Leadership training Camp

I sent three senior high students to Christian leadership training camp. They came back and it changed them. They want more. More from their church ,more from themselves, more from GOD. We spent an hour making plans already. They want to lead worship on Sunday nights at 6:00 that is mission-focused, deeply relational, and highly participatory. They want intimacy in worship and in learning, with opportunities to serve in and outside the congregation. They want to hug and sing and make a difference. They want to feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves that also depends on them, even though it transcends them. They want to share what happened with the congregation in preaching next weekend. I am so excited about this! What will happen next? I intend to make the space they need to be the church now. I hope we have laid the foundation and that people around us are ready for something to happen. Because I believe it is happening now. And we can't stop it. We can try. but we will fail. This is a GOD thing. And God will be faithful to complete the good work begun in them,
They want to invite everyone. They want to listen, learn, share, worship, and live a new way. They are starting to get it. They need their spirit to become contagious enough to build a church here, a church which will emerge from their experience as a community of faith.
May the Spirit not be quenched by unbelief, fear, and a lot of other adult nonsense. May they find support, encouragement, and a wellspring of Spiritual power to do and be disciples of Jesus. "Let no one reject you becasue you are young, but set the beleivers an example in speech, action, and in the spiritual walk you are taking." May they hear receive this Word from GOD for them.

facebook

I'm new to this popular online community called facebook. Not sure what its worth yet. Wondering if it is a venue for interaction or not...I can see the potential of exponential growth as one gets connected to others through 'friends'. I can see how it can become a long-distance relationship tool, too. And a way to reconnect with people.
I'm not sure how it is being used by people in a relational way yet. I've not really had an opportunity, but I'm willing to see what happens.
Maybe this is a new way to build or be a church? An online community of faith? What might that be like? And what would be the downside? Is it even possible to belong to a community of faith that gathers only online? Or is there an intimate relational piece that requires physical proximity? Does the incarnational aspect of church assume bodily presence? And how is bodily presence mediated, as sacramental people? For Lutherans Christ is really present in, with, and under the bread and wine.This means that when we eat the rbead and drink the cup, Jesus shows us somehow, and this is a mystery. And this mystery is not to be solved but enjoyed for what it is. Could the web become a sacramental reality, mediating the body of Christ to a generation of people? Or is it a way to avoid the vulnerability and truth of actual closeness? How can you share peace and not touch? Does anyone have any opinions or experiences with this? I see how blogging has drawn people together in some regards, but I wonder about forming community online.

LCP in 3

I spent three hours inside lancaster Co. prison today. I talked with two guys, both heading upstate for armed robbery, auto theft, and who knows what else. Drug use started early, started at home with mom or dad or both. Both said that they have thought long and hard about why they did what they did when they did it.Both recongnize that their actions were irrational and unnecessary. one of them told me that he met his girlfriend in a porn shop, where he was dealing drugs. I also learned that he used to enjoy landscaping and that he loves kids--though he has no children. he was raising his girlfriends three kids when he was arrested. he has done time in four prisons and LCP is the worst.
we talked about God and Jesus. One of the guys s struggling with biblical "inconsistencies". he is learning that the bible is not one uniform text, but many texts over many centuries written ina context very different from ours. And yet, somehow the bible speaks to us,too. even with its inconsistencies.
The other guy has grown skepticalby seeing jailhouse religion. I mentioned that religion and God are not the same thing. Religion is what we do to seek God or bargain with God or assuage our guilt. But it is possible for God to actually transform people from the inside out.
I will see both of these guys again, i suspect. Even though the guards forgot about me and I was left inside for anhour past the designated time of visit.
I began to uncover some sense of brokenness, loneliness, maybe even some yearning for a better story than the one they've been told, or the one they're telling about the world and themselves in it. I'm not sure what to make of these visits yet. Why do I go? What good will come? is God using me or is the devil testing me in some way? I just keep hearing Jesus say, "I was in prison and you visited me." does that include serious felons? Is there a line? can grace become too foolish or dangerous? I actually thought, whatif this comes back to hurt me or my family in some way? might some paroled guy try to take advantage of me on the outside? interesting how fear can creep in. We'll see how it goes next week. Three hours in prison visitaton is longer than I spent in prison visitation in my first 7years of ministry. Why am I suddenly being sent there? for whom? For what? is God really sending me or am I being works righteous? It does seem that as I make more connections with people,bringing the message of the kingdom to them in some smalll way, the more I feel the weight of my own sin. Sometimes I feel like I'm more stuck than others, like a hypocrite for living this way. Everyday is a day for which I need forgiveness and healing from GOD. I pray that as I am forgiven and healed, somight I heal and forgive...

trees

i have a tree in my yard. it grew naturally under one of my pine trees. its a maple tree. i let it grow to about 3 feet high. it was flourishing. i decided to transplant it into my yard and see if i might get it to grow. i dug out the roots, and buried it in a hole in our side yard. i killed it. dead. i think. i may let it go for a few weeks and see if something grows. the leaves turned brown. maybe some root will take.
i was able to take something God made by nature of reproductive design and kill it so quickly. why is that? i feel like going out and buying a tree to plant there in its place. i want to partner with God i nthe healing and restoration of creation, but i killed a potential carbon eating tree that God was growing.
do you ever feel like you're a bigger part of the problem than you mean to be? Like when my three-year-old cries after he hit his brother and I say, "Jonah!" He says, with tears flowing, "I'm sorry daddy,I didn't mean it." I didn't mean to contribute to the decay, the pain, the groaning of creation. I meant to plant, water, and rejoice at the growth.

isoalted populations

the kingdom of God is like a man who is released from prison. Upon release he is offered a postion with a local company that distributes food to elderly people who live alone. he is offered a room in a large home at an affordable rental rate. In exchange, he is expected to clean up after meals and tend to the upkeep of the yard. he is given a low interest loan from a church to attend a local community college at night. ON Saturdays he helps the church distribute food at their food pantry. after completing his education, he receives a promotion, and buys a home through habitat for humanity. his wife and three children join him there, after spending four years in separate countries. they adopt a fourth child.

I wonder if this scenerio happens? isn't more likely that people released from prison struggle to gain respect and opportuities for personal advancement?
we isolate people. we do. i've been made more aware of this truth as I have been sent to them, following Jesus there. I started visiting people in prison. now I can't stop. I am interested in their stories. I hear the story of God and of Jesus in their stories. I hear the story of Joseph and John the baptist and Jesus and Paul in their stories. I hear the story of the crucified bandits; "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom." These are forgotten people. we isolate them to preserve safety, to maintain order, to protect the self-interests of the average middle-class white american. in so doing, we create a system that oppresses people, keeping them locked up even after they are released. life is harder outside if you've been inside. Its not surprising to hear the alarming rate of return for offenders.
it is hard for people who live above the system of oppression to see it. but I have seen people stuck in prison for months, without any personal progress, rehabilitation, reconciliation, or renewal offered to them. one might say, they had their chance before they broke the law. true. maybe. what if they didn't? Now I'm not just a bleeding heart. what if people are to be held accountable and responsible for their actions and offered mercy, forgiveness, and efforts to reconnect them with the broader gifts of society? I believe there is a third way of dealing with people on the margins. One way is to make ghetto populations. another way is to defend them. a third way is to go and visit them, befriend them, invite them to the way of forgiveness. who else is isolated? The elderly. the sick. the dying. the disabled. the poor. think about housing for people in poverty and how it islolates them from a mixed population. I meet people living in the worst conditions, trailers unfit for animals; cramped, old, apartments in disrepair. and he retirement nursing care facility is a perfect population isolater. out of sight, out of mind. the creatino of certain institutions of isolation has led us to create a gentrified society of have's and have-nots. these institutions need to be reformed from top to bottom. jesus says, "when i was in prison ou visited me,sick and you took care of me, hungry and you fed me." I believe he was the master of reconciliation by reconnecting marginalized people with the center of community life. he deconstructed the solid lines of exclusion and constructed fluid lines of inclusion. tomorrow I will go back to the prison. I will join he isolated population there, if only for a couple of hours. but when i do, I meet Jesus.

Prison

I've been visiting a woman at Lancaster Co. prison. She has been in for almost a month now. She was charged with a probation violation with a failed drug test. She is not a user. The probation officer failed her. While she is there, she is mistreated. She is not allowed access to her prescription meds. When she is, she is prescribed a double dose, which she stops taking after two days. She is told nothing after her arrest. Two weeks pass before she knows anything about her own situation. Three weeks pass before she sees a lawyer that friends on the outside retain for her. Another week passes before she finds out a court date. People who are charged with more serious crimes are processed faster than she. She sits. She waits. Why?
We are praying for her release on May 29th, her birthday. She is ripe to know the God of liberation and release. She is ready to meet the rescuing God. Now would be the time for God to act on her behalf in a decisive way. She will remain patient until the day comes. but may it come on May 29th or sooner.
The goal of the system is not release but retention. To keep people in, rather than to reform and free. Shouldn't the goal be to improve people's lives before they are released? Shouldn't prison create opportunities? Shouldn't we care what happens to people on the inside?
Like all large institutions, however, membership is everything. Nonmembers don't tend to care what happens therein, unless they are connected or invested in some other way. Church people are like this too. We want to keep people in. The goal is to send people out better than when they came in. With God's blessing, instentions, forgiveness, and missional love. The goal is to send people out, not keep them in. But institutions are flawed. They are centripetal in nature. God is a centrifugal force---pushing out from the center to the margins. People are closed. God is open. People are limited. God is infinite. People are isolated. God is all-embracing.

Walking to School

I walked to school today--a short walk on a beautiful day. I hope to walk or ride bicycle to work in the spring and summer. Perhaps for an entire week! Walking is healthy, changes one's pace and capacity to be productive. It takes longer to get from place to place, so less can be accomplished. Less is sometimes more.

I spent two hours at Lancaster Co. Prison on Monday, visiting two 20-somethings who are in trouble. They need healing and hope and a way to live that is better than what they have been living. They need an Exodus from the life they are in. Jen from the legal system itself and from probation; Justin from relationships and from a negative self understanding. He also needs to be freed from addiction. I spent time talking about Baptism, God's grace, etc...I will visit them again next Monday. Prison is a deeper experience than the cell one is confined to. It is in ones mind. I will visit more regularly with news of God's Exodus plan for those in prison.

Tomorrow I need time to focus on God's Word. I will be with Rodney Martin in the morning to listen and pray. In the afternoon I will be at school and then at the Beck's before the council meeting. I am looking forward to council. I think the meeting could be fruitful, if people are willing to accept that the church's focus is on making disciples who follow Jesus and serve neighbors. It is that simple. I'm not here to keep members happy or content. If they aren't open to learn the way of Jesus, then they ought not to get in the way of those who are. I'm here to make members into disciples of Jesus. But I've already run into members who think that they call the shots, without experience or understanding behind it. Disciples are willing to experience God's gifts, even when they become uncomfortable, becasue they trust that God is the one in charge. Sheep prefer to wander off on their own with their heads down. Shepherds are called to lead the flock to the pastures and waters ahead, that they cannot see. No wonder the sheep metaphor works.

marketing and church

My friend, a colleague, wants our missional leaders group to talk about marketing techniques and church. I am eager to do so. Here's why:
Marketing the church is like selling doves in the temple. It betrays an ecclesiology sold out to consumer, market-driven ecomomics. The sacraments, prayer, mercy, serving, God's Word are not for sale. And we are not in competition with other gospels, other churches, other religions, other spiritualities, other ways of living. Attractional modes of church require marketing strategies today, in a market that is overloaded with religious and pshyco-spiritual self-help. Since Christianity isn't the most popular kid on the block, especially mainline Christendom, then we feel like survival is dependent on becoming more trendy and relevant---and to do so requires a rebranding of ourselves and a new marketing strategy. Savvy consumers will recognize that to market Christianity is to dumb it down, simplify it, and understate it. Can't market theology of the cross in a culture that avoids suffering and death at all costs. Can't market creation stewardship in a culture unwilling to reject so many idols, whose byproducts destroy clean air, water, ecosystems, etc...Whose ready to sell their possessions and give their money to the poor? Try marketing that!

It's a false ecclesiology, a failing one, that will go the same way Christendom went (though it took 11 centuries). when we start talking marketing, we start talking about advertising. How long will it take consumers to realize that we aren't selling cheap latte's, but cheap grace? Cheap grace is grace without the cost of discipleship.
I'm all for sharing the hope that is in us. But I don't think it's about a marketing strategy. I think its about love and love is about realtionships and relationships are harder than making a striking 'ad' or radio spot. Unfortunately we have a single model for building church: People live like Jesus. Some people are repelled by that, others gravitate toward it. We invite those people to come and follow, too. They learn to live like Jesus. Some are repelled by them and others are inspired by them. They are invited to join us, too. And some do.
It begins with how we live as public witnesses. Missional Christians love their neighbors and friends unconditionally. They also seek to go deeper into the mystery of divine presence through ancient spiritual practices. And they invite others to experience the same mystery.

Laps for Loose

How does separation of church and state pertain to a church's supportive involvement in a local elementary school? I have a parishioner, a beloved servant and disciple of the Lord,who is opposed to any overt involvement from the church. For example, we are going to provide an end-of-the-year thank you gift to the faculty---Fair trade coffee and chocolate with a note of gratitude for their "inspiring devotion to Akron's children." This parishioner is opposed to such a gesture. I don't believe this is a breach of the separatin clause. And the ELCA has an entire social statement devoted to our calling in education, including a fine section on public education and our supportive role therein as a church.
Now, every Wednesday and Thursday afternoon I am a classroom helper in our local elementary school. I was assigned to Mr. Bonagura's hird grade class in the late Fall. I'mnot as consistent as I would like to be, but most weeks I am able to be there. I help them with math and writing. There are students who need some extra encouragement to keep motivated. there are students who need someone working with them one-on-one in order to keep up. I gravitate toward them. I love being in the class. They're a great group of kids. And Adam is a good teacher.
So, I come as a Pastor. I sometimes dress in clerics and a cross. They all call me Pastor Lenahan. Its no secret that I amthe leader of a local congregation. but I am not there to pray with the kids, to invite them to church, to start a bible study, or to engage in church-focused activity. I am there to assist them in their academic achievements. But I am also a Pastor, called and sent to embody the message of the gospel. I remember Paul's words in romans 1, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God for those who believe." I amnot ashamed to be who I am there. The kids know that I am safe, caring, kind, funny, helpful, and loyal. I come back.
There is a third grader who is dying from cancer. The students are walking laps on the track in compassionate response to Brandon. One of his dream destinations is Mt. Rushmore, so the kids are walking the equivalent miles in a virtual trip with Brandon to the tourist attraction. Last week, I walked with them. One girl, Tori, walked with me. we held hands and walked together, talking a lot about cancer. Brandon's chances are not good and some of the kids are talking about it. She said, "He might not make it." How do we talk about death with kids? How do we talk about the injustice of cancer and why their friend is suffering? All I could say is that cancer is dangerous and deadly, that fighting it is hard, and that we ought to be hopeful and encouraging despite knowing that truth. I did not share what my hope is in. If they asked me, I would tell them.
When their counselor came to the class to help them process their thoughts and feelings, Daniel said, "We have a Pastor."
This week I intend to contact brandon and his family as offer encouragement, prayer, even prayers for healing with anointing. I hope they might take me up on it. I'm not sure if they have spiritual care or not. in what do they have their hope? I'd like to share mine with them.
I suspect the faculty will receive these little token gifts well. I don't believe we are infringing on their religious liberty. We are not asserting any belief, save one: Christians are called to love and to serve with grace.That means we do so free of conditions, free of charge, free of ulterior motives. I have no motive beside that of a servant. I do not believe that my presence at the school is meant to be seen as a marketing technique, an opportnity to invite, or a way to promote Zion Lutheran. The church is sent on a mission. Working on attracting people is a distraction from our higher purpose and calling. If people come on account of the way we live and serve, good. if they don't, at least we lived faithfully in commmuity. As for Brandon, I am praying that God provides a healing miracle so that His glory and power might be revealed in Akron. And if not, then we'll keep on doing math together.

“The earliest reference to the resurrection is Saint Paul’s, and he makes no mention of an empty tomb at all. But the fact of the matter is that in a way it hardly mattes how the body of Jesus came to be missing because in the last analysis what convinced the people that he had risen from the dead was not the absence of his corpse but his living presence. And so it has been ever since.” Frederick Buechner, Listening to your Life, p. 102.

“This, then, is the more or less universal witness of the early Christians; that they are who they are, they do what they do, they tell the stories they tell not because of a new religious experience or insight but because of something that happened; something that happened to the crucified Jesus; something that they at once interpreted as meaning that he was after all the Messiah, that God’s new age had after all broken into the present time, and that they were charged with a new commission; something that made them reaffirm the Jewish belief in resurrection, not swap it for a Pagan alternative…” N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the church, p.57.

How do we embody this resurrection community? We are fearless, bold, humble, and generous. We are alive with hope, not hopelessly dying. I do beleive that nihilism is the last enemy of the gospel. When people lose hope, the will to live follows. Or at least the will to truly live the life that is life; abundant life, eternal life, kingdom of God life. People with little or no hope live exclusively for the now, wallowing in the past--past joys, past regrets, past experiences. Congregations can become nihilistic in their self-perception. There was a golden age. And rather than plan for tomorrow, 'we can't' becomes the paradigm for movement. And we get stuck in a time that has passed. Zion is trying to live like they did 30 years ago. It won't work.

To live in hope is to live free from the sins of the past. It is also to live with a sure vision of the hoped-for future--a reality that is better than now. It is to live now as if that future were already taking hold of us, as if we were already there. To live in hope is to dream with the God who raised His son from the dead. Death does not finish us. Jesus is the end and the beginning. I am alive with hope because something happened that makes no sense but changed the world on a Sunday in first century palestine. May believers come to embody this living hope for a world desperate for a new future, a new story, a better life.

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.

Sicko provokes questions

Michael Moore, controversial documentary film maker, has done it again. His newest film,"Sicko" is about health care and insurance. He raises some pretty serious questions about the nature of US health care versus socialized medicine found in countries like Canada, France, Great Britain, and Cuba. The question he asks is, "if these countries can provide universal government sponsored health care, then why can't we? Anyone can walk into a health care facility in those countries and be treated with no charge, no id cards, nothing. Americans have moved to these places for their health care and child care services. He talks about insured Americans who have struggled to pay their enormous medical bills. He doesn't even talk about the 50 million uninsured Americans. While insurance companies call the medical shots and raise the costs of medical care here, so that middle class americans are becoming impoverished by their medical debts, other countries provide for their citizens medical needs as if their governments have a moral obligation to provide for everyone. Sounds democratic to me. I frankly think I like democratic socialism better than the broken system we have here. And Moore makes the point that many systems of American life are socialized---i.e., public schools. Why not health care? If we believe that everyone over the age of 5 should be able to go to school, then why shouldn't everyone receive health care? Not just basic puiblic health,but total universal care? Hillary Clinton would have movede us toward that during President Clinton's tenure, but she was shut down by the conservative republicans using anti-socialist rhetoric to scare Americans away. Their argument being that government should not be able to choose your doctor. So why do we allow HMO's to choose for us? (He reminds us that the history of the HMO program comes from the Nixon administration). I would prefer that I have to go to a government-approved doctor, if I knew that my poor neighbor could receive the same health care as I do. There is a moral obligation that Americans do not realize, because the god of our culture is 'mammon'. Someone once said that the love of money is the root of all evil. Our idols have distracted us from our obligations to the poor and the needy in our midst. Won't someone heed the words of the prophets? Won't someone listen to Jesus,"When you did these things to the least of these, you did them unto me." When we serve the poor, we serve the living GOD. We serve Jesus by caring for the poor. Mother Theresa said, "Each one of them is Jesus in disguise."
Sicko provokes strong feelings--the main one being, what is and from where do we collectively receive our sense of moral obligation to provide for the neighbor's needs? Who is my neighbor? And how do we level the playing field so that all are offered a sufficient, sustainable livelihood? Watch "Sicko" and tell me what you think...Do we have an obligation to see to it that all people have access to quality health care ands that non one is turned away becaus they can't pay? Whose in charge? Insurance companies, HMO's, big businesses? or are we, the people in charge? What about big oil? And green energy? Why don't we demand that big oil use its record profits to develop greener energy now? And why don't we demand cleaner fuels now? If we know that the US has fallen below the Kyoto agreement and that we have a global climate crisis directly related to our consumption of carbons, why don't we demand another way? What if the Christian movement is meant to resist, reject these corrupt ways of living in order to promote global harmony and peace? How might Christians unite under certain moral criteria? hat we are all equally under sin. That God loves the world. That Jesus' death and resurrection reveals God's saving intentions for everyone? That participating with Jesus in the healing and redemption of the world is a faith-initiated task that leads to alternative ways of life? That Christians have the responsibility to steward counter- culturally. That the church's mission is for the poor to be made rich, the hungry to be filled, and the captive released? We are Jubilee workers, kingdom builders, mustard seed planters.God requires our participation in the global enterprise to renew the face of the earth, because love requires a lover and a beloved in a living union of purpose. We are in covenant with God. And it is with God's grace and power that we are free to love by our actions. We have a moral calling to love and heal the world, to provide for the least, and to share what God has given. And we must advocate. We must speak the truth to power. So, thanks Michael Moore for doing what Christians are called to do.

Patrick's poem from my daily prayer book

"I sing as I arise today!
I call on my creator's might;
the will of God to be my guide,
the eye of God to be my sight,
the Word of God to be my speech,
the hand of God to be my stay,
the shield of God to be my strength,
the path of God to be my way. Amen." ---St. Patrick

daily desert

I received a new devotional book in the mail. It's a compilation of wisdom from the desert fathers, monastics and ascetics from the early centuries of the church. I think the reading for today is appropriate given the last post from this morning:

Proverbs 25:6-7: "Do not put yourself forward in the king's preence or stand in th place of the great; for it is better to be told, "Come up here," than to be put lower in the presence of a noble."

"A brother asked Poemen, "How should I conduct myself in the place where I live?" Poemen answered, "Be as careful as a stranger, and wherever you are, do not expect the things you say to be taken seriously. Do this and you will discover peace."

I was a stranger and you welcomed me.

I am not comfortable entering an unfamiliar place and explaining myself. Yesterday, I stopped in to the pottery shop down the street to introduce myself. I felt like a fish out of water, like I wasn't wearing clothes. And all I wanted to do was meet them. Its hard to meet people, to face them with nothing to sell or buy. People want a good reason for you to come.
I did ask a couple of good questions. She and her family have lived in Akron for 40 years. She teaches ceramics, works with kids,and is open to working with small groups. I'd love to get more involved with throwing pottery. Actually, I'd love to commission a communion set---a chalice and small bread plate, maybe a pitcher too. Nice to use indigenous materials, local artists.
Apparently there is not much art happening locally. I wonder about plugging into her work as an event for young adults...
Often when we read that Jesus was a stranger that we welcomed, we are thinking about our hospitality toward others. But what if we, Jesus' sent ones, were meant to embody the way of the stranger. What I mean is, what if we are called to place ourselves in the position of the stranger in search of hospitality? What if we are supposed to be the one who feel uncomfortable in our own skin? Being incarnational means becoming a stranger. Only by becoming a stranger can you become a friend or a messenger or a servant. Missional life is initiated by our willingness to be a stranger in a strange land, a foreigner, a resident alien (as Stanley Hauerwas said). I hope to actively engage in this mission to be the stranger in the room. What might come of it? I believe there is great potential in doing so, in engaging people where they are. It is the stranger whose intent is love that reveals the resurrected Jesus. So, go and be a stranger somewhere. but be a stranger with compassion or with joy or with peace or with grace in your heart and speech and actions. See what that feels like and how God is present to you through it.

Derek Webb and "One Zero"

I bought a CD the other day at a Christian bookstore. I rarely go in there. And I hardly ever listen to "Christian" music. I prefer to listen to excellent music and, if the people making it happen to be influenced by their faith in Jesus, even better. Nonetheless, I bought "One Zero" an acoustic set by Derek Webb of the band "Caedmon's call". I love his blend of chords and thoughtful lyrics.
"Take to the World" strikes me as the perfect missional anthem. These are the lyrics:

"Go in peace to love and to serve
And let your ears ring long with what you have heard
And may the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place that you are from

And take to the world this love, this hope and faith
Take to the world this rare relentless grace
And like the three in one
Know you must become what you want to save
'Cause that's still the way
He takes to the world

Go and go far take light deep in the dark
Believe what's true use it as all, even you
May the bread on your tongue leave a trail of crumbs
To lead the hungry back to the place you are from

missio dei

What is God up to? I believe its a bigger project than keeping small, self-serving congregations afloat. Call it the in-breaking of the Kingdom, or the righteousness of God received by faith, or the dream/vision of a new creation--God has begun a global project to reach humanity and invite us to participate with Jesus in the reclamation of all that belongs to God. Big project. Likely not through one denomination or expression of Christianity. Likely carried out in subtle, hidden, incarnational expressions of love. Like a man starting a neigbor's lawnmower because her husband is gone and she can't start it. Like an hour on the phone with a woman sobbing because of the nastiness of the custody hearing. Like an hour with 3rd graders doing math and a half-day moving a friend from the old house to the new one. Like a simple gift brought to the new young family, less than 24-hours after the baby is born.
The missio dei is a way of life. It is how we live together, how we respond to God's love and grace and how we show that same love and grace to our neighbors. It is forgiveness, praying for enemies, non-violent truth-telling, patient endurance in suffering, rejoicing and mourning, comforting and encouraging. It is to have a deep hope in the God who raised Jesus from the dead--that life is eternal, and God's love is stronger than death.
I hear and read alot about the mission of God. But I wonder how many of us are trying to practice living in it, being a part of it.
May God's ways consume you and become your ways. May you have the mind of Christ. May you live with Jesus and become like Him in his death and resurrection. May you declare in word and deed that the Kingdom of God is at hand!

ONE Campaign

On Sunday, Nov. 11 at 9:15 we will watch a presentation on the ONE campaign and the Millenium deveopment goals. We will write an offering of letters to send to our U.S. senators. We will sign the declaration and distribute wrist bands. For more information on the ONE campaign to make poverty history, click on the link to the right.

theology

"Theology is the study of God and his ways. For all we know, dung beetles may study man and his ways and call it humanology. If so, we would probably be more touched and amused than irritated. One hopes that God feels likewise." --Frederick Buechner

3 year-old questions

How can we hear Jesus? Where is God? How is Jesus God? Is David good or bad? Why does he hurt people? Why do wolves eat sheep? can I have a yogurt drink? Why not? But I didn't have one today. Can I have a yogurt drink? Why not? What time is it? Is this the last meal of the day? Why? Why is it getting dark so soon? Why is the moon only a sliver moon tonight? Can I stay up late and watch a movie? can I watch Diego? Can I play Geo Trax? Can I have a yogurt drink? Can I have a snack? is it a bath night? Is it a hair night? can I watch a show? Are we going somewhere today? Can we go to the park? is this breakfast or...? Can we snuggle in your bed? Can I just play with my friends in my room? can we go see Andrew? Why not? Can we go see if Katrina and Amy can play? Can I have a yogurt drink? Or a drink of water? Can I have PB & J? can I have a yogurt drink?

Apple gleaning and CROP walk

Saturday is Apple gleaning day. We leave Zion at 8:00 am for Sycamore Spring orchard in Lebanon. We pick apples for a few hours, which are donated to local food banks. Join us by showing up at Zion by 7:45 am.
Sunday at 1:15 pm we will enjoy the annual CROP walk. We leave from Ephrata Church of the brethren. It's a 3 mile walk around Ephrata neighborhoods. Join us by emailing me. Bring donations to add to the team envelope.

God's Word in Worship October 21, 2007

These are the four Scripture passages for Pentecost 21 2007:
Genesis 32:22-31; "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel for you have strive with God and with humand and have prevailed." God's people struggle to be faithful.

Psalm 121: "My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."

2 timothy 3:14-4:5 We bear God's message, even when that message is unpopular.

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8 Being faithful means to persist in our quest for justice on behalf of those without a voice. Prayer is our cry to God for justice and mercy. We are called to pray without ceasing, to pray constantly. What happens when we pray? Whose will is changed? How does God hear and respond? Does prayer change God?

Joel

Joel Osteen is the leader of Lakewood church, the largest megachurch in the country. he became "pastor" 8 years ago when his father died. He has no seminary training, no theological education outside of his own internal learning, mainly from his father. He writes and sells books. He spends four days a week preparing his message for the weekend. He does 20 or so large venue speaking engagements in a year. He is on television weekly reaching a huge audience. He makes people feel good about themselves. He teaches people that God is good and is on their side, desiring for them the best life has to offer--prosperity, joy, health. His wife is co-pastor and the rest of his family also benefit from the 70 million dollars in income the church receives annually, not to mention his book royalties. But since his book sales have gone so well, he has not taken his $170,000 annual salary from Lakewood. Wow. I wonder how his annual salary stacks up to that of an average parishioner? Is he a celebrity? Absolutely. He is a religious celebrity who confirms the great American sins of wealth,pride, and self-focus.

Joel: "If Jesus were here today, he wouldn't be riding around on a donkey. He'd be taking a plane, he'd be using the media."

My Response: One: Jesus is here today. Unless you don't accept the word of Jesus, "I am with you always, to the close of the age," from Matthew 28 as somehow true. Jesus is present in the Word and Sacraments. For 2,000 years Christians have believed and affirmed this spiritual reality. Why can megachurch leaders reject this claim and get away with it? Two: Wasn't Jesus poor? Wasn't His life that of a servant who suffers? How do poor, back country folk get to "use the media?" Jesus told stories to poor 1st century, oppressed Jews and gentiles.

Joel: "You may make some mistakes-but that doesn't make you a sinner. You've got the very nature of God on the inside of you."

My response: Didn't St. Paul deal with this self-righteous talk that denied sin? "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3) If we are unable to call a thing what it is, to be straight about the hunman condition, then we are not following Jesus. The full affect of Jesus' death on the cross cannot be received by self-righteous people who need no forgiveness. To deny sin is to deny the power of the cross. "At the right time Christ died for the ungodly." According to Joel, no one is ungodly enough to need Jesus. You have what you need to be the kind of eprson God made you to be is a denial of the basic tenets of biblical faith. We are not God. We think we are. Original sin is not 'making mistakes". It is a rejection of the one true GOD in favor of the god of the self or self-made gods--like wealth or personal happiness. To rejec the power of sin is to deny the power of the cross. To do so is not Christian. It is anti-Christian and heresy. But in our culture it isn't fair to judge the "good guys", is it?

Joel: "To me, we're marketing hope."
My response: Ah, yes. I agree that people need a true sense of hope in which to cling. "My hope comes from the Lord,the maker of heaven and earth," says the psalmist. Joel's hope comes from some shiny happy place in which you convince yourself everyday that today is better than yesterday. His hope is an internal mechanism that we need to access or turn on like a light switch. He sas that our words, our declarations have the power of move God. Again, making God in our own image with outr own thoughts. Is that hope or a private wish? Real Hope comes from outside ourselves. It comes from the Lord of the resurrection.
But he is marketing something. He is selling himself! Shouldn't he give it to people for free? Shouldn't his books be free? Shouldn't his speaking engagements be free? he's marketing himself in a free market that loves to buy crap
.
Joel:"I think Bible principles are principles for life."
My response: The Bible is not a how-to book for living a better life. How do evangelical fundamentalists get this wrong? The bible is not about me or you and how to behave. The bible is God's self revelation, in which we discover: 1. God is real. 2. we cannot live God's way. 3. Jesus lives God's way. 4. We join Jesus through Baptism into a community of faith. 5. We receive, by the power of the Holy Spirit, faith. 6. Faith invites us to live the way of Jesus. 7. This way is sacrificial, weak, and focused on the needs of the other. It is self-less. This way is the way of humility and poverty, not glory and riches. The Bible is about GOD, not about you. We depend on God for life, for rescue from ourselves, for faith, for strength, for the gifts to make the world better.
Joel: "God wants us to prosper financially, to have plenty of money, to fulfill the destiny He has laid out for us."
My response: "Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation." Blessed are you poor, for yours is the Kingdom of heaven."--Jesus Christ. Luke 4: 24 and 20. God's justice regards the poor and the hungry as worthy. Rather than obtaining more for myself, God wants all people to have enough. We ought not to rest in our comforts until all are fed, clothed, housed, properly medicated, educated, treated fairly, etc... Again, if its all about you, how can you serve in God's kingdom to bring justice to bear for all God's children?

Joel Osteen has a large cult following. His is, like many megachurch cultures, a personality cult. It is all about Joel. Joel's message, Joel's book, Joel's smily charisma. Joel's charm.
A professor at Westminster seminary said that his messages basically are: "God is nice. You are nice. Be nice." The media has been interviewing him again this week in anticipation of his next book, "Becoming a better you." A follow-up to his bestseller, "Your best life now," it will be filled with more of the same simple platitudes for being a good person with a good attitude in life.
He can't respond to pain, suffering, crisis because he doesn't know Jesus.
You know, I'm tired of these evangelical preachers and their cult followings offering up a message that is NOT Christocentric. The theology of the self fits perfect in our self-focused culture. It reinforces the "me drive" that guides our culture. His books are self-help books,in the vain of Dr. Phil or any other self-help guru. (I prefer Dr. Phil. At least he's not selling his life-coaching as the Christian gospel).
I know that the theology of the cross, in which Jesus is the center of our knowing God and the lense by which we see ourselves, is unpopular in our culture. "The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing." To perish is to be so self-focused on your own life today that you see little beyond yourself. To perish is to expect that God is working for you, that God is on your side. Shouldn't we be on God's side? What if you hear that God is on your side, God is for you (Joel's message), and then you commit evil? Is God for evil, then?
Joel Osteen is teaching "good" news because the news he teaches is the news people want to hear. It sounds good, because we want our lives to be confirmed, justified, blessed by God. We don't want to have to change. We want to be content as we are. I'm okay, you're okay. Right?
What about: God is God. I am not. What I am not, Jesus is. What Jesus is, I am by faith. It is a gift of God that I am what I am. In response to this gift, I am set free to love the neigbor. I can only do this in a community of others living by faith. Therefore, the "I" of faith must become the "we" of church in order to live the way of the cross. This way is love. Love is always for the other. Love is the fulfillment of law. Perfect love casts out fear. Jesus affirmed these commands: Love God, love your neighbor as yourself. Love one another as Christ has loved you. Love your enemies. This love is sacrificial and involves humbly serving, laying down your life. That is the way of the cross. The way of the cross demonstrates God's love for the world. Undeservedly, God loves us. Why? Because love is the best way.

I long to get this message out. But I don't have a book deal or a multimedia center or a tv show. I have this blog and a few dozen people on Sundays in a little community in Akron, PA. And that will likely be all for me. I need to become content with that. I will not be on 20/20 or Larry king or some other show. I will not wear a nice suit and smile in front of 30,000 adoring fans. I will follow Jesus. Which means that I will figure less. "He must increase, I must decrease," said the first witness in the Gospel of John, John the Baptist. That is also the way of the cross. To point to Jesus is to point away from yourself. To direct others to Jesus' way is to send, not accumulate. To give, not receive. To serve, not to be served.

the grass

This is an excerpt from a book I'm reading about Benedictine monks and hospitality. The book is by Homan and Pratt, called "Radical Hospitality: Benedict's way of love." This kind of hospitality is exemplified in the story I want to share.

"Father Noel and Father Dan were taking a walk on the monastery grounds one day. It was the kind of day made for a walk with a friend. A group of eleven- and twelve-year olds from an institution for troubled children were on a tour of the monastery. They had arrived by hay wagon, pulled by horses with a couple of young drivers, probably in their late teens. Acres of rolling grass invite you to stretch out on a sultry summer day and enjoy the soft grass and warm earth. The monastery grounds are well groomed, but the place doesn't feel like an institution...The two monks were enjoying one of those warm days of late summer. Guests were not as common in those days, but when they showed up they were welcome. Occupied in conversation, Father Dan did not notice the hay wagon drivers until they came within a few yards. "I was stopped in my tracks," he remembers. "Right there on the yard in front of us, the two wagon drivers were passing a joint back and forth, looking completely at home, as if this was the most natural thing to do at a monastery. In case you're wondering, it isn't." Father Noel, born in Italy and a monk all of his adult life, had never seen marijuana. he was not a naive or stupid man; such a thing simply was not part of his experience. Father Dan was a street-smart kid raised in Detroit. Before he could demand an explanation, Father Noel spoke up.
"Young men," he exclaimed with wide-armed relish, "we are so glad that you are with us today to enjoy the grass."
What if Christian communities were like that? Can it not be transformative to receive grace, when you know full well you are doing something wrong? What the world needs is more grace. More grace. A generous welcome. An outstretched hand. Radical hospitality that crosses barriers. Grass.

its a boy, again

Yesterday, Cherie and I went to the Dr. for an ultrasound to determine, among other things, the sex of baby #3. We were hoping for a girl this time.
On my way to pick Cherie up I thought about changing my shirt, makng my id as pastor less conspicuous. I was wearing a black clerical shirt. Sometimes wearing it to the hospital makes you the local chaplain on call.
We arrived on time for the appointment. On the way in I was stopped by a woman in tears who asked me if I was a minister and if I could come immediately and pray with her daughter and son-in-law, who received bad news. In an ultrasound at 16 weeks, they were told the fetus died. They were devastated. They were there to find out the sex of the baby.
I told her that I was there with my wife for the same reasonand would find them after we were done.
When we came out, they were gone. For us, the perspective quickly evolved from caring about the sex of the baby to the health and vitality of our baby.
I don't know why encounters happen when and how they do. It was not a foregone conclusion that I would be called upon just because I was in uniform, but I was.
I took their names. I can pray for them, maybe I can find them...Are they believers? And what consolation can be offered parents of such a loss? We lost a baby at 16 weeks once. It was hard. Should I have left Cherie to minister to them? What if that experience opened them for a Word from God that they hadn't been open to before? What if I had missed our ultrasound to minister to them? Will God reach them, comfort them, love them in some other way? I have good guilt about this. It will motivate me to seek them out. How many others are facing this kind of crisis without a community of hope, faith, and love surrounding them? I suspect many.
We're having another boy.

via vita/way of life

What is the via vita? For the Christian it consists in a devotion to the ways of Jesus and His disciples. Christians are called to live a new life, a way of life consistent with the life of Jesus and His Spirit-filled followers. What does that life look like?
The Acts community, as it emerged in the 1st century, was a community of Baptized believers. They were converted by the gospel message through the bold proclamation of the Apostles.
The emergent community devoted themselves to the apostles' teachign and fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayers.
Today, in postmodernity, in a post-Christian or non-Christian context, how do we get apostolic? And how do we encourage devotion to these four spiritual habits?
We eat together, sharing what we have. We pray and listen.
Taking a benedictine approach to these habits, we will begin lectio continua. We will also pray a psalm, the Lord's prayer, and intercessory prayer. But the center of the fellowship will be a meal. Potluck. Or eat out.
The life of Jesus, as embodied by the community, is an inclusive, compassionate, mission-driven life focused on meeting the complete needs of the other. Healing, forgiving, walking with, loving, laughing with, sharing, inviting, encouraging, and giving are consistent with the ministry of Jesus. So is rebuking and rejecting evil, speaking truth to power, advocating for the child and the widow.
A Christian community seeks to embody this via vita in the midst of a host community largely unfamiliar with this way. It is often counter cultural, even as it understands and speaks the language of the culture.
How does one engage a community in the via vita? Personal invitation.
On that note, I have to go.

Wine of Joy

I have come to believe that the expressions or emotions of a worshiping community should revolve around joy. Joy and Awe. Joy and Awe. Somethig like mythree-year-old at the zoo or at the ocean for the first time. When something happens and you can't help but smile or even laugh, maybe even get a tear in the eye from it? That kind of joy. Like going down hill too fast on a bike sort of thing. Or a great party. Jesus uses the analogy of the wedding more than once to describe the presence of the kingdom of God. And the gospel of John offers up the weding at Cana as the first sign of resurrection life, long before Jesus' death and resurrection happen in the narrative. Old ritual is replaced by new wine! And the best wine at that! Shouldn't the Christian life reflect that kind of joy and awe? I'm not saying that false joy in the face of suffering is a virtue. I'm saying that Jesus reveals to us that joy is the way of life of the suffering one. Eternal life is full of joy. And I mean eternal meaning the fullest life in abundance possible now for those who follow and believe Jesus.
So why does so little of the Christian life in community seem like joy these days? I'm waiting for joy to break out here, Lord. Give us joy, Lord. Give us joy. In worship let our songs be joyful. IN serving, let our attituide be one of joy. Why? Because a joyful Christian is a sign of God's grace and life.
maybe if I drink a little more wine...

PM devotions

Saturday nights 5:00 pm

Everyone has a Spirit.
God is accesible to us.
Life seeks peace.
Love requires community.
Join us. We welcome everyone.
Come and be quiet with us.
Join the prayers, listen for God.
Eat a simple meal in community.
The Spirit needs exercise too.
There are four spiritual habits for life;
Study,pray, share, and eat.
See a devoted community live a spiritual life.
Become part of it.
Saturday nights at 5:00 pm.
Zion Lutheran
435 Main St.
Akron

Four habits

It strikes me that people's lives are so harried, including my own, that we often neglect the cultivation of good habits. I rarely exercise or take my vitamin. Why?

"They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers." Acts 2:41.

Megachurches around us have figured out how to attract people. And they do it well, put all their energy behind it. With relative success. But I wonder. Are people learning how to pray, how to listen, how to serve humbly? how does one experience family in a megachurch setting? Where does relationshipand community happen and when?

I believe that the 1st century church emerged in a culture that was generally religious in nature and that some of the religious were exclusive in their attitude toward non-adherents. Some greco-Romans were following secular philosophies. And many people were skeptical or even negative toward monotheistic religion.
The early church emerged when followers of Jesus, the crucified Rabbi, were inspired to share the story of His death and resurrection as a sign of God's reign over all of life that transcended the power of death.
In a single scene, people were inspired by the initial speech from Peter and the spiritual fervor of the small community. 3,000 were baptized. People were converted from whatever beliefs they espoused to belief in the God who raised Jesus from the dead.
Then, this fledgling community attended to four spiritual habits. Always together. This was not a private faith, but a community way of life. They listened to the story of Jesus and those who were called to interpret it for them, they prayed (Psalms, the prayer of Jesus, intecessory prayer). They shared (meeting each other's needs); and they broke bread (eating together, feeding others).
The results of their practicing these habits in community? Inspired lives, joyful worship, generous giving, and organic growth. (See Acts 2:44-47).

Cultivating these four habits is the church's main task. We are called to Study, pray, share, and eat in commuity. What might this look like today?

We gather weekly. We serve a meal. We read a New testament writing, like Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. We let it speak to us like Lectio Divina. Lectio is an ancient prayer practice where one dwells on the Word, letting it teach you. As you read, you simply pause at words or phrases or texts that strike you or engage you or challenge you and you identify them.
After lectio, we pray like this: We read a psalm in unison. We offer intecessory prayer. We pray the Lord's prayer in unison.
As we eat, we talk about what God has entrusted to us for His use in mission. We discern a better stewardship of our lives in community.

The important part of this for me is to cultivate a radically inclusive hospitality. Everyone eats. A lot of people pray. Many people seek spiritual guidance or a word of counsel from above. These practices are, like Benedictine spirituality, open and accessible. One might come and experience them without intimidation or fear. The idea is to let people become accustomed to a spirit-led way of life. I am reading "The Cloister Walk" by Kathleen Norris, which is a spiritual journal of her time among benedictines. A good read.

To make a spiritual oasis in which people can come in contact with the richest parts of Christian tradition without the baggage attached to church. I hope to invite people to become devoted to Jesus through the practice of these four habits.

the middle face?

Last night at bed time we told our 3 year old to follow his sleep rules. We have a chart for him. he is supposed to stay in bed, close his eyes, be quiet, and go to sleep. If he doesn't follow the rules, we put a sad face on the chart. If he does, he gets a happy face. When he gets a sad face he is denied PBS kids shows in the morning. Nobig loss, but he likes to watch "Clifford the Big Red Dog." Admittedly so do I. Its a funny show with dogs. John Ritter is the voice of Clifford.
Anyway, he hasn't been following the sleep rules.We were giving him a three strike deal, until we realized he knew that he could get to two strikes and still get a happy face. So we went to the one-strike rule or the one time tuck-in. We reminded him that obedience earns a happy face and disobedience a sad face. To which he replied, "What happens if I get a middle face?" A third option? Never mentioned before? Creative. I laughed. I immediately thought, "a middle face reminds me of ambivalence. maybe he's talking about Lutherans!" :I

pm prayers

When life is hard, people often pray. Some people pray more than others. Some people pray beter than others. Some people don't pray. But if you do, and you would like to experience a praying community join us on Saturday night at 5:00 pm for prayer, conversation, friendship, and dinner. We meet at Zion Lutheran, 435 Main St. , Akron, PA.(near Ephrata). Prayer is one of the four spiritual practices of the emerging Acts community in the New testament. I think it is because most humans pray. There's something almost natural to it. Almost.
But there is nothinglike praying in a community. We're trying. We're learning. We're not experts. We're not monks or nuns. We're just people who believe that God listens and that if we listen we might hear GOD. (Explain that to your three-year-old, who asks,"How can we hear Jesus' voice, daddy?)
So come and pray with us on Saturday at 5:00 pm.

Dishonesty, wealth, and Jesus

I'm not ready to comment on Luke 16:1-13. I don't know what Jesus is saying, except that maybe GOD doesn't punish people for shrewdly dealing with worldly matters by being more gracious than one is supposed to be. The bad manager decides to cook the books by offering borrowers a reduction in debt payments. He is commended by the boss for being shrewd. By being gracious toward customers, he put himself in good relations with debtors as he will likely become one himself in unemployment. And he kep the boss happy by collecting some of what was owed. Perhaps partial repayment is better than none? So he was gracious to clients and able to secure some liquid funds for the lender. What does that mena for us?
Being gracious is not a practice accepted by our culture. We expect to have to pay full price. One houses, cars, etc...there's no real discount or deal, is there? But Christians are supposed to give omre than they receive. Generosity, howver, doesn't have to mean becoming overly vulnerable. In fact, being generous can lead to a greater communal security. Quite the opposite of what we might think would happen.
Of course, the lender could have been angry with him for having reduced the debts, having expected to be repaid in full. But he wasn't. Perhaps God is that way with us. We don't get the job done. We aren't good trustees of what God has given us. But at least we can be foolishly gracious with what isn't really ours to be gracious with. God seems to like that in an odd twist.
I still don't know how this works into a message for others. Maybe somethig will stir in the next couple of days or in pryer on Saturday.

Lost and found

You know how things sort of get misplaced? Not really lost, but just missing. Somewhere in this house or office or car or closet is that missing...you fill in the blank.
I have so many stories this week about lost things being found. Last weekend we heard the two parables from Luke chapter 15 that Jesus tells about lost things and the obsessive ones who stop at nothing to seek them. Jesus says the Kingdom is like the party that is thrown when lost things are found by obsessive searchers. God is like the shepherd who abandons the rest of the flock for the rest of the day in order to find one lost sheep. Why didnt he chalk it up to dead? 99% alive and present. 1 % missing. he goes for the 1%. Bad math. And the woman who turns the house upside-down looking for a lousy coin. A coin. I gave away a "lost" sacajewiya dollar this weekend. But it wasn;t worth celebrating. Its a dollar.
But here's the real thing: I lost my watch a while ago. My wife had given it to me and I knew it as somewhere in my stuff, but I didn;t know where. She didn;t know I'd lost it, because I was ashamed to tell her. Then, I opened my golf bag to golf in a church event with my father-in-law and found it! Alleluia.
Then, I had lost a few things at the church office. Namely, and importantly, some church checks from another church that I was resonsible for as treasurer of our confirmation camp program. I had a big bill to pay yet from the summer and needed those checks. Well, they appeared today. And not an hour after I told the story of my watch to my secretary and asked my sexton to help me find my missing bag and coffee mug from children's sermon. he found that too.
Here;s the thing: None of these things that were found were a huge deal either. Like a single lost sheep or a single lost coin. Replaceable. Not necessary. BUT, I actually prayed to the LORD last night that I would find what had been lost! I've rarely in my life had such immediate satisfaction from prayer. I connect my spiritual conversation with God and the finding of these objects. Not because they were so precious, but precisely because they weren't.
Isn't that what Jesus meant? people might not care about certain lost creatures. People might abandon each other. People might write others off. people might prefer certain of us remained in the dark, hidden, missing but not missed. But GOD is not like that. God leaps for joy and yells "hurray" when someone is found. When someone repents, recognizes, sees, becomes aware of GOD and of the self that is humbly and truly not GOD, the party begins. It begins in our own hearts. When you are found by GOD, you weep and laugh and dance and sing and play and jump around. I know I;'ve been lost and found more than once.
All I know is that no matter how insignificant you think you are or others claim you are, GOD seeks you because GOD is willing to stake it all on you're being returned to HIM. I'm not exactly sure why GOD is like this, but I'm fairly certain He is. Jesus says so. And, I'm wearing my watch.

Politics in the toilet

Ethics is tricky business. Postmodern Americans struggle with ethical questions. People with conservative ethics, moralists or uninversal ethicists, are denounced as narrow-minded or intolerant. Liberal ethicists, relativists, are viewed as immoral weaklings. In the end the old question of whose right and whose wrong seems to go unanswered. Is nobody right if everybody's wrong? Is anyone right? What is right or wrong? Is it wrong to harm a neighbor? What about war then? Is there such a thing as just war? Are we fighting in one? Is sexuality private or public? Who's sexuality is right? Can one's sexuality be wrong? Can one's gender be wrong? What is the basis for sexual identity and practice? Is it nature or nurture or both? Does anyone know? Is TV good, bad, indifferent? What about technology in general? Does technology that makes a phone a gps, a tv, a dvd player, and an email/internet device really necessary? What if the genius of Steve Jobs went to work to find better ways to fuel vehicles or get clean water to remote African villages or get malaria vaccines to dying children? What if the quality of everyone's life was more important than the next $600.00 gadget?
And then we have the case of the Senator from Idaho caught making odd gestures in a bathroom stall. He pleads guilty to some minor indecency charges, and later regrets the plea. He is being denounced as a sexual criminal and his career may be over. We've seen this story before, haven't we? Middle age white professional with sexual issues of some kind? Happily married with kids. And a salary. And responsibilities to others.
Why do we welcome the sexual exploits of our celebrity entertainers; but deplore the sexual lives of political leaders? Why are moral standards applied differently to different people?
Might it have something to do with a lack of wisdom about the human condition? Are we so unreflective as a human comunity that we cannot understand why we do what we do?
I think the best example of human reflection is in Paul's letter to the Romans in the 7th chapter. he writes, "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do." Paul has stumbled on the mystery of the human condition. And he is honest. he doesn't get himself. What is wrong with me? I know the difference and choose to ignore my own mind. I believe that smokers must suspend better, healthier judgment everytime they light up. We know cancer is caused by smoking. Nobody wants to get lung cancer or give it to a loved one. The risk is highly reduced if you quit. So why do people smoke? I don;t understand. All of us are tempted. The world is full of temptation. Why is health less tempting than the ting that cuold kill us, even though it might feel good. Humans.
We are good but not so good. We are lovers who crave the love of others, but can hate with passion. We demand much from life and give little of our own away to improve the lives of others. We are sexual but long to be spiritual. If secular modernity hadn't abandoned the concept of sin as a category, we might be okay. I appreciate the apologetic work of Paul Tillich whose second volume Systematics delves into human nature. Brokenness is the category he uses to describe the state we are in. Maybe if we all got humble enough to know that all of us are in the toilet, then we'd have a new starting ground for conversation. Does a Senator need loving community or God less than Britney Spears. And why do we care if she "rehabs" but hope he goes to hell? is Michael Vick news? ONly because he is a celebrity. Reprehensible behavior knows no bounds. Nor does God's reconciling grace.

dan

I had lunch with a young artist--a philosopher/scholar. He is no scientist. He is no mathematician. he is no businessman. he likes Bach and death metal. he is opinionated and open to other opinions. He is smart and needs to learn a lot more. he is 20. i like remembering 20. I met my wife when I was 20. i spent days reading and discussing religion or history. I spent my nights at Perkins or courting my future wife. A productive day consisted of study, writing, eating, praying, and enjoying friends. Work? Money? Bills? Not on the radar screen. That our western culture tolerates this behavior from young adults is quite bizarre. Maybe that is why colleg eis becoming elite again. a pendulum swing is occuring. It is unhealthy for a society to create a caste of young adults---or mature adolescents. Why? because the one's who might drive culture forward are marginalized by the adult world. a youth culture that is perpetuated a decade beyond what has been normatively accepted as child/adult transition creates a dangerous pattern of irresponsible and overly responsible people. 22 year olds are adults. They ought to be granted adult status. They ought to be taken seriously. dan is serious. and passionate. and ready to take on the world. who am i to prevent that? who are you? baby boomers have inherited responsibility from the last generation of adults who realized adult responsibility at 18. wwII and depression assured that. baby boomers are trying to keep hold of this place of control and power. how? By developing a cultural model that rejects the power of the elder and the passion of youth. why have nursing homes and retirement facilities become such a major industry? why hav child cares and colleges become accepted norms for families? is it not every genrations duty to learn from their elders with humility and respect and to graciously channel the passionate energies of youth in order to build a better world?

vacation and Jesus

There is no such thing as a vacation. At the Jersey Shore, Ocean City, rent one of those surreys with the fringe on top to ride around on the boardwalk. We rented a six seater. Four pedaling adults and two basket-riding children makes for a hilarious photo.
Beach rule # 487: A one-year-old will find ways to retain sand on his small body which cannot be removed, even after several baths. Its easier to picj fleas off a poodle. Trust me.
Beach rule #97: Americans will shamelessly don swimwear made for much smaller bodies. Obesity is an epidemic and so is indecency.
Beach rule #5511: Teenagers are spacially challenged. My wife was beaned with a small, hard plastic ball during a game of paddle ball she was not playing. try reading calmly on the beach while small projectiles are flying toward you. Did it even occur to them that the large, uninhabited area of sand 25 yards to our imemdiate south would have made for much safer paddle ball? Apparently, standing behind my wife and aiming for the area generally recognized as the back of her head seemed like a fine location.

I found it difficult to relax. There was no rest. I do not easily downshift. I think my brain craves stimulation.Or maybe I'm thinking that because I didn't have coffee today. I've been drinking too much coffee, especially in chicago. more about Chicago later...
I did, however, read a great book. Vacation Rule #7: Read a good book, even if yuo have to stay up late. "Rabbi Jesus" by Bruce chilton was the most readable 'historical Jesus' book I've ever read. I appreciated the way he described first century rabbinic life; halakah and khabbalah. The idea that Jesus was a Jewish Kabbalist, a spiritual mystic of sorts, was compelling. Although a stretch biblically. I accept the connection between John the Baptist and Jesus. I think Jesus was a student of John, somehow. I also believe that Jesus' Galilean roots and the nature of his conception/birth/illegitimacy would have contributed to his theology and radical inclusionary practice. Sort of like Moses---send a Hebrew who was raised by Egyptian royalty to talk of political liberation. Jesus would have had a place in both worlds---that of the outcast and that of the accepted community/family system.
Here's the thing: Vacation is a false reality created by workaholic americans to jusify unhealthy work habits.Its a way to avoid Sabbath by lumping it together in an annual contracted amount of leavetime. besides everyone knows that taking vacation means making more work. Better that we actually get sensible about work and productivity. A weekly Sabbath makes for a better balance. And does not force you to try to check out for two weeks in August.
Don't get me wrong. I think vacation is necessary. But is work more important?

singing bee

there is a new reality show on tv this sumemr called "singing bee", in which ocntestants are asked to karaoke with a variety of pop music over the past fifty years. Part of the song will be left blank and the inger must fill-in-the-blanks to move on to the next round. I hate this show.

there is another reality show on another network that is basically the same thing, but the contesatant is playing against herself, gets to choose music categories each round, and only has to fill in four missing words with each song. I could win this game. it is funny.

both of these shows reveal my love for pop tunes and my ability to remember lyrics, artists, albums and all manner of pop music trivia spanning four decades. thing is...the talent I have for this is fruitless and pointless. It serves no purpose. If I cuold rememebr othre things as well as I remember pop song lyrics...

why is the human brain wired this way? Why cuoldn't I have been given the brains to accomplish something? I think I'm a fairly intellingent guy, but my most natural thought process involves remembering all the lyrics to the 10cc hit "The Things we do for love". Why is that? Not a mathematic, scientific, economic, psychiatric, philosophic brain for me. Nope. Just pop songs.

Vatican diplomacy

The Vatican released a statement summarizing misunderstood eccelesiology that has developed as a result of both Vtican II and the ecumenical movement. That the church is defined by its sacramental character and apostolic succession. So, protestant churches cannot purely be defined as churches in that sense since they are not in succession, nor retain a true sense of the sacrament. Any church not under papal authority is not precisely a church.

I like this. Clarity. Since the Lutheran church is not really a church, we don't really have to act like one. Good. Because we don't most of the time anyway. So the only hypocrites left are the Romans, who claim to be the church and yet are not. In their very claim, they separate, divide, and exclude others who share faith in the God who raised jesus from the dead. By so doing, they build intellectual walls instead of relational bridges. When I read the Gospels, I see Jesus crossing cultural barriers and dismantling the religious walls of temple Judaism in order to broaden the scope of His mission. The Kingdom of God is bigger than Jerusalem or Vatican city or Geneva or Sweden or New York, NY.

So if the Roman Catholics and the Protestants are not the church, where is the church? The Orthodox? In their inability to contextualize beyond the early middle ages, they do not incarnate the gospel. So its not the orthodox. The evangelicals? In their basic rejection of the cruciform life, coupled with a personal salvation plan and a fundamentalist worldview that divides sacred and secular, they limit the power of God. So its not the evangelicals.
So where is the church? is it visible? Is it here? If there is no church on earth, where is Jesus incarnated today? If there is no church, what are Christians doing?
is church a human corruption?

Jesus never spoke about the church. He was never part of the church. His followers were church. When did church stop being church? When did it start being what it has become? Pentecost? Constantine? Council of Nicea? Great Schism? Reformation? When?
is it possible to receive the good news and articulate the Kingdom message of Jesus afresh? is it possible for the church to be reborn? Is it possible that the church will emerge or is emerging in this post-modern world?

I hope.