the next move

I'll say more about what I've been reading later. Suffice it to say that I am deeply committed to what I am calling the third way or the emerging paradigm. I can't say that it's right, but only that it feels good. My next move is to connect with the people at the coffee shop and get them on board. It will serve as an initial meeting place. I am looking for a weekly Wednesday thing and a monthly Sunday thing. I am open to other weekdays, too. or mornings. whatever. part of this wil be decided by the group who connects to it.Mike Linn is interested, but the question is when can he participate? So today I will meet with Ashley to talk turkey. Each step is key in aligning with God's vision. Last week I met with Dave Fisher and with Katie Sollenberger. Both visits were extremely fruiful. I have registered for this Creative Transformational Ministry gathering in two weeks, too. I hope it bears fruit too. And I'm reading like a fiend.
Step 3a: I will begin to invite others to the conversation. I intend to begin with post-Lutheran Christians, as well as a few others who are floating around in limbo. I believe there are many people who would like to spiritually connect with GOD and a community of friends, but have not found it. Mainline and megachruch have their approaches, their methods, their answers, their practices and doctrines. I suspect that there are some who have disconected from both of those scenes for one reason or another. They are Post--whatever they were. They retain some residue or baggage from those paradigms, but have serious gaps in thier own lives of faith not being addressed. can something like this address them? It's happening in other places. maybe here now too. What might emerge is a new paradigm, a new way of being church or following Jesus in missional living. I wonder what might come of this. I am trusting GOD to provide whatever is needed. I am only trying to plant and water seeds.
I hope to provide a venue for intimate night worship outside of Zion. We will likely do it at Zion once a month too. because there are a few Zion folk who appreciate it or seek it. John is on board musically. The five ancient worship practices are fully experienced: singing, listening, praying, sharing, and sending.We employ familiar, new, and ancient texts in song. We encourage open experiment in prayer. We are sacramental---confessional and communal. We are missional---desiring to commit ourselves to daily intentional practice in following Jesus. I wish i could find my copy of Brian McLaren's "The Secret Messge of Jesus". I lost it when i was half finished with it.
BTW, almost finished with Donald Miller's book "Blue Like jazz". Good stuff.

Waitin on the world to change

I've been rocking out for about a month or so to John Mayer's new CD "Continuum". He finally melds his creative musical genius with some incredibly profound lyrics to make a near rock masterpiece. I pan to share some of it at our next youth group meeting. We've invited our youth to bring thier music to share and to discuss its meaning, how it shapes our thoughts and emotions. Its should be an interesting discussion. I'm not sure which song I'll share. I could share a Beatles song too. I would likely share "Here comes the sun", one of the best songs ever written.

"Waiting on the Word to Change", John's first single from "Continuum", is a protest song about Gen X's longing for a better world, a world with peace and justice. I hope we can live up to his insight that one day our generation will rule the population. may we do so with wisdom and with mercy and love.
My favorite song is called "The Heart of Life". The chorus is "Pain throws your heart to the ground; love turns the whole thing around; know it won't all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good." I feel like he's singing Jesus' song to the brokenhearted. The second verse is, "You know there's nothin new, bad news never had good timing; then the circle of your friends will defend the silver lining." Isn't that what happens when people go through a crisis? Friends try to make you feel better, see the silver lining. Maybe its better to recognize that the pain is real, that love alone can heal, that the world is still broken, but the heart of life (GOD) is good!
There is a song called "Belief" that struggles with how religious ideology, fundamentalism, can destroy. "Everyone believes," he sings. One's beliefs govern one's actions.
The deepest, soul searchign song is called "Stop this train". Using the metaphor of a constantly fast-moving train, JOhn strugles with the pace of mortality, aging, etc...he reflects on the fear of losing his parents and his longing to remain youthful."Don't know how else to say it, don't want to see my parents go; one generations length away from fighting life out on my own." Amazingly its a conversation with his dad that helps himn understand that life is a continuum, a constant movement. At some point on the continuum, you don't want to stop the train or go back. You simply accept the course of life as it has been.
Its not often that a new CD, a newer artist, catches my mind. John did it. he renewed my hope for the future of rock music. Thanks, JOhn Mayer.

post-christmas almost

we took down the tree. the douglas fir that invaded our family room for two plus weeks is gone. so are the lights and the gifts piled beneath it. we've packed it in for 2006. my 33 month old son tearily asked us why we took it down. "why is Christmas done?" he asked. sadly, I was ready for it to be done. i had holiday burnout. i was ready to return to the office and to normalcy. but i bet GOD knows my son is right.
christmas is not done. so long as the efects of the incarnation continue to play themselves out in the world, christmas is not done. its not done with any of us because Jesus is not done with us. GOD keeps breaking in to our lives and reminding us who we are, who we are not, and who GOD is. GOD keeps coming, keeps invading our family rooms.

At the Movies

"The Nativity Story" is the new cinematic depiction of the birth of Jesus, as recounted in both Matthew and Luke. All of the characters make an appearance: a teenage Mary and a 20 something Joseph are well-cast and play nicely together as betrothed strangers drawn together for a divine mission to bear the Son of God for the world. In one scene they ponder together the mystery of the unborn child's divine identity. Joseph wonders if he'll be able to teach him anything at all. And mary wonders when they will know, what sign will they see indicative of His transcendence. Interesting speculative writing cohesive with the pondering that Luke's Mary is prone to do.

I found two flaws in this film. First, the Angel Gabriel was neither mysterious nor awe-inspiring in any way. It's the angel of the Lord for God's sake. And there is no heavenly host singing "Gloria in excelsis" to the shepherds. I sought more from hollywood with regard to the appearance of the angel. (He does appear several times; to Mary, Joseph, shepherds...) I was waiting for, at least, a blinding light to engulf the screen for ten seconds. But, nothing. Too andropomorphic for any real sense of "angel Gabriel" to make the grade. He looked like Barry Gibb in 1978.

And second I waited for King herod to be more ruthless, mad, manic in his jealous struggle to cling to "power". In Zifforelli's "Jesus of Nazareth" the great Peter Ustinov nails King Herod as a tyrannical villain with an insanity defense. In his order to slaughter the innocent boyso of Bethlehem Ustinov shouts, "Kill them. Kill them all," as he runs through the palace. In "nativity Story" the role is played with a subtle suspicion and a less vulnerable sense of royal challenge. he doesn;t take Messianic fulfillment seriously. He is capable of doing away with any future challenge to his throne, threatening even his son and heir Antipas. Its more like the Godfather than a fearful lunatic here. I longed for the lunatic!

He is, however, cast niceley against the comic relief team of the three stooges, known better as the Magi. Their sort of spirited and hopeful quest to find the star that shines on the baby King is characterized by a light and fun engagement. They don't take themselves too seriously. Its the baby who gains their religious respect and worshipful devotion. Contrast that with Herod's fear and jealousy. If only Herod had been played more charismatically.

That, in a nutshell, was the missing piece for me. Charisma. From the entire cast. Mary and Joseph were played with the proper emotions of two young people caught between human law/social customs and God's radical transcendence of them. if there had been some more charisma, some awe, transcdendence, deep emotions stirred, then we could have called this a masterpiece. Not to say that I wasn't moved. If yo love Jesus and the story of His birth, you will love this film.

In the end, realism is the intent of the film. People of all faiths can enjoy this film. Mike Rich and Catherine Hardwicke did not set out to evangelize through fil-making. They sought out to tell this story in its simple dramatic power. I think they understate the drama with a purpose. Jesus was after all born to two peasants from a tiny, unimportant village in a small, impoverished colony of the great and powerful Roman Empire. Jesus was born in the shadows, in the dark, behind the scenes, hidden from the mighty and powerful. This movie allows for His incarnation to come as it did, in weakness, humility, and silence.

PS--the sountrack is lovely.

to pray

"To pray is to ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy." Ambrose Bierce.
How true. But there is another truth to it. God indeed will temporarily unnull the laws of the universe for the sake of HIS beloved child, made in God's image, and made worthy through the heart of Jesus. And so Jesus taught us to pray:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name...

Messiah

Do you pray? Do you pray to Jesus? How do you address Him? We know that Jesus, since the time of His incarnate ministry, was known as Jesus Christ. The latter is the Greek Word for Messiah. Whenever we pray or confess or sing we call Him the Messiah. In Advent, the four weeks preceding Christmas, we devote ouselves to the expectation of HIS coming again. We hope for His coming as merciful judge and inaugurator of the new age. And we call him "Messiah". So what does it mean to do so? We take a Jewish notion of God's activity for granted, don't we? I mena have you ever stopped to think about Jesus Christ? Half of the time we say it without any thought at all, sometimes in disdain or anger as a kind of curse. But what does it mean to give this title to that man named Jesus?

Today, with my talk about Messiah, bible study was challenging. But this is a good time to think about what we say and believe about Jesus the Christ---the Messiah, the anointed one. It is no small leap to say that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel, rejected by His own. Its an even bigger leap to say that said Messiah was also GOD in the flesh. Adonai, the LORD. Emmanuel, God-with-us. This was, in Judaism, a blasphemous claim of self-idolatry. It leads to His execution.
Although a Messianic eschatology, a belief in a redeemr King ushering in a new age of peace and joy, unity and prosperity for God's people, was a widespread belief, Jesus did not fit the criteria for this Messiah. Many Rabbis in the time of Jesus taught that Messiah would come to rescue them from the hands of the Roman occupiers. Messiah would usher in a golden age, a return to the days of King David, the ideal King. messiah would embody the ideal and His reign would not end. Messiah was also a priestly or prophetic character who would stand between God and Israel forever as their chief defender and seeker of mercy. he wuold also be judge of the nations, the gentiles, and the unrighteous Jew. His judgment would be harsh and weed out the bad seeds.
There were multiple strands of thought in Judaism about Messiah at the time of Jesus. The gospel writers claimed that Jesus, in many ways, embodied the Messiah foretold in the prophets. But students of the hebrew Scriptures would disagree or at least struggle with agreement.
I have been doing a little basic study of Judaism's messianic thought. I have discovered that the claim of Jesus' Messiahship and the subsequent eschatology of the church are tied into Judaism more integrally than I knew. One cannot understand the title or Jesus' expression of it, nor know how to live as those who follow this Messiah, without understanding Judaism better. Our future hope is not unlike Jewish eschatology. We believe in an ultimate time of divine promissory fulfillment. God will vindicate, bring justice, healing, peace, a new rule and a new life. This is a shared hope of Jews and Christians. We, however, come at it from two different points of theological departure. Christians begin and end with the Christ event---the life,death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jews come at it from their understanding of the Torah and the Prophets.
Anyway, what I have come to believe is that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel and the savior of the world (a title that also shows opposition to the dominant powers of Rome). I have come to believe this and I understand that Jesus and His storytellers were influenced by Jewish Messianic thought. He is portrayed in such a way as to bolster these titular claims. And yet, something compelled the story to take life in the lives of so many others. Even though Jesus was not the kind of Messiah they thought they were watching for. Not the kind of savior they thought they needed. I think it is clear evidence in favor of His resurrection from the dead. What else would have prompted the radical leaps of faith His followers took to identify Him as Messiah, savior, Son of God. God in the flesh.

a genuine Christmas

No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor. The self-sufficient, the proud, those who, because they have everything, look down on others, those who have no need even of God---for them there wil be no Christmas. Only the poor, the hungry, those who need someone to come on their behalf will have that someone. That someone is God. Emmanuel. God-with-us. Without poverty of Spirit there can be no abundance of God. ---Oscar Romero

What is the Gospel? It has taken on so many secondary meanings that it has become a word lost to Christians and the world. It may mean a certain type of music. "For some it means the invitation to an individual to accept the forgiveness of sins, so to preach the gospel, to evangelize, is to spread the message oof this invitaiton. For others, it means correct teaching about the work of Christ, so that "evangelicals" are those who hold to traditional doctrines. Elsewhere 'evangelical' is the current word for protestant." John Howard Yoder.

But Yoder believes that Gospel is a word best understood in the language of revolution. Yoder says, "Gospel is the good news having seriously to do with the people's welfare." It is news that changes a community's fate, its status, its life. Gospel is when the Iranians set free the hostages in 1980. Its when the Berlin wall collpased. Its when nazi death camps were liberated. Gospel is when the fate of a community is changed from despair to hope., from tragedy to fortune.

For a long time, and for many Christians, gospel is the promise of eternal life---heaven. For others it is the forgiveness of sin, the expiation of guilt, the death of anxiety. These personal ways of understanding the gospel's purpose are true, but only partial visions of its far reaching consequences. When we understand gospel in the language of revolution we begin to see how transformative Jesus intended to be, indeed is for those who believe in Him.

"The priority agenda for Jesus, and for many of us, is not mortality or anxiety, but unrighteousness and injustice. The need is not for consolation or acceptance but for a new order in which [humanity] may live together in love. In his time, therefore, as in ours, the question of revolution, the judgment of God upon the present order and the imminent promise of another one, is the language in which the gospel must speak. What most people mean by revolution,the answer they want, is not the gospel; but the gospel, if it be authentic, must so speak as to answer the question of revolution. This Jesus did." ---Joihn Howard Yoder, theologian.

Luke's Christmas story is the story of this quiet revolution. Hidden in the babe of Bethlehem is the revolutionary, liberating, GOD.To take on that particular flesh was to take on the very weakness and vulnerability of an oppressed, backwater, impoverished "royal" family. Mary and Joseph embody all who are in need of rescue from the present world order. Without God's intervention and their trust in God, their story is impossible. It opposes every power and perception of this world. from the imperial might of Augustus to the tyrannical reign of Herod, Jesus is a a revolution waiting to happen.

Are we revolutionaries?

Mary's Word

"What business have we of reversing the priorities of Mary's Magnificat, filling the rich with good things and sending the poor empty away? There's nothing in any sacred scripture anywhere that says that the whims of the rick should best the rights of the poor. How, Sunday by Sunday, can Christians pray "forgive us our debts" and not think of third world countries, some of whom are spending three to five as much paying off foreign debts as they do on basic services to their own people?" ---William Sloane Coffin.

:A friend who had spent a sabbatical working with refugees in Southeasa Asia once sent me a homemade Christmas card...a black-and-white snapshot of a Cambodian mother holding her infant in her arms...In silence, the photgraph spoke powerfully about Mary as a presence in our world, a constant reminder that in the incarnation the omnipotent God chose to take on human vulnerability...a child born not to wealth and power but to an impoverished peasant woman and her uneasy husband in the rural backwater of a small, troubled, colonized country."---Kathleen Norris.

Today is Pearl Harbor Day and the end of U.S. global isolationism in the face of militant fascism. It was a surprise attack that alerted every American to the global threat overwhelming Europe and Asia---a threat that finally reached outr own shores. We could no longer stand by. We were compelled to act.
In my estimation Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks tell us somethig about American life. Americans are not particularly watchful or vigilant. We don't know what hits us until it does. Nor are we particularly visionary in our estimation of global politics and economics. We don't know our place in the world, our collective responsibilities as members of the global national community. Why not? What is in our collective unconscious, our national story,that prevents us from being more aware? Why are we mind-numbingly slow to recognize our place in the scheme of things; and that our place of honor among the nations requires of us a great deal of humility and sacrifice?
Today we honor men and women who's lives were lost in the 1941 attack, and those whose lives were lost in the resultant war effort.

"Prince of peace, we pray for our enemies and those who have waged war against us. We pray for our fellow countrymen who have given their lives in battle. We pray for those who continue to follow orders to protect us from the ravages of war. But we also pray that you might awaken us to the poverty and pain around us. Alert us to the ways in which we cause global strife, warfare, and injustice. Make us attentive to the struggles of our neighbors and show us how to serve them. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Compassion's Money

What if the U.S. chose to spend the money we spend at war to rebuild war torn nations? What if we risked our own national security in order to actually serve the needs of the desperately poor around the world? Imagine using that money and our highly educated human resources to improve the lives of people suffering from AIDS in Africa or suffering from genocide and oppression in Israel/Palestine. President Bush had an opportunity five years ago to stand as a world leader who understood empathy and compassion, rather than retaliation and destruction. He could have called 9/11 a global tragedy, carried out by a few Saudi terrorists fueled by a radical interpretation of Islam and by the injustice perpetrated by American imperial dominance of the global financial market. American consumerism, entitlement, and faithlessness to the God of the Bible ignites that religious fuel. The God of the bible is clearly a God who defends the poor, the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, the refugee, the woman, the child, the castoffs, the cutoffs, the left outs, the persecuted and oppressed. God is a God of justice which is guidedn by compassion.

And yet, we cause daily, hourly, weekly, annual struggle. And we are numb to it. We are isolated from it. But look at your clothing. Where was it made? Who made it? How much were they paid to make your clothes? How much did you pay for them? Who benefited the most from the money yuo spent on your clothes? Was it the Chinese woman who stitched your shirt together or the businessman who sold them to JC Penneys? You thoughtless generation. No wonder we are at war and you are not changing your habits. In ten years, you will have spent a lot of money paying for a war effort you did not necessarily believe in. But since you are satisfied with your place in the global food chain, you don't see a reason to change. You don't know how to change it. What of the American Spirit that dsought independence from tyranny, not for freedom's sake alone, but in order to make a more just society where more people had opportunity to live good lives. Where is our boldness? Compassion is a bold political move because compassion requirs that you are not nub to the pain of others. It requirs that you embrace the pain of the other in an effort to accompany them, console them, offer them a communnity of hope. And our neighbors are dying from hunger. Nobody should live on less than $2.00 a day.
What are you going to do about it today?

Real Money

"By one estimate, the war in Iraq may eventually cost us $2 trillion! Which raises the question: how else could we have used this money? Acording to Nicholas Kristof (New York Times, October 24), it is four times the amount of money needed to stabilize social security for the next 75 years, and it is four times the amount needed to provide health care insurance for all uninsured Americans for the next decade. Every minute we stay in Iraq costs another $380,000." --Christian Century, November 28, 2006, p. 6.

My Father-in-law thinks we could avoid a full blown Iraqi civil war and actually stop car bombings all together by purchasing a new car for every Iraqi. It would have ot be the same vehicle, same make, model, color, etc...Maybe a Ford Focus. For less than the cost of the war effort, every Iraqi would receive the gift of a new car. Who wants to blow up a new car? And if all the cars are the same, there's no competition. Iraqi oil companies would thrive, auto mechanic schools would be full. Just an idea.

light of lights

"Light of Lights! All gloom dispelling, thou didst come to make thy dwelling here within our world of sight.
Lord, in pity and in power, thou didst in our darkest hour rend the clouds and show thy light.
Praise to thee in earth and heaven now and evermore be given, Christ, who art our sun and shield. Lord, for us thy life thou gavest, those who trust in thee thou savest, all thy mercy stands revealed." St. Thomas Aqinas.

moonlight

Moonlight

moonlight shining dimly in the dark, i see your dirty face, your dusty self,silently shrinking from fullness to newness;
strange how the new moon is invisible, as if all begins in darkness, letting light emerge carefully, slowly, night after night after night.

moonlight reflecting rays that are not your own, the greater light hidden behind global grandeur, or global danger. we turn away from the light of day only to catch her constancy in the dusty mirror of your face. the great light always illumines the earth, even in shadows, where you light the path through midnight depths.

Moonlight, we are like you. No more than dust, beholden to the earth's pull, her gravity, her allure---her worldliness we cannot escape. We shine, but not an inner light transcendent of ourselves. Our light is moonlight, mystery, madness---a dim reflection of the sun's pure light. And so too, we glow in the darkness, searching for the end of night, longing for the warmth of the sun, the light of day to dawn around us, exposing our soiled selves. we long for night to cease, to be forever comsumed by the gret light of GOD. To fade away as the sun rises, never to set, to fall, to darken day again.
Come great light, overpower our moonlight reflection with your brightness and turn our advent hopes into Christmas Joy.

a good wine

I enjoy a glass of wine with my wife. She's a semi-sweet girl--mostly White Zinfandel. I am not. Anybody have any suggestions for a good merlot?
I recently had a fairly decent Pinot Grigio by MonteVina, California.
I like semi-dry to dry wines. From chardonnay to cabernet.
Anyone drink Cabot,an Italian wine...?
Always searching for a decent dinner/after dinner wine.

javateas and the Spirit

its a quaint little coffee bar on the north side of town. i've been in there twice now; once for a mocha and once for lunch. I would like to host a gathering there for conversation about Jesus, God, life, stuff...maybe to review interesting books, movies, or discussion topics. I hope to stop by this week to find out if they're interested in providing hospitality. We'll see...I'd like to publicize it soon. I think they host some other activities already.

a new look

time for a change. here is the new look for my blog. what do you think? i hope the content of my blog continues to build a community. i'm open to suggestions...

anyone intersted?

I'm calling it "x's and why's: the quest to question God." I intend to get a small group of peers together for conversation. This is a little tricky because I am an institutional man---I dress like a church pastor a lot. I have an office, etc...But I believe that my peers are interested in meaningful relationships and meaningful experiences that will motivate and inspire their lives. They hunger and thirst for GOD, for the mystery in the madness, and for JESUS (although they may not even know HIM yet). They're searching for someone to make sense of what they experience in life. They know it can be found in many places and ways, but they are savvy shoppers and know what is a cheap knockoff and what is authentic. Authenticity is key. The church does not appear authentic to them. Why? The mega church is not gospel, its culture with an agenda. The mainline church is not gospel, its what remains after the church gets inculturated and politicized and rich---which will happen eventually to the mega churches, too. Authentic followers of JESUS will thrive under only a few conditions; one, they are a persecuted or rejected minority, not "the moral majority or the leaders of nations"; two, they are small, weak, dying, suffering servants willing to give all to rescue one more. three, they are deeply sacramental--needing the water of baptism and the bread and cup often. they are evangelical, needing to listen to JESUS. They are apostolic---sent out with a clear mission for the day to live life in the world for the world, the neighbor.

Christ the King

Robert Powell in "Jesus of Nazareth"

Does anyone else find it subversive that Christians declare allegiance, faith, loyalty to this King whose Kingdom is not of this present world order? Does anyone find it contrary to follow this servant King, this compassionate Lord, this sacrifical monarch, while continuing to serve our own self-interests? Or our nation's self-interests, when those interests cause war, economic disaster, and global tyranny? How might we become ambassadors for Christ the King during this Holy Season of hope and peace? Are we not His loyal subjects, his servants, his students? To where does our king lead us? To the mall, the outlets, the online shopping plaza or to the prison, the homeless shelter, and the hospital bed? "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life." If we echo Peter's commitment to Jesus, what does that mean? His crown, a crown of thorns. His throne, a cross and tomb. His power, made known in weakness. He stands in direct contrast to the powers of this world. Do we stand with HIM?

Pouring Justice

I've been drinking coffee for 10 years or more. Every Year I give it up for LENT. But I may not give it up in 2007. Not because I crave a caffeine fix more than I used to, but because I need to buy coffee to make a difference in a village in Nicaragua or Tanzania.
Do you drink coffee or tea? Do you drink folgers or maxwell house or starbucks? Do you know that for a dollar or two more you can actually bring justice to a global neighbor?
Thanks to Lutheran World relief and their partnership with Equal Exchange, a non-profit coop that supports growers in developing countries like Nicaragua, we can buy coffee at a fair price and know that the growers of that coffee are receiving a more just payment for their labor. You must buy the coffee in bulk cases (6-12 ounce bags per case, apprx. $31.00 per case).
For the Holiday Season, I have the coffee and tea available for sale at ZION. We have a mixed assortment of coffees and teas from around the world. The coffee will go for $6.00 a bag and the tea for $4.00 a box. I can also take additional orders for gifts, etc... And I can show yo how to purchase the coffee on line.
if you go to www.lwr.org and follow the link to buy coffee on line you will be taken to Equal Exchange's site for sales.
I only drink fairly traded coffee anymore. It makes sense and it's simple. And the Hazelnut blend from Central America is delicious!