I always get a kick out of remembering a story from the days when Martin Luther King, Jr. was actively engaged in his leadership of the Civil Rights Movement. At one point, Dr. King was arrested for a traffic violation in Georgia, and under the cover of night, he was transferred from the city jail to a state penitentiary, a very dangerous circumstance. This was during the 1960 presidential campaign season, and Dr. King's wife, Coretta, appealed to John F. Kennedy's staff for assistance. Then-Senator Kennedy made a phone call or two and Dr. King was released from prison.
The funny part of the story occurred when Daddy King -- Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. -- made a point of telling his congregation what had happened, and that he recommended they support JFK in the upcoming election, "even though he's a Catholic!" I find the irony of that declaration to be highly amusing.
What is not amusing, though, is the way politicians manipulate and exploit religious faith, especially during campaign and election seasons. Not only is it not amusing, it's downright insulting.
Two Mormons are contending for the presidential nomination of their party, and both are downplaying their faith connections and commitments because polls apparently indicate many Americans are leery of a Mormon in the White House (deja' vu all over again from 1960 and the irrational fear of a Roman Catholic president). Furthermore, both are accused of altering their views on important issues, shifting further to the right in order to appeal to "conservative and evangelical Christians."
In other words, "I want your vote, so I'll tell you that I see things the way I imagine you see them." It's not just the Mormon candidates who do this.
Frankly, I don't know why people want to please that particular constituency. While the "profile" of Christian conservatives largely may line up with the trend of a specific party, my sense is that most Americans are not looking for that type of leader.
But, it happens, and many advocates of a conservative "Christian" social agenda fall for it. The aroma of power is very intoxicating. Just hang around Capitol Hill for a while, and you'll see what I mean. Some folks refer to it as "Potomac Fever." The symptoms and disease are not unique to any one ideology.
No lesser an authority than Richard Cizik has stated publicly that politicians will do whatever they can to get elected, including using people of faith. When the election is won, however, dynamics, agendas, positions, and access change. Cizik is president of a group called The New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good. He formerly spent a decade as a top-level official of the National Association of Evangelicals. Both are Washington-based political organizations. Cizik knows the players and the way the game is played. I respect his opinion.
While I believe that people of faith cannot separate their commitments and values from their political choices and priorities, I offer a word of caution against becoming enamored with politicians who speak "the code," as some refer to it. Avoid the "us vs. them" mentality. Don't be concerned with "taking back" something. Go into any election with your eyes wide open regarding candidates and platforms.
To me, it is imperative that in a diverse society and culture -- which is a blessing in itself -- people of faith should take a hint from Richard Cizik's approach and seek a "Common Good."
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
A Position of Stength
When I was working on my sermon this week, I suddenly recalled the passage in Acts 5 where the people took their sick relatives and friends out to the street, setting them up on cots and mats so that Peter's shadow might fall on them as he passed by.
It's an amazing image, indicating that the power of the Holy Spirit was so strong, Peter simply reeked of it, with benefits coming to people of whom he barely was even aware.
Too often I have observed church folks read the scriptures with the assumption they were coming from a position of weakness, passivity, or even helplessness. The things Jesus said and did always were seen as bringing them healing or comfort or a sense of peace.
Frankly, I think it's different more often than not, and that the New Testament should be seen from another perspective. Christians should read it with an eye toward discovering their identity, and learning what it means to take up the ministry of Jesus, with the blessings going to others. In other words, we see what Jesus did, and do that ourselves. Matthew 10 gives us this reality check.
People of faith are seen by Jesus, I believe, not as pitiful and child-like, but rather as redeemed souls set free from anything and everything that would hold us back from embracing the love of God and finding ways to express and share that love with others. People of faith are seen by Jesus, I believe, as those who want to live in an everlasting relationship with the Creator who wills life, and who blesses humanity with great abundance.
People of faith know the joy and certainty that no matter what happens, what we face, what we are called to endure, the last word belongs to God and that word is Life! We find that word, we find that Life in the light of Christ, our Risen Savior. And we shine that light in the direction of other people we meet each and every day, wherever we go.
Just as Peter's very presence brought blessing and healing in many ways to folks in need, people of faith, followers of Jesus, direct the rays of the Light of Christ toward the lives of others.
It's an amazing image, indicating that the power of the Holy Spirit was so strong, Peter simply reeked of it, with benefits coming to people of whom he barely was even aware.
Too often I have observed church folks read the scriptures with the assumption they were coming from a position of weakness, passivity, or even helplessness. The things Jesus said and did always were seen as bringing them healing or comfort or a sense of peace.
Frankly, I think it's different more often than not, and that the New Testament should be seen from another perspective. Christians should read it with an eye toward discovering their identity, and learning what it means to take up the ministry of Jesus, with the blessings going to others. In other words, we see what Jesus did, and do that ourselves. Matthew 10 gives us this reality check.
People of faith are seen by Jesus, I believe, not as pitiful and child-like, but rather as redeemed souls set free from anything and everything that would hold us back from embracing the love of God and finding ways to express and share that love with others. People of faith are seen by Jesus, I believe, as those who want to live in an everlasting relationship with the Creator who wills life, and who blesses humanity with great abundance.
People of faith know the joy and certainty that no matter what happens, what we face, what we are called to endure, the last word belongs to God and that word is Life! We find that word, we find that Life in the light of Christ, our Risen Savior. And we shine that light in the direction of other people we meet each and every day, wherever we go.
Just as Peter's very presence brought blessing and healing in many ways to folks in need, people of faith, followers of Jesus, direct the rays of the Light of Christ toward the lives of others.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Pomp And Circumstance
It has been a long time since I graduated from anything. High school was 1972. College was 1976. Seminary was 1981. I have few recollections of the two I attended (I graduated from seminary in absentia, as the program listed me.), mainly that after the Annandale High School Class of '72 was capped and gowned and presented blank diplomas at the Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts, the place soon burned down. In none of the cases do I recall who was the featured commencement speaker or anything he or she might have said.
So, I have to take my inspiration from others about whom I read.
Stephen Colbert, famous for his satire on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report spoke to the graduates at Northwestern University, of which he is an alum. I was never a fan or a watcher of his programs, but have heard a time or two that there really is some spiritual depth and substance to the man.
This came through in his speech, a portion of which I share here, having read it in The Christian Century:
Whatever your dream is right now, if you don't achieve it, you haven't failed, and you're not some loser. But just as importantly--and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen to--if you do get your dream, you are not a winner.
After I graduated from here, I moved down to Chicago and did improv. Now there are very few rules to improvisation, but one of the things I was taught early on is that you are not the most important person in the scene. Everybody else is. And if they are the most important people in the scene, you will naturally pay attention to them and serve them . . . . You cannot "win" improv.
And life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next, and you are mostly just making things up as you go along. And like improv, you cannot win your life.
The video of Colbert's speech is found at the above link.
So, I have to take my inspiration from others about whom I read.
Stephen Colbert, famous for his satire on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report spoke to the graduates at Northwestern University, of which he is an alum. I was never a fan or a watcher of his programs, but have heard a time or two that there really is some spiritual depth and substance to the man.
This came through in his speech, a portion of which I share here, having read it in The Christian Century:
Whatever your dream is right now, if you don't achieve it, you haven't failed, and you're not some loser. But just as importantly--and this is the part I may not get right and you may not listen to--if you do get your dream, you are not a winner.
After I graduated from here, I moved down to Chicago and did improv. Now there are very few rules to improvisation, but one of the things I was taught early on is that you are not the most important person in the scene. Everybody else is. And if they are the most important people in the scene, you will naturally pay attention to them and serve them . . . . You cannot "win" improv.
And life is an improvisation. You have no idea what's going to happen next, and you are mostly just making things up as you go along. And like improv, you cannot win your life.
The video of Colbert's speech is found at the above link.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Hands In The Cookie Jar
One day last week someone told me that the secretary of her church was caught forging church checks and diverting the funds into her personal bank account. That brought to my mind the case of a former colleague who was the financial person on the staff of a church where I also served. He was found to be funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to himself.
That same day when I learned of the church secretary's actions, the attorney trying to defend the guy I knew called me to discuss his case. Since the discovery was made a few years ago, I figured matters were closer to being resolved, but I learned otherwise. While the church has recovered whatever funds its insurance company provided in the settlement, the case now is a criminal matter. The attorney was blunt in telling me, "There doesn't seem to be much I can do to help (my client)." He was caught. The evidence is clear. He's going to prison at some point, perhaps for three or four years.
I have known at least one other person who stole money from the church. In his case it was due to a gambling problem. Stealing money from churches is not as uncommon, perhaps, as it might seem.
It occurs to me that people steal from the church in other ways, as well.
There are clergy who suck the life right out of a church by trying to turn the church into a cult of personality -- theirs, of course. Everything centers around them. The focus is on them. The attraction is them.
Others -- clergy and laity alike -- play drama games. Conflicts and differences of opinions become personal battles. People look for ways to foster controversy, and assume the worst about fellow church folks.
Churches and vocal members take up crusades around hot-button issues such as abortion, homosexuality and gender issues, biblical inerrancy or other doctrinal matters, targeting "enemies" among other churches and Christians in order to make themselves look as if they alone truly are faithful.
On another scale, people steal from the church and its ministry by not taking seriously their own spiritual growth. Clinging to childish notions about God and the faith; reducing Christianity to inane cliches; avoiding real issues of human need; arguing about music used in worship; complaining when the worship service extends past 12:00 noon -- all of these and more steal from the vitality and growth of the church.
Stealing money is one thing -- a wrong thing, of course. Stealing from the church in these other ways hurts the church's ministry, faithfulness, reputation, and standing.
In all these cases, theft occurs. As a result, the church and its witness are weakened, with the world worse off because of it.
That same day when I learned of the church secretary's actions, the attorney trying to defend the guy I knew called me to discuss his case. Since the discovery was made a few years ago, I figured matters were closer to being resolved, but I learned otherwise. While the church has recovered whatever funds its insurance company provided in the settlement, the case now is a criminal matter. The attorney was blunt in telling me, "There doesn't seem to be much I can do to help (my client)." He was caught. The evidence is clear. He's going to prison at some point, perhaps for three or four years.
I have known at least one other person who stole money from the church. In his case it was due to a gambling problem. Stealing money from churches is not as uncommon, perhaps, as it might seem.
It occurs to me that people steal from the church in other ways, as well.
There are clergy who suck the life right out of a church by trying to turn the church into a cult of personality -- theirs, of course. Everything centers around them. The focus is on them. The attraction is them.
Others -- clergy and laity alike -- play drama games. Conflicts and differences of opinions become personal battles. People look for ways to foster controversy, and assume the worst about fellow church folks.
Churches and vocal members take up crusades around hot-button issues such as abortion, homosexuality and gender issues, biblical inerrancy or other doctrinal matters, targeting "enemies" among other churches and Christians in order to make themselves look as if they alone truly are faithful.
On another scale, people steal from the church and its ministry by not taking seriously their own spiritual growth. Clinging to childish notions about God and the faith; reducing Christianity to inane cliches; avoiding real issues of human need; arguing about music used in worship; complaining when the worship service extends past 12:00 noon -- all of these and more steal from the vitality and growth of the church.
Stealing money is one thing -- a wrong thing, of course. Stealing from the church in these other ways hurts the church's ministry, faithfulness, reputation, and standing.
In all these cases, theft occurs. As a result, the church and its witness are weakened, with the world worse off because of it.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Sad, But So Often True
You may have heard the story to which I am about to refer. It was on NPR this morning, where they were sharing some Father's Day reflections.
A writer, whose name I believe was Walter Meyer, grew up in Harlem. He spoke of how the person he most wanted to impress with his writing was his father. When Walter wrote something as a young person he showed it to his father. When he managed to write down and publish ghost stories that his father told, Walter took them proudly to his father. Never did Walter's father have a kind word to say about his writing.
When Walter's father was on his death bed, Walter handed him the latest book he had published. His father glanced at it and set it aside without comment. "I knew then for sure that my father hated me," mourned Walter.
Following his father's death, Walter went through some of the papers and other items left behind. He noticed on numerous documents that where his father's signature was required there simply was an "X."
Walter finally realized why his father never had anything to say about his writing. His father could not read, and was too ashamed to tell his own son.
Relationships between fathers and sons often can be fraught with complexities and misunderstandings. Time passes without resolution, and sometimes opportunities for sharing, mentoring, and love are completely missed.
It truly is a loss for everyone involved.
A writer, whose name I believe was Walter Meyer, grew up in Harlem. He spoke of how the person he most wanted to impress with his writing was his father. When Walter wrote something as a young person he showed it to his father. When he managed to write down and publish ghost stories that his father told, Walter took them proudly to his father. Never did Walter's father have a kind word to say about his writing.
When Walter's father was on his death bed, Walter handed him the latest book he had published. His father glanced at it and set it aside without comment. "I knew then for sure that my father hated me," mourned Walter.
Following his father's death, Walter went through some of the papers and other items left behind. He noticed on numerous documents that where his father's signature was required there simply was an "X."
Walter finally realized why his father never had anything to say about his writing. His father could not read, and was too ashamed to tell his own son.
Relationships between fathers and sons often can be fraught with complexities and misunderstandings. Time passes without resolution, and sometimes opportunities for sharing, mentoring, and love are completely missed.
It truly is a loss for everyone involved.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Seeing Stars
People who do things in a big way often get my attention, and I have been fortunate to meet quite a number of folks well-known in a variety of fields. One such occurrence was meeting Wilt Chamberlain, along about 1974, during my days at East Carolina University. Wilt had recently published the first, and less sexually graphic, of his two autobiographies. Of course, even though he was freshly retired from a long career in pro basketball and being in the public eye, he still was a young man, so maybe the count of his conquests was only 8 or 10 thousand by that point. As a 19 year-old interested in sports, I was very aware of him and had seen him on television and magazine covers practically my whole life.
Shortly after reading Wilt’s book, I heard on the radio that the newly formed Carolina Cougars of the renegade American Basketball Association would be hosting in Raleigh the San Diego Conquistadors, coached by none other than Wilt Chamberlain. A friend of mine from back home, Pete, was a student at N.C. State University, where the game would be played. I called Pete to tell him I was buying tickets and coming over so we could attend the game. Somehow, I linked up with a couple of other ECU students who were going, and they had room for me in their car.
At the time, N.C. State was a national college basketball powerhouse, so on the night of the game Pete and I stood in the lobby of the coliseum beforehand admiring some of the spoils of their success, carefully encased and preserved. As I was oooing and ahhhing, Pete quietly said, “Turn around,” trying to make inconspicuous darting motions with his eyes. I turned expecting to see an attractive female. Instead, I was looking at the third button of a man’s shirt.
I’m taller than the average person, so I notice those of greater height. When a person is almost a foot taller, though, I find it downright disorienting. I peeked up from the shirt filling my field of vision and Wilt was looking down at me. Why he was standing in the lobby at that moment, I only can speculate, and maybe his second book provides a hint. All I can say, though, is I was completely in awe of his appearance, the familiar famous face, though not quite nose to nose, staring into my eyes. Thinking fast, I held up my program book and asked if he would sign it. He quickly glanced around the crowded lobby, suddenly grabbed my elbow and started walking. I can report from personal experience: when Wilt Chamberlain took you by the arm and began to move, he was leading the dance and all you could do was follow.
He swept me down a side hallway as he said, “Hey man, I have to go. I’ll catch you after the game.” Then he allowed me to regain control of my own body and was gone, ducking quickly through an unmarked door.
As I said, he physical presence was overwhelming, and I always laugh when I recall something I read several years later. Wilt was cast in one of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan the Barbarian movies as some kind of warrior.
According to the story, he was preparing to shoot a scene in which he was to ride a horse. Well, as huge and intimidating as he was in a basketball uniform, when he was decked out in the warrior regalia it apparently was too much. The horse on which Wilt was supposed to ride in the scene saw him approaching, did a double-take, and took off running in the opposite direction. The movie was on hold until they could catch the horse, which apparently took a while.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Do You Remember "Hooked On Classics?"
Some years ago, I was approached by a person who wanted to write a new version of the Bible, with my assistance. The man who called me was not a Biblical scholar, a theologian, nor an expert in the Hebrew or Greek languages. I had the impression he was fairly conservative in his outlook, and it seemed he didn't know me very well. But, we attended the same church, he knew I was a clergy person, and he thought it would be a good idea to write a version of the Bible "that people can understand."
Oh, is that all?
Just off the top of my head, I can think of numerous versions of the Bible currently available, appealing to various readers' tastes: New Revised Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version (which leads me to believe there must be an "International Version"), The Message, The Living Bible, Good News Bible, The New English Bible, so forth and so on. There even is a Manga Bible, which is a graphic novel-style Bible produced by someone calling himself Siku.
I haven't looked, but I suppose there is a Bible For Dummies, as well. (So it seems likely someone beat to the punch the guy who called me!)
The reason I even bring this up is that I read of a new project soon to be underway at The History Channel.
The television producer who has clogged our entertainment arteries with such programs as Survivor and The Apprentice has in mind to turn out a series of "scripted dramas" that tell stories from the Bible. His name is Mark Burnett, and he noted that "'Some of the stories are obvious,'...like Noah’s Ark, Exodus and accounts of the birth and death of Jesus. But the project will also cover stories that Mr. Burnett said he was unfamiliar with."
Executives at History say "the series would not try to impose any kind of historical context to events like the Flood." The producers are "not stepping back to examine anything that could be called a controversy. We are just telling the stories that are in (the Bible)." Researchers have already begun their work, and "theologians will be consulted."
Interesting.
It seems to me quite an undertaking to write dialogue for stories handed down by oral tradition for generations before quill ever touched parchment, without putting a spin on them. Thousands of years have passed since they first were told. As for lack of controversy, The History Channel may be in for a surprise.
In some cases, this project has the potential of sparking renewed interest in the scriptures. For others, though, it may become a faux fundamentalism, as the images and words on the TV screen become the first, last, and only sense of the Bible stories being portrayed.
I know that ever since I first saw Jesus of Nazareth on television over thirty years ago, I can't help but think that Pilate looked just like Rod Steiger.
Oh, is that all?
Just off the top of my head, I can think of numerous versions of the Bible currently available, appealing to various readers' tastes: New Revised Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version (which leads me to believe there must be an "International Version"), The Message, The Living Bible, Good News Bible, The New English Bible, so forth and so on. There even is a Manga Bible, which is a graphic novel-style Bible produced by someone calling himself Siku.
I haven't looked, but I suppose there is a Bible For Dummies, as well. (So it seems likely someone beat to the punch the guy who called me!)
The reason I even bring this up is that I read of a new project soon to be underway at The History Channel.
The television producer who has clogged our entertainment arteries with such programs as Survivor and The Apprentice has in mind to turn out a series of "scripted dramas" that tell stories from the Bible. His name is Mark Burnett, and he noted that "'Some of the stories are obvious,'...like Noah’s Ark, Exodus and accounts of the birth and death of Jesus. But the project will also cover stories that Mr. Burnett said he was unfamiliar with."
Executives at History say "the series would not try to impose any kind of historical context to events like the Flood." The producers are "not stepping back to examine anything that could be called a controversy. We are just telling the stories that are in (the Bible)." Researchers have already begun their work, and "theologians will be consulted."
Interesting.
It seems to me quite an undertaking to write dialogue for stories handed down by oral tradition for generations before quill ever touched parchment, without putting a spin on them. Thousands of years have passed since they first were told. As for lack of controversy, The History Channel may be in for a surprise.
In some cases, this project has the potential of sparking renewed interest in the scriptures. For others, though, it may become a faux fundamentalism, as the images and words on the TV screen become the first, last, and only sense of the Bible stories being portrayed.
I know that ever since I first saw Jesus of Nazareth on television over thirty years ago, I can't help but think that Pilate looked just like Rod Steiger.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Pounding Hearts, Flapping Jaws, And Moving Feet
During my long-ago baseball-playing days, there was a play I still remember. I was playing first base for my team when the batter hit a high pop-up in my direction. I called for the ball, got into position to make the catch and held my hands up as I waited for the ball to come down. Suddenly, I found myself on the ground, flat on my back, unable to breathe. The guy who hit the ball ran straight into me, lowering his head and ramming my chest with his batting helmet. He knocked the wind out of me.
It was a bush league play.
My coach ran out and helped me start breathing again, and I stayed in the game. When we got the other team out, and they ran onto the field to take their positions, we noted that the guy who ran into me changed the position he had been playing -- from third base to centerfield.
I guess they thought something might happen if I had the opportunity to run or slide into third base. It seems they thought I might do something after getting my breath back.
Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday, and churches throughout the world recalled the day when the Holy Spirit rushed onto the scene like a violent wind. A few posts ago I linked you to Acts 2, which describes this event.
This was, of course, after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. He had spent the biblically-required "40 days" teaching his followers, and reminding them of what he told them before. Then, as we read in Acts 1, he was taken up into God's presence. The disciples were left on their own, and waited together in Jerusalem for what would happen next.
In the days following Jesus' arrest, and now with him gone from the scene, likely for good, the disciples must have felt their breath was knocked out of them. What would they do? What COULD they do? Jesus wasn't there to lead or guide them.
The sound of the rushing wind as the Holy Spirit arrived, as promised by Jesus, gave them their breath back. Something was bound to happen. The disciples began to do something when their breath was restored.
As I told my congregation yesterday, Pentecost was like when God breathed life into the first human being: there was energy, power, and animation. Things were going to be different.
Peter seized on the opportunity to declare something new being born. He reached back to the language of the prophets to proclaim that because the Spirit of God was poured out, people would dream dreams, see visions, and prophesy. It was so strong, so startling, and so sudden even the sun, moon, earth, and sky would show effects. God’s presence was knocking on the door of human existence and interaction. Nothing could deny it. Nothing could keep it away. People wouldn’t understand it, know what to make of it, or be able to define it. But make no mistake: God showed up, filling the hearts and lungs and minds of people of faith, giving them an electric jolt, a powerful shove, lifting them above themselves, waking them up, pointing the way out the door, and launching them on a mission that still is going on two millennia later.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to pacify, mollify, or satisfy. When it shows up, it gets hearts pounding, jaws flapping, and feet moving. The world, its ways, and our accommodations to them can knock the wind out of us. The Holy Spirit gives us back our breath, and something happens —- something with the fingerprints of God all over it.
It was a bush league play.
My coach ran out and helped me start breathing again, and I stayed in the game. When we got the other team out, and they ran onto the field to take their positions, we noted that the guy who ran into me changed the position he had been playing -- from third base to centerfield.
I guess they thought something might happen if I had the opportunity to run or slide into third base. It seems they thought I might do something after getting my breath back.
Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday, and churches throughout the world recalled the day when the Holy Spirit rushed onto the scene like a violent wind. A few posts ago I linked you to Acts 2, which describes this event.
This was, of course, after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. He had spent the biblically-required "40 days" teaching his followers, and reminding them of what he told them before. Then, as we read in Acts 1, he was taken up into God's presence. The disciples were left on their own, and waited together in Jerusalem for what would happen next.
In the days following Jesus' arrest, and now with him gone from the scene, likely for good, the disciples must have felt their breath was knocked out of them. What would they do? What COULD they do? Jesus wasn't there to lead or guide them.
The sound of the rushing wind as the Holy Spirit arrived, as promised by Jesus, gave them their breath back. Something was bound to happen. The disciples began to do something when their breath was restored.
As I told my congregation yesterday, Pentecost was like when God breathed life into the first human being: there was energy, power, and animation. Things were going to be different.
Peter seized on the opportunity to declare something new being born. He reached back to the language of the prophets to proclaim that because the Spirit of God was poured out, people would dream dreams, see visions, and prophesy. It was so strong, so startling, and so sudden even the sun, moon, earth, and sky would show effects. God’s presence was knocking on the door of human existence and interaction. Nothing could deny it. Nothing could keep it away. People wouldn’t understand it, know what to make of it, or be able to define it. But make no mistake: God showed up, filling the hearts and lungs and minds of people of faith, giving them an electric jolt, a powerful shove, lifting them above themselves, waking them up, pointing the way out the door, and launching them on a mission that still is going on two millennia later.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t come to pacify, mollify, or satisfy. When it shows up, it gets hearts pounding, jaws flapping, and feet moving. The world, its ways, and our accommodations to them can knock the wind out of us. The Holy Spirit gives us back our breath, and something happens —- something with the fingerprints of God all over it.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Worthy Of Your Consideration
Generally, I'm not too receptive to people handing me a book they think I should read. I have stacks of books on two desks that I intend to read, plus my Kindle, so I have plenty to keep me busy. Plus, I prefer to make my own choices of reading material.
Exceptions, naturally, do occur. I picked up a book this week that someone, in effect, "assigned" me to read, but only because a class in our church was considering it for a study. My opinion was solicited.
The book is What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?: A Guide to What Matters Most , by Martin Thielen. I have to admit the title was a real turn-off for me when I initially was told of the book, because the person who mentioned it only gave the first part. I thought, "Wonderful. Another attempt to dumb-down the faith and encourage people to look for easy, quick, pat answers to deep and complex issues."
Truly, this is not a complicated book, but it is readable and holds a certain appeal. The first half (ten succinct chapters) examines conventional notions about Christianity that often are embraced, but which do not hold up under biblical or theological scrutiny. Included are such ideas as "God Causes Cancer, Car Wrecks, and Other Catastrophes;" "Women Can't Be Preachers and Must Submit to Men;" "Jews Won't Make It To Heaven;" and, others. The author makes it clear that such beliefs are not essential to the Christian faith.
The second half of the book focuses on "Ten Things Christians Do Need to Believe," all of which center around Jesus. Included, among others, are: "Jesus' Identity: Who is Jesus?" "Jesus' Priority: What Matters Most?" and, "Jesus' Resurrection: Is There Hope?"
Thielen is not Marcus Borg, or Paul Tillich, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He is, however, someone who has thought cogently and written concisely about matters important and not so important to being a Christian. Thielen is a refugee from the Southern Baptist tradition, now connected to the United Methodist Church. So, he did some discernment and made some choices along his spiritual journey.
I think the book is helpful and potentially can lead to worthwhile discussion. My preference, though, still is to think of the faith less as a set of "beliefs," and more as a relationship to which a person gives his or her heart.
Exceptions, naturally, do occur. I picked up a book this week that someone, in effect, "assigned" me to read, but only because a class in our church was considering it for a study. My opinion was solicited.
The book is What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian?: A Guide to What Matters Most , by Martin Thielen. I have to admit the title was a real turn-off for me when I initially was told of the book, because the person who mentioned it only gave the first part. I thought, "Wonderful. Another attempt to dumb-down the faith and encourage people to look for easy, quick, pat answers to deep and complex issues."
Truly, this is not a complicated book, but it is readable and holds a certain appeal. The first half (ten succinct chapters) examines conventional notions about Christianity that often are embraced, but which do not hold up under biblical or theological scrutiny. Included are such ideas as "God Causes Cancer, Car Wrecks, and Other Catastrophes;" "Women Can't Be Preachers and Must Submit to Men;" "Jews Won't Make It To Heaven;" and, others. The author makes it clear that such beliefs are not essential to the Christian faith.
The second half of the book focuses on "Ten Things Christians Do Need to Believe," all of which center around Jesus. Included, among others, are: "Jesus' Identity: Who is Jesus?" "Jesus' Priority: What Matters Most?" and, "Jesus' Resurrection: Is There Hope?"
Thielen is not Marcus Borg, or Paul Tillich, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He is, however, someone who has thought cogently and written concisely about matters important and not so important to being a Christian. Thielen is a refugee from the Southern Baptist tradition, now connected to the United Methodist Church. So, he did some discernment and made some choices along his spiritual journey.
I think the book is helpful and potentially can lead to worthwhile discussion. My preference, though, still is to think of the faith less as a set of "beliefs," and more as a relationship to which a person gives his or her heart.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Visions Of America
On Memorial Day this year folks from Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, fresh on the heels of the Supreme Court decision upholding their right to spew homophobic hatred at the funerals of U.S. troops killed in our various wars, staged a protest at Arlington National Cemetery. Their message was the same as always: God is pleased that our young people are being killed and maimed in war because of our nation's "tolerance" of homosexuals, whom God despises. The interesting thing about this particular celebration of ignorance was that a counter-protest occurred. The people on the other side of the barriers were members of the Ku Klux Klan. Vitriol was being batted back and forth like a shuttlecock in a ferocious badminton match.
One of the members of the Phelps family, which comprises most of the membership of the Westboro Baptist Church, noted the presence of the KKK and ironically sniffed, “That’s fine. They have no moral authority on anything."
Apart from the funny outfits -- the KKK's pointy-hooded white robes and the American flag worn as a skirt by one of the women from the church to complement her "Jews Killed Jesus.com" t-shirt -- both sides displayed a vision of our nation as one that excludes, denigrates, and threatens fellow citizens different from themselves.
I guess they love freedom and the right to openly speak their minds, as do we all. However, they are unique in that they know God's will. They understand the intent of the framers of the Constitution.
For everyone else -- well, we'll learn the hard way, I suppose. Now, if that church and the KKK only could agree on the truth...
One of the members of the Phelps family, which comprises most of the membership of the Westboro Baptist Church, noted the presence of the KKK and ironically sniffed, “That’s fine. They have no moral authority on anything."
Apart from the funny outfits -- the KKK's pointy-hooded white robes and the American flag worn as a skirt by one of the women from the church to complement her "Jews Killed Jesus.com" t-shirt -- both sides displayed a vision of our nation as one that excludes, denigrates, and threatens fellow citizens different from themselves.
I guess they love freedom and the right to openly speak their minds, as do we all. However, they are unique in that they know God's will. They understand the intent of the framers of the Constitution.
For everyone else -- well, we'll learn the hard way, I suppose. Now, if that church and the KKK only could agree on the truth...
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Listen To The Wind
Let's see -- the church year began on the last Sunday of November, which was the first Sunday of Advent. Then, following Christmas there was Epiphany. Before long it was Ash Wednesday, and Lent was underway once again. Easter followed, and that season will give way next Sunday to Pentecost.
My church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), didn't pay much attention to the liturgical calendar until the last generation or so. I'm not sure what turned the tide, but there truly is great meaning to be found in reflecting on the various seasons, reading the scripture texts assigned by the lectionary, and thinking about what it all means in the context of life in the world. Rather than being a random endeavor, the faith, through these seasons, shapes our lives in a way to which we can become accustomed, reminding us of God's purposes, desires, will, and presence with us.
Pentecost is kind of a launching for which the other seasons have prepared us, for when we respond to Jesus' call, "Follow me," it's not strictly about us. It's more about everyone else, and how we will carry on the ministry begun by Jesus.
Pentecost is a time to reflect on how the Holy Spirit -- so vague and undefinable -- enables and empowers Christians to find ways to be faithful witnesses in an ever-changing environment. The scriptures provide a foundation. The Holy Spirit builds the church. We need not avoid or fear it.
Christianity is about growth, and each of the seasons I mentioned above contributes to that growth in its own way. Growth, of course, is a by-product of change, and the whole world proves that change is God's intention. Change is the only thing constant in God's creation. To resist change is to resist God. Good luck with that.
Jan Richardson wrote some verse about Pentecost that I think captures well the hope of the day. I share it with you here:
Pentecost Blessing
On the day
when you are wearing
your certainty
like a cloak
and your sureness
goes before you
like a shield
or like a sword,
may the sound
of God’s name
spill from your lips
as you have never
heard it before.
May your knowing
be undone.
May mystery
confound your
understanding.
May the Divine
rain down
in strange syllables
yet with
an ancient familiarity,
a knowing borne
in the blood,
the ear,
the tongue,
bringing the clarity
that comes
not in stone
or in steel
but in fire,
in flame.
May there come
one searing word:
enough to bare you
to the bone,
enough to set
your heart ablaze,
enough to make you
whole again.
My church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), didn't pay much attention to the liturgical calendar until the last generation or so. I'm not sure what turned the tide, but there truly is great meaning to be found in reflecting on the various seasons, reading the scripture texts assigned by the lectionary, and thinking about what it all means in the context of life in the world. Rather than being a random endeavor, the faith, through these seasons, shapes our lives in a way to which we can become accustomed, reminding us of God's purposes, desires, will, and presence with us.
Pentecost is kind of a launching for which the other seasons have prepared us, for when we respond to Jesus' call, "Follow me," it's not strictly about us. It's more about everyone else, and how we will carry on the ministry begun by Jesus.
Pentecost is a time to reflect on how the Holy Spirit -- so vague and undefinable -- enables and empowers Christians to find ways to be faithful witnesses in an ever-changing environment. The scriptures provide a foundation. The Holy Spirit builds the church. We need not avoid or fear it.
Christianity is about growth, and each of the seasons I mentioned above contributes to that growth in its own way. Growth, of course, is a by-product of change, and the whole world proves that change is God's intention. Change is the only thing constant in God's creation. To resist change is to resist God. Good luck with that.
Jan Richardson wrote some verse about Pentecost that I think captures well the hope of the day. I share it with you here:
Pentecost Blessing
On the day
when you are wearing
your certainty
like a cloak
and your sureness
goes before you
like a shield
or like a sword,
may the sound
of God’s name
spill from your lips
as you have never
heard it before.
May your knowing
be undone.
May mystery
confound your
understanding.
May the Divine
rain down
in strange syllables
yet with
an ancient familiarity,
a knowing borne
in the blood,
the ear,
the tongue,
bringing the clarity
that comes
not in stone
or in steel
but in fire,
in flame.
May there come
one searing word:
enough to bare you
to the bone,
enough to set
your heart ablaze,
enough to make you
whole again.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
A Now That Does Not End
Driving by a church sign that proclaimed, "Celebrate Salvation," Mary and I started talking about the difference between celebrating salvation and celebrating resurrection. I remarked, "This could be a blog entry," so here goes!
Easter was in April this year, and it is, of course, a day when many Christians think, talk, and rejoice about resurrection. For the fifty days following Easter the church calendar tells us we are in the season of Easter. At the end of fifty days is the observance of Pentecost, which you can read about in Acts 2.
During the season of Easter, I frequently make references in my sermons to Resurrection Power. I differentiate between resuscitation and resurrection. Resuscitation is bringing something back to life. To me, that implies reviving what already existed. Resurrection, on the other hand, is about making something new. What used to be has died. That no longer exists, but a transformation takes place.
To "celebrate salvation," as it commonly is understood, suggests that a person has been kept or protected from something. In this case, he or she has been kept from eternal separation from God. Certainly, that is a good thing! However, talk of salvation tends to focus on what happens later, in the future, after a person dies. It is as if when a person turns to a relationship with Jesus Christ, and is thought to be "saved," a resuscitation occurs. They are forgiven their sins, but they still are the same person as before. There will be a "reward," salvation, later.
Celebrating resurrection, or embracing Resurrection Power, seems to me a new path or direction in life. The person no longer is the same because former priorities, goals, choices, and behaviors have deceased, and he or she lives in the Realm of God now; eternal life is now; God is known and experienced now. It's a now that does not end.
To me, this seems to be illustrated in a couple of ways of looking at the church. Someone recently told me that a church member, who has a flair for design and decorating, wants to work on the artificial plants that decorate the building, and has plans to paint a large gathering room. "She thinks when people come to the church and see that it is attractive and clean, they'll know we care about the church."
I should have held my tongue, but I remarked, "I see it in just the opposite way. I like to see a church that looks a little scuffed up and used. That shows we're doing something." What I didn't say was it demonstrates that we're engaged in ministry with people -- whose lives often are not neat, tidy, and clean.
Somewhere along my journey I was the pastor of a church like that. My time there was a happy period of my life and work. The building, while clean, showed signs of activity and ministry. There were bulletin boards with notices of relevant community and ecumenical events, invitations to the various recovery groups that met there, and reports of wider church responses to natural disasters and justice concerns. A day-care program for disadvantaged children was housed in the building, and from my office I could hear the squealing, bumping, pitter-patter of little feet, laughter, raised voices of teachers, and all the rest that goes along with it. I saw the children when they lined up at the water fountain or made their trips to the rest rooms. They saw me and looked with wide-eyed innocence when our paths crossed. A local feeding program stored canned goods and supplies in one of our spare rooms. Sunday school classes had the requisite tempera paint masterpieces on display, crookedly held in place by masking tape. It was evident by the look of the facility that something was going on, and that people were being nurtured and cared for.
Antiseptic, neat-as-a-pin church buildings where everything is bright, shiny, and in place convey to me a different feeling.
I see in these two cases the shades of differences between resurrection and salvation. Again, salvation is a good thing! But, to me, resurrection is a richness that changes lives.
I see a now that never ends vs. something that comes later. I see life abundant and everlasting, filled with energy, excitement, and joy vs. life in heavenly glory (about which we really know nothing).
I see creativity and freedom vs. caution.
I see faithfulness vs. the practice of religion.
Easter was in April this year, and it is, of course, a day when many Christians think, talk, and rejoice about resurrection. For the fifty days following Easter the church calendar tells us we are in the season of Easter. At the end of fifty days is the observance of Pentecost, which you can read about in Acts 2.
During the season of Easter, I frequently make references in my sermons to Resurrection Power. I differentiate between resuscitation and resurrection. Resuscitation is bringing something back to life. To me, that implies reviving what already existed. Resurrection, on the other hand, is about making something new. What used to be has died. That no longer exists, but a transformation takes place.
To "celebrate salvation," as it commonly is understood, suggests that a person has been kept or protected from something. In this case, he or she has been kept from eternal separation from God. Certainly, that is a good thing! However, talk of salvation tends to focus on what happens later, in the future, after a person dies. It is as if when a person turns to a relationship with Jesus Christ, and is thought to be "saved," a resuscitation occurs. They are forgiven their sins, but they still are the same person as before. There will be a "reward," salvation, later.
Celebrating resurrection, or embracing Resurrection Power, seems to me a new path or direction in life. The person no longer is the same because former priorities, goals, choices, and behaviors have deceased, and he or she lives in the Realm of God now; eternal life is now; God is known and experienced now. It's a now that does not end.
To me, this seems to be illustrated in a couple of ways of looking at the church. Someone recently told me that a church member, who has a flair for design and decorating, wants to work on the artificial plants that decorate the building, and has plans to paint a large gathering room. "She thinks when people come to the church and see that it is attractive and clean, they'll know we care about the church."
I should have held my tongue, but I remarked, "I see it in just the opposite way. I like to see a church that looks a little scuffed up and used. That shows we're doing something." What I didn't say was it demonstrates that we're engaged in ministry with people -- whose lives often are not neat, tidy, and clean.
Somewhere along my journey I was the pastor of a church like that. My time there was a happy period of my life and work. The building, while clean, showed signs of activity and ministry. There were bulletin boards with notices of relevant community and ecumenical events, invitations to the various recovery groups that met there, and reports of wider church responses to natural disasters and justice concerns. A day-care program for disadvantaged children was housed in the building, and from my office I could hear the squealing, bumping, pitter-patter of little feet, laughter, raised voices of teachers, and all the rest that goes along with it. I saw the children when they lined up at the water fountain or made their trips to the rest rooms. They saw me and looked with wide-eyed innocence when our paths crossed. A local feeding program stored canned goods and supplies in one of our spare rooms. Sunday school classes had the requisite tempera paint masterpieces on display, crookedly held in place by masking tape. It was evident by the look of the facility that something was going on, and that people were being nurtured and cared for.
Antiseptic, neat-as-a-pin church buildings where everything is bright, shiny, and in place convey to me a different feeling.
I see in these two cases the shades of differences between resurrection and salvation. Again, salvation is a good thing! But, to me, resurrection is a richness that changes lives.
I see a now that never ends vs. something that comes later. I see life abundant and everlasting, filled with energy, excitement, and joy vs. life in heavenly glory (about which we really know nothing).
I see creativity and freedom vs. caution.
I see faithfulness vs. the practice of religion.
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