Violence and the Cross

Mount of Beatitudes

I’ve never been one to wear a cross.  I have a handful of them in my dresser that have been gifts to me on various occasions.  Partly, it is because I’m not much of a jewelry person.  A greater part of it is what that cross means and how it has been usurped by Christians of another persuasion.  Even though the Resurrection redefines the torturous purpose of the cross, it just seems rather odd to see diamond adorned crosses around someone’s neck.  And I’m not talking about those that simply wear it as jewelry but those that wear it as an act of faith. 

N.T. Wright’s book, Surprised by Hope, and Saved from Sacrifice by Mark Heim speak to the symbolism of the cross and the common understanding of substitionary atonement that is so prevalent.  I can’t wrap my head around the notion that the God of all Creation would intentionally send Christ into the world to redeem us through violence.  The violence inflicted was the act of human beings.  It was the act of sinful people.  It was motivated by fear and politics.  God is not a puppetmaster playing games with us. 

Diana Butler Bass articulates this much better than I ever can, in a blog she wrote for Beliefnet.  Check it out and let me know what you think.

In case you are wondering, I bought a Jerusalem cross on my last day in the Old City.  I wear it as a reminder of my own humaness – my own sinfulness – my own need for God’s redeeming grace.

40 Prayers of Hope and Gratitude

Bruce Reyes-Chow, moderator of the PCUSA and a colleague from past Montreat events is celebrating 40 tomorrow and offered a challenge to his readers to make a list of 40 things for which you are grateful, gives you hope or are in need of God’s healing.  Since it has been a few months since I made my list of 46 items in celebration of my bday, I thought I’d join in the fun. 

Gratitude

1. JP – we marked 20 years a month ago.  His generosity, gentleness, and graciousness are pure gift.  He is the ultimate renaissance man
2. KP – joy, pure joy.  I am ever so thankful for this amazing gift
3. The gift of life.  This week we said goodbye to one of the saints of Pioneer and I was reminded of what a gift our very existance is
4. The challenges and joys of being a pastor.  It is amazing how people allow me/us into their lives.  I need to remember that when I frustrated by the struggles
5. Spring.  Seriously, it couldn’t come soon enough this year
6. Friends who are willing to hear my whining
7. More books to read than I have time
8. 4 days in Montreat with plenty of time to relax, read and reconnect
9. Time with my mom and brother
10. In-n-Out burgers
11. Hard work in the yard
12. Reconnecting with family and our shared history – can you say dart guns?
13. A congregation to serve
14. The care of so many
15. Colleagues
16. Folks who are willing to lead in challenging situations (this would be you Bruce!)
17. Netflix
18. The gourment dinner group – a safe place to be me
19. The arrival of Neil.  Thanks be to God!

Hopeful

1. Listening/watching K2 and her variety of buddies playing together
2. laughter and tears at a memorial service
3. Sunrise
4. Becka’s new call
5. Ashley’s passion for public health
6. Heather’s commitment to the Invisible Children
7. G & J and the Chagrin Valley Job Seekers
8. K2’s prayers
9. sitting at the ocean – (preferably the Pacific)

In need of God’s healing

1. Palestine/Israel – and the living stones that reside in that hallowed land.
2. Families and the tension between generations
3. F. approaching surgery this coming week
4. T, D & C as they grieve
5. G as she grieves the loss of her marriage
6. Those struggling with infertility
7. Faith communities in our area who are closing their doors
8. A young man struggling with his health
9. Widows/widowers who miss their partners
10. The PCUSA
11. God’s good creation
12. those in need of employment

A reminder…

from I Heard God Laughing:  Poems of Hope and Joy by Hafiz

 

I wish I could show you,

When you are lonely or in darkness,

The Astonishing Light

Of your own Being!

This I Believe – Reflections on the Journey

It has been a wonderful Lenten journey and now, on the other side of Resurrection Sunday, I am finding my soul nourished  by the expressions of faith so many in our congregation shared with such beauty and power. 

Long before we became pastors of this church we began a list of dreams we hoped to use someday when we would be in a position where we could implement them.  This I Believe was one of them.  For years, I had helped eighth graders develop an Expression of Faith as a part of their confirmation process.  I intentionally called it an expression rather than statement because I don’t think we necessarily need to use words to “say” what we believe.  Year after year, after the confirmands would present their Expressions of Faith adults would say they could never do such a thing.  Nonsense! 

So this year we did it.  During the season of Lent we explored our faith and invited others to share their expressions.  A physician spoke about how his faith impacts his understanding of healing.  Artists of all abilities shared visual expressions of how they have experienced God at work in their lives.  During the education hour on Sunday mornings we dug into a number of our written confessions that we say on a regular basis.  On Wednesday evenings we looked at our faith and how it can be expressed in film.  Folks shared stories, zipped emails to us, brought in snippets they had discovered in what they had been reading.   

At times, Jeff and I felt a bit lazy because we spent more time listening during worship than speaking!  It was a joy to hear from the priesthood of all believers – and not just for us. 

Last night I was deeply moved by the words of one of our elders who opened our Session meeting by speaking about how his faith has been shaped by serving as an elder.  We’ll be using his reflections as we begin the work of discerning who God is calling to be officers for the class of 2012. 

I keep hearing those words of Parker Palmer that have shaped my ministry:  to teach is to create a space in which obedience to truth is practiced.  I am grateful to be in a place where I can practice that sort of ministry.

Busting out the Walls

image from www.tommynaumann.com

edited 3.24.09

It seems inevitable that when churches run out of space they build something new.  I worked with one pastor who ascribed to the notion that the one way to insure a member’s commitment to the church is to build something every few years – even if it wasn’t necessary. 

 

Random Thought 1:  Recently, I read the book When Not to Build: An Architect’s Unconventional Wisdom for Growing the Church.   There isn’t anything particulalry surprising in the book (I wouldn’t run out a buy a copy) but it does provide some interesting starting points for why churches build.  Bowman and Hall focus discerning the true needs of a congregation – the opening scenario is how one church needed to build a storage shed rather than a new sanctuary.  It is a helpful book to hand off to the engineer types who are more likely to want to find “solutions” to any “problems” that might arrive.  What I found lacking was a discussion of outside the box thinking when it comes to how we can best be the gathered body in our respective communities.

Random Thought 2:  We are maxed out on space in some ways.  We can’t find a place for another group to meet on Sunday mornings.  Pews are full – sometimes too full.  Parking is a challenge on the lowest of Sundays.  Midweek we are without any space for groups to meet that is not upstairs. 

Random Thought 3:  There is a building I pass at least twice daily.  Up until 6 months or so ago it housed some mobile phone company with a really tacky mascot that would stand out in all sorts of weather. He/She/It did grab my attention.  Now there is a sign out front that speaks to the desperation of realtors:  First Year’s Lease Free.  Now that sign grabs my attention.

Random Thought 4:  There are a number of congregations in our Presbytery that are struggling with the albatross of beautiful buildings that once served well but are now simply sucking the life out of these people.  These congregations are choosing to close rather than moving beyond thinking that the church indeed is the building.  I completely understand the emotional tie to buildings (I worry about my home church at times as it struggles to “stay alive”).  I guess that childhood song was just that – a cute childhood song that is too simplistic for grown-ups. 

Beginning connections:  I don’t want us to build for

• the sake of building
• as a way for folks to connect to the “institutional” church
• because that is what you do when you feel the pinch of crowded hallways and packed pews.

I also believe that all churches have a life cycle.  Who knows how long we will continue to grow at this rate.  There is no way to solidify that information in any faithful way.  And, I don’t think that is what we should be about.  Instead, I want us to ponder what it means to be faithful in this context we find ourselves in today.  How do we best live out te call to love God and love our neighbors?  Maybe it means a new building.  Maybe it means utilizing an old mobile phone company building (without the mascot, however!).  Maybe it means adding services and doubling – heck, tripling up the useable spaces we currently have.

Maybe it means building a storage shed. 

What I hope and pray for is that we will be open to how God is working in our lives and how we can best respond.  Not a simple task but an exciting time to be God’s people in this place. 

A note to Pioneer folks… please hear this as musings of one of your pastors who has been stuck at home sick for over a week! 

soaking in the moment

It is so hard to not accomplish something.  Here I sit on my day off wondering what I need to get done.  There is plenty that needs to be done, some of which I’ve already accomplished.  Today, though, I’m going to soak in whatever comes my way – dishes, laundry, phone calls.  My grandfather called this putzing around.  What a grand idea for a day off. 

It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes
Or toes. How soles of feet know
Where they’re supposed to be.
I’ve been thinking about the patience
Of ordinary things, how clothes
Wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet
From the skin of the back.
And the lovely repetition of stairs.
And what is more generous than a window?

Pat Schneider, The Patience of Ordinary Things,

Another River: New and Selected Poems

 

 

A Challenging Blessing

I receive a daily email from Inward/Outward.  It is a publication from The Church of the Savior in D.C.  This one grabbed me the other day…

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

May it be so…

“Whatcha Giving up for Lent?”

devotion

I’m afraid we might be missing the point.  Ash Wednesday is approaching and the conversations have begun again.  Too often they begin with this question:  whatcha giving up for Lent?  This might be just me but I tire of the underlying, none-to-subtle “competition” that comes with the question.  It very well could be that I’m simply feeling guilty about the reality that I’m notoriously bad at “giving something up.”   I understand the connection to Jesus’ wandering in the wilderness for 40 days and the temptations he faced but let’s face it, we aren’t Jesus!  One of my favorite responses to the question of what you are giving up for Lent?  Lent. 

Over the years, I’ve encouraged folks to take something on - some practice that will draw them towards God.  Regina Brett, a columnist in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, wrote a wonderful essay yesterday about the practice of giving something up or taking something on for Lent.  Some folks on Facebook are giving up Facebook for Lent. 

I think the question that needs to be asked is how is this act, whether it be giving up or taking on, drawing you closer to God?  Giving up chocolate and then whining about it with every person you meet is not drawing you closer to God!  Taking on exercise so you can lose 10 lbs. is not drawing you closer to God.  If, if, giving up chocolate causes you to reflect on who you are and how God is shaping you as a disciple then do it.  If, as you go for your walk, you ponder the Mystery that is, then do it.  If steering clear of Facebook leads you instead to sit quietly in the Presence, do it. 

It’s about devotion, I think.  No, not the “I’m going to do my devotions now.”  Rather, how will you devote yourself to the One who has created you and called you and sends you into this crazy, messed up world we live in?  Maybe simply pondering and praying over that question would be enough to take on this Lent.

If I was asked to pray at the inauguration…

In case anyone is wondering, if I had been asked to pray at the Inauguration I would not have closed with the Lord’s Prayer.  I know I’m making a number of assumptions here but I didn’t want any of you (all 3 of you who read this blog!) to lose sleep over this. 

Here is why:  The Lord’s Prayer is intentionally exclusive.  For the early Christians, the first time they would have prayed the Lord’s Prayer would have been after they had been through a lengthy process of training (the catechumenate), baptized (during the Easter Vigil) and then brought into the worshipping community where they would pray those words and receive the Lord’s Supper. 

So why in the world would a person stand before 2 million people plus the millions watching and pray that prayer?  There were 6 adults in our group who attended the inauguration, 5 of whom are Presbyterian pastors and the other is a church professional – none of us joined in.  It wasn’t the time and place.  This was a crowd of people representing who-knows-how-many faith traditions.  Why diminish the Lord’s Prayer in such a way? 

If I am asked to pray in a public place I go as a Christian pastor.  That is a given and I am not afraid to represent Christ.  Actually, I am humbled to do so.  But I also need to understand the context.  Jeff and I are co-teaching a course with the neighboring rabbi about Jewish-Christian relations in our community.  Would it be appropriate for us to close each meeting with the Lord’s Prayer?  Nope.  No more so than it would be for the rabbi to close with a prayer from her tradition.  Would it be appropriate for us to teach about those prayers in that setting.  Absolutely. 

This begs the question, why do we pray at such public events?  It is intriguing to me that the inauguration was surrounded by so much prayer.  As a person of faith, I am grateful that such an event is surrounded by prayer.  I can’t think of a role that needs more prayer than the presidency!  But what would have happened if there had been a variety of faith leaders leading those prayers?  What would a humanist say?  What sort of uproar would we have heard if a Muslim Imam had prayed? 

Bottom line:  those of you who are people of faith had better be praying for the leadership of this country using whatever words best suit your beliefs.

A Part of History

We did it.  Yes, we knew it would be cold.  Yes, we knew the crowds would be insane.  Yes, we knew we had to be there.

Back in 1993 a group of us went to Clinton’s inauguration.  It was our last January class and we needed to take something so we created an independent study on power and leadership.  We visited Sojourners, Church of the Savior, and a faith-based lobbyist from the Methodist Church. We read a couple of books (God the Economist still sits on my shelf), talked over coffee and sat in the cold while watching the events through binoculers while leaning into the group next to us so we could hear their radio.  Six of us crashed in the one-bedroom/one-bath apartment of a relative who is probably still in recovery! 

This time we went to be a part of history.  We took our kids.  We remembered binoculars and radios so we wouldn’t have to share.  We laughed at how close we got in 1993 and didn’t realize it.  We “splurged” and stayed at Meadowkirk where we each had a bed.  We slept very little and are still trying to defrost our toes.  We will never forget it.  My thoughts are still brewing and stewing but here is the “travelogue,” some initial reflections and a few pictures. 

We arrived on Friday night and were amazed how vacant the Mall felt on Saturday.  We walked around the Capitol, saw where the “important” people would sit and stand during the inauguration, made our way to the Air & Space Museum (to warm up!),  and stood at the Washington Monument (K2 is still telling everyone she sees that she touched the Washington Monument!).  As we made our way down the Mall, we stood with the throngs at MSNBC – Jeff held K2 up so she could be on TV.  Then we came across Harry Smith from CBS interviewing two women wearing American Flag cowboy hats (I’m not making that up!).  After he finished interviewing them he turned to us and asked us why we had come.  K2 told him that she was in second grade and studying the monuments.  He must have been taken by the freckled girl in the pink jacket so off we went to the CBS platform so K2 could have a better view of the monuments.  Apparently we were on the Early Show on 1.19.09 but we have not been able to track down a copy. 

 

We met the first of our crew at the We are One concert.  What a kick! 

Inauguration Day was…what superlative shall I use?  Amazing, Awe-inspring, Hope-filled.  I was filled with gratitude to have K2 with us watching this event.  We had to wake up 3 of the kids who had fallen asleep at our feet to watch it happen.  I was standing with some older black women and couldn’t help but wonder what it must have meant to them.  I was struck over and over by the number of older black folks who were there.  What an experience.  K2 was engrossed by the display in the American History Museum about slavery.  She can’t quite wrap her head around why it happened and why people are still treated poorly.  “You mean S and K and I couldn’t have played together?”  

These next two were taken by Emily – thanks friend.

A couple of memories not to be forgotten:

• The crowd was incredible – in both size and graciousness.  Even with the long lines and close quarters, people were polite, courteous, and friendly.  There was a sense that we were in this together and we could make or break it.  I know that was not universal. 
• “Thanks for coming.”  Everywhere we went, when we would offer our thanks, Smithsonian employees, Metro folks, security and police officers would say “thanks for coming.”  Amazing.  The only place we felt unwelcome was Fahrney’s.  And we were planning on buying pens as our momento!  Update:   I had sent a note to Fahrney’s not expecting any sort of response.  I received an email tonight with a very sincere apology and a gift certificate is in the mail.  Wow.
• “Please be seated.”  The first time Feinstein said this from the podium the crowd around us let out quite a laugh.  And where shall we sit?  We were, however, quite ready for all requests to stand!  They have obviously not been taught the line “…if you are able.” 
• Our favorite chotsky was this.  They smell like hope:

I’ve rambled on long enough.  I have more to say but I’ll do that in the next post.  It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience it, for this country in which we live, and for the friends that gathered to share it.