abandoning ship

A large cruise ship is capsized in the Mediterranean sea.  Thousands were rescued, but some died.  The captain will be punished for abandoning ship.   Some vacation. I’ve never been on a cruise.  Don’t think I’m going to book one anytime soon. Sorry honey.  We’re landlubbers.    And we are religious people.  We have a routine we follow.  We adopted it from our predecessors.  We revise it a little, but mostly do what has been done.  Sunday morning is church time.  We gather for worship.  We pray and sing, listen and confess, sit and stand, eat and drink, give and receive.  We pass the peace and reconnect :  with each other, with God.  We come here.  What we do here is good.  Were it not good, who would come?  Admittedly, sometimes we come because of an obligation.  Ah man, do I have to go today?  Yes dear , you’re the preacher.  Sometimes being faithful here feels lonely, like being the only tourist in a small foreign village.  But we come because this is the container of our religious lives.  An upside down ship, a nave.  The church keeps us together, shelters us from the storms.  It is safe here.  We are safe with God contained in this room.  This is our boat.    

So, why don’t more people come to church?  Why is it so hard to be faithful today?   Why have so many gone ashore and left us adrift?  How do we get more people to come and see what’s happening here?  I have suggested that we can never be entertaining or attractional enough, because we are not marketing or selling ourselves or anything else here. We are not going to package our message in a hip modern, contemporary relevant cool worship show because that is not who we are.  So what do we do?  Stay put until we die?  The mainline church continues to shrink at an alarming rate in the US.   Leaving a church, not joining a church, seems to be the direction of many Americans.  So how do we reverse the trend at Zion Lutheran on Main St. in Akron?    We know that our demographics, though typical, are not promising.  I am not the answer man, but I have been appointed the pastor, prophet, evangelist, and teacher in this place.  I am at least a couple of those things.  I have learned that what I am is not what some church people expect or need from their pastor.  I am sorry when I am not.

Jesus and religion

I'm not sure anyone is going to give a damn what I have to say about this.  I am, after all, religious.  I am a cleric, a priest, an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  As such, I have a perspective of church and religion that is "biased".  I am not setting out here to defend turf.  I have been disappointed by church as a human institution.  I have criticized the church, publicly rejecting misbehavior.  I'm note even referring to clergy sex abuse scandals.  I refer closer to home, where church people mistreat one another.  I have seen church members fight.  I have heard church people publicly reject outsiders, non-adherents, or unchurched folks.  I have said aloud, "this is church, really?  What does this have to do with Jesus or God's love..." I have heard church people say and do things to intentionally exclude people. I studied the Crusades. The church's sins are well chronicled and continue in every dark corner of her hallowed halls.  Because church is full of people. People have their own problems, hang-ups, prejudices, etc...People are complicated.  With a great capacity to love and be loved, people still find ways to hate, perpetrate violence, and dehumanize others.  People hoard things, rather than share them.  People steal and kill and adulterate everyday.  Church people.  I,too, hate religion that promotes exclusivity and injustice.  I hate religion that speaks against gay people because they are gay, colored people because they are colored, poor people because they are poor, using the bible to defend ugly prejudices.  I, too, believe that Jesus calls us to a greater calling as servants.  I also believe that Jesus opposed empty religious habits that are self-centered and devoid of meaning.  I believe Jesus came to save us from sin and death, something than no religious habit can do.  Jesus did what religion cannot do.  Jesus invited people to experience reconciliation and communion with God through Him.  Jesus is the actor in divine reconciliation and salvation. Reconnecting to God by practicing Jesus' way of life, however, leads to religion.  Like it or not, to live in communion with God requires a container.  Be it a religious community, a house church, a sect, a prayer group, a bible study, or a worshiping congregation. No man is an Island, said Milton.  We are social creatures, set in families.  Communion with God is social, familial, communal, and religious.  Religious because a community of individuals will establish a way of life, a routine, a pattern of behavior that characterizes their sense of wholeness, their sense of unity.  Just me and Jesus is never enough.  God comes to all of us. God comes for all of us.
This viral YouTube video everyone is talking about makes for an interesting and entertaining four minutes.  I can't say that for everything--probably most things-- I've watched on You Tube.  I like this guy in the video.  He's sort of gritty, urban, hip hop. I don't know him, though.  I can't even say I know his "type", whatever that means. He is packaging a message that is worth hearing, though.  He's not the first one to say it out loud, to think it, to act upon it. He's probably not the You Tube Prophet sent to reform the whole mess. But he might be part of a larger phenomenon.  Hell, the emergence of Pentecostalism, fundamentalism, the Protestant Reformation, and most early Monasticism is based on the very same premise.  Something has gotten off the track.  The religious container no longer looks like its original message or intent.  Something stinks in institutional Christianity, like dead bodies or rotten fruit.  No kidding.  In every age there is rebellion against the religious ways of predecessor bodies.  Why?  It is how renewal and longevity happens within the human religious community.  How is it that Christianity (or even better, Judaism), exists for so long transcending time, space, ethnic/cultural, and linguistic limitations?  It has many names.  Renewal, reformation, resurrection.  Something emerges out of the death of something else. Someone within the body rejected the body and established an alternative.  The bible is not anti-religion. It is, however, a chronicle of how religion evolves, changes, emerges, dies, and is reborn. Abram leaves Haran and heads toward Canaan.  Moses leads a people in bondage out of Egypt to the Sinai desert. Jesus rejects the teachings of the Pharisees and scribes.  Martin Luther rejects the Pope.  The pope rejects the reformers.  The reformers reject one another. Its a frickin' mess. From age to age, the ways in which people seek after God, seek to contain God, to control God, to become God undergo deep self-examination, criticism from within and outside, and dramatic change.  No wonder the enlightened youth of later modernity or postmodernism have rejected religion altogether. This process, in every age, has been painful.  There will be casualties as we try to sort out life at the end of the 2nd Millenium.  We would like this to be easier, more balck-and-white.  So we set up a straw man---religion or church.  And we develop a polarity; Jesus vs. religion.  We prefer celebrity gurus.  Jesus could be a celebrity guru, if we can make him cool enough somehow. He could be our life coach, spiritual guide, mentor, and Facebook friend. If we suggest that Christianity has finally and completely lost the central message of Jesus and replaced it with lies for self-preservation and self-promotion, then we may have something to rap about on You Tube.  It  does sound good.  Its the same message as those who try to convince us to put Christ back into Christmas.  What they fail to realize is that no one can take him out.  That was the entire point of Easter.  You can't get rid of Jesus.  He is never going to leave.  Try as we might, he is in it with us to the end of the age.
Look, I get the message.  I am in agreement that religion can become a barrier to faith.  I get that church has hoarded money to build ornate buildings, cathedrals and pipe organs, but has failed to serve the slum dwellers and the homeless.  I get that religion does exclude people by establishing purity rules and hierarchical police that legislate and adjudicate the rules.  (Radical fundamentalist Mormon Warren Jeffs is dictating rules for his 1,500 followers from prison, stricter rules that will reduce the number of faithful adherents).  I get that religious people have been less that passionate about the plight of the poor, the oppressed, the terrorized, and the massacred.  I get that.  I also get that Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave his life to oppose the Nazis.  Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life to oppose racial injustice and promote a dream for beloved community.  Mother Theresa lived in the Calcutta slums.  And countless others have given their lives for the sake of the world because their religious calling to follow Jesus has compelled them to act boldly and courageously.
I am an insider.  I cannot defend the whole church.  That is not my job.  But I will say this.  I cannot argue whether or not church or religion merits its survival or existence.  I cannot say that church does more good than harm, so ought to be respected and not rejected.  I even get that leaving church for more fulfilling spiritual waters is tempting and, could prove necessary for the preservation of one's faith.  But I must also say this:  Jesus promises to be present with His followers as they minister to people who are sick and homeless, imprisoned or hungry.  He promises to be present for us in bread and wine, in water and in His Words.  When 2 or 3 gather in his name to practice reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing he is with them.  I believe that, in spite of itself, Jesus is still with and in the church.  At least as much as he is with the excluded, the marginalized, the poor and oppressed.  Maybe we all need to practice confession and forgiveness, and a lot more humility.  Maybe we have to practice death and resurrection, trusting that we will be raised to new life. Maybe we have to be willing to see Christ's presence in and outside the boxes we make.  Maybe we have to see what happens when we put new wine in old wineskins.  Maybe we have to make new wineskins. Maybe some of us have to poetically challenge the status quo.  Maybe some of us have to keep on working inside while God's Spirit reforms and reshapes us. Maybe some of us have to practice a religious life that is full of grace and truth, because Jesus is full of grace and truth.  I don't know. I'm not sure anyone is going to give a damn what I have to say about this. After all, I'm a follower of Jesus, the son of God.  I am religious in my devotion to Him.
 
  

come and see

Dear neighbors,
I think a lot of people in our neighborhood have the wrong idea about church, misconceptions or false impressions.  Also, some churches give people the wrong idea about church.  So, if you want to know a little about church from an insider that thinks church is still worth knowing, here is a word about us:  We are not entertaining.  We are not a rock concert, a light show, or a video message board. We are not shouting out the latest celebrity gossip. We are not the coolest place in town.  We are not the center of attention.  We are not hi tech.  We are not "starbucks for Jesus".  We are not the stomping grounds of the wealthy or offering self-affirmation for the guilty.  We are not here to chastize you, straighten you out, or condemn you to hell.  We are not dressed in our Sunday best.  We are not marketing anything or selling anything to you or anyone else.  We are not the newest, hottest trend on the net.  There is no app for what we do.   We sing old hymns with words no one understands like "ebenezer." We eat small pieces of bread and drink wine from small plastic cups.  We read or recite prayers together.  We listen to readings from the bible.  We say, "Peace be with you".  We say, "Thanks be to God."  We say, "Your sins are forgiven." We stand up and sit down, stand up and sit down, stand up and sit down. We are old people, widows and widowers, retired and downsizing.  We want our lives to have meaning and to leave a legacy of good in our wakes.  We are young people, with ambitions and dreams and energy and hope.  We want to change the world, make it better for everyone.  We are families with children trying to live sustainably in a demanding economy where costs-of-living often exceed income. We are single adults looking for friends and community in an isolated and isolating neighborhood of strangers.  We are people who have made serious mistakes.  We are divorced.  We are addicts, trying to recover.  We have been incarcerated.  We are on parole.  We have hit rock bottom more than once and we have gotten back on our feet.
We are people whose hearts and minds have been captured by an ancient 1st century story of a Jewish Rabbi named Jesus of Nazareth, who died and lives and is the son of the living God.  He is a savior, because we have recognized that we need someone to rescue us.  We cannot save ourselves.  We do not save. We spend and consume and expend.  We devour and destroy and die. We throw away, we discard, even people.  We perpetrate injustices unawares every single day. But Jesus came and promised new and better life to people who believe it's possible.  To people willing to sacrifice being the greatest, the richest, and the strongest in order to reveal that God is all love and mercy and peace, there is this story.  In it, Jesus confronted the inherited power of darkness that resides in the human soul and destroyed its power over us, so that we do not have to keep on living in the woundedness of the past.  We do not have to repeat the course of human history, with its wars and diseases and crimes against humanity. Because on a Friday afternoon, it was finished.  A new chapter in the human story began three days later, when the crucified man was raised from the dead and appeared to many people.  The church began as a tragic defeat was turned into a surprising victory. That's the story we believe and tell over and over again.  God promises to turn the world upside down by turning each one of us inside out.  The hungry will have bread, the homeless will have a place of their own, the lonely will have companionship, the sick will have merciful help.  Church are people who believe that God is healing the world right now.  And we are recipients and partners in that healing.  We are givers and lovers, helpers and healers devoted to others before ourselves. We are not entertaining, but who we are is worth seeing.  We are God's people, God's imagination, God's workforce, God's family, God's slaves.  We are not who you think we are.  What you thought you knew about church is not altogether true.  That's more our fault than yours or anyone elses.  We have not lived honestly and openly.  We have not shared.  Because we are ordinary people.  We live messy, complicated, painful lives.  Church people are not perfect. But we are God's chosen ones, holy and beloved.  And so are you. That's the secret we have to share with you.  God is with you.  Everyday.  In your house.  At your place of work or schooling.  In the car.  On the bus.  God is with you.  God wants you to come closer to Him.  Jesus formed a church so that communion with God could be a shared reality throughout the world.  The church is God's way of reaching out to you and reminding you who you are.  You are God's beloved child.  
We can't promise you'll be entertained.  But what we have to show you and tell you is worth hearing and seeing.  Your life will never be the same.  Come and see.

new shoes

I have two pair of black shoes; one pair is casual, everyday work shoes. The other pair are dress shoes.  I wear them on Sundays.  I have two pair of brown shoes. I have a pair of sneakers, a pair of hiking shoes, two pairs of boots, and two pairs of sandals.  

My one pair of black shoes that I wear almost everyday is becoming worn.  I don;t buy shoes often.  I buy shoes that will last for a few years, at least.  I can justify owning all these shoes.  They all serve a different function, depending on the season, the dress, the occasion.  I could probably get by with four pairs.  Boots, sneakers, black dress shoes, and sandals.  I say all of this knowing that there are children in this world that have no shoes.  I am blessed with more than I need.  I am well aware.  I have shoes and clothes, a secure home, more than enough to eat, clean water, health care, sanitation, and gadgets to entertain me.  But I am deeply aware that I am in the wealthy global minority in this regard. I am aware of the presence of poverty and need.  I am so because I see people in circumstances different from mine all the time.  I don't travel to Africa or Haiti to see them.  I notice my neighbors.    

  

There is a family in my church. There are two adults and four children under age 9 in the house.  They worship here every week.  The children were all baptized here by me.  They are being evicted from their apartment.  Seven months of unemployment has meant that income has been too low to sustain the household.    When they found the eviction note they called me.  I went to visit with them, make a plan, suggest some resources, and pray for God's help.  That was Monday.  

Epiphany and the presence of God

"There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful, than that of a continual conversation with God. Those only can comprehend it who practice and experience it."     ... Brother Lawrence To dwell in the presence of God is a sort of experience that both frightens and excites me. As a person of faith, I can say that I have experienced God's presence; felt the nearness of God, received God's love and peace, encountered God's judgment and mercy.  I have heard and seen some things that cause me to believe what I believe.  I'm not sure that I have been as faithful a practitioner to it though.  Mostly, God has made Himself known.  Practicing the presence of God can also be described as communion with God or union with God.  For centuries, faithful people have sought God's presence through meditation and prayer, dwelling in God's Word, being with other believers, worshiping God in liturgy, sitting in silence, and/or serving others.  I suspect that most of us experience something like the absence or hidden-ness of God. The reality of God is something that is questioned, doubted, and rejected by many people.  I cannot say that they are wrong. They have experienced life and have interpreted what they have experienced.  They have been taught and shaped by people and things outside of themselves.  So have I.  So why do I believe in God and someone else does not?  By choice?  By misinformation?  When it comes to faith in God are the categories "right" or "wrong" sufficient or proper?  If they are then who gets the blame?  The messenger or the recipient?  There are no non-believers.  Everyone believes in something.   The bible itself revels in revelation...God appears to some people and not to others.  Some people see God, others cannot. Some men have visions.  Others do not.  Some women see the Lord.  Others don't.   Even Jesus himself, crying out the words of the 22nd Psalm, declares that God has forsaken him in crucifixion.  The bible tells us that God's presence is revealed, uncovered, encountered. Where, when, and to whom is biblical mystery.   Sometimes we say we believe in God but we have no evidence, by reason or faith, to say it. We say it because to not believe in God is worse than to say we believe it and yet to doubt.  I believe God hides from us. I believe we hide from God.  I believe God is near us and we can come closer to God.  I believe movement toward each other is what life is about. To practice the presence of God is something like looking in the mirror in a dark room and hoping that the light comes on while you're looking in the right direction.

spiritual grandparents

The week between Christmas and New Year is visitation week.  Did you visit, welcome family to your home, travel to see others?  We traveled to New York to visit my parents this week.  Quick trip, Tuesday to Thursday. 48 hours, action packed.  I saw both of my grandmother’s this weekend.  I can’t tell you the last time that happened.  My mom’s mom is 86 and lives near Rochester.  We have not been out there in many years.  She came to visit on my mom’s 60^th birthday, with my mom’s two sisters.  My boys have not seen Grandma Morse in a few years, or maybe its better to say that my grandmother has not seen my boys in a few years, never saw Elijah.  Only in pictures. I feel bad about this, but getting together is not easy.  We go to my parents, two hours east of the rest of my mom’s family.  They would have to come to us.  They don’t.  We’re only in NY once or twice a year for a few days.  A narrow window for family to gather.  My boys all have blankets knitted by my Grandma Morse.  They are their traveling blankets, for snuggling on long car rides. That’s their connection to her. 

I also went to visit my Dad’s mom.  Grandma Lenahan is in a nursing home. It’s a beautiful new Jewish home north of Utica.  I was pleased with the place. She has a large single room.  It was decorated for Christmas with poinsettias.  She has a board filled with family pictures, including my boys.  She is very frail, unable to speak.  Although she was alert enough to acknowledge us when we came in.  After a few minutes of talking, I told her about the boys, the church, our house. My dad reminded her of the time when I ran away from home and landed suitcase in hand at my grandma’s house.  She lived next door, had to walk through a three acre field.   I was 7 and angry because I kept falling off my new two wheel bike. Grandma Lenahan was known as candy grandma, because she had cocoa puffs and lucky charms. 

I’m not so good with one way small talk.  She could, at best, look at me and mouth a word or two I could not understand.  So I decided to get a bible and pray with her.  She is a devout Catholic after all.  I suspect t she has prayed for me in her life.  So I prayed with her, read Psalms and other scriptures, prayed for her health, commended her to God’s eternal care. I may not see her again before she dies.  I’ve never prayed with my grandmother before.  My dad didn’t know if she receives regular spiritual care or visitation from a priest.  She is taken to mass sometimes, he thought.  I couldn’t think of anything else to do with her but to pray. Its what I do when I visit the elderly and infirm. I was glad I saw her…glad I saw both of my grandmothers this year.  My parents were, too.  

Bishop Hanson's Christmas Video

Christmas Video 2011 - Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

bearing

the annunciation

"Let it be to me according to your Word."  This is Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s message.  She will bear the news and the physical reality of it.  It reveals her character and the ideal way in which all people are invited to respond to the presence and power of God, as it fills our lives with promise and hope.  But Luke the evangelist knew that Mary's response was different. She was more open than most of us to the possibility that God might approach us and speak to us.  As such, she becomes the bearer of God.  

Most of us, most of the time, doubt that God speaks.  And angels? We speak of them whenever we manage to avoid an accident; as in "my guardian angel was watching out for me".  But angels do not confront us.  Not even in church! We maintain distance between us and God.  Our story is more like Zechariah the priest;  Here's his story, also from the first chapter of Luke's gospel:  

arrival signs

I don’t travel much.  Not a business traveler.  I have gone away for extended continuing education or other ministry trips; New Orleans, Detroit.  I went to Puerto Rico once in college--my only trip off the mainland.  But it looks like I’m going to Ft. Myers Fla in Febuary for an ELCA World Hunger leaders gathering. Anyway, I’m never gone that long.  My parents rarely traveled either, farmers are rooted to their land.  So I haven’t experienced the feeling of being welcomed home or welcoming someone after a long time apart.  I have this image of coming off an airplane and coming down an escalator and someone holding a sign up with my name on it.  Mr. Lenahan.  Someone waiting for my arrival.  Or maybe a party waiting for my arrival.  I wonder if going to heaven is like that? Escalator reversed, robed apostles and angels waiting at the gate, Peter holding the sign, no baggage to claim—not lost luggage, just unnecessary. I guess some of us view heaven as an arrival, a homecoming.   

Yesterday’s Lancaster newspaper had a front page article about a surprise homecoming for a local family at Clay elementary school this week.  Two kids whose mom has been deployed in Iraq for about  a year received a huge surprise at an assembly where they unwrapped a refrigerator box present to find that the prize they had “won” was their mom’s early discharge.  I think about family’s with loved ones on deployment waiting for that person to come home.  For a year they carry a sign around in their hearts and minds with “mom”, or “Dad”, “spouse”,  or “son”, or “daughter” on it. Advent is about waiting for someone to come. So, what does that feel like?  I guess to get at that we need to dig into our own personal stuff a little. So...      

headlines

Who reads the newspaper?  Daily or weekly?  We get the Saturday and Sunday news at my house.  Newspapers are dying.  People get their news electronically today.  They don’t need newspapers.  Readerships are down.  I heard about it on Marketplace report on NPR the other night.  They said that newspapers are losing the loyal older population faster than expected and they don’t know how to attract the younger crowd.  Wow.  Sounds like a lot of Christianity has the same problem. The medium in which we share the news is not retaining and attracting newer, younger people.  Newspaper is a 500 year- old- invention. So are Lutherans.  Advent is about new beginnings, fresh imagination for what life in this world can and should be like.  We want this season to be about nostalgia, but it is not.  It is about change, new beginnings, renewal from the inside-out. 

John the baptist was calling for radical life change.  A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, according to the gospel of Mark.  He was not only talking about my bad deeds or your wicked thoughts.  He knew that the world had gone to hell in a hand basket.  The whole world, from top to bottom. Things needed to change, whole cloth.  We’re talking more like sweeping revolution than cleaning up spilled milk.    

John knew the headlines, the news stories of his day.  They probably went something like this:

“Herod builds new palace.  300 homes are torn down to begin new construction.  Displaced families seek shelter in city.”

 “Herod seen on the town with his brother’s wife. Scandal rocks the north country.”  

“Emperor raising taxes to build better roads.” 

“More Roman soldiers occupy Jerusalem.”

 “Poverty rate increases in Palestine. Children are worse affected.”

“Temple reconstruction at its height.  New baths rivaling the roman style are installed for out-of-town guests.”

“ Religious leaders seek to cool zealous radicals.”

Some of these headlines may sound familiar. The news doesn't change much.  Power, wealth, suffering, violence.  Wouldn't it be nice to have a different headline?

the best character

Dear Church, just a reminder. In case you have forgotten.  The character that best personifies the holiday season is not Santa Claus.  (St. Nicholas, perhaps...mall Santa and his jolly gift-giving, not so much).  Santa is everywhere anymore. Every event, every location, every holiday party.  He's going to be at two different Burger Kings on Monday, at the same time!  You try to do that!  Amazing.  Santa is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of the Holiday.  From his "first official appearance" at the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade to his invisible presence on Christmas eve, Santa is here.   But Santa is not this season's main man.  Do you hear me?  Santa is NOT the person that embodies this holy season.  Santa is NOT God.
You are thinking: Obviously, it's Jesus. Put Christ back in Christmas--- blah,blah, blah! And, you are right, but not completely right.  Jesus is not the reason for the season.  Jesus is the life of the world yesterday, today, and forever.  Jesus is every season.  We cannot pin Jesus down to our time,to a date on the calendar (Dec. 25).  So, if not Jesus, who?

Prayer of the Day

Lord our God, grant that we may be ready to receive Christ when he comes in glory and to share in the banquet of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

"...ready to receive Christ when he comes in glory..." This is church language.  What does it mean? I think, when we pray, we might want to understand what we are saying.  The context of this prayer is that the true KING and ruler of the earth is absent.  He is going to return, as when a King returns victorious from battle.  Coming in glory means that the King will return triumphant as the true and only ruler.  All will then see the King as their ruler. A great banquet to honor the King's return will commence, to which we hope to be the invited guests.     We must hear "Christ" as a royal title.  The bible espouses to a divine monarchy, on which Jesus--the crucified and risen King--is enthroned as ruler forever.
In a free democracy, pledging allegiance to a monarch seems archaic.  But, a divine monarchy, in which one perfect and just King is enthroned forever is the bible's political persuasion.
In Advent, we imagine the return of the King to restore order and peace.

praying

Praying is, well, strange.  For many of us, our prayer life consists of a sort of informal conversation with God.  I say "sort of" because it's not really a conversation.  It's more like a therapy session, whereby God is the listener/therapist and we are the clients.  The conversation is one-sided for a lot of us.  How does one become the listener in that conversation?  Someone once said, "When I tell people that I speak to God, they call me a saint.  When I tell people, God spoke to me they call me a lunatic."  But the motto of the United Church of Christ is "God is still speaking..."  At any rate, the informal conversation with God thing has been touted as the sign that one's prayer is sincere, personal, and meaningful. Rote prayers, ritualized, fixed, written, or liturgical prayer have been maligned as insincere, impersonal, and lacking proper expression. But you know that we talk about prayer more than we actually pray. Because we don't know how to pray.  We want to think it's easy, but it is not.  It is unnatural and takes practice.  Prayer is more like learning a foreign language than chatting with an old buddy.

Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer/ Matins

Dialog

L          O Lord, open my lips;

C         And my mouth shall declare your praise;

Glory to the Father, and to the Son +, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, amen.

Psalmody  Psalm 95

O come, let us sing to the LORD;

            let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

  ²Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

            let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

  ³For the LORD is a great God,

            and a great King above all gods.

  ⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth;

            the heights of the mountains are his also.

  ⁵The sea is his, for he made it,

            and the dry land, which his hands have formed.

  ⁶O come, let us worship and bow down,

            let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

  ⁷For he is our God,

            and we are the people of his pasture,

            and the sheep of his hand.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever, amen. 

Psalm 148

Praise the LORD!

            Praise the LORD from the heavens;

            praise him in the heights!

  ²Praise him, all his angels;

            praise him, all his host!

  ³Praise him, sun and moon;

            praise him, all you shining stars!

  ⁴Praise him, you highest heavens,

            and you waters above the heavens!

  ⁵Let them praise the name of the LORD,

            for he commanded and they were created.

  ⁶He established them forever and ever;

            he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

  ⁷Praise the LORD from the earth,

            you sea monsters and all deeps,

  ⁸fire and hail, snow and frost,

            stormy wind fulfilling his command!

  ⁹Mountains and all hills,

            fruit trees and all cedars!

  ¹⁰Wild animals and all cattle,

            creeping things and flying birds!

  ¹¹Kings of the earth and all peoples,

            princes and all rulers of the earth!

  ¹²Young men and women alike,

            old and young together!

  ¹³Let them praise the name of the LORD,

            for his name alone is exalted;

            his glory is above earth and heaven.

  ¹⁴He has raised up a horn for his people,

            praise for all his faithful,

            for the people of Israel who are close to him.

            Praise the LORD!\

C         Amen

readings

Week 1:  Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Week 2:  Isaiah 58:1:12

Week 3: Romans 5:1-11.

Week 4: Ephesians 4:17-24

L         In many and various ways God spoke to his people of old by the prophets.

C         But now in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.

Gospel Canticle 

Magnificat "Song of Mary" Luke, ch.1

‘My soul magnifies the Lord, 
   and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
   Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
   and holy is his name. 
His mercy is for those who fear him
   from generation to generation. 
He has shown strength with his arm;
   he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
   and lifted up the lowly; 
he has filled the hungry with good things,
   and sent the rich away empty. 
He has helped his servant Israel,
   in remembrance of his mercy, 
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
   to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

PRAYERS

Mighty God of mercy, we thank you for the resurrection dawn, bringing the glory of our risen Lord who makes every day new.

Especially we thank you—

            for the sustaining goodness of your creation...

            for the new creation in Christ and all gifts of healing and forgiveness...

            for the gifts of relationship with others...

            for the communion of faith in your church...

Other thanksgivings may be added.

Merciful God of might, renew this weary world, heal the hurts of all your children, and bring about your peace for all in Christ Jesus, the living Lord.

Especially we pray—

            for those who govern nations of the world...

            for the people in countries ravaged by strife or warfare...

            for all who work for peace and international harmony...

            for all who strive to save the earth from carelessness and destruction...

            for the church of Jesus Christ in every land...

Other intercessions may be added.

L         O Lord, almighty and everlasting God, you have brought us in safety to this new day; preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome in adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (249)

L          Lord our Father, each morning you welcome us as we are; gie us a heart that is pure and free, to receive your Word, and discover in our brothers and sisters the message of life you bring us, through Jesus, the Christ, our Lord. Amen.

C         Amen

The Lord's Prayer

C         Our Father in heaven,

            hallowed be your name,

            your kingdom come,

            your will be done,

                        on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

            as we forgive those who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial

            and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,

            now and forever. Amen

Benediction

L          Let us bless the Lord.

C         Thanks be to God.

L          Maythe Lord bless us,

Keep away all evil, and lead us to eternal life.

C         Amen.

From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2011 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.

Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #42246.

Evening Prayer for a small group or household

Vespers

Evening prayers may be prayed between the hours of 6 pm and 10 pm. 

O, God come to my assistance;

O, Lord make haste to help me!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, amen.

Confession

I confess to almighty God, that I have sinned through my own fault, in my thoughts, words, and deeds, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do; I have not loved you with my whole heart or my neighbors as myself.   Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a poor sinner.  Amen. 

Psalmody One or more Psalms is prayed daily

Sundays:          Psalms 103, 104, 105

Mondays:         Psalms 115, 116,117

Tuesdays:        Psalms 130, 131, 133

Wednesdays:   Psalms  135, 136, 138

Thursdays:       Psalms 139, 140, 141 

Fridays:            Psalms 142, 143, 144

Saturdays:        Psalms 145, 146, 147

Short readings

Week one                                Week two

Romans 12:1-2.                                   Romans 6:3-5

2 Corinthians 5:17-21              1 Corinthians 15:3-7

Ephesians 4:1-5                                   Galatians 5:16-22

Philippians 2:4-11                    Ephesians 2:1-10

Colossians 1:15-20                  Philippians 4:4-7

1 Peter 1:3-9                            Colossians 3:13-17

1 John 1:5-9                            Hebrews 1:1-3

Magnificat Song of Mary, Luke 1

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my savior; for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.  From this day, all generations will call me blessed. The almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.  He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.  He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.  He has broght down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty.  He has come to the help of his servant Israel, for he has remembered the promise of mercy; a promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.  Glory to the Father and to the son and to the holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.  (or sing)

Litany

Blessed are you O Lord our God.  In your great love you sent your Son Jesus to bring light to our darkness and to show us the way of truth: hear us as we pray.

---For those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Lord, have mercy.

---For those who live in fear, anxiety, depression, and any form of mental illness. Lord, have mercy.

---For those who are sick, suffering, grieving, or dying. Lord, have mercy.

---For those who are hungry, homeless, poor, thirsty, or lack in any daily need. Lord, have mercy.

---For those who suffer the consequences of war, violence, or crime. Lord, have mercy.

---For the end of unjust governments and laws that threaten human dignity and oppress minorities. Lord, have mercy.

---For Christians facing persecution. For Muslims and Jews.  That we pursue peace together with  God’s help.  Lord, have mercy.

---For all who have died, hoping in the life to come.    Lord, have mercy.

---Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:

Our Father in heaven, holy is your name.  Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.  Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.  For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen. 

Concluding prayer

We thank you, Lord, for the day that you have given us.  Your goodness and love were made known to us this day. You have mercifully sustained us and provided for our needs.  You have permitted us to serve you and love others.  The day is now ending and we entrust to you this night.  Tend to those who suffer in the darkness. Keep watch over us while we sleep that we may rise in the morning to praise and serve you again.  In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.   

Final blessing

May the Lord bless us, keep away all evil, and lead us to eternal life.  Amen.  

Advent prayers

Creator of the stars of night, your people's everlasting light,
O Christ,redeemer of us all, we pray you hear us when we call.
In sorrow that the ancient curse should doom to death a universe,
You came, O savior, to set free
 your own in glorious liberty.
Come, sun and savior to embrace
our gloomy world, its weary race,
as groom to bride, as bride to groom:
the wedding chamber, Mary's womb.
At your great name, O Jesus now
all knees must bend, all hearts must bow;
All things on earth with one accord,
like those in heav'n , shall call you Lord.
Come in your holy might, we pray,
Redeem us for eternal day;
Defend us while we dwell below,
For all assaults of our dread foe. ---8th century.


O Lord, you promised that you would come again.  We await your return, doubting if you will.  We grow weary under the tyranny of sin and death.  We long for your forgiveness, your freedom, your peace.  We search for signs of your eternal presence.  We hope for your good future to arrive, bringing life and salvation to every living thing.  Will you come again?  Will we see your face? Will you come down to dwell with your people?  Will you make all things new? Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Stir up your power, Lord Christ and come.  By your merciful protection awaken us to the threatening dangers of our sins, and keep us blameless until the coming of your new day, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

the beginning

Mark 1:1-8

1 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, "See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; 3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,' " 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

breaking the cycle

 ‘But in those days, after that suffering,the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’ Gospel of Mark, 13 

The countdown has begun.  The decorating, the baking, the shopping, the TV specials, the 24/7 Christmas music, the shopping, the madness that is the “Holiday Season” is now thrust upon us.  Black Friday is being characterized as a frenzy of violence by the Sunday newspaper.  I doubt most shoppers witnessed violence, but it did occur in the wee small hours of the morning while men and women wrestled flat panel televisions, Ipads, and other tech gadgetry out of big chain stores.  "Right now get the hottest deals on the things you want this holiday.  Stores are opening at midnight."  One man was in line at best buy at 1 am on Thanksgiving day---he spent his entire thanksgiving day waiting in line at a best buy, so that he could be the first one in.  He got in at midnight like everyone else.  But he was first and he was prepared. Something is wrong here.  How did things get to be so far off?  

the least of these

The gospel reading for Christ the King Sunday was from Mathew 25.  It is a parable, a story Jesus' tells about the Kingdom of God. This is not a very Lutheran parable.  I don’t like the consequences.  Because It sounds as if Jesus is saying that in the end what really counts are your good works, your charity toward the least among you. It sounds like the end of the age will bring divine judgment that will separate the sheep from the goats;  the ones on the right are the righteous who will enter heaven, the ones who-- unbeknownst to them-- had served their King by serving the least among them.  And the unrighteous are sent to hell for having not realized that they had not served their king by ignoring the basic needs of the least.  That’s what it sounds like.  In the end God judges us by our charity toward the least.  And Lutherans don’t believe this. We believe that we are all sinners before God, that the cross and resurrection of Jesus makes us righteous, not our works or deeds.  We believe that we are justified by grace through faith, apart from works of the law. That means that reconciliation with God is not something we accomplish, but something that we receive.  At best we might say that good works flow out of a right relationship with God. We might say that the righteous ones in Jesus’ parable are the ones who have come to know and trust the God made known through the ministry of Jesus and his church and have then come to live as Kingdom people.  

risky investments

Frederick Buechner, Christian author, once wrote, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deepest gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”  That’s a great way of saying, if the thing you love to do somehow serves the greater good, consider yourself blessed.  Communion with God is somehow connected to our capacity to take what we’ve been given and share it with those who need it in this world.  Martin Luther might have called it the vocation of the baptized, or our Christian calling.  I was called to ministry at age 14, by Bernie Gigliotti, an obese diabetic Lebanese Lutheran with a bad comb-over  who sat in the back pew every Sunday at my home church.  He told me, after I had begun serving as a communion assistant and lector, that I should become a pastor.  Thanks a lot Bernie.  Don’t know why I listened to Bernie.  But hear I am. We are where we are for many reasons, often too complicated to connect to one thing.  To say I live here because of my job is not entirely true or false.  We are where we are.  Same with what we have.  Some of it we earn, some we inherit, some we make, some we receive as gift.  Some things we gain thoughtlessly at the expense of others. Some things we have, cost us dearly.  Some things we have require responsibility and some things we have don’t.  I have golf clubs.  They were a birthday gift.  I am not obligated to them.  They don’t require much.  I don’t use them much either.  For the way I play, the clubs and a few other people are probably glad I don’t.  But I also have three sons---also birthday gifts, not my birthday theirs.  With them comes all kinds of responsibility and obligation, all of which I take on most gratefully.  I am their dad.  They are my boys.  You get my point.  We receive much in this life.  From beginning to end.  How we treat what we have received makes a difference.  Not all things are treated equally.  Hopefully, human relationships are the most valuable. In this life, how we manage what we have is important.

Benedictine Morning Prayer

Lauds

O God, come to my assistance; O Lord make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever, amen.

Psalm 67

O God,be gracious to us and bless us.

and let your face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth,

and all nations learn of your saving help.

Let the peoples praise you, O God,

let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and exult

for your rule the world with justice.

With fairness you rule the peoples,

you guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God,

let all the peoples praise you.

The earth has yielded its fruit

for God, our God, has blessed us.

May God still give us his blessing

till all the ends of the earth revere him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God

Let all the peoples praise you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Hymn

Eternal glory of the sky, blest hope of weak humanity;

The Father's sole begotten one, and offspring of virginity.

Uplift us with your arm of might, and let our hearts rise pure and bright.

Ad,ardent in God's praises pay, the thanks we owe God every day.

Praise and honor to you Father,to your only Son divine,

equal glory to the Spirit, in our hearts your love enshrine. Amen.

Psalm 51

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.  In your compassion blot out my offense.O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.  My offenses truly you know them; my sin is always before me.  Against you, you alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done.

That you may be justified when you give sentence and be without reproach when you judge.  O see, in guilt I was born, a sinner was I conceived.  Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.  O purify me, then I shall be clean; O wash me,I shall be made whiter than snow.  Make me hear rejoicing and gladness that the bones you have crushed may thrill.  From my sins turn away your face and blot out all my guilt.  A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your Holy Spirit.  Give me again the jot of your help; with a Spirit of fervor sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you.  O rescue me, O God, my helper,and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.  O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise. For in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse; my sacrifice, a contrite spirit, a humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn. In your goodness,show favor to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,then you will be offered young bulls on your altar.

the 420 hook

We had lunch at the cafe downtown.  I didn't know what we would talk about.  She's a student. She's recently celebrated her engagement to a man in the military, who is right now on his way to Afghanistan. She runs and studies a lot.  She lives at home and commutes to school. She is afraid, but confident.  She has a plan.
I asked her about her faith in God.  She said that everyday she sees the number 420 and she thinks about God.  Her birth date is April 20th, 4/20.  She says that almost daily 4 20 appears to her somehow--on a clock, a licence plate, an apartment number. And when they do, she thinks of God---God the creator, who has blessed her life.  She says when things are not going well she will see a 419, a sign that she is not tracking with God, that she is out of rhythm.  She likes to think of the daily reminder as a kind of reorientation of her daily rhythms.  Does she need to slow down and breathe? Does she need a reminder that all will be well with her?  God shows up on the numbers that mean something to her. It is personal. A numeric post-it note reminding her that God is near her.  Everyday. For two years.

I write this blog

I write this blog.  I've been writing it inconsistently for over four years now.  I am not a writer.  I've never published a book or an article in    a magazine. I've never even had an editorial printed in the local newspaper. But I write this blog and it gets published in cyberspace.  I have had entries from this blog posted, copied, and shared by others without my permission.  I don' care about that. I have had people comment on my blog entries with critical thinking.  As a liberal arts graduate, I appreciate the possibility of dialogue or conversation as part of this writing experience. Some commentary is negative criticism from relatively anonymous people.  Anonymity is a good device for critical editors and know-it-all's.  I suppose journalists and authors deal with anonymous criticism all the time. I also suppose that is why I am not a journalist or author.
I write this blog to exercise my mind.  I write when I feel inspired by something or someone.  I write because I am free to do so here. Most of my writing is theological or religious or political.  The topics we are told to avoid when keeping good company.  But I like to think that all of these things have something to do with being human. What is God like? Is there a God?  What gods seek our allegiances?  Any response to these things is theology.  And any sense of human devotion to a god is religious whether the god is vishnu, allah, Jesus, or David Beckham. How people make sense of and articulate a response to God is also religious. Politics is about power, who has it, who doesn't, and how is it being used in human communities.  I write about these things, not as an expert but as a student. I suppose I could blog about other things:  My kids, sports, food, my dog, celebrities I like to watch. These would probably be more popular topics. But I don't write about those things.  

Beloved, we are God's children now

When I was a kid, we used to go to these family reunions.  In the summer time.  We would dreive to Essex, NY on Lake Champlain in the Adirondack mountains. I can remember only a few details of these reunions.  This was my mother’s side, her father’s side.  My grandfather Ray Morse grew up in Schenectady, NY outside of Albany. He spent his summer’s as a boy in Essex, at his Uncle’s farm.  The reunion’s were held there.  Sort of old fashioned picnics on a grand lawn in front of a little farm house.  My great-grandfather Rex and Great grandmother Marion were always there, together with Rex’s sisters Rosie, Kitty, Phoebe, Hazel, and Lydia.  They were all in their late 80’s and early 90’s.  At 9 years old these people were ancient—living ancestors.  I liked to listen to their stories. They sat on porch rockers and laughed at each other.  The younger crowd played Frisbee and croquet, ate burgers and hot dogs, the usual summer fare.  There were the motorcycle riding, tattooed "black sheep? members of the family, whose arrival was uncertain and surprising.  Yet they were also embraced and welcome to join in.  The old nstories often brought tears, if someone remembered a loved one who was not with them.  Uncle Ben.  The brother who had passed.  They talked about the war and the toll it took on them.  Ray fought in the Pacific.  His presence at the reunion was always seen as a miracle, a gift.  He was my grandfather and I loved when they showed us the old pictures of Ray as a young man in his uniform.  They were proud of him.  They played cards and board games, too.  At the time, I did not understand the meaning of the five hour car trip to visit with old people I didn’t know.  They were my family, extended generationally into the past.  We were what they had become.  We stopped having reunions after Rex’s generation passed.  I have family out there that I haven’t seen in years.  I don’t know their names and they don’t know mine.  But we are related.