"I am the true vine, you are the branches..." These are the words of Jesus from John 15, and one of the "I Am" statements of Jesus which we are exploring during the Lenten season at St. Paul's UMC in 2015. Vines and branches...what do I really know about them? Hmmm.
When I was a kid, our family moved into a new house. The former owners had a grape arbor in the back yard, and I remember it looking like a straggly vine hunched over a wooden lattice, with a few green leaves but bunches and bunches of grapes. The former occupants made wine from the grapes. The Sterlings were not wine people at that time, and even if we were, we had no interest in nor expertise about making wine. Since these grapes were "wine grapes," they didn't taste great right off of the vine. My dad apparently thought the same thing about the sad looking vines as I did, and the next growing season, he applied some of the "horse sense" gardening which he knew, and the vines perked up, the branches multiplied, and verdant leaves just covered the trellis. But no grapes. Common sense said that if the plant was healthy, there would be fruit. Didn't happen. Maybe this is why Jesus used this illustration.
Apparently--and believe me, I'm STILL no expert about viticulture--when you are trying to create a large yield of grapes from a vine, you need to know things like: What kind of soil does this particular variety of grape grow best in? What and when do you prune? (And I think you really have to do a LOT of pruning!) How do you "train" the vines to handle the burden of the fruit? There are more questions than these, but these are some of the most important ones.
When you do the right things to culture the grape vines, you get the large, "straggly" brown vines, far less leaves, and bunches and bunches of lush grapes. If you do the "horse sense" stuff, all of the energy of the plant goes into creating leaves and branches--no fruit. Now, if we pull this dangerous little bit of viticultural knowledge back into the spiritual illustration that Jesus intended, what can we learn?
Jesus is the true vine. The vine will always be central to getting nourishment into the buds, which become fruit. The branches are the conduits through which the "power" flows to the buds and eventually the grapes. Branches need to be pruned so their aren't more than the vine needs to produce the fruit. If WE are the branches, we should understand this principle of being conduits of what the vine provides. You don't grow grape fines to produce perfect-looking and multitudinous branches. It seems that many of our "church growth" strategies are aimed at doing just this. Instead, Mr. Wesley believed in accountability, hard work, sacrifice, whatever it took to take God's grace and redemptive love from the vine to the "fruit," which were the people we aim to reach and help. This vine/branch metaphor is about mission and outreach, not nurture for the "church people." In fact, the text says that we--"the branches"--will be pruned if we don't make fruit. Hmmm.
Productive "branches" (Christian disciples) in our United Methodist tradition do their best to fulfill the membership vows to support the ministry of our churches with "our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness." If we purpose to do these things, the rich nutrients flow from the vine THROUGH the branches, and fruit is produced--others' lives are touched with the message of the Gospel and their needs are met. They might even become branches of the True Vine!
Are too many of our churches putting all of their energies into the branches? Are too many of us "branches" wanting all of the attention of our church? Wanting to be what people see when they look toward our proverbial grape vine? Or are we willing to become conduits of the "good stuff" the True Vine has for the world? For our neighbors? Our enemies? Challenging questions aren't they? Hmmm.
As we near Holy Week and Eastertide, it's time to review our priorities, make sure our spiritual connection to the True Vine is up and running, and be ready to produce fruit for the Vinedresser. Oh, and we church leaders have the responsibility to build the support network to uphold and support the branches while they do their duty, and make sure that it is strong enough to support the burgeoning fruit that will result if the Vine's nourishment gets to its ultimate destination!
Jesus said: "I am the True Vine, you are the branches..." Them's marching orders, not a statement of comfort, Dear Ones. Shalom!
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
We All Fall Down...
The season of Lent is looming before us; Ash Wednesday begins the "process" of walking through the Gospel stories of Jesus and his turn toward Jerusalem, the trial, and the cross. When I was a kid, the Methodist Church (and yes, I'm old enough that it was just the "Methodist Church" then!) did not impose ashes on Ash Wednesday. In fact, when I was appointed to serve my first church almost 30 years ago, imposing ashes was still a fairly "radical" thing for protestants to do. However, it turned out to be a very meaningful thing to my parishioners back in 1986, and we never looked back. So, in this first year of my sixth appointment, we will impose ashes again.
Remember the childhood song "Ring Around the Rosey," which had the lyric, "Ashes, Ashes, we all fall DOWN!"? Maybe the little ditty had a theological truth attached to it. We impose ashes because of the proclivity for us humans to "sin," as the ashes are a sign of our desire to "repent." I'm putting those two words in quotes, as they have become firmly ensconced as "church words," and ones not used much in the culture, unless you are talking about Congress. Could the "we all fall down" line have something to do with what theologians call "the fall of humanity," as in the mythical Garden of Eden story when Adam and Eve disobey the one rule they were given? Theologians through the centuries point to this "original sin" as the "fall." At the risk of sounding a bit like humorist and skeptic Bill Maher, do we still believe in the concept of "original sin," and that some duo of proto-humans broke a rule and got us all condemned as a race?
I'm going to explore this a bit in my meditation on Ash Wednesday here at St. Paul's, but here's my thesis in short: Regardless of what "got into us" as humans that make it so hard for us to love one another (especially if those "one anothers" are very different from us), one of the key roles of our faith is to give us the teachings, the tools, and the spiritual encouragement to do this--love one another. "Sins" are those self-centered things we do that cut us off from the human community and from God, because God has chosen to exist within the hearts of those who make up that community. To "repent" literally means to stop, turn, and go in the opposite direction. So when we "repent" of sinning, we should be turning our lives Godward, and right back into the center of God's call to love our neighbors and build a peaceful and affirming human society.
Was there a single event in human history that brought about "the fall"? I guess to me it doesn't matter. But the weirdness in our DNA that causes us to behave sometimes like members of the animal kingdom (self preservation, "survival of the fittest", etc.) can be short-circuited by the teachings of Jesus, and the presence of God's Spirit as the Spirit leads us, again, toward love as a God-given, human core value. That somehow Jesus' death on the cross took away the "automatic" nature of human sin, granted pardon for it, and empowered us to NOT have to live in captivity to this selfish state, is central to the Christian message.
When the Beatles sang, "All you need is love..." they were partly right, although is not so much the "nutrient" as the goal of redemption--Love, God; love neighbor as ourselves. Ashes, repentance, yielding to the leading and power of the Spirit--these things keep us from trying to just personally "gut out" the transition from self-centered "sinning" and true, healthy life in community where the welfare of all is at least as important as the welfare of ME. Jesus message to us, therefore might be, "We've fallen, but we CAN get up! Here, take my hand..." Shalom, Yinz.
Remember the childhood song "Ring Around the Rosey," which had the lyric, "Ashes, Ashes, we all fall DOWN!"? Maybe the little ditty had a theological truth attached to it. We impose ashes because of the proclivity for us humans to "sin," as the ashes are a sign of our desire to "repent." I'm putting those two words in quotes, as they have become firmly ensconced as "church words," and ones not used much in the culture, unless you are talking about Congress. Could the "we all fall down" line have something to do with what theologians call "the fall of humanity," as in the mythical Garden of Eden story when Adam and Eve disobey the one rule they were given? Theologians through the centuries point to this "original sin" as the "fall." At the risk of sounding a bit like humorist and skeptic Bill Maher, do we still believe in the concept of "original sin," and that some duo of proto-humans broke a rule and got us all condemned as a race?
I'm going to explore this a bit in my meditation on Ash Wednesday here at St. Paul's, but here's my thesis in short: Regardless of what "got into us" as humans that make it so hard for us to love one another (especially if those "one anothers" are very different from us), one of the key roles of our faith is to give us the teachings, the tools, and the spiritual encouragement to do this--love one another. "Sins" are those self-centered things we do that cut us off from the human community and from God, because God has chosen to exist within the hearts of those who make up that community. To "repent" literally means to stop, turn, and go in the opposite direction. So when we "repent" of sinning, we should be turning our lives Godward, and right back into the center of God's call to love our neighbors and build a peaceful and affirming human society.
Was there a single event in human history that brought about "the fall"? I guess to me it doesn't matter. But the weirdness in our DNA that causes us to behave sometimes like members of the animal kingdom (self preservation, "survival of the fittest", etc.) can be short-circuited by the teachings of Jesus, and the presence of God's Spirit as the Spirit leads us, again, toward love as a God-given, human core value. That somehow Jesus' death on the cross took away the "automatic" nature of human sin, granted pardon for it, and empowered us to NOT have to live in captivity to this selfish state, is central to the Christian message.
When the Beatles sang, "All you need is love..." they were partly right, although is not so much the "nutrient" as the goal of redemption--Love, God; love neighbor as ourselves. Ashes, repentance, yielding to the leading and power of the Spirit--these things keep us from trying to just personally "gut out" the transition from self-centered "sinning" and true, healthy life in community where the welfare of all is at least as important as the welfare of ME. Jesus message to us, therefore might be, "We've fallen, but we CAN get up! Here, take my hand..." Shalom, Yinz.
Friday, January 16, 2015
The Spirit of the Age
Each year, as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day rolls around, I pull King's book, Stride Toward Freedom off the shelf and reread it. This is his personal telling of the Montgomery bus boycott, launched by the arrest of Mrs. Rosa Parks. It is a powerful and "tear-jerking" tale of something wonderful that happened that began prying open the floodgates of racial justice. King just doesn't chronicle the story--he comments, theologizes and philosophizes about what really happened during those events. Here is his telling of the arrest of Rosa Parks:
On December 1, 1955, an attractive Nego seamstress, Mrs. Rosa Parks, boarded the Cleveland Avenue Bus in downtown Montgomery. She was returning home after her regular day's work in the Montgomery Fair--a leading department store. Tired from long hours on her feet, Mrs. Parks sat down in the first seat behind the section reserved for whites. Not long after she took her seat, the bus operator ordered her, along with the three other Negro passengers, to move back in order to accommodate boarding white passengers. By this time every seat on the bus was taken. This meant that if Mrs. fParks followed the driver's command she would have to stand while a white male passenger, who had just boarded the bus, would sit. The other three Negro passengers immediately complied with the driver's request, But Mrs. Parks quietly refused. The result was her arrest.
There was to be much speculation about why Mrs. Parks did not obey the driver. Many people in the white community argued that she had been "planted" by the NAACP in order to lay the groundwork for a test case, and at first glance that explanation seemed plausible, since she was a former secretary of the local branch of the NAACP. So persistent and persuasive was this argument that it convinced many reporters from all over the country. Later on, when I was having press conferences three times a week--in order to accommodate the reporters and journalists who came to Montgomery from all over the world--the invariable first question was: "Did the NAACP start the bus boycott?"
But the accusation was totally unwarranted, as the testimony of both Mrs. Parks and the officials of the NAACP revealed. Actually, no one can understand the action of Mrs. Parks unless he realizes that eventually the cup of endurance runs over and the human personality cries out, "I can take it no longer." Mrs. Parks's refusal to move back was her intrepid affirmation that she had had enough. It was an individual expression of a timeless longing for human dignity and freedom. She was not "planted" there by the NAACP, or any other organization; she was planted there by her personal sense of dignity and self-respect. She was anchored to that seat by the accumulated indignities of days gone by and the boundless aspirations of generations yet unborn. She was a victim of both the forces of history and the forces of destiny. She had been tracked down by the zeitgeist--the spirit of the time. [Stride Toward Freedom, Harper and Row Publishers, San Francisco, 1985, pp. 43-44]
Thank God for the zeitgeist, or the "spirit of the age." When she lands in human affairs, things begin to happen and things begin to change! The zeitgeist is an incarnation moment when the divine intersects with humans, and often, "regular folk" become the catalyst for novelty. If there is a giant "justice timeline" on the walls of Heaven, you will see on it the account of Mrs. Rosa Parks.
And what of King? He was the "new kid in town" in the local ministerial association, and thereby was contacted by a clergy colleague officer in that ministerium and asked to intervene on Mrs. Parks' behalf. He did, and the rest--as they say--is history. He, too, was singled out by the zeitgeist for a leading role in the unfolding, shining moment of human justice and freedom.
Of course, the pursuit of racial justice is an unfinished agenda. Ferguson showed us this. A recent study released by the University of Pittsburgh and splashed across the front page of the Post-Gazette shows us this, too. (The study showed that the economic disparity between whites and persons of color is no better now than it was two decades ago, and this disparity is much larger in Allegheny County than is the national norm.) M.L. King once said that the most segregated hour of the week is Sunday morning at around 11:00AM. The church has not shown itself much of an agent of the zeitgeist in this matter.
So, we can wonder when the zeitgeist will strike next? Some--such as author Thomas Piketty--suggest that the huge, huge wealth/income gap between the "haves," the "have nots," and the middle class may trigger a visit of the Spirit of the Time. I think the zeitgeist may already be at work in the national movement for equality of rights for same-sex couples and LGBT persons. How about the growing problem with gun violence? The zeitgeist may be the only stroke of divine/human power that can take on the NRA, whose agenda is getting curiouser and curiouser (a spokesperson for the NRA recently said on a TV talk show that Americans should be permitted to own any weapon their government could use against them, including a cruise missile or a warhead!).
But this we know--for the zeitgeist to appear, a human being has to stand up--or sit down, in the case of Mrs. Parks--and say "enough." Who will be the one to say "enough" to continuing racial injustice? Who will be the one to say "enough" to the disparity of wealth? Who will be the one to say "enough" to the ecological destruction of Planet Earth? (A recent report by the Commonwealth organization said that we have already crossed 4 of 9 key danger thresholds in maintaining the viability of Earth to sustain human life.) Who will be the one to say "enough" in the church to using the Bible to bash gay people and make then "second class" Christians? (Yes, this is a controversial topic among persons of faith, but let's just see where the zeitgeist lands in this one!)
Who knows? Maybe 2015 will be "The Year of the Zeitgeist"! Blessings, Yinz.
On December 1, 1955, an attractive Nego seamstress, Mrs. Rosa Parks, boarded the Cleveland Avenue Bus in downtown Montgomery. She was returning home after her regular day's work in the Montgomery Fair--a leading department store. Tired from long hours on her feet, Mrs. Parks sat down in the first seat behind the section reserved for whites. Not long after she took her seat, the bus operator ordered her, along with the three other Negro passengers, to move back in order to accommodate boarding white passengers. By this time every seat on the bus was taken. This meant that if Mrs. fParks followed the driver's command she would have to stand while a white male passenger, who had just boarded the bus, would sit. The other three Negro passengers immediately complied with the driver's request, But Mrs. Parks quietly refused. The result was her arrest.
There was to be much speculation about why Mrs. Parks did not obey the driver. Many people in the white community argued that she had been "planted" by the NAACP in order to lay the groundwork for a test case, and at first glance that explanation seemed plausible, since she was a former secretary of the local branch of the NAACP. So persistent and persuasive was this argument that it convinced many reporters from all over the country. Later on, when I was having press conferences three times a week--in order to accommodate the reporters and journalists who came to Montgomery from all over the world--the invariable first question was: "Did the NAACP start the bus boycott?"
But the accusation was totally unwarranted, as the testimony of both Mrs. Parks and the officials of the NAACP revealed. Actually, no one can understand the action of Mrs. Parks unless he realizes that eventually the cup of endurance runs over and the human personality cries out, "I can take it no longer." Mrs. Parks's refusal to move back was her intrepid affirmation that she had had enough. It was an individual expression of a timeless longing for human dignity and freedom. She was not "planted" there by the NAACP, or any other organization; she was planted there by her personal sense of dignity and self-respect. She was anchored to that seat by the accumulated indignities of days gone by and the boundless aspirations of generations yet unborn. She was a victim of both the forces of history and the forces of destiny. She had been tracked down by the zeitgeist--the spirit of the time. [Stride Toward Freedom, Harper and Row Publishers, San Francisco, 1985, pp. 43-44]
Thank God for the zeitgeist, or the "spirit of the age." When she lands in human affairs, things begin to happen and things begin to change! The zeitgeist is an incarnation moment when the divine intersects with humans, and often, "regular folk" become the catalyst for novelty. If there is a giant "justice timeline" on the walls of Heaven, you will see on it the account of Mrs. Rosa Parks.
And what of King? He was the "new kid in town" in the local ministerial association, and thereby was contacted by a clergy colleague officer in that ministerium and asked to intervene on Mrs. Parks' behalf. He did, and the rest--as they say--is history. He, too, was singled out by the zeitgeist for a leading role in the unfolding, shining moment of human justice and freedom.
Of course, the pursuit of racial justice is an unfinished agenda. Ferguson showed us this. A recent study released by the University of Pittsburgh and splashed across the front page of the Post-Gazette shows us this, too. (The study showed that the economic disparity between whites and persons of color is no better now than it was two decades ago, and this disparity is much larger in Allegheny County than is the national norm.) M.L. King once said that the most segregated hour of the week is Sunday morning at around 11:00AM. The church has not shown itself much of an agent of the zeitgeist in this matter.
So, we can wonder when the zeitgeist will strike next? Some--such as author Thomas Piketty--suggest that the huge, huge wealth/income gap between the "haves," the "have nots," and the middle class may trigger a visit of the Spirit of the Time. I think the zeitgeist may already be at work in the national movement for equality of rights for same-sex couples and LGBT persons. How about the growing problem with gun violence? The zeitgeist may be the only stroke of divine/human power that can take on the NRA, whose agenda is getting curiouser and curiouser (a spokesperson for the NRA recently said on a TV talk show that Americans should be permitted to own any weapon their government could use against them, including a cruise missile or a warhead!).
But this we know--for the zeitgeist to appear, a human being has to stand up--or sit down, in the case of Mrs. Parks--and say "enough." Who will be the one to say "enough" to continuing racial injustice? Who will be the one to say "enough" to the disparity of wealth? Who will be the one to say "enough" to the ecological destruction of Planet Earth? (A recent report by the Commonwealth organization said that we have already crossed 4 of 9 key danger thresholds in maintaining the viability of Earth to sustain human life.) Who will be the one to say "enough" in the church to using the Bible to bash gay people and make then "second class" Christians? (Yes, this is a controversial topic among persons of faith, but let's just see where the zeitgeist lands in this one!)
Who knows? Maybe 2015 will be "The Year of the Zeitgeist"! Blessings, Yinz.
Friday, January 2, 2015
2015...and Counting
How long will it take me to get into the routine of writing 2015 instead of 2014? Is that another one of those "You know you're getting old when..." confessions? With the new year comes all of the prognostications, hopes, fears, and resolutions which add to its mystery and overload our expectations. And then it is over before we know and we have to start writing 2016 on our checks and forms!
As my personal years advance, I find myself wondering more about what the future will hold. My Christian faith serves to remind me that I am not alone on this quest, and that whatever may happen, it will not be beyond God's grace and presence. As a United Methodist in the wesleyan tradition, in theological parlance, I don't believe God has an ironclad "will" for my life, which I must live out sort of like a rat in a cheese maze. Instead, I believe God works in "partnership" with my gifts, interests, and circumstances to assist me in carving out a life with meaning, and one dedicated to serving others. While I do not believe my primary purpose is "to glorify God," I suspect that if I live out what my life calling is, and what I am about, then God would probably be pretty happy about that.
One of the things I feel "called" to is to be an encourager of persons. With love as the prevailing operative, I do my best--both in my vocation as a pastor and in my role as me (husband, father, grandfather, friend, neighbor, etc.)--to be a positive presence in each person with whom I am privileged to interact. And I am usually drawn to those who are the most currently oppressed by the society and/or the church. Ethnic minority persons will always be high on this "encouragement" agenda, but the most current group I am trying to affirm are LGBTQ persons, as they are still "second class citizens" in my denomination, and may even suffer more hurtful oppression in some churches. May 2015 be the year we stop harassing people and include all persons in the Realm of God and the full participatory life of each church. As I told my current congregation in one of my first sermons, "If our interpretation of the Bible causes you to exclude persons who do not wish to be excluded, then your interpretation is in error. A simple "The Bible says..." is never an acceptable way to shut out any child of God who wishes to fully participate in the church.
Oh, and as persons of color will quickly remind us, mere encouragement is not enough. Justice doesn't happen just by well-wishing or back-slapping "atta-boys." May 2015 be a year the church seriously focuses on justice as well as justification. 2014's numerous incidents of deadly clashes between minority persons and law enforcement officials reinforce the fact that institutional racism is still an unfinished justice agenda. Our systems are still prejudiced and repressive. And we can be concerned for the injustices suffered by persons of color and believe also that "police lives matter." These two "sides" should never be "sides," and we cannot be seduced by the narrow view that they are mutually exclusive. One can want justice for blacks and have respect for law enforcement, but the justice part can't happen until our law enforcement officials exorcise all vestiges of prejudice and fear based on skin color.
I'm also praying that 2015 will be a year when grace gushes forth from God and through God's people. May we not just espouse our opinions, be they political or otherwise, without relying upon this grace available to all. Grace is both the vehicle of forgiveness and the grease of justice. Let's stop bashing one another--that will be the single most effective way of glorifying God! And the time to start is upon us. As someone posted the words of the Dalai Lama on Facebook this morning: "There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live." Amen. Peace, Dear Ones!
As my personal years advance, I find myself wondering more about what the future will hold. My Christian faith serves to remind me that I am not alone on this quest, and that whatever may happen, it will not be beyond God's grace and presence. As a United Methodist in the wesleyan tradition, in theological parlance, I don't believe God has an ironclad "will" for my life, which I must live out sort of like a rat in a cheese maze. Instead, I believe God works in "partnership" with my gifts, interests, and circumstances to assist me in carving out a life with meaning, and one dedicated to serving others. While I do not believe my primary purpose is "to glorify God," I suspect that if I live out what my life calling is, and what I am about, then God would probably be pretty happy about that.
One of the things I feel "called" to is to be an encourager of persons. With love as the prevailing operative, I do my best--both in my vocation as a pastor and in my role as me (husband, father, grandfather, friend, neighbor, etc.)--to be a positive presence in each person with whom I am privileged to interact. And I am usually drawn to those who are the most currently oppressed by the society and/or the church. Ethnic minority persons will always be high on this "encouragement" agenda, but the most current group I am trying to affirm are LGBTQ persons, as they are still "second class citizens" in my denomination, and may even suffer more hurtful oppression in some churches. May 2015 be the year we stop harassing people and include all persons in the Realm of God and the full participatory life of each church. As I told my current congregation in one of my first sermons, "If our interpretation of the Bible causes you to exclude persons who do not wish to be excluded, then your interpretation is in error. A simple "The Bible says..." is never an acceptable way to shut out any child of God who wishes to fully participate in the church.
Oh, and as persons of color will quickly remind us, mere encouragement is not enough. Justice doesn't happen just by well-wishing or back-slapping "atta-boys." May 2015 be a year the church seriously focuses on justice as well as justification. 2014's numerous incidents of deadly clashes between minority persons and law enforcement officials reinforce the fact that institutional racism is still an unfinished justice agenda. Our systems are still prejudiced and repressive. And we can be concerned for the injustices suffered by persons of color and believe also that "police lives matter." These two "sides" should never be "sides," and we cannot be seduced by the narrow view that they are mutually exclusive. One can want justice for blacks and have respect for law enforcement, but the justice part can't happen until our law enforcement officials exorcise all vestiges of prejudice and fear based on skin color.
I'm also praying that 2015 will be a year when grace gushes forth from God and through God's people. May we not just espouse our opinions, be they political or otherwise, without relying upon this grace available to all. Grace is both the vehicle of forgiveness and the grease of justice. Let's stop bashing one another--that will be the single most effective way of glorifying God! And the time to start is upon us. As someone posted the words of the Dalai Lama on Facebook this morning: "There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live." Amen. Peace, Dear Ones!
Friday, December 19, 2014
Christmas Miracle...
Here we go again: "Put the CHRIST back in CHRISTmas," the postings on Facebook proclaim. Every year we get a raft of folk upset about merchants "using" Christmas as a way to make money (imagine!) and ignoring the "reason for the season." Why, a few years ago a new controversy cropped up: checkout persons no longer being allowed to say "Merry Christmas," because not everyone happens to be a Christian. That one still stews, to a degree, although a Walmart clerk DID say "Merry Christmas" to me recently; I hope she didn't get fired. Personally, I'm fine with "Happy Holidays," as we ARE NOT all Christians in this diverse society, and NO we are not a "Christian nation," as anyone who delves into U.S. history for more than five minutes will tell you. "Happy Holidays" is polite--it could mean "Happy Chanukah," "Merry Christmas," or "Happy Festivus," but it is still nice.
The Christmas miracle I would like to see includes the realization that for those of us who do profess to be Christian, you CAN'T take Christ out of Christmas. Oh, we can "secularize" the season with the best of them: shopping until we drop; partying like it's 1999; eating like we weigh 1999; or getting overly irritated at the temporary holiday hires in our local department stores. Jesus IS Christmas, though, and is (as a friend recently posted on Facebook) much, much more than the "reason for the season." As the Christ Event continues to unfold in human history, the Christmas miracle is being rolled out, too. People are beginning to notice that we are diverse society and that everyone is a child of God, deserving of human kindness and dignity, and certainly legal and human rights. In response to recent heinous acts of terrorism, the historically blurred lines between "good" and "evil" are being more clearly defined. Maybe this is what Jesus was alluding to when he spoke of "separating the sheep from the goats." (I'm guessing sheep are the winning team in this metaphor?) Christ inhabits Christmas--and the miracle continues to be revealed--in the growing generosity of Christians around the holidays. More Christians are seeing the joy in giving less "trinkets" and using the savings to support UMCOR, Church World Service (blanket project), "Imagine No Malaria," World Vision, or the local food pantry or Salvation Army citadel. At St. Paul's, the church I serve, our various "giving trees" for children, prisoners, what-have-you, are quickly "attacked" by ravaging disciples with redeemed wallets looking to "do a little Jesus-ing" of their own. They are preaching a powerful Gospel, my friends, and some of them are getting hung up on this "cheerful giver" thing far beyond the Christmas season! This is an addiction I can support.
I wonder: shouldn't Christian people wear a perpetual smile and exude an almost guttural joy during the days of Christmas? After all, the holiday DOES celebrate the birth of our Savior. Persons who have legitimate reason to experience a "Blue Christmas" because of the recent passing of a loved one, or because of seasonal depression get a bye on this "exuding joy" thing, but the rest of us don't. If WE can't show genuine joy over Christmas, where do we get off harping at Walmart clerks or decrying the "secularization" of the season? No, I'm beginning to believe that the only people who have the ability to take "Christ" out of "Christmas" are Christians! If we aren't the banner-carriers for this most festive season, with its stars, glorious Christmas Trees, decorated neighborhoods, colors, and aromas, then we're not "preparing the way of the Lord" like we could be. We have a chance to witness to our faith handed to us on a Silver Bells platter, Beloved! Give big tips in the restaurants, flash a redemptive smile, dance up a storm like old Fezziwig in "A Christmas Carol"--don't let "the world" out gas us in making happy!
"...the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid: for behold--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'"
There it is--this is where it all began. Let the merchants make their wages. Hear the choirs sing and the youth groups squeak out "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on the porches of shut-ins. Empty your wallet like a transformed Scrooge to feed and cloth the poor and to buy presents for needy children. Go to church, if for no other reason to sit with your family and give thanks for them and celebrate the love you have for each other. Smile..smile some more...and then smile again, especially toward those giving you bad service because they are over-worked. Slip them a five-spot, just because. Tell your boss how much you like your job, and thank her for the job she does. Say a prayer and ask God to help you open up and do more Jesus-ing in the New Year. Kiss your partner, just because. Hug your kids. Don't be afraid--there is Good News, and it doesn't originate on Wall Street or from Washington, or even on TV, but in a manger in Bethlehem. It's a Christmas miracle!
The Christmas miracle I would like to see includes the realization that for those of us who do profess to be Christian, you CAN'T take Christ out of Christmas. Oh, we can "secularize" the season with the best of them: shopping until we drop; partying like it's 1999; eating like we weigh 1999; or getting overly irritated at the temporary holiday hires in our local department stores. Jesus IS Christmas, though, and is (as a friend recently posted on Facebook) much, much more than the "reason for the season." As the Christ Event continues to unfold in human history, the Christmas miracle is being rolled out, too. People are beginning to notice that we are diverse society and that everyone is a child of God, deserving of human kindness and dignity, and certainly legal and human rights. In response to recent heinous acts of terrorism, the historically blurred lines between "good" and "evil" are being more clearly defined. Maybe this is what Jesus was alluding to when he spoke of "separating the sheep from the goats." (I'm guessing sheep are the winning team in this metaphor?) Christ inhabits Christmas--and the miracle continues to be revealed--in the growing generosity of Christians around the holidays. More Christians are seeing the joy in giving less "trinkets" and using the savings to support UMCOR, Church World Service (blanket project), "Imagine No Malaria," World Vision, or the local food pantry or Salvation Army citadel. At St. Paul's, the church I serve, our various "giving trees" for children, prisoners, what-have-you, are quickly "attacked" by ravaging disciples with redeemed wallets looking to "do a little Jesus-ing" of their own. They are preaching a powerful Gospel, my friends, and some of them are getting hung up on this "cheerful giver" thing far beyond the Christmas season! This is an addiction I can support.
I wonder: shouldn't Christian people wear a perpetual smile and exude an almost guttural joy during the days of Christmas? After all, the holiday DOES celebrate the birth of our Savior. Persons who have legitimate reason to experience a "Blue Christmas" because of the recent passing of a loved one, or because of seasonal depression get a bye on this "exuding joy" thing, but the rest of us don't. If WE can't show genuine joy over Christmas, where do we get off harping at Walmart clerks or decrying the "secularization" of the season? No, I'm beginning to believe that the only people who have the ability to take "Christ" out of "Christmas" are Christians! If we aren't the banner-carriers for this most festive season, with its stars, glorious Christmas Trees, decorated neighborhoods, colors, and aromas, then we're not "preparing the way of the Lord" like we could be. We have a chance to witness to our faith handed to us on a Silver Bells platter, Beloved! Give big tips in the restaurants, flash a redemptive smile, dance up a storm like old Fezziwig in "A Christmas Carol"--don't let "the world" out gas us in making happy!
"...the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid: for behold--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.'"
There it is--this is where it all began. Let the merchants make their wages. Hear the choirs sing and the youth groups squeak out "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on the porches of shut-ins. Empty your wallet like a transformed Scrooge to feed and cloth the poor and to buy presents for needy children. Go to church, if for no other reason to sit with your family and give thanks for them and celebrate the love you have for each other. Smile..smile some more...and then smile again, especially toward those giving you bad service because they are over-worked. Slip them a five-spot, just because. Tell your boss how much you like your job, and thank her for the job she does. Say a prayer and ask God to help you open up and do more Jesus-ing in the New Year. Kiss your partner, just because. Hug your kids. Don't be afraid--there is Good News, and it doesn't originate on Wall Street or from Washington, or even on TV, but in a manger in Bethlehem. It's a Christmas miracle!
Merry Christmas, Beloved!
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Meek...
Recently, I was attending a meeting of a denominational leadership group held at the Boston University School of Theology. One of their faculty members, Dr. Steve Sandage, talked with us about some of the issues he sees that keep us from engaging in meaningful and transformational relationships with each other, especially in a body like the church, which is certainly meant to be a meaningful and transformational organization. Dr. Sandage stated that so many persons have not learned to self-differentiate, or understand and be comfortable with who they are--in short, be "comfortable in their own skin." Self-differentiated persons have a sober view of their gifts and abilities, know their overall strengths and weaknesses, and are comfortable with their current role and station in life. As a spiritual person, he or she may also be very at peace with God and/or general existential issues. These are persons who, because they are "at peace" with themselves, are able to engage others with honesty, integrity, and without feeling threatened by "the other" in the relationship.
The undifferentiated self seeks to gain acceptance in relationships by pleasing others, acquiescing, and otherwise cowering to the "will of the group" to feel included or receive affirmation. The undifferentiated self is often a happy person, and can tend to feel the world is against them, on one hand, or by subverting their own desires, interests, or needs to gain strokes, may feel totally powerless. Dr. Sandage did say that another behavior an undifferentiated person may manifest is to totally rebel against all of the "conventions" of society, or against shared family or community values. Again, the rebellion gains attention, but not because of any action of the individual's "true self," which is subverted by the lashing out.
In the church, the undifferentiated self can require so much attention of clergy or other leadership that they quickly wear others out. They can use a narrow interpretation of Scripture to draw artificial boundaries or to exclude others (such as LGBTQ persons) that tend to threaten their fragile (and most often disingenuous) view of themselves. Or they may just "rebel" by making so much noise and launching protests against views that disagree with theirs that they just alienate themselves from the wider community of faith.
When Jesus said, "blessed are the meek," it's possible he was talking about self-differentiated persons. I was always taught that "meek" individuals were comfortable "within their own skin." Meek persons know who they are, whose they are, from a spiritual standpoint, and what they are about. From this position of confidence and integrity, they are more able to relate to others in a caring and compassionate way. With no prevailing need to "be accepted" by the other, they can be very honest in relating. And they can feel very "at home" in their relationship with God, because again, they don't have to "receive strokes" from the divine in order to believe, pray, love and serve. Meek persons can receive a compliment without either becoming "puffed up" or disregarding it as manipulative.
Is there help for the undifferentiated souls in our midst? Absolutely. It's called salvation! We believe in transformation, and it can come through spiritual enlightenment, honest confession, psychological counseling, and personal discoveries "on the journey." When Jesus invited those first disciples to "follow me," he was saying, "Leave behind your outdated, dysfunctional view of life and self." Jesus has been such a transformational person for many of us. However, when it comes to some of the other "treatments" listed above for becoming a self-differentiated individual, "all of the above" may apply!
Oh, and the truth is that all of us are somewhere on the "differentiated" continuum. If there ever was a fully differentiated person, it was probably Jesus. For most of us, our life journey is about becoming more self-differentiated, bit-by-bit, and leaving behind our aberrations, pathologies, and dysfunctions, however minor or major. You know--becoming more meek.
I would not be honest if I closed this post out without acknowledging that some persons are so undifferentiated that they may need professional therapy to help sort this out. "Coming to Jesus" may just be a step. Sometimes we need to see a psychologist, too! Or maybe we start with the psychologist before we try being "born again."
I am convinced, however, that if the church and the Christian Gospel can help persons become "real" in this context, and find the foundational joy of life, existence, and genuine relationships, all of the missional stuff with take care of itself. More self-differentiated persons become great witnesses, generous givers of time, talents, and treasures, and the kind of people you want to hang out with.
Shalom, Friends!
The undifferentiated self seeks to gain acceptance in relationships by pleasing others, acquiescing, and otherwise cowering to the "will of the group" to feel included or receive affirmation. The undifferentiated self is often a happy person, and can tend to feel the world is against them, on one hand, or by subverting their own desires, interests, or needs to gain strokes, may feel totally powerless. Dr. Sandage did say that another behavior an undifferentiated person may manifest is to totally rebel against all of the "conventions" of society, or against shared family or community values. Again, the rebellion gains attention, but not because of any action of the individual's "true self," which is subverted by the lashing out.
In the church, the undifferentiated self can require so much attention of clergy or other leadership that they quickly wear others out. They can use a narrow interpretation of Scripture to draw artificial boundaries or to exclude others (such as LGBTQ persons) that tend to threaten their fragile (and most often disingenuous) view of themselves. Or they may just "rebel" by making so much noise and launching protests against views that disagree with theirs that they just alienate themselves from the wider community of faith.
When Jesus said, "blessed are the meek," it's possible he was talking about self-differentiated persons. I was always taught that "meek" individuals were comfortable "within their own skin." Meek persons know who they are, whose they are, from a spiritual standpoint, and what they are about. From this position of confidence and integrity, they are more able to relate to others in a caring and compassionate way. With no prevailing need to "be accepted" by the other, they can be very honest in relating. And they can feel very "at home" in their relationship with God, because again, they don't have to "receive strokes" from the divine in order to believe, pray, love and serve. Meek persons can receive a compliment without either becoming "puffed up" or disregarding it as manipulative.
Is there help for the undifferentiated souls in our midst? Absolutely. It's called salvation! We believe in transformation, and it can come through spiritual enlightenment, honest confession, psychological counseling, and personal discoveries "on the journey." When Jesus invited those first disciples to "follow me," he was saying, "Leave behind your outdated, dysfunctional view of life and self." Jesus has been such a transformational person for many of us. However, when it comes to some of the other "treatments" listed above for becoming a self-differentiated individual, "all of the above" may apply!
Oh, and the truth is that all of us are somewhere on the "differentiated" continuum. If there ever was a fully differentiated person, it was probably Jesus. For most of us, our life journey is about becoming more self-differentiated, bit-by-bit, and leaving behind our aberrations, pathologies, and dysfunctions, however minor or major. You know--becoming more meek.
I would not be honest if I closed this post out without acknowledging that some persons are so undifferentiated that they may need professional therapy to help sort this out. "Coming to Jesus" may just be a step. Sometimes we need to see a psychologist, too! Or maybe we start with the psychologist before we try being "born again."
I am convinced, however, that if the church and the Christian Gospel can help persons become "real" in this context, and find the foundational joy of life, existence, and genuine relationships, all of the missional stuff with take care of itself. More self-differentiated persons become great witnesses, generous givers of time, talents, and treasures, and the kind of people you want to hang out with.
Shalom, Friends!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Good Grief...
Consoling or comforting a friend or loved one who is in the throes of grief is never a pleasant task. However, there is nothing more important or moving as doing so, even if it means working through our own discomfort.
Many of us have learned Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Understanding that grief has stages can be helpful in experiencing it, and certainly in helping a friend on this tough journey toward healing. It doesn't make for shortcuts or a "painless" reconciling of the divergent feelings of loss and hope. Still, walking with another along this path is a truly compassionate act, and the discomfort of empathizing with their suffering is very much in line with what Jesus meant when he urged his followers to "take up your cross and follow me." Jesus experienced the ultimate pain of total empathy with the failings of the human condition.
Grief is especially hard when the death is viewed by us as "unfair" or senseless, such as in the death of a child or young parent, or in the case of a suicide. Our congregation recently experienced the passing of a young mother due to cancer. There is a universal desire here to reach out to her children, who are peers of our other youth in the youth program. The hardest thing is that hugs, while comforting, are inadequate to sooth the slowing unfolding grief of a young person who has lost his or her Mom. What can we do to provide comfort?
First of all, don't distance yourself from the person; stay connected, and try to "normalize" the relationship--just be there for them, and continue to be their friend. Don't over-sentimentalize the situation or send even subliminal signals that you will relate to them differently because of the death. Secondly, realize full well that this will be a process, and it may happen in fits and starts, especially with a younger person. Watch for signs that the grief is being subverted by a negative behavior, and gently encourage the person to move back onto a healthier path. Young persons, whose emotional maturity is still developing, may "act out," which is not always bad, but it should be observed carefully, noting that less maturity may result in poor judgment, especially on the part of a teen.
Above all, if you are in a caring situation with a grieving friend (young or old) and observe behaviors or here comments which concern you, make contact with a professional caregiver/counselor for guidance and assistance. It is never a bad thing to realize that you are "in over your head," and should facilitate a connection between the counselor and the bereaved.
If you are a young friend of another young person who has lost a loved one, again, just be present with your friend. Let them talk, and be a good listener. Do your best to be patient with them and don't rush to make them "feel better." They will get through their grief, but as we said earlier, it may take time, and while the temptation of youth may be to "just get over it," this is something that does not go fast. If you have a grieving friend who seems to get over it soon, realize that that is not a good thing! Encourage them to walk in "baby steps" so their mind and heart can heal.
Good grief is a gift of God designed to help us cope with huge losses in life. As you help another along in this process, don't short-change its healing power! Shalom, friends.
Many of us have learned Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Understanding that grief has stages can be helpful in experiencing it, and certainly in helping a friend on this tough journey toward healing. It doesn't make for shortcuts or a "painless" reconciling of the divergent feelings of loss and hope. Still, walking with another along this path is a truly compassionate act, and the discomfort of empathizing with their suffering is very much in line with what Jesus meant when he urged his followers to "take up your cross and follow me." Jesus experienced the ultimate pain of total empathy with the failings of the human condition.
Grief is especially hard when the death is viewed by us as "unfair" or senseless, such as in the death of a child or young parent, or in the case of a suicide. Our congregation recently experienced the passing of a young mother due to cancer. There is a universal desire here to reach out to her children, who are peers of our other youth in the youth program. The hardest thing is that hugs, while comforting, are inadequate to sooth the slowing unfolding grief of a young person who has lost his or her Mom. What can we do to provide comfort?
First of all, don't distance yourself from the person; stay connected, and try to "normalize" the relationship--just be there for them, and continue to be their friend. Don't over-sentimentalize the situation or send even subliminal signals that you will relate to them differently because of the death. Secondly, realize full well that this will be a process, and it may happen in fits and starts, especially with a younger person. Watch for signs that the grief is being subverted by a negative behavior, and gently encourage the person to move back onto a healthier path. Young persons, whose emotional maturity is still developing, may "act out," which is not always bad, but it should be observed carefully, noting that less maturity may result in poor judgment, especially on the part of a teen.
Above all, if you are in a caring situation with a grieving friend (young or old) and observe behaviors or here comments which concern you, make contact with a professional caregiver/counselor for guidance and assistance. It is never a bad thing to realize that you are "in over your head," and should facilitate a connection between the counselor and the bereaved.
If you are a young friend of another young person who has lost a loved one, again, just be present with your friend. Let them talk, and be a good listener. Do your best to be patient with them and don't rush to make them "feel better." They will get through their grief, but as we said earlier, it may take time, and while the temptation of youth may be to "just get over it," this is something that does not go fast. If you have a grieving friend who seems to get over it soon, realize that that is not a good thing! Encourage them to walk in "baby steps" so their mind and heart can heal.
Good grief is a gift of God designed to help us cope with huge losses in life. As you help another along in this process, don't short-change its healing power! Shalom, friends.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Holding Out for Rachel
Holding Out for Rachel Genesis 29:15-28 Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives 29:15 Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my k...
-
Perish the Rescuing… 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4:4 In their cas... -
Caught Between Faith and Feet Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Abraham's faith 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the convict... -
I, The Teacher Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 Search out wisdom 1:2 Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All i...