church

I wonder what people see when they see "the church", and by that I mean our building and the few people who come here on Sunday mornings. Do they see a dead tree? A wintered tree? A tree without leaves? And how might we become leafy to our neighbors? How might we soak up the sun/son and emit the breath of life like tree leaves do? Is that not our task and calling as church? To abide with Jesus in such a way that we can't avoid the light,the water, the wind. To let those things cause in us the emergent growth of spring and to provide shade for the weary and breathable air for all. I suspect that the challenge is to get people connected with Jesus as the source of their life first. We need to create a space for hospitality to take hold and welcome people. And we need to create space for holy conversation, prayer, and listening to occur. We need to create space where people can encounter the holy, sacred, otherness of GOD present to us in the ways God promises to be. "I am the vine, you are the branches." This weekend I hope to call our attention to that John text as a source of our spiritual nourishment.May those Words of Christ bear muchfruit in our hearts, minds, and lives.

help

What do we do with a family of six who are not making enough money to pay their bills? They have a 910.00 electric bill and a 62.00 truancy fine for unexcused school absenses. We've already given them Christmas, a new stove, a way out of a bad storage contract, gas heat, food. I don't regret doing any of these things. but how far do we go? We don't want to create a relationship of dependence, but we don't want the children to suffer either. Electric shut off is in 15 days, by which time 600.00 is due or else. Thet can't pay that bill. Without us, they will have no electricity. have they been irresponsible? And what if they have been? When did it start? High School? When they bought this place? And how can we get at the root of the matter? I think its time to talk with them about Jesus, sin, death, and the way of life. I'm not sure how open they will be, but I think the turnaround only happens when they face the truth in light. I hope to speak the truth to them in love. And I hope my invitation to live is received.
And I hope this congregation continues to pour themselves out to people like them, undeserved and a little lost. It is in a generous out-pouring, an unexpected and surprising, unreasonable outpouring of himself that Jesus rescues us all. May we love as he loves us.

Signs of the holy

I'm working my way through Tony Jones' book "The Sacred Way" in preparation for this weekend. I find myself, as usual, attempting to intellectualize and package spiritual disciplines in order to give a presentation or an education to a group of people. This comes from my own sense of inadequacy abuot this. I am asked to offer contemplative prayer. They went to become immersed in a spiritual experience. What I hope to do is to create a space whereby people can gather and share an experience of God's presence through the contemplative arts.
I think we will cultivate silence, lectio divina, and some centering prayer. We may talk about Luther's way to pray the catechism and I'll show them the Lutheran Rosary we do.
One of the things I've noticed is that my preparations for this weekend have forced me to be alone in the office all week. prep for worship and workshops is time consuming. I feel largely cut off from others. I suspect that effective spiritual direction has always required that one balance the solitary with the communal. Bonhoeffer's book "life Together" attests to that very balance of life in community and life apart. They are complimentary and are needed in equal doses. It may be that my solitude this week is partly so that I can be very present to those in attendance at this retreat. Even though this is a continuing education event for youth workers, I'm treating it as a spiritual/vocational retreat whereby those present will be renewed for their journeys.
Tomorrow Rodney and I will begin a new step in the apostolic journey, as we begin a time of prayer coupled with a time of engagement with some new neighbors. "The Sacred Earth" is a new gift shop in our town. We wonder if it has neo-pagan roots. We are interested in the place and the people there. So we'll go there after we pray to see what we see and to introduce ourselves. May the LORD be with us.

new website

Zion Akron has a new website! It's under construction but will be in good shape by the end of next week. I'm excited about it. I think we are beginning to emerge. Now I pray that God sends others to us to continue the journey with us. Church emerges slowly from the ashes of the institutional malaise. But if we are faithful and spiritually rooted in the Vine of Christ, life will be ours.
Check out the site in the next week or so. And let me know what you think.

April Fools' Day

I thought today would be a good day to return to the blogger universe, it being the first of April.
5 weeks ago my wife gave birth to our third son, a svelt 6 pounder named Elijah Peter. He is a serious chap with a set of vocal chords that Sarah Brightman would covet. Unfortunately, instead of Pucchini or Wagner at the Met, he belts out shrill, glass-shattering, ear-piercing screams. He does not discriminate between day or night. And he also has some serious gas. I've never heard a baby with so much gas. He sounds like four beers and a plate of baked beans and a chili dog after the seventh inning stretch---nasty.
We hope that within the next month he begins to act more like a human being than some small beast in the wild. He tends to cling to his parents much like Koala bears or orangutans do, especially at night to sleep. So I "sleep", and I use that term loosely, on the la-z-boy recliner couch in the family room with Elijah snuggled on my chest/stomach listening to my heart and lungs for comfort. Someday he will not want me around at 1:00 am. Someday he will not need to be held by his dad. So in the meantime, I intend to enjoy what I can of this. I'm no fan of sleep deprivation. I see why it is used for torture or interrogation (as our current government calls it). Sleep loss is akin to over- exercising, under-eating, and excessive drinking. The affects play havoc with your ability to think and feel reasonably. Last night I got into my own bed at 4:00 am and practically wept because of exhaustion. Ah, the memories we're making...

This weekend I am the chaplain/workshop presenter at a spiritual retreat called "Gathering in the East" for youth workers. I am supposed to provide spiritual worship, prayer, a workshop on the via contemplativa, and a workshop on a narrative approach to the use of Scripture. Admittedly, I'm feeling a bit behin the eight ball. Five weeks ago, I sort of got off a moving train, got on another moving train, and am now trying to somehow get back on the other track, while still in motion. I need a Sabbath. Unfortunately my wife won't have one now. She needs rest too. I have some guilt about the event, but it was planned before we were pregnant. And it is good for me to offer my gifts there too.
In planning I picked up Tony Jones' new book "The Sacred Way", in which he explores the history, theology, and practice of Christian spirituality in its various forms. Its a good read. Simple, not exhaustive, and interesting. He tells about his journey into these disciplines and uses the words of the desert fathers to guide his pilgrim path. I can appreciate his quest. I think it is a Christian disciples' journey into the mind of Christ and the very heart of God. Silence, devotional reading of Scripture, prayer, interior reflection, fasting, and giving/serving have been key pieces of the monastic life for centuries. Today, our culture cries out for monastics to lead us into the depth of divine truth, into spiritual union with Jesus. I was always a fan of the medieval mystics.
So I am preparing to lead, to listen, to make space for the holiness of God to dwell among us. I have to remember that much of what is needed is for me to get out of the way and encounter God in the midst.