So, fine. It's a bit odd that I'm excited about a bunch of blue plastic, 16 oz. stadium cups. But they're here...and they look good (resplendent with their Grace 100th Anniversary logos)...and we can hand them out on Sunday at the big Centennial Picnic.
I think this is going to be great fun. Worship outside under the trees...you can listen to the birds singing and quite often spot an eagle overhead. We'll sing and pray. We'll speak and hear the Word. We'll share memories of ministry past and hopes for mission yet to come. And then all that good potluck food afterwards, along with plenty of time to continue visiting, telling stories, etc. And we'll be drinking our lemonade in blue plastic cups that are marked for the day.
100 years is a long time...at least it seems so when you're only 50. What a great blessing for this place to have been around that long. Apparently, God really is gracious. This Sunday, we'll celebrate that as we raise our blue plastic cups in thanksgiving for all that has been and for all that will be. Sounds like a good time.
25 July 2006
22 July 2006
Surprised Again...
So...it's about time I checked back in here after a wild couple of months. I distinctly remember someone saying to us as seminary students: "Sure, it's busy in the fall, winter and spring; but summer's pretty quiet."
That was a lie.
Lest I complain too much, however, it has been a good kind of busy. I'm constantly amazed (apparently I'm a slow learner) at the generosity of folks in this place, and at their sense of call to participate in the mission of the church. Back in mid-May, it looked like our little expansion project wasn't going to happen. The construction bids came in way higher than the estimates...so much so that, in spite of having raised more money than we thought we needed, we were still $25,000+ short. So the leadership of the parish and I are dreading this congregational meeting where we're going to have to make a decision to hold on the project. Then two families come forward and write the checks for what we need. As a consequence, there's a hole by the front door, a jack-hammer on the sidewalk, and some guys climbing on the roof. And by early September we'll have a gathering space that's twice as big as it was before. Very cool.
One of these days I'm going to learn more about faith and how to relax into it.
That was a lie.
Lest I complain too much, however, it has been a good kind of busy. I'm constantly amazed (apparently I'm a slow learner) at the generosity of folks in this place, and at their sense of call to participate in the mission of the church. Back in mid-May, it looked like our little expansion project wasn't going to happen. The construction bids came in way higher than the estimates...so much so that, in spite of having raised more money than we thought we needed, we were still $25,000+ short. So the leadership of the parish and I are dreading this congregational meeting where we're going to have to make a decision to hold on the project. Then two families come forward and write the checks for what we need. As a consequence, there's a hole by the front door, a jack-hammer on the sidewalk, and some guys climbing on the roof. And by early September we'll have a gathering space that's twice as big as it was before. Very cool.
One of these days I'm going to learn more about faith and how to relax into it.
08 May 2006
A Dent in the Chalice...
There's a dent in the nice pewter chalice that we use during festival seasons. I noticed it yesterday morning while setting the altar for the day's Eucharist. It's not big. It won't prevent us from using the vessel. But it's definitely there...a little chink in an otherwise beautiful thing.
It got me to thinking about the other vessels through which Christ's presence is delivered...namely the human ones. Undoubtedly, most of us would fall into the "beautiful, but dented" category, too.
St. Paul is right. We're basically a bunch of crack-pots (2 Corinthinians 4:7ff). It makes me all the more thankful for a God who could claim worth enough in us for which to die. I'd like to do better by that God...not that I think my dents will go away, but that at least His grace might be visible in and through them.
It got me to thinking about the other vessels through which Christ's presence is delivered...namely the human ones. Undoubtedly, most of us would fall into the "beautiful, but dented" category, too.
St. Paul is right. We're basically a bunch of crack-pots (2 Corinthinians 4:7ff). It makes me all the more thankful for a God who could claim worth enough in us for which to die. I'd like to do better by that God...not that I think my dents will go away, but that at least His grace might be visible in and through them.
02 May 2006
Too good to be true...
We know how things work in this world. If you want something, you’d better be prepared to work for it. And the more valuable that something is, the higher the price…the more you’re going to need to fork over in money or time or labor or integrity…whatever. It’s a simple proposition called quid pro quo...an assumption that there is a transaction behind everything we need or want. It’s what drives our culture and our economy. We are trained in it from a very early age. And in fact, if something doesn’t conform to this model we’re told to be wary…to be skeptical. If something is too good to be true (so the saying goes) it usually is.
So what, then, are we to make of the Gospel? What are we to make of a promise so bold as “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly?”
Well…the first thing we usually do is to start “reading in” certain qualifications. That’s been the church’s solution (following the pattern of society) for centuries. You can have abundant life if you believe in the right doctrines. You can have abundant life if you don’t drink, smoke, dance or (insert favorite vice here) . You can have abundant life if you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. You can have abundant life if you have the proper experience of the Holy Spirit or if you belong to the right denomination or if you listen to the right TV preacher. You can have abundant life if…if…if…
Wonderful. We’ve just managed to make God’s promise into legal code…one more transaction in a life full of transactions. Or, as one sage recently put it, we have the nasty habit of making God’s gifts to us into just one more damn thing to do.
But there is another way…a Good News way…of hearing what God has to say. And it begins by not adding to what the Scriptures say. “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” Notice: there are no qualifications on that statement. It is sheer promise. Better yet, it is promise from the One who is able to keep all His promises…even the promise that death cannot separate us from His love. And because God in Christ Jesus has made us so generous a promise…has given us life abundant and eternal even before we asked for it…we are free to respond with joy and thanksgiving...which might look something like this:
When you remain faithful to your spouse, it’s not so you can impress God by how good you are. It’s too late for that. Rather, it’s so you can pass along the love of God to the one with whom you share your life.
When you drag your sleepy self out of bed every Sunday morning (especially on those mornings when you don’t feel like it), it’s not so that you can impress God by how faithful you are. Again…too late. Rather, it’s so you can take the time to return honor and thanksgiving and praise to the One who gave you life to begin with.
When you try your best to be your best in everything you do…even when you fail…it’s not so you can impress God with how earnest you are. Too late for that, too. Rather, it’s so you can grow into being the very best disciple of Jesus you can be…with all the gifts and foibles that are yours.
For Christians, life is no longer a transaction. It’s a reaction…a response…a giving back to the One who has already given us everything we could possibly need. Our identity, our purpose, the path we follow, sustenance along the way and a final destination…all of these things are ours already. In Christ…the One who is too good to be true…we are set free to shed our anxieties and our despair. We are set free to really live.
So what, then, are we to make of the Gospel? What are we to make of a promise so bold as “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly?”
Well…the first thing we usually do is to start “reading in” certain qualifications. That’s been the church’s solution (following the pattern of society) for centuries. You can have abundant life if you believe in the right doctrines. You can have abundant life if you don’t drink, smoke, dance or (insert favorite vice here) . You can have abundant life if you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. You can have abundant life if you have the proper experience of the Holy Spirit or if you belong to the right denomination or if you listen to the right TV preacher. You can have abundant life if…if…if…
Wonderful. We’ve just managed to make God’s promise into legal code…one more transaction in a life full of transactions. Or, as one sage recently put it, we have the nasty habit of making God’s gifts to us into just one more damn thing to do.
But there is another way…a Good News way…of hearing what God has to say. And it begins by not adding to what the Scriptures say. “I have come that you may have life and have it abundantly.” Notice: there are no qualifications on that statement. It is sheer promise. Better yet, it is promise from the One who is able to keep all His promises…even the promise that death cannot separate us from His love. And because God in Christ Jesus has made us so generous a promise…has given us life abundant and eternal even before we asked for it…we are free to respond with joy and thanksgiving...which might look something like this:
When you remain faithful to your spouse, it’s not so you can impress God by how good you are. It’s too late for that. Rather, it’s so you can pass along the love of God to the one with whom you share your life.
When you drag your sleepy self out of bed every Sunday morning (especially on those mornings when you don’t feel like it), it’s not so that you can impress God by how faithful you are. Again…too late. Rather, it’s so you can take the time to return honor and thanksgiving and praise to the One who gave you life to begin with.
When you try your best to be your best in everything you do…even when you fail…it’s not so you can impress God with how earnest you are. Too late for that, too. Rather, it’s so you can grow into being the very best disciple of Jesus you can be…with all the gifts and foibles that are yours.
For Christians, life is no longer a transaction. It’s a reaction…a response…a giving back to the One who has already given us everything we could possibly need. Our identity, our purpose, the path we follow, sustenance along the way and a final destination…all of these things are ours already. In Christ…the One who is too good to be true…we are set free to shed our anxieties and our despair. We are set free to really live.
11 April 2006
Given for you...
The words are not unfamiliar...nor is the setting. I say them more than 5000 times every year in the context of public worship. So I am not exactly sure why this past Sunday, in the midst of our sharing of Holy Communion, I could barely speak the words:
"The Body of Christ, given for you."
Perhaps it had to do with just having read the passion account from Mark's Gospel. Or perhaps I was more keenly aware than usual of my own sin and my own need before God. All I know is that the line of folks coming forward to the feast seemed to go on and on. And as I pressed the bread into each hand and looked into each person's face, I felt the tears gradually welling up in my eyes and a choking sensation in my throat...until I was finally unable to speak:
"The Body of Christ, given for you."
Please understand. The wet eyes were not for sadness. And the broken voice not simply a crumb caught in my throat. They were, instead, the deep expression of awe at a gift so magnanimous and so undeserved. We take into our hands, into our mouths, into our very bodies the life-giving presence of the Redeemer. We feast on the love of the One whom we routinely disparage, trivialize and abandon. And still He keeps coming back...anxious to transform us into his own likeness that we might bear that redeeming love to all the world.
"The Body of Christ, given for you."
Brothers and sisters, this is no mere ritual. It is divine sustenance...the only food which can make us truly alive in this world and for the world to come. We eat...seldom aware how deep our need for this banquet. But God knows. And so in grace, He continues to make Himself present among us.
"The Body of Christ, given for you."
Amen, we say. Truly it is so.
"The Body of Christ, given for you."
Perhaps it had to do with just having read the passion account from Mark's Gospel. Or perhaps I was more keenly aware than usual of my own sin and my own need before God. All I know is that the line of folks coming forward to the feast seemed to go on and on. And as I pressed the bread into each hand and looked into each person's face, I felt the tears gradually welling up in my eyes and a choking sensation in my throat...until I was finally unable to speak:
"The Body of Christ, given for you."
Please understand. The wet eyes were not for sadness. And the broken voice not simply a crumb caught in my throat. They were, instead, the deep expression of awe at a gift so magnanimous and so undeserved. We take into our hands, into our mouths, into our very bodies the life-giving presence of the Redeemer. We feast on the love of the One whom we routinely disparage, trivialize and abandon. And still He keeps coming back...anxious to transform us into his own likeness that we might bear that redeeming love to all the world.
"The Body of Christ, given for you."
Brothers and sisters, this is no mere ritual. It is divine sustenance...the only food which can make us truly alive in this world and for the world to come. We eat...seldom aware how deep our need for this banquet. But God knows. And so in grace, He continues to make Himself present among us.
"The Body of Christ, given for you."
Amen, we say. Truly it is so.
04 April 2006
How much...
You'll be glad to know that God and I are back on speaking terms. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion that God never really stopped talking. It was just me who stopped listening. (Ever notice how hard it is to hear while you're having a good rant?) At any rate, "it is by grace that you are saved; and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God." Thanks, God...and thanks be to God.
But that's not what's on my mind today.
I was reading a newsletter from another parish...something one of our folks dropped off. This other parish, like us (and like every other mainline Christian congregation, it seems) are all in a toot about stewardship. That is to say: we're struggling to pay the bills and give faithfully to mission, and we need to figure out how to encourage people to be more generous. Most of the programs and campaigns we try focus on one thing...how to help people figure out how much to give and then, how to give more.
So this approach comes out of left field...but it seems to have more than a mere kernal of truth behind it. (I'm going to paraphrase rather than quote since the original sentence structure seemed a bit clunky):
As long as we continue to ask "what shall I give" we'll always be battling a myriad of reasons why we can't give more. The assumption behind the question is that what I have is mine to start with. And since it's mine, I get to decide what to give away. Instead, we need to change the question to: "what shall I keep?" Here's a different assumption...that what we have is a gift given to us in the first place. It recognizes that our wealth originates outside of us...and for Christians, we know where that is: in the grace and mercy of God.
You may think that the difference here is all too subtle...just word play. (And you may be right!) But then again: it might do us good to remember that what we have is not first of all ours. And it just might encourage us (if we're willing to be honest) to examine more carefully what we're keeping our resources for. It's one thing to just pay the MasterCard bill every month and give the church what's left over. It's quite another thing to examine what's on that bill and to ask the question "do I really need this?" The change in perspective could open the door to that kind of analysis, and to a more faithful response to the call of God.
But that's not what's on my mind today.
I was reading a newsletter from another parish...something one of our folks dropped off. This other parish, like us (and like every other mainline Christian congregation, it seems) are all in a toot about stewardship. That is to say: we're struggling to pay the bills and give faithfully to mission, and we need to figure out how to encourage people to be more generous. Most of the programs and campaigns we try focus on one thing...how to help people figure out how much to give and then, how to give more.
So this approach comes out of left field...but it seems to have more than a mere kernal of truth behind it. (I'm going to paraphrase rather than quote since the original sentence structure seemed a bit clunky):
As long as we continue to ask "what shall I give" we'll always be battling a myriad of reasons why we can't give more. The assumption behind the question is that what I have is mine to start with. And since it's mine, I get to decide what to give away. Instead, we need to change the question to: "what shall I keep?" Here's a different assumption...that what we have is a gift given to us in the first place. It recognizes that our wealth originates outside of us...and for Christians, we know where that is: in the grace and mercy of God.
You may think that the difference here is all too subtle...just word play. (And you may be right!) But then again: it might do us good to remember that what we have is not first of all ours. And it just might encourage us (if we're willing to be honest) to examine more carefully what we're keeping our resources for. It's one thing to just pay the MasterCard bill every month and give the church what's left over. It's quite another thing to examine what's on that bill and to ask the question "do I really need this?" The change in perspective could open the door to that kind of analysis, and to a more faithful response to the call of God.
22 March 2006
Prayer...
Dear God!
How could you let this happen? These poor folks are still grieving the loss of one daughter...and now they're about to lose the second one. Another dread disease. Another terrible diagnosis out of left field. What's going on here? Does it have to be this way? What are we supposed to be learning from this? What is it that you want from these people? Love? Faithfulness? Attention? I can tell you that at this moment you're going to be hard pressed to get any of the above...for they are angry, too, and hurt and confused and wondering why life has to be such a bitch.
And yes... part of this is about me. I'm supposed to be with them and I don't want to go there. Their pain is way too much for me. I'm supposed to know what to say, but I have no glib words...no powerful prayers to offer. Just my own anger at You and my own sense of helplessness.
So thanks a lot. Thanks for nothing! Maybe we'll talk later when I'm not so pissed.
Amen
How could you let this happen? These poor folks are still grieving the loss of one daughter...and now they're about to lose the second one. Another dread disease. Another terrible diagnosis out of left field. What's going on here? Does it have to be this way? What are we supposed to be learning from this? What is it that you want from these people? Love? Faithfulness? Attention? I can tell you that at this moment you're going to be hard pressed to get any of the above...for they are angry, too, and hurt and confused and wondering why life has to be such a bitch.
And yes... part of this is about me. I'm supposed to be with them and I don't want to go there. Their pain is way too much for me. I'm supposed to know what to say, but I have no glib words...no powerful prayers to offer. Just my own anger at You and my own sense of helplessness.
So thanks a lot. Thanks for nothing! Maybe we'll talk later when I'm not so pissed.
Amen
03 March 2006
Ek-Ballo
Sometimes struggling with the Sunday sermon can lead you into some pretty strange places...like an image of the Holy Spirit as a bouncer.
It sounds a little weird, but I'm pretty sure that's what Mark is saying. Jesus gets picked up by the scruff of the neck and tossed into the midst of the wilderness like a two-bit drunk trying to crash a swanky club. And there he lays...on curb of some kind of mean street with all its temptations and wild beasts and angels. Amazing: He comes out of the whole experience proclaiming the nearness of the Kingdom, as though life "out there" could be some kind of transformative experience.
Hmmm. Most of my life has been spent avoiding the wilderness. Maybe I've been wrong about that. Maybe life in the wilderness...life at the edges of civilization...even with all its chaos...is a place where we can learn what it truly means to be the Children of God. Sounds kind of risky.
It sounds a little weird, but I'm pretty sure that's what Mark is saying. Jesus gets picked up by the scruff of the neck and tossed into the midst of the wilderness like a two-bit drunk trying to crash a swanky club. And there he lays...on curb of some kind of mean street with all its temptations and wild beasts and angels. Amazing: He comes out of the whole experience proclaiming the nearness of the Kingdom, as though life "out there" could be some kind of transformative experience.
Hmmm. Most of my life has been spent avoiding the wilderness. Maybe I've been wrong about that. Maybe life in the wilderness...life at the edges of civilization...even with all its chaos...is a place where we can learn what it truly means to be the Children of God. Sounds kind of risky.
13 February 2006
Monday is a good day to breathe...
The nature of my job is such that Sunday can be a pretty long, pretty intense day. Yesterday as an example: I got to work a little before 6:00am. Non-stop until about 12:30pm. Got a 45 minute break. Went back to work until 4:15pm. Got a 15 minute break. Went back to work until almost 6:30pm.
Please don't misunderstand: I love what I do, even on the intense days. It's good stuff that comes with the prospect of being reasonably helpful for the folks whom I serve and reasonably faithful to the God I love. So I can live with that.
Plus...it makes Monday (with its usually much less frantic pace) a real joy. While most people complain about another start to the work week, I get to smile and take a few deep breaths. It's a chance to read and think...a chance to plan for the next six days...a chance for prayer and reflection...maybe even (like today) a chance for lunch with the Mrs. It probably doesn't technically qualify as Sabbath time. I am still at work. But it comes pretty close.
God had the right idea when he took a day off each week. And he had the right idea when he commanded that we mortal creatures should do the same thing. I hope you're heeding that command. Believe it or not, it's for your own good. Sure...it means you might have to put aside some overtime and maybe delay the purchase of that new (insert name of object you're lusting after here). But you might actually live long enough to enjoy it more...if you can only find a good day to breathe.
Please don't misunderstand: I love what I do, even on the intense days. It's good stuff that comes with the prospect of being reasonably helpful for the folks whom I serve and reasonably faithful to the God I love. So I can live with that.
Plus...it makes Monday (with its usually much less frantic pace) a real joy. While most people complain about another start to the work week, I get to smile and take a few deep breaths. It's a chance to read and think...a chance to plan for the next six days...a chance for prayer and reflection...maybe even (like today) a chance for lunch with the Mrs. It probably doesn't technically qualify as Sabbath time. I am still at work. But it comes pretty close.
God had the right idea when he took a day off each week. And he had the right idea when he commanded that we mortal creatures should do the same thing. I hope you're heeding that command. Believe it or not, it's for your own good. Sure...it means you might have to put aside some overtime and maybe delay the purchase of that new (insert name of object you're lusting after here). But you might actually live long enough to enjoy it more...if you can only find a good day to breathe.
24 January 2006
Geraldine Brooks...
She's the one who wrote "Year of Wonders." Down to the last couple of chapters...and still a great read. Check it out.
20 January 2006
Back Again...
So...it's been a month since I've taken time to write anything here. First the holidays. Then recovery from the holidays. Then a major professional event to prepare for. It all adds up to not enough time to think and write.
As usual, I've got about four books going. One which I'd really recommend is "Year of Wonders." Can't remember the author's name right now, but it's definitely worth looking up...especially if you like historical fiction. Don't want to give too much away, so here are a few clues: 1666, England, Annus Mirabilis. A bit of history checking first will likely whet your appetite for this one. Great read.
As usual, I've got about four books going. One which I'd really recommend is "Year of Wonders." Can't remember the author's name right now, but it's definitely worth looking up...especially if you like historical fiction. Don't want to give too much away, so here are a few clues: 1666, England, Annus Mirabilis. A bit of history checking first will likely whet your appetite for this one. Great read.
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