics from the Dixie Chicks, “Our children are watching us. They put their trust in us. They're gonna be like us.”

Like Paul said, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. If we live relying on the strength of Christ rather than our own strength, the kids will see it and learn it. They will learn humility, confidence, gentleness, faith, and most importantly love. We need to live our faith openly and continue to learn how to hope in God’s love and in Jesus’ name if we want our children to live faithful lives with a solid foundation.

This week reflect on from whence your hope comes. Think about the steadfast love of God. And ponder the hope that is in the name of Jesus, who we are waiting on to celebrate the glorious mystery of the incarnation of God in Christ.

2011-11-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Texts: Deuteronomy 8:7 – 18 and 2 Timothy 1:1 – 18

Timothy came from a family of faith-filled women. Paul draws on that to inspire him to continue in the faith and to rekindle the gift of God that is within him. He wants Timothy to lean on his ancestors and move toward his future.

The writer of Deuteronomy is saying something similar to the people of God. “Remember the Lord your God, for it is God who gives you power to get wealth, so that God may confirm the covenant that was sworn to your ancestors, as God is doing today.”

We are here, in this building, because many years ago a group of people decided they wanted to worship God together. They put together their resources and started a community of faith. The building they built has gone through changes. The founders of this church have long gone to be in the Roll Call of the Saints. And the world is a very different place from the world that they knew.

Farther back than the founders of the church that worshiped in this building are the ancestors of faith to whom God has sworn the covenant. We are here today because of God’s covenant to us from long ago. In the Old Testament we are told over and over “I will be your God and you will be my people.” It is God’s faithfulness to us that keeps us in this covenant. In the books of the Old Testament we read things like,

Deuteronomy 5:29 “If only they had such a mind as this, to fear me and to keep all my commandments always, so that it might go well with them and with their children forever!”

Nehemiah 1:9 “If you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name.”

In the New Testament we read, in the Gospel of John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments

From the Old Testament, Jeremiah 31:31 – 33 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Then in the New Testament, Hebrews 10:15 – 17 from which we read last week, “And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds," he also adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more."

What we learn about our future from looking at our past is that God wants to be in relationship with us. God keeps trying, at every turn, to find a way to bring us back or keep us close. The Old Testament speaks of a new covenant where the laws of God will be written on our hearts. The New Testament declares this covenant to be in effect. God’s desire is our heart-led relationship, not our deed-based relationship. Last week we talked about our hearts being supple so that we would not be broken-hearted but rather our hearts could be broken open. Our hearts are to be supple not only to the harassed and the helpless, but also to the very spirit of God. Indeed, it is the Holy Spirit which softens our hearts, helping us to receive the laws that God would write there. And it must be the Holy Spirit, lest we take credit for the relationship that we have with God through Jesus.

2 Corinthians 3:1 – 11 “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Surely we do not need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all; and you show that you are a letter of Christ, prepared by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stone tablets, came in glory so that the people of Israel could not gaze at Moses' face because of the glory of his face, a glory now set aside, how much more will the ministry of the Spirit come in glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, much more does the ministry of justification abound in glory! Indeed, what once had glory has lost its glory because of the greater glory; for if what was set aside came through glory, much more has the permanent come in glory!”

It is the Holy Spirit that wrote on the hearts of those who came before us and it is the Holy Spirit who writes on our hearts today. But let’s take it a step farther. It is the Holy Spirit who will be writing on the hearts of our children and grandchildren. We look at our past and honor those who have gone before us, those who laid the firm foundation of this church. We know that we are standing on the shoulders of these people of God and are building on their firm foundation. But we must also look at the future and realize that someday we will be the ancestors that this church looks back on. How we live today, how we are ministers to this community today, and how we love God today will impact the future of this church. Someday in the future this community of faith may read the same scriptures that we are reading. They may be looking back as we are today. And they will be in part looking back at us. We are building the future for that community. Just like we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before they will stand on our shoulders.

When Paul wrote to Timothy encouraging him to “rekindle the gift of God that” was in him, he did so only after reminding him of the faith of his “grandmother Lois and (his) mother Eunice.” The scripture in Deuteronomy says that the people are being brought into an amazing land. Their future is one of lavish resources. This promised land that they are being brought into will confirm the covenant that God made with their ancestors. They are the bridge between the ancestors and their future. We are the bridge between our ancestors and our grandchildren.

For those of you who have no children and think you might be off the hook, let me remind you that I have no biological children either. Even so, the future is very precious to me. The generations that follow us in this place will be our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of faith. They are counting on us to consider how we live and how we glorify God as a church.

This church has a future. I believe it is one of lavish resources. When we gather together, let us remember those who gathered before us, those who put their heart and spirit into making this community a reality. And let us give thanks to God for writing not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God on the tablets of their human hearts. And then let us look to the future and thank God for the promise that the ministry of justification abounds in permanent glory for those who come after us.

Finally, let us look at who we are today. We are the bridge between the past and the future. We are those whose hearts are written on by the Spirit of God. We are ministers of grace and glory to each other and to our community. We are the fulfillment of the promise to our ancestors and the building blocks on which our children and grandchildren will build.

Because of the faith of those who came before us I remind you as Paul did to Timothy to “rekindle the gift of God that is within you.” We can lean on the foundation of our ancestors while moving toward our future. What we share with them is the law that is written on our hearts. Regardless of the shape of our ministry, how it changes or unfolds, the promise of the Spirit of God remains the same. God will be our God and we will be God’s people.

A Broken Heart Or A Heart Broken Open?

2011-10-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Texts: Hebrews 10:10 – 23 and Matthew 9:27 - 10:1

This week I read an article that a friend of mine wrote. She says that “(we) need the courage to allow (our) hearts to break open, not apart.” She believes the skill of compassion helps us exercise our hearts so that they are supple rather than rigid. A supple heart can break open while a rigid heart will break apart.

This is important because we are called to a profound ministry. All of us. According to 2nd Corinthians, “we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making God’s appeal through us; we entreat (others) on behalf of Christ, (to) be reconciled to God.”

We are the bearers of the good news on behalf of Jesus. Being reconciled to God through Jesus means that we are in a good relationship with God. It doesn’t mean that we never lose our footing. It does mean that we stay in communication with God. We don’t give up, walk out in a huff, or give our past any power to break us apart from the God that loves our souls.

Being reconciled to God also means that God is in good relationship with us. God sticks by us; won’t leave in a huff when we make a misstep; and does not bring the past up to us. This is the good news of which we are ambassadors. There are many people that we encounter every day who wonder if God loves them or if they have what it takes to be in relationship with God. Our answer is a resounding yes to both of these questions. Yes! God loves you, whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey. Yes! You have what it takes to be in relationship with God because what it takes is accepting the grace of reconciliation. This is a profound and powerful ministry. It isn’t coercive. It isn’t needy or fearful. It is simply sharing the yes that you have been given with others who are looking for a yes. It is also reminding yourself of the yes that you have been given.

In Hebrews, the tenth chapter, we are told that God’s laws are in our hearts, and that we can approach God “with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” We are exhorted to “hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for God who has promised is faithful.” Our “true hearts” are crucial because God’s law is written there. Holding fast to our confession of hope is also crucial. These things are important if we are to have supple hearts … hearts that are broken open to receive the calling of God to love people and share the hope of the good news with them.

It is so easy for our hearts to become broken by the need we see and the sadness we hear. Our hearts can also become broken by the discouragement we feel, both from within and from without. In our story in Matthew we hear the Pharisees saying, "By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons." I can see how hearing that might be very discouraging. But the story continues, “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. It’s almost as if he is saying, “Casts out demons by demons? Really? Well watch this.”

It’s clear, however, from the next sentence that his true motivation wasn’t in reaction to the Pharisees. “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Harassed and helpless. These were the people Jesus was drawn to. These were the crowds to whom Jesus ministered. In Jesus’ stead, we are to be ambassadors to these same crowds of people – the harassed and the helpless. Sometimes that means reminding the person sitting next to you of the hope they have in Christ. Sometimes it means talking to someone you have never met before. How can we be these ambassadors and not end up with broken hearts over the pain and suffering of others?

The writer of the letter of Hebrews tells us, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.” In the Gospel of Matthew we read Jesus’ words, “’The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’ Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.” This takes a lot of commitment by us. And it takes having a steady foundation. Jesus is called the cornerstone for a good reason.

So how do we keep our hearts from breaking and yet keep our hearts broken open? Anne Howard, the author of the article I read, quoted Parker Palmer from his new book. Healing the Heart of Democracy.” In it he says, “a heart that has been consistently exercised through conscious engagement with suffering is more likely to break open instead of apart. Such a heart has learned how to flex to hold tension in a way that expands its capacity for both suffering and joy.” (p. 60)

This might seem counter-intuitive. How can conscious engagement with suffering keep a heart from breaking? I think the answer lies in the word “conscious.” We can’t expect to fix all the suffering. That just results in constant failure which is heartbreaking. We can attend to the suffering, and pray and work for greater love, mercy, and justice, but we can’t expect our efforts to fix everything. As Christians we can engage suffering while standing on our cornerstone, from a place of hope and unwavering faith.

Recognizing our own suffering – being conscious of our own condition and how Jesus, in his suffering, has opened up the way for us to be reconciled to God, gives us the capacity to engage the suffering of others with a heart broken open by compassion. Conscious engagement of our own suffering and redemption can fill our hearts with gratitude and hope. From this sure foundation we can reach out to others in a different way. Compassion can flow from our hearts that are broken open rather than the guilt of not being able to do enough or the judgment that we or those we see suffering are not good enough.

We can sit with suffering – our own and that of others – and have supple hearts when we see suffering for what it is, a condition of life that is difficult, painful, and in need of mercy and grace as well as loving action. Judging suffering does not break open our hearts. Being afraid of suffering does not break open our hearts. Sitting in compassion with suffering will break open our hearts.

It’s not as hard as it sounds. It does take a certain amount of patience, an assurance of faith, a firm foundation, and the boldness to feel in a conscious way. It also helps to remember that we have a Messiah who knows our suffering first hand. Jesus, our cornerstone, took on the struggle of being human. We do not have to bear suffering alone. We can let compassion well up within us knowing that we are supported by the love of Christ and the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Let your roots of faith sink deep down into the redeeming love of God in Christ. Because you have received compassion, you can share compassion. If your life is in tumult, set your focus on the compassion that Jesus has for you and those like you. Compassion flows from him to the harassed and the helpless. And as many laborers as he can find, he sends.

From a place of full assurance of faith it is easier to gently open your heart. I think it is much more difficult for a heart to break apart when it is already open. You will feel the pain of those suffering, but it will be a pain that rests on the faith of hope.

When Jesus said that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few it was immediately after compassion filled his heart for a crowd that was harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. The disciples he summoned were to be likewise filled with compassion. They were given the authority and the charge to heal and help. If we are laborers, then I believe it is to labor with compassion for the sake of healing. It is from the foundation of our own reconciliation with God that we can best open our hearts and be the laborers that we are called to be.

There is so much suffering … the harvest is plentiful.

As we are called, let us reach out and sit with those who are suffering. In full assurance of faith, because of the immense love that Jesus has shown to us let us gently break open our hearts.

Why Come To Church (part 4) - Worship

2011-10-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

2 Kings 5:1 – 19a
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy." 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me." 8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel." 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, "Wash, and be clean'?" 14 So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. 15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant." 16 But he said, "As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will accept nothing!" He urged him to accept, but he refused. 17 Then Naaman said, "If not, please let two mule-loads of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the Lord. 18 But may the Lord pardon your servant on one count: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant on this one count." 19 He said to him, "Go in peace."

Naaman was a successful man. He had the respect of those in positions above him as well as those in his household. I imagine he must have been a good man in many ways or the young girl who was his wife’s servant, who was taken captive from the land of Israel, wouldn’t have wanted him to be healed of his leprosy. Naaman was also a man of hope. When he heard of an opportunity to be healed, he looked into it immediately. Naaman was successful, but his future did not look good. At some point his leprosy was probably going to get the best of him. He was already suffering but as the disease progressed his disfiguring skin sores would become worse, his nerve damage would increase, and eventually he would become debilitated. It is no wonder that Naaman eagerly sought out a healing, even from a rival nation and a prophet of a different God than his own.

The king of Israel suspected Naaman’s request was a trick to create a grievance that would lead to a war between the two nations. The Israeli servant girl did not tell Naaman to go to the king, though. She told him to go to the prophet. From Elisha’s perspective this was an opportunity to show the Arameans “that there is a prophet in Israel." Elisha called for Naaman, but when he got to his house, Elisha sent a messenger instead of coming out himself. Plus, there was no showy magic or sacrifice offered. The messenger just told Naaman to "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." Naaman was offended. How dare Elisha not come out to meet him! Naaman said, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!” This is Naaman … not some common person. Naaman, the mighty man of war, commander of the Aramean army and favoured by the king of Aram. Was Elisha just telling him that he was dirty and needed to take a bath? How insulting! The rivers of Damascus are far superiour to those in Israel And besides, Naaman came with treasures to lavish on the person who would heal him. If he came with treasures, certainly he should get better treatment than this.

Naaman’s servants convinced him to go ahead and give this a try. And so Naaman washed seven times in the Jordan river and after the seventh time he came out with the skin of a young boy. His leprosy was healed. Were it not for the young servant girl and for Naaman’s servants, he would never have known the healing power of the God of Israel. Were it not for the ordinary river in which Naaman washed, he may never have attributed his healing properly to the God of Israel. Had Elisha come out with his hands waving and calling on the name of God, Naaman might have given credit to Elisha rather than to God. If Elisha had told Naaman to do some heroic act or to wash in some pristine river, those actions or the river might have been given the credit for Naaman’s healing. But it was an ordinary river and the instructions were given by the messenger of the prophet. It had to be. Naaman could only give credit where credit was due. "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel,” he proclaimed.

Naaman become a convert to the God of Israel. He wanted to worship God but at the time there was a belief that gods exercised their domain over a local area. So he asked Elisha if he could take two mule-loads of earth back home with him. This way he would be worshipping the God of Israel on Israel’s soil. Naaman wanted to worship the god who healed him. He wanted to pour out his appreciation and express his adoration for the one revealed to him as the only god in all the earth. He did have a concern. In spite of his revelation, he had a job to do. Part of his job was to bring his master into the house of the god Rimmon where they would both worship. Naaman asked Elisha if he could be pardoned for performing this part of his job. Elisha said to him, "Go in peace." If Naaman was bowing down before Rimmon with his body but not his heart, Elisha knew it wasn’t real worship.

The prophet Isaiah understood the same thing about the worship that the people of Israel performed to the God of Israel.

Isaiah 29:13, 14 The Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote; so I will again do amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing. The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.

(The Message) Psalm 51:15 – 17 Unbutton my lips, dear God; I'll let loose with your praise. Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you. I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered. Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice.

Worship is heart-driven and heart-felt. Naaman’s pride had been broken and his heart melted within him. The prophet Isaiah is burdened with grief that the people’s heart is far from God, even when they lift up their voices in praise. The Psalmist begs for God’s praise to be released from within.

We come to church to worship God. Our Sunday morning meeting time is called a worship service. In our prayers, praises, and songs first and foremost we are to draw our hearts near to God. Our worship is not our order of service; it is our adoration, thanksgiving, and openness to love. Our acts of worship bring together the heavenly realm and the earthly realm. This is one way to experience the intersection of the temporal world and the transcendent world, just like we talked about a couple of weeks ago.

Our next reading is from The Book of the Revelation written by John of Patmos. He begins in the first chapter by telling us that he was “in the spirit on the Lord's day.” This is his account of the revelatory vision that he was given. In chapter 4 of this vision he writes this:

Rev 4:1 - 11
1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE Lord GOD ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS, AND IS, AND IS TO COME." 9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

Our worship of God – our adoration and praise – comes from a heart that is open to love, filled with humility, and has a desire to draw close to the Divine Beloved. Our worship needn’t be shame based. In other words, we don’t worship Jesus because we think we are wretched and miserable creatures. That seems to me to be a less than exuberant expression of adoration. When we prepare our hearts to give our devotion to God, we should remind ourselves of the glory of God, of God’s magnificence. We don’t praise because we are so awful. We praise because Jesus is so good!

When we worship we can see our own brokenness. That might be scary. But our broken heart can and needs to worship God. When we worship we can see our needs and our shortcomings. We are wonderfully and amazingly made by the God of whom the elders fall down to worship in The Book of the Revelation. We are not always shiny and perfect. But, we are created by the will of Jesus and in Jesus we have our life. This is the declaration of worship that the elders are making. Something like this is also said in The Book of Acts 17:28, "In God we live and move and have our being”

We come to church to worship together. I believe our souls become stronger when we worship. Our adoration for God doesn’t have to fade away during the week. We can honor God during the week by drawing near with our hearts no matter what we are doing. This then will also strengthen our worship time when we come together Sunday morning. Worship is an opportunity to break through our own brokenness and reach toward the wholeness that God offers in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. We open ourselves up to God’s healing touch, to a deepening of our souls, and to richer understanding of God’s beauty and glory.

In times of trouble, our worship can lift us up even if our circumstances don’t change.
In times of joy, our worship can help us express the depth of our joy.
In times of everyday ho-hum, our worship can fill us with purpose and motivation.

Why Come To Church (part 3) - Fellowship In Our Faith

2011-10-03T06:40:00.000-07:00

So far we have talked about coming to church in order to Celebrate God and to highlight or mark times in our lives. This Sunday we are celebrating World Communion Sunday and we are starting our regular collection for our Neighbors in Need offering. The focus today is outward. Why do we come to church? For Fellowship In Our Faith.

There are two stories in the Book of Acts that caught my attention this week. They are stories of Paul’s travels.

Acts 16:11 – 15
We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us.

Acts 20:2 – 12
When Paul had gone through those regions and had given the believers much encouragement, he came to Greece, where he stayed for three months. He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, and so he decided to return through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, by Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, by Gaius from Derbe, and by Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia. They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas; but we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days. On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight. There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were meeting. A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, began to sink off into a deep sleep while Paul talked still longer. Overcome by sleep, he fell to the ground three floors below and was picked up dead. But Paul went down, and bending over him took him in his arms, and said, "Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him." Then Paul went upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he continued to converse with them until dawn; then he left. Meanwhile they had taken the boy away alive and were not a little comforted.

It is true that we have a personal relationship with Jesus and that we pray directly to God. Even so, we are not alone in our faith. We congregate every week to celebrate our faith together. We join our voices, minds, hearts, and spirits in praise and worship to God. We have more than just our personal relationship with Jesus and individual idea about God – we have a communal relationship and understanding. Jesus gathered people together. He sent out the twelve to do great miracles, but then after they returned, according to the Gospel of Luke, he “appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” Whenever they entered a town and its people welcomed them, they were to eat what was set before them; cure the sick who are there, and proclaim that, "The kingdom of God has come near.”

In order for Jesus to send out 72 people there had to be at least that many who were following him.

Jesus references the Kingdom of God over and over. The kingdom of God is like this and like that. In the old testament and the new testament, there is an expectation that people of faith want to gather together. Last week we read the teaching that the Sabbath is made for us humans, not us humans for the Sabbath. Likewise, church is meant for those who gather together as a community of faith. We don’t gather together as a community of faith for the sake of the church. The church supports and strengthens our faith walk. There is a church because we want there to be a church. We want to be in relationship not only with God, but with each other.

Coming to church should offer us support in our faith, in our families, and in our lives. Not just the act of coming to church on Sunday, but the relationships that we develop which last throughout the week. As people of faith we have a particular way of looking at life and dealing with situations. Church is our network of support to help us be who we feel called to really be, especially when faced with obstacles or temptations to go with the flow rather than living into our core values of love, compassion, mercy, and generosity.

In our first story about Paul it says, “On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there.” Paul and his companions expected there to be a place of prayer on the Sabbath. There was no church steeple to beckon them. They knew the habits of the people and they wanted to gather with them. Paul took on the role of a teacher, as he often did. But afterward Lydia offered fellowship to Paul and his companions, asking them to stay at her home. We don’t know how long they stayed with Lydia and her family, but it was long enough to forge strong relationships.

If we continued reading that chapter we would hear the story of Paul and Silas in jail. After some pretty amazing things happen, the story ends in verse 40, “After leaving the prison they went to Lydia's home; and when they had seen and encouraged the brothers and sisters there, they departed.” Paul and Silas went to Lydia’s home – the home of their friend and sibling in faith. The others of their fellowship gathered in Lydia’s home upon hearing of Paul and Silas’ release. Together they encouraged these sisters and brothers in Christ, and then left for Thessalonica.

In our second story we see that once again Paul is encouraging believers before he leaves for his next destination. Place after place, when they arrive at their destinations they continue their pattern of meeting on the first day of the week to break bread and fellowship in the faith. When Paul holds his all night session it is because he can’t stay long with this group of believers. He wants to share everything with them that he can. Paul’s goal is to build a strong foundation so that when he leaves they are equipped to continue.

Paul doesn’t just set up communities of faith and forget about them. He keeps in touch via letters and sending messages. He lets them know where he’s been and what he’s doing. He also lets the communities know what is going on with each other. He tells them to pray for each other and to be generous when there is need.

Those of you in this building, look around. (Those of you listening on the radio, close your eyes and envision yourself here in this building.) We need each other. We need to love each other and talk to each other about our faith. We also need to lift up our eyes and see our neighbors in need – those in our city and those all across the world. And then we need to lift up our spirits and remember that we are siblings in Christ with believers everywhere. The connection is real. The fellowship we share is real.

Paul laid the foundation for so many communities of Christians. All the work that Paul and the other apostles did live in the churches that gather today. We do not believe in isolation. We do not worship in isolation. And we do not break bread in isolation.

As we prepare our hearts for the sacrament of Communion, let us recall Paul’s words to the Corinthians in his first letter. He says that we are to “discern the body.” This has a double meaning. We are to bring to mind the body of Jesus. We are also to bring to mind the body of Christ. The body of Christ is the church … the whole church. There are several references to this metaphor. Among them are:

Romans 12:4 & 5, “For as in one body we have many members; and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.”

And

Colossians 1:18, “Jesus is the head of the body, the church.”

We are members, one of another. Today we celebrate partaking of the body of Jesus as Christ’s body throughout the world. We have many articles from various places on our Communion Table. Clothes, plates, crosses, drinking vessels and more. We will also be hearing various language translations of the words of institution. Open up your hearts to one another and receive the blessing of being in a worldwide fellowship of faithful Christians.

Why Go To Church (Part 1) – Celebration

2011-09-24T18:47:00.001-07:00

Texts: 2 Samuel 6:12 – 15 and Nehemiah 8:1b – 10

It is good to be back. Thank you for sending me to help lead worship last Sunday at First Congregational UCC in Elkhart. Together we celebrated the ministry of Anne Cubbage who has a new call to ministry in Massachusetts. There was singing, reading of scripture, teaching, exhortations, more singing, and dancing. It was a beautiful, if not a bittersweet, celebration. The air was electric with emotions and the presence of God was palpable.

I remember thinking, “This is a special celebration for a special time in this community. It is right that we are pulling out all the stops to make this a memorable occasion.” But then I began thinking. I walked into the church service anticipating being intensely engaged – emotionally and spiritually. And I was. I was fully present for what was happening. I know that this level of engagement is special and periodic, but I think there’s more to our weekly worship service than we give credit.

Every week we gather to be in the presence of God together. Every week we call upon the Holy Spirit within us in prayer and in praise. Every week we re-engage our intention to be followers of Jesus in a world that is rife with greed, exclusion, oppression, and violence. Coming to church is no small thing. Do we come to church every week anticipating a heightened engagement with our God? Why do we come to church? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Why do we take the time Sunday morning to come to church (or to tune in on the radio)?

I have a couple of ideas. Some reasons we come to church …

To Worship God
For Fellowship in our Faith
To Mark Time in Our Lives
For Motivation in our Christian Walk
To Celebrate our Relationship with God

Today we are going to talk about coming to church to celebrate.

In the scripture passages we read, we heard about special days of celebration. Miriam led the women in dancing and singing after they were saved by God while fleeing from the Egyptians. David danced before God while bringing the Ark of the Covenant into The City of David. Ezra read the book of the law of Moses to the people. This wasn’t a weekly reading, but the first time the book had been read in a long time. You see, the Israelites had been taken captive and were exiled to Babylon for 50 years. When they returned to Israel and found their book it was a very exciting and holy time.

When Ezra opened the book of the law of Moses … after just opening it … “all the people stood up.” The story continues, “Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” Ezra hadn’t even begun to read the book yet. After he read from the book the people began crying. Ezra dismissed them saying, "Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Ezra is telling them to celebrate! Do you remember the teaching from Ecclesiastes, “Eat, drink, and be merry?” This is similar. Eat the fat, drink sweet wine, share with others, and rejoice! The joy of the Lord is your strength.

What all three of these celebrations have in common – Miriam’s dance, David’s dance, and Ezra’s reading of the book – is the intention of God’s people gathering in God’s presence. We do that every week.

We are so blessed! But because we gather every week it may feel commonplace to us. Gathering together to be in God’s presence as a community is awesome, even though we do it regularly. Coming to church isn’t just something we do; it is something God calls us to. God wants to be in relationship with us. Through Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit we are one with God and with each other. How then should we come to church? Should we not be anticipating the very presence of God? Should we not celebrate how awesome it is that we are reconciled to God in Christ? I believe church is an opportunity for us to engage our whole selves in the acts of worship and prayer, as well as fellowship with Christ and with each other.

Celebration means more than dancing and singing. Dancing and singing, raising our hands and bowing our heads are ways to celebrate, but where does all this come from? When we celebrate it is because we have some kind of investment in what is going on. Miriam, David, and Ezra were emotionally and spiritually invested in what was happening. They all had something at stake. They cared deeply.

What we celebrate indicates what we care about. Whether you’re a White Sox fan or a Cubs fan, you know what it means to celebrate. Whether you like the ballet or a mosh pit, you know what it means to celebrate. When your heart becomes attached to something, celebration of some kind is near.

When we are emotionally and spiritually invested in our relationship with God, celebration of some kind is near. We may not dance, although some of us may. What is important is engaging in the feelings as well as the rituals of our common time together. When we come to this place, (whether it is physically entering the building or turning on the radio,) do we anticipate being engaged by God? Are we looking forward to the experience of interacting with God together?

I know that it is unreasonable for us to expect the air to be electric with emotions and the presence of God palpable each and every Sunday. But I think it is very reasonable for us to come to church every Sunday knowing that this is a special time of the week. We come together to be in God’s presence. Together we lift our voices to God. Church is a place where we can increase our expectations of hearing and feeling our Divine Beloved without embarrassment or apprehension. Every week we recommit ourselves to the purpose of our baptism and to what we were confirmed – having a personal and a communal relationship with God. This, more than anything else that I can think of, is cause for celebration!

Holy Labor, Holy Rest

2011-09-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes is my favourite book of the Bible. In it the writer, who only names themselves as “The Teacher, son of David, king of Israel,” probes the difficult questions. This person looks at dreams, hopes, riches, poverty, health, sickness, wisdom, folly and work. Some find this writing to be depressing. It is surprising in its candor, but I think the conclusions are insightful and hopeful.

The two sections that I’m going to read are specifically about work. The word used in this translation is toil. These are the sections where I see hope. Because this book is so dense, I think it helps to begin seeing some of the Teacher’s conclusions, otherwise it is easy to become overwhelmed.

Ecc 2:22 – 24 What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; for apart from God who can eat or who can have enjoyment?

Ecc 3:9 – 15 What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. God has made everything suitable for its time; and moreover has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.

There’s a song that I think speaks to this. It’s from the musical, “Godspell.”

We plow the fields and scatter
the good seed on the land..
But it is fed and watered by God's almighty hand.
God sends us snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain
The breezes and the sunshine,
and soft refreshing rain

All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above
Then thank the Lord, thank the Lord for all this love.

We thank thee then, O Father,
for all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest,
our life our health our food,
No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest,
our humble thankful hearts!

All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above..
Then thank the Lord, thank the Lord for all this love.

I have been listening to this song a lot lately. It captures the simplicity of praise for our basic human needs. It mirrors the exhortation from The Teacher who said, “I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.”

The Teacher also acknowledges that we mortals toil and strain, that our days are full of pain and that our work is a vexation. The Teacher knows that even at night our minds do not rest. This is counted as vanity. This kind of vanity indicates an emptiness … that these things are like a vapor or a chasing after the wind. There’s nothing concrete to it. There’s a lacking in substance. The substance comes in partaking of God’s gifts – eating, drinking, and taking pleasure in what we do.

There may be some of you who have had experiences like me. I have had some pretty rotten jobs. Enjoying the toil with which I toil under the sun is easy now, especially compared to other times in my life. There were times I felt like all I was doing was striving after the wind and living in a vapor. Praising God for the good gifts in my life did not come easy. If it was not for that sense of past and future that The Teacher says God puts in our minds, I would have been hard pressed to praise at all. Knowing that what I was going through at some point would be the past and holding on to hope for a better future gave me some courage and strength to praise God.

Along with that, I found I could lift my voice and my life as a praise to God with my understanding of this teaching, “they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” On the one hand it might feel like a negative thing that we cannot find out. But on the other hand, it opens up the mystery of God. We can not predict God. We do not know the beginning and we cannot know the end. We can only live in now. While we are in “now,” where is our praise?

If you are someone who has a lot, praise might come easily. Or it might be easy to forget to praise. If you are someone who has nothing, praise might be difficult. Or it might be easy to see the gifts of God because up against the rest of life they are easy to spot. Regardless of where you are in life, according to Ecclesiastes, “There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This… is from the hand of God; for apart from God who can eat or who can have enjoyment?”

Monday we celebrate a national holiday, Labor Day. It began as a holiday for the working-person; for those people who did not get regular vacations and days off. Now it seems that many people are required to work on this holiday, people who could probably really use the day off. People need days off. We need to have a regular Sabbath. Just like our toil is given to us from God, so is our rest. In Ecclesiastes 8:15 The Teacher writes, “So I commend enjoyment, for there is nothing better for people under the sun than to eat, and drink, and enjoy themselves, for this will go with them in their toil through the days of life that God gives them under the sun.“

It doesn’t matter what you do for a living. It doesn’t matter how you make your money. It doesn’t matter if you spend most of your time looking for a job, taking care of kids, wrestling with a disease, being CEO of a company, or digging ditches … we all need a Sabbath. It is a gift from God.

Every moment of every day is precious. Gifts of God are holy gifts. Our toil is holy. Our rest is holy. We come to church to draw near to God as a community. The time we spend here is sacred and important. Our communal worship is an opportunity to lean on one another, to pray together, to remember that we are not alone in our life and in our faith. It is also a time where we can actively let go of our toil and shrug off that which is heavy and painful.

However, it is important for us to understand that the rest of life is holy and sacred. How you live your life makes a difference. How you work and how you rest can glorify God or not. How you speak to your friends, what you post on Facebook, how you drive, the way you look at people wherever you go can honor the gifts that God has given you or not.

Your work is holy. Your rest is holy. When we come together to worship, to share this communion meal, to pray and to praise we are gathering together all the gifts that God has given us. You are a gift to this community. This community is a gift to you. God is present in every moment of every day. Open up your awareness of the holiness that surrounds you. Remind each other that God is present. When you work, remember that if it is possible, it is a good thing to find enjoyment in your toil. When you rest, remember that God has given this to you as a gift as well.

We live in the mystery of God’s presence. God's gifts to us are simple; that all should eat, drink, take pleasure in all their toil, and enjoy themselves.

Radical Love

2011-08-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Forty eight years ago today, these words from the book of Romans were lived out by a group of people seeking life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These people were led by a Baptist minister from the south, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was on this day, August 28, 1963 that Rev. King led the March on Washington and delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech.

What an amazing speech. Each time I read it I see something new, I understand something deeper, I am inspired and I am humbled. In my lifetime, albeit barely for I was only three months old, there was an uprising of the oppressed that has, just as Rev King predicted, gone “down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.”

I have met people who were on that march and who heard Rev. King that day. I have heard people speak about being there. I have friends for whom that march was a turning point in their lives. This is history that is meaningful to me in an immediate and relevant way. It is also hope for a future that I can grapple with and make sense out of. Furthermore, it relates to me now as I look around and see the plights of which Rev King spoke. I understand his metaphors, his references, and his idioms.

So much of history we understand as stories from the distant past. We relate to them in a more detached way and try to apply their theories or teachings to our lives today. This is especially true of our most ancient sacred writings. The Bible that guides us and helps us shape our lives was written so very long ago and over a long span of time. It has been translated, interpreted, and retranslated. We work hard to understand the various writers, their audiences, the way their cultures worked, their metaphors, allegories, references, and idioms. Our lives are so much different now. Medicine, travel, communications, food, and so many other aspects of our lives are beyond what our ancient sacred writers could have anticipated. We look for the core values presented in these writings and build our lives on them.

Sometimes it’s a struggle to attach our lives to our sacred writings. We try to figure out how what was written so long ago can be relevant for us today. Even out of our reading today from Romans, something that seems pretty core-value oriented, I have heard a variety of interpretations. Some have used parts of this passage in counseling to insist that an abused woman stay in her home. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.”

I have heard leaders tell those who are victims of racism to not stand up for themselves but to let God handle it. “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them.”

These kinds of interpretations only serve the powerful. They leave those who are oppressed and struggling; those who are victimized and abused with no autonomy or agency. But that is not how Jesus lived. Neither did Paul or Peter live that way. Our Christian ancestors were people of action. They addressed injustice. That was part of the good news. After all, in Luke chapter 4 we hear Jesus proclaim, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." This is the good news!! It’s also a lot of work … a lot of action!!

Martin Luther King, Jr. took on the call of Christ. He spread the good news through his speaking, preaching, writing and actions. From his “I Have A Dream” speech I think we can understand the heart of what Jesus proclaimed in Luke and what Paul wrote to the Romans.

There was an urgency with which Jesus, Paul, and Rev King spoke. Jesus says the spirit of the Lord is upon him. We know from other times in scripture that when the spirit of the Lord is on someone they act with passion, intention, and urgency.

Paul writes, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

Dr. King writes, “We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

Now is the time. Do not lag in zeal. Be ardent in spirit. God sends us to proclaim and take action. Understanding what was happening with the oppressed in Jesus’ time and Paul’s time is not always easy. As Christians today here in the United States we don’t have the same obstructions to our faith. We freely come and go to church. We can have conversations about our different denominations, argue about theology with one another, and generally assume that we can live out our Christianity in the open. Jesus and Paul did not have the same luxury. Both got into trouble with some frequency. Sometimes they had to sneak away because people were coming after them to send them to jail, beat them or kill them. This is troubling and we can appreciate what they went through, but it is not our experience.

Dr. King’s speech, spoken only 48 years ago, was delivered to our people. He spoke of how the Emancipation Proclamation was signed 100 years prior, and yet, he said, “we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” Although much has improved in the last 48 years, when we look around we can still see “manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” holding our sisters and brothers of color. In spite of the fact that we have a black president, that Oprah is one of the most celebrated and wealthy people in the world, and that we laud the accomplishments of Nelson Mandela, still Sunday morning worship is the most segregated time of the week. It is still too often true that when a white person and a black person walk into a hospital, the white person will be seen first. It is still too often true that when a person of color is shopping and a white person is shopping, the person of color is followed as if they are going to steal.

This brings alive to me the words of Paul, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.” Here is the relevance that we need to attach our lives to these ancient scriptures. Rev. King was reaching backward and forward, holding together these ancient commands with our present day trials. He applied the core values from the messages of Jesus and Paul to the needs of the day.

There is a caution though. With a zealous heart and spirit many have succumbed to the use of force and violence to bring about the peaceable kingdom of God. This doesn’t work. Jesus knew that. Paul knew that too. He writes to the Romans, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” Paul also says, “Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God.” Sometimes our emotions become so strong that we think whatever we do for the cause is the right thing to do. Be zealous, but don’t let your zeal confuse you. In our attempts to be good allies with the oppressed or when we are working for our own liberty, we can do foolish things that are not spirit led.

Rev. King knew this too. He said, “In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. “

Jesus, Paul, and Rev King espoused non-violence as a way for people of faith to address oppression and violence. As we unfold the stories of Paul and Rev King in parallel, let us consider the words of Gunnar Jahn, Chairman of the Nobel Committee. In his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize presentation speech to Rev. King he said,

“He is the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence. He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to all nations and races.
Today we pay tribute to Martin Luther King, the man who has never abandoned his faith in the unarmed struggle he is waging, who has suffered for his faith, who has been imprisoned on many occasions, whose home has been subject to bomb attacks, whose life and the lives of his family have been threatened, and who nevertheless has never faltered.”
To this undaunted champion of peace the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Parliament has awarded the Peace Prize for the year 1964.”

Paul says of himself when writing to the church in Corinth,

“I am talking like a madman—I am a better one: with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from bandits, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers and sisters; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked.”

Jesus, Paul, and Rev King were willing to go through whatever had to happen as they came against violence and oppression. I do not believe that we all have this kind of calling. Some of us are called to work at the foundations, offering support and strength. Others of us are called to assist with the details. Still others have a calling to prepare the way. Whatever the calling, the core values of Christ remain. We hear these values in Paul’s words today and we hear them and see them in the life of Rev King.

Paul’s words are inspiring and challenging, but sometimes they sound so far away. It is easy to consider them theoretical and ideals. Looking at the ministry of Rev. King we see these ideals and theories put into practice. We are challenged in a different way, in a practical way. It makes me wonder for myself, “Can I make this my life? Do I have what it takes to be the follower of Christ that I want to be?’ Then I look at Rev. King and realize that I have to at least try. I read the words of Paul and remember Christ’s words of good news in Luke. I know that I am standing on the shoulders of centuries of the good witness and faithfulness of the children of God who said, “Yes.”

Then I wonder, where am I going to find the strength? Where are we going to find the strength? Where did they find their strength? For me, the strongest answer is love. Not emotional love that comes and goes depending on circumstances. Not that which is called love but is often guilt or acts of will. I find my strength in the radical love of God. I see the love of Christ toward us as he endured the cross. I see the love of Christ in Paul as he endured beatings, prison, and more. I see the love of Christ in Rev. King as he endured bomb threats, prison and attacks on his life.

Paul’s instruction to the Romans is his instruction to us today. “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” In 1st Cor 13 Paul writes, “If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing”

We don’t even have to like one another to love one another, although it is much more pleasant when we do. We don’t have to know one another to love one another, although it is much more inspiring when we do. Radical love is showering each other with mutual affection and honoring one another above ourselves. Radical love will cause us to run out in the middle of the street to save a child from an oncoming car. We don’t always call that love, but I contend that it is. Radical love will lead us to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Rejoicing and weeping with people means that we have heard their stories, we are honoring their experiences, and we are one with their response. How can we take on the call of Christ to “proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,” without first weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice? Without radical love, how can we “Live in harmony with one another; … not be haughty, … associate with the lowly; … not claim to be wiser than (we) are?” Radical love enables us, as far as it depends on us, to “live peaceably with all.”

Living peaceably with all is the dream of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is what Paul wrote to the Romans. Living peaceably with all is the good news that Jesus proclaimed. It isn’t just a theory or an ideal. It isn’t something so far off that we cannot attach our lives to it. Living peaceably with all is the goal of our Christian faith. When we live in radical love, we will find the strength and the passion to live this dream and to proclaim this good news.

As he wrote to the Ephesians, with Paul I pray that, according to the riches of God’s glory, God grants you strength in your inner being with power through the Holy Spirit. I pray that Christ dwells in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.”

Welcoming

2011-08-26T16:51:00.000-07:00

Text: Mark 9:30 - 41

Jesus was having some private teaching time with his disciples. He wanted them to understand that his fate was the cross and resurrection. I can understand why the disciples had a difficult time understanding what Jesus was telling them. Or maybe they didn't want to understand what Jesus was telling them. After all, things were going so well. They were miraculously feeding thousands of people, healing the sick, raising the dead, delivering people from demons, and whenever Jesus got into a scrape with the lawyers or religious leaders, he always got out of it. That he would talk about being betrayed and killed just didn't make sense. And what did "rise in three days" mean?

They understood what was important to them. Figuring out who was going to be the greatest amoung them ... that was the important stuff. I can hear their argument. One of them boasts of how many sick people they've healed. Another boasts of how often Jesus confides in them. Another boasts of how much scripture they know. Then someone counters the one who claims to have healed the most with a higher number. And so it goes ... one boast after another; a counter to this statement and that claim. I'm the greatest. No, I'm the greatest. Their heads and hearts were full of what lay ahead of them for the future ... the glory, the power, the admiration of people everywhere. They were the in-crowd.

Finally they came to the house where they were staying. Every one of them probably thought they made some very good points as to why they were the greatest. Jesus knew what was going on. He knew that they hadn't understood a word of what he was saying because of their distraction. Here they were, all puffed up with their own importance ... that is until Jesus asked them about what they were arguing. Then silence fell on them. They knew they were wrong. Jesus tells them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." He could see the confusion on their faces so in the silence of the disciples’ embarrassment, Jesus draws a young one near. He uses the example of being welcoming ... of being hospitable. He identifies himself with the child. The disciples were treating him as a kind of celebrity and enjoying being his entourage and gaining their own acclaim. But Jesus explains that being first means caring, giving, and sharing. Jesus explains that those who care for the weakest and most vulnerable are in effect caring for him. Consequently, those who care for him are caring for the one who sent him.

At this point, the disciple John blurts out that they saw someone casting out demons in the name of Jesus and they tried to stop him, because he was not one of their in-group. I honestly can’t believe that John thought that would bode well with Jesus after the teaching on welcoming even a child and the whole idea of the last being first. Hadn’t John realized they were being chastised for arguing about who was greatest? And yet, here he was being proud that they found this outsider and attempted to put the kibosh on his ministry. They still didn’t get it. Since the metaphors and gentle teaching methods aren’t working, Jesus resorts to plain old correction. "Do not stop him,” he says. “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

As detached as these teachings sound, they are all about the same thing. The kingdom of heaven on earth is not about who is the greatest and who is the least. It is not about evaluating someone’s ministry or life based on whether they are a part of your special group. The kingdom of God is about having a servant’s heart. It is about welcoming the weakest and most vulnerable.

Welcoming a child seems like a basic idea. How can this be a deep theological lesson? Well, in a way, it is basic. And yet it is easy to relegate the care of a child to their guardian and to pass them by without a thought. They have guardians who are supposed to tend to their needs and make sure they are safe, so there is no need to welcome them. But what if we did? What if we welcomed the children around us? To welcome means to take pleasure in their presence and to let them know. Welcoming a little child means bending down, listening carefully, taking time, and respecting the child as a person.

But it isn’t just children. Remember that this teaching began with Jesus saying that, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." There are so many people that we pass by without noticing. It is easy to pass by someone and not really think of them as a person. This is especially easy with those who are the most vulnerable. It takes time to respect everyone as a person. It takes thought to consider the context of someone’s life.

And it’s easy to turn this lesson around. For those of us who are not the most vulnerable it may feel like our personhood is being taken away from us. We might think, “Hey, what about my life? What about someone paying attention to me? What about me being made to feel important and respected?” I think this is what happened in John’s head when he blurted out about trying to stop the guy casting out demons. Maybe he thought it wasn’t fair that someone else could perform a miracle without having to spend the time in mentorship with Jesus. He and the other disciples were paying their dues and so should everyone else. According to Jesus, that’s not how it works.

Jesus said, “Whoever is not against us is for us.” This is a radical statement. All too often we believe that those who are not for us are against us. Believing the teaching of Jesus means not investing so much in the idea that we have to know who is against us. It means not focusing on the notion of us and them. Instead we can focus on welcoming the little children, the vulnerable, and those whose life and ministry may be different than ours but equally glorifying to God.

It is easy to get into the habit of looking for who is doing things the right way (our way) and who is doing things the wrong way (not our way). When we hear the teaching of Christ that, “Whoever is not against us is for us,” we end up with a lot more people for us than against us. And we end up being for a whole lot more people than we are against. This is great in theory, but in practice we might be a little put back to find out who isn’t actually against us. Like the disciple John, it can disturb us when folks don’t live like we do and yet claim to be one of us. We can be particular of whom we become compared to or associated with.

Take, for instance, our desire for church growth. We want the church to grow in numbers and in passion. We want God to be glorified because of the faith and works of this church. As the Holy Spirit moves in this congregation, do we have certain ideas of how we want our church to grow? Are there certain ways of living out faith and performing works of ministry that are more or less acceptable? Or do we have open spirits and minds?

It can be difficult for new people to enter a community that has a long history of doing things a certain way. It can also be difficult for a community to let go of the certain ways they do things. If our community is to grow, we have to be flexible to the moving of the Holy Spirit. We have to listen carefully, take time, and respect everyone as the person they are. Jesus drawing near the little child can be our example of how to be welcoming. The disciple John can be our example of how to not be critical and proprietary. Our community will change in many ways as we grow in number.

As we continue to look forward, let us remember that we are not seeking to become the greatest, but rather we must seek to become the least and to be servants of all. Those who are most vulnerable we must welcome with love and respect. Things will not become out of control because of change, but we may be pushed outside of our comfort zone. The more we are open to the gifts and wisdom that others have to offer, the more opportunities we will have to thrive. When we mix the gifts and wisdom that we have in this community already with those who desire to share their gifts and wisdom with us, we will find God being glorified in beautiful and diverse ways – ways that are unimaginable to us now.

Believe this with me. Be open to the possibilities. Let us continue to imagine anew who we are and who we are becoming. Our own diverse wisdoms will surface in new and wonderful ways. As people come to our community, let us honor them with our care and be excited to hear their wisdoms. The more we listen and share, the more we welcome one such child in Jesus’ name, the more we welcome Christ and the one who sent Christ. The revelation of God in our midst will increase as we increase our welcome and rejoice in the ministries that unfold around us.

Think On These Things

2011-08-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

Texts: Matthew 15:1-20 and Phil 4:8 – 9

Matthew 15:1-20
Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat." He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, "Honor your father and your mother,' and, "Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.' But you say that whoever tells father or mother, "Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,' then that person need not honor the father. So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said: "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.' " Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."

As I think about the question that Jesus asks, “Why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition,” I wonder, why is it that our traditions can become more influential in our lives than the commandment of God? How is it that we can become so easily distracted by the expectations and norms of our culture and forget the deeper values of God? Is it easier to find a loophole? To what purpose? How does taking support from your parents and giving it to God (whatever that means) benefit the child in question?

Speaking of being a child, I can’t help but remember that sometimes when I was given a task by my mom I would balk at doing it. I would cry or make excuses to get out of whatever the chore was. In response my mom would yell and insist. Eventually I would do what I was supposed to do, but we would both be wrecks by the end of it. I look back and wonder why I did that. I didn’t do it much, but when I did, the whole rest of the day was bad. One time my mom said to me, “If you had just done what I asked when I asked you’d be finished by now and out doing what you really want to do. But here we are, still arguing. Why are you wasting your time?” I’m not saying that this was the end to my procrastination, but it helped bring me around.

I think sometimes we waste our time finding loopholes and looking for reasons to get out of things like loving people, giving each other the benefit of the doubt, honoring God, and finding things worthy of praise. But to what end? Why is it tempting to make sure that everyone around us honor the traditions of our systems and norms rather than we ourselves honoring the deeper values of God? Why is it more difficult to think about what Philippians 4:8 recommends we think about; whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, and commendable? Do we look for failure rather than excellence? Do we look for what we can condemn rather than what we can praise?

I don’t think we are bad and evil people. I don’t chalk any of this up to some phantom original sin. But it does seem to me that it is surprisingly easy to drift into these bad habits.

It’s true that some things that happen in life and in the world are terrible. I’m not suggesting that we hide our heads in the sand and pretend that everything is alright. It isn’t that every moment we should have something positive to say. It’s about where we begin our thought process and the ruminations of our hearts. What is our launching pad? Do we look for the way to get out of something or the fault in the story or activity? Or do we look for the excellence and want to see what is praiseworthy?

This passage challenges me to think about the intersections between our imminent existence and our transcendent existence. Washing hands doesn’t benefit us spiritually and the food we eat passes through our bodies, but the intentions of our hearts and the words that come out of our mouths can heal or harm us. How we move through space, the choices we make, our thoughts and the ruminations of our hearts are intertwined with our spiritual aspects and have spiritual outcomes as well as earthly outcomes.

I wonder what it means to think of our mouths as one of the liminal spaces between the imminent and the transcendent. Proverbs 18:20 and 21 instructs “From the fruit of the mouth one's stomach is satisfied; the yield of the lips brings satisfaction. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

James 3:1-10 instructs us even more fully:
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits. How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.

Wow. Who knew that our mouths had the potential to be so dastardly? But not just our mouths have this potential. Our fingers do as well, especially the way written communication has grown. It seems to me that our fingers have the same potential to be the rudder of the ship of our lives.

James, it seems, is at odds a bit with Jesus and Paul. James put the responsibility on our wills and our actions. Jesus and Paul indicate that the root of the concern is where our minds and hearts go. This is much harder to control. Can we control the ruminations of our hearts and the way our minds process? If we realize where our hearts and minds are drifting then we can have some control, but even the Dali Lama can’t meditate all the time.

This is deep work. It is what I think Paul was talking about in Romans when he wrote, “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect. When I think about mind transformation for the purpose of keeping the deeper values of God, I think about a scene from The Matrix. It’s the one where Neo is fighting the agents and for the first time he sees them as code rather than as their illusion of solidness.

It isn’t until our minds and hearts are transformed that we can truly pilot the rudder of our ship, our communication devices of tongue and fingers. Jesus said, “For the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God.” Our religious traditions and cultural expectations can nullify the word of God. I find the hope of transformation in the words of Philippians 4:8 and 9;
“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”

By these meditations I believe we can begin to more clearly see the code that underlies the distractions. We won’t be struggling against the traditions or expectations that distract us, but rather we will be more able to flow in the commandments of God.

Face Time With God

2011-08-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

This one is from 08-07-11

1 Kings 19:7-13
The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched Elijah, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." Elijah got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life to take it away." The angel said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Have you ever heard the sound of sheer silence? It’s more than just the sound of a quiet room or a quiet field. There is no computer humming in the background or the quiet swish of butterfly wings outside. The closest that I have come to sheer silence was on a visit of the Mammoth Caves in Kentucky. There were only a few of us on the tour. The tour guide asked us if it would be alright if he turned off his flashlight and we all stayed quiet for 30 seconds. We agreed. The darkness and the silence was beyond anything that I’d ever experienced before. Had it gone on much longer it might have been maddening. I almost felt swallowed up.

The passage we read says Elijah heard the sound of sheer silence – the silence was so loud. He wrapped his face in his mantle because he knew God was in the silence. Paul Simon had nothing on Elijah. The mantle that Elijah wrapped his face in was a cloak-like garment. It was used as outerwear in the cold and as a blanket at night. A mantle also represents the symbol of preeminence or authority. Elijah was a prophet of prophets. He had authority. Yet, amidst the silence of God, Elijah covered his face with that symbol of authority, humbling himself.

You see, Elijah was having a rough time. A really rough time. His life was being threatened by King Ahab’s wife, Jezebel the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians. She wanted to kill him because he had killed the prophets that she liked. Elijah ran away scared into the wilderness and sat under a tree. There he prayed, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." In other words, he said, “Take me now. I give up! I thought I was better than this but I’m just like everybody else. I can’t go on.”

God sent an angel to him to give him food and drink. Then Elijah went on a trek up the mountain of God called Horeb. The word of the Lord came to him with a question, “What are you doing here?” Twice God asks Elijah this question. The second time was after that silence. Elijah answered the same way each time. He tells God that even though he is doing everything right, they still want to kill him. God promises him safety and tells him what to do.

Here’s another story about a guy who climbs a mountain to visit with God. Well, not just any guy and not just any prophet. Here we pick up on last week’s story about Jesus feeding the thousands of people.

Matthew 14:20-27
And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

It seems that prophets like to take treks up mountains to visit God … especially when they are upset. The truth is, Jesus was having a rough time too. There was reason that he wanted to get away in the first place, before the crowds followed him. He had just found out that his cousin, John the Baptizer, had been beheaded by King Herod. He just wanted some time alone to deal with his loss. But the crowds gathered around him and his heart went out to them. After healing all those who were sick Jesus fed the crowd. Remember that? Now, finally, he sends his disciples away in a boat and dismisses the crowd. Then he climbs the mountain to pray. He’s not as desperate as Elijah was, but he needs to get with God.

Jesus knows that his disciples in the boat are in rough waters, but he needs to have time with God. It isn’t until early in the morning that Jesus walks to them on the water, scaring them more than the rough seas did. The story picks up from here about Peter walking on the water and falling in. Then there’s the lesson about faith. After that they reach Gennesaret and once again the sick are brought to him and he heals them all.

The ministry of Jesus is action-packed. It’s easy to skip the part where he simply climbs a mountain so that he can stop and pray. There is nothing about a voice coming from the sky or Jesus crying out. We only know that he is alone and praying. He’s aware of his friends, but he seems to know that he’ll get there soon enough. They can take care of themselves. He needs this time with God. He takes the time.

How often do we take time to just be with God? Do we wait too long, like maybe Elijah did? Seriously, it seems to me that Elijah waited until it was almost too late. He wanted to die. It’s true that Jesus pushed himself when he saw the crowd and had compassion on them, but then he got away. He knew he needed to have some face-time with God. Elijah wasn’t looking for face-time. He just prayed that God would take him. Instead God had an angel play the part of a nurse for him, giving him food and drink.

Jesus knew why he was there. He needed to grieve. He needed to pray. He needed to be in the presence of Divine Love. Yes there was still a lot of work to be done. Yes, he could have taken care of his friends in the boat. But he knew he needed to get his perspective back.

There is a lot of work for us to do. We have friends and loved ones who could use our help. But we must take the time to be with our Divine Love. It’s too easy to get overwhelmed. Keeping our perspective is crucial. We can’t do our dreaming for the future that we need to do if we don’t have some face-time with God.

Stop. Pray. Listen. Climb your mountain and get away from the needs that press in upon you.

If you are overwhelmed with worry, find a way to rejoice in the presence of God. If you are overwhelmed with grief, share your heart’s sorrow with God. If you are in a cycle of go go go, relax with God. If you don’t know what to do or how to pray, come talk to me. We’ll figure it out together.

Today as we prepare ourselves for communion, think about the love of God reaching toward Elijah as the angel gives him a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. The angel said to him, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you."

Think about Jesus taking the time to be in the presence of God, his heart in grief over his cousin’s death. When it was morning he got up and began again the work that was set out for him.

This week, as you go about life, take time to stop, pray, and listen. Reach out to the one called the Morningstar, the Rose of Sharon, the Presence, Provider, and Comforter. Reach out to the One Who Loves you far beyond what you can imagine. Listen for the silence of God’s presence and the love that it contains.

God Asks ...

2011-08-12T20:26:00.000-07:00

I'm behind in my posting. This is from 07-24-11

1 Kings 3:5-12
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?" It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

In the section of Matthew that I’m about to read Jesus is angry. He is angry at the leaders of the people. Just prior to this section these leaders were plotting to entrap him with their questions. Jesus saw through it and with great wisdom turned the questions back on the heads of those who were seeking to entrap him. Now Jesus is giving them a piece of his mind.

Matthew 23:16 – 26
"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, "Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, "Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.

We’ve been talking about dreams the last couple of weeks. Well here’s an interesting one. In a dream by night God said to Solomon, "Ask what I should give you." This wasn’t a regular dream by night. This was a God-touched dream. And later in the chapter it is said that the people “stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him, to execute justice.”

King Solomon was a beloved leader. His wisdom was known internationally. He dealt with his people fairly and he built the Temple of the Lord his God. He was humble before God in the dream, and God responded by giving him much more than he asked for.

Let’s contrast this with the leaders that Jesus is telling off. Jesus is accusing the leaders of his time with having poor judgment. He indicates that they are also selfish and power-hungry. They do not understand the bigger picture. They are like a cat in the way that when you point at something the cat looks at your finger rather than at the thing at which you are pointing. They are short sighted. They get distracted by shiny objects … like the gold on the sanctuary or the gift on the altar. Jesus says they should be focusing on the sanctuary and the altar.

These leaders obey the law by tithing their spices and herbs, but they neglect the weightier matters of the law such as justice, mercy, and faith. They make sure that they look good on the outside, but Jesus tells them that they are dirty on the inside, stained with greed and self-indulgence. Faith doesn’t lead them to tithe. Mercy doesn’t lead them to care. Justice has no bearing on how they make decisions.

Please note that guilt and shame are not to be our motivators. Faith in God, mercy for others, and a desire for true justice are to lead us and inform our actions.

The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes did not have the same mindset as Solomon. They were not in awe at the task given to them by God. Solomon didn’t ask for riches. Jesus accused the Pharisees and Scribes of being greedy. Solomon didn’t ask for the life of his enemies. Jesus accused the leaders of his day of not practicing mercy and justice. In humility Solomon told God that he was just a little child, but the Pharisees and Scribes were called self-indulgent. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes wanted only what was best for them. Solomon wanted an understanding mind to discern between good and evil.

If God had said to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes "Ask what I should give you," what would they have answered? Long life? Riches? The life of their enemies? Probably all of these.

What if this question were posed to us? "Ask what I should give you." What would we answer? Depends on the day, right? Some days we might have the big picture in mind. We might not be as distracted by the shiny things. Other days … well, we might not ask for the lives of our enemies, but we might ask to outlive them. We might see riches as the way out of all the troubles in our lives. We might be thinking in a more self-indulgent and short-sighted way. It’s a good thing that God doesn’t ask this question anymore. Or … does God?

Mark 10:46 – 52 They came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart, get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.

Matthew 20: 29 – 34 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!” Jesus stood still and called them, saying, “What would you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they regained their sight and followed him.

This story is also told in the Gospel of Luke with one blind man and Jesus healing him by saying, “Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.” In it also, Jesus asks the blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” In three of the four gospels Jesus asks the blind man what he wants.

Here’s another story.

Mark 10:35 – 38a James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And Jesus said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking.”

Well this is interesting. John and James, the sons of Zebedee … Jesus nicknamed them the sons of thunder … acting more like the Pharisees than followers of Jesus. While these disciples went on to do great things as Christians, they had a rocky start. Their nickname might have come because of a little suggestion of theirs that is found only in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9. Some folks in a village that Jesus and the disciples were going through did not receive Jesus. It says, “When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.”

I know this may seem like a tangent, but I think it shows us how easy it is, in the name of God, to end up short-sighted and self-indulgent. James and John asked for the life of their enemies. They wanted the riches of sitting next to Jesus on their own heavenly thrones. If they hadn’t taken seriously the rebukes of Jesus, they could have ended up as Pharisees. Contrarily, if the Pharisees had taken the rebukes of Jesus seriously, they could have ended up disciples. Instead Jesus called them blind guides and blind fools. They should have taken a lesson from Blind Bartimaeus!

This is the lesson I hear from Solomon: when you start thinking about what you want from God, pause for a moment. Reflect on who God is to you. Solomon said to God, "You have shown great and steadfast love.” Solomon based his request on who God was to him and to his father, David. He also took seriously the task that lay before him.

I hear a lesson from the blind man that Jesus healed. Call out with your whole heart and be honest. Jesus heard the faith in his cry. He heard others telling him to shut up. Bartimaeus son of Timaeus knew exactly what he wanted and knew why he wanted it from Jesus. Bartimaeus, and the other blind man, believed in Jesus. They didn’t go their own way after they were healed. They got up and followed Jesus. They already knew his teachings. They believed what he had to say. I believe that they wanted to see him and to follow him. The blind men could see better with their faith than the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes could see with their eyes.

It isn’t just us asking God for this and for that. God says, "Ask what I should give you." Jesus says, “What is it you want me to do for you?” We know this isn’t a Christmas list. This is a more basic, at the foundation of who you are, kind of question. This question asks about the more weighty matters of how we want to live our lives.

Solomon asked for an understanding mind and the ability to discern. Jesus emphasized the importance of living a life of faith, mercy, and justice. The blind men called out in faith and asked to see. What is it that you want God to do for you?

Believing God

2011-07-29T10:46:00.000-07:00

Exodus 33:12 – 17
Moses said to the Lord, "See, you have said to me, "Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, "I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." God said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." And Moses said to him, "If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth." The Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name."

Moses is frustrated. He is calling on God to make good on the promises made to him. He is also asking God to show a little cause and effect. In other words, I think Moses is saying, "So God, I have found favor in your sight? That's great. Can I get a little action over here? I'm feeling awfully alone and it looks to others like maybe we have been making you up all this time. Seriously, God, if we are your nation, then come with us. If you aren't planning on coming with us then I'd rather stay where we are. I can't do this without you. I won’t do this without you."

Isn’t it comforting to know that it isn’t just us? Do you find relief of mind and heart that, for Moses, believing God sometimes meant asking for a little evidence? That probably doesn’t sound very spiritual, does it? Asking God for evidence sounds like a lack of faith. But here was Moses, a great person of God, chosen by God to be a leader saying, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways.” Show me what you are going to do, God. And make your presence known so that we don’t look like fools.

After God agrees to all that Moses requests, Moses takes it a step farther. In verse 18 Moses asks to see God’s glory. Moses wants to see God. With his eyes. Not an angel. Not a miracle. Moses wants to see God up close and personal. God’s reply? “No one can see me and live. But I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

God didn’t get mad, which is known to happen throughout the Bible. God didn’t say forget about it, which is known to happen throughout the Bible. God says, okay, but we will do it my way.

Is it lack of faith that prompts such requests? Or is it abundant faith that believes God will respond to such requests? Maybe it depends on the motivation of the person and the specific circumstance. All I know is that God responded to Moses favorably. What then does it mean to believe God? Maybe Paul can help us.

Philippians 1:1 – 11
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

What catches my attention in this passage the most is when Paul says, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work amoung you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” God will finish what God began. Paul is confident!

How often have we started a project and then realized that it was bigger or harder than we thought? Paul wants the Philippians to know that even if what they are doing is bigger and harder than they thought it would be, that God knew how big and hard the project was when it was started. The Philippians are to trust God’s ability and loyalty so that they can finish what they began. They need to be confident with Paul. They need to remember with Paul who it was that began the good work amoung them. By remembering God’s good work amoung them at the beginning they can believe God for a successful completion.

Paul is also telling them that God is with them from beginning to end. God did not start the work just to watch them finish from a distance. God is as devoted to the work as they are. Just like God promised to be present to Moses, Paul is promising that God is present from beginning to end. But the Philippians still have to believe. They have to remember with Paul and believe that it was God who started with them. If they agree that it was God who began the good work, then they have to believe that God wants to finish the work with them.

It is easy to remember the good work of the past and to think … ah, the good old days. Do you remember when this was wonderful and that was wonderful? Wouldn’t it be great if it were like that again? Sometimes these memories are good and important just to have for their own sake. But to look on those memories only to be sad about the present diminishes the possibilities of the present.

I do believe that there are times to grieve what never will be again. We must acknowledge these losses and mourn. And then I think it’s important to lift our heads up and look at what we have now. Paul is helping the Philippians do just that.

The Philippians seem to be having a tough time. They started out strong but now hard things are happening. Not the least of these things is what is going on with Paul himself. He is in prison. Paul started the church in Philippi. They have remained quite close. When the church found out that Paul was in prison they sent Epaphroditus with a gift from them. As a response to that gift Paul sends this letter back with Epaphroditus. He knows that they love him. He loves them too and he knows how hard it is for them that he is in prison. He also knows that they are under pressure too. Being a follower of Jesus as the Christ was risky business for everyone. They had opponents just as Paul did.

“I am confident,” Paul says, “that the one who began the good work in you will bring it to completion.” Paul is in jail for preaching the gospel. While in jail he is encouraging his church because they are worried about him and they are experiencing persecution. In all of this, where does Paul get his confidence? Unlike Moses, he isn’t asking to see God. Well, that might be because he has seen God.

In the middle of Acts we read about Paul who was at that time called Saul. He was persecuting the church with much enthusiasm and with the backing of the chief priests. Acts 9 tells the story of his conversion. “Meanwhile, Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ Saul asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’”

Saul ended up temporarily blind because of this experience. While it doesn’t say explicitly that Saul saw God, it is inferred when the story talks about what happened with his traveling companions. “The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.” This implies that Saul saw someone. The voice speaking to him said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Another person who saw God, although in a different way, was Thomas. Do you remember that he doubted the resurrection? Who can blame him? He was in deep grief. He loved Jesus. How awful that he happened to be gone the first time that Jesus appeared to his friends in his resurrected form. Thomas said, “Unless I see for myself I will not believe.” That seems only fair to me.

The next week Jesus returned. Thomas was there. Jesus said to him, “Put your fingers in my wounds and believe. Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have come to believe.”

Believing although not seeing. This is the challenge of most people in the church. Moses saw the backside of God. Paul saw the ascended form of Jesus, although I’m guessing in a very small dose. God told Moses that no one can see God and live. Paul was only struck blind. These great people of God seem to have such an advantage over us. And yet, Jesus is talking right to us when he tells Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet have come to believe.”

Last week we talked about visioning and dreaming. I encouraged us to pray and receive the visions and dreams that God gives us. I want us to not be afraid of change, to love people of all stripes, and to offer our ministry without restraint. To do that, we have to have some kind of anchor in our soul, even if it’s only a kernel of solid belief. Jesus told his disciples that if they had faith only the size of a mustard seed they could say to the mountain, “Be moved!” and it would be moved.

Just like Moses, we can feel frustrated, lonely and exhausted in our ministry. We may need to ask for evidence like Moses did. We may need encouragement like the Philippians. We may long to see Jesus like Thomas. Whatever place you are I can tell you this: I am confident like Paul that the work the Holy Spirit has begun in us will be brought to completion by this same Holy Spirit through us.

What is your anchor of belief? Where have you seen God? What can you return to at the times when your present situation feels frustrating or when you feel alone or overwhelmed? I think it’s important to be able to identify your anchor of belief, the kernel of faith that helps you stay centered and strong. I don’t like to leave inspiration and motivation to chance, hoping that I’ll remember in my time of need. That is like hoping you’ll find a good sturdy rope and something heavy enough to tie it to when your ship is drifting. It is good to know what your anchor is and where it can be found.

Your anchor might be a memory of seeing the evidence of God in your life or someone else’s life? It could be a deep knowing in your spirit. It could come from prayer, music, walking in the woods, going to church, or any number of other things. Knowing our anchor of belief is one way of opening up a space in our souls so that we have room for dreams and visions.

Believing God isn’t just some spiritual gift that some people have and others don’t. Just like any relationship, we need to cultivate our trust in God. We need to know in our souls that God is faithful and loyal. Our believing in God in response is a way to be faithful and loyal in return.

It is okay to call out to God like Moses did, asking for some kind of assurance. That is still an act of believing God. When we call out wanting a response we are doing so with some kind of faith that indicates a response is possible. It is important to remember the strength of the past sometimes so that we can be confident in the future.

Talk to God in real terms. Don’t worry about being religious or spiritual. Tell God what you need, what you long for, and how you are feeling. This is one way to open up your soul for the dreams and visions that we need as we move forward.

Believing God comes in many forms. What does it look like when you are believing God?

Standards of Evaluation

2011-07-07T18:01:00.000-07:00

Text: Mattthew 11:1 – 15

Who are these men? People were asking these questions about John the Baptizer and Jesus. People still ask these questions. We still ask these questions. At least, I hope we do. While we Christians have ascribed roles and some character traits to these men, I believe it is a good practice to delve deeper into who they were then and who they are to us now. In this account John is in prison and he is hearing about the miracles Jesus is performing.

According to Luke's gospel, Jesus and John are cousins. In the King James Version the angel, talking to Mary in Luke 1, says this, "Behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible." Mary visited Elisabeth when they were both pregnant, Elisabeth being farther along. John and Jesus were about 6 months apart in age. They probably played together as children. They knew each other. And yet, John asks Jesus, "Are you the one or shall we wait for another?" John wanted to be sure. He was in jail and I imagine he wanted his spirit to be settled on the matter. Cousin to cousin and prophet to prophet, John asks Jesus who he is. And he trusts Jesus to tell him the truth. Jesus answers by sending information that superficially it seems John already knows. What does this message mean to John?

Jesus was a man who spoke in parables and riddles. According to Matthew "without a parable he told them nothing." Is it possible that Jesus was sending a message to John that would make sense to him in a way that it wouldn't to others? Don't we have people with whom we speak that a certain phrase holds a deeper meaning than it would with others? John knew that the lame were walking and the blind were able to see because of Jesus. What John didn't know was if Jesus was The One. Jesus doesn't tell him yes or no ... I think he tells him something more, something we will never really be able to understand. And what of the last phrase, "Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me." In fact there were many people taking offense at what Jesus was doing. Sure the sick were healed, but he was doing it on the Sabbath. Okay so he was doing miracles, but he was letting unclean people touch him and letting his disciples eat with unceremonially washed hands.

Why were people offended at Jesus doing these amazingly good things? I think it's because they were letting their standards get in the way of their evaluation. They couldn't look past what they had known before, how things had been done before, even the rules that had been set out before. They couldn't appreciate the miracles because they were distracted by their bias and protocol. May God save us from our bias and our protocol.

This same bias and protocol was at play when people evaluated John's identity. After the disciples of John left, Jesus turned to the crowd to address John's identity. "What did you go out to see," he asked? Some people thought John to be crazy. Others thought he was the Messiah. Many followed him as a prophet and even more were influenced by his teachings and were baptized by him. Jesus challenges the crowd. He names their opinions. Is he a reed shaken by the wind? Is he royalty from heaven? Is he a prophet? Yes, Jesus tells them, he is a prophet and so much more. And then Jesus says a very curious thing. "Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

How can this be? What is he saying? If no one has arisen greater than John, where does that put Jesus? Yet the least is greater than John. What is the standard of this evaluation? Such a mysterious saying. But he goes on to say, "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. Let anyone with ears listen!"

Let anyone with ears listen. Let anyone who can drop their bias and reliance on protocol accept and understand. Jesus asks a lot of us in many ways. This is one of those ways. In his statement about John, that he is Elijah who is to come, Jesus not only tells us who John is but he tells us who he is. Mark 9 gives us insight into this. We are in the middle of the story of the transformation on the mountain where Peter, James and John saw Jesus transfigured along with Elijah and Moses. Afterward, as they were walking down the mountain together, "they asked him, 'Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' He said to them, 'Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.'"

Malachi prophesied that Elijah, the first prophet of Israel, would precede the coming of the Messiah. The scribes handed down this prophesy as a teaching. Peter, James and John were confused. If Jesus was the Messiah, where was Elijah? Jesus explains to them in the story of the transfiguration that Elijah has come. He explains even more explicitly in our story today saying that John the Baptist is Elijah. John is the messenger preparing the way for the Messiah.

One might not see Elijah in John the Baptist at first blush. He was rough and crude. He isolated himself in the desert and only ate locusts and honey. We hear no stories about him attending weddings like Jesus did. The only relationships of his that we hear about are those he had with his followers and with King Herod. Elijah may not have had many friends, but we do read about him helping the widow and her son, being a sought after consultant to King Ahab, and having a confidant and trusted mentee in Elisha. He might not have been the most sophisticated chap, but he doesn’t seem to have been quite as hated in the same way that John was. Furthermore, there is a certain romanticism that happens when someone becomes an archetype. John the Baptist didn't really fit any romantic vision of Elijah. Yet Jesus tells them that if they will listen to him, if they will drop their romanticism and expectations, they will see that John is Elijah the messenger and that the way was prepared by him. Jesus proclaims himself Messiah without having to use those words. He answers John's question to him, are you The One, in one message to John's disciples and then in another message to the gathered crowd.

But how is it that John can be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven of those born of women and yet the least are greater than him? Is this a riddle to be analyzed? Is this a secret truth that, if we uncover it we will understand something of the essence of God? Maybe. But rather than figuring out how it is that this can be I want to figure out how it is that we can live this truth. The questions in the passage are all about identity. The premise that I see is that we need to drop our bias and let go of our protocols. If we concede that John the Baptist is the greatest and yet those who are least are greater than he, how must be live? Who are least in the kingdom of heaven? I mean, out of all the people that we meet, that we hear about, that we read about ... out of all these people, who are ascribed to be the least in the kingdom of heaven? If these people are least, and Jesus tells us that they are greater than John the Baptist, how must we live?

I believe too often our standards get in the way of being able to evaluate according to Christ's teaching. Sometimes these are standards that we know we have and sometimes they are internalized. This week let’s practice getting in touch with those ideas or frameworks that create standards that limit our evaluations. And let’s pray that we have ears to hear the teachings of Jesus. When we let go of our bias and our protocols, who knows who will be revealed to us as being greater than John the Baptist.

Welcoming Christ In Our Midst

2011-06-29T04:59:00.000-07:00

Acts 4:1-10 & Matthew 10:40-42

Earlier in the 10th chapter of Matthew, Jesus told his disciples to go into the nearby villages and towns. He gave them authority to cast out unclean spirits and to cure every disease and every sickness. He also warned them that they would not always be welcome. Jesus told them, "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them…” He warned them that they would be “dragged before governors and kings” because of him. But they were not to worry what they were to say, because the Spirit would speak through them.

Peter and John found out that Jesus was not kidding. After Pentecost the disciples stepped up their game and began going out to heal and preach just as they had been doing when Jesus was still with them. Lo and behold, they were dragged into jail and questioned just as promised. “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit” gave their defense, again, just as promised.

As the story in Acts unfolds we find those who accused the disciples in a quandary. It says, “when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus. When they saw the man who had been cured standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition.” Later we find out that the disciples were warned to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. Peter and John’s reply? "Whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard."

Peter and John had good news in their souls and they were not about to hold that inside of them. If healing a person of a disease got them into trouble, it was worth it. Jesus said, “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward." In the name of a disciple … or maybe better put, if you give even a cup of cold water because you name yourself as being a disciple. If because you follow Jesus you do even the smallest act of kindness to someone else, you will not lose your reward.

If because you follow Jesus you welcome and are welcomed, you will not lose your reward. We like to be rewarded, don’t we? We like to know that someone notices the good things that we do. Jesus is saying that these good things will be noticed – they will be noticed by everyone. Not everyone will respond the same way though. Some will look at our love and compassion on others as being offensive. Whether we receive love and compassion in time of need or give love and compassion, some people will be offended even to the point of being angry and wanting to make us stop. Isn’t that dumbfounding?

Jesus tells us to welcome people anyway. Jesus tells us to help people anyway. He isn’t real clear about what the reward will be, just that there will be a reward. If you receive a prophet you will receive the reward of the prophet. If someone welcomes you on account of you being a person of faith, they are welcoming Jesus. If you do a small act of kindness for someone, like giving a cup of cold water to someone who thirsts, you will not lose your reward.

This reward … I don’t think it’s the reason we are to welcome and to accept being welcomed. Instead I think we should tuck this promise inside our hearts for the day when people express their dissatisfaction because we are generous and welcoming, and in case we are ever brought into the courts because we heal and teach the hope of Christ. Remembering these words of Jesus will give us strength and courage. Even if those around you criticize your good deeds and think you should be more selfish, you will remember that you are generous because you are a disciple. You are welcoming because you have been welcomed.

When we are welcomed, Christ is welcomed. When we welcome others, Christ is welcomed. Jesus says, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me.” Who is the “you” that Jesus is referring too? Specifically in that moment Jesus was talking to his 12 disciples. But in the larger teaching, Jesus is talking to everyone who loves him. Some of those people go to church and some don’t. Some of those people look like us and some don’t. When Jesus tells us to give even a cup of cold water to the little ones, I think he is saying, don’t try to figure out who is a prophet and who is righteous. Don’t decide who you should welcome … just welcome people. Love people. If someone is thirsty, give them something to drink. And if someone else doesn’t think that thirsty person deserves a drink, give them a drink too.

This week we held the funeral service for Casey Jones. I had already chosen the scriptures for this week before I found out that I was officiating at his funeral. When I began to talk to people about Casey, I heard many of the stories that he used to tell. But one story I heard twice. It was the story of when he was a little boy and he was playing with his friends. It was a hot summer day and the boys were playing hard. They were tired and got very thirsty. They went to the back door of the house of one of the boys where they were greeted by the child’s mother who said, “You can all come in and have drink of water … except for the Jones boy.” Casey’s family was poor. That was the only reason he could think of that this mom didn’t let him in the house or give him a drink of water. At that young age he decided that he would make something of himself. Which he did. However, once he began to make money he did not forget what it was like to be excluded. From the stories I hear he was a generous man and genuinely interested in how things were going in people’s lives.

Casey was not a church-going man. One might say that it wasn’t because of Jesus that he was generous and welcoming. I say that we do not know. I also wonder about the mother who refused him a drink of water. I wonder if she would have given him that drink if she had known who he was to become.

We don’t need to know who someone will become, where they have come from, or what they believe. Peter and John healed a lame man who was begging at the gate of the temple. They did not ask him what he believed. The story tells us that “Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, ‘Look at us.’ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‘I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.”

The leaders were offended that Peter and John healed this man. But Peter and John regarded him as if he were Jesus. Inspiration was tucked in their hearts. When they were arrested and then the next morning questioned, their answer was that they did it in the name of Jesus. They did it for the sake of Jesus, to welcome Christ and the one who sent Christ.

Tuck this in your hearts. When you welcome others you are welcoming Jesus. When you help others, you are helping Jesus. It is a simple principle, but difficult sometimes. We want our reward to be more immediate or more apparent. We want our good deeds to be noticed here and now. Sometimes that doesn’t happen. Sometimes our reward is deep inside our spirit. It might take prayer and faith to accept it. Truly, I tell you, keep doing good deeds for the sake of welcoming Jesus in our midst and you will not lose your reward.

Beyond Our Imagination

2011-06-19T17:00:00.000-07:00

Genesis 1:26-27; John 14:10-17

Happy Father's Day!! Blessings to all you dads! Being a good and loving father takes a lot of time, patience, and grace. I know that I am incredible blessed. I have a wonderful Father. I have never doubted the love and care of my Dad. I even took it for granted as a child ... many many times. And yet, his love was constant even when frustrated. I don't know how he did it.

There are many people in the world who have not had good fathers. This grieves my soul. Having kind, strong, and patient parents helps kids to grow up to be kind, strong, and patient. But this is only the beginning. I believe that a child's relationship with their parents also helps shape the child's relationship with God. I also think that our view of God shapes who we are as parents.

Not only is today Father's Day, but it is also Trinity Sunday. On this day we celebrate the complexity of our God. In our scriptures God is spoken of as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Today as we consider the expression of God as trinity, let us also consider our own complexity, especially you Dads, since we understand ourselves to be created in the image of God.

Jesus speaks of his relationship with his Father. He distinguishes himself from the Father, and yet he goes on to explain that he and the Father are one. "I am in the Father and the Father is in me." Then Jesus makes us a promise that the Father will give us another Advocate, the Spirit of Truth. Jesus is the first Advocate but he knows he is going away. The promise of the other Advocate, the Spirit of Truth, is a promise that we will not be left alone. The Spirit of Truth abides with us, and will be in us. Our celebration of Pentecost fulfill this promise of the other Advocate.

It's hard to wrap our heads around all these relationships. And it gets even more mind blowing when Jesus says, "I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." This is not how we experience the world we live in. Even in our closest relationships we hold on to our individuality. While Jesus is teaching that we are interwoven with the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit, he also keeps the distinction that there is The Father, Jesus, the Spirit and us. This is mystery of the highest order. It is important to look at this complex mystery because it is connected to our calling by Christ to obey his commandments, the chief of which is to love God and to love our neighbor.

We can look at what we see in our lives to begin to explore this mystery. Consider a woven blanket. There are many threads that make up the one blanket. The black thread is distinct from the brown thread which is distinct from the red and yellow threads. Each of these threads are separate but because they are woven together, they become one. The Father, Jesus, and the Spirit are distinct, yet they are one. We are woven into the spiritual fabric of God and are invited to experience love at a level beyond our imagination.

Ephesians 3:16 - 21
I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Rooted and grounded in love. The power to comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses our knowledge. The Spirit desires to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine. We are beckoned by God to search out the immensity of the mystery and complexity of God. Not that we apprehend the facts but that we comprehend the immensity and establish ourselves in love. This love surpasses what our brains alone can figure out. It isn't a calculation.

Imagine something amazing! Imagine the most marvelous think you can think of. Remember the most incredible experience that you've ever experienced. The love of Christ surpasses this. The power of the Spirit is able to accomplish more than this. Jesus and the Father with the Spirit are one. We are invited to be woven into this Holy Blanket.

It isn't just the Holy Spirit moving through us with Jesus as our Redeemer and the Father who sent the Son. Because of Christ we are reconciled to the Father and filled with the Holy Spirit. We are like a limb grafted on to a tree or like an organ transplanted into a body. Once we are reconciled we have access to all that the Father and Jesus shared. Through the Holy Spirit we are equipped to live a life of love beyond our imaginations.

This life of love is what we are called to live. Love is the foundational connection that we have with God. Just as God loves us we are to love God - with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Secondly, we are to love our neighbor as ourself. These are the commandments that we must obey in order for the weaving of ourselves with God to be secure and complete.

Fathers, I urge you to follow the lead of our heavenly Father. Weave yourself to your family. Call upon the Spirit of God to help you so that you and your family may be one. For all families of all kinds, I urge you to think about the mystery of love. How does it connect you to each other and to God? Think about the breadth and length and height and depth of this mystery. Imagine the love of Christ and then let yourself be wow'ed that Christ's love surpasses even the most magnificent dream you may have.

Drum Circle in Elkhart, IN!! Come join the Fun!!

2011-05-15T17:48:00.001-07:00

We're having another drum circle!!

Drum Circle
Friday, May 20th, 7pm
First Congregational UCC
431 South 3rd Street (corner of 3rd and Marion in downtown Elkhart)
Elkhart, IN 46516

Drumming is a form of worship and prayer, a way to connect to each other, and a way to deepen our understanding of ourselves. Drumming helps to reduce stress and is FUN!

Everyone has rhythm in their bodies - our heartbeat and our breathing are prime examples. Come to the Drum Circle! From novice to expert we all have a rhythm to share! Bring your drum, rattle, or other percussive instrument if you have one. If you don't have one, loaners will be available.

LGBT Asylum org needs help!!

2011-05-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe you have been monitoring the process of the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill which calls for the execution of sexually active homosexuals who are HIV-positive or who are considered to be "serial offenders." The bill also calls for a sentence of life in prison upon conviction of a single "homosexual act," and a ban of the production or circulation of any information that "promotes" homosexuality – almost certainly including information on sexual health and HIV Prevention, any religious leader who speaks of welcome and affirmation for LGBT persons, or any justice work on behalf and/or with LGBT persons.

If so, I'm sure that you are as relieved as I am that Uganda's parliament adjourned today (Friday) without acting on the bill. This is wonderful but it doesn't mean that all is well. There is still much to do ... and many people to help. Sometimes it is difficult to find a practical thing to do. Today I have heard a plea that allows many of us the great satisfaction of putting our faith into works, much like James 2:18 suggests, "But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith."

Below is a forward of an email from Pastor Judy of the (LGBT) Asylum Support Task Force. But first, here is their Mission Statement

The Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) Asylum Support Task Force is a community-based organization of volunteers dedicated to supporting and empowering LGBT individuals who are seeking asylum or refuge in the United States.

And now, the email excerpt from Pastor Judy:

We expect a grant in August, until then, we are hanging on by threads. Consider a check of any size, written to Hadwen Park, LGBT fund, 6 Clover St., Worcester, 01603

It has to go thru the church accounting system and the last Sunday before June 1st when rent for 9 asylees is due is May 29. It has to arrive by then to be counted, recorded and thru our tax exempt church system's books.

Please, Please help. WE are nearly $2000 short of food, rent, cells and transportation. HELP!

and..............gratitude for prayers,
Pastor Judy
www.hadwenparkchurch.org

LGBT Equality in the Presbyterian Church USA!!

2011-05-10T18:45:00.000-07:00

How cool is this??? Very cool!!!!

"After 37 yrs, the PCUSA eliminates the final official barrier to full membership, leadership & service of LGBT people."

The Heart of the Matter

2011-04-11T19:46:00.000-07:00

Texts: John 10:7 – 18 and Tao te Ching #31

Last week my friend Tammerie declared it "Take Your Koran to Church Day". She wrote this in her blog post:

Terry Jones was apparently not satisfied with the firestorm of controversy he ignited last fall, when he threatened to hold an "International Burn a Quran Day" on the anniversary of 9/11. On April 1, 2011, with reportedly 30 congregants in attendance, Jones staged a mock trial of the Koran, found it guilty, doused it in kerosene and burned it.

Protests in Afghanistan have turned violent and are leading to a rising death toll. Rather than take responsibility for what his actions have triggered, Jones explicitly denied culpability and called for retribution.

We didn't meet last Sunday and I don't have a Koran but I was offered one by two friends. It came as kind of a shock to me when I realized that I don't have a Koran. I have several Bibles, a translation of the Tao te Ching, Buddhist books, Goddess books, but no Koran.

And then I thought, but we are in the midst of Lent and moving toward Easter. Now isn't the time really to pull out non-Christian sacred writings, is it? This is one of the high Christian holidays where we celebrate Christ's last teachings, mourn his death, and celebrate his resurrection. Now is the time to pull out all the stops of Christianity.

My fervor for Christianity paused as I reflected on Jesus, a Jew. Jesus, a person not trying to start a new religion but instead so devoted to his religion, Judaism, that he stopped at nothing to go right to the heart of his devotion – relationship with God both for himself and for his people. Jesus, as I understand him, looked at the inside of the laws, the inside of the purpose for doing things, the inside of family, and the inside of politics and religion. The gifts he shared and his leadership were to bring wholeness to his people. He did not stop folks who wanted to follow him that were not Jews, but his message and his actions were meant to rebuild his community, starting from the inside… starting from the heart.

When rules and laws were flung at him like arrows to prove that he was a bad Jew, with wisdom he caught those arrows in the air and turned them back on his enemies. "You who are without sin cast the first stone." "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.'" "I ask you, is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to destroy it?" Jesus taught the heart of the law not the letter of the law.

Today we follow the teachings of this Jew not as Jews, but as Christians. I wonder what he would feel about that. And I wonder if he would be as upset as I am when people like Terry Jones accost another religion in his name. I wonder if his heart would break reading bumper stickers like the one I read the other day – Work as hard as you can so the president can take your money and give it to people who don’t work. I wonder what Jesus' Facebook status would be after reading the flagrant political lies told for the purpose of the rich getting tax breaks and funding for education and health providers being cut.

This is Lent. We are celebrating what it is to be Christian – followers of Christ. At least part of that calling, if we take Jesus the Christ as our role model, is to challenge and criticize our own religion, Christianity. We are to take our own people to task for what they say and what they do. We are to take our own church to task for what we say and what we do. We need to get to the heart of our own message – the good news of abundant life.

The scarcity model that many Christian leaders teach is an abomination to the abundance model that Jesus taught and lived. Some want us to believe that resources are scarce and that we need to horde them for ourselves. Some want us to believe that there is only one way to worship and one expression of the Divine. This scarcity model serves only to create hostility against those who do not worship as we Christians do. Not that there is one Christian form of worship! We can't forget the battles done in the name of right worship. This too is a scarcity model, seeking to convince people that there are a limited number of ways to worship.

Jesus says he came so that we would have abundant life. The thief, he says, climbs over the fence in secret to kill, destroy, and steal. The wolf terrorizes the sheep and causes them to scatter while Jesus speaks to the sheep and they follow.

The scarcity model is a model of terror used to scatter the flock. It denies the abundance that Jesus proclaims. While Jesus says, "I have other sheep that belong to other flocks," the wolf cries out that the other flocks are evil and need to be punished. The wolf burns the sacred books of the other flocks, seeks to steal preventive healthcare, and creates an atmosphere of hysteria so that the sheep scatter.

But we, the sheep, need to hear our shepherd's voice. We need to not become wrapped up in the letter of the law but listen for the heart beating within. When the wolf tries to twist words of abundance to seem like words of scarcity we must listen for the beating of the shepherds heart. When the thief tries to climb over the fence to terrorize us we must keep our eyes on the gate.

In the midst of his own terror, before the soldiers came to arrest him, Jesus begged God to be spared his fate. His prayer, however, ended with, "Yet not what I want, but what you want." Did Jesus hear the voice of his shepherd? Did he remember his own words, "I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."

What is the heart of Lent and Easter? I believe it is knowing that the shepherd leads us and loves us. I believe it is remembering that Jesus came offering us abundant life. Yes there are wolves. Yes there are thieves. Yes, they can make life difficult and dangerous.

Later in the Gospel of John, at the end of the 16th chapter Jesus says, "The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!"

In the name of the one who conquered the powers of the world I say to you, "Take courage!" Don't be thrown by the thieves and wolves. Remember that we are offered abundant life. That is the heart of the matter.

Remembering Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr

2011-04-04T05:52:00.000-07:00

Today is April 4th, the anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination. During this time of Lenten reflection, as we prepare our hearts for the resurrection celebration of Jesus, please take a moment with me as you are able to remember the life and work of Dr. King. Although he did not rise from the dead after his assassination, he did live the life that Jesus calls all of us to live - one of speaking truth to power and living out sacrificial love.

Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, and Luke 9:23 all contain a version of Jesus' teaching "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." Dr. King did just that. My prayer is that we will have the strength and the passion to follow in his footsteps.

http://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/?page_id=122

Grace in Time of Need

2011-03-27T13:02:00.000-07:00

Texts: Hebrews 4: 12 – 16 & John 14:15 - 21

It has been a long hard winter. Even with spring here according to the calendar we are feeling more of winter's chill. At least the days are getting longer. But we began our Lenten time of reflection early in the year while there was more night than day. And with the cold dragging on we may find ourselves more challenged to complete the course of Lent than if we had begun it in warmer weather with longer daylight hours.

My relationship with Lent is not without tension regardless of what time of year it begins. I believe that an intentional time of reflection is good – it's healthy for our spirits. I also believe that remembering Jesus' suffering on our behalf is good. But then the conflict begins for me. I do not believe that we should remember Jesus' suffering so that we walk with our head hung down and our spirits in shame. Giving up something in our lives or adding something to our lives for 40 days can be a useful tool toward intentional reflection and gratitude. It is, I believe, a tool. We don't perform ritual because the ritual needs us to. We perform ritual for us. It may expand our understanding of a spiritual concept by using physical resources. It might help lead us in the direction toward God that we feel we need to go. Still other times ritual reflects back to us what it is we are doing in the spirit.

According to the scripture passage in the book of Hebrews, we don't have to give up or add anything to our lives for our vulnerabilities to be known by God in Christ. We are all "naked and laid bare" before the Spirit. Our vulnerabilities are already known. The essence of who we are is not hid from God – our strengths and our weaknesses alike. This is meant as an encouragement but so often it inspires fear in our hearts. The encouragement comes in understanding that we are not known to a hateful God but to a loving God. The passage continues in telling us that "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are." We are looked upon and known, and then compassion – no, not just compassion, but empathy flows from the heart of Christ. Our Lenten rituals can help to remind us that Christ, through his suffering, knows us and reaches out toward us.

The next line of that passage sometimes brings us back to feeling guilty and shamed. It goes on to say that Jesus endured his testing but without sinning. "Ahhh", you might say,"but I have sinned." How can Jesus sympathize with us? He overcame sin when he was tested and we still sin. Herein lies a mystery. Humans are apt to look down upon someone whose weakness shows when tested. Jesus, though fully human, is not like that. Instead of being wary of the wrath of Jesus because we are weak, we are told to "approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Jesus knows it's hard. Jesus knows that sometimes everything in life falls apart and it's scary, painful and infuriating. The turmoil, suffering, and testing that Jesus endured elicited compassion and sympathy toward us. Praise be to God! We have a high priest – a Messiah – who not only understands us but who offers us grace at the hardest and weakest times in our lives.

Here's the tricky part – we have to believe it, and believe it strong enough to make that approach to the throne of grace with boldness. Do we really believe that we will "receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need?" Do we? Do you? How can we find that strength when we are at our weakest to approach the throne of grace boldly? The only way I know to find this strength is through the one Jesus calls the Advocate, the abiding Holy Spirit. This "other Advocate," as Jesus calls the Spirit, was given to us so that we would not be left alone, fulfilling Jesus' promise that he would not leave us orphaned.

The Spirit doesn't just hang around us. The Spirit lives within us. The passage in The Gospel of John reads, "In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you." The Spirit lives amoung us and lives within us. There is an integration between God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and us. We are like woven threads worked together to make a whole piece of cloth. Separate one and you unravel the many. We can come boldly to the throne of grace because we are strengthened by the bond between all the threads Spirit has woven within our soul.

There is another thing mentioned in the Gospel of John – the need to keep the commandments of Jesus. Once again we may feel discouraged. Keeping the commandments sounds very hard. I hope that I can encourage you by telling you that there are only two commandments. Very soon we will be addressing these in Sunday morning Bible Study. They are simple commandments, but intense and challenging. In the Gospel of Mark we read, "One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that Jesus answered them well, he asked Jesus, 'Which commandment is the first of all?' Jesus answered, "The first is, "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.’"

These are the commandments that Jesus wants us to obey. All other rules and rituals are to be in line with these two. Love God with everything that you are and love others as you love yourself. The question that needs to be asked, which we will be asking in Bible study, is how can we better love ourselves so that we can better love others?

Love God. Love yourself. Love others. The more you live into these commandments the more you will recognize the Advocate who lives in you as well as the strength of the woven threads of the Spirit, Jesus, and Divine Parent with your very soul.

As we move day by day and week by week through Lent, reflecting on the suffering of Christ and our own humanness, let us do so in the strength of Christ's compassion. When you feel weak, either due to the testing of this Lenten season or just because it’s been a hard day ... or a hard winter ... take a deep breath and remember the promised Holy Spirit. Lean back on the woven threads within your soul and approach the throne of grace with boldness. Life can be hard. We don't often have the answers that we want, but at the throne of grace we can breathe in mercy and grace.

Jesus, Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday

2011-03-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

Texts: Mt 22:15 – 22; Mt 23:1 – 12

In a recent status on my Facebook page I wrote that I thought Jesus was a Fat Tuesday kind of guy rather than an Ash Wednesday kind of guy. Following that status were some thought-provoking comments out of which could have begun some very interesting conversations. The idea of the combination of holy feast and holy fast was mentioned. Having a reflective faith and the seriousness of Jesus' sacrifice were also part of the thread. Another comment had to do with Jesus' probable practiced ability to make it through the fasting and trials of his forty days in the desert.

My Facebook status was based on my understanding of Jesus as a man who turned water into wine for parties and who taught such things as we heard in the 23rd chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus was called a glutton and a drunkard because he didn't observe the law the way those in religious authority wished him to. He also spoke harshly against those in authority who "tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulder of others; but they are unwilling to lift a finger to move them."

Lent has often felt like that to me – a heavy burden of shame that we are supposed to carry for forty days so that we can better appreciate the suffering of Jesus on our behalf. In some theologies it is our fault that Jesus died on the cross – our sin put him there. I do not believe that any of us are without sin and I think it is an important practice of our faith to reflect continually upon our lives so that we have ample motivation and opportunity to repent when we operate out of selfishness, greed, and the like. However, I understand Jesus’ sacrifice as being accomplished out of an extreme kind of love, a love that we can't even begin to understand because it runs so deep, so long, so high, and so wide. Jesus was sent because "God so loved the world." Jesus died because he would not back down in defending the powerless, healing the sick, feeding the poor, and gathering instead of scattering. He threatened leaders of his time because he was not showy and pompous, thus putting the rest of the people in their place. Instead Jesus made people and communities whole as often as he could.

He called us to be humble – to not exalt ourselves. Jesus addressed the pride of the Pharisees and Scribes, and their lust for power, by teaching his disciples to not do what they did. In chapter 22 of Matthew we read of the Pharisees trying to trap Jesus with a question about taxes. Jesus asked them what image was on the coin and responded, "Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." That shut them up for awhile. It seems that the act of paying tribute with money, performing deeds of great sacrifice, or of having the appearance of being righteous is not the point. Humility is the point of this teaching. Humility – that is the image of our Divine Beloved. No matter what we offer in tribute, the image it should bear is the image of our God.

Shame and humility are different. I see shame as a consequence of oppressive power dynamics. Humility shapes an environment of equality while maintaining a person's wholeness. I believe Jesus is teaching that we are not to exalt ourselves – to give ourselves over to ranking and climbing up some imaginary ladder of religious success, but rather we are to be humble – to live a life where we value everyone, especially those who serve.

Lent is a time of intentional reflection. These next few weeks are a created opportunity to examine how we move through this world. Are we humble? Do we honor everyone, especially those who serve? Do we try to posture so that we appear respectable, spiritual, or obedient? Do our actions come from a place of humility; a place where we can stand solid in what we believe and how we behave without it becoming an oppressive power or a false standard of how others should believe or behave?

If you are giving something up or adding something like prayer to your life for lent, will whatever you are doing help guide you toward the kind of reflection that leads toward humility and an increased marveling at the resurrection when at last we celebrate Easter? Might what you do with this time change your life a little? What are you giving to God? Whose image is on the tribute you offer?

Give to God what is God's. Giving up something may be a wonderful way for you to remember that this is a time of active reflection. Adding more Bible reading or prayer to your week may be a good way for others. Whatever you do, give to God what is God's.

Ash Wednesday is a solemn ceremony where people are marked on the forehead with the ashes from the burned palm leaves of the ecstatic celebration from the year before. Just like the marking of lamb's blood on the lintels of the doors of the Hebrews in Egypt or the phylacteries on the foreheads of Jewish men, the mark of the ashes reminds us and tells others who we are and whose we are.

Fat Tuesday, known in French as Mardi Gras, is the last day of the festival called Carnival which means, "farewell to the flesh." It is the last big party before the fast and is the holy feast my Facebook friend mentioned. During this celebration they killed the fattened calf and used up the last of their eggs and dairy making all kinds of wonderful pastries.

Would Jesus have gotten more into Fat Tuesday or Ash Wednesday? No one really knows. I still have a hunch that he would dig the abundance and revelry of Fat Tuesday. I also think it would be important to him that everyone got to go to the party; to dance, laugh, and eat their fill. Still, he did steal away whenever he could to pray. He taught that some things could only be accomplished through fasting and praying. He also taught his disciples that sometimes they needed time to get away from everyone and rest. So, just as Jesus would want everyone to come to the party, my guess is that he would want everyone to share in a time of reflection.

Even more than that, I am confident Jesus would want the revelers to revel to the glory of God and the reflectors to reflect to the glory of God.

Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones But Words Can Break My Spirit

2011-02-21T05:10:00.000-08:00

Texts: Psalms 147:1-9, Proverbs 18:14-21, and Mark 5:21 - 42

Stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. These are the words heard on playgrounds usually in response to some insult thrown from one child to another. Parents teach children these words as a way to deflect hurtful insults and malicious language. As adults we know that being picked on is no fun so we offer this retort to our children in an attempt to give them a shield.

Sometimes what happens though is that this line of thinking goes to the extreme and is carried into adulthood. We assume that if we are hurt by something someone says that we are weak. We also may believe that if someone is hurt by something that we say that they are overly sensitive. The terms "thick-skinned" and "toughen up" come to mind. But how thick is it safe for our emotional and spiritual skin to be? How tough do we really want our soul?

Think about your hands and feet. How much feeling do you get when your heels or fingers are calloused? Not much. When I was a line cook in a restaurant it was a good thing that my hands and fingers toughened up so that I could tolerate hot plates, grills, and pan handles. It was also good that my feet became calloused so that I could stand all day long. The benefit ended there. Once at home I missed being able to feel the soft carpet on my feet and I had a difficult time picking up small things like a sewing needle because I could not feel it between my fingertips. Also the soft baby-skin of my niece was lost to my touch. This is not how I want my soul to become – tough and unable to feel the gentleness of God's leading. It is not how I want to be emotionally, calloused to another's feelings because I cannot get in touch with my own.

I'm not saying that I want us to crumble at constructive criticism, at challenges to the way we think, or even to the slightest insults. What I am saying is that sometimes people are mean and they throw words around as if they are stones and sticks. Sometimes people want to harm others with their words and then when the other person is harmed they scorn the injury and continue their abuse by declaring the injured person as being weak.

Other times a well-meaning friend, colleague, or acquaintance will try to help the injured person by using the adult version of the playground saying about sticks and stone. They say, "A person can only hurt you if you let them." I don't know about you, but I don't find these words comforting or empowering. These words indicate that if you are hurt then it is your fault – you are to blame. This takes the responsibility off of the person who said the hurtful things and puts the blame squarely on the victim.

My guess is that we have all been on all sides of this situation. We have been the person who said something that was hurtful and then blamed the person we hurt for not taking what we said "with a grain of salt." We have been the well-meaning person who counseled the injured person that they shouldn't take things so personally and that others can only hurt them if they let them. And we have been the person who was hurt and told to toughen up.

Lately I have been in groups of people where there has been heartfelt sharing. Invariably one person tells another "A person can only hurt you if you let them." I see the injured person sustain a further injury of shame that they would let this happen to them. They retreat inside of themselves and either put on bravado or they stop sharing. This makes me angry because, even if I don't understand what hurt the person, they felt safe enough to be vulnerable. How often do we get to feel safe enough to vulnerably share our feelings? Sometimes I get a chance to respond to the situation and say that no, actually others can hurt our emotions and spirits with their words and actions without our consent just like they can hurt our bodies without our consent.

This is true for us as well. In our Proverbs scripture we heard that "The human spirit will endure sickness; but a broken spirit—who can bear?" and "From the fruit of the mouth one's stomach is satisfied; the yield of the lips brings satisfaction. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."

Words are important. Death and life are in the power of the tongue. When you are hurt because of someone's words, it is a valid pain. Yes, stick and stones can break your bones. While it's no fun to heal from a physical injury or from sickness, the proverb tells us that the human spirit can endure this type of pain. But ... a broken spirit? Who can bear that? I will tell you who can bear it. God's Holy Spirit can bear it. When we deny the power of words and shove down the pain we feel because of them, then we do not present ourselves for healing. This pain that resides within us can break our spirit.

Friends, let us not go through that. Let us instead acknowledge our pains and present them to our God for healing. I know this is not as simple as it sounds, but I also know that not doing this, in the long run, is far more difficult and has far dire consequences.

When we are sick or injured in our bodies, if we are at all able, we go to the doctor for help or to the store to get some medicine. Likewise when our souls are injured we need to present ourselves for healing. Our psalm today says that God "heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." The wounds of the brokenhearted are attended to by God's self. It isn't an instant healing, to be sure. It depends on the magnitude of injury, just as it depends in our body. It takes longer to heal a broken back than it does a scratch to our skin. It also takes longer to heal something that we have been ignoring than it does something that we take care of right away. The point here isn’t simply to cry about being hurt. The point is to cry out for healing.

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 5, we are told a couple of familiar stories of people crying out to Jesus for healing. In this collection of stories, one sandwiched between another, we see the father of the dying 12 year old girl cry out with his voice to Jesus and the woman with the hemorrhage cry out to Jesus with her actions. In both of these stories those crying out became vulnerable. The father was vulnerable because he was the leader of the synagogue and most of those folks were eyeing Jesus with suspicion. His need to have his daughter healed outweighed any suspicion he had and he reached out. The woman who touched Jesus’ garment took a huge risk. Because of her condition she was considered unclean and was not allowed to come into physical contact with anyone for fear of defiling them with her uncleanness. She fought through the crowds, touching many as she went, and finally reached Jesus and grabbed his clothes. Jesus felt power leave him and he wanted to know who had been healed.

We need to risk being vulnerable, bring our souls to Jesus and cry out for help. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'"

Let us take of the Living Water of Christ that is offered to us. Let us drink deeply, refreshing our souls and healing our spirits. Remember the words of the psalmist, "God heals the brokenhearted, and binds our wounds."

"Deepening the Welcome" Saturday, February 19 in Chicagoland

2011-02-07T13:19:00.000-08:00

I was sent this email via the CCWC elist. If I was in Chicago I would certainly consider going!

http://www.mcselca.org/what/ministry/justice/welcome.php

"Deepening the Welcome" workshop to be held in Chicago, Saturday, February 19

The Chicago Chapter of Lutherans Concerned and the Metropolitan Chicago Synod Justice Team are offering a day of workshops called:

“Deepening the Welcome: Living out Jesus’ Welcome for GLBTQ People in Our Congregations.”

The event will explore the theme: All are welcome: What does this mean in your congregation? What does it mean to be explicitly welcoming to GLBTQ members already in congregations and those looking for a place to worship?

People at every stage of the conversation about GLBTQ inclusion, including those who have never addressed such topics in their congregations, are invited.

The folks in Chicago have put together a whiz-bang line-up of speakers and workshop leaders. (See the workshop descriptions below.)

Please go here for more info and to register. Cost is $10 per person (includes a lovely lunch) or $30 for a group of 4 or more from the same congregation/organization that register together. Pre-registration helps the planners be sure there is lunch for everyone! If cost is an issue or you have other questions, contact the Rev. Carla Thompson Powell.

Also, please see the Facebook page.

Workshop Descriptions

Rev. Dr. Richard Perry. KEYNOTE: Dimensions of a Whosoever Church John 3:16-17. Opening keynote address by Dr. Perry, LSTC Professor of Church and Society and Urban Ministry. When Jesus says, “whosoever believes in me”, what does he really mean?

Bishop Wayne Miller: Coming out in Mission as a Welcoming Congregation. The bishop of the Metro Chicago Synod hosts a conversation about how a congregation can step out in mission as a welcoming church and what missional opportunities might be now open to us.

Emily Eastwood: Beginning the Conversation in Congregations. The Executive Director of Lutherans Concerned/North America leads an engaging workshop on how to begin, renew and sustain the conversation about welcome and full participation. Bring your questions.

Dr. Klaus Peter Adam: A Biblical Basis for Welcome: Neither Man nor Woman in Christ. Information, motivation, and application from Galatians 3:28. Dr. Adam engages the biblical text, and gives some practical strategies.

Pocha Carter, Group Health Educator (HIV Prevention Program) at PCC Community Wellness Center in Oak Park : Supporting our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Youth. In this anti-bullying workshop, you will get tools to be an ally to these young people and provide support, curb harassment in your environment, and how we can best support their needs.

Pastor Keith Fry and others: Welcoming All Leaders. This panel discussion with Pastor Keith Fry (Christ the Lord, Elgin ) and others shares discoveries, hopes and hesitations in calling a partnered pastor or welcoming a seminarian to a field education site.

Caroline Staerk, field director at Equality Illinois: Marriage Equality. Come explore how pro-LGBTQ communities of faith and LGBTQ political advocates at Equality Illinois have been laying the groundwork for social and policy change (including passage of the civil union bill).

Pastor Melody Beckman Eastman: Reducing Conflict and Guiding Discernment: A Suburban Congregation's Journey to the Blessing of Unions. Pastor Eastman talks about the process and influences that brought St. Paul , Wheaton to hold same-gender blessing ceremonies in their church.

Noel Spain & Stephanie Dykes: Beyond Gay & Lesbian - Welcoming Bisexual and Transgender as Equal Identities within the GLBT Community. This workshop will focus on getting to know the Bisexual and Transgender community. This workshop will introduce you to members of the B&T communities, help inform you about what specific issues they face, and finally show you how to create a more welcoming space both in the church and society.

Pastor Carla Thompson Powell: Talking With Our Kids About Homosexuality. This very practical workshop will help parents and youth leaders learn and share how they address LGBTQ concerns with their youth.

Tell Ohio Gov. John Kasich: Pardon Kelley Williams-Bolar

2011-01-27T05:17:00.000-08:00

During his campaign, Ohio Governor John Kasich pledged to bring jobs into the state and help heal Ohio's distressed economy.

How will he handle the situation of Kelley Williams-Bolar, an Akron woman who wanted the best for her children but is now in jail and may be prevented from having a job? More than 11,000 Change.org members hope he'll do the right thing.

Thousands of people across the country have asked Gov. Kasich to pardon Kelley Williams-Bolar, an Akron, Ohio woman sentenced for sending her daughters to school in a district where they did not have residency.

Williams-Bolar was jailed, given 80 hours of community service and slammed with three years of probation after she was convicted of falsifying residency records so that her two daughters could go to school in nearby Copley, Ohio, where her father lived. Williams-Bolar, an African-American single mother, lived in public housing in Akron.

Williams-Bolar maintains that she was worried about her children's safety and never meant to deceive school officials. Even if she did do something illegal, forcing jail time on a mom trying to give her children a better life is a senseless punishment. Even worse, her felony conviction could cripple her career as an educator. Currently just classes away from a teaching degree, she works as a special education assistant. As a convicted felon, she'd be barred from teaching in Ohio.

This wrongheaded decision has led to fiery debate about education, race and upward mobility in America today. For many, it's also become a call to action. Spreading the word on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and the blogosphere, more than 11,000 have signed a Change.org petition created by member Caitlin Lord (read Lord's insights here) in support of Williams-Bolar. That petition, which was updated and focused today, asks Ohio's new governor, John Kasich, to pardon Williams-Bolar for this victimless crime.

Sign the petition and tell Gov. Kasich to pardon Kelley Williams-Bolar. After you sign, tweet the link to your friends using http://bit.ly/williamsbolar and #savekellywilliamsbolar (sic).

Photo credit: Miss Jia

A Letter to Rev King

2011-01-17T15:08:00.000-08:00

Dr Rev King,

Today in the United States we are celebrating you. It is a national holiday. I am grateful that as a country we recognize the contributions you made toward equality for African Americans. I also appreciate that you are quoted widely as having said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” For many of us, you are our champion, our teacher, and our inspiration.

Don’t get me wrong, you are still hated by many. People of colour are deemed less than white people by too many white people. Well, even if it was only by one white person that would be too many. I wish I could report to you that bigotry, prejudice, and hate was a thing of the past. I can’t. There is still hate and oppression and violence. Systemic oppression – invisible to or ignored by most of the perpetrators – wields a heavy hand in every city, office, church, and family no matter how intentional we are to create a free and equal environment. I’m sure there are lots of folks who will get angry that I wrote that to you, but from my experience it is true.

Yesterday I went to the movies. I don’t go very often and I don’t keep up with what is playing at the cinema. One of the previews was for an upcoming show call “Cowboys and Aliens.” It disturbed me. The preview wasn’t very long, but the show seems to be about Cowboys being the normal people and Aliens being the non-normal people. The Aliens are a threat to the Cowboys. The storyline says, “these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.” Why is it, Rev King, that those in power relegate some people to the category of monster when what they know is being challenged? Why is it that movies are so often made to depict those who challenge the status quo as being vicious, manipulative, and scary? Is power that fragile?

There is still so much work to be done. Your leadership was crucial and I thank you for being so courageous. I have to admit that I’m not sure I have the same courage or tenacity that you possessed. There are times when I wonder if I can continue to go forward in my work. As a Christian typically I look to Jesus for my inspiration, but I want you to know that often I look to you as well. Just like Jesus, you did not cower when you were told to sit down and be quiet. Just like Jesus, you did not retreat when the opposing side advanced. Just like Jesus, you did not hide when you were threatened. As I live and work and love, I look to you as an example of how to follow Jesus, the one that I call Christ.

Thank you … for everything.

Baptized For A Purpose

2011-01-09T07:10:00.000-08:00

Texts:Isaiah 42:1 – 9 & Matthew 3:11 – 4:1

This is the First Sunday after Epiphany, which was celebrated January 6th. According to the church calendar, today we celebrate the baptism of Christ. In western Christianity, Epiphany is predominately the celebration of the visitation of the Magi while in eastern Christianity the focus of Epiphany is on the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan.

The visitation of the Magi to Jesus and the baptism of Jesus are events that speak to the divine nature of Jesus as Christ. The birth of Christ – the incarnation – we celebrate at Christmas. The miracle of the divinity of the physical Jesus we celebrate at Epiphany.

The Magi, following astronomical signs and bearing gifts, declared Jesus to be the infant king. According to the Gospel of Matthew "they were overwhelmed with joy," “knelt down and paid him homage,” and “offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

The baptism of Jesus declares him to be the Christ in different ways. First, John the Baptist in a private conversation with Jesus says, “I need to be baptized by you.” Then, after John consents to baptize Jesus, the heavens were opened, the Spirit of God descended like a dove, and a voice from heaven declared, “This is my Son, the Beloved.”

Jesus – infant king, adult messiah. Jesus – hope for a nation whose people are held captive by tyranny. Jesus – bringer of wholeness and health. Jesus – the messiah foretold according to the apostles of the new covenant. Jesus – outspoken, dedicated, and a little bit crazy. He did, after all, push those in power until they killed him.

Friends, we need Jesus today as much as they needed him a couple of thousand years ago. We need a Messiah today. Our world is in tatters. The more I read history and the more I read current events, the more everything sounds the same to me. That's not to say that good things haven't been accomplished or that bad things haven't been addressed and overcome, but it seems that evil has so many venues and so much energy. And all too often evil, in its psychosis, actually believes it is good. And too often good is apologetic or weakened by evil’s manipulative rhetoric.

We need a Messiah who will not break a bruised reed. We need a Messiah who will faithfully bring forth justice. We need a Messiah who will not grow faint or be crushed. It breaks my heart that Jesus, the Messiah that we celebrate as Christians, is co-opted by the very systems and people that lead this nation deeper into violence against the helpless, the redistribution of wealth to the wealthy, and the removal of basic human rights to the other.

It also breaks my heart that yesterday, Saturday, January 8, 2011, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head at one of her 'Congress on Your Corner' events. At the time of this writing, she is in critical condition. So far, six have died in this shooting spree and at least a dozen were injured.

In our Isaiah reading the prophet declares that there is a servant who is chosen and who will faithfully bring forth justice. Then the prophetic word turns toward those who were gathered saying, “I have called you in righteousness. I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations.”

In trying to make sense of the tragedies going on in our world, and in particular thinking about this shooting in Arizona, I cry out to God and say, “Where is our Messiah?” The answer I get is, “Look in the mirror.”

The mantle has been passed. The Holy Spirit has been given. According to our faith tradition, long ago the power of God was passed down to us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It seems to me that we humans are easily corrupted by power, even or maybe especially holy power. Rev. Anne Howard, an Episcopal priest and colleague reminded me through Facebook that, “In the first and second centuries, history records, Christians were known for their love.” How quickly Christianity became Christendom and the power of love was exchanged for the power of control.

As we celebrate the divine nature of Jesus and consider the role that baptism played in revealing Jesus as Christ, I think we have to consider our own baptism and our own calling. We must continue the ministry of Jesus in this world, offering hope and love through our actions of faith. We grieve when madmen open fire on gathered communities, we call for justice and participate in actions toward making that justice vision a reality, and we look for ways to love and participate in healing and wholeness.

Our baptism, although a one-time event, is like a river flowing within us. The current of this river always flows toward Christ. Jesus – bringer of wholeness and health. Jesus – outspoken, dedicated, and a little bit crazy. This river is not always tame and safe. Sometimes it is wild with white water rapids and hairpin turns. But this is the river that flows toward the reign of heaven on earth.

As hard as it is to love – or to even think of love – at a time like this when anger and grief are appropriate emotions, love is what will make the difference. Where do we direct this love? What shape will this love take? Does it matter? So long as we dedicate ourselves to outspoken love – the kind of love that promotes healing and wholeness – it doesn't really matter. Love is needed everywhere, especially during times of crisis.

The world needs us to function in the ministry of the Messiah. There is no gift to small to make a difference. Every act of compassion, every time we speak out on behalf of someone who is silenced, and every tear and laugh that we share, especially during the white water rapids and hairpin turns, is an act of faith following the call of our baptism. Too long has the power of the Holy Spirit been co-opted for controlling others rather than for loving others. When we call forth from within us the power of our baptism and remember it is to Jesus that we have been set apart, then we can stand up to violence and its consequences. We can name the hate and manipulation without getting caught up in it ourselves. Once again we Christians can be known for our love.

Sing Aloud And Live The Power

2011-01-04T21:45:00.000-08:00

Texts: Jeremiah 31:7-14, Ephesians 1:3-14, John 1:1-18

We are in the beginning. January – the beginning of a new year. 2011 – the beginning of a new decade. It is not an absolute beginning. This is a re-beginning or a beginning again. The beginning that the writer of the Gospel of John is talking about is an absolute beginning. It precedes the Genesis account of creation by telling us that The Word was in the beginning with God and that not one thing came into being without The Word. Toward the end of the passage we understand The Word to be the person of Jesus Christ, but as we think about this baby whose birth we just celebrated and imagine him being The Word that spoke creation into existence, time flip-flops on itself and we come face to face with the enormity of Mystery and Eternity.

In the recorded words of John the Baptist in our gospel passage we hear the struggle of grasping with what feels to me like the cyclical nature of eternity. The Baptist says, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” The Word, who is creator and so precedes, is also the successor of John the Baptist, but by The Baptist’s admission, in his succession The Word as Jesus is also preeminent. Eternity is not about time never ending; it is about being outside of time entirely. The Word, as Jesus, slips into time after creating time and experiences time as well as being human. Verse 14 states this as, “The Word became flesh and dwelt amoung us.” In addition, we are offered the experience of eternity if we receive the glorious mystery of Jesus being in the world and also being The Word who brought the world into being. Verse 12 says, “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”

Jesus, who is The Word, gives us power to become children of God. How cool is that? This is a re-beginning, a birth not of blood or by our own will, but a birthing from which we enter into the cycle of Mystery and Eternity. We also read in Ephesians that God “chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” While The Word was with God and being God, before all things came into being through The Word, we were already being enveloped into the cycle of Mystery and Eternity by the intent of The Beloved. Doesn’t that blow your mind?

We understand time – January 1st through December 31st; 2010 transitions to 2011. We age year by year; watch our bodies change shape; marvel at the growth of the children around us; and observe nature transition from season to season. We experience linear time. Some days feel longer than others. As we age each year seems to go faster. Still, things seem to progress from one year to another. We come to count on it even when we don’t like it. But these ancient words that shape our understanding of God and ourselves tell us that there is so much more to Life in the larger sense. This linear existence is created just like we are. God lives outside of time and invites us to participate in that existence … and not just invites us, but created us with that in mind.

We often think about our eternal destiny in terms of our death, but I believe that we are given power to become children of God for today as well. The scripture does not say that we would someday have the power to become children of God, but that we have been given this power. In Ephesians it says we are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We are called to participate in the cycle of Mystery and Eternity today.

But what does that mean? What is this power we are said to have received? What is the mystery? How can we live out of time, in eternity, even as we live in this world guided by linear time? I would love to be able to tell you that I have the answers to these questions, that I have studied the scriptures and can now point you to The Right Answer. Some claim to have definitive answers to questions like these … but I am not one of them. The very nature of Mystery resists the notion that there is one right simple answer. Our concept of Eternity is limited by our immediate immersion in linear time.

Because I do believe that there are answers to these questions I’ve decided to approach this the way we typically approach solving mysteries … by looking for clues. Here is what I’ve found in today’s readings.

When Jesus walked the earth, his glory is said to be “full of grace and truth.” Through Moses came the law, but through Jesus came grace and truth. Jesus lived at the crossroads of linear time and eternity. In doing so he made God known to us. We are destined to be children of God and we are bestowed with the glorious grace of God through the Beloved, who is Jesus. The riches of God’s grace have been lavished upon us. Through Christ, the mystery of God’s will to gather up all things in heaven and earth is made known to us. We are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit to the praise of God’s glory, which is full of truth and grace. This is just a sampling from the Gospel of John and from Ephesians. There are more references to grace, glory, and praise.

It seems to me that when the Word who became flesh and lived amoung us, whose glory is grace and truth, who was in the beginning with God and who is God gives us power to become the children of God -- at least some of that power is to live in, be filled with and lavishly share grace and truth for the purpose of gathering up heaven and earth (which I understand to be eternity and finite time) to the praise and glory of God. In addition, since Jesus is sharing his power as God with us it makes sense to me that part of that power is the power to share, and what feels important to share at least in this context is the grace and truth that we have received so that heaven and earth might be gathered up more fully to the praise and glory of God.

Gathering together heaven and earth, or time and eternity, cannot be limited by the restrictions of time or earth. Using our power as children of God we must reach outside of time, into the Mystery, into the beginning … the absolute beginning, and begin again within the framework of our linear life. Beginning again and again as we gather together all things in Christ speaks to the cyclical nature of the intersection of heaven and earth, but it isn’t just a linear loop. Out of the clues I find that our linear loops weave in and out of time. The grace, truth, and glory of God that fills us reaches toward eternity while our minds, bodies, emotions tug us toward this linear existence. This power that we have been given enables us to walk like Jesus walked, as beautiful created beings in a brilliant construction we call time while we contain the glory and truth of The Word to the praise of the eternal God.

Here is where I hear the voice of the Beloved in the passage of Jeremiah that we read. “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Everlasting love. Eternal love. A love that provides grace in the wilderness. A love that says, I will build you again. We will begin again. You will pick up your tambourines and dance for joy because of the way I share my love with you. Sing aloud! Shout for joy! Dance!

The words of the prophet Jeremiah say that God will gather together those who were scattered. Those who are lame and blind, and those who are pregnant and in labor will be gathered together. The strong and cunning aren’t mentioned. The generals and the wealthy aren’t mentioned. We assume those folks are included, so the prophet makes it clear that among those gathered will be the blind and the lame, as well as the women who are pregnant. In other words, those who are considered unclean, undesirable, or vulnerable are given power to be children of God not secondarily but right along with those who are powerful, wealthy, and healthy. All will be lead down a path by the brooks of water where they will not stumble. All shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion and be radiant over the goodness of the Lord. Everyone will dance together, everyone will find comfort, everyone will be filled with joy.

The prophet Jeremiah says, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.” The gospel of John says, “to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.”

I say, sing aloud people of God and live the power that you have received as children of God. Live in grace and truth. Lavishly share the grace and truth with which you have been gifted. Know that all: the healthy and the sick, the weak and the strong, the poor and the rich are loved by God and are gathered together in Christ. Sing aloud and live your power as children of God to begin again and again and again, remembering that you are empowered by The Word, from the absolute beginning to begin again in the now of time. Sing aloud, walking and dancing at the intersection of eternity and time, living in the cycle of mystery. Sing aloud to the praise and glory of the name of God.

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

May the strong grace, the gentle comfort, and the sure guidance of the Divine Beloved be with you.

As I begin this, it is still dark outside. The sun is just beginning to make her marks on the trees, snow, and balcony outside my sliding glass door. There are white Christmas lights bordering the door which is sealed with weatherproofing. I am grateful to be warm and drinking my masala chai, protected from the harshness of weather.

For the last couple of years I have returned to this place of intentional gratitude for being sheltered, fed, and clothed. I know that there are many more people in the world than I can imagine who have much much less than I have. Ah, you may think, but you don't have that much. No, I don't possess many things, but I do have ample food and shelter. There was a time when each night I searched for where I would sleep and each day I did not know if I would have food. Because I could not be what and who I thought I was supposed to be, I took to isolation. I hid so that I would not stick out, feel shame, and cause anyone who knew me and loved me to feel embarrassment.

As the sun exposes the misty grayness of the day, as the outline of the tree limbs become clearer, and as we move from Advent to Christmas I begin to think about the harsh conditions that Mary endured during her pregnancy and then on her pilgrimage to Joseph's hometown which ended in her giving birth. I wonder if she felt shame during her pregnancy and hid so that she did not embarrass her family or Joseph. I wonder if she had second thoughts about her calling while on the road to Bethlehem. I wonder if the long trek on a hard road with the stress of not finding lodging induced her labor. And I wonder if after she gave birth to a healthy baby boy if the blurry outlines of her understanding came into focus, if she was able to celebrate with the shepherds and the angels or if she fell asleep exhausted after feeding her newborn from her already tired body.

Mary's story is told over and over, mostly focusing on Jesus and the greatness and wonder of his birth. I love Jesus. His life, teaching, and actions guide me. But this year my thoughts wander to Mary, a woman in crisis. The story of Mary reminds me that there are many mothers whose pregnancies are criticized and who give birth in harsh conditions. This story also reminds me that there are many sons and daughters who work hard to live a life worthy of their mother's love and vision for them and in the end are bullied, accused of having wrongful motivations and of committing shameful crimes against people, the state, and God. These other stories are rarely known outside of their circle and even more rarely told.

Maybe my thoughts are wandering this way because my community of late is centered around women, some of whom are doulas, midwives, mothers, and/or educators. I hear many stories of births, raising children, hopes for children, disappointment, and strength. For most of my life, Mary being pregnant and giving birth was more theoretical and spiritual than physical. I imagined her not shouting out in pain much like we read that Jesus did not shout out in pain when he was on the cross. Today, on this eve of our celebration of the birth of our Messiah, my spirit is pulled toward Mary as a mother about to give birth and to her pain and hope.

The isolation of Mary and Joseph in a barn gives way to a crowded stable nursery, at least in most Crèche's, filled with angels, shepherds, wise men, sheep, cows, and the like. We see Mary, Joseph, and Jesus being surrounded by admirers and worshipers. Soon they will be isolated again, but for now, they have a makeshift community supporting them and giving their flagging vision some needed encouragement. They will go on, continuing their hard journey with the memory of those moments of wonder and support.

For me, now the sun is fully up. The day is still misty gray, but the trees, the snow, and the house across the way are fully in view. The hardships of my life which began because I was confused and in many different kinds of pain are lifted. I feel lucky to be on this side of my life. This Christmas Eve I feel the pull to be a witness of the mystery of hope in the midst of dire circumstances.

Many blessings to you, my reader. Consider the awe of the birthing of Jesus. I pray that you find the strength of Mary every day of your life.

What Will You Ask?

2010-12-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

Texts: Matthew 1:18-25 and Isaiah 7:10-16

Advent is a time of remembering the birth of Jesus as well as anticipating his return. We have been waiting for Jesus for a long time. If Jesus had returned when it was assumed he would, none of us would have been born. The early church was disappointed and eventually had to decide how to cope with the fact that they were still alive on earth, still dealing with poverty and illness, and still being subjected to political and religious abuses of power.

This delayed Parousia disappoints us as well. After all this time we still face poverty, illness, and abuses of power. It is difficult to know what to believe about the legend of Jesus’ birth as well as what it means that he will return. Will he return? When? What will it look like? How will it feel? Will we know it when it happens?

According to the gospel stories Jesus will return like a thief in the night and yet it will be as apparent as lightening flashing from the east to the west. We are to wait for it but not sit and wait ... we are to keep busy continuing the ministry of Jesus.

Yearly we remind ourselves about Christ’s humble beginnings and we celebrate his birth which foretold a shift in power. We talk about Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. We start our new church year and begin again actively waiting for Christ’s return.

Each year Advent and the celebration of Christmas mean more to me than the year before. In spite of the fact that Jesus has yet to return and that we are still fighting the same old battles for equality, I am comforted remembering that Jesus was born under trying circumstances for the purpose of freeing all people and inspired at the hope that of the Parousia. When I hear the story of Mary and Joseph making their trek to Bethlehem; the angels making their declarations; the shepherds hearing and believing the tidings of great joy; and the Magi following a star to find a baby king, I think to myself, “Yes, I can continue.” It doesn’t seem rational or logical, but in my spirit/gut I am grateful to be a part of this story.

That doesn’t mean that I’m not disappointed or confused. In our Isaiah text we hear the prophet railing against Ahaz because he refuses to ask God for a sign. Ahaz claims that he does not want to put God to the test, however Isaiah believes this is a cover up. I have to say that in this vignette I identify with Ahaz. After years of asking God for help, believing God to change things, and waiting for God to return I’m not always sure I have the strength for more disappointment. It is hard to take the risk to ask for one more thing when so many other requests feel ignored or denied.

And yet, the story of Jesus’ birth rings in my soul. This is the sign that we cling to. Our souls can nestle into the certainty of a babe born to a young woman even while we wait for the Parousia – the second coming – the eventual and final shift of power toward true liberty and wholeness for all. Not wholeness for which we lobby, either to our God or to our political leaders; not liberty for those born in a certain country or of a certain economic status; but wholeness and liberty without question or compromise.

In the Isaiah scripture, the prophet speaks a word of God to Ahaz saying, “Don’t be afraid. Yes it looks like your enemy will devour you but quiet your heart. I won’t let this happen. Ask a sign of me so that you can be certain.” But Ahaz will not ask for a sign. Ahaz is too afraid and cannot quiet his heart enough to believe these words. Isaiah says that Ahaz wearies God.

Let us not weary God. As we consider the birth of Jesus to an unwed mother, the birth of a babe that will lead his people through healing and feeding rather than violence, let us ask God for a sign. Let us ask God to help us believe that we can make it through the next conflict, whatever it is.

What will you ask? Can you quiet your heart to believe the words of the prophet? And when the results we are looking for don’t come the way we had hoped or in the timing that seemed right, can we still believe, quiet our hearts, and ask for a sign? This faith thing takes risks. It also takes not knowing what is going to happen, how it may happen, or when it may happen. It takes quieting our hearts when it looks like we will be devoured.

Friends, I adjure you to look to the comfort and hope of Jesus born to Mary and Joseph, and to look to the strength of Mary and Joseph. We wait and sometimes we are disappointed with the results. We wait and sometimes the waiting is long. We wait though, for a promise that is at the intersection of this earthly existence and transcendence. We wait for a mystery. We wait together, actively, continuing the ministry of Jesus.

Advent Joy

2010-12-12T19:49:00.001-08:00

This is the third Sunday of Advent. Today we celebrate Joy ... the joy of Christ's upcoming birth; the joy of our hearts being open (like the shepherd's hearts) to this miracle of God incarnate; and the joy of these long nights soon becoming shorter.

The advent wreath reminds us that there is still green and vibrant life even in this harsh season. We who live in winters of snow and cold need to have these visible reminders. When our evergreen tree friends are blanketed in snowy-whiteness, they are nevertheless vibrant and bearers of hope for us toward spring.

The circle of the wreath reminds us that the seasons are cyclical: the seasons of the world, the seasons of the church, and the seasons of our lives. As one moment dies another is born.

This week we look toward the joy of the birth of the next moment - the birth of Jesus who will be called Christ and Saviour. As we bundle up with coats, scarves, mittens and boots we can set our minds to the joy of spring. As Mary was in the last trimester of her pregnancy I imagine she sometimes set her mind on the joy of the birth of her child, praying for a healthy baby that she would love with all her heart.

In these times of economic, political, and holiday stress, on what can you set your joy? Can you recall a message that you heard, like the shepherds heard the message of the angel and the praise of the host of heaven? Can you set your sights on that message and breathe through the stresses you encounter?

The birth of Christ is, amoung other things, a call for us to hope beyond reason and to praise beyond measure. This hope and praise can lead us to a joy that lives within and in spite of our circumstances.

This week we are called to encounter the shepherd's heart in our own heart and to lift our voices to sing praises of joy with the heavenly host.

Here I come, Holland, MI

2010-12-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

I'm looking forward to this!

World AIDS Day

2010-12-01T12:30:00.001-08:00

Today while in the chapel during the noontime World AIDS Day prayer gathering I spent a lot of time thinking about and praying about consciousness. I called forth from within me a consciousness about the pandemic of AIDS and I spiritually sought out others who are conscious. I also prayed that the many who are not conscious will become so. I shaped my consciousness like velcro - sticky and seeking its mate.

What does it mean to be conscious and how does this have anything to do with how I understand my Divine Beloved or Jesus?

Consciousness has to do with being awake. There are many teachings in the Bible that have to do with not falling asleep or remaining alert. As I consider these teachings it occurs to me that altogether too often it is easy to fall asleep or to slip into an unconscious or subconscious state. It takes work to stay awake ... alert ... conscious. It takes diligence and some amount of skill. I am not that best at this and fall asleep all too often.

Today as I sat as still as I can make myself (I am a wiggler) and as I focused on those loved ones who had AIDS and have died as well as those who have AIDS and are still fighting, it seemed clear to me that much of the work that I do has to do with waking people up and with connecting to those who are conscious. As I tell stories, my own and those of others, I am connecting to the consciousness of those listening and trying to wake up those who are still asleep.

Our collaborative energy, awareness, and voices will bring about change. We can't keep hitting the snooze button, we must all wake up, work together, and love each other.

AUDITIONS for Michiana Monologues 2011

2010-12-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

Interested in performing in the 2011 Michiana Monologues - Band of Sisters? Mark your calendar with the upcoming audition dates!

* Thurs.Dec. 9th, 7pm at IUSB - 3001 Wiekamp Hall
* Friday, Dec. 10, 7 pm at IUSB, 3001 Wiekamp Hall
* Sat Dec 11th, 9:30am at 1st Congressional UCC in Elkhart, in the Marcus Darling Room, 431 South 3rd Street (corner of 3rd and Marion in downtown Elkhart)

For information about accessing Monologues to perform at the audition (and performance dates), see details on our website: www.michianamonologues.org

** Share the news; auditions are open to all women from campus and community **

AUDITIONS for Michiana Monologues 2011 – Band of Sisters

Advent Hope

2010-11-28T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have been sitting looking at this empty page on and off now for about 2 hours. I heard a wonderful sermon on Advent Hope this morning at 1st UCC Elkhart, I've read some wonderful Advent reflections over the past couple of days ... and yet I do not feel a flow of ideas that are forming themselves into words.

It isn't that I don't have hope. Hope is my fuel. Sometimes my tank runs low, but mostly I have enough to get where I need to go.

The ritual of Advent appeals to me, so there isn't a hurdle there. This year I am looking forward to adorning my small tree and setting up other Christmas decorations.

And still ... I can not find within me an inspiring reflection.

Here is what is rolling around in my head. It is a phrase from the Roman Catholic Mass. I was born and raised a Roman Catholic. Even though I am a Protestant now, my R.C. upbringing vibrates within me. Sometimes it vibrates in harmony, sometimes (tho rarely) it is the melody, sometimes it is discordant. What I have been hearing these last few days is a part of the Lord's Prayer. In the R.C. mass where I went to church the Lord's prayer was sung. Toward the end, just before "For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever." there was a pause in the song when the priest says or sings this,

"Deliver us, Lord from every evil, and grant us peace in our day. In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ."

In the church where I grew up, after the priest sung this in his monotone style the organ music would swell and we would have a grand finish"

"For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory
forever!"

Our organist was amazing. Amazing, I tell you!! And her voice was as big as the 40 acres of our farm. As we sang the "Our Father" we started out confidently though quietly. The song would build and then pause for the priest to pray for us - praying that we would be protected so that our joyful hope would not be blocked by evil and anxiety. Then ... the big finish ... glorious and exhilarating. Each and every week this happened for at least 3 years of my teenage life.

This is what stays with me, this glorious finish preceded by the calm yet fervent prayer that our joyful hope be not extinguished by evil or anxiety.

Oh God ... hear our prayer.

In memory of Tiasha

2010-11-20T14:52:00.001-08:00

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. I have a memory that I'd like to share with you.

Nineteen years ago I met a beautiful woman who was funny, kind, and hard-working. I'll call her Tiasha. She worked for an organization at which I periodically volunteered. I also had a friend who worked for this organization. I'll call him Kevin.

Kevin identified as a straight white man. Tiasha identified as a straight black woman. I identified as an ex-gay white woman.

I didn't know Tiasha very well, but when I would call to talk to Kevin she was always quick to recognize me and to tease me lovingly saying that I had a sultry voice. I couldn't hear what she heard, but I loved that she was so easy-going and playful. Kevin seemed to enjoy working with her and spoke of her with some frequency. In our conversations I learned that she was periodically ill, more than seemed average.

I volunteered for this organization for about three years. It was in that third that Kevin called me in shock. Tiasha had died suddenly. Furthermore, he said, Tiasha wasn't Tiasha but actually was Norman. Kevin then said, "Norman died of AIDS."

I questioned why he was suddenly calling Tiasha he and Norman. Kevin said that Tiasha was a lie and that Norman was the truth. He wouldn't call Norman she or Tiasha. My heart sunk. I had no words to help me express what I was thinking, feeling, or reacting to. I had noone to help me think through this complicated scenario. Kevin seemed to think it was very simple. I knew that it wasn't.

Tiasha was Tiasha. I honestly believed, and still believe, that in most ways, I didn't know Norman. I had never met him. I had met and worked alongside Tiasha. She was great. I didn't feel betrayed, although I did feel sad.

First, I felt sad because this vibrant wonderful woman was suddenly dead.

Second, her family took her body and had a private funeral for "him." I asked about a memorial service for her and was told there wouldn't be one.

Third, she had AIDS. All those times she was sick and we didn't know why. For the more ignorant and paranoid, they thought she might have given them AIDS just by her presence with them. They were angry that she hadn't told them because they thought they had the right to protect themselves. Even then I knew that was ridiculous.

Fourth, she was being referred to now as he. How could they do that? Tiasha was clearly a woman. Even though the shape of her body was a surprise to us, what did it matter? It didn't change who she had been to us. The words that I heard them say about her prompted me to not volunteer there anymore.

At the time I was aware that some people had sex changes. As a young adult I had some interest in having a sex change, but for many reasons I didn't follow through. When I met Tiasha I was in the throws of full denial of my true self. I spent most of my energy trying to be a heterosexual woman, when in fact the best I could do was identify as ex-gay. I loved the joy and freedom that I found in Tiasha. I didn't know what to make of her having a male body, and I didn't have any names like transgender, mtf, or gender variant but I knew she was a woman to me no matter what anyone else said.

I wish I could say that I began my own exploration of my gender identity as a result of this, but that was yet to be a long time coming. When I did begin to chip away at my own self denial and wrestle with my own complicated gender identity, remembering Tiasha's story served both as a comfort and as a caution to me. The comfort was that I could know joy and freedom in who I am no matter who I am. The caution was that there are many many people who wouldn't understand and who wouldn't even try to understand.

For me, Tiasha is a stellar loving example of living life to the fullest and being as authentic as possible. Those who called her a life a lie break my heart.

Today I honor Tiasha for being who she was in every way. She is now one of the beautiful ancestors.

Fabulous Super Hero

2010-11-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

Texts: Ephesians 6:10 – 18

and

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
from A Return to Love, by Marianne Williamson.

************************

We are between two holidays – Past is the mixed bag of Halloween, All Saints Day, and Day of the Dead. Ahead is Thanksgiving. The transition between these two holidays has been powerful for me this year. I keep connecting my thoughts of those who have made an impact on my life and have died, as I prepare myself internally for the upcoming harvest celebration. Maybe a part of this is because my mother died on Thanksgiving day. However, I think that more than that I am being influenced by what I am reading and the stories that people are telling me about their lives.

Thanksgiving, if we think of it as a harvest celebration from ancient times rather than an American holiday of dubious distinction, is a celebration of hope to get through the winter and gratitude to the earth and/or a deity for providing the sustenance.

All Saints Day is a time of honoring those who have died. It is a time of grieving but also of celebrating. We celebrate the impact that these people have had on our lives, how we have been nurtured by them and continue to be nurtured through their memories. In a way, this is another kind of harvest celebration. It is the harvest of a person's life feeding us and nurturing us.

For example, recently I found out that my friend Iyvie died this spring. She was not someone I knew for many years. We weren't close in the way that you hang out with someone. And I found out she died through a Google search. When examining these kinds of facts, one might say that she and I were not close. And yet, for the time that we were in each other's lives, which was brief and fairly isolated, we had an influence on each other. The influence that I had on her is hers to tell, but the influence she had on me, I can tell you, is profound. She helped me become strong and certain that I had gifts to share. She mentored my gifts of healing and she exuded an undeniable love that wasn't labeled Christian that I had to deal with. It was spirit love ... and at first I was suspect of her ways. Slowly though I came to put together the lesson from Matthew 7:15 – 20

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits. “

... with Galatians 5:22 and 23 "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

I looked closely at Iyvie's loving healing energies and incredibly accurate insight. I saw love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. She was a good tree producing good fruit. I had no reason not to eat the harvest of her love and healing. She walked in her power and she helped me learn to walk in mine. She also helped me deconstruct my narrow mindedness and judgmental attitude, although I'm not sure she knows she did that.

She produced a harvest that I am still enjoying. I can tell you stories of many others such as Anthony Hollins, Tom Douthett, my brother Rick, my mom Angie, and Glenn Walker. You can tell me of those in your life that have died but still nurture you today. I love these stories. Yes it is a sharing of grief but it is also a celebration relationship. These people have helped to make us who we are.

We have so much to be thankful for. Real things, and especially the loving people who have been in our lives. These people with whom we have shared our lives, however long and however deep, have changed us. There are lots of people who have influenced our lives in unhelpful, hurtful, and unloving ways. Too often these are the folks to whom we give our power and whose harvest we eat. I've had enough of that. I feel like I owe a debt to the good people in my life ... those whose trusted me, who put stock in me, and who cared for me. I want to live my life as a testimony to their love and to the abundance of their harvest that they offer me.

This is how I found myself mulling the text in Ephesians as well as the quote from Marianne Williamson. This power that we have been given as a gift from our Divine Beloved as well as the power that we have been bequeathed from those who have loved and nurtured us is challenging to tap into. We are told over and over that power equals things like money and authority over others. These voices crowd the voices of the Holy Spirit, the teachings of Jesus, and the love of the saints. I believe we have to learn to walk in our power and we have to be diligent about protecting ourselves from the forces that would scoff at us or try to redirect our attention to the things that we can't do rather than to the awesomeness of who we are.

We are awesome. We have powers that are more permanent and effective than money and authority. When we own this, we frighten those who want to make us believe that the fruits of the spirit are wimpy. The image of the armor of God reminds us that we are powerful and that we have something to protect. We have a harvest to share that is delicious, robust, and life-giving. I agree with Marianne Williamson that "As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." It is little by little. We may not see any miracles happening ... no demons being delivered ... but little by little is how revolutions begin.

I believe we need to live into our fabulousness, our brilliance, our gorgeousness, and our talent. We need to do this because according to Psalm 139 we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." We are made by God. How much more fantastic can we be?? If we do not live in our power and awesomeness, then we are discrediting God because we are God's good creation.

How can this not be true? Would we be instructed to put on spiritual armor if there wasn't something to protect spiritually? Our hearts are to be protected by a breastplate of righteousness. Our minds are protected by the helmet of salvation. Our feet are protected as we journey by the gospel of peace, which we are charged to proclaim. We are given a shield of faith with which we are to protect ourselves from the fiery arrows of the enemy – arrows that want to penetrate our confidence with doubt, that want to mock our gifts, that seek to discredit our power. The only thing in this armor that seems missing to me are the tights, otherwise this is perfect spiritual superhero attire.

Every life that we touch can be a life that we help to heal and sustain. Every struggle that we come up against is an opportunity to sink a little deeper into the reality of who we are in our souls. We all have battles. We all become frustrated, angry, and hurt. And we all are created wonderfully by a God who loves us. Furthermore, we all have a harvest from which we can nourish ourselves and a spiritual armor that is crucial to our good work and spiritual health.

I know that I expect a lot of myself and I often don't meet my own expectations. I have to protect myself from my own criticism. I think we all do.

This year the harvest I am giving thanks for is the legacy of love and the nourishing gifts of belief and hope that we have been offered by those who love us – those who are living as well as those who have passed on. I know longer want us to be small and quiet. Let's honor the gifts we've been given by God and by those put in our paths who love us by finding our strengths, sharing our gifts, believing in ourselves, and protecting ourselves. We are brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous. I urge you to not shrink back. The world needs us.

You really are fabulous!

2010-10-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

LGBT Suicides

2010-10-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

I am still absorbing the truth of the latest teen and young adult suicides. I know that they happen every day and that we seldom hear about them. I know that most of these young people are invisible to society, except for the bullying. Actually, the bullying itself is evidence of their being invisible ... invisible as valuable human beings.

This is a link to an interesting article. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/04/us/04suicide.html I've been reading lots of articles lately about these suicides. They leave me wondering about the multitudes we don't hear about. They also leave me wondering about the families of these young people.

I have another wonder ... where are the lesbians who are being bullied and commit suicide? I know they are out there too.

If you are a young person and you are being bullied, there are resources for you. I will help you find them. Write to me here.

Miles Donation Request

2010-09-28T13:58:00.001-07:00

Send a minister to a conference???

The newly formed UCC GenderFold Action Alliance, of which I am the Steward of Spiritual Health, would like to send me to the 4th Annual Transgender Religious Leaders Summit. Here's the hitch ... we don't have much money.

Is there anyone here that would like to donate miles for me to go?

Where's The Antidote?

2010-09-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

I need to state for the record that religion can be toxic. All religions. All flavours. Everywhere. From the beginning of time. Toxic. Poisonous. Deadly.

Because I am a Christian minister, I will focus on Christianity in this post. That said, all religions - those whose god is ethereal and divine as well as those whose god is material and profane. Take that where you will.

Some of you may be thinking ... Oh pastor, did you just realize this? What happened to you today? Has the shine dulled on your optimism?

To this I answer ... I have known this for a long time. Nothing happened to me today. My optimism may or may not be dulled, but my hope stands firm. More on that later - probably. I don't really have a plan for this post - where I am going with it, how it will end, if there's a take-home.

For me, today was a decent day. Yesterday the church where I preached received me well. I heard via email that another church is looking forward to my upcoming visit. Later this week I have a conference call with the other Stewards of the newly formed UCC GenderFold Action Alliance. The church that I pastor had a wonderful time of fellowship and worship a couple sundays ago when we last met. While I have experienced the toxicity of religion in the past, right now I am drinking from a font of grace and love.

If only my life reflected the lives of all people everywhere. It doesn't, though. I know it doesn't because I am hearing the stories. These stories include:

Being excluded from ministry based on some immoral code of morality.
Being excluded from ministry because of minority status.
Being powered out of ministry because of not towing the party line.
Being afraid that those with authority to pull rank will do so based on their interpretation of what is holy and what isn't.

The list could go on, but you get the idea. And this list doesn't include the Koran burning Christians; the Thunder God Christians (Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out); those who claim the name and moral code of a god that will gain them political clout; etc.

Isn't religion supposed to be about love? I remember a couple years ago some guy commenting on a post of mine that Jesus' message wasn't all about love, soft and mushy, but that it was about punishment and condemnation. This guy was right in a way. Jesus spoke of condemnation and judgment, but it was of those who wouldn't extend help to the poor and sick; to those who were against healing a person's physical body or delivering them from demons on the sabbath; to those who used religious power to gain political or financial power.

Power. I think that's what this is all about. Power. This may seem obvious, but obvious things need to be stated sometimes. Stated and opposed.

It's not that I think my blogging this is going to change the world, change religious structures, or change the problems that my friends(and others) are having. I wish it would, but, well, I don't have that kind of power. I do, however, have the power to hear these hard stories and to help tell these hard stories so that others will hear them. Not enough people know or believe that these kinds of things really happen in the world, let alone in the church.

They happen.
People are excluded.
Good people.
Holy people.
Gifted ministers.
Called by the Divine Beloved.

And I am angry about it - sick of it. I am so angry that expletives are almost making their way into this post. I do swear in person, but I don't in my online writing. If I thought it would help, I would give in and use words of a blue nature. I don't think it will help. I don't think they are particularly persuasive words. But ... I am that angry.

Last Friday I went to a holy gathering. It wasn't church. It wasn't Christian. But it was spiritual and holy. In the course of our conversation we talked about Poison Ivy. Someone said that usually Jewelweed, an antidote for Poison Ivy, is only a few feet away. We talked about how often this is true in general, that an antidote is close but that we don't know what it is, what it looks like, or where to find it.

As I've said, I am a Christian minister. I love God, I think worshiping in community can be a beautiful and life-giving experience, and I have spent my whole life being devoted to seeking that which is and who is divine. During the course of my life I have stepped into the poisonous patches of religion and watched others struggle with being infected as well. It has been tempting to leave ... to quit ... to turn my back on it all, on the whole forest because it seems like the poison is taking over. In some patches of the forest it is taking over. That's the sad truth. Parts of the forest are all poison. I have begun to walk away more than once, but I can't. The beauty, the true beauty of the forest compels me to stay.

As I watch my friends and listen to their stories, I see the poison growing up the trees and spreading as a ground cover. I am looking for the Jewelweed. I am wondering if I am the Jewelweed. How I want to be! I think sometimes I am. But how does it work?

Well, according to http://www.altnature.com/jewelweed.htm:
"When you are out in the field and find you have been exposed to poison ivy, oak, or stinging nettle you can reach for the jewelweed plant and slice the stem, then rub its juicy inside on exposed parts. This will promptly ease irritation and usually prevents breakout for most people."

So, it seems I need to be willing to be cut open. The fluid which flows in me (you mean, like my blood?) needs to be rubbed on the affected areas of the person who was poisoned.

Not a gentle touch by me, not just gazing in my general direction, but I need to be broken open if I want to be an antidote. As a human, there are lots of ways to be broken open. Sometimes just being present is being broken open, but being present in an intentional, purposeful, and vulnerable way ... not simply hanging around.

It is an easy jump to bring up the metaphor of Jesus being broken open as an antidote, and yes, I could make a sermon out of that. Someday I might. But right now, I'm thinking about those in the church today who call themselves people of faith, people who I would say are anointed of the Holy Spirit to fulfill the call of Christ in this world. We need to be the antidote, not the poison. We need to be there, close to the poison so that we are available. We need to be accessible and ready. We need to be willing.

This isn't an altar call. I'm not going to end by asking "who is with me?" I'm grieving and I'm angry. I'm thinking out loud. What's happening isn't enough. It will never be enough. Nothing, so far, has been enough. Jesus wasn't enough, why should I think I will be. And yet, Jesus went all the way. He knew there would be more work. He knew he was asking a lot of those who said they were his disciples. And he talked about the poison and the antidote growing side by side.

I have dedicated myself to partnering with Jesus, to being guided by his teachings and his spirit, and to live humbly and powerfully. So, now I want to be a Jewelweed.

How Many Ways Are There To Sing A Song?

2010-09-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

Below are four versions of the song, Leaning On The Everlasting Arms. I love this song and admittedly I chose four versions that I like out of the many many versions available on YouTube.

Everlasting Arms has been playing in my head for the last few weeks. The idea of leaning on the arms of Jesus is a wonderful way for me to feel comforted and strengthened. Singing this song helps my soul to remember that I need to trust, breathe, focus, and allow myself to hope.

Since I began checking out the YouTube videos of this song I have found a new inspiration. It is the inspiration that I feel from many voices saying (or singing) the same thing but doing it in their own way. At first I began searching for the song that I knew ... the version that I knew. I never did find it. What I did find was a whole lot of people doing the same thing differently.

How many ways are there to sing a song? How many ways are there to live a life? How many ways are there to follow a path of faith? How many ways are there to be you?

Sometimes I think it is easy to slip into a template of how we are ourselves. We can put ourselves into a box just as easily as we put others in a box. The "I can'ts" and "This is just what I do" lines that we tell ourselves can be replaced with, "What if I tried it this way?"

There are many valid, holy, and wonderful ways to be. Keep leaning ... keep loving ... and keep your soul flexible ...

Now I know only in part

2010-08-27T19:19:00.000-07:00

The days are becoming a little more noticeably shorter. There is an abundance of vegetables and herbs at my local CSA. Squirrels are running around hiding nuts in the ground. There is a coolness to the air at night.

Along with all these things that I am noticing, there is something that I don't notice but that I am told is happening. The colour of the light is different as is its angle. These are details that I miss. I believe those who agree that this is so, but I don't see it or sense it.

What is it about who I am, how my brain works, or how I understand the world that keeps me from seeing/sensing this shift in light? I don't know. I can smell the difference between summer and fall. I can feel the difference in the air. But how the light changes is not within my perception. Apparently it is there to be seen and sensed, but it is not within my grasp.

It makes me wonder what else is right there ... right in front of my eyes ... right in front of my spirit ... that I do not perceive.

We go through our lives seemingly seeing what other people see, hearing what other people hear, and perceiving what other people perceive. While I do believe there is a kind of universality of experience, it seems more and more clear to me that we each have our own unique slant - some things we experience with greater intensity and some with less. Some things have a great impact on us and other things not much at all.

The smell of summer is different to me than the smell of fall. This has a greater impact on me and it is in my conscious mind. The look of the light, though, does not register to me consciously. I'm sure it has an impact on me, but I do not know what it is.

What is it that we perceive differently, you and I? How do we understand God differently or the Bible? What is an act of kindness, a gesture of generosity, or curt remark. How do we really know that we are seeing and sensing everything that is in front of us?

We don't know. There is so much happening that we miss. And there is so much happening that is important to us or that impacts us strongly that others miss. When we are gliding through our day, do we assume that we are seeing everything that others see and that others see what we see? Do we base our reactions to what someone says, how they say it, or the look on their face as if we understand them completely? Do we read the Bible or hear God's voice and believe that we totally get it or that we don't get it at all?

Complete understanding or complete ignorance are either/or equations that I believe keep us from understanding fully the part of whatever it is we do understand. I also believe it keeps us from hearing the understanding and experience that others have. While I would love to see the change of light that I've been told is happening, I also am gaining an appreciation that there is a mystery that I cannot hold that others can. I have to rely on the experience of others to gain a more full understanding of life, love, and God.

The more we are willing to relax at the notion that we don't see it all, hear it all, perceive it all, or understand it all, the more we need to relax at the notion that we need one another to fully live into the beauty and mystery of this life.

1 Corinthians 13:4-13 NRSV
4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. 9 For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; 10 but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. 13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

A Change in The Force

2010-08-10T20:18:00.000-07:00

I found out that a friend of mine died March 28, 2010. I think it has been about two weeks that I've known. I found out because I looked her up online and her obituary popped up. Her obituary.

Her name is Iyvie. Her professional bio reads,

"Seiki Attunement, shiatsu, reiki, conscious medium/intuitive spiritual consultant. Trained & cert. by D. Cannon as past life regressionist & Dr. E. Pearl for Reconnective Healing & The Reconnection. Aura/chakra live photo & biofeedback analysis."

Iyvie and I were friends. We were connected. We vibrated together. We also hadn't seen each other for 5 years since she moved to the island of Kailua-Kona. We spoke by phone for the next year or so, but then we lapsed in our tangible communication. I looked her up online to see where she was speaking or what new certificate she earned. For the last year I didn't see much about her though. I was worried. I didn't call. I don't think I was supposed to.

I knew she was sick. She hadn't told me, but I knew. I also knew that she didn't want people making a fuss. She died of cancer. One of the obits reads that she died, "after a brave fight with cancer." That's a pretty common turn of phrase. It is applied to many people but means something different for every one of them.

I don't know if it helped, but every time I thought of her, which was far more than I ever expressed, I sent her my love and my breath, my pulse and my consciousness.

It is because of Ivyie that I began doing energy healing.
It is because of Iyvie that I learned that the fruit of the Holy Spirit grows on trees outside of the orchard of Jesus.
It is because of Iyvie that I began to trust my own power.
It is because of Iyvie that I began to understand the Divine to be not separate from creation, but vibrating within creation.
It is because of Iyvie that I began to see The Spheres of Being and create a theory around The Spheres, vibrations, our interconnectedness with each other and The Holy.

It is because of Iyvie that I understand myself to have a shamanic gift.

I so enjoyed knowing that she was in Kailua-Kona, breathing, loving, and being her amazing self. I am sad that she is no longer vibrating in her body. I know that I grieve for the future, though, not the past. I had a hope that someday I would visit her there. I hoped that I would look into her eyes again, feel her vibrations again, and maybe even once again feel the power of her work. When she worked on me I saw visions and cried. Amazing visions. Tears that came from the core of my soul. Tears that were shed not because of an emotion but because of the intensity of being.

I hoped that I would have the opportunity to share my power with her as it has become shaped and more fully conscious in me. I wanted to give back to her something that I couldn't give to her then. She told me that God was strong in me and that I had to follow my path. She told me that she used the word God because that was how I understood it, but that for her it wasn't God. It was me and love and ... so much beyond words. She taught me to feel my own vibrations. I wanted to share with her my consciousness.

I did share with her my consciousness. I just didn't do it face to face.

I am so very sad, but I am not lost in the sadness. I am living in it. I am holding it, breathing it, and loving it.

And I am dancing with my sadness. Iyvie was a dancer. As her obituary reads,

"Iyvie was an accomplished ballerina. She danced and taught ballet professionally for several years with the Ruth Page Dance Company of Chicago and George Balanchine, and the New York City Ballet. She performed the lead role in the Nutcracker ballet in Chicago for several years."

Dancing with my sadness makes the most sense. The dance is physical, but not just physical. It is energetic, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual. So I am dancing ... and crying ... and laughing ... remembering ... and mostly, I am vibrating and breathing in gratefulness.

With Liberty and Justice for All

2010-07-04T09:08:00.001-07:00

Texts: Exodus 23:1 – 12 and John 10:9 – 16

Today is July 4th, a national holiday when the United States celebrates our independence from a system of government that was oppressive. While our history as a nation is far from unblemished when it comes to oppression – past and current – the tenets of our national creeds can help guide us toward true equality with the hopeful result of liberty and justice for all.

I am not here today to preach to you on the tenets of our national creeds though, because along with this being July 4th, it is also Sunday, a religious holiday for us Christians to celebrate our interdependence with our God and with each other. The notion of liberty and justice for all is a core message of our sacred scriptures. Over and over we read that God is displeased with the people when they neglect widows, orphans, and the resident alien in their midst. We also read that our motivation for not oppressing the poor, the isolated, and the resident aliens in our midst should be because we were once enslaved aliens in the land of Egypt. When we remember how God redeemed us from our poverty, our isolation, and our oppression we should be moved to pity and mercy on those who are in similar situations in our midst.

The God of Israel repeats this concern for the widow, the poor, the orphans, and the resident alien in book after book of our sacred text. And yet so many who call themselves Christian are more concerned with social morality than with social equality. The message is clear though – even if you don't like someone, you need to treat them as equals. We need to make sure that people have food and shelter. We need to make sure that justice is upheld; that the marginalized are not overlooked; and that everyone gets to rest.

Jesus' ministry reflects these values. Time and time again he heals, he feeds, and he sets free all persons, from whatever rank, social status, or nationality they are. In the passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus declares himself the good shepherd. He tells us, "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." Lots and lots of life!! Abundance of life!!

Jesus also says, "I know my own and my own know me," which sounds like this abundance of life is for a select group of folks, that is until he finishes his thought ... "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also." He doesn't explain who these other sheep are, where they will come from, or what they will look like. We know nothing except there are other sheep in other folds that belong to Jesus.

One of my favourite teachings in the gospels comes from both Mark and Luke. It says, "whoever is not against us is for us."

The old testament scriptures which talk about taking care of the widows, the orphans, the poor, and the resident aliens do not require any kind of statement of faith from them or any kind of moral fiber as deemed by the provider. The directive given is to let them eat, let them rest, and let them live equally ... without distortion of their wages, their goods, or their services. There is no blame in Deuteronomy or Exodus for poverty. There is only the command that enough is left behind in the fields for folks who need to eat to be able to do so. There are also commands to not take advantage of someone because they don't have the money to pay for a lawyer or because they are foreign to the culture and don't know our ways.

While our official national creeds use words like "all men are created equal" and "liberty and justice for all," our unspoken cultural norms and expectations include phrases like, "if it is to be it is up to me" and "if you work hard enough you will be rewarded." These ideas that poverty is blamed on the poor and that if you don't look and sound like the popular majority you must be suspicious creeps into how we read the Bible and hear the message of Jesus. If we focus on our own sheepfold then we become suspicious of other sheepfolds. But Jesus came that ALL would have abundant life. The earlier teachings of letting the poor reap from what was left in the fields is replaced by the teaching that ALL should share in abundant life.

That's risky, isn't it? It's one thing to give your spare change to the beggar on the street or to donate to a not-for-profit knowing that you will get to declare it at tax time and another thing completely to image that same beggar living in a beautiful house and that not-for-profit having enough resources to do whatever they do with ease. But that's what I think we should imagine. Life abundant for everyone!

I have this crazy idea that if everyone had enough and if everyone was respected and celebrated for who they are then crime would decrease, sadness would decrease, productivity would increase, communities would grow closer and engage each other across boundaries of difference, and … God would be glorified. I believe this. I believe it fully and firmly.

We have to work like Jesus worked, not as a hired hand who will run away when things get scary, but as a shepherd who truly cares. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him and when Peter says yes Jesus tells him to feed and tend his sheep. This story is in the Gospel of John, the 21st chapter, after Jesus' resurrection. Still, after his torture and execution, after his being descended three days and then rising from the dead, Jesus is concerned about his sheep being fed and tended.

We are one fold. There are other folds. I believe that we are the hands, feet, and heart of Christ in this world. We are given power to do what we must do by the Holy Spirit. And the works we do are from our foundation of faith and for the glory of God.

Today I ask you, do you love Jesus? Will you feed and tend his sheep? Will you remember and advocate for the poor and isolated, for the marginalized and oppressed. Are there gleanings from your field, whatever your field looks like, that you can leave behind for others? We have to be careful to correct those would say folks are stealing from us. It is important to speak up when someone warns us that we are being taken advantage and say plainly and with love for the sheep that we intentionally left for it whoever needed it.

We also must guard against thinking well of ourselves for doing good. It is for the love of Christ and the love of the sheep that we do what we do. It is also because we remember that once we were slaves in Egypt. That's harder. Especially for white people. People of colour remember very well the stories of their ancestor's enslavement. As a white person, I don't have that. My people have never endured the kind of cruel treatment that the Bible is asking me to call to memory as a motivation. The story of the Israelites in the land of Egypt is thousands of years past. I am detached from it by time even if by nothing else.

My motivation then, rather than conjuring up a memory that I don't really have, is solidarity. To be in solidarity one has to be in relationship with people. It's time consuming, energy consuming, and requires commitment. I'm working on it. I'm working on it because through the scriptures Jesus asked me if I love him and I said yes. Then he asked me if I would feed and tend to his sheep by offering the abundant life that I was given, and I said yes. Solidarity doesn't mean doing something for someone, it means doing something with someone. A hired hand isn't in solidarity with the sheep. A good shepherd is in solidarity with the sheep.

Do you love Jesus? Do you believe that this flock and the other flocks are equal and deserving of true justice and abundant life? Will you tend to the flocks as a shepherd?

Sweet Sophia

2010-06-13T09:03:00.001-07:00

Wisdom calls. Understanding raises her voice.
We hear Wisdom from on high, standing near, and at the intersection of our lives.
She is at the door and at the city limits, crying out.
We listen for her words of truth.
Wisdom tells us - Be in awe of God!
Our hearts know no other worthy of our praise.
Wisdom and happiness meet when we follow her ways.
We watch and wait daily for the sound of Wisdom’s voice.
Our ears tingle, our souls become alive, and our hearts find happiness.

Research on Lesbian Experiences of Social Attitudes and Discrimination

2010-06-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

This comes forwarded from a friend.
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... helping the scholars helps us, friends. Please take a minute to participate if you qualify.

Research Study Looking for Lesbian Women

Looking for lesbian women to participate in a research study examining social attitudes and experiences of discrimination.

Participation involves completion of an anonymous online questionnaire. Participants must:
-Self identify as a lesbian woman (i.e., not heterosexual or bisexual)
-Be 18 years or older

This survey is being conducted in two parts and is estimated to take you no longer than 15 minutes total to complete. At the end of part one you will be asked to provide your e-mail address in order to be contacted when it is time to complete part two. Because your email address will be collected in a separate survey, there will be no way for the researcher to associate your email address with the answers you provided to the other questions.

If you would like to participate, click on the following link. Alternatively you may copy the link and paste it in your web browser.

Link for LESBIAN women:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BRIEFstudy

Regina Chopp may be reached at rchopp@gmu.edu or 530-219-5582 for questions or to report a research-related problem.

The Brown Boi Project leadership retreats

2010-06-07T09:56:00.001-07:00

Worth the read to the bottom where it says, "if you are selected your travel, lodging, and food will be covered to attend the retreat in Oakland, CA from August 18th-22nd."
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The Brown Boi Project leadership retreats work to build leadership, economic self sufficiency, and health of young (35 and under) masculine of center* womyn, trans men, and straight/queer men of color-pipelining them into the social justice movement.

*Masculine of center (MOC) is a term coined that recognizes the breadth and depth of identity for lesbian/queer/ womyn who tilt toward the masculine side of the gender scale and includes a wide range of identities such as butch, stud, aggressive/AG, dom, etc. ©B. Cole 2008

During the 5-day training retreat you will have the opportunity to work across issues and communities, talk about race, class, culture, gender and sexuality, and explore whether the social justice sector might be the right place to help their community. Our retreats bring participants from across the country to experience an intensive introduction to community organizing while doing important personal leadership development.

We’re looking for people who are interested in deepening their path or career to include building power for communities of color. You will receive training in understanding power, communications, cross culture coalition building, personal finance, community organizing, conflict resolution, fundraising, relationship building, gender justice, and personal life planning. The program is open to participants from around the country and if you are selected your travel, lodging, and food will be covered to attend the retreat in Oakland, CA from August 18th-22nd.

To apply please complete our survey by June 11th at http://www.brownboiproject.org/brown_boi_project.html

Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches needs your help

2010-05-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Pride in Chicago is coming soon. Chicago Coalition of Welcoming Churches (CCWC) could sure use some help both with planning our parade entry, organizing for the entry, and in running the entry on the day of the parade. If you can help, please comment here or get in touch with me at annmarie@chicagowelcomingchurches.org

Here's an announcement for a work day from Brent. Again, you can reply here or email at the above address. Thanks all.

***********************
Pride is quickly approaching and there are things to be organized for the parade to be a success. Next Saturday, June 5th at 2pm (advise if a later time is better) we will meet at the Coalition's storage locker,

Public Storage
5733 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL 60660

We will be doing the following:
-Inventory of congregation signs for the parade
-Identifying any church that needs a sign and communicating directly with them
-Inventory of other materials for the parade
(to include nuts & bolts for signs, magnets for banners on van)
-Checklist review of items needed for parade day
-Planning who to invite to help with particular tasks
-Brainstorming additional ways to make our entry in the parade more effective (music? chants? vehicle?)

Angie

2010-05-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today my mother would have turned 72 years old. In honour of her birthday, I drank lots of coffee. Yes, I was fully caffeinated all day. Coffee was her beverage of choice until she last went to the hospital. She liked it with powder creamer because it didn't cool the coffee. Only burning hot coffee would do. As much as I love my mother, today was an ice coffee day for me. Sorry Mom. I think she'd be okay with that. She would think me crazy ... but she'd be okay with that too.

Here are a few things my mom taught me.

If you can make something fun, do it. For instance, polishing a newly waxed floor is hard work. Instead, have the kids polish the floor by donning their feet with old socks and letting them skate their hearts out.

It isn't cheaper to use a coupon if you spend more money in gas going to that special story than the worth of the coupon.

Cheap jewelry needs more special care than expensive jewelry. This was her dying lesson to me. I didn't understand her very well at first. It might have been the morphine that she was on, but it was probably my ignorance of jewelry. Finally I understood ... don't wash your hands while wearing your costume jewelry.

Take naps

Read fun books

Continue to be amazed at wonderful things, even if they grow ordinary. Be amazed for your whole life. Have you seen hundreds of deer in the backyard? Has that grown ordinary? It shouldn't. Having deer roam about in your backyard is nothing short of amazing.

Be kind as often as you can. Avoid gossip.

Sniff out a garage sale. Buy from second hand stores.

Trust God.

******* Happy Birthday, Mom!

Get Up

2010-04-26T20:39:00.001-07:00

Texts: 1 Kings 17:17 - 24 and Acts 9:32 - 43

Resurrection. Physical resurrection. Before Jesus and after Jesus there are stories about physical resurrection in the Bible. Jesus' resurrection was different because he did it himself. He didn't need help. But, that does not take away from the marvel and miracle of what I'll call assisted resurrections.

When we read the Bible, we often fit ourselves into the story. In the stories that we read today, I think it might be easiest to find ourselves in the character of the mother whose son has died or of the widows who are grieving about Tabitha's death. I'm sure that each of us has lost a loved one and prayed for some kind of miracle or gotten angry. It may be difficult to imagine ourselves as the son or as Tabitha, a person who has died and has been resurrected. It may be even more difficult to imagine ourselves as Elijah or Peter, calling out to God on behalf of someone who is dead with the result being resurrection.

However, just like Carl Jung asks us to interpret our dreams as if every person in the dream is an aspect of our self, I'd like us to interpret this scripture as if each person could be us.

Focusing on the story of Tabitha, first let us consider the widows. These women were not just grieving; they were also hopeful. It says that the disciples heard that Peter was near and sent for him. It also says that Tabitha was a disciple. It seems likely to me that the widows were of the disciples who sent for Peter. When Peter arrives they show him the tunics and other clothing that she made. They were overflowing with memories, praises, and love. Maybe they wanted Peter to know how important she was to their community. Maybe they wanted Peter to see how worthy she was of a miracle.

Whatever their motivation, what strikes me the most is that they called for Peter and hoped for a miracle. They had heard about him healing Aeneas, and while healing a man who was eight years bedridden is no small miracle, it isn't resurrecting someone from the dead. What kind of faith did they have? What kind of need did they have that they would turn so strongly to their faith for an answer? What kind of pain were they in that moved them to seek a miracle of this magnitude?

When we think of faith, do we think of some kind of superhuman power that calls down the glory of God? Do we think of someone who is near enough to perfection that they have some kind of right to ask God for the incredible? If these are our images of faith, it is little wonder to me that so few miracles are happening today.

I think faith is hitting rock bottom and not giving up. I think faith is taking God to task for promises made. I think faith is a result of having a strong connection with the Holy but at the same time feeling a deep longing or ache to have that connection manifested. This is the faith I see in the widow disciples. I believe this is the faith that we need to have. It is a passion, a hope, and an active striving. If we are the widows, we must get in touch with this intense emotion and motivation.

Can we see ourselves as Tabitha? Here we have a woman who has lived her life devoted to the cause of Jesus. She didn't give her hand-me-downs to the poor, but she made them clothes to wear. She was loved dearly by the widows to whom she gave selflessly, which tells us that there was more to their relationships then just giver and taker. She was a part of their lives and they were a part of hers. When Tabitha died it sent more than a ripple through their community, it sent a wave of grief and change. Can we see ourselves as Tabitha, woven into the community like the threads she wove into fabric for the people she loved?

And what of her resurrection? Can we see ourselves there? Have we been touched by the resurrection power of prayer? Have we yielded ourselves to a change so extreme that it brings breath into our lifeless body? We may not have experienced a physical resurrection, but as we yield to the breath of the Spirit, our bodies and our minds are quickened along with our souls. When we hear our Divine Beloved call to us to Get Up, do we have the will and the desire to do so? It can be so much easier to just keep laying there, ignoring or even not believing that it is us to whom the Voice is talking. Peter said, "Tabitha, get up." He called her by name. We need to be like Tabitha and hear our name being called. We need to believe that our name is being called and we need to respond by getting up.

How is it that we can be like Peter? Is it possible that we could physically raise someone from the dead? As I understand the teachings of Jesus, yes, it is very possible that our prayers could have resurrection powers. Jesus sent out his disciples to perform the very miracles that he performed. Peter raises Tabitha from the dead after Jesus' resurrection but before the Holy Spirit was sent on the day of Pentecost. That's amazing!

We are living post Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is no less powerful than before. God's strength and desire have not diminished. I do not have a clue why miracles are not performed every day in the name of Jesus. There are so many of us who profess our faith in Christ. Clearly it takes more than just declaring yourself a Christian to have this kind of extreme power of the Holy Spirit flow.

And truthfully, when we consider the ramifications of embodying such power, how many of us really want it? Elijah carried the boy upstairs and stretched himself over the corpse three times calling out to God. Peter sent everyone out of the room, knelt down, and then prayed before turning to the body of Tabitha and calling her name telling her to rise. We have no indication how long any of this took. We may romanticize that all this took about 15 minutes, but really, we don't know. I expect it takes some work to pray a prayer of resurrection power.

There is an account in the gospels of a boy who is possessed. The disciples could not cast out the demon. Jesus claims in Matthew that it is because of their lack of faith. In Mark he explains that "this kind only comes out through prayer." In other words, this is not easy or casual. You have to be prepared spiritually. You have to have a spiritual discipline to exercise this kind of power. It is like being a spiritual athlete. You have to train and be serious about what you want to do.

Can we see ourselves as Peter? It's hard. It is like imagining ourselves as Tabitha. Both of these disciples were absolutely invested in being a disciple. They both took their calling very seriously. They also both felt a responsibility to the people of their communities. They exercised their gifts and their talents, seeking to do good wherever they went.

Peter was gaining a reputation ... , a kind of fame, like Jesus had. That kind of celebrity will take its toll on a person. Imagining ourselves as Peter is a little like imagining ourselves as Mother Teresa, Bono, or the Dalai Lama. Who can attain to such a depth of discipline? And yet, I believe it is a worthy goal, to imagine ourselves this way. Not to pretend we are powerful when we aren't. Peter wasn't in it for the glory. This is about striving for that connection with God that will make us effective in our communities. It is about gaining a reputation for service and caring. It is about being attainable and not scary.

Peter was sent for and he yielded his plans to those in need. He heard the stories of the widows and he let their grief and hope move him. He took the risk to pray for a miracle.

Peter got up when the Spirit of God told him to get up. Tabitha got up when the Spirit of God through Peter told her to get up. And before all of this, the disciple widows got up in their grief and hope to send for Peter.

It is time to get up. It is time to hear our names being called. It is time to kneel and pray for a miracle. It is time to lift our voices and call for that miracle to happen.

Today is today

2010-03-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

Text: Luke 19: 28 - 40

The stories preceding this story are not all happy and joyful. Some are but to me they certainly don't build to this "Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem."

At the end of chapter 18, Jesus foretells his death and resurrection for the third time in Luke's gospel. And for the third time, the disciples don't get it.

Then a blind beggar is shouting out to Jesus while those around him sternly shush him. But he will not be shushed. He shouts even more loudly. The story then reads, Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him. Jesus didn't keep walking. He did not make them catch up to him. He stopped what he was doing so that he could attend to this man who was shouting out to him. After the beggar received his sight he began glorifying God and followed Jesus.

Next is the story of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who was rich and "short in stature." He wanted to see Jesus as he passed by so he climbed a tree. Jesus saw him, called him by name, and invited himself over to spend the night. Zacchaeus was thrilled. The crowd grumbled. After all, Zacchaeus was a chief of the tax collectors. How much more of a sinner could Jesus find? But Jesus sees Zacchaeus' character and not his occupation, and calls him a son of Abraham.

Immediately following this, while Jesus had the attention of his crowd of disciples ... grumbly though they were ... he told them the parable of "a nobleman who went to a distant country to get royal power for himself." The nobleman summons ten of his slaves and gives them each the same amount of money with which to do business until he returns. While he is gone, many of the citizens speak out against his being a ruler over them because they hate him. We are told what happens with three of these slaves. The first profits 10 more pounds, the second profits 5, and the third has only the pound he was given. While the first and the second are rewarded with cities to govern equivalent to the profits they made, the nobleman takes the pound away from the third one and gives it to the first. Finally, the nobleman turned king says those citizens who hate him are his enemies and he calls for their slaughter in his presence.

Now we begin our story of the triumphal entry. Not after the joyous glorifying of God after the beggar's healing. Not after Zacchaeus being declared a son of Abraham. No ... it is after a harsh king reprimands a scared slave and calls for the slaughter of those who oppose him. And all of these stories are in the context of Jesus explaining to his followers that he is about to be tortured and killed and them not getting it.

This story of the triumphal entry, like so many other stories, often gets told in a vacuum as if it's just one cool thing happening after another until finally they are overwhelmed with joy to the point of singing and dancing in the street. Other times the disciples are criticized because they are singing and dancing in the street when they should be scared out of their minds about Jesus' prediction of his death.

Were they rejoicing because they thought those who opposed Jesus were going to be slaughtered in his presence? How could they think that and why would they rejoice over that? It doesn't jive with the rest of Jesus' teachings.

Did they not understand Jesus telling them that he was going to be tortured and killed because they thought it was a parable? Did they not understand because they didn't want to understand?

Does it matter? Were they wrong to express their joy that Jesus was with them that day riding on a donkey showing the world that he was indeed THE King? The Pharisees thought it was wrong. According to Jesus it was not wrong of them. It was the only reasonable thing that they could be doing. If they stopped, the stones would shout out. That seems like it would have been even more disruptive than a parade of shouting people.

Some scholars believe that Jesus was leading his parade of loyal followers at the same time that Pontius Pilate was leading his parade at the other end of the city. Both came for the purpose of peace. Pilate came to keep the peace during the Passover when droves of Jews came to their most holy city to remember the time that their people revolted against their oppressors with Moses and God at the helm. How clever of the Romans to let one Jewish prisoner go during the Passover. Moses demanded Pharaoh, "Let my people go!" But Pharaoh's heart was hardened. Pilate said, "Okay, I'll give you one. You get choose even."

Whatever the factual details of the day were; whatever the motivation for the cheering and singing; Jesus was riding on a donkey on which no one had ever ridden and he had a parade cheering him on. The donkey ... a humble working animal. One that had never been ridden ... a humble working animal saved for a sacred moment. How could the crowds resist cheering? In spite of the dire the parables and criticism by the Pharisees, their messiah; their healer; their hero was riding into Jerusalem for the festival and they were right there for it!

A lot had happened prior to this moment. A lot was going to happen after this moment. But this was the moment in which they were living. They may not have understood half of what Jesus said, but they did see what he did and they knew how he made them feel. And right now he made them feel like celebrating.

There are so many moments. We think we know what might happen tomorrow or next week. And we know what happened yesterday. We know that we don't understand half of what's going on most of the time. Can we set all these knowings aside – not forget about them completely because they do inform how we make plans and help us make the choices that are set before us – but can we set aside the expectation of how we should feel or live based on these knowings and simply look at the moment we are in and respond to that? Sure there are people out there who will criticize. We may be tempted to criticize our own selves. But when we miss those moments we never get them back. If Jesus had died and not gotten the parade because folks were too bound by his coming death, it would have been a grievous loss. When I sit at the bedside of someone who is dying it's a beautiful thing to find a moment of laughter or celebration.

We are all going through very hard things. Our tomorrows may be painful and scary. Our today may be painful and scary. But when there is a moment to celebrate – regardless of who will think what – we should celebrate. I think we should look for those moments of joy. I think we should even create them.

The writer of proverbs said, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." (Pr 13:12) The writer of proverbs also says, "A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken." (Pr 15:13) And also, "A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones." (Pr 17:22)

I know it is not easy to have a cheerful heart when hope is deferred! But I also know that I do not want my bones to dry up. I do not want my spirit broken. Neither do I want to see your bones dry or your spirit broken.

Today's celebration just may be what gets you through tomorrow's grief. Good Friday will get here soon enough. For today, Happy Palm Sunday.

Sharing Flesh and Blood

2010-03-07T10:33:00.001-08:00

Texts: Hebrews 2:5 - 18 and Ain't I a Woman? By Sojourner Truth (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/sojtruth-woman.html)

In the Hebrew text we are told that Jesus understands us and can be compassionate to us because he shared in our flesh and blood ... and because he shared in our suffering. His ability to be merciful and faithful as our High Priest is due to his "becoming like us in every respect."

There is something about us humans. We need to be able to relate. We need to be able to see and feel some kind of kinship.

It's no wonder to me that as Christianity spread that the pictures of Jesus changed. Jesus was likely a dark skinned man. Maybe he had nappy hair that was black. His eyes were possibly a deep rich brown like the fertile earth. As his message went from nation to nation his image changed. We are used to looking at people who look like us. It's a superficial thing.

The image of Jesus changed to look like the people who had adopted his teachings. There's really nothing wrong with that ... until one nation becomes dominant and insists that the other nations are wrong and that their depiction of the Messiah is evil. And there's nothing wrong with it unless it is a conquered nation who is being stripped of their beliefs by force and given a whole new set of beliefs from a Messiah with whom they can't relate.

The Hebrew text doesn't give us this superficial relationship with Jesus. We are offered something much more substantial. We are told that Jesus shared in being made of flesh and blood like we are made and that Jesus shared in experiencing suffering just like us. This is the Messiah that we follow ... that we trust with our own flesh and blood ... that we trust with our own suffering. This is the Messiah with whom we share the bread and wine of communion because he shared flesh and blood with us.

Whenever I think about suffering I think of Buddhism. The First Noble Truth is often translated as Life is Suffering. The word suffering is an incomplete translation though. The word that is translated as suffering is Dukkha. Dukkha, like many ancient words, has no equal in many languages, English included. Instead of translating the word, some say that it is more important to look at the three types of Dukkha: Suffering or pain; Impermanence or change; and Conditioned states.

I thought I would take this approach with the Greek word translated as suffering. There are two words that I found being used in our text.

One of the words has three spellings. They are, Pascho (pas-kho), patho, and pentho. These words mean, to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful): - feel, passion, suffer, vex.

The second word is pathema (path'-ay-mah. This means something undergone, an emotion or influence; such as affection, affliction, motion, suffering.

These words have a relationship with the word pathos or passion. I think it's good to look at the fullness of these ideas. We are not just talking about a Messiah who felt the whip of the Romans and the betrayal of the Pharisees. Our Messiah knows all our passions. Our Messiah was made of flesh and blood, just like we are. When his skin was scratched it hurt. When his skin was caressed it felt good. Jesus experienced the whole of the human condition.

If all we focus on is Jesus knowing our pain, then we have a Saviour who only understands part of our life. That's not the kind of Saviour I want!

I want a Saviour who understands me. I want a Messiah who I can laugh and cry with. I don't want to laugh by myself. I don't want to enjoy the spring daffodils all alone. The joy of the resurrection was that Jesus returned ... body and all! For this season of Lent we reflect on the wilderness and the betrayal, but the reason we can get through this is because of our confidence in the resurrection! And because we have a Messiah who can relate to us in our flesh and blood we can relate to our Messiah. We can look at the terrible tragedy of his suffering while we are suffering but hopefully we won't stop there. Hopefully we will say, "yes, but ... there is the resurrection." I can endure this suffering. I can live in this suffering. I can conquer this suffering. Hope is powerful

We fill this need of ours through many re-creations of the relatable Messiah. I'm not being flippant. I think re-creations help us get through our every day stuff. Sometimes maybe Jesus seems a little too far off or too powerful. Not quite as relatable as we would like. He is too God-ish. So we create superheroes. Wonder Woman. Superman. Spiderman.

We create fictional characters who walk around just like us. They have boring jobs and relationship troubles. They go to parties. They try to figure out how to fit in. But when the signal is spotted or when a cry for help is heard, they transform into a super-person. They transform into a saviour. Sometimes they suffer at the hands of evil but they always bounce back. These stories give us hope.

As much as these stories seem like mimics of our understanding of Jesus for us, I think they are also show, in some way, how we wish to be. Maybe it's just me, but when I hear the story of Spiderman or the Incredible Hulk, I imagine myself hearing the cry of distress and being transformed into a powerful and almost invincible person who saves the day.

Messiah complex? Maybe.

But that is the desire that is birthed in me when I hear the story of Jesus. I believe that we have been given the gift of a relatable Messiah not just to help us get through life but also to help us become who we need to be in this life. Jesus stands as an example to us of how to live. He is a merciful and faithful high priest to us but he is also our teacher and mentor. We are to follow him to the cross with the promise of experiencing the resurrection.

As Christians, I believe that the superheroes in comic strips and on movie screens are examples of what we need and who we want to be.

We are not called to be above anyone. We are not called to be without defect or awkwardness. We are called to be relatable and yet to hear the cry of distress and answer it in the power with which we have been gifted. And I believe we have all been given some power to answer the cries of distress.

Sojourner Truth asks, "Ain't I a woman?" She extends her arms to show her physical strength and yet asks again, "Ain't I a woman?" I hear echoes of Hebrews 2 in this. Am I not made of flesh and blood? Am I not one of you? Can you not relate to me? I can relate to you. I can see your skin and I know that blood is pumping through your veins. Don't be afraid of my power. Appreciate it for what it is and appreciate me for who I am.

There is comfort and challenge in Jesus being made in our image. We not only have a relatable high priest, saviour messiah ... but we also have a teacher and mentor who calls us to be the same for others.

"14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death."

We share this flesh and blood with so many. We come across people who are held captive by the fear of death. Sometimes it's physical death but more often I think there are other deaths or ends that people fear. Everyone needs someone to relate to. Can we follow in the footsteps of our Jesus who, because he was flesh and blood he could be merciful and faithful? And because he was Divine he could triumph over the fear of death.

Can Jesus' ability to relate to us transform us to be able to relate to others? Can we be like Sojourner Truth – proclaiming ourselves to be humans and relatable while challenging the power that holds the fear of death?

Can we take the ways we have been tested through suffering and become merciful and faithful priests of our Divine Beloved?

As lent continues and you meditate on the coming betrayal and then the resurrection of our Jesus, consider how he can relate to you and then how you can relate to others. Consider your super-powers ... your divine powers ... the gifts that you have that you know about and those that are not yet to the surface. Remember that your mild-mannered life is what makes you relatable to so many. Don't scorn your boring days or your awkward moments. Know that your pain and your joy allows you to share in the humanity of others.

And with all this, remember that, as verse 18 says, "Because Jesus himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested."

Because you yourself have been tested by what you suffer, you are able to help those who are being tested. And as you are doing so, Jesus, is helping you.Sharing Flesh and Blood
Texts: Hebrews 2:5 - 18 and Ain't I a Woman? By Sojourner Truth (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/sojtruth-woman.html)

In the Hebrew text we are told that Jesus understands us and can be compassionate to us because he shared in our flesh and blood ... and because he shared in our suffering. His ability to be merciful and faithful as our High Priest is due to his "becoming like us in every respect."

There is something about us humans. We need to be able to relate. We need to be able to see and feel some kind of kinship.

It's no wonder to me that as Christianity spread that the pictures of Jesus changed. Jesus was likely a dark skinned man. Maybe he had nappy hair that was black. His eyes were possibly a deep rich brown like the fertile earth. As his message went from nation to nation his image changed. We are used to looking at people who look like us. It's a superficial thing.

The image of Jesus changed to look like the people who had adopted his teachings. There's really nothing wrong with that ... until one nation becomes dominant and insists that the other nations are wrong and that their depiction of the Messiah is evil. And there's nothing wrong with it unless it is a conquered nation who is being stripped of their beliefs by force and given a whole new set of beliefs from a Messiah with whom they can't relate.

The Hebrew text doesn't give us this superficial relationship with Jesus. We are offered something much more substantial. We are told that Jesus shared in being made of flesh and blood like we are made and that Jesus shared in experiencing suffering just like us. This is the Messiah that we follow ... that we trust with our own flesh and blood ... that we trust with our own suffering. This is the Messiah with whom we share the bread and wine of communion because he shared flesh and blood with us.

Whenever I think about suffering I think of Buddhism. The First Noble Truth is often translated as Life is Suffering. The word suffering is an incomplete translation though. The word that is translated as suffering is Dukkha. Dukkha, like many ancient words, has no equal in many languages, English included. Instead of translating the word, some say that it is more important to look at the three types of Dukkha: Suffering or pain; Impermanence or change; and Conditioned states.

I thought I would take this approach with the Greek word translated as suffering. There are two words that I found being used in our text.

One of the words has three spellings. They are, Pascho (pas-kho), patho, and pentho. These words mean, to experience a sensation or impression (usually painful): - feel, passion, suffer, vex.

The second word is pathema (path'-ay-mah. This means something undergone, an emotion or influence; such as affection, affliction, motion, suffering.

These words have a relationship with the word pathos or passion. I think it's good to look at the fullness of these ideas. We are not just talking about a Messiah who felt the whip of the Romans and the betrayal of the Pharisees. Our Messiah knows all our passions. Our Messiah was made of flesh and blood, just like we are. When his skin was scratched it hurt. When his skin was caressed it felt good. Jesus experienced the whole of the human condition.

If all we focus on is Jesus knowing our pain, then we have a Saviour who only understands part of our life. That's not the kind of Saviour I want!

I want a Saviour who understands me. I want a Messiah who I can laugh and cry with. I don't want to laugh by myself. I don't want to enjoy the spring daffodils all alone. The joy of the resurrection was that Jesus returned ... body and all! For this season of Lent we reflect on the wilderness and the betrayal, but the reason we can get through this is because of our confidence in the resurrection! And because we have a Messiah who can relate to us in our flesh and blood we can relate to our Messiah. We can look at the terrible tragedy of his suffering while we are suffering but hopefully we won't stop there. Hopefully we will say, "yes, but ... there is the resurrection." I can endure this suffering. I can live in this suffering. I can conquer this suffering. Hope is powerful

We fill this need of ours through many re-creations of the relatable Messiah. I'm not being flippant. I think re-creations help us get through our every day stuff. Sometimes maybe Jesus seems a little too far off or too powerful. Not quite as relatable as we would like. He is too God-ish. So we create superheroes. Wonder Woman. Superman. Spiderman.

We create fictional characters who walk around just like us. They have boring jobs and relationship troubles. They go to parties. They try to figure out how to fit in. But when the signal is spotted or when a cry for help is heard, they transform into a super-person. They transform into a saviour. Sometimes they suffer at the hands of evil but they always bounce back. These stories give us hope.

As much as these stories seem like mimics of our understanding of Jesus for us, I think they are also show, in some way, how we wish to be. Maybe it's just me, but when I hear the story of Spiderman or the Incredible Hulk, I imagine myself hearing the cry of distress and being transformed into a powerful and almost invincible person who saves the day.

Messiah complex? Maybe.

But that is the desire that is birthed in me when I hear the story of Jesus. I believe that we have been given the gift of a relatable Messiah not just to help us get through life but also to help us become who we need to be in this life. Jesus stands as an example to us of how to live. He is a merciful and faithful high priest to us but he is also our teacher and mentor. We are to follow him to the cross with the promise of experiencing the resurrection.

As Christians, I believe that the superheroes in comic strips and on movie screens are examples of what we need and who we want to be.

We are not called to be above anyone. We are not called to be without defect or awkwardness. We are called to be relatable and yet to hear the cry of distress and answer it in the power with which we have been gifted. And I believe we have all been given some power to answer the cries of distress.

Sojourner Truth asks, "Ain't I a woman?" She extends her arms to show her physical strength and yet asks again, "Ain't I a woman?" I hear echoes of Hebrews 2 in this. Am I not made of flesh and blood? Am I not one of you? Can you not relate to me? I can relate to you. I can see your skin and I know that blood is pumping through your veins. Don't be afraid of my power. Appreciate it for what it is and appreciate me for who I am.

There is comfort and challenge in Jesus being made in our image. We not only have a relatable high priest, saviour messiah ... but we also have a teacher and mentor who calls us to be the same for others.

"14 Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death."

We share this flesh and blood with so many. We come across people who are held captive by the fear of death. Sometimes it's physical death but more often I think there are other deaths or ends that people fear. Everyone needs someone to relate to. Can we follow in the footsteps of our Jesus who, because he was flesh and blood he could be merciful and faithful? And because he was Divine he could triumph over the fear of death.

Can Jesus' ability to relate to us transform us to be able to relate to others? Can we be like Sojourner Truth – proclaiming ourselves to be humans and relatable while challenging the power that holds the fear of death?

Can we take the ways we have been tested through suffering and become merciful and faithful priests of our Divine Beloved?

As lent continues and you meditate on the coming betrayal and then the resurrection of our Jesus, consider how he can relate to you and then how you can relate to others. Consider your super-powers ... your divine powers ... the gifts that you have that you know about and those that are not yet to the surface. Remember that your mild-mannered life is what makes you relatable to so many. Don't scorn your boring days or your awkward moments. Know that your pain and your joy allows you to share in the humanity of others.

And with all this, remember that, as verse 18 says, "Because Jesus himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested."

Because you yourself have been tested by what you suffer, you are able to help those who are being tested. And as you are doing so, Jesus, is helping you.

Come and Take My Hand

2010-02-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

Texts: Luke 4:1-14; John 13: 30 – 36; and the song, Ecclesiastes: Free My Heart by Meshell Ndegeocello

Our celebration of Black History Month continues with a song by Meshell Ndegeocello.
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We are entering a ritual season. The 40 day or 40 year wilderness experience is understood to be a time of testing, trial, and discernment which leads to a call to action which then leads to a promise fulfilled.

In Genesis 8, the rain fell for forty days and forty nights ... a time of testing for Noah's family followed by a call to follow God which is followed by the promise of God to never curse the ground because of humankind's propensity to be evil.

Exodus 16, "The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a habitable land; they ate manna, until they came to the border of the land of Canaan."

Moses twice went into the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights to meet with God. Exodus 24 tells of the first time. Exodus 34, the second. In Exodus 34 it states explicitly that Moses "neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten commandments." The first time was easier - God wrote on the tablets and Moses might have had food.

Moses sent spies into the land of Canaan, according to Numbers 13, and "At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land." What did the spies discern? The spies reported that the land was amazing but so were the people ... the conclusion being by all but 2 of the spies that Israel didn't have a chance against the Canaanites. The people cried out against Moses and then in Numbers 14 God cries out to the people ... another 40 years for this. And it's not going to be you, it's going to be your kids that get to enter the promised land.

Deuteronomy 8:2 "Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commandments."

If you go to a concordance – whether and actual book or online – you will see forty days and years everywhere, such as 1 Kings 2:11, "The time that David reigned over Israel was forty years; he reigned seven years in Hebron, and thirty-three years in Jerusalem."

I bring this up not just to give a Bible lesson, but to say that this is a long-standing tradition that is used in various ways. There's trial. There's testing. There's discernment. It's poetic rather than literal. It's a concept of – a long time – as well showing it is a contained time.

Story after story, even when one like Jesus or Moses goes off into the mountain, what I've noticed is that a person is rarely sent off alone. They might be the only person there, but The Presence accompanies. For, it is to The Presence that we are sent. Even in the midst of trial or discernment ... it is not to the hard thing that we're sent to ... it is to The Presence. The hard thing happens, but hard things always happen. I wonder if it's in contrast to the presence of our Divine Beloved that the hard things feel and even become even harder.

As I've been contemplating Lent ... this season of a long yet contained time of reflection, discernment, and trial ... I have strongly felt that as alone as I am often in person; as alone as I am when I sit on the train filled with other people; as alone as I am because I am the one who inhabits this particular body; I am never actually alone.

In our reading tonight in John 13 Simon Peter doesn't want Jesus to leave him alone. He wants to know where Jesus is going. Jesus answers, "Where I am going, you cannot follow me now; but you will follow afterward."

This is afterward. We are living in afterward. Jesus calls to us - Come and take my hand.

When life becomes as Meshell Ndegeocello sings from the adapted words of Ecclesiastes, that it is time to move to the next step ... that this place and this season is winding down. As she sings, "I'm so ready. Free my heart so my soul may fly," she also sings, "Come and take my hand."

I see here so many pictures from these words. I see Jesus at the Table with his friends. I also see him in the Garden praying. In addition I see Jesus at the resurrection turning to us and saying, "Come, take my hand." It is as if our taking the hand of Jesus helps to free not only our souls, but also his soul.

In the wilderness story where Jesus was tempted he was not alone. It wasn't just the tempter with him either. It was the Spirit that drove him there to begin with. It is not my impression that Spirit just pushed Jesus into the mountains and then said, "See you later. Good luck.Hope it turns out well." I believe Spirit was with him. I believe Spirit sustained him during his time of decision-making. Who was he going to be? What was he going to choose? How was he going to live? Both paths were difficult ones laden with burden and with treasure.

No matter what decisions you are making, no matter how you are shaping this season of Lent to be meaningful to you, please do me this one favour. Don't live through it alone. Even if you need to be the only person on the mountain, don't go through this alone. Let Spirit sweep you up and love you. Let Spirit hold you and comfort you. There are so many people who feel alone and lonely. Sometimes we all feel alone and lonely. It is hard to reach out to The Presence, to feel being accompanied. But mark my words – you are never alone, when you are the only one there or when you are in a crowded room.

This Lenten journey that we are on is toward Easter. It is toward the promise of resurrection. It is toward our own spirit's rebirth. Whatever you do and however you do it, please know that Spirit is with you.

Sometimes Spirit, though, is not enough. Being accompanied by a person can bring great strength and comfort. But it is also a very vulnerable place to be. To give up our walls and our defensive tactics is scary and difficult. Like Peter, we want assurance that with whomever we have shared that kind of intimacy that they won't just go away. Unfortunately, sometimes we are whisked or driven into a seemingly solitary experience. And the truth is that we are the ones who inhabit our bodies, even when we share them with others. It is the you in your you-ness that stays constant.

At every turn, I believe Jesus is singing to us, "Now is afterwards. Come and take my hand. You can go through this forty days. You and I together because I've already done it and I know it's possible. Come ... take my hand."

Don’t Stop While You’re Ahead

2010-02-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late with my posting. This one if from January 31, 2009.

Text: Luke 4:21 – 30

Jesus had a habit of getting into trouble. Through out the gospels he sidesteps one disaster after another. You might say he's socially awkward. Or maybe he's reckless. He always seems to take things a little too far.

In this story in Luke, Jesus comes out of the gate strong. People are responding to him favourably. It says, "They were amazed at his gracious words." He was in the limelight ... and then ... he kept talking. He eloquently told the crowd that was falling in love with him that they couldn't follow through and he equated them to widows and lepers that weren't worth the time a prophet had to spend. The honeymoon was over quickly. The crowd turned on him and not only ran him out of town but they wanted to hurl him off the cliff.

Can you imagine if Jesus had a handler ... a PR person? What kind of trouble Jesus would have gotten into with what happened here? The PR person would have said, "Jesus, what were you thinking? You had them in the palm of your hand. They were yours. Why did you turn on them? Why did you say that stuff to them? You had to know it would tick them off? You can't do stuff like that. You are going to ruin your career before it even starts."

Jesus might reply by saying, "I was just telling them the truth. You know that's what is going to happen."

"Timing, Jesus," the handler replies, "It's in the timing. We would cross that bridge when we come to it. But while you have them, keep them. You need all the support you can get while you can get it. You can't say stuff like that anymore. Stick to healing and encouraging people. We gotta get this thing off the ground."

At this point in my imaginary conversation between Jesus and his PR person I hear Jesus saying, "You have no clue what I'm about. Get out of here!"

The PR person leaves shaking their head mumbling something about Jesus having so much potential.

As I see it, one of the lessons here is that we are to not stop while we are ahead. Being popular ... being the next best thing ... being agreed with ... are not bad on their own but as a follower of Christ, they are not the goal.

Sometimes we get caught up in timing. We want to say the right things but at the right time. So we wait ... and we're silent at times when we could speak up. That's not the way of the Christ.

I know that what I am advocating is risky. Speaking up in a group of people, a group of friends, to your boss, to your employee - they all have risks. I'm not talking about evangelizing. I'm talking about living your life of faith.

Is it wrong to laugh at a handicap person who has fallen? Yes. Is it equally wrong to be silent when others laugh and to not say, "That's not funny." Yes. Is it wrong to laugh at jokes against bisexuals, or to be complicit in a conversation when poor people are being blamed for their poverty because "they just don't work hard enough." Yes.

There are many many times that we could say a simple sentence to stand up for Love and Mercy. But those sentences can be lethal to a conversation. They can be lethal to a relationship. Solidarity with the marginalized is not for the faint-hearted. And I will confess that at times I still find myself silent, the words stuck in my throat, my gut twisted at the thought of speaking, my spirit twisted at the thought of not speaking.

I want to tell you a story. Not long ago I participated in a youth event where kids came from many different churches. The church where I was an associate pastor was quite liberal, but many of the other kids were from conservative churches. On the second day of our week together one of the teens in my class declared something that he thought was stupid as being gay. I confronted him by asking him if he was talking to me. Was he comparing what he was talking about to me? He didn't understand so I told him that as a lesbian I was confused by what he was saying. He and his friends became very upset that I was minister at all. We ended up off topic entirely while they quoted chapter and verse to me about why I was not fit for ministry. I in turn quoted chapter and verse back. It wasn't very productive.

Eventually we got back on topic a little and the young man rephrased his sentence saying, "okay then, it is lame." I had a problem with that too, and I told him so. I said, "Now you are comparing something you don't like to someone who is handicapped. That's not right either." He looked at me like he had had just about enough of me. He said, "So what are we supposed to do, change our whole language." And I said, "Yes. Everything needs to be revamped. That's what Jesus came to tell us." He and his friends were disgusted with me and by me. The rest of the week was terrible. We all had a hard time listening to each other.

Even though that was the outward result of my confronting his choice of words, I do not regret speaking up. It had to be said. And I stand by my conviction that our language and our actions have to be revamped and that that is one of the things that Jesus came to tell us. That is one of the things that Jesus lived.

The PR person in our head wants to monitor and correct our words and actions so that we don't get into too much trouble. That's understandable, but it isn't living our faith to the fullest. Sure there are times to make choices toward safety. I don't walk into just any room and introduce myself as a lesbian. I'm not advocating utter foolishness, but I am advocating risk-taking and faith-living. I do believe that stopping while we're ahead can be a way to avoid sticky conversations that have real meaning and depth.

There were many times that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was told that he was pushing his agenda too fast. That he wanted too much. That his timing was off. But Dr. King did not stop while he was ahead. Had he curbed his language a little, not pushed against the status quo so hard, maybe he wouldn't have come up against so resistance. Maybe he ... would have lived his life to his natural end.

Duanna Johnson was a black transwoman who was murdered in Memphis. Perhaps if she just wore men's clothes and was quiet about her gender identity she would be alive today. But Duanna wanted to live a life of freedom and liberty. She wanted to live as she was created. She did not stop while she was ahead.

I'm not painting a very optimistic picture, am I? I seem to be saying that if you push the envelope you are going to get killed. In fact, many people who push the envelope do get killed. Our brother and saviour, Jesus, is one of them. But I have it in mind that if we all push together ... if we all don't stop ... that progress will be made. Others who are in more precarious life situations than us will benefit and then they will be able to join us. Duanna shouldn't have had to die to live in her gender identity, but she couldn't not live her authentic self.

What if all of us who believe God's creation is beautiful, regardless of how similar or different that creation is from us, spoke up in solidarity with those who were different and deemed unbeautiful? What if together we didn't stop while we were ahead? What if we backed each other up and encouraged each other to say the right thing even when it was unpopular or not good politics?

As a Christian, I am a person who follows the teachings of a man who risked it all. A defiant man who spoke out against hate. A man who came to the aid of the woman caught in the act of adultery. This woman was about to be killed by the throwing of stones. Her male lover was not being accused of any guilt, only she was. And as a test the religious authorities physically dragged her to Jesus to see if he would say something for which they could bring a charge against him. You see, they knew that he didn't stop while he was ahead. They were hoping that he would step over the line. However, Jesus could also be quite brilliant in the way he pushed the envelope and after writing in the dirt with his finger awhile he invited anyone without sin to go ahead and fling the first stone at her. One by one all the men left, leaving Jesus and the woman alone. Jesus did not condemn her.

I believe, just like Jesus, we must not stop while we are ahead. There are people that are on the verge of being stoned. If we don't stand in solidarity with them, who will? The risk might be being hurled off a proverbial or a real cliff. We still have to speak up. Some of us are living on the margins, taking risks to live authentic lives as much as possible. Those of us for whom it is a lesser risk to speak up should do so. If we do this together; if we all push together; if we back each other up, there will be no stopping love and mercy and justice.

Don Belton

2010-01-02T19:13:00.001-08:00

http://justicefordonbelton.com/

Don Belton was killed in his own home. Michael Griffin admits to killing him, but is pleading not guilty to murder. Griffin says that Belton sexually assaulted him a couple of days prior to his killing Belton. The people who know Belton say that it unlikely he would or could have assaulted anyone.

Griffen waited two days after the alleged assault to kill Belton.

Don Belton was an African American gay man who was murdered in his own home. Murdered. This was not self defense. I am angry and extremely sad that there is a chance his murder will be excused because of what is often referred to as gay panic.

Today's Meditation

2010-01-01T09:38:00.000-08:00

Prince of Peace and Division

2009-12-22T17:59:00.000-08:00

Micah 5:2 – 5a

For the past few years I have identified most, if not all, of the ministry work I do as peace work. This peace work takes many forms.

• Being an interim pastor
• Being an activist for LGBT rights within Christian denominations
• Co-facilitating workshops on sustaining your spirit
• Blogging
• Leading discussions on the intersectionality of oppressions

All of these things I do for the sake of peacemaking.

I struggle, though, with the notion of peace. What is it? I use the word to sign off emails, in workshops, in prayer, in sermons … but what is it. Is peace an it ... a thing. Is it an event? A state of mind and spirit? A community experience?

Webster has a few definitions.
1 : a state of tranquility or quiet: as a : freedom from civil disturbance b : a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom
2 : freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
3 : harmony in personal relations
4 a : a state or period of mutual concord between governments b : a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity
5 used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell

If these are the definitions of peace, then they are the definitions of what I hope my work, and our work, will accomplish. I think about the lion eating grass like the ox and laying down with the lamb to cuddle. That is the Christian picture of peace that I carry around with me. That is the promise that I heard over and over as a child and a young adult.

I think about the lion and the lamb; what they represent. The lion is a predator. The lamb is the prey. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Jesus is also the Lamb of God.

In the book of Micah, little Bethlehem of Judah is promised to be the birthplace of the one of peace. According to the text, this peace comes in the form of Israel as a flock being fed and protected; the people of Israel living securely and being able to rest. Sweet rest. Isn't it nice to be able to rest securely?

Resting is different than being idle. One might be idle ... having nothing to do ... bored ... jobless … but that one probably isn't resting. Most likely that one is agitated and anxious. Just as rest isn't simply not doing work, peace is more than not fighting. Peace is more than being quiet. Peace is more than a pact between governments. Peace is more than the dictionary definition. The dictionary definition is a starting place. But peace includes all the spheres of being. It is a resting, I think, in one's thoughts, emotions, spirit, and body. Peace also includes communities and the planet. Chaos, unrest, and violence are inflicted across the board of creation. Peace, I think, is resting securely in wholeness.

Passing laws does not require someone's position to change on matters of racism, heterosexism, classism, violence, privilege and the like. But they are a starting point. A peace pact isn't peace, but it's a starting point. Learning how to sit or walk in mindful quietness is not peace, but it's a way to start.

Jesus as the Prince of Peace, says that he did not come to bring peace, but a sword. He himself is not going to enact peace in the land. His actions and his teaching will more likely cause unrest and division as people sort out how they think and feel about how this Messiah is going about being Messiah. This baby whose birth ... whose embodiment we celebrate because of the promise of who he is and what he will accomplish ... this baby whose mother was unwed yet the angels heralded his birth to her, to her fiance, to shepherds ... this baby as a man says – no, that's not what I'm doing. I'm here to heal people on the Sabbath in front of religious authorities; to feed way too many people with way too little food; and to give power to many so they too can heal and feed and stand up to those who are greedy in the name of God.

Being a peacemaker doesn't tend to involve much that looks or feels like peace.

Peace itself may look like a tranquil winter scene with a horse pulling a wagon, the snow on either side remaining undisturbed. But peacemaking looks more like standing in the way of non-peace for the sake of future rest, probably for someone else. Peacemaking means stepping in the way of violence; domestic violence, military violence, legalized violence, religious violence, environmental violence ...

Jesus as the Prince of Peace walked in the middle of harm's way and he provoked his followers to do the same.

We are not unlike little Bethlehem ... a small community in the midst of a larger one, insignificant by many standards. But from us the Prince of Peace is born ... is embodied. Peace still has not arrived. We are still in the midst of much struggle and little secure resting.

Jesus provided healing, food, and spiritual shelter for so many, as well as causing much distress as families were divided over whether or not to follow him. We are to carry on his legacy of peacemaking, which means that we are sometimes to be the source of division. We are to stand in harm's way. We are to offer the secure resting place of acceptance.

We are not here to simply be nice and smooth the wrinkles. I think we are here to ruffle feathers. We are here to make a statement that there are choices available. We are not to swim along in the stream of convention, being complicit with our own oppression or the oppression of others. We are to build dams to stop that stream.

Jesus, the Prince of Peace, so threatening as a baby that one of the narratives says he had to be whisked away to Egypt because Herod was on the hunt for him. Herod was so determined to kill him that he mimics the story of Pharaoh in Egypt on the hunt for Moses. In both accounts, there is a massacre of babies 2 years old and under. In the Gospel story, it is Egypt which is the refuge.

For those in power, peace is very threatening. Peacemaking is dangerous. But it's our call, as the followers of Jesus the Christ.

As we approach the day where we celebrate the birth of our Christ on this earth and the subsequent birth of our own selves as christs as we are filled with the essence of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, I ask you to consider this: how shall we stand in harm's way for the future securing of rest? How do we continue the work of the Prince of Peace? Individually, what decisions do we make to faithfully participate in this action? Communally, what decisions do we make to faithfully participate in this action?

This radical reaching out of acceptance where all who come may be healed and fed causes division. Do we have the strength to be that radical? Do we have the vision to endure the criticism that comes with that kind of peacemaking?

As you adore the baby Jesus, and adore him I hope you do, I beseech you to say yes to his calling of peacemaking toward a future secure rest in wholeness.

Mulling my sermon

2009-12-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

This is the 4th Sunday of Advent. I will be talking about peace and angels. Peace. What is peace? Is peace not-war? Is it not-chaos? Reducing peace to a thing, event, single experience, or theory does not seem right to me.

As most Christians interpret Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is the Prince of Peace and yet according to Matthew 10:34, Jesus did not come to bring peace to earth, but a sword. The text continues with Jesus promoting his set of family values.

Matthew 10: 35 - 39
35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

And yet, here is another statement of family values from Jesus, Matthew 15:4-6
4 For God said, "Honor your father and your mother,' and, "Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.' 5 But you say that whoever tells father or mother, "Whatever support you might have had from me is given to God,' then that person need not honor the father. 6 So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God.

Prince of Peace
Lion of the Tribe of Judah
Healer
Thrasher of the Temple

Is peace standing in front of a tank, using your body to say "Stop this war!"
Is peace protecting a woman being beaten by a man by taking her into your home or standing between them?
Is peace healing on a Sabbath day on purpose to provoke religious authorities to hate you?
Is peace a man being nailed to a cross because he was not cowed by the religious and political manipulators of his day?
Is peace a tranquil winter scene with horse pulling a wagon, the snow on either side remaining undisturbed?

Do we live peace?
Do we enact peace?
Do we experience peace in a passive way?
Is peace deep?
Is peace on the surface?
Is peace freedom from illness?
Is peace watching yourself die from your illness?

Can peace include Violence? Blood? Passion? Sleep? Breathing? Chaos? Order?

Peace ... is there such a thing as peace? Can we find it in a food? In a relationship? In music?

Holding Joy in our Hearts

2009-12-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

Texts: Zephaniah 3:14 - 20 and Luke 2:8 – 20

This is the third week of Advent, which is the week of Joy and of the Shepherds. We light a pink candle instead of a purple candle. As we anticipate the celebration of Jesus' birth ... of Jesus bursting into the lives of humans in an eye to eye / spirit to spirit / soul to soul kind of way, this week we focus on Joy and we focus on the Shepherds.

This joy and these shepherds are not superficial concepts. They are complicated and we must wrestle with their complexities. We are also given the Zephaniah text with which to wrestle.

The Zephaniah text is kind of a cheerleading text. "Sing aloud. Rejoice and exult with all your heart. Do not fear. Do not let your hands grow weak. I will remove disaster from you. I will change your shame into praise."

Jerusalem is going through a tough time. They are despondent, weary, and not praising God. Zephaniah is trying to energize them, telling them all the good things that they may have temporarily forgotten about the God with whom they are in relationship.

The shepherds are doing their job in the fields. It is night when suddenly an angel and the glory of God come out of nowhere, terrifying them. The angel calms them down by sending them on a kind of treasure hunt with a promise that this treasure is from God. Then the text says a multitude of heavenly host appears and praises God. After this praising, all that suddenly appeared leaves, returning to heaven. The shepherds are once again alone in the field.

They want this good news to be true. They believe in what they have just seen. So they go in search of the baby in Bethlehem. Upon finding this treasure just as they were promised they would, they return to their fields glorifying and praising God.

There's a notion that if it takes you seeing the promise to rejoice then your faith is little. We get that idea from passages like Thomas doubting, wanting to see Jesus' wounds and touch the hole in his side. But there are many other passages that talk about seeing the promise as the means for bringing joy and praise.

There are many of us here that would like to see a promise fulfilled. Some of us would just like to hear a promise made on our behalf. There are so many hard things happening – the war, the economy, health insurance, personal tragedy, community tragedy, the list can go on and on.

Christmas is touted as being "The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year," but studies show that it is also a time of severe depression and hardship for oh so many. The expectation of what Christmas should be in comparison to how Christmas actually plays out in our lives can alone be depressing.

Yes, this is a time where like the shepherds we are working in the fields. It is a time like in Zephaniah where some of us do not feel the hope and the presence of our Divine Beloved in our lives. It is easy to go through the motions of Advent and Christmas, saying the right words and singing the right songs all the while covering up our sorrow and our disappointment.

This week we are to focus on Joy. For those of us whose circumstances are dire, we may find it difficult to believe in joy. For those of us who are just working in the fields, joy might also be difficult to latch on to.

I don't know how long it took the shepherds to get to the manger. The text makes it sound like they were there in a half hour, but I doubt that. They were walking and they couldn't just leave their flocks behind. They had to lead those flocks to wherever they wanted to go. As they were journeying ... as they were leading their flocks to see this promise they had been given, I suspect periodically they might have questioned their belief and maybe became frustrated with the journey taking so long.

Christian Advent is a tradition that has been passed down generation after generation since about the Middle Ages. The weeks that we celebrate have their meanings from long ago. It's interesting to know and understand why we do what we do. But, why do we continue the tradition and how does it give us meaning today?

Can we relate to the shepherds being given a promise and then sent on a treasure hunt to find that promise, bringing with them all the sheep that were in their charge? They were still responsible for everything they had been responsible for, but now they had this promise and a journey for the promise to be fulfilled.

Can we relate to the pain and suffering of Jerusalem as Zephaniah reminded them that their God was a good and loving God who really was on their side?

Has the promise of the embodiment of Jesus the Christ been fulfilled within you ... you as the embodiment of Christ? Can you get in touch with that? Does getting in touch with that fulfilled promise which is mostly intangible help you find joy? Not circumstantial happiness? Joy. Deep true joy. This joy which abides in the isness of our soul – based not on how this world works or how our life plays out, but rather on the trueness of our being in relationship with our Divine Love.

We can not base our Advent tradition or the call to Joy solely on the traditions of the past. We must know why today we bother to wait in hopeful anticipation of the celebration of the birth of the Christ. If we don't attach meaning to this for today, then the tradition is hollow instead of hallowed.

Finding the deep joy in our souls when things around us point to despair, is I think what Zephaniah was cheerleading Jerusalem to do. Last week we read Baruch 5 which was also a cheerleading kind of text. "Take off your garment of sorrow and affliction. Put on forever the beauty of the glory of God."

That has to come from somewhere. I believe we are created with a deep well of hope and peace and joy in our soul. Sometimes it flows better than others. Sometimes it does not seem to be flowing at all. The call that I hear from these texts is to reach out with whatever we can and believe the promise of good for our souls, our life circumstances notwithstanding. Reaching out with whatever we can may be called faith. It may be called determination. It may be called foolishness. Seeing the promise sure does help give us the ability to rejoice. The challenge is to see the promises we have already been given – the promises we have already seen and experienced – and then, to hold that joy in our hearts as Mary treasured and pondered the words of the shepherds in her heart. This deep well of joy that we hold in our hearts can then be accessed when we need it most.

This Advent, as we wait for the celebration of the breakthrough of the Christ to the people of earth, we also struggle with so many adverse situations. I am here to cheerlead you toward joy. Find the deep joy that sustains you. Call upon the true love of your God for the fulfillment of the promises for your soul. Remember that you are the Divine's beloved! Hold the joy in your heart as you journey field after field toward the next divine promise yet to be fulfilled.

Transgender Day of Remembrance

2009-11-20T10:19:00.001-08:00

Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance. For all those who have
suffered, were tortured, were murdered for their gender identity, I
grieve. For the fact that they lived their lives honestly and with
integrity, I am humbled and grateful. Will an equal force of love to hate be enough to stop the violence? It is my prayer that it will.

The End of the Beginning: How the Passage of the Matthew Shepard Act Transforms Us by Stephen V. Sprinkle, Ph.D.

2009-10-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

The End of the Beginning: How the Passage of the Matthew Shepard Act Transforms Us
Stephen V. Sprinkle, Ph.D.
Brite Divinity School
Fort Worth, Texas

Researching LGBT hate crimes for four years has changed my life. Now that the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act is imminent, I feel another sort of change coming: to my work, to the LGBTQ community, and to my country. For decades, families, loved ones, law enforcement officers, and social justice advocates have prayed for, labored for, and agitated for a federal law extending protection to queer folk victimized by anti-LGBT violence. Tens of thousands of Americans, straight, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender , have labored tirelessly for this result. Our well-practiced shoulders are again set to the task, and with one more great heave, the first major expansion of legal protection against physical harm for vulnerable Americans in the 21 st century will make it across the finish line. The end of the beginning has come at last. No more than that, and no less.

The dead are beyond further physical harm. So many hundreds have died at the hands of the ignorant, the malicious, and the sincerely bigoted. Gay Charlie Howard drowned in Bangor, Maine. Lesbian Talana Kreeger, manually disemboweled in Wilmington, North Carolina. Navajo Two-Spirit youth, F.C. Martinez, Jr., brained with a 25-pound rock in a blind canyon in Cortez, Colorado. African American transwoman, Duanna Johnson, shot down in a Memphis, Tennessee alley. Pfc. Barry Winchell, murdered by a fellow soldier with a baseball bat at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, on the suspicion that he was gay. And the archetype of them all, young Matthew Shepard, pistol-whipped into a coma and left to die, tied to the foot of a buck fence in Laramie, Wyoming. For every victim whose name is remembered, scores of anonymous others have died, their agonies unreported, their names forgotten.

What will change for all these victims of hate, once the Shepard Act becomes law? And, what about their families, lovers and spouses—what will change for them?

For the dead, the change will come subtly, like a gift of dignity. The Shepard Act is not only for the living. Those who have died at the hands of hatred will finally receive a measure of vindication. No longer will they be merely the debris of social history. Their stories will be told with renewed passion, and more and more people will want to know who they were. Their lives will take on a greater sense of meaning to the LGBTQ community, who will find encouragement to embrace these dead as their own—just as blacks, Jews, and other besieged peoples have embraced their fallen friends and family members. These LGBTQ victims have become my teachers in my quest to recover their stories and the meaning of their lives. I ask, today, that they also become your teachers. Remembering them will help all of us find new strength for justice.

For the families and loved ones of these victims, perhaps a measure of peace will come at last. Their loss, of course, is incalculable. Their pain is beyond reckoning. I have seen the furrows in their brows, the lingering sadness in their eyes. As Ryan Skipper’s mother Pat said to me, there is no closure for her and those like her. The change will come, I suspect, with a sense of honor, and a quiet assurance that their beloved will have not died in vain. When the Shepard Act finally passes, I will think first of all about the valiant witness of the mothers—women who never sought the spotlight, but who fought back tears to learn how to speak out for their children and for everyone else’s children. Signing day in President Obama’s office will be most of all for Judy Shepard, Pat Mulder, Elke Kennedy, Pauline Martinez, Denise King, Kathy Jo Gaither and everyone else whose flesh and blood have consecrated the moment of passage.

Those who believe in justice will feel the change, too. The LGBTQ community will be challenged to mature and take their place among communities of survivors, witnesses who understand that it takes hard work to make hope become real for everyone. At the stroke of a pen, the entire LGBTQ community will experience the greatest lift since the Stonewall Rebellion forty years ago. But that will not be all. The America I know and love will encounter change on the day the Shepard Act becomes law, too. Summoned by the angel of justice, the American people will face the challenge to make the promise of the Constitution come true for their transgender, gay, bi, and lesbian neighbors and friends.

Passage and signing the Matthew Shepard Act into law will not magically stop the killing. Record numbers of LGBTQ Americans, especially young transgender people of color, are dying violently all across the land. But the high water mark of hatred has been scotched with the stroke of a pen with President Obama’s signature on this historic bill. The end of the beginning of full equality for my people has come. And we who believe in the fullness of justice will not rest until it comes continue to preach, to pray, and to advocate until all of us our free to love without the threat of violence.

October Devotion - Coming Out to New Life by Rev Vernice Thorn

2009-10-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

October Devotion - Coming Out to New Life

39Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, 'Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.' 40Jesus said to her, 'Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?' 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, 'Sovereign God, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.' 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Unbind him, and let him go.'

In our Gospel lesson, Lazarus has died. His sisters are sure that if only Jesus had arrived earlier he could have saved Lazarus. But death has come. Death has won. Or has it? Jesus weeps and tells the sisters to believe and roll the stone away. He prays and says to the dead man, "Come out." Lazarus appears bound but alive.

What a meaningful story on the heels of a powerful justice event weekend hosted in Chicago by Church Within A Church (CWAC). This event had been plagued all year with uncertainty. Our finances were low, our support tentative, at best. Yet God continually calls us to life. God calls us to come out of our fear and to declare who we are. Even with that awareness, "coming out" is complex and never ending. I recall the Extraordinary Ordination. There was plenty of resistance from "church" leaders, who renounced and rebuked us. Nevertheless we choose life, listening to God's call to "come out". When we decided as a board to embrace anti-racism work we lost support. Yet, bound by the status quo, we did not give up, we could hear Jesus saying, "unbind them... let them go."

October 11th is National Coming Out Day. All of us have coming out stories, but I am so grateful to my gay sisters and brothers for providing the context. "Coming out" is a spiritual act. It embraces the truth of scripture that all are created equal and that God names us, each of us, and loves us. The ritual of "coming out" is a public declaration that says I am a child of God not in spite of who I am, but because of the gift of identity that God has blessed me with. It is an embracing of one's deepest and truest self, without shame and without apology. "Coming out" calls us to new life.

Coming out celebrates and empowers us to witness to our truth and to God's inclusive love. In the book Preaching Justice; A Lesbian Perspective, Christine Marie Smith speaks about claiming her truth. She says, "I knew from the time I was quite young that I was different. The early years were absolute silence, isolation and terror. Given the reality of closets for lesbian and gay people, I have been trying to find my voice, my truth, and my community much of my life. I have spent most of those years afraid: afraid of hurting my family, afraid of losing friends and colleagues, afraid of being attacked, afraid of being fired and afraid of losing my ordination. It isn't just the fear that keeps me from my voice, my truth, my life; it is the constant heavy sense that I am alien, strange, marginal. In the past few years, I no longer have feared losing my job and ordination, but even as I move my life into more public arenas as an out lesbian, anxiety, fear and strangeness persist."

On October 11th, I celebrate, "coming out", with my gay sisters and brothers and say thank you. Thank you for throwing open your closet doors and giving me the opportunity, a straight, black woman, to envision that possibility for my own life. As you have claimed your truth, so have I. As you have found your voice, so have I. As you have claimed your true, authentic self, so have I. The power of "coming out" is personal, spiritual, as well as communal. As one person or group finds the courage to "come out", it models a life-giving behavior, thus giving others' permission to do the same.

Come out! Jesus shouts to Lazarus and to us all. The power of life, the power of love is stronger than the grave, is stronger than the closet. Come out!

In Truth and Justice,

Rev. Vernice Thorn
www.allinclusiveministries.com

Co-Convener
The Church Within A Church Movement

I think I will be busy ...

2009-10-03T17:08:00.001-07:00

This afternoon I attended Pride in the Park, in South Bend. It was a chilly and slightly rainy afternoon. The band was playing, bingo was being called under the pavilion, there were hotdogs for sale, and about 30 booths. The booths included

Michiana Monologues
Zion United Church of Christ
Teacher's Credit Union
Trumans (a gay bar)
AIDS Ministries/AIDS Assist
Pet Refuge
Organizing For America
Chris Tetirick (massage therapist)
St. Joseph Visiting Nurse’s Association
Jill Morris
Peace of Rainbow Jewelry
Indiana Youth Group

Take a guess which booth I went to first ... well, second actually. I had some friends at the Michiana Monologues booth, but then, I went past the Zion UCC booth and thanked them for being there. It didn't take long before I was being introduced to folks from different booths and just from the community and next thing I know I am saying, "Sure, I'll be involved in organizing the Pride Parade." As of yet, Michiana has not had a pride parade. I was telling them about CCWC's involvement in Chicago's parade. (We don't organize it, we simply march in it.) I was also telling them that CCWC is interested in starting a Midwest Coalition of Welcoming Churches. They seemed to like that idea. I went to the car at one point, got my business cards and began to pass them out.

This is very exciting.

Urgent! Help! Monks & Nuns, Physically Forced Onto Trucks

2009-09-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

http://helpbatnha.org/2009/09/urgent-help-monks-nuns-physically-forced-onto-trucks/

Dear Friends,
Please pray for the monastic brothers and sisters at Bat Nha Monastery right now Sept.27,2009. They are being physically forced to vacate the monastery.
Please inform the public, the news agencies, human rights group, or anyone who can influence this tragedy, especially if they are there right now in Vietnam.
Please intervene in anyway that you can!

LIVE REPORT:
WWW.PHUSAONLINE is giving updated information on the situation at BatNha.

12:20 p.m. (VN time, September 27, 09):
*they are breaking all the doors and trying to get all the sisters to outside of the building. It continues to rain here.
*Sisters lock themselves inside.
*The mob, led by the police, are moving towards the sisters’ hamlet “May Dau Nui” (Clouds on the Mountain).
*4 taxi are going towards the main gate; can’t tell who’s inside.
12:02 pm (VN time, september 27, 09):
*The monks are still being forced to sit outside in the rain, nothing to cover them. It’s still raining and very cold.
*Traffic police (in uniform) are controlling all the roads leading to Bat Nha Monastery. Police in civilian clothes are also on the scene to observe.
11:23 a.m. ((VN time, September 27, 09):
*A large construction truck is heading towards the monks’ building named, “the Beginner’s Mind.”
*The monks are sitting together in circles under the cold rain.
*The attacking mob continues to curse and yell without stopping.
*Bells, Sutra books, clothings, personal belongings… are in disordered piles under the rain.
11:06 a.m. ((VN time, September 27, 09):
*It’s raining in Bat Nha. The monks have to sit under the cold rain.
*The police is calling for large trucks to come and transport the monks away.
*All roads to the monastery are monitored. Lay friends try to come to help, but they are turned around from afar.
*The number of policemen present has increased. They have occupied all the monastic rooms; gathered all the monks to the field outside.
*The police has forced the monks to carry their backpacks outside and wait for trucks to come transport them away. Don’t know where they will be going.
*It’s still calm in the nuns’ hamlets.
10:50 a.m. (VN time, September 27, 09):
*The police have dragged Brothers Phap Hoi and Phap Tu outside (2 elder monks of the monastic community); they are dragging the monks by force like they would to animals.
*One Buddhist lay woman is being chased by the police; she is running and crying, calling out “We are in danger, dear teacher!”
10:30 a.m. (VN time, September 27, 09):
Our communication is having difficulties, but we know that right now:
*The attacking mob has told the Monastic community that they have to leave the monastery within 2 days.
*The monks have been forced to go outside of their dormitories; they stand outside, chanting in the corridor.
*Two monks are in their ceremonial robes doing sitting meditation in front of their room.
*All community and personal belongings of the monks have been thrown outside.
9:45 a.m. (VN time, September 27, 09):
*We are on the telephone with Bat Nha Monastery. The situation at the monastery is quite urgent and life threatening to the monastics.
*At the start of this current crisis, attackers gathered at 9:30am then began to destroy properties to this moment.
*Police in civilian clothes have been present the whole time, but they do nothing to intervene. It seems that they are there to direct the attack, and the attackers have been hired to do so?
*The monks are doing sitting meditation on the 3rd floor of their building, sending energy to the people who are blinded by ignorance, praying to the Bodhisatva of Deep Listening to cool the fire of ignorance in their hearts with the nectar of her compassion.
*We are hearing very loud banging sounds over the phone line.
*They are throwing meditation cushions outside the building.
*There are about 150 people attacking and destroying properties up to the second floor of the monks’ residence.

Stop. Eat and Drink

2009-07-10T22:03:00.001-07:00

Text: John 6:22 –63

Spirit and Life. Flesh and Blood. Bread and Wine.

Wine isn't actually mentioned in this story, but we can infer wine as the drink Jesus mentioned.

First, one of the last things mentioned in this story is Jesus saying, "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless." This kind of verse sometimes gets used to teach that our bodies are not holy, but instead that they are intrinsically sinful. I take issue with that teaching. Even though we read 41 verses in John 6, we still did not get enough context. The context I am referring to is Jesus' ministry of healing the sick, raising the dead, and feeding earthly food to hungry people. If the flesh was useless in the way that this often gets read, why would Jesus waste his time attending to the needs of the body? But he does spend his time doing so. He spends a lot of time taking care of people's physical needs.

In that context, it seems to me that this story is not teaching us to deny ourselves nourishment or to only seek ethereal pleasures and to eschew delights of our bodies and this lovely created world.

Here I think he is talking about our need to nourish our souls. The crowd is seeking tangible signs and a tactile experience. They like seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching the Kingdom of Heaven. But when Jesus tells them that he transcends the natural creative world and that they as well can and need to, the people get agitated against him.

While eat my flesh and drink my blood is a foreshadowing of the coming crucifixion, it is also a lesson for the moment. I hear Jesus saying; don't stop when your physical needs are satisfied. Your life is not provided through your flesh – your flesh lives because life is provided.

Now that the crowd has been nourished physically, satisfied within their bodies, the hope is that they can take their minds off their earthly needs and look deeper into the true food and drink that God has to offer. When you are physically hungry and thirsty it's really hard to think about anything else. So Jesus satiates their physical needs and when they pursue him for more he tells them yes, I will give you more. My purpose has been to give you life.

Eat my flesh and drink my blood. Then, when his disciples become offended and some of them leave, he says, flesh is useless I'm talking about spirit.

Just like you stopped to eat the bread and fish because you were hungry, stop and eat spiritually. Drink and become refreshed in your soul. Take time to attend to all of who you are, not just the part of you that you can see. Jesus says, "I am the Living Bread" and "Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven."

I think this is all to say: Eat Life. Drink Life. Be Life.

The Gospel of Thomas
#3 If those who lead you say, "Look, the kingdom is in heaven," then the birds of heaven will precede you. If they say, "It is in the sea," then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is within you and outside you. When you know yourselves, you will be known, and you will know you are children of the living father. But if you do not know yourselves, you live in poverty and you yourselves are the poverty.

#7 Blessed is the lion that the man shall eat, so that the lion will become human. Cursed is the man whom the lion shall eat, and the lion will become human.

#108 Whoever drinks from my mouth will be as I am, and I shall be that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to that person.

What you eat and drink becomes you and you become what you eat and drink. If you eat and drink life you become life and life becomes you. "The kingdom is within you and outside you." So often we can't detect the land of spirit because we are so stimulated by the land we have created. We must take time turn away from the stimulation that would keep us hungry spiritually. We need to eat the flesh and drink the blood of life. We must stop and become connected to the kingdom within and without – becoming the kingdom and living true life.

I believe that our gathering together is good. Seeing each other in the flesh ... looking each other in the eyes and sharing hugs and smiles. We need this experience and we need it often. However, the connection that we have with one another transcends this gathering. We pray for each other sometimes and we think of each other during the week. We worry with each other when hard things happen and are glad for each when we hear good news. But do we stop when we are apart and eat and drink the life of each other? Do we set time aside to breathe in the truth of each other's existence and the holy connection that we have? If we do, do we know that that is what we are doing?

We are connected by spirit. Our bodies define us and they are good bodies. We are separate human beings and we are one gathered body in spirit. When one of us gets a job or another of us loses one, all of us are affected when we eat and drink the truth of the life of each one of us.

Jesus refers to the Living Father, both in the Gospel of John and in the Gospel of Thomas. I would refer to the Living Presence. Our Divine Beloved who lives within us and outside of us. The Living Presence who is within you and outside you.

In Exodus 25, God is telling Moses how to make the sanctuary where God will dwell with the people. Verse 29 and 30, "You shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me always."

The bread of the Presence ... that is what Jesus is offering us. It isn't bread that we can eat with our mouths or drink that moistens our lips. It is the Living Presence that we share with our Divine Beloved and with one another. This Living Presence connects us and creates community within and between us.

It isn't eaten or drunk easily. It takes time and effort. We need to take time away from the distractions of our daily world. We need to breathe deeply and stop analyzing and planning for period of time every week if not every day. Our awareness of our own spirit will rise. The Presence will become more apparent to our conscious self. Then we can gather to ourselves the essence of those in this community. We can reach out to one another with our spirits. Cry together. Laugh together. Intercede for one another. Hold each other. Our community will only be strengthened the more we do this.

From this place of deep connection, we can also reach out spiritually to those who are not yet a part of our community. Some people have checked our website, but not ventured out for a visit. Some have visited. Others don't even know where to start looking. I think we need to gather them in too. It isn't important if we can't see their face in our minds or hear what their voice sounds like. We don't need to know how tall they are or anything else about them to reach out in our spirits and feel their pain and comfort them.

We can start a new program, change how we do our service, and market the church, but I think what will build this community is the Spirit drawing people here and drawing people into your life so that you can share the good news that you have to offer.

We are a deeply spiritual people. I feel the intensity of our connection to The Presence and to each other. We have thought a lot about what we believe and why we believe it. We have had to. We are not in a position to take our faith for granted. I want us to take that depth and intensity to the next level.

Stop. Eat and Drink the truth of each other. Then stop some more and eat and drink the truth of those who we have not yet met. When you eat and drink the flesh and blood of the Presence, you eat and drink Life. And that's what Jesus came to give – Life, and that more abundantly.

Why I do energy massage

2009-07-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

July 5th - Windy City Black Pride Festival

2009-07-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

WCBP Park Festival

Sunday July 5, 2009

11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Sherman Park

1301 West 52nd Street

(Between 52nd and 55th Streets on Racine)

Chicago, Illinois

In The Zone

2009-06-29T05:59:00.000-07:00

TEXTS: Proverbs 14:1 – 10 and Tao #2 (Stephen Mitchell, translator)

Please look at your hands, front and back. Look at each finger and the web where your fingers meet the palm and back of your hand. Hands are amazing. They are intricate … complicated. Now make a fist. What does it feel like to make a fist? Did you make a gentle loose fist or a tight fist? Now open your hands again. Put them together. Now pull them apart.

Such an easy exercise for most of us. We can do it without thinking about it. We don't have to tell our eyes to look at our hands or tell our fingers to move. It's actually odd to stop and take time to feel your hands as they move. For most of us, we don't have to concentrate on moving our muscles in a particular direction.

Last Wednesday I went bowling with the teens from Good News Community Church. We had a good time, bowling for 2 hours. That's a long time for a non-bowler to bowl. Because this is not something I do, I found myself having to think about my movements. I had to be conscious of where my arm was swinging and of holding on to the ball ... letting the ball go and following through. It was hard. There were some guys in the lane next to ours. They were bowlers. I could tell they were concentrating, but not in the same way that I was. They didn't have to think about their bodies moving, they were just focusing. Strike after spare after strike, they focused and moved their bodies.

They knocked the pins down and then the machine in back would reset them so they could do it again. My pins didn't always have to be reset, but often enough at least some of them did.

My hand and arm are still sore from using them the way that I did. The weight of the ball and the motion of my arm were all unfamiliar for me.

There have been times when I have had to really concentrate on what would normally be simple movements. Things like walking and not falling down due to pain in my leg, or grasping a doorknob to open a door because of pain in my hand. There are times when performing a relatively simple function requires attention.

In the second chapter of the Tao Te Ching we hear about acting without doing. It's like what we did with our hands. We were able to look at our hands, move them around, close and open them, without doing it. Wednesday, when I was bowling, I was doing bowling. The guys in the lane next to ours were acting without doing.

It's a beautiful thing to watch, acting without doing. Singers, dancers, actresses ... the really good ones, act without doing. The 2nd Tao say, "Things arise and she lets them come; things disappear and she lets them go." It's magical and intimate.

I remember being a line cook. There was one guy that I always liked to work with on the line. We flowed. We didn't like anyone to interrupt us ... to try to help us. We had a rhythm and a way to communicate that was not something we even thought about. We just let it happen. We were like athletes in the zone.

I want us to live in the zone. I want us to move effortlessly through life. Not passively and not without intention, but effortlessly because we are acting without doing. We have and don't possess.

Verse 10 of Proverb 14 says, "The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. I came across this verse earlier this week and thought, isn't that the truth. We can walk with someone ... we can hear someone's story ... we can learn and listen ... but there's a point where what's in our heart is ours alone.

That is so true for me of my journey from ex-gay to ex-ex-gay. The bitterness and joy of it all is mine. I can share my story, but it is mine to carry and to know and love. When I am aware of my own story, without having to think about it – the bitterness and joy – I'm in the zone.

Your heart has its own story. The heart of this community has its own story. When we know it and own it, when we live it and love it, we are in the zone.

There is another verse in Proverb 14 ... it has been a favourite of mine for years. Verse 4 says, according to The New Revised Standard Version, "Where there are no oxen, there is no grain; abundant crops come by the strength of the ox."

This translation of the verse is good, and maybe it's more accurate than the other translations, but when I fell in love with this scripture in my early twenties it was when I was reading The King James Version and the New International Version

The King James Version says this, "Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox."

The New International Version puts it this way, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest."

I have cleaned out my fair share of mangers ... or stalls as we called them. It's nasty work. But we did it because it was worth having the cow. We had tractors to plow our land, so the cows were mainly used for milk and to sell for meat. Still, it was worth it to us. I was well aware that there was a time in my father's living memory when farm animals were used like we used tractors. The strength of an ox really meant something when you needed to plow a field or move heavy rocks or timber.

But this is a proverb. It isn't trying to convince us that cleaning up after an ox is worth it. The writer is assuming that we already know that and is using this as an illustration of a bigger learning. The learning that I hear is that getting important work done creates messes we have to clean up.

So often we think of messes being the result of a mistake made or something gone awry, but often messes are simply the result of life. There is both bitterness and joy in our hearts. There is an abundant harvest and a soiled pen to clean up. The cleaning up part can be nasty smelly work. The bitterness in our hearts is no fun to claim as our own, but it is keeping company with the joy in our hearts.

The Pride Parade is a lot of work to put together and I can't imagine the clean up afterward. But they do it year after year. It must be worth the mess and work.

We can keep things neat and clean ... but no oxen means no harvest. There would be no prep work and no clean up afterward if there wasn't a Pride Parade. But, then there would be no Pride Parade.

For me, it goes back to being in the zone. It takes a lot of effort to make something effortless. Can the mess of the accomplishment help to define the accomplishment? Can the accomplishment support us when it's time to pick up the shovel and clean up? Can we get in the zone of acting without doing when we are plowing or harvesting or shoveling?

We have choices. We can do what we want. We can keep things tidy by keeping them empty, which may result in our eventual hunger or starvation as we won't have a harvest, or we can organize to work for a harvest knowing that we are creating not only our intentional work but also some messes to clean up along the way; messes that may seem totally unrelated.

If through prayer and intentionally loving one another we can find our zone where we have but don't possess; when we do our work and then forget it so that it lasts forever; then we will have both messes to clean up and a harvest to gather. Both are hard work, but not work that we have to do if we are in the zone of acting without doing ... of letting things arise and come, and then disappear and go.

We work so hard doing this life and putting in our time and being in relationships. But the more that we can we need to trust, like we did with our hands moving – we just moved our hands and used our eyes to see our hands. We didn't analyze what it might be like to look at our hands or to move them. Most of us didn't have to make a great effort to command our bodies to pick up our hands and to direct our eyes to look. A long time ago we did have to make such efforts. When we were babies our hands moved around, but at some point we realized we wanted to pick something up. We had to learn to direct our hands and that took concentration. When we are ill or disabled, we have to make concentrated efforts.

Can we, as a community, act without doing? Can we find that zone? Can we allow our movements to be fluid and then when we notice our movements, not stop and wonder ... but instead just keep moving. When the messes need to be cleaned up, can we pick up the shovel and just clean. Not think about the cleaning. Not look at the mess too hard, but just enough to know it's there and to know what to clean ... to let ourselves be in the work rather than doing the work.

This requires trust – trust of the God who is Presence, trust in ourselves as individuals and trust in ourselves as a community. It also requires time – time for the work toward harvest, time to clean up the inevitable and seemingly unrelated messes that will occur, and time in prayer to prepare us and support us to act without doing. I think it also requires love – love for ourselves, love for each other, and love for the work.

When we get in the zone, the work becomes less exhausting; the messes become less annoying; and the harvest is less a goal to strive for and more a delight to be savored. Burn out happens outside the zone.

We know the joy and the bitterness in our hearts. We want to add to the joy and not to the bitterness. There is less bitterness in the zone of acting without doing; and much much more joy. My prayer for us is an increase of joy in our hearts.

A Gay Pride Call to Worship

2009-06-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

Leader: We are made in the image of God.
All: We praise our God and celebrate the diversity of all creation.
Leader: It is written that God declared all of creation to be good.
All: All our goodness comes from our Divine Creator.
Leader: Eye has not seen nor ear heard the goodness and eccentricities of our God.
All: We delight ourselves in being created with such imagination.
Leader: You are called beautiful and fabulous by the Holy Lover.
All: In this love we bask and rejoice, declaring our love in return and giving ourselves wholly to you.