Cycles and Pendulums

Thanksgiving blessings to all!

As I have prepared for both yesterday's message and for Advent, the texts reflect the time of exile, when the people of Israel (the northern kingdom) and Judah (the southern kingdom) were scattered, many sent to Babylon or to other places in the Assyrian Empire so that there would not be a class of leaders in the land to rebel against foreign rule.  So, I paged back in the Bible to 2nd Chronicles to read the account of what led up to that devastating event.  I found the accounts to be fascinating in light of my interest in historical cycles in our more recent history.  The story concerns the kings, primarily.  One "does what is good in the sight of the Lord." But he dies and his 20-something son takes over.  He "does what is evil in the sight of the Lord," mostly permitting or encouraging the worship of gods belonging to other peoples - perhaps even to the aliens living among them.  Then he dies, and the next 20-something takes the throne, and he throws out the sacred poles and idols and restores worship of Yahweh.  But he dies and the cycle repeats.  The writers here are clearly biased, not only toward the worship of Yahweh, but to a particularly ordered and limited worship of Yahweh.  The priestly perspective.

My guide to cycles, Generations by Strauss and Howe, identifies a swing between outward concerns - infrastructure, corporate development, institutional growth - and inward concerns - the world of ideas, of personal expression, of spiritual searching.  It is pretty clear that the priestly class valued the outward concerns, they praise building projects and creating order in the temple and in the celebration of prescribed holy days.  The neighboring religions were much more about personal license and inter-relationships.  They were earthy, addressing the daily personal needs of their adherents more than the corporate needs of a rigidly defined people.  Not much new under the sun, it seems.

I'm of a generation with a strong attachment to the personal growth and expression side of this pendulum swing, but I also recognized that we swing too far in that direction before we call a halt and begin to turn again to ordered community and outward, physical development which has been so neglected in our time. The still current administration's passion for deregulation is less Republican than it is generational.  It takes a practical and forward thinking Gen-Xer to turn the swing toward order.   Oops, that sounded more political than I try to be.  But it is less about party, I think, than about timing. Why were so many people willing to listen to the very junior senator from Illinois?  Was it just because he could put words together well?  No, I don't think so.  I think he expressed a general sense of time for change, change toward new community and unity.  His opponent, for all his efforts, just did not embody that change the way this younger, and very different face did.  John McCain was the very last chance for a member of his generation to sit in the oval office.  But he is a generation older than George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.  Obama is the next younger. 

We have come to the end of the pendulum swing.  The direction is shifting.  What wisdom can we, who have lived through this part of the cycle, share with the young people who will be the builders of the next one?  As I asked on Sunday, how can we raise authentic and respectful kids, who will be strong team members and creative builders of the next new world?  How can we encourage the strengths that will be theirs as well as impart the best of our own ideas - respect for diversity, a place for personal expression, and whatever else we might name an important?  Now is the time for us self-centered Boomers and cynical older X-ers to turn our focus away from our own troubles and even some of our dated ideals, and look to those who are growing amongst us.

As Advent begins, the time of anticipation of a new life among us, it is quite appropriate to look to a new star, a new model of hope for our world.  Let us pray that we can all, from most prominent to most humble, dwell in that hope and work hand in hand with our God to bring Christ's reign to earth. 

Peace, Marlea

2 cents on the future

Hello!  It has been awhile since my last post, I see.  Not for lack of thought, but maybe for the focus to write.

I've spent too much time listening to political punditry this election season, but I have learned that even with good intentions, much of importance gets lost.  If you try hard, you can probably find messages of substance from the candidates, but there has also been a lot of exaggeration and focus on issues of image and appeals to fear - on both sides.

Even in the midst of the tremendous economic - and social - disruptions of the last month, there has been little of solid reflection on what the future might hold or good analysis of our current situation.  I have read a lot in the last few years that tries to describe the social structures of our nation and the world as a way to imagine what the church of the future should be.  Nearly all of them seem to assume that, although our world has changed in many ways over the last several decades, it will go in a straight line from this point on, so whatever is disintegrating will either continue to disintegrate or will recover to status quo and move straight forward.  

A few years ago, I read Generations by Strauss and Howe.  It is a big book, reviewing the history of the generations of people in America since the early 1600s.  The authors provide a map through time of four generational types that follow one another in sequence, and the characteristics of the times that  correspond to those lives.  The thesis is that history does not progress in a straight line, but in an extended wave form or, better, in a spiral of recurring phases, but with details that differ due to circumstances, technology, etc.  It takes quite a bit of space to describe all of this and I'm sure some of you have heard some of it - I am surprised it hasn't appeared in this blog before now.  The point is that their theory indicates that what is now is NOT what will be.  The disintegration and chaos of our times is not forever, but is very likely to resolve into a new era of rebuilding and order.  However, it is not inevitable, and it could take very different forms.  

I don’t like to sound like a prophet of doom, because I believe in hope and the wondrous presence of God in all life, but I also believe that we are in for a time of troubles that will take a few years to resolve. I think we as a society have come near to the a crisis phase of the cycle, and are about to turn in a different direction. To do that, we need to spend some time rethinking our priorities and values as individuals, as families, as a church, and as a society. Our young people need to develop good civic (and Christian) values and personal strength and the ability to work together with all kinds of people to solve problems, and to build a respectful society where honesty and integrity are prized more than power and money. We, their elders, need to examine our lives and reclaim ideals of hope and peace and rights for all so that the young have models and mentors and leaders for their journeys. 

The disintegration of the 20s led to the troubles of the Depression and was brought back by the discipline of a war that had a clear purpose and justification as good as any war could ever have.  The authors suggest that when crisis is addressed with clarity, and the young adult generation has the opportunity to serve and mature with a sense of purpose and direction, that society rebounds and rebuilds with energy and strength.  The generation shaped by crisis goes on to become leaders for the next two or more generations.  The generation that served in WWII in its young adulthood provided presidents from Kennedy through George H.W. Bush, and has continued to provide civic and national leaders until just the last few years, when the last have moved into their mid-80s.  This practical and problem-solving generation has given all of us the infrastructure and corporate structure that shaped us.  But other generations are also important to our social health, each contributes in vital ways to our life.  What is built in one era will not necessarily suit the needs of another, so we must do some judicious destruction to make room for another era.  We must also balance concern with the physical and structural with the spiritual and philosophical, with arts and music, with personal growth as well as corporate growth.  History will judge how beneficial that correction has been, but it has brought us to this point.  

I believe that the churches who believe that God cares about the "kingdom" coming near to this life on earth as it is in heaven have a particular responsibility to lead through this time of challenge and trouble.  We need to be the ones to speak about "doing for the least," to stand up for the rights of every person to pursue wholeness and with their essential needs met.  But we also need to lead our country and our society in a re-evaluation of priorities, to set the stage for a restructuring based on valuing people above ever-growing profits, respecting workers as much as stockholders, and being good stewards of all resources.

We start with ourselves and our own values; we share them, and our passions for them, with our youth and children, we listen to the ideas and world-views of our young adults and encourage them on their journeys.  We move out into the world as leaders in our communities, workplaces, leisure environments with commitment and hope.  God is present here.  It is God's blessings we share, and God's realm we experience in our lives, when we listen to God's leading for us.

(I guess I made up for infrequency with length!  I hope it is worthwhile!)

Peace!

Marlea

Trouble in the family

Lectionary Scripture Readings for Sunday, September 7:

(Exodus 12:1-14) OR Ezekiel 33:7-11; (Romans 14:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20)

Ezekiel is tired of prophesying doom and ready to quit.  God says, "If you don't tell the wicked to change their ways, and they keep doing what they are doing, they'll die, and you will be to blame.  If you tell them to change and they don't listen, they'll still die, but no blame on you.  Of course, I really don't want anyone to die, I want them all to repent and be saved."

In Matthew, Jesus says, "If another Christian does something that is hurtful, you owe it to them to let them know (and repair the damage between you, by implication).  If they won't listen, try again with a couple of witnesses.  If they persist in being hurtful, take your concern to the community.  If the person refuses the guidance of the church, they may need to be removed from the center of the community."  [My interpretive adaptation!]

The first of these passages has nothing to do with one on one interaction.  The prophet is standing up before the whole of the society to chastise the powers to turn to the values of kindness, generosity, honesty and faithfulness.  Many of the people who founded our nation were people of faith who wanted to create a new society based on their interpretation of scripture.  By the time of the constitution, there were many different beliefs represented, and a secular philosophy based in broadly Christian principles was the way to unite the colonies and allow for the diversity.  We have moved away from and returned to variations of those high principles over our history.  

In recent decades, we have moved away from some aspects of them that would call us to think first of others and work for the common good.  We have moved away from personal restraint or moderation to extreme sports and speech and dress and sound on a large scale. (I think we always need an experimental fringe who test out the edges of art and behavior, but am not sure it is good for so much of society to embrace it.) We have moved from a sense of history to believe now is everything.  

I think there is a need for the church to take on the role of Ezekiel or Isaiah, calling our society to account.  Since we are not a theocracy ruled by priests of one unified faith, we need to use the terms of faith with caution.  But we have the language of the constitution and philosophy to help us talk about the common good, about justice and fairness and the rights and responsibilities of the whole instead of just the individual.

If we do not speak out against the evils we see in society, can we escape responsibility for the lives destroyed?  God hopes and calls for repentance, for society to turn away from harmful ways and toward peace and justice for all.  What would I hold up as harmful?  The widespread practice of gambling, and the promotion of it by governments as a fund raising tool.  The greed of corporations who care more about shareholder wealth than products or customers or users or workers, and the outrageous disparities between executive salaries and "golden parachutes" and worker wages and stolen pensions.  The devaluing of labor and the skills of workers that is evident when companies dump long term employees and locations for cheap labor abroad or that pays wages so low only illegal immigrants are willing to take the jobs, because government support for "free" trade has allowed the destruction of local economies in favor of global service to American consumerism.  The creation of demand for more and more stuff at cheaper and cheaper prices that means only the very wealthy can buy goods that actually can be repaired and maintained and kept for many years.  The poorer the person, the more life is filled with the disposable and worthless.  Good furniture from ordinary households of the past is now valuable antiques. New furniture is hardly worth giving to the Salvation Army.

Enough of my rant.   But I would love to have you rant back.  Where do you find evil in our world?  What should we stand up against?  And what for?  

From the relatively far distance of my planning day, I had decided to preach on this and on Matthew, with the tempering wisdom of Romans to guide all.  This week the events of worship and an inspired reading of Exodus dictates something different.  

Moving on toward Sunday,

Marlea

Saturday Ruminations

Like many others, I watched a fair amount of the Democratic Convention this week.  One of the important tasks of the convention was to tell the personal stories of the candidates.  In Obama's case, the story has been distorted and falsified in emails and internet and a variety of other media, so it was important to correct it.  But it was also important because we connect with people through their stories, we come to know something about people and develop a sense of trust when we learn something of their story.  I did not know Joe Biden's story until this week, for example, but now have a sense of his dedication to his family and his state, and how that may have shaped his work in the Senate.  As soon as McCain's running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, was announced, her story began to be told with the hope that people would identify with her.

The purpose of the Gospels was similar, to tell not only what Jesus said - there was probably already at least one collection of Jesus' sayings being circulated - but to tell who Jesus was.  Each writer had their own idea of what was crucial in the story, so the stories differ.  They are not intended to be historical records in the way we understand them.  They are more like well researched historical novels, but that is not exactly what they are either.  A spiritual narrative designed to inspire as much as to teach.  

Political stories are not exactly historical records either.  All such stories need to be interpreted.  What is the message that is being conveyed?  Why is this important to the author?  To the reader?  What action are we being asked to take?  As we listen to political rhetoric it is good to remember that in the Bible we have a set of stories and commentaries that need to shape the way we interpret the contemporary stories and commentaries that we are hearing.  

Revolution!

Scripture focus:  Matthew 13:31-33. 44-52

Matthew provides an interesting setting for this chapter.  Jesus went out along the beach , and so many people gathered that he could not be seen or heard.  So Jesus climbed into a boat pulled up on the beach and sat there and told the people parables. The stories are intermixed with explanations, but Jesus seems to have given the explanations to the disciples later rather than to everyone, so it is appropriate that the lectionary skips the explanations and puts together this group of five parables, all about the kingdom of heaven.

Walter Wink, in an article in the journal Weavings, talks of his compelling interest in the question "What is the kingdom or reign of God?"  He found answers to where (near and sometimes here), and when (now and not yet), but not what, until he read a book by Riane Eisler, The Chalice and the Blade (a very good book!).  Eisler is a Jew who is glad to claim Jesus as a Jewish prophet who condemned all systems of domination.  That was Wink's key: the kingdom of God or heaven is God's domination-free system.  Wink re-read the Gospels and found evidence everywhere.  Such a system is sounds a bit radical and strange, but is consistent with many of our constitutional ideas.  Three branches of government to have equal powers so no one can dominate the others.  Local decisions made by elected citizens who are accountable to the people.  We humans just seem to have a hard time living up to our ideals. 

Instead, we clamor for power like bullies on a playground.  Whether climbing the corporate hierarchy or competing for first chair in the orchestra, we aim for positions of influence.  When those are not open to us professionally, we may try to control our spouse or child or parent.  Last week I was talking to an acquaintance who complained he doesn't have any friends.  He is right.  He has no friends because he always dominates the conversation and never really listens to anyone or has a good word to say about anyone.  Powerless in nearly every aspect of his life, he relinquishes the true power of relationship and connection by being the blowhard everyone would rather avoid. 

Jesus lived in a state dominated by the almost absolute and often despotic power of Caesar and his appointed governors.  The Jews had a long history of kings, but no king of their own, now, or for many years before.  Kingdom to a Jew in Jesus' day had to invoke one of two primary ideas in his listeners: either a purely spiritual kingdom or a new political framework with a new king in Israel.  This kingdom was certainly spiritual, but he spoke all the time about the distractions of money, the blessings of the poor, the inclusion of the outcast.  These are political issues, not just spiritual ones.

I've been reading some good info on the idea of the kingdom and have lots of thoughts to share, but that would be a very long post!

One more thought before I close this and try to assemble it all into a coherent sermon and liturgy for Sunday.  The parable of the yeast is an important image because it says that it only takes a little bit of the "kingdom" to make a real difference in the world.  A small action that brings God's dream for the world a bit closer. One life lived in harmony with God's will can change many lives that come into contact.  And in an individual, one act of love, of reconciliation can make a difference in the whole of life.  The realm of God's love is power without domination or oppression.  Love that encourages more love but also leads to justice, to the removal of oppression through real political and social change.  Whether or not you agree with all their political ideas, MoveOn.org is a good example of individual people taking small actions - emails, small donations - and making a real difference.  Churches have the same power, but we don't endorse candidates; we work for mercy, justice and peace.  

What act of the kingdom have you done, today?

Peace, 

Marlea

Welcoming the stranger

Scripture:  Matthew 10:40-42

Greetings all!

I really believe that one of the most important lessons from Jesus' life has to do with hospitality.  Jesus broke all the social taboos of his time and reached out with care, healing and friendship to people who were outcasts of his day.  Some of the folk that Jesus accepted were rejected by everyone - the lepers and demon-possessed.  Others were looked down on by many, but most objectionable to the Pharisees who believed that the way to God was through exacting obedience to the holiness code.  They felt God called all of Israel to purity and separation from contact with foreigners and with anything that might prevent a person entering readily into the temple's inner court. 

Jesus saw a very different path to God.  His vision was of a world without such social divisions; where what was on a person's heart was more important than what they touched or the diseases they might have.  God's love reaches out to all and Jesus' hand was extended to all also.  

Hospitality begins at church with simple acts, like wearing a nametag, greeting an unknown person, serving as a greeter, smiling at people.  It takes another step as we be sure that a newcomer can find the nursery or the restrooms, can follow the order of worship without getting confused, feels welcome to take communion when offered, is included in the fellowship after worship, is spoken to and thanked for coming as they leave.  Charlene Smith, Minister of Evangelism for Church Development and Vitality of the United Church of Christ, challenged attendees of the Association Meeting this spring to start a block or so away from the church and approach as if for the very first time.  Look at signage and the appearance of the building, the entry, the way you and others are greeted and the experience all the way through the service.  (Make a point of going to a service elsewhere if you travel this summer.  It can help you see things you might otherwise take for granted.)  Look at what you see in the gathering space, on the bulletin boards, in the sanctuary.  What does it all tell a newcomer about Zion?  Does it fairly represent who we are and what we do?

There is a lot more to hospitality.  As pastor, I send letters of welcome to newcomers.  (Notice I am avoiding the term "visitor." Visitor implies a short-term, one-shot presence. We have visitors, relatives and friends who come for only one week or so, but even those should be treated as friends and potential members of the church  community.) Some congregations take welcome gifts - cookies, or a loaf of bread - to newcomers.  Newcomers who return need to be incorporated into the church community by being invited to fellowship events, small groups, mission projects, etc.  

As important as all this is, it is only a part of the larger question of welcoming the stranger. Welcoming all that Jesus loves is easy when we wait for people to appear at the door and those that do have a lot in common with all of us.  But what if the person who arrives looks like they've slept under a bridge for a month?  Or talks back during the sermon (positively or negatively)? Or is a flamboyantly gay couple? Are we as welcoming?

We are called to make disciples, to be active in inviting people to the fellowship of Christ.  That requires invitation.  Who do we invite?

How do we respond to a released prisoner or sex offender?  What would Jesus do?

[Note: The above question is theoretical.  This congregation has policies in place to ensure the safety of our children. These are of first order and these questions are not intended to imply any threat or danger to anyone.]

More about welcome on Sunday.  See you then.

Finding grace in the flood

Greetings on this day of highest water (we hope and pray!)

When read in the midst of the devastating flooding here and across the midwest, the scriptures this week are hard to take.  Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20: 7-13) is so angry at God for making him prophesy doom that he accuses God of the spiritual equivalent of rape and in verses 14-18 wishes he had never been born.   Jeremiah is unable to hold back the word of God even though it is making people threaten his life.  He is at the end of his rope and wants OUT!  But God knows that it will not come to the point Jeremiah fears, and that the message he bears is important.  The ranking priest, Passhur, is among Jeremiah's chief opponents and has the ear of the king and the people, so Jeremiah is extremely frustrated.

We could explore the context in which Jeremiah preaches, just before Judah is defeated by Babylon, the temple destroyed and people taken into exile, but I am more interested in the compulsion Jeremiah feels to do as God has called him, and the consequences for his doing so. Hopefully, our calls will not find us in quite as desperate a state as Jeremiah, but Jesus is clear in his message to the disciples (Matthew 10:24-39)  that putting one's call from God, and one's faith in Christ, above everything else can have some less than pleasant consequences.  "I have come to bring not peace, but a sword," Jesus says.  Not a literal sword, Jesus does not ever suggest that violence is the solution, but some relationships may be cut and some priorities drastically changed.  

For Jeremiah, and for the disciples 500 years or so later, being faithful caused some dramatic life changes.  It is easy for us to think that no such effort will be required of us, but the question remains, where is your heart, your soul?  Where will you go and what will you do when God calls?  

Do not be afraid.  Do not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  God loves and cares for the smallest of birds, God will care for you as well.

____

This is a sermon preview this week.  These ideas are on my mind, along with the flooding and how best to respond.  If you know people directly affected by flooding who could use a clean-up kit or other assistance, let the church know.  

Peace and blessings,

Marlea

They'll Know We Are Christians…

Scripture:  Exodus 19:2-8a 

Three months in the desert.  The people have complained about lack of food, and been fed; about lack of water, and water has flowed from a rock.  They have fought off attackers, and been organized into groups with judges to help settle disputes. Now they arrive at Mt. Sinai, and God has a message for them.  God says:  See how I have been with you and brought you safely this far; I have carried you like an eagle carries its young.  If you will stick with me faithfully, you will be my own treasured people.  The whole world is mine, but you will be consecrated as my priestly kingdom, a holy nation.  And the people said, "Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do."

I encourage you to read on beyond verse 8 to see just what a fearsome show God put on to seal this promise - lots of noise and smoke in a scary demonstration of power.  But the point had already been made:  although all people belong to God, these Hebrew people were somehow set apart, treasured and consecrated.  Over time, I suspect we have come to think that we who count ourselves descended from these people through Jesus Christ are set apart from the world.  I know my tendency is to use words that set "us" in contrast to "the world."  There is a separation of some kind intended here, but I think too much can be made of it.  We Christians have often condemned the world or rushed forward to convert it.  

Today as I reflect on this, I see a distinction more like the distinction between the clergy and laity in the congregation.  Clergy are not set apart, nor are they holier or more godly.  They (we) are consecrated to serve; to use the training and the particular gifts we have to build up the church, to call the church to its mission, to encourage and support the mission work of the people.  Just like the judges (Exodus 18: 13-26) who were given responsibility for settling disputes, clergy have a specific role within the community, but do not stand outside it.  So, what would it mean to think of the church in that way in relationship to the rest of the community?  Now, maybe, the title of this blog makes some sense.  What makes us as individual Christians or as a specific congregation known or visible?  How are we seen?  Could someone learn something about God by getting to know us?  Are we leaders or a useful presence in our community?

With no knowledge or research about what is possible or has been tried, here's a list I came up with.  I'm sure you all can do better.  In addition to singing at care facilities, participating in Paint-a-thon and Relay for Life and road cleanup, how about:  A service booth at city events offering shaded seating and free water, a baby changing table, a message board or limited cellphone use to help separated family/group members find one another, blood pressure checks…  (Ear plugs?) Whatever might be needed by a weary event goer on a hot summer day.  No fundraising, no food (lots of work and very available anyway) but respite.  Or whatever other visible service.  

There is merit in doing many things under the radar, but there is also value in saying that we, as Christians, do this service because we believe it is what Christ would have us do.  Love our neighbors.    Whatcha think?

Adults or Children of God?

Greetings on another rainy day!

This morning at the gathering at Digger's Rest, we were reading Hosea 5:15 - 6:6 and talking about whether or not God punishes our bad behavior.  Hosea puts these words in the mouths of the people: "it is [God] who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up."  One voice at the table said that God, like any parent, has responsibility for correction and guidance and sometimes the only way to get the child's attention is through punishment.  Another voice countered that God has given us free will, so when we make mistakes, we have to expect there to be consequences.  God doesn't punish, therefore, but God doesn't protect us from the results of our actions either.  

Maybe the question is, are we youthful children of God or adult children of God?  A parent would be irresponsible if they didn't protect children from some consequences or take the opportunity to use disciplinary tactics to teach their young children behavior that was right and good.  At the same time, as children grow, they need to take more and more responsibility for their own actions.  Parents cannot and should not shield their children from all consequences.  As adults, we are morally and legally responsible for our speech, our actions, and our failures to act.  Consequences, whether a guilty conscience or a legal judgement, must be dealt with. 

The message of faith, however, is that, whatever the nature of your actions, God is merciful and full of grace.  Authentic repentance yields forgiveness.  Forgiveness does not mean that all consequences are removed.  Reconciliation with those one has hurt, restitution for damage or theft, and payment of social debts legally imposed need to be made.  God's forgiveness cannot change that, although sincere repentance may be responded to by humans as well. 

In Hosea, God says, essentially, "I will wait until the people seek me out."  When they do, God gently reproves them for being "like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early." God says, "For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."  

In Matthew 9: 13, Jesus tells his accusers, "Go learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners." He quotes Hosea here to help him establish his reasons for seeking out sinners. Sinners are the ones who need God's forgiving and healing grace.

I guess I come down on the adult children side of the discussion, although we often do not act like it.  Maybe, we are more like adolescents, still figuring out what it means to be grown up.  God may need to do some discipline at the same time as letting us take our own lead.  Hmm.  

Still thinking.

Background stuff:

The law as set forth in the Torah specified particular payments for various sins, from an offering of doves to very serious penalties.  Everyday errors most often were satisfied by sacrifices.  In addition, sacrifices of animals were specified for offerings of thanksgiving and honor. In a similar way, in the late medieval church, sins could be regularly cancelled through granting of indulgences (abused to become a payment of money for forgiveness) or through a fixed set of prayers or devotional acts.  Although the goal was to make people more faithful, and the process was reformed several times, many have continued to see it more as a system of balances than a means to faith.  

Protestants have leaned more toward an emotional change of heart, a commitment of self to God.  For some this is a specific time and place of devotion and dedication.  For others, a lifelong process of learning and working and growing in faith.  We at Zion tend to emphasize the latter.  We are more able to support growth and faith development processes than we are more dramatic conversions, but I suspect many of us can claim a bit of both in our histories.

Note:

So, what can I do to get some feedback here?  You don't have to write an essay - a few words is good.  Some sign that I'm not just talking to myself would be nice!  Say "Hi" if nothing else.  

Blessings!

Marlea

Planning or worrying?

Scripture: Matthew 6:24-34

"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"

This passage goes on to suggest that God, who "dresses" lilies, will surely clothe God's human followers.  These can be beautiful words, full of hope and confidence, but they can also seem very naive and foolhardy. Perhaps it seems most foolish to those of us who ask that question while trying to choose from a full closet.  No, God will not pick out your Tuesday outfit for you.  The question is, when the closet is empty and the cupboards are bare, how can we not worry?

Most of us have encountered the advice to live in the moment. Don't worry about what tomorrow will bring, now is what counts.  There is some truth to this.  Too often we spend our time in either future or past and miss the present, we miss the smiles of friends and family, the flowers blooming along a familiar way, the perfume of lilacs in the air.  We may also miss opportunities to make a friend or choose a different path because we hurried on by to some predetermined goal, or because our memories or regrets about what once was or could have been keep us from seeing what is.  

Ecclesiastes is right: to everything there is a season.  There are times to reflect on the past, and times to plan for the future.  And there are times to savor the present moment - maybe even to savor the experience of remembering or of dreaming of a new future.  But I do not really think there is a time to worry.  Most worrying is rehashing worst-case fears rather than applying creativity to find solutions.  Worrying also tends to be about things that cannot be changed.  

Last weekend, my mother and I went up to northern Wisconsin to open Mom's cabin for the summer.  Basically that just meant turning on the water and checking for winter damage.  On the way up, we were wondering what we would find since the year before we'd had a break-in. I don't remember what we were talking about when Mom said, "That's something I forgot to worry about."  We laughed about her wording, but it carried a load of truth.  Thinking about something, or wondering about it is one thing, but chewing on it and imagining the awful possibilities is another.  Most things we should forget to worry about.  The truth is, many of the things that worry us are things that we failed to plan for.  We worried about a boat motor because we had not gotten the lock bar on it with a new padlock.  

Worst case situations are worthy of consideration to help us be prepared, but then they need to be let go.  God really does have a better option at each turning, and we need to be most focused in the now if we are to identify and take advantage of it.  

What causes you to worry? Is it the big stuff like climate change or the economy?  Or about daily concerns?  When someone close to you is ill, or the cupboard really is bare, is Jesus' call to avoid worrying helpful to you?  

Comments encouraged!

Let's talk!

Thoughts on Wednesday

Greetings all!

I have had a few folks comment to me about the remarks of Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the news items and opinion pieces that have been on TV and in the paper.  I have to admit that I have not listened to or read  all of Rev. Wrights' remarks.  Still, it seems clear to me that he has gone from misunderstood - most of the original sound bites were taken out of their original context - to embarrassing.  Rev. Wright is a preacher who uses direct and often confronting language to make his points.  His goal is to stir people to action, to live their faith in every aspect of their lives, including in their politics.  I doubt he ever expected all his listeners to agree.  He is also a preacher who has gone from a relatively limited, and mostly friendly, stage, to a hostile, national spotlight.  It appears he is not suited for such a position.

I recommend to you the comments of John Thomas, our UCC President.  In addition, Bill Moyers has written, and broadcast, an essay in response to Rev. Wrights' National Press Club appearance that is definitely worth your attention. (Both are on the www.ucc.org website if the links do not work.) The leaders of the UCC have suggested that these events give us an opportunity to have a nuanced and thoughtful conversation on racial issues.  Barack Obama's speech on race, "A More Perfect Union," is on YouTube. The text is also available in various places.  I will brush up a bit on these issues, but I will leave it to you all to let me know how you would like to approach them.

Although I am not preaching this Sunday, and Zion's services will be based on very different scriptures, let me encourage the reading of the creation story beginning with Genesis 1:1.  At the end when everything was done, we are told that God rested.  Something I have just read suggested that God did not rest out of tiredness, but to take time to reflect on all that had been done and to enjoy it.  We all need a rhythm of work and rest in order to be in balance, to develop a healthy perspective on our lives  Constant busyness with sports, events, yard work, shopping, housework - whatever fills your hours but does not slow you down - leads us to emptiness and exhaustion.  (All of these things can be relaxing and reflective - well, shopping? - but are often just more work and energy expended.) 

Have a blessed weekend!

Addendum

Anybody watch the National Geographic show on PBS last night (Wednesday)?  I was shocked by the plastic count in the ocean between the West Coast and Hawaii. A waste dump the size of Texas!  Now I'm seeing plastic everywhere and thinking there has to be a better way to package and distribute goods.  I ate yogurt from a non-recyclable cup.  And opened a package of cookies with two layers of what I assume is plastic wrapping and a plastic tray inside.  If albatross' are eating it, so are the tuna and whales and everything else.

God, our gifts of creativity and ingenuity have gotten us into this mess.  Guide us to equally creative ways of living in harmony with you and this earth.  Amen.

Loving God and one another: not as simple as it sounds!

Scriptures for this week:  Acts 17:22-31, Psalm 66:8-20, 1 Peter 3: 13-22, and John 14:15-21

To my loyal reader, have you noticed that the scripture link takes you to the readings online? Thanks, Vanderbilt.edu.

Bill Daws helped me focus on the forest instead of the trees this morning, finding a connecting link between all the passages.  I'll try to present it accurately.  

John reminds us of his theme: If you love me, you will keep my commandments, and because you know me, you know the Father.  Although Jesus will be leaving the disciples, they will receive a new Advocate who is one with Christ and and the Creator and will never leave.  In all of John the only commandments are to believe in Jesus Christ as one with God, and to love one another as God has loved you.  In the psalm, we are urged to offer our praise to God who is on our side, who listens to us and acts for us.  1 Peter urges us to do good (i.e. to love our neighbors and our enemies) and that mostly that will encourage others to treat us with good, but even if it doesn't and we suffer, we must not return evil for evil, but keep doing good.  It is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong.  Acts points out that God is near now and has always been near.  We are not far from God, who guides us.  In other words, it all comes down to loving one another and all those whom God loves.

Amen.  But then we need to figure out what that means for us on a deep level of action. I mean, it is easy enough to say we should love one another, and think that we have done our part if we go through our day and are reasonably nice to the people we meet and don't do anything to immediately cause hurt.  We draw a small circle around our lives and the people and pets and perhaps a few precious things we really love.  But we know that there is far more around us than our small circle, and it is that wider realm that is most challenging for us as Christians.  

Jesus collected a band of friends, disciples, and followers, and then addressed large crowds of people.  He interacted with a wide range of folks, noticing people we often try to ignore, serving the people on the margins, rejected by the social elites of his time. He criticized the cultural leaders of his time and talked about freedom that went beyond not being slaves to others, to living completely and wholly with God.

In Acts, Paul carefully studied the gods of the Athenians and identified the one true God as the one they called unknown.  I suspect we have a lot of gods as well, whether we want to admit it or not, and that for many of us the one true God is among the least well known.  What does God have to say to our prison system?  To our economy?  To the amount of trash we throw away every day?  To the balance between food crops and ethanol production?  To high debt loads among farmers and young families?  To our dependence on automobiles and our perceived need to do everything on our own schedules, each in our own vehicle?  I am convinced God does have a position and calls upon us to address each of these issues and many others in line with God's commandments.

Brian McLaren has written a book based in his deep re-reading of the Gospels.  It is called, "Everything Must Change." There is a very good little film online called The Story of Stuff that is an amazing analysis of our economic situation.  The Monday Bible Study is looking into the disease of "Affluenza" (the drive to consumerism in our culture), its symptoms and its possible cure. Many people are seeking to simplify their lives to make them more meaningful. And a couple of culture/history watchers predicted 15 years ago that about now our American society would enter a time of crisis on the scale of the Great Depression & WWII.  It may be that this is the time in history when much of the work of the last 30 years on sustainability will coalesce into a dramatically different way of understanding ourselves in relation to one another and our earth.  That is both good news and terrible news.  We want to live in such a way that we have a good life to hand on to our children and grandchildren, but I am afraid that it will not come without major disruption.  Can we be faithful and hopeful in the face of dramatic change?  Can we reach into our hearts to love all people, to offer good in the midst of suffering?  

We can and we will.  It will help if we prepare, but the real Good News is that Christ has not left us orphaned, to struggle alone.  Whatever may come, the one true God of love, the cornerstone of our spiritual house, and the Wisdom of all ages will be with us.  We may be apprehensive, because we do not know exactly what is coming, but we have no cause for fear. 

Stones for death and life

Scripture: Acts 7:55-60, 1 Peter 2:1-10, John 14:1-14, Psalm 31: 1-5, 15-16

Stephen is among the first Christian martyrs. When accused, he reviewed sacred history, the story of Moses and the Exodus, and then declared Jesus to be a greater successor to Moses. For this, he is dragged outside the city and beaten with stones. Stephen cries out only to declare his faith and to ask forgiveness for his attackers. The commentators describe him as innocent. Innocent of crime in the eyes of God, yes. Innocent of the knowledge of the consequences of his actions, I don’t think so. He is direct and without guile and perhaps without the skill that Jesus had to ask questions as he spoke that deflected the anger and action of his opponents. But Stephen faced his fate with courage and faith.

The reason we hear so much from our evangelical brothers and sisters in faith to try to bring faith into the public realm is that they are perhaps more aware than we of the distinction between the secular world and the Christian message. We tend to accommodate more of secular thought and scientific discovery in our faith, holding to the tenets and principles of belief more than to the details of ancient interpretation. We affirm that God is still speaking, addressing our contemporary world. This is good and right, but we need to be careful to draw some boundaries. The world around us may have mostly Christian roots, but by any standards, there are cultural values that we cannot endorse and must counter.

The author of 1 Peter begins by listing some qualities inconsistent with Christian faith: malice and guile, insincerity, envy and slander. What other things should we put aside? Greed? Self-centeredness? Defensiveness? Promiscuity both in sexuality and in personal life (revealing clothing and excessive telling of personal details)? What qualities make for good interactions and relationships and which contribute to dysfunction? Where are the boundaries?

In Acts, stones are the tools of murder. The author of 1 Peter goes on to describes us as living stones built upon Christ, our cornerstone, and forming a spiritual house. As living stones, we interact with our world, we grow in our faith (seeking spiritual milk and tasting that God is good). This spiritual house exists in the world, not in some future realm. It stands firm because we are built upon Christ, upon one another and upon our ancestors in faith. It may be a stumbling block to some, something that causes them to stop and change directions. Stumbling is not bad if the path one is walking is not a good one. It can cause one to seek a better path.

The spiritual house exists in the world, but it also manifests in some way the realm of God, which is both here with us and not yet fully present. By building our spiritual house, by creating bonds of love and mutual care, and standing firm for Christ and for values like compassion, justice, abundant hospitality, honesty and service, we bring the realm a bit closer, make it more real in the world.

We may not need to be martyrs like Stephen, but where should we take a stand?

Rocking the boat for good

Scripture: 1Peter 2:19-25

I am not likely to preach on 1 Peter, but it raises some interesting concerns. 

The paragraph break in my Bible begins at verse 18, which tells slaves to obey their masters with gentleness and deference whether the master is good or harsh.  The lectionary wants to distance the discussion from slavery and begins in the middle of the thought.  "For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly."  The author of the epistle (we will call him 1Peter because it is not likely to be Simon Peter, the apostle, but a member of his community of followers) goes on to tell people to avoid challenging the structures of the culture, whether slavery or emperor or one's spouse, but to live out the peace and love of Christ in all settings.  Let it be your goodness that unsettles people, not your rebellion.

In some settings, this may be advisable for a while - there are times to protest and times when a protest may not accomplish any good purpose - but I do not believe that this bending to secular authority was the message of Jesus.  Perhaps it is the difference between 1Peter's context and ours.  Our society may not be for us as Christians, but it does not violently persecute us quite the way 1Peter's readers may have experienced. In our democracy, we have a civil right and a civic duty to call our authorities into account.  We should not seek to establish Christian doctrine as a rule for public life, but to hold up virtues and values affirmed by Christianity for the benefit of secular life together.  That really is what the "founding fathers" did.  "We hold these truths to be self-evident... ," not founded in scripture or by the authority of God through and specific Christian tradition, but generally  true and universally applicable.

Even if we disagree with his "don't rock the boat against authority" approach, the author of 1 Peter reminds us of some important guidelines: "when he (Jesus) was abused, he did not abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten."  Our society needs to learn about peace.  We, followers of the Prince of Peace, should be leaders in teaching and modeling peace.  Not by meekly obeying authority when it is wrong and hurtful, but by defending the hurt and abused and calling attention to injustice without violence or hatred; by following in Jesus' way.

Bullying is much in the news and a concern in our schools.  J. Bennett Guess in the UCC News talks about the bullying of gay teens that leads to both homicide and suicide, but receives less attention or press.  What would Jesus call us to do to bring peace?

Guilt by Association

Easter Greetings!

Scripture:  Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Peter's Pentecost speech concludes by reminding his listeners of his main point, "Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Ouch! The people listening to Peter that day came from many places, but Peter has aimed the last of his message at the Israelites.  He has quoted scripture to reinforce his declaration of Jesus' real resurrection. But he points his finger accusingly at them, "You crucified him."  From the distance of 20 centuries and a long way from our the Jewish roots of Christianity, we might hear that as the Jews crucified Jesus, but if we were standing there before him, wouldn't we say, "Wait a minute.  I had nothing to do with that.  I wasn't even there.  I didn't see Jesus or hear him speak, how could I have crucified him?" But, instead, Luke reports that the people are "cut to the heart" and want to know what they should do.  

Maybe it has to do with the far greater sense of being one people, united through oppression and history into a single group so that what one does, all participate in.  I suspect that is part, but not all of the response.  Maybe it is also because he has told them that the one crucified was the Lord, the Messiah, the anointed one for whom all Israel has been waiting for hundreds of years.  

The paper today and yesterday has reminded us of both Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination and the genocide of so many people even in very recent history.  If we had a Peter standing before us saying that King, the one we murdered, was the one anointed to end racial discord in our world, would we be willing to accept a portion of the responsibility?  Or would we join the chorus that claims ourselves not guilty?  

I certainly have felt outraged at King's death and distanced from the hand that pulled the trigger.  I feel sad at the inhumanity of those who mow down other people because they are a different ethnic group or religion.  Yet, these killers are not so different from ourselves.  We hope and pray that we have heard a word of peace, but Christians have been and continue to be as violent as any other group.  Even without weapons in hand, we cut one another down, slander and exchange ugly barbs in our political campaigns.  We turn to violence over peaceful reconciliation in schools, workplaces, and families.

Can we say with the crowd listening to Peter, "What should we do?" Can we repent in the name of our people and seek forgiveness?  Can we learn, through God's word and through fellowship and breaking bread, to be truly peaceful and spread that peace in our families, our communities, our world?  That is the hope that Christ offers, I think.  The hope that God's realm of justice and peace can come near to our lives and the lives of others.

Peace be with you,

Marlea

God's Plan

Acts 2:14a, 27-36

Peter is "bursting forth" at Pentecost, preaching to the gathered crowd.  The passage is the second section of his sermon. His tone is uplifting even though his words seem to condemn.  He accuses the Israelites in his audience: Jesus was handed over to you; you had him crucified by those outside the law (Romans/gentiles); but, says Peter, this was God's plan and foreknowledge.

I don't know if I agree with Peter.  Claiming this all as God's plan sounds like God manipulated people to do what was evil.  I find that too difficult to believe.  I suppose I am putting God in my own shape of box, but I prefer to believe in God's foreknowledge based on a deep knowledge of the people and their motivations and goals, without manipulation.  God knew, I believe, that the chance that Jesus would avoid a tortured death was very small, but that the purpose - announcing the kingdom and demonstrating God's self in love and mercy - outweighed the suffering.  It was not a risk because God knew that Jesus could not be destroyed by death.

There was, I think, always a possibility of another outcome.  Not a big possibility, granted. Each person in the story had a free choice and someone could have tipped the balance to a different outcome.  I do not believe God would have withheld opportunities for true righteousness - right action - from anyone, in order to make the story come out just as it did.  We cannot know what might have been, of course, only what was.  But if we are to believe that people can reform, can be redeemed from evil acts and influence, then even the chief actors in this central drama of our faith must have had alternate paths available and the freedom to choose good as well as evil and all shades of action in between.