Everywhere I go these days I run into people who want to tell me how important it is for our society to put Christ back into Christmas. I suppose it has something to do with me being a pastor in Christ's church and Christmas becoming more and more of a secular holiday rather than a Christian holy day. I must admit, as they are talking to me, I am never sure if they are trying to convince me or themselves. The ironic part of all of it is that I am not too worried about whether or not society puts Christ back into Christmas. That may sound terrible coming from a pastor, but hear me out.
I believe that the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ is a holy privilege. I also believe that it only has meaning if you believe and trust in this miraculous gift of God's Word becoming flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. That event derives its full significance if we believe that it was the beginning of a new era in human history where God's reign of mercy and reconciliation is coming to fruition. That seems to be the particularly unique purview of the Christian church.
Consequently from my point of view, if society in general wants to have a special celebration marked by good cheer, a seasonal display of goodwill which can be abandoned for the rest of the year, decadent over-eating and over-spending, and belief in a fictional character called Santa Claus and his band of elves, I think it ought to be able to do so without interference from the Christian church.
Let's face it, what with wars, violence, crime, natural disasters, a disintegrating planet, and collapsing economies maybe society needs a few weeks where it can escape into the fantasy of a better, happier, more prosperous, and magical time.
The Christian church, on the other hand, may need to let the society have its decadence and Santa Claus and return to a way of celebrating Christ's birth that honors what God was up to in being born among us and lives beyond the weeks of December. This should not be that difficult, really. What God did in becoming human and ushering in this new reign of peace and mercy is an everlasting thing. That means when the trees are all dried out and on the trash heap, the colorful wrappings are thrown in the fireplace, the latest toy or piece of technology is old news and doesn't fix our lives, we still have a promise from God that things are being made new. When the wars still rage on, violence escalates, crime statistics go up during the holidays, and all of that spending didn't really do anything to make the bad economic situation flourish again, the reality of Emmanual - GOD WITH US - is still true.
That fact alone should be enough to give us hope and promise not just in these few weeks when society wants to draw us into a grand spectacle of twinkling lights, and 3-day shopping sprees, but when the world seems at its darkest and most hopeless. Living with that kind of hope and celebrating the miracle of God with us changes the way we are - every single day. We can struggle hopefully, live gratefully, love extravagantly, care for others and the world God made and do it all with an internal peace that comes only from life in Christ.
I think that the greatest gift that the Christian church could give the society in which we live is to allow them their Christmas fantasies, but show them a better way of celebrating by living just a little differently during the month of December and all year long. The best gift that we, as the disciples of Jesus Christ, can give to the world is to put the Christ back into "Christian."
Bloom away, my friends -
PK(+)
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
When the church beats the Jesus out of you
For the past several months, I have been making a weekly contribution to a blog called "Castle Church Door" - a blog devoted to "all things church." I agreed to do so out of a deep love of and a deep concern for Christ's church. I shared writing duties with several other pastors who are friends, colleagues, and in some cases both. Over time, I found that I was no longer blogging here, a fact that I found concerning. Now I am in no way cocky enough to think that what I say here is so important that my failure to blog was somehow a loss to anyone reading. What concerned me was the reason I was no longer blogging here. It seemed that after reading and writing about "all things church" I really didn't feel at all like talking about faith and spirituality. To steal a phrase from a friend and one of the CCD authors, writing about "all things church" was threatening to "beat the Jesus out of me." That reality spurred me to take a hiatus from writing for CCD. It also breeds in me a deep sense of grief. To be blunt - if just writing about "all things church" can beat the Jesus out of a person, what does that say about the church?
The truth is that many people have abandoned the faith, declared themselves to be "spiritual but not religious," agnostic, or even atheist because of their experiences with what we call "the church." In the past year, I have truly begun to understand that trend. As the denomination in which I serve has struggled with controversial decisions that have spilt the denomination, congregations, and even families, I have witnessed and experienced behavior on the part of individuals, pastors, and congregations that in no way can claim to be consistent with Christ's church. It is just this type of thing that drives people - and pastors - out of the church.
Many of the issues on the denominational level revolve around issues of theology, ecclesiology (how the church is structured/governed), and the lenses through which we read and interpret scripture. Those types of issues and our means of dealing with our differences concerning them give the institution of the church a massive black eye.
On a smaller scale, local congregations and individual Christians have their own issues which lead to differences and impossibly unChrist-like behaviour. Watching it occur in the congregation where I serve has made me question whether I really want to be a pastor at all.
SO I return to blogging here as a pastor, theologian, and child of God who feels both called and compelled to speak and write of the marvelous works of God, the grace we have in Christ Jesus, and the new thing that God has done in ushering in the reign of God with the incarnation of Christ. At the same time, I return to blogging here as a child of God and theologian who has deep doubts and concerns about the ability of the institutions that we think of as "the church" - whether on a congregational or denominational level - to make the inbreaking reign known.
What I hope to accomplish - for myself - is to keep awake to the ways the God continues to be at work in the world and discover "the church" in the people who are actively participating in that work. They may not meet together in a single assembly. They may not look they way "church people" are expected to look. But when I keep my eyes open and expected to be surprised, I trust that I will discover the marvelous works of the Holy Spirit happening all around me.
Finally, I hope that I discover that my life can be a response to the gospel concerning Jesus Christ that bears witness to that gospel outside of my "official" capacity as a pastor in ways that offset the ways that "all things church" threaten to beat the Jesus out of me.
I hope that you keep reading. I hope that my journey, my struggles, my questions, doubts, and stumbling in the dark toward the light of Christ may shine just a little of that light into your struggles, doubts, and struggling.
Still blooming -
PK (+)
The truth is that many people have abandoned the faith, declared themselves to be "spiritual but not religious," agnostic, or even atheist because of their experiences with what we call "the church." In the past year, I have truly begun to understand that trend. As the denomination in which I serve has struggled with controversial decisions that have spilt the denomination, congregations, and even families, I have witnessed and experienced behavior on the part of individuals, pastors, and congregations that in no way can claim to be consistent with Christ's church. It is just this type of thing that drives people - and pastors - out of the church.
Many of the issues on the denominational level revolve around issues of theology, ecclesiology (how the church is structured/governed), and the lenses through which we read and interpret scripture. Those types of issues and our means of dealing with our differences concerning them give the institution of the church a massive black eye.
On a smaller scale, local congregations and individual Christians have their own issues which lead to differences and impossibly unChrist-like behaviour. Watching it occur in the congregation where I serve has made me question whether I really want to be a pastor at all.
SO I return to blogging here as a pastor, theologian, and child of God who feels both called and compelled to speak and write of the marvelous works of God, the grace we have in Christ Jesus, and the new thing that God has done in ushering in the reign of God with the incarnation of Christ. At the same time, I return to blogging here as a child of God and theologian who has deep doubts and concerns about the ability of the institutions that we think of as "the church" - whether on a congregational or denominational level - to make the inbreaking reign known.
What I hope to accomplish - for myself - is to keep awake to the ways the God continues to be at work in the world and discover "the church" in the people who are actively participating in that work. They may not meet together in a single assembly. They may not look they way "church people" are expected to look. But when I keep my eyes open and expected to be surprised, I trust that I will discover the marvelous works of the Holy Spirit happening all around me.
Finally, I hope that I discover that my life can be a response to the gospel concerning Jesus Christ that bears witness to that gospel outside of my "official" capacity as a pastor in ways that offset the ways that "all things church" threaten to beat the Jesus out of me.
I hope that you keep reading. I hope that my journey, my struggles, my questions, doubts, and stumbling in the dark toward the light of Christ may shine just a little of that light into your struggles, doubts, and struggling.
Still blooming -
PK (+)
Friday, December 2, 2011
She's Baaaack!
It would be hard for you to not have noticed that I have not made an original post to this blog in several months. I have been chasing my tail with another blog and life in general and found my thoughts too fragmented to even contemplate writing about what it means to be a person of faith.
HOPEFULLY, that is about to change! I have freed up my schedule a bit and intend to renew my commitment to writing about the journeys of faith on which we find ourselves.
If you read and follow, I pray that you will continue to do so and find something in here of value. If not - I can live with that. It is the writing that helps me sort out meaning in the journey, so I mostly do this for me!
Chist's peace to you all.
PK (+)
HOPEFULLY, that is about to change! I have freed up my schedule a bit and intend to renew my commitment to writing about the journeys of faith on which we find ourselves.
If you read and follow, I pray that you will continue to do so and find something in here of value. If not - I can live with that. It is the writing that helps me sort out meaning in the journey, so I mostly do this for me!
Chist's peace to you all.
PK (+)
Friday, October 28, 2011
BUDDY CHRIST
Normally, I am not a big fan of sharing the spotlight, but the following is one of the best blog posts I have read on the Christian faith in a long time. It was composed by a friend of mine and we have been talking about his crisis of faith for awhile now. His words are important and need to be shared. I am sharing without his permission, but with full credit.
From DWB at castlechurchdoor.com ...
Buddy Christ
28October2011
It has been so long since I have written to any of the blogs I write for, that I almost forgot how to log in to compose today’s entry. If I am being honest I had to take a break from the blogosphere because I was burned out, my faith was floundering, and I owed myself a break to try to decompress and to be able to provide quality to my friends and colleagues here at the door and to those who grace us by taking time out of your day to read our musings and meanderings of theological wanderings.
Also, my faith was/is in crisis. That’s right, shock of shocks, Pastors, Priests, Rabbis sometimes have times of doubt and questioning – times of fear and failure – times when we aren’t sure what we believe and if we believe. During one of my sleepless nights of questioning I even stumbled over an invitation only support group online for clergy who have become atheists but because of the economy can not leave the ministry. You can find the link to that info here. http://richarddawkins.net/articles/643520-announcing-the-clergy-project-support-for-pastors-and-priests-leaving-the-pulpit Also, NO I haven’ t joined that group.
I read articles about men leaving the church, found here. http://www.antiochian.org/node/17069
What I have discovered is that I haven’t lost my faith in Christ – perhaps in what I think we have been seeing a great deal of in recent years, since the movie “Dogma” first hit theaters – a peddling of ”Buddy Christ.” A soft Messiah, a cuddly Messiah, not a man who walked into smelly tombs to bring friends to life, not a savior who was so intense he sweat tears of blood, not a Lord who made whips and cleansed the temple, not the Christ who refused to answer Pilate – thus assuring that He would be nailed to the tree.
I question if the modern church has given the modern culture what they have demanded, this is a market driven economy. Joel Osteen tells folks that God wants them to be rich or wealthy and his congregation is packed. Others have “worship” *cough* that is much more about entertainment than worship – we, and yes I include me, have given the world what George Carlin mocked us for – Buddy Christ.
This is not the Jesus of Scripture. This is not the Christ that withstood the tests and temptations of Satan in the wilderness. This is not the Son of the Living God that tells us that it’s okay to enter the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death, for His rod and staff comfort us. This is not the Holy One that descended into hell, that took on the sin of the world, that defeated sin, death, and the devil.
My faith began to be restored by talking to a Jewish friend. He laughed when I talked with him and said, “My people are known for crisis of faith and screaming at God, maybe I can help.” He did, he listened, he laughed, he wept with me and for me and he said, “My friend, you have not lost faith, you have lost sight – lost sight in the Jesus of Scripture – the charismatic leader that walked on water and healed the sick.” Then he laughed and said, “If Jesus saw his image today, he’d roll over in his grave – then nudged me and said, Oh that’s right, he already rolled the grave away.” We both smiled and he got a twinkle in his eye and gave me the best and most beautiful advice. ”Return to the story, forget the myth, forget what culture and the church are peddling – return to your first love.”
Amazing, faith restored from a Jew quoting Revelation. He never referred to Buddy Christ, he said, “The man Jesus I have studied does not drink mocha lattes, wear pink fuzzy bunny slippers, and wax eloquently over the next marketing plan for the church – he rolls up his sleeves, spits in the mud, and helps people see.” He then spit and said, “There’s your mud, open your eyes.”
This may not apply to you in any way, if not I apologize for wasting your time. But if your faith is fragile, forget the myth and return to the One – Jesus the Christ.
Blessings
DWB@CCD.
Also, my faith was/is in crisis. That’s right, shock of shocks, Pastors, Priests, Rabbis sometimes have times of doubt and questioning – times of fear and failure – times when we aren’t sure what we believe and if we believe. During one of my sleepless nights of questioning I even stumbled over an invitation only support group online for clergy who have become atheists but because of the economy can not leave the ministry. You can find the link to that info here. http://richarddawkins.net/articles/643520-announcing-the-clergy-project-support-for-pastors-and-priests-leaving-the-pulpit Also, NO I haven’ t joined that group.
I read articles about men leaving the church, found here. http://www.antiochian.org/node/17069
What I have discovered is that I haven’t lost my faith in Christ – perhaps in what I think we have been seeing a great deal of in recent years, since the movie “Dogma” first hit theaters – a peddling of ”Buddy Christ.” A soft Messiah, a cuddly Messiah, not a man who walked into smelly tombs to bring friends to life, not a savior who was so intense he sweat tears of blood, not a Lord who made whips and cleansed the temple, not the Christ who refused to answer Pilate – thus assuring that He would be nailed to the tree.
I question if the modern church has given the modern culture what they have demanded, this is a market driven economy. Joel Osteen tells folks that God wants them to be rich or wealthy and his congregation is packed. Others have “worship” *cough* that is much more about entertainment than worship – we, and yes I include me, have given the world what George Carlin mocked us for – Buddy Christ.
This is not the Jesus of Scripture. This is not the Christ that withstood the tests and temptations of Satan in the wilderness. This is not the Son of the Living God that tells us that it’s okay to enter the darkness of the valley of the shadow of death, for His rod and staff comfort us. This is not the Holy One that descended into hell, that took on the sin of the world, that defeated sin, death, and the devil.My faith began to be restored by talking to a Jewish friend. He laughed when I talked with him and said, “My people are known for crisis of faith and screaming at God, maybe I can help.” He did, he listened, he laughed, he wept with me and for me and he said, “My friend, you have not lost faith, you have lost sight – lost sight in the Jesus of Scripture – the charismatic leader that walked on water and healed the sick.” Then he laughed and said, “If Jesus saw his image today, he’d roll over in his grave – then nudged me and said, Oh that’s right, he already rolled the grave away.” We both smiled and he got a twinkle in his eye and gave me the best and most beautiful advice. ”Return to the story, forget the myth, forget what culture and the church are peddling – return to your first love.”
Amazing, faith restored from a Jew quoting Revelation. He never referred to Buddy Christ, he said, “The man Jesus I have studied does not drink mocha lattes, wear pink fuzzy bunny slippers, and wax eloquently over the next marketing plan for the church – he rolls up his sleeves, spits in the mud, and helps people see.” He then spit and said, “There’s your mud, open your eyes.”
This may not apply to you in any way, if not I apologize for wasting your time. But if your faith is fragile, forget the myth and return to the One – Jesus the Christ.
Blessings
DWB@CCD.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Unexpected Surprises
THIS IS A REPEAT OF A PREVIOUS ENTRY ON ANOTHER BLOG TO WHICH I CONTRIBUTE, SO IF YOU FOLLOW CASTLECHURCH DOOR, YOU WILL PROBABLY RECOGNIZE IT.
This evening I encountered one of the most amazing miracles of all creation. I held a newborn baby – less than two hours old - in my arms. That may not seem like such a big deal to many people, but to me it is incredible. I am a 54-year-old woman who has never been blessed with the experience of bringing a child into the world. I have held nieces and nephews, and the newborn infants of congregation members but never have I held a baby that newly born. As the family and I stood in the hospital room, tears of joy at the miracle that is life trickled down more than one set of cheeks; my own among them. I looked down at the wee little baby in my arms, the loving family gathered around in that comfortable albeit institutional – hospital room and was struck by a moment of profound clarity.
Our Lord, Jesus was once this tiny. His little mouth would have pursed hoping to suckle just as this wee one was doing. He would have let out a hungry cry of discontent. As I left the hospital and returned to my vehicle, I couldn’t stop pondering that thought along with the reminder that there was no comfortable hospital room, but a stable – most likely a cave instead. The tears began to trickle again, for an entirely different reason altogether. Suddenly I was overwhelmed by the surprising absurdity of the whole idea of the Incarnation. I thought of that hours-old baby I had just held. This, THIS was the way that the God of all creation chose to reveal himself to the world – in human form. Yes, I know that this is not news. We all KNOW this. But the surprising absurdity of the incarnation became amazingly, well, incarnate to me as I held that baby tonight.
The Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of God, the Long-Expected One - no one would have expected such an inauspicious arrival. God promised that something new was about to be underway, but what a surprise it was when it began. And if the absurdity of Jesus’ birth is one incredible surprise, consider the reality that it is only the beginning of the surprises which God has in store for us through Jesus. Consider the surprising and unexpected people he chose to be his disciples. Fishermen? Tax collectors? Seriously? Consider the surprising twists that generally conclude his parables; the way he turns the questions of his challengers back on them with questions of his own. Even his closest companions and disciples found themselves surprised as Jesus ministry unfolded. It was never quite what they expected. From his ignoble birth to his ministry – just about everything about Jesus could probably be described as unconventional, particularly in light of who he was and who Israel expected the Messiah to be. And that final trip to Jerusalem – the predictions of his own death. The apparent end to the story one tragic Friday and then one last surprise on a Sunday morning when tragedy becomes good news. Jesus says to his followers “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom full of incredible surprises.
Looking for evidence of the kingdom and the presence of Jesus around us? Better expect to be surprised, because if God is at work, the unexpected and surprising are bound to be the norm.
Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Messiah, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God – a baby; an unconventional human full of surprises? Seriously? SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks be to God for failing to meet our expectations and miraculously surprising us with the kingdom.
Be surprised!
PK (+)
This evening I encountered one of the most amazing miracles of all creation. I held a newborn baby – less than two hours old - in my arms. That may not seem like such a big deal to many people, but to me it is incredible. I am a 54-year-old woman who has never been blessed with the experience of bringing a child into the world. I have held nieces and nephews, and the newborn infants of congregation members but never have I held a baby that newly born. As the family and I stood in the hospital room, tears of joy at the miracle that is life trickled down more than one set of cheeks; my own among them. I looked down at the wee little baby in my arms, the loving family gathered around in that comfortable albeit institutional – hospital room and was struck by a moment of profound clarity.
Our Lord, Jesus was once this tiny. His little mouth would have pursed hoping to suckle just as this wee one was doing. He would have let out a hungry cry of discontent. As I left the hospital and returned to my vehicle, I couldn’t stop pondering that thought along with the reminder that there was no comfortable hospital room, but a stable – most likely a cave instead. The tears began to trickle again, for an entirely different reason altogether. Suddenly I was overwhelmed by the surprising absurdity of the whole idea of the Incarnation. I thought of that hours-old baby I had just held. This, THIS was the way that the God of all creation chose to reveal himself to the world – in human form. Yes, I know that this is not news. We all KNOW this. But the surprising absurdity of the incarnation became amazingly, well, incarnate to me as I held that baby tonight.
The Messiah, the Anointed One, the Son of God, the Long-Expected One - no one would have expected such an inauspicious arrival. God promised that something new was about to be underway, but what a surprise it was when it began. And if the absurdity of Jesus’ birth is one incredible surprise, consider the reality that it is only the beginning of the surprises which God has in store for us through Jesus. Consider the surprising and unexpected people he chose to be his disciples. Fishermen? Tax collectors? Seriously? Consider the surprising twists that generally conclude his parables; the way he turns the questions of his challengers back on them with questions of his own. Even his closest companions and disciples found themselves surprised as Jesus ministry unfolded. It was never quite what they expected. From his ignoble birth to his ministry – just about everything about Jesus could probably be described as unconventional, particularly in light of who he was and who Israel expected the Messiah to be. And that final trip to Jerusalem – the predictions of his own death. The apparent end to the story one tragic Friday and then one last surprise on a Sunday morning when tragedy becomes good news. Jesus says to his followers “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The kingdom of heaven is a kingdom full of incredible surprises.
Looking for evidence of the kingdom and the presence of Jesus around us? Better expect to be surprised, because if God is at work, the unexpected and surprising are bound to be the norm.
Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Messiah, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God – a baby; an unconventional human full of surprises? Seriously? SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks be to God for failing to meet our expectations and miraculously surprising us with the kingdom.
Be surprised!
PK (+)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
NEVER FORGET: Thoughts on 9/11
September 11, 2011 - I turn 54 years old today. At this age, birthdays are pretty much a non-event. After all, I am just one day older than I was the day before. I have 'celebrated' in pretty typical fashion for me. Picked up around the house a little, did some laundry, talked to my family, and received well-wishes from so many people that I wonder how God could have blessed me with so many wonderful people as a part of my life.
For those in the U.S. reading this, it is not just another day. Ten years ago today in a startling attack, the effects of terrorism made themselves devastatingly felt on U.S. soil. (The first time since Pearl Harbor, Dec.7, 1941 when Americans were so vulnerable on their own soil.) Far too many lives were lost, and the climate of life in our country was dramatically changed. It is a tragedy that will leave its mark Americans and American society for decades to come. I have seen many television commercials and Facebook posts that say "Never forget." I doubt that any of us who watched with horror as the events of that day were broadcast over and over again across the media will ever truly forget the tragedy, as much as in many ways we may wish we could.
But there are other things that I hope that we NEVER FORGET. Other things that I believe, in fact, are more important to remember.
#1: I hope we NEVER FORGET 9/12/2001 and the days, weeks and months that followed when strangers became united in prayer and courage, standing and working side by side in the arduous labours of rescue, recovery, and healing. I hope we NEVER FORGET the miracles of survival, the miracles of unity, and the bonds of kinship that were forged from the fires and the wreckage of that day. It is in those stories, those moments, those miracles that our truest identity is formed and the promised hope of the future peeks through the smoke and ash to remind us that tragedy - even tragedy of such epic proportion as 9/11/2001 - will NEVER be the final history of our world.
#2: I hope that we NEVER FORGET that the final history of our world has been written already. It is written in the blood-soaked words of Jesus Christ as he gave up his Spirit on the cross. "It is finished." God's work of reconciling the world to himself was completed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I hope beyond all hope that we NEVER FORGET that we are moving toward and growing into that new reality every single day and every single time we shine a light of hope into another person's darkness, or forge bonds of unity and kinship built on care and compassion. It does not take a tragedy the proportion of 9/11 for those miracles to occur and shape our identities and our society's identity. I hope we NEVER FORGET that the cross of Christ and His resurrection DO make a difference - in the aftermath of 9/11 and in the every day trials, temptations, tragedies, and troubles that plague our human existence.
#3: I hope we NEVER FORGET that tragedies like this happen every day in places around the globe - Norway, London, Northern Ireland, the countries of the Middle East, South America, and Africa to name just a few. I hope that we NEVER FORGET that a tragedy like 9/11 which was a day of infamy in the United States is a just the normal way of life for far too many of our brothers and sisters around the world.
FINALLY: I hope we NEVER FORGET that the only way that #3 changes and we have a chance that something like 9/11 (or Dec 7, 1941 for that matter) does not become our every day reality is by making sure we NEVER FORGET the inside-out reality of #1 and #2.
Many have asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I haven't really been able to give a good answer. I need nothing and have more than I deserve. Today I finally realized what I want -
I want us to NEVER FORGET! NEVER FORGET the important things that the tragedy and rubble of 9/11/2001 can teach us if only we will open ourselves to the possibilities of new life in the Spirit.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be the source of our remembrance.
Peace -
PK (+)
For those in the U.S. reading this, it is not just another day. Ten years ago today in a startling attack, the effects of terrorism made themselves devastatingly felt on U.S. soil. (The first time since Pearl Harbor, Dec.7, 1941 when Americans were so vulnerable on their own soil.) Far too many lives were lost, and the climate of life in our country was dramatically changed. It is a tragedy that will leave its mark Americans and American society for decades to come. I have seen many television commercials and Facebook posts that say "Never forget." I doubt that any of us who watched with horror as the events of that day were broadcast over and over again across the media will ever truly forget the tragedy, as much as in many ways we may wish we could.
But there are other things that I hope that we NEVER FORGET. Other things that I believe, in fact, are more important to remember.
#1: I hope we NEVER FORGET 9/12/2001 and the days, weeks and months that followed when strangers became united in prayer and courage, standing and working side by side in the arduous labours of rescue, recovery, and healing. I hope we NEVER FORGET the miracles of survival, the miracles of unity, and the bonds of kinship that were forged from the fires and the wreckage of that day. It is in those stories, those moments, those miracles that our truest identity is formed and the promised hope of the future peeks through the smoke and ash to remind us that tragedy - even tragedy of such epic proportion as 9/11/2001 - will NEVER be the final history of our world.
#2: I hope that we NEVER FORGET that the final history of our world has been written already. It is written in the blood-soaked words of Jesus Christ as he gave up his Spirit on the cross. "It is finished." God's work of reconciling the world to himself was completed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I hope beyond all hope that we NEVER FORGET that we are moving toward and growing into that new reality every single day and every single time we shine a light of hope into another person's darkness, or forge bonds of unity and kinship built on care and compassion. It does not take a tragedy the proportion of 9/11 for those miracles to occur and shape our identities and our society's identity. I hope we NEVER FORGET that the cross of Christ and His resurrection DO make a difference - in the aftermath of 9/11 and in the every day trials, temptations, tragedies, and troubles that plague our human existence.
#3: I hope we NEVER FORGET that tragedies like this happen every day in places around the globe - Norway, London, Northern Ireland, the countries of the Middle East, South America, and Africa to name just a few. I hope that we NEVER FORGET that a tragedy like 9/11 which was a day of infamy in the United States is a just the normal way of life for far too many of our brothers and sisters around the world.
FINALLY: I hope we NEVER FORGET that the only way that #3 changes and we have a chance that something like 9/11 (or Dec 7, 1941 for that matter) does not become our every day reality is by making sure we NEVER FORGET the inside-out reality of #1 and #2.
Many have asked me what I wanted for my birthday and I haven't really been able to give a good answer. I need nothing and have more than I deserve. Today I finally realized what I want -
I want us to NEVER FORGET! NEVER FORGET the important things that the tragedy and rubble of 9/11/2001 can teach us if only we will open ourselves to the possibilities of new life in the Spirit.
May the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be the source of our remembrance.
Peace -
PK (+)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Grace: Abundant and Unchanging
There is a new ministry starting up in our congregation - a food pantry for folks in the school district. We live about 10 miles from a larger town that has a food pantry. It serves the entire county, but as always, there are those that fall through the cracks. So a group of folks in our congregation got together and are starting a food pantry, aptly named "Grace's Table." I say aptly because our congregation's name is Grace Lutheran.
As we were first getting started, plenty of people stepped up to offer advice and ideas. One piece of advice was offered repeatedly by almost everyone. "You will have to do something to make sure that you screen people so that they don't cheat the system or try to get food if they do not really need it. We can't have people abusing the system. WE have to make sure that the people coming to the pantry really deserve the food."
The organizers and I all agreed. No screening, no one turned away. That doesn't sit well some people. They are convinced that we (the congregation) will be taken advantage of. I have given some thought to that understanding of helping our neighbor. I keep coming back to that apt name - GRACE'S Table.
When I think of God's grace, I never think of it as being in short supply. Grace is the relationship that God enters into with us through the waters of baptism. The relationship is initiated by God because of Jesus' death and resurrection. Now we can abuse and take advantage of that relationship. We can ignore, reject, and take it for granted. We can repeatedly walk into the same pattern of sin over and over again and sometimes we will do it intentionally because we know we are forgiven. Martyr and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer refers to that as "cheap grace."
But from God's end of the relationship, the grace is always there waiting for our response. We may ignore the relationship and take advantage of the grace God extends to us, but God is a relentless God. God continues in the relationship. Nowhere in scripture do we hear that God sent his only Son into the world to save ONLY those who were not going to abuse the relationship of grace or try to cheat the system. Nowhere does scripture tell us that God offers the relationship of grace to ONLY the deserving. No God offers us the relationship of grace through Jesus to ALL, never takes it back, never suggests that we need to earn it or deserve it. In fact, St. Paul is very clear that it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us. In other words, God comes to us in grace when we are most undeserving, playing no favorites, keeping no score of the number of times we take advantage of the relationship or fall short on our end. God's grace is abundant and unchanging. The relationship is begun in Christ not because we deserve it, but exactly because we could never deserve it or earn it apart from Christ.
So I think that if God's grace keeps no count of sins, but instead is abundant and unchanging, based not on our deserving, but on God's mercy and love, then Grace's Table ought to operate under similar principles.
Will someone take advantage? Possibly. But I'll let them answer for that when their day to face God comes. In the meantime, the folks at Grace's Table know what it means to receive what we do not deserve with no fear of it ever being taken away no matter how many times we fall short. So they have chosen to to do the best they can to let Grace's Table mirror God's grace - abundantly giving without making judgments about who is deserving or not.
I think they just may be on to something here! Grace's Table: Food Pantry and More - a place where the hungry are fed; plain and simple.
It what ways does your life reflect the abundance of God's grace?
Come to the table of mercy ... Grace: abundant and unchanging
Blessings -
PK
As we were first getting started, plenty of people stepped up to offer advice and ideas. One piece of advice was offered repeatedly by almost everyone. "You will have to do something to make sure that you screen people so that they don't cheat the system or try to get food if they do not really need it. We can't have people abusing the system. WE have to make sure that the people coming to the pantry really deserve the food."
The organizers and I all agreed. No screening, no one turned away. That doesn't sit well some people. They are convinced that we (the congregation) will be taken advantage of. I have given some thought to that understanding of helping our neighbor. I keep coming back to that apt name - GRACE'S Table.
When I think of God's grace, I never think of it as being in short supply. Grace is the relationship that God enters into with us through the waters of baptism. The relationship is initiated by God because of Jesus' death and resurrection. Now we can abuse and take advantage of that relationship. We can ignore, reject, and take it for granted. We can repeatedly walk into the same pattern of sin over and over again and sometimes we will do it intentionally because we know we are forgiven. Martyr and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer refers to that as "cheap grace."
But from God's end of the relationship, the grace is always there waiting for our response. We may ignore the relationship and take advantage of the grace God extends to us, but God is a relentless God. God continues in the relationship. Nowhere in scripture do we hear that God sent his only Son into the world to save ONLY those who were not going to abuse the relationship of grace or try to cheat the system. Nowhere does scripture tell us that God offers the relationship of grace to ONLY the deserving. No God offers us the relationship of grace through Jesus to ALL, never takes it back, never suggests that we need to earn it or deserve it. In fact, St. Paul is very clear that it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us. In other words, God comes to us in grace when we are most undeserving, playing no favorites, keeping no score of the number of times we take advantage of the relationship or fall short on our end. God's grace is abundant and unchanging. The relationship is begun in Christ not because we deserve it, but exactly because we could never deserve it or earn it apart from Christ.
So I think that if God's grace keeps no count of sins, but instead is abundant and unchanging, based not on our deserving, but on God's mercy and love, then Grace's Table ought to operate under similar principles.
Will someone take advantage? Possibly. But I'll let them answer for that when their day to face God comes. In the meantime, the folks at Grace's Table know what it means to receive what we do not deserve with no fear of it ever being taken away no matter how many times we fall short. So they have chosen to to do the best they can to let Grace's Table mirror God's grace - abundantly giving without making judgments about who is deserving or not.
I think they just may be on to something here! Grace's Table: Food Pantry and More - a place where the hungry are fed; plain and simple.
It what ways does your life reflect the abundance of God's grace?
Come to the table of mercy ... Grace: abundant and unchanging
Blessings -
PK
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Soulful Slowdowns.
We sat in a circle in a small, sunny room at a nearby retreat center. Five of us whose lives had reached the point where we felt so in need of a respite that we actually payed $25 and scheduled a formal "Summer Sabbath Day." The facilitator was speaking briefly, reading from some article she had found in Christianity Today about a new 'sickness' that is infecting society. I admit that I felt frustrated - she was cutting into my sabbath time. I started to check out, but then I mentally chastised myself for being so impatient and began to listen better. That was when her words landed on me like a hammer.
"Do you find yourself speeding through the day; multi-tasking in order to get everything accomplished? When you attempt to schedule a meeting or event, do you look at your calendar and not know whether to laugh or cry? Do you experience sunset fatigue - the desire to do nothing but sit after the end of the day, energy depleted, compassion expended, ability to engage in meaningful relationships with your loved ones non-existent? Are you surrounded by clutter - your office, your, home, your mind? You probably have hurried sickness."
I would like to say that it is a bunch of b.s. that some psychologist or somebody made up, but she was describing my life. And I FELT sick - physically, spiritually, and emotionally. That was what had prompted me to pay $25 to come here this day when I really had no time to do so (or so I thought) to take a sabbath day. The looks on the faces and the gently nodding of the heads of those around me assured me that I was not alone.
The thing is, I think we were the lucking ones. We had the opportunity to get away for a day and breathe. And someone to affirm that we were doing a good thing by caring for ourselves. I think very few people get those luxuries.
But I do think that more people than I would have imagined suffer from hurry sickness and do not even realize it or imagine any alternative.
One of the most common symptoms of hurry sickness is clutter. Let me tell you, there is a LOT of clutter in our lives.
Our congregation had a rummage sale this past weekend, a fund-raising event for a food pantry we are getting started. I was amazed by the amount of stuff that filled our fellowship hall. I was even more amazed on Sunday morning when I walked into the fellowship hall before worship. The fellowship hall looked like we were getting ready to have a rummage sale, not having just finished one. "How," I thought to myself, "could we have sold enough stuff to raise over $600 and STILL have a fellowship hall full of stuff?" It took several women in the congregation and the better part of an afternoon to clear out the leftovers.
The 'after' version of that fellowship hall, has been nagging at me. All of that stuff that was cluttering up our fellowship hall, where did it come from? And if one family no longer needed it, but it didn't sell in the rummage sale, then was it really necessary in the first place? How much unnecessary clutter is there in all of our lives?
If clutter is one of the most common symptoms of hurry sickness, then one of the most deadly symptoms of hurry sickness is superficiality in relationships. Too busy, too tired to engage in meaningful relationships - especially with the ones who love us and need us the most, and whom we most need we can actually lose our capacity for love - the deep connectedness that is rooted in God's love for us.
As I reflect on my own life and listen to the tales of the lives of those around me, I know this to be so. I hear of families who are continually on the move split in three directions, flipping a coin to see which parent takes which child where. Shared meals are almost non-existent.
I am not sure what we are doing to ourselves or why, but I left the retreat center that day convinced of two things.
1) I need to slow down - every day.
2) I need to nurture relationships with those I love. It takes time - and I need to MAKE time to make it happen.
2) I need a sabbath day - a day set apart to nurture my relationship with God, because if I do not do this, then the first two are utterly impossible.
Because I believe that hurry sickness is neither a cultural phenomena nor a bunch of psychological hooha. It is a significant spiritual sickness. It is all things in life conspiring to separate us from God and love. Some would call it the devil. Whatever you want to call it, there are forces at work in this world keeping us from focusing on the most important and essential things - a relationship with God and relationships with others that grow out the first. Without those two things, life isn't really living at all.
There is only one cure for hurry sickness - SLOW DOWN. It can be difficult. It can be emotionally painful and we tend not to do well with that. But in the end - it is soul-restoring and life-giving. That is something we could all use.
"Be still and know that I am God." says Psalm 46. Jesus says, "I came that they might have life and have it abundantly." The two are not disconnected, my friends. One tends to lead to the other.
Try a soulful slowdown. Experience the healing that happens.
I am trying to schedule a sabbath day at the retreat center once a month as a result of my revelation. It won't cure everything, but it is a start. And we have to start somewhere.
Where and when will your soulful slowdown begin?
Peace -
PK (+)
"Do you find yourself speeding through the day; multi-tasking in order to get everything accomplished? When you attempt to schedule a meeting or event, do you look at your calendar and not know whether to laugh or cry? Do you experience sunset fatigue - the desire to do nothing but sit after the end of the day, energy depleted, compassion expended, ability to engage in meaningful relationships with your loved ones non-existent? Are you surrounded by clutter - your office, your, home, your mind? You probably have hurried sickness."
I would like to say that it is a bunch of b.s. that some psychologist or somebody made up, but she was describing my life. And I FELT sick - physically, spiritually, and emotionally. That was what had prompted me to pay $25 to come here this day when I really had no time to do so (or so I thought) to take a sabbath day. The looks on the faces and the gently nodding of the heads of those around me assured me that I was not alone.
The thing is, I think we were the lucking ones. We had the opportunity to get away for a day and breathe. And someone to affirm that we were doing a good thing by caring for ourselves. I think very few people get those luxuries.
But I do think that more people than I would have imagined suffer from hurry sickness and do not even realize it or imagine any alternative.
One of the most common symptoms of hurry sickness is clutter. Let me tell you, there is a LOT of clutter in our lives.
Our congregation had a rummage sale this past weekend, a fund-raising event for a food pantry we are getting started. I was amazed by the amount of stuff that filled our fellowship hall. I was even more amazed on Sunday morning when I walked into the fellowship hall before worship. The fellowship hall looked like we were getting ready to have a rummage sale, not having just finished one. "How," I thought to myself, "could we have sold enough stuff to raise over $600 and STILL have a fellowship hall full of stuff?" It took several women in the congregation and the better part of an afternoon to clear out the leftovers.
The 'after' version of that fellowship hall, has been nagging at me. All of that stuff that was cluttering up our fellowship hall, where did it come from? And if one family no longer needed it, but it didn't sell in the rummage sale, then was it really necessary in the first place? How much unnecessary clutter is there in all of our lives?
If clutter is one of the most common symptoms of hurry sickness, then one of the most deadly symptoms of hurry sickness is superficiality in relationships. Too busy, too tired to engage in meaningful relationships - especially with the ones who love us and need us the most, and whom we most need we can actually lose our capacity for love - the deep connectedness that is rooted in God's love for us.
As I reflect on my own life and listen to the tales of the lives of those around me, I know this to be so. I hear of families who are continually on the move split in three directions, flipping a coin to see which parent takes which child where. Shared meals are almost non-existent.
I am not sure what we are doing to ourselves or why, but I left the retreat center that day convinced of two things.
1) I need to slow down - every day.
2) I need to nurture relationships with those I love. It takes time - and I need to MAKE time to make it happen.
2) I need a sabbath day - a day set apart to nurture my relationship with God, because if I do not do this, then the first two are utterly impossible.
Because I believe that hurry sickness is neither a cultural phenomena nor a bunch of psychological hooha. It is a significant spiritual sickness. It is all things in life conspiring to separate us from God and love. Some would call it the devil. Whatever you want to call it, there are forces at work in this world keeping us from focusing on the most important and essential things - a relationship with God and relationships with others that grow out the first. Without those two things, life isn't really living at all.
There is only one cure for hurry sickness - SLOW DOWN. It can be difficult. It can be emotionally painful and we tend not to do well with that. But in the end - it is soul-restoring and life-giving. That is something we could all use.
"Be still and know that I am God." says Psalm 46. Jesus says, "I came that they might have life and have it abundantly." The two are not disconnected, my friends. One tends to lead to the other.
Try a soulful slowdown. Experience the healing that happens.
I am trying to schedule a sabbath day at the retreat center once a month as a result of my revelation. It won't cure everything, but it is a start. And we have to start somewhere.
Where and when will your soulful slowdown begin?
Peace -
PK (+)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
B-I-B-L-E
As a pastor, I get more than my share of inspirational or humorous 'religious' e-mails forwarded to me. Most of them I appreciate. A little extra inspiration or levity is often a welcome addition to my day. There is one e-mail that I get quite regularly. It is the one where a little boy tells his father that he knows what B-I-B-L-E stands for: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
I have to apologize right now to everyone who has sent me that e-mail, because I do not intend to offend you and I DO appreciate the fact that you think of me and send the e-mail. But I also have to admit that I find that one more annoying than I do cute.
You see, that just isn't the way that I see the Bible. The Bible is not a "how-to" manual for humans. It is a collection of stories about God and God's relationship with us. When taken together, the collection culminates in THE great story of God - the God who is faithful to us, has mercy on us, has compassion for us, and loves us enough to become one of us. Having become one of us, God becomes one with us and shares our life. What I find so amazing is that by dying and rising from the dead, Jesus alters our human reality. Through Jesus, God set in motion the restoration of the nation of Israel and the redemption of the entire creation. Now THAT is one heck of a story. In fact, there is no other story like it. It is a life-giving and life-transforming story.
Sometimes I simply read the Bible; sometimes I study it. Other times I read it in a way that can only be described as completely devouring the words I am reading. It is then that I am absolutely enraptured by this amazing God and the stories of faithfulness, steadfastness, mercy, grace, and love that I encounter in their midst.
When I read the Bible, what I encounter is the life-giving story of a loving God. What I discover are not so much instructions and as ways in which my life-story, with all of it's sub-stories, intersects with that live-giving God's story. My life is transformed in the process, not because of any basic instructions which I am following, but because it is opened up to being a part of God's story. And God's story is all about giving and transforming lives.
May you be transformed -
PK(+)
I have to apologize right now to everyone who has sent me that e-mail, because I do not intend to offend you and I DO appreciate the fact that you think of me and send the e-mail. But I also have to admit that I find that one more annoying than I do cute.
You see, that just isn't the way that I see the Bible. The Bible is not a "how-to" manual for humans. It is a collection of stories about God and God's relationship with us. When taken together, the collection culminates in THE great story of God - the God who is faithful to us, has mercy on us, has compassion for us, and loves us enough to become one of us. Having become one of us, God becomes one with us and shares our life. What I find so amazing is that by dying and rising from the dead, Jesus alters our human reality. Through Jesus, God set in motion the restoration of the nation of Israel and the redemption of the entire creation. Now THAT is one heck of a story. In fact, there is no other story like it. It is a life-giving and life-transforming story.
Sometimes I simply read the Bible; sometimes I study it. Other times I read it in a way that can only be described as completely devouring the words I am reading. It is then that I am absolutely enraptured by this amazing God and the stories of faithfulness, steadfastness, mercy, grace, and love that I encounter in their midst.
When I read the Bible, what I encounter is the life-giving story of a loving God. What I discover are not so much instructions and as ways in which my life-story, with all of it's sub-stories, intersects with that live-giving God's story. My life is transformed in the process, not because of any basic instructions which I am following, but because it is opened up to being a part of God's story. And God's story is all about giving and transforming lives.
May you be transformed -
PK(+)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Blood Brothers
Memorial Day is celebrated in the United States on the last Monday of May. It is a day when the country honors those who gave their lives in military service to the country. It began in the aftermath of the bloody U.S. Civil War and has continued since. Sadly, each year brings more lives lost.
It is not uncommon to see business and homes routinely flying the American flag outside their premises. The trend picks up considerably as Memorial Day weekend approaches. An American flag flying from the flag pole of the home next to the church where I serve is common. However, as Memorial Day weekend was drawing near, I was met by a very uncommon sight. Flapping from the flag pole next door, hanging alongside the U.S. flag, just as proudly as could be was the flag from Germany. Now THAT was a curiosity at best.
When I asked our neighbors about the significance of flying the flag from Germany, they shared with me the final chapter in what was already a remarkable story of hope and healing.
Several months previously their son, a young man in his 20's, had a recurrance of lymphoma. Our congregation and community had grieved with them and prayed for them. Many words of update and encouragement were shared across the church parking lot between them and me as I came and went each day. It was a typical roller-coaster of hope and disappointment, promise and fear, as treatments were attempted without favorable results. At long last, there was no alternative but to attempt a bone marrow transplant. Finding a donor proved to be exceedingly difficult. At long last, a donor was found. The transplant was successful and eventually, their son was able to come home.
The culmination of the story was told under the sound of the two flags whipping in the breeze on a sunny May day. What I had not realized was how exceedingly miraculous finding a donor had truly been. It seems that of all registered donors world-wide there were only two that had a close enough match to even attempt a transplant. The most likely candidate was a 20-something young man from Germany. He had registered some time before when a co-worker needed a transplant, but was not a match. Still, his profile was on file with a global donor registry concern and years later, some stranger whom he had never met, a continent away, would end up needing some of his bone marrow for a transplant.
That weekend, Memorial Day weekend, donor and recipient would meet. They would celebrate, spend time getting to know one another, and from a little bit of shared DNA a friendship that will span an ocean and connect two continents would take root and blossom. I have no doubt it will be a friendship that will last a lifetime. How could it not?
I was blessed to be invited to the picnic to celebrate the meeting and meet the donor. As I stood there and watched the two young men, the joy and laughter of all those gathered, and two flags flapping in the breeze, I could only shake my head and smile at the irony of it. On a day when we were honoring our war dead, we were also gathered to celebrate life. Two young men, strangers with nothing in common, share LIFE. They are blood brothers in the most miraculous sense of the word. Nationality, politcal ideologies, liberal-conservative - all of the labels that we can concoct to put barriers between humans fall away in the face of the connecting of these two young men.
I think that is just a little slice of what God is up to in the world. Teaching us humans to understand that what we have in common is so much richer and more deeply life-giving than any differences we may experience or create.
I am deeply grateful for the reminder that day. Here's to Memorial Day - and blood brothers, and life.
May the Spirit keep us grounded and connected in the one thing we all have in common - God's breath of life!
PK (+)
It is not uncommon to see business and homes routinely flying the American flag outside their premises. The trend picks up considerably as Memorial Day weekend approaches. An American flag flying from the flag pole of the home next to the church where I serve is common. However, as Memorial Day weekend was drawing near, I was met by a very uncommon sight. Flapping from the flag pole next door, hanging alongside the U.S. flag, just as proudly as could be was the flag from Germany. Now THAT was a curiosity at best.
When I asked our neighbors about the significance of flying the flag from Germany, they shared with me the final chapter in what was already a remarkable story of hope and healing.
Several months previously their son, a young man in his 20's, had a recurrance of lymphoma. Our congregation and community had grieved with them and prayed for them. Many words of update and encouragement were shared across the church parking lot between them and me as I came and went each day. It was a typical roller-coaster of hope and disappointment, promise and fear, as treatments were attempted without favorable results. At long last, there was no alternative but to attempt a bone marrow transplant. Finding a donor proved to be exceedingly difficult. At long last, a donor was found. The transplant was successful and eventually, their son was able to come home.
The culmination of the story was told under the sound of the two flags whipping in the breeze on a sunny May day. What I had not realized was how exceedingly miraculous finding a donor had truly been. It seems that of all registered donors world-wide there were only two that had a close enough match to even attempt a transplant. The most likely candidate was a 20-something young man from Germany. He had registered some time before when a co-worker needed a transplant, but was not a match. Still, his profile was on file with a global donor registry concern and years later, some stranger whom he had never met, a continent away, would end up needing some of his bone marrow for a transplant.
That weekend, Memorial Day weekend, donor and recipient would meet. They would celebrate, spend time getting to know one another, and from a little bit of shared DNA a friendship that will span an ocean and connect two continents would take root and blossom. I have no doubt it will be a friendship that will last a lifetime. How could it not?
I was blessed to be invited to the picnic to celebrate the meeting and meet the donor. As I stood there and watched the two young men, the joy and laughter of all those gathered, and two flags flapping in the breeze, I could only shake my head and smile at the irony of it. On a day when we were honoring our war dead, we were also gathered to celebrate life. Two young men, strangers with nothing in common, share LIFE. They are blood brothers in the most miraculous sense of the word. Nationality, politcal ideologies, liberal-conservative - all of the labels that we can concoct to put barriers between humans fall away in the face of the connecting of these two young men.
I think that is just a little slice of what God is up to in the world. Teaching us humans to understand that what we have in common is so much richer and more deeply life-giving than any differences we may experience or create.
I am deeply grateful for the reminder that day. Here's to Memorial Day - and blood brothers, and life.
May the Spirit keep us grounded and connected in the one thing we all have in common - God's breath of life!
PK (+)
Friday, July 1, 2011
Raspberries and Reconciliation
Five years ago yesterday I was ordained as a pastor. Shortly thereafter, I began my first (and so far ONLY) call in a congregation. In all honesty, the congregation had a reputation as being decidedly hard on clergy. Because I was an older, second-career pastor and hopefully a little bit seasoned, there were people that felt I was a good candidate for this call. I am now convinced that the Spirit was well and truly at work in the process, although I would not always have said so.
At any rate, it was a recipe custom created for tapping into my near-pathological drive for perfection and resistance to failure. I made my share of first-call pastor mistakes. (For the record, age and 'real-world' experience do not immunize one against those.) Combine first-call pastor enthusiasm with a tenacious Celtic spirit and add in a little over-zealous drive to do well and well - yeah, it wasn't always pretty. The landscape of a challenging congregation in a small community is littered with landmines and I found just about all of them. I am lucky to still have limbs.
Early on in my journey with the congregation, a number of people took issue with my style of leadership and my gender. Many ended up finding other communities in which to worship. One person, in particular had a very difficult time with those qualities. Over time, things became untenable for that person and in the midst of misunderstandings, miscommunication, and mishap they left the congregation. We both contributed our share of fuel to the fire that had apparently burned bridges. I tried to leave the door to conversation open, but eventually, I went on about congregational life having adopted a bit of an out-of-sight-out-of mind attitude. I held no grudge, but also made no further effort to reconcile.
Imagine my surprise to call home from a meeting and hear from my husband that this person had dropped by the house on a summer evening bearing a half gallon of ice cream and an equal quantity of freshly-picked red raspberries. A peace offering, they said. The news brought tears to my eyes.
Later, when I called to say "thank you" we both apologized and asked forgiveness for the things we had done and said that wounded. Will we be close? Probably not. But because we were able to ask for, give, and receive forgiveness we are reconciled to one another. Make no mistake about it - this was not an achievement of human might and power. It was an offering of humility and vulnerability made possible in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. I am decidedly grateful that one of us was able to be the initial instrument of the reconciling work of the Holy Spirit. That made it possible for both of us to experience the Spirit's reconciling work.
For those of you who wonder if or where God is at work in the world - it is through moments like this. We have been reconciled to God through and in Jesus Christ. That reconciling love flows like a waterfall into our lives and through them to others. We can experience reconciliation with God in the sacraments of the church - baptism, the Lord's Supper. But it needs to spill over into the daily fabric of our lives. And in my book - for this week, at least - nothing spells reconciliation like a little ice cream and raspberries on a summer evening.
Raspberries - an unofficial fruit of the Spirit.
Having been reconciled, may we bear fruit and be reconciling in the world.
Peace -
PK (+)
At any rate, it was a recipe custom created for tapping into my near-pathological drive for perfection and resistance to failure. I made my share of first-call pastor mistakes. (For the record, age and 'real-world' experience do not immunize one against those.) Combine first-call pastor enthusiasm with a tenacious Celtic spirit and add in a little over-zealous drive to do well and well - yeah, it wasn't always pretty. The landscape of a challenging congregation in a small community is littered with landmines and I found just about all of them. I am lucky to still have limbs.
Early on in my journey with the congregation, a number of people took issue with my style of leadership and my gender. Many ended up finding other communities in which to worship. One person, in particular had a very difficult time with those qualities. Over time, things became untenable for that person and in the midst of misunderstandings, miscommunication, and mishap they left the congregation. We both contributed our share of fuel to the fire that had apparently burned bridges. I tried to leave the door to conversation open, but eventually, I went on about congregational life having adopted a bit of an out-of-sight-out-of mind attitude. I held no grudge, but also made no further effort to reconcile.
Imagine my surprise to call home from a meeting and hear from my husband that this person had dropped by the house on a summer evening bearing a half gallon of ice cream and an equal quantity of freshly-picked red raspberries. A peace offering, they said. The news brought tears to my eyes.
Later, when I called to say "thank you" we both apologized and asked forgiveness for the things we had done and said that wounded. Will we be close? Probably not. But because we were able to ask for, give, and receive forgiveness we are reconciled to one another. Make no mistake about it - this was not an achievement of human might and power. It was an offering of humility and vulnerability made possible in Christ and through the Holy Spirit. I am decidedly grateful that one of us was able to be the initial instrument of the reconciling work of the Holy Spirit. That made it possible for both of us to experience the Spirit's reconciling work.
For those of you who wonder if or where God is at work in the world - it is through moments like this. We have been reconciled to God through and in Jesus Christ. That reconciling love flows like a waterfall into our lives and through them to others. We can experience reconciliation with God in the sacraments of the church - baptism, the Lord's Supper. But it needs to spill over into the daily fabric of our lives. And in my book - for this week, at least - nothing spells reconciliation like a little ice cream and raspberries on a summer evening.
Raspberries - an unofficial fruit of the Spirit.
Having been reconciled, may we bear fruit and be reconciling in the world.
Peace -
PK (+)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Hello? Is that you, God?
... lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. 3 Always keep yourselves united in the Holy Spirit, and bind yourselves together with peace. (Eph 4:1b-3 NLT)
I have been spending a fair amount of time lately reflecting on the concept of call. When each of us is baptized, we are called to new life; a life lived in the Spirit and conformed to Christ. What we do with our lives is all part and parcel of our baptismal calling. It will play out differently for each of us. Many of us think that God's calling in our lives involves something out of the ordinary, or perhaps even a calling to a religious vocation - after all, pastors talk about being 'called' to the ministry.
In truth, God's call to us comes in so many more simple and common ways. The other day my spiritual director was telling me about her nephew. He made the observation that so many of his co-workers couldn't wait to get away from their families and it puzzled him. In contrast, he noted that he couldn't wait to get home to his family at the end of the day and even though he was tired, his greatest delights were the times he was able to spend with his three children. He concluded - "I think I am called to be a father." I suspect that he was quite correct about that - and so did his aunt, the nun.
That is the way our calls from God are. Calls to be in relationship with others in ways that reflect and express our Creator's own love. Relationships of intimacy and self-giving love that are played out of the fields of every day life. Reading a bedtime story to our children. Taking extra time with a student in our classroom. Visiting our friends or neighbors who are hospitalized or homebound. Each of these small acts of human kindness are love in action and they are responses to God's baptismal calls in our lives.
In that same conversation with my spiritual director we discussed my own discernment about my calling - as a pastor, yes, but also as a child of God first and foremost. I was struck by her challenge to me. "Open yourself up to what God is calling you to do each day and each moment," she said. "In reality the moment is all we have in which to live." I have been sitting with that notion for a few days now. I am finding a newly discovered sense of delight and purpose in discerning every moment what God is calling me to do. What I know is that is really not as tough as it may sound. God's call is always first and foremost to love. So any time an opportunity to act in love toward others presents itself in the common, ordinary fabric and moments of my life, I know that the Spirit is calling me.
The least, the last, the lost, the lonely, and the ones we called loved ones - we have only to look into their eyes and see Christ. In every moment, every decision, and every choice that comprises the fabric of our days we can listen for God's call. Discernment about the little things is relatively uncomplicated. When the opportunity is clearly an opportunity to love and/or serve others then ... Hello ... God is calling.
Make you discover the delight in the call of the moment.
PK (+)
I have been spending a fair amount of time lately reflecting on the concept of call. When each of us is baptized, we are called to new life; a life lived in the Spirit and conformed to Christ. What we do with our lives is all part and parcel of our baptismal calling. It will play out differently for each of us. Many of us think that God's calling in our lives involves something out of the ordinary, or perhaps even a calling to a religious vocation - after all, pastors talk about being 'called' to the ministry.
In truth, God's call to us comes in so many more simple and common ways. The other day my spiritual director was telling me about her nephew. He made the observation that so many of his co-workers couldn't wait to get away from their families and it puzzled him. In contrast, he noted that he couldn't wait to get home to his family at the end of the day and even though he was tired, his greatest delights were the times he was able to spend with his three children. He concluded - "I think I am called to be a father." I suspect that he was quite correct about that - and so did his aunt, the nun.
That is the way our calls from God are. Calls to be in relationship with others in ways that reflect and express our Creator's own love. Relationships of intimacy and self-giving love that are played out of the fields of every day life. Reading a bedtime story to our children. Taking extra time with a student in our classroom. Visiting our friends or neighbors who are hospitalized or homebound. Each of these small acts of human kindness are love in action and they are responses to God's baptismal calls in our lives.
In that same conversation with my spiritual director we discussed my own discernment about my calling - as a pastor, yes, but also as a child of God first and foremost. I was struck by her challenge to me. "Open yourself up to what God is calling you to do each day and each moment," she said. "In reality the moment is all we have in which to live." I have been sitting with that notion for a few days now. I am finding a newly discovered sense of delight and purpose in discerning every moment what God is calling me to do. What I know is that is really not as tough as it may sound. God's call is always first and foremost to love. So any time an opportunity to act in love toward others presents itself in the common, ordinary fabric and moments of my life, I know that the Spirit is calling me.
The least, the last, the lost, the lonely, and the ones we called loved ones - we have only to look into their eyes and see Christ. In every moment, every decision, and every choice that comprises the fabric of our days we can listen for God's call. Discernment about the little things is relatively uncomplicated. When the opportunity is clearly an opportunity to love and/or serve others then ... Hello ... God is calling.
Make you discover the delight in the call of the moment.
PK (+)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Glad and Generous Hearts
Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and should give generously to those in need, always being ready to share with others whatever God has given them. (1Timothy 6:18)
Recently I have had regular occasions to consider what it means to be generous. I have noticed an interesting phenomenon. Often it seems as though those who have the least are actually the most ready to share with those in need. It is an easy explanation to say that it is because they know what it is like to do without, and I agree that is the case. But there is something unique about this characteristic of generosity that makes me smile and assures me the the Spirit is well at work in the world.
Anyone can give to those in need. Wealthy individuals like Bill Gates and Sam Walton can and do make large donations to a variety of worthy charitable causes. Most people I know couldn't approach that level of financial giving. In fact, I suspect that all of the people I know combined cannot make that large of a monetary donation. So I am very grateful for exceedingly wealthy people who support charities and worthy causes. Our society is greatly enriched through their charitable giving.
But I am awed and amazed by a different kind of giving. There is a woman in our congregation about whom I often say she never met an opportunity for helping those in need that she didn't like. She gives of her time and her abilities and her finances with such a sense of joy that it is infectious. And she is not alone. I never cease to be awed and inspired by the people in the congregation who have just enough to get by, and who will express their utter delight at finding sales at the stores so that they can pick up extras for the community food pantry, pregnancy center, you name it. While many of us are looking at clearance and "buy-one-get-one-free" sales as an opportunity to stock our pantries for the ever-nebulous "just in case", they see them as an opportunity to buy more to give away. That is what I call GENEROSITY.
It is also a work of the Holy Spirit. Generosity is not a matter of how much is given, but rather of the readiness to share what one has and the joy with which one does so. That kind of readiness and joy are matters of the heart and soul. They flow out of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit to be conformed to Christ. They are a sharing of love and faith and hope - love for others, faith in God's provision, and hope in the promise of a community that cares for one another in all circumstances and from all circumstances.
Our society needs wealthy donors who can support the arts, build museums, hospital wings, college campus buildings. But I'll take a community full of generous folks who take delight in getting an extra box of cereal for free so that they have some to share ANY DAY. Generosity is infectious and a generous community of common, everyday people can transform lives and the world. That is when we get a glimpse of the reign of God happening right here and now. That - as surely as a faith community gathered around the communion table in worship - is a foretaste of the feast to come.
When have you experience generosity lately? Did you notice the delight?
May you have glad and generous hearts.
PK (+)
p.s. - If you find a "buy-one-get-one-free" sale, may you shop till you drop and then drop your savings into the lives of those in need. The delight will amaze you and just may infect others.
Recently I have had regular occasions to consider what it means to be generous. I have noticed an interesting phenomenon. Often it seems as though those who have the least are actually the most ready to share with those in need. It is an easy explanation to say that it is because they know what it is like to do without, and I agree that is the case. But there is something unique about this characteristic of generosity that makes me smile and assures me the the Spirit is well at work in the world.
Anyone can give to those in need. Wealthy individuals like Bill Gates and Sam Walton can and do make large donations to a variety of worthy charitable causes. Most people I know couldn't approach that level of financial giving. In fact, I suspect that all of the people I know combined cannot make that large of a monetary donation. So I am very grateful for exceedingly wealthy people who support charities and worthy causes. Our society is greatly enriched through their charitable giving.
But I am awed and amazed by a different kind of giving. There is a woman in our congregation about whom I often say she never met an opportunity for helping those in need that she didn't like. She gives of her time and her abilities and her finances with such a sense of joy that it is infectious. And she is not alone. I never cease to be awed and inspired by the people in the congregation who have just enough to get by, and who will express their utter delight at finding sales at the stores so that they can pick up extras for the community food pantry, pregnancy center, you name it. While many of us are looking at clearance and "buy-one-get-one-free" sales as an opportunity to stock our pantries for the ever-nebulous "just in case", they see them as an opportunity to buy more to give away. That is what I call GENEROSITY.
It is also a work of the Holy Spirit. Generosity is not a matter of how much is given, but rather of the readiness to share what one has and the joy with which one does so. That kind of readiness and joy are matters of the heart and soul. They flow out of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit to be conformed to Christ. They are a sharing of love and faith and hope - love for others, faith in God's provision, and hope in the promise of a community that cares for one another in all circumstances and from all circumstances.
Our society needs wealthy donors who can support the arts, build museums, hospital wings, college campus buildings. But I'll take a community full of generous folks who take delight in getting an extra box of cereal for free so that they have some to share ANY DAY. Generosity is infectious and a generous community of common, everyday people can transform lives and the world. That is when we get a glimpse of the reign of God happening right here and now. That - as surely as a faith community gathered around the communion table in worship - is a foretaste of the feast to come.
When have you experience generosity lately? Did you notice the delight?
May you have glad and generous hearts.
PK (+)
p.s. - If you find a "buy-one-get-one-free" sale, may you shop till you drop and then drop your savings into the lives of those in need. The delight will amaze you and just may infect others.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
HEADING for the SURFACE
I cannot believe that it has been six weeks since I have made a blog post. I am even more surprised that there have actually been folks reading it in the last 6 weeks in spite of no new posts. I was prepared to check to see if anyone had been viewing, delete it, and start over. Instead, I find myself with the challenge of returning to the surface - getting my head above water.
I won't bore anyone with the reasons or details, but life took a subtle but challenging turn of events a couple of months ago - just before Easter, and I found myself completely overwhelmed in almost every aspect of my life. I ended up drained and drowning - physically, emotionally and spiritually.
I won't bore anyone with the reasons or details, but life took a subtle but challenging turn of events a couple of months ago - just before Easter, and I found myself completely overwhelmed in almost every aspect of my life. I ended up drained and drowning - physically, emotionally and spiritually.
"Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord." (Psalm 130:1)
I am not a scuba diver and I have never played one on TV or anywhere else. In fact, I am actually a little afraid of the water, and thus am not even a very good swimmer. However, I have learned from some friends who are that when you are diving in the depths and it is time to return to the surface, it is critical to take your time and pause periodically or decompression sickness - the bends - can be a real hazard. Re-surfacing too quickly can be deadly.
I think that is true of our spiritual lives as well. Admittedly, it was a rough couple of months. But the worst of the craziness was wrapped up and done with by mid-May. I was ready to get back at it full-force. In fact, I kept trying to get back at it full-force only to find myself repeatedly slowed down. Some days I felt like a student driver with an instructor in the passenger seat who was perpetually applying the brakes. What I have come to see with 20-20 hindsight that I was riding with God in the driver's seat and God was setting a pace that allowed me to come out of the depths and re-engage in way that kept me spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy.
I will admit that the slow re-entry is not always easy for me. It isn't for many people. Plus, we are not very patient with God's kairos time. Our society has taught us that such things are unproductive and inefficient. I suspect that the truth is we just are not all that comfortable dwelling with pain - especially emotional or spiritual pain. We can, and often will, brag about our capacity to withstand extreme levels of physical pain. Emotional and spiritual pain we seem to want to avoid, deny, or 'get over' just as quickly as possible.
Yet I will admit that in the dark, dreary, and exhausted moments when I just knew I should be back going full-tilt at 150%, I discovered a quiet peace and strength. While I was trying to rush head-long back into the hectic life that had run me right to the deepest depths, the Spirit was busy drawing me into an embrace of love and mercy and grace. While I was thinking of everything that I could or should be DOING, the Spirit was inviting me to repeated and extended times of just BEING. I discovered that I was adrift in a sea of love.
I have long appreciated the verse from Psalm 46 "Be still and know that I am God." I am not sure that I have ever truly experienced it as fully as I have in the past 6-8 weeks. What I have learned is that sometimes experiencing the awe, wonder, and life-giving presence of the Spirit happens more fully in the ascent from the depths that it does from the peaks of glorious mountaintop experiences. I suppose that should not be surprising when I consider that the very image of God's love for God's world is an instrument of Roman torture and an empty grave.
I am finding delight in my days and even in my depths - as odd and perverse as that sounds. My head and torso are above water now, but my feet are still trying to find purchase. I am okay with that. I'll still call out of the depths to God. But while God is pacing my ascent, I'll just keep kicking. I may never learn to scuba dive or even swim any better. But floating in the sea of the Spirit is a pretty darned amazing place to be.
Be at peace wherever you are. And if you find yourself in the depths and calling out to God, ascend as slowly as God allows you. You may just discover that you are not drowning at all, but drifting in a sea of love.
Shalom -
PK (+)
Friday, April 29, 2011
TALES FROM THE TRENCHES: 10 DAYS
Ten days: in the middle of them - Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday, and 5 funerals (including one for a close family member). So much good news to share, so many beautiful God moments upon which to reflect.
As soon as I catch my breath, (Sunday and one more funeral to go) I will share some pilgrim moments with you all.
Until then - bloom and blossom. Christ is RISEN. He is risen, INDEED!
PK (+)
As soon as I catch my breath, (Sunday and one more funeral to go) I will share some pilgrim moments with you all.
Until then - bloom and blossom. Christ is RISEN. He is risen, INDEED!
PK (+)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
TALES FROM THE TRENCHES: Out of the Mouths of Babes ...
One of the true joys for me in ministry is interacting with the young children in our congregation. Perhaps it is because I am just a child at heart myself and have never quite grown up, but I seem to be a real big hit with the 3-5 year olds. We have several children in that age range and when they are in worship, I never know what to expect. It keeps me flexible and usually fills me with delight.
When one young lady accompanies her parents forward to receive communion, she generally has to tell me something about her attire, expecting the appropriate expression of admiration from me. She is also insistent that she gets to dip her hand in the baptismal font in remembrance of her baptism. She has been giving me 'blessings' for over a year now and recently has begun granting the same privilege to her younger brother.
I have a couple of toddlers who aren't happy (or quiet) unless they can explore the front of the nave and chancel. I have learned that the best thing to do is invite them to take my hand and stand with me while I say prayers, creed, or whatever. It helps parents relax, the kids' have their curiosity satisfied, and who knows. maybe someone will grow up feeling at home leading worship and consider a call to ministry.
However, I am learning something very important from my young congregants; something more than just to be flexible. In spite of occasional appearances to the contrary,they LISTEN during worship. And they do not miss a trick. One Sunday in a sermon I was referring to our human tendency to be a little obstinate and sinful and I referred to us humans as "knuckleheads." From the rear of the nave comes a small voice loudly and very clearly - "Knuckleheads? She said knuckleheads!" No one in the congregation has forgotten that day, nor are they ever going to let me forget it.
This morning however I heard two really great ones. According to his mother, one of my young guys was with his family at a funeral visitation recently. When his mom went to leave him in the toy room and join the family in the viewing room, he was fine with her leaving. Then he said, "Hey, Mom! If God comes down come and get me." No one is quite sure where that came from, but he is obviously getting something out of church. He's expecting God to come down and, by golly, he wants to be ready!
The other one is classic and may change the way I lead worship. I remember the old days when we used to begin the proper preface with the words, "It is indeed mete, right, and salutary ..." I imagine that these days very few people other than church leaders know what mete and salutary even mean. Now in recent years, the language has been changed. It is more accessible and understandable. We begin, "It is indeed right, our duty and our joy ..." Indeed, much more understandable. Why even a 4 year old can understand it. I know this because after worship his grandmother informed me that he was definitely paying attention. He heard those words, nudged grandma and joyfully proclaimed, "Hey Grandma, Pastor Katie did her duty." Yeah ... I don't think that was exactly what the liturgists had in mind. But it is good to know that my young friend thinks that I am ... hmmm... regular! I honestly may have to go back to the "mete, right, and salutary" because I am not sure I can say it the other way with a straight face ever again.!!!
Yeah - be careful what you say in worship, or anywhere else for that matter, because those kids do not miss a thing.
Jesus said to let the little children come, and so I will ... that, too, is a duty and a joy!
Blessings -
PK (+)
When one young lady accompanies her parents forward to receive communion, she generally has to tell me something about her attire, expecting the appropriate expression of admiration from me. She is also insistent that she gets to dip her hand in the baptismal font in remembrance of her baptism. She has been giving me 'blessings' for over a year now and recently has begun granting the same privilege to her younger brother.
I have a couple of toddlers who aren't happy (or quiet) unless they can explore the front of the nave and chancel. I have learned that the best thing to do is invite them to take my hand and stand with me while I say prayers, creed, or whatever. It helps parents relax, the kids' have their curiosity satisfied, and who knows. maybe someone will grow up feeling at home leading worship and consider a call to ministry.
However, I am learning something very important from my young congregants; something more than just to be flexible. In spite of occasional appearances to the contrary,they LISTEN during worship. And they do not miss a trick. One Sunday in a sermon I was referring to our human tendency to be a little obstinate and sinful and I referred to us humans as "knuckleheads." From the rear of the nave comes a small voice loudly and very clearly - "Knuckleheads? She said knuckleheads!" No one in the congregation has forgotten that day, nor are they ever going to let me forget it.
This morning however I heard two really great ones. According to his mother, one of my young guys was with his family at a funeral visitation recently. When his mom went to leave him in the toy room and join the family in the viewing room, he was fine with her leaving. Then he said, "Hey, Mom! If God comes down come and get me." No one is quite sure where that came from, but he is obviously getting something out of church. He's expecting God to come down and, by golly, he wants to be ready!
The other one is classic and may change the way I lead worship. I remember the old days when we used to begin the proper preface with the words, "It is indeed mete, right, and salutary ..." I imagine that these days very few people other than church leaders know what mete and salutary even mean. Now in recent years, the language has been changed. It is more accessible and understandable. We begin, "It is indeed right, our duty and our joy ..." Indeed, much more understandable. Why even a 4 year old can understand it. I know this because after worship his grandmother informed me that he was definitely paying attention. He heard those words, nudged grandma and joyfully proclaimed, "Hey Grandma, Pastor Katie did her duty." Yeah ... I don't think that was exactly what the liturgists had in mind. But it is good to know that my young friend thinks that I am ... hmmm... regular! I honestly may have to go back to the "mete, right, and salutary" because I am not sure I can say it the other way with a straight face ever again.!!!
Yeah - be careful what you say in worship, or anywhere else for that matter, because those kids do not miss a thing.
Jesus said to let the little children come, and so I will ... that, too, is a duty and a joy!
Blessings -
PK (+)
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
First Love
God and I go way back. No pun intended. Some of my earliest memories of childhood are sneaking out to the swing set, swinging all by myself and telling God ‘stories’ about my day, my family, whatever was in my heart. I would swing and sing my heart out - quite literally. Later, in early elementary school years, I was always writing ‘love poems’ to God. As a child, God was such real part of my life that it was almost like we were best friends.
As I grew up, I was taught a great deal about God. Important stuff, but very intellectual stuff. I also learned how to be a good church person. Sometimes, I found that there could be a disconnect between the institution of the church and who I believed this God to be. It was an ongoing frustration for me.
When I left for seminary almost 9 years ago, a friend cautioned me not to let 'them' "suck the joy" out of me. They were referring to that child-like faith that could cause me to dance in the Spirit during worship, which was part of my grown-up version of swinging and singing my heart out. Periodically, in the past 5 years of ministry, that friend has bemoaned the fact that my joy in the Lord seems to be missing.
Recently, my friend Amy and I were sharing our childhood expeiences of faith. She noted that while I was singing and writing love poems to Jesus, she was playing church - lining up her dolls and stuffed animals and singing the liturgy to them. We have had numerous conversations about the difference between loving God and playing church.
As many of the mainline Christian denominations are wrestling with what it means to be the church - the body of Christ - in the 21st century, I think that part of the issue can be found in my friend Amy & my conversations about our childhood faith. I think that perhaps the institutions of the church have become so comfortable through the first three-quarters of the 20th century, that they became complacent and in a sense lost their first love. Energy and resources are funneled into ways of maintaining the status quo, or reclaiming the good old days. Unfortunately, I think we have become very good at playing church when what people really need is an authentic encounter with the risen Lord.
As leaders in the church, we MUST stop looking for the newest fad, program, or initiative that will 'fix' our declining congregations. There is no program, or fad, or twelve-step process that will re-vitalize our congregations or denominations. Only the Holy Spirit is able to do that. The Holy Spirit can spark faith and reveal to us and a hurting world the real presence of Jesus Christ. In order to do that, we must find our way again. We must discover our first love - Jesus Christ and the Word of grace and life that can be found only there. It will not be the same as playing church has been for the past century. On the other hand, it may be a movement of the Spirit so authentically centered in the cross of Christ that we once again have something to share with the world that actually inspires and transforms.
God and I have had our wrestling matches over the years. I am stubborn and impatient. There were times when I felt the absence of the God of my childhood – the ever-present God with whom I shared my whole heart and being. What I have realized is that each wrestling match has only served – eventually – to draw me deeper and deeper in love with God. In fact, I find with each passing day that my deepening faith is bringing me back to the God of my childhood, who neither changed nor moved, but only waited patiently and lovingly for me to fall in love over and over again.
Perhaps, if the institutions of the church can rediscover their first love, they can find their way again. Because the church - the body of Christ - will not be confined or hindered by human institutions who have gotten lost along the way "playing church."
May we all continue to be found by the One who brings life out of death, and find ourselves remembering our first love.
Blessings -
PK
As I grew up, I was taught a great deal about God. Important stuff, but very intellectual stuff. I also learned how to be a good church person. Sometimes, I found that there could be a disconnect between the institution of the church and who I believed this God to be. It was an ongoing frustration for me.
When I left for seminary almost 9 years ago, a friend cautioned me not to let 'them' "suck the joy" out of me. They were referring to that child-like faith that could cause me to dance in the Spirit during worship, which was part of my grown-up version of swinging and singing my heart out. Periodically, in the past 5 years of ministry, that friend has bemoaned the fact that my joy in the Lord seems to be missing.
Recently, my friend Amy and I were sharing our childhood expeiences of faith. She noted that while I was singing and writing love poems to Jesus, she was playing church - lining up her dolls and stuffed animals and singing the liturgy to them. We have had numerous conversations about the difference between loving God and playing church.
As many of the mainline Christian denominations are wrestling with what it means to be the church - the body of Christ - in the 21st century, I think that part of the issue can be found in my friend Amy & my conversations about our childhood faith. I think that perhaps the institutions of the church have become so comfortable through the first three-quarters of the 20th century, that they became complacent and in a sense lost their first love. Energy and resources are funneled into ways of maintaining the status quo, or reclaiming the good old days. Unfortunately, I think we have become very good at playing church when what people really need is an authentic encounter with the risen Lord.
As leaders in the church, we MUST stop looking for the newest fad, program, or initiative that will 'fix' our declining congregations. There is no program, or fad, or twelve-step process that will re-vitalize our congregations or denominations. Only the Holy Spirit is able to do that. The Holy Spirit can spark faith and reveal to us and a hurting world the real presence of Jesus Christ. In order to do that, we must find our way again. We must discover our first love - Jesus Christ and the Word of grace and life that can be found only there. It will not be the same as playing church has been for the past century. On the other hand, it may be a movement of the Spirit so authentically centered in the cross of Christ that we once again have something to share with the world that actually inspires and transforms.
God and I have had our wrestling matches over the years. I am stubborn and impatient. There were times when I felt the absence of the God of my childhood – the ever-present God with whom I shared my whole heart and being. What I have realized is that each wrestling match has only served – eventually – to draw me deeper and deeper in love with God. In fact, I find with each passing day that my deepening faith is bringing me back to the God of my childhood, who neither changed nor moved, but only waited patiently and lovingly for me to fall in love over and over again.
Perhaps, if the institutions of the church can rediscover their first love, they can find their way again. Because the church - the body of Christ - will not be confined or hindered by human institutions who have gotten lost along the way "playing church."
May we all continue to be found by the One who brings life out of death, and find ourselves remembering our first love.
Blessings -
PK
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
PET PEEVES: IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS
CAUTION: This is strictly a personal rant. My biases and narrow-mindedness may come out and I apologize in advance to anyone I offend.
I love Jesus. I do not remember a time when God was not real to me or an important part of my life. As a young child, I remember swinging on the swingset in our backyard and singing songs to God about my day. When I was a little older and in second grade, I wrote love poems to God. I was raised in the church and attended a parochial school up through eighth grade. But for me - before I was ever old enough to be able to articulate it in this way - I KNEW on a deep level that the faith thing, the relationship I had with God, was bigger than the institution of the church. That knowledge has resulted in my having a rather checkered, on again-off-again relationship with the institutions of the church over the years.
While I was raised in the Roman Caholic expression of Christ's church, I have attended congregations of a variety of denominations. I am currently serving as a pastor within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Given my love-hate relationship with the institutions of the church, that is actually pretty ironic. Actually - it also shows what a crazy sense of humor our God has. When I was feeling called to serve the Gospel concerning Jesus the Christ in a concrete way, I never expected that this is where I would end up. But this is where my love of Jesus and the Gospel has led me.
Which leads me to my utter frustration today. As a pastor, I spend a fair amount of time on the road. There are a couple of billboards that I keep passing by that really aggravate me. The first one is from some Christian radio station that says judgment day is May 21, 2011. Give me a BREAK. I read scripture. Forgive me for being naive, but I think that if Jesus says that NO ONE knows except the Father (and that means even Jesus) then NO ONE knows.
First, it irks me that people are arrogant enough to think that THEY have figured out some code to tell them something that even Jesus doesn't know. Second, I get aggravated when folks try to use the threat of judgment to scare people into believing in God. The Jesus revealed in the Bible is one who invites others into relationship. Just not my idea of what Jesus meant when he charged the apostles to "Go and make disciples of all nations."
The other billboard is one from the local Roman Catholic dioscese. It is attempting to draw members back to church and it says "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John miss you." Really? Sorry, I am not buying it. Now JESUS misses us when we choose to absent ourselves from a faith community, but Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ... nah, not them.
And that sort of brings me to a frustration about churches using billboards to advertise in order to attract members in the first place. They may try to scare us into coming to their congregation(Judgment Day is coming), guilt us into coming back (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John miss you.), or entce us into coming with promises of all of the nice fringe benefits that they have to offer (professional quality music, gymnasiums, rock walls, internet cafes, etc). But I have yet to see a church billboard that offers to introduce us to the living Lord, Jesus Christ.
I will say about the instituation of the church what I said about worship - IT IS ALL ABOUT JESUS. And WHEN did Jesus cease to be enough?
Today - my normally high BS tolerance factor just plummetted into the basement. Just give me Jesus - you can have all the rest. JUST GIVE ME JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope and pray that at the end of the day, whatever I have done in ministry has been for the sake of inviting people to "Come and see" and expereince the remarkable, unchangeable, unconditional, and limitless love of Jesus. Because even though I am not always capable of living like it - I really do believe that it is all about the love of God made know in Jesus.
May you find someone to 'give you Jesus'.
Peace -
PK (+)
I love Jesus. I do not remember a time when God was not real to me or an important part of my life. As a young child, I remember swinging on the swingset in our backyard and singing songs to God about my day. When I was a little older and in second grade, I wrote love poems to God. I was raised in the church and attended a parochial school up through eighth grade. But for me - before I was ever old enough to be able to articulate it in this way - I KNEW on a deep level that the faith thing, the relationship I had with God, was bigger than the institution of the church. That knowledge has resulted in my having a rather checkered, on again-off-again relationship with the institutions of the church over the years.
While I was raised in the Roman Caholic expression of Christ's church, I have attended congregations of a variety of denominations. I am currently serving as a pastor within the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Given my love-hate relationship with the institutions of the church, that is actually pretty ironic. Actually - it also shows what a crazy sense of humor our God has. When I was feeling called to serve the Gospel concerning Jesus the Christ in a concrete way, I never expected that this is where I would end up. But this is where my love of Jesus and the Gospel has led me.
Which leads me to my utter frustration today. As a pastor, I spend a fair amount of time on the road. There are a couple of billboards that I keep passing by that really aggravate me. The first one is from some Christian radio station that says judgment day is May 21, 2011. Give me a BREAK. I read scripture. Forgive me for being naive, but I think that if Jesus says that NO ONE knows except the Father (and that means even Jesus) then NO ONE knows.
First, it irks me that people are arrogant enough to think that THEY have figured out some code to tell them something that even Jesus doesn't know. Second, I get aggravated when folks try to use the threat of judgment to scare people into believing in God. The Jesus revealed in the Bible is one who invites others into relationship. Just not my idea of what Jesus meant when he charged the apostles to "Go and make disciples of all nations."
The other billboard is one from the local Roman Catholic dioscese. It is attempting to draw members back to church and it says "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John miss you." Really? Sorry, I am not buying it. Now JESUS misses us when we choose to absent ourselves from a faith community, but Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John ... nah, not them.
And that sort of brings me to a frustration about churches using billboards to advertise in order to attract members in the first place. They may try to scare us into coming to their congregation(Judgment Day is coming), guilt us into coming back (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John miss you.), or entce us into coming with promises of all of the nice fringe benefits that they have to offer (professional quality music, gymnasiums, rock walls, internet cafes, etc). But I have yet to see a church billboard that offers to introduce us to the living Lord, Jesus Christ.
I will say about the instituation of the church what I said about worship - IT IS ALL ABOUT JESUS. And WHEN did Jesus cease to be enough?
Today - my normally high BS tolerance factor just plummetted into the basement. Just give me Jesus - you can have all the rest. JUST GIVE ME JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope and pray that at the end of the day, whatever I have done in ministry has been for the sake of inviting people to "Come and see" and expereince the remarkable, unchangeable, unconditional, and limitless love of Jesus. Because even though I am not always capable of living like it - I really do believe that it is all about the love of God made know in Jesus.
May you find someone to 'give you Jesus'.
Peace -
PK (+)
Monday, March 21, 2011
WORSHIP - The Great Reversal
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. (Psalm 22:27)
Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name; worship the LORD in holy splendor. (Psalm 29:2)
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! (Psalm 95:6)
Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)
Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he! (Psalm 99:5)
Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. (Psalm 100:2)
I have been thinking about worship a great deal lately. This is not at all an unreasonable thing when you consider that I am a child of God and a pastor in Christ's church. I have been doing so first out of the office of pastor; considering our communal worship life - how to plan, create, and structure it so that we bring before God our very best. We have been talking about adding additional worship services - a morning prayer service, a mid-week service. We have talked about how to make worship more accessible for families with young children. Many of the conversations have left me feeling energized - I LOVE WORSHIP. I love to worship the Lord. I love to plan woship and lead worship. I love to see the faces of others as they are truly worshiping the Lord with all of their hearts. But every so often there is something about the conversations that nag at me.
Recently, I was talking with a friend who commented that this week was the week for her congregation's 'praise' service. I could tell by the tone of her voice that she was less than enthusiastic about it, which rather surprised me. So I asked about it and she said that it seemed really odd to her. Supposedly, it was "to bring young people into the church." She couldn't imagine any young people wanting to come to this worship service. She has been to 'contemporary' worship services - with me, actually - and they were well done. But for this praise service, there was no musical instruments. This was using a DVD with the congreation singing, dancing, and clapping along and it was just odd to her.
I thought about this congregation that somehow had gotten themsleves to the place where they were planning worship as a means of attracting young people. I thought about some of the conversations we have been having in the congregation where I serve. Attracing young people has been a 'motive' behaind many of our suggestions, as well. Then there have been the comments about people not "getting anything out of worship." The reasons vary - we do not have a contemporary worship service; we use the piano too much and the organ not enough; I kowtow to the young people; I cater to the "old folks" too much; you name it. There are as many reasons for why peope do not "get something" out of worship as there are people who complain about it.
I noticed, though, they all have a common theme: they view worship as the place that they come to get THEIR needs met. That caused me to ask myself ...
WHEN DID WORSHIP BECOME ABOUT US AND NOT ABOUT GOD?
I always regarded worship as the time when I gave of myself - my time, my gifts, my voice, my prayers, my song, my attention to the Word, my confession of sins and of the faith - all acts of bowing down in worship of the one who created, redeemed, and sustains me. I never considered whether or not it pleased me. My pre-worship prayer is always that what we did in worship was pleasing and acceptable to God - as acts of worship. (Perhaps that is my Roman Catholic upbringing coming out, but I think that is a reasonable assessment of the intent of worship.)
I am finding now, however, that many believe that my goal in worship planning and leadership is to design a service that makes THEM feel uplifted, encouraged, and even entertained. The music must be to their tastes - contemporary, traditional, organ, praise band. The sermon should be short and have cute anecdotes in it. The worship service should be an hour or less. (I guess that is all the time God deserves?)
So I have discovered that by the standards of many - in my congregation and in the general culture - I am a FAILURE at worship planning and leadership. Because I always plan the service to point to God and God's redeeming work in the cross of Christ. I do not consider worship as I time for US to be pleased, but a time for us to please God with our worship. I do not consider worship a marketing tool with which to bring people into the church. I DO pray that the Spirit among us as we worship and our sense of community is enticing to those who visit with us.
Perhaps one of the disouraging comments is when someone specifically says that they "just don't get anything out of worship." While I am tempted to take this personally, I suppose what really bothers me is that EVERY WEEK we gather and receive forgiveness of sins, nurture and strength for the life of faith throuh hearing the Word of God, and the very presence of Jesus with us in the sacrament of Holy Communion.
So I find myself with a few rather burning questions; questions that I wrestle with both as a disciple of Jesus and as one called to the office of pastor to lead others in discipleship.
WHEN DID THE GREAT REVERSAL IN WORSHIP HAPPEN?
WHEN DID WORSHIP BECOME ABOUT US AND NOT ABOUT GOD?
WHEN DID JESUS CEASE TO BE 'ENOUGH'?
I have no answers to these questions. I continue to wrestle with them. I know only that I will continually fail in worship planning and leadership as long as those I serve expect me to plan our worship to please them. And that is one of the few failures in life that I am learning to be very comfortable with.
WORSHIP: IT'S A GOD-THING.
Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)
In Christ -
PK (+)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
JESUS HAS 'PEOPLE'
WITH APOLOGIES TO THOSE RECEIVING MY DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE REPEAT
THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY: Matthew 1: 1-17
An account of the genealogy1 of Jesus the Messiah,2 the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,1 8 and Asaph1 the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,1 and Amos2 the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.1 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah,1 fourteen generations.
If you are reading this – CONGRATULATIONS! You have made it through Matthew’s account of the genealogy of Jesus, considered by some people to be rather tedious reading. You are probably also thinking something along the lines of “So what? What difference does it make?”
To Matthew’s original audience it mattered greatly. Jesus had people. He could trace his lineage back 42 generations to Abraham. That fact mattered significantly in the eyes of many people of Jesus’ time. It gave him “street cred” and a level of authority with the higher classes.
We like to tell ourselves that doesn’t matter to us – and when it comes to Jesus’ heritage, we may be correct. But there are ways in which we still cling to our ancestry. We proudly claim our ethnic heritage. “German stubbornness,” “Irish temperament” and “Scandinavian stoicism” are character traits proudly claimed. We proudly cling to an ethnic heritage even though many of us living in the United States are generations away from the ‘old country.’ And we do so with a certain sense of superiority, as if those not like us – without our heritage – are second class citizens. Not that long ago, I was surprised to hear someone in a conversation ask who a young woman’s “people” were? They were trying to get a sense of what kind of person she was and whether or not we knew her family made a difference in that assessment. We may not always be that obvious about it, but we regularly make judgments about others based on their heritage, or maybe their family situation, the type of job they have, the clothes they wear, or even just in which part of town they live.
Our journey through Matthew’s Gospel may begin with a tedious genealogy, but our journey concludes with Jesus’ radical sending to “all nations.”
As humans we are the pinnacle of God’s creation. We can also be tempted to think that we are the center of God’s universe. Yet just yesterday we were reminded that “the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” (Gen 2:7) We are a small part of God’s universe, created from the dust of only a single planet in that great universe. We may be the pinnacle of God’s creation, but we are also not ‘all that.’
How can we truthfully acknowledge our place in God’s creation? How can that help us move to being better able to acknowledge the place and value of others? Who have you dismissed as less than because of an exterior judgment based on their family, residence, attire, etc? How can God broaden your understanding of what it means to share God’s love with all nations?
Dear Father, keep us mindful that the only branch of our family tree that matters is the tree on which your Son, Jesus was crucified. Help us to remember that through his cross we all share the same heritage and without your life-giving breath we are all simply a handful of dust in the universe. Amen
THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY: Matthew 1: 1-17
An account of the genealogy1 of Jesus the Messiah,2 the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, 4 and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,1 8 and Asaph1 the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,1 and Amos2 the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.1 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah,1 fourteen generations.
If you are reading this – CONGRATULATIONS! You have made it through Matthew’s account of the genealogy of Jesus, considered by some people to be rather tedious reading. You are probably also thinking something along the lines of “So what? What difference does it make?”
To Matthew’s original audience it mattered greatly. Jesus had people. He could trace his lineage back 42 generations to Abraham. That fact mattered significantly in the eyes of many people of Jesus’ time. It gave him “street cred” and a level of authority with the higher classes.
We like to tell ourselves that doesn’t matter to us – and when it comes to Jesus’ heritage, we may be correct. But there are ways in which we still cling to our ancestry. We proudly claim our ethnic heritage. “German stubbornness,” “Irish temperament” and “Scandinavian stoicism” are character traits proudly claimed. We proudly cling to an ethnic heritage even though many of us living in the United States are generations away from the ‘old country.’ And we do so with a certain sense of superiority, as if those not like us – without our heritage – are second class citizens. Not that long ago, I was surprised to hear someone in a conversation ask who a young woman’s “people” were? They were trying to get a sense of what kind of person she was and whether or not we knew her family made a difference in that assessment. We may not always be that obvious about it, but we regularly make judgments about others based on their heritage, or maybe their family situation, the type of job they have, the clothes they wear, or even just in which part of town they live.
Our journey through Matthew’s Gospel may begin with a tedious genealogy, but our journey concludes with Jesus’ radical sending to “all nations.”
As humans we are the pinnacle of God’s creation. We can also be tempted to think that we are the center of God’s universe. Yet just yesterday we were reminded that “the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” (Gen 2:7) We are a small part of God’s universe, created from the dust of only a single planet in that great universe. We may be the pinnacle of God’s creation, but we are also not ‘all that.’
How can we truthfully acknowledge our place in God’s creation? How can that help us move to being better able to acknowledge the place and value of others? Who have you dismissed as less than because of an exterior judgment based on their family, residence, attire, etc? How can God broaden your understanding of what it means to share God’s love with all nations?
Dear Father, keep us mindful that the only branch of our family tree that matters is the tree on which your Son, Jesus was crucified. Help us to remember that through his cross we all share the same heritage and without your life-giving breath we are all simply a handful of dust in the universe. Amen
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