GRACE AND COMMUNITY
We are in the season of Pentecost – the season of the Spirit. And that seems to fit nicely with the popular culture these days. Have you noticed? For some time now we seem to be seeing a resurgence of spirituality in all its forms. I’m sure you have heard someone say, “I’m not very religious, I’ll admit --- but I’m very spiritual!” We see it all around us with television programs about angels and miracles -- and even Oprah’s “Remembering Your Spirit“.
In church we talk about the work of the Holy Spirit of God – moving, stirring, inspiring, and leading people of all tongues and races. But do you think that is the same activity that is being referred to by people who are “discovering their spirit”? Is there a difference between us getting in touch with our spirit … and God sending the spirit of eternity and wisdom; the spirit of comfort and fire among us?
Is this just a case where the church is out of touch with the real needs of people today, (lagging behind the popular revelation of Spirit being poured out among the many)? Or is it, maybe, a case where we are trying to blend too many metaphors (mixing spirituality and the tranquil life with worship of God and reverence for the holy)?
I think the Apostle Paul offers some helpful hints for understanding both the Biblical view of the Holy Spirit, and the popular view of human spirituality. In Romans 5:1-5
1. By faith, we have peace with God.
2. In Jesus, our Christ, we find God and receive the grace of God’s acceptance.
3. Our faith and experience of God is something we share joyfully with others.
4. We also take joy from the lessons of life – namely, that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.
5. And finally, hope is our bedrock, because it is a gift of the Spirit of God – which we receive through the love of God.
Interesting! Paul summarized quite nicely, I think, the two realities of Spirit: Our spirit – which strengthens us, gives us character and guides us toward community with others … and God’s Holy Spirit – which is the source of our spiritual journeying; a unique gift; a grant from the loving nature of Godself. God’s grace is the motivation … our sense of community and our care for ourselves and for one another is the reward.
The message of Pentecost is the story of God’s holy spirit … the message of popular spirituality is the story of how the divine penetrates and permeates the very core of our being. It is the blending of grace and community; of source and discovery; of inspiring love and hopeful character-building.
On Pentecost Sunday (May 31, 2009) I invited the congregation to join with me in celebrating both Grace and Community and in new way. We were invited to celebrate the God who loves us and who gives us opportunities to love one another and to celebrate God’s holy spirit, and the spiritual journey we each are on.
In a basket, I placed the names of each of member or friend of the church who is currently “active”… these names also include some of our newer frequent visitors and all of the homebound members of the church.
We passed the basket around, inviting everyone in attendance to choose a name at random and the person they chose would be the person for whom they will give special care for the next year:
Pray for that person – call them when they miss worship on a Sunday – talk to them, when you get a moment, about their faith, their character, their hope, their “spirit” – remember their birthday, significant anniversaries, milestones and life markers. BUILD COMMUNITY. BE INTENTIONAL.
The Hebrew word for this is: Ets-ra . It means, “helper” or “partner”. It is a wonderful word that is used both in reference to God being our helper, and to us being each other’s helper. It sums up the relationship created by God’s spirit, and our spirit. It is the perfect way to live out the blending of traditional Pentecost observance of Spirit with current understandings of spirituality.
Ets-ra is who God is to us … and who we are to each other.
Ets-ra is who you will be for one other person in this congregation until Trinity Sunday, 2010..
Ets-ra is the challenge of this community … and it is the expression of God’s grace.
You will be an Ets-ra for someone … and someone will be Ets-ra for you.
Everyone who was not in attendance on May 31 will be given an opportunity to choose a name from the basket. Everyone will be included. Everyone counts.
Ets-ra is the way we will build and enrich our community: We will be each other’s helper. We will care for one another. We will be intentional about our ministry to one another. We will live as helpers, as partners, in a common spiritual journey … guided by the great and gracious Spirit of our loving God.
Let me know what you think about being an Ets Ra!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
"You Were Formed for Change"
You Were Formed for Change
Two weeks ago I preached a sermon from Isaiah 43. It was a particularly impassioned sermon – even if I do say so myself! We had just come from a Sunday school class where members and friends of the church had turned in their theological (and not so theological!) questions – and Luke and I had endeavored to answer them. One of those questions was: “Do you believe God gives everyone everything they need to do what God wants them to do? If so, how do you know what role you play in this?”
This is a good question to ask regardless of the time of year – but a particularly good question as we enter Holy Week. A time for us to reconsider the stewardship God has placed in our hands as we seek to make life better for in our world. This brings me back to Isaiah 43: “This is what God says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves, The God who summons horses and chariots and armies— they lie down and then can't get up; they're snuffed out like so many candles: "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Wild animals will say 'Thank you!' —the coyotes and the buzzards— Because I provided water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth,Drinking water for the people I chose, the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.” The Message Isaiah 43:16-21
After Isaiah encourages the people of Israel to“Forget the former things…Do not dwell on the past, he invites them to be alert and be present to experience and participate in something brand new that God was about to do.
Do you believe that God can do a “ brand new thing” through you? Can you believe that you were “chosen for a task”, made for an assignment, called forth for intentional purposes? I can hear your arguments now!
We are in the midst of a lousy economy – can God give me something meaningful to do in this? (…the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves.)
Our country is in the midst of two wars… not to mention the terrorist threat that hangs over our heads. Can God give us an assignment when the risk of annihilation is ever-present and even the most trusted of our financial institutions turn out to be corrupt and our politicians seem helpless! (The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—they lie down and then can’t get up; they’re snuffed out like so many candles.)
But we’ve all been through SO much!! Illnesses that have debilitated us and left us weak – even bald! Relationships that we counted on and thought would last forever turned out to be false and fleeting. Friends and family that we counted on, a future we banked on, an identity we believed, a circumstance we trusted – all of these can turn to nothing but fluff and bubbles!! (Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new!)
The challenge we all have is matching ourselves to the assignment! What is it that best positions you to declare praise to God through your vocation or your avocation – your relationships, values or interests? Our goal is to match the passion, mission, vision, and strengths within us to a particular assignment. Imagine doing something that connects with your passion; one that is in line with your personal mission; one that helps you realize your vision for serving others. My experience is that when these things line up in our lives - great things happen!
So, now is the time to be conversant with your passions. What angers you the most and what brings you great joy? Answer this and you have a hint about your calling. What do you think about when you envision a preferable future? Think on this and you will have a hint about your vision. What results are worth your life? Think on this and you will arrive at your mission. Now add your gifts, abilities, competencies, and experiences and you will begin to clearly see what God formed you to do.
You were formed for change! Trust that God will provide “water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth, drinking water for the people I chose, the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.”
Two weeks ago I preached a sermon from Isaiah 43. It was a particularly impassioned sermon – even if I do say so myself! We had just come from a Sunday school class where members and friends of the church had turned in their theological (and not so theological!) questions – and Luke and I had endeavored to answer them. One of those questions was: “Do you believe God gives everyone everything they need to do what God wants them to do? If so, how do you know what role you play in this?”
This is a good question to ask regardless of the time of year – but a particularly good question as we enter Holy Week. A time for us to reconsider the stewardship God has placed in our hands as we seek to make life better for in our world. This brings me back to Isaiah 43: “This is what God says, the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves, The God who summons horses and chariots and armies— they lie down and then can't get up; they're snuffed out like so many candles: "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. Wild animals will say 'Thank you!' —the coyotes and the buzzards— Because I provided water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth,Drinking water for the people I chose, the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.” The Message Isaiah 43:16-21
After Isaiah encourages the people of Israel to“Forget the former things…Do not dwell on the past, he invites them to be alert and be present to experience and participate in something brand new that God was about to do.
Do you believe that God can do a “ brand new thing” through you? Can you believe that you were “chosen for a task”, made for an assignment, called forth for intentional purposes? I can hear your arguments now!
We are in the midst of a lousy economy – can God give me something meaningful to do in this? (…the God who builds a road right through the ocean, who carves a path through pounding waves.)
Our country is in the midst of two wars… not to mention the terrorist threat that hangs over our heads. Can God give us an assignment when the risk of annihilation is ever-present and even the most trusted of our financial institutions turn out to be corrupt and our politicians seem helpless! (The God who summons horses and chariots and armies—they lie down and then can’t get up; they’re snuffed out like so many candles.)
But we’ve all been through SO much!! Illnesses that have debilitated us and left us weak – even bald! Relationships that we counted on and thought would last forever turned out to be false and fleeting. Friends and family that we counted on, a future we banked on, an identity we believed, a circumstance we trusted – all of these can turn to nothing but fluff and bubbles!! (Forget about what’s happened; don’t keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand new!)
The challenge we all have is matching ourselves to the assignment! What is it that best positions you to declare praise to God through your vocation or your avocation – your relationships, values or interests? Our goal is to match the passion, mission, vision, and strengths within us to a particular assignment. Imagine doing something that connects with your passion; one that is in line with your personal mission; one that helps you realize your vision for serving others. My experience is that when these things line up in our lives - great things happen!
So, now is the time to be conversant with your passions. What angers you the most and what brings you great joy? Answer this and you have a hint about your calling. What do you think about when you envision a preferable future? Think on this and you will have a hint about your vision. What results are worth your life? Think on this and you will arrive at your mission. Now add your gifts, abilities, competencies, and experiences and you will begin to clearly see what God formed you to do.
You were formed for change! Trust that God will provide “water in the desert, rivers through the sun-baked earth, drinking water for the people I chose, the people I made especially for myself, a people custom-made to praise me.”
Thursday, March 26, 2009
PURPLE – A SPECIAL SUNDAY – A SPECIAL COLOR.
” I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.” Alice Walker “The Color Purple”
In the April edition of our church newsletter, I’ve suggested that we celebrate PURPLE SUNDAY on the Sunday following Easter – April 19. The Sunday following Easter in the Christian calendar is referred to by lay people and clergy alike as “low Sunday”... low meaning lower attendance and certainly, lower expectations than Easter week – but I’m suggesting that we do something different (even radical?) on that Sunday. Let’s rename it and reclaim it! We’ll drape the pulpit and lectern in purple, hang a royal purple drape over the overhead cross and we’ll all wear purple – and all its varied shades – as diverse as we are: Violet, plum, lavender, lilac, puce, thistle, orchid, mauve, magenta, royal, amethyst, wine, pomegranate, eggplant and mulberry!
Why purple?? Purple has always been linked to royalty and spirituality. A mysterious color, purple is associated with both nobility and spirituality. The opposites of hot red and cool blue combine to create this intriguing color and it has a special, almost sacred place in nature: lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are often delicate and considered precious. Because purple is derived from the mixing of a strong warm and strong cool color it has both warm and cool properties – making it a blending of opposites – mysterious in its make up!
The color of mourning for widows in Thailand, purple was the favorite color of Egypt's Cleopatra. It has been traditionally associated with royalty in many cultures. Purple robes were worn by royalty and people of authority or high rank. The Purple Heart is a U.S. Military decoration given to soldiers wounded in battle.
The earliest archaeological evidence for the origins of purple dyes points to the Minoan civilization in Crete, about 1900 B.C. The ancient land of Canaan (its corresponding Greek name was Phoenicia, which means “land of the purple”) was the center of the ancient purple dye industry. “Tyrian Purple,” the purple dye of the ancients mentioned in texts dating back to about 1600 B.C., was produced from the mucus of the hypobranchial gland of various species of marine mollusks, notably Murex. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye. Legend credits its discovery to Herakles, or rather to his dog, whose mouth was stained purple from chewing on snails along the Levantine coast.
Rome, Egypt, and Persia all used purple as the imperial standard. Purple dyes were rare and expensive; only the rich had access to them. The purple colorants used came from different sources, most from the dye extraction from fish or insects. The imperial purple of Rome was based on mollusk from which purpura comes. Emperor Aurelian refused to let his wife buy a purpura-dyed silk garment, as it cost its weight in gold!
Insect and animal-based purple colors were mentioned in the Bible for use in textile furnishings of the Tabernacle and for the sacred vestments for the High Priest Aaron, and they also were used in King Solomon's and King Herod's temples in Jerusalem.
Pope Paul II in 1464 introduced the so-called “Cardinal's Purple,” which was really scarlet extracted from the Kermes insect. This became the first luxury dye of the Middle Ages until William H. Perkin discovered an aniline-based purple dye called “mauveine” in 1856 while searching for a cure for malaria. Perkin was an English chemist who changed the world of his time by making this purple color available to the masses. It became quite fashionable to wear clothing dyed with “mauve,” and Mr. Perkin became a very wealthy man.
The New Testament makes reference to one of Jesus’ female followers and financial supporters being a “seller of purple.”
During the Easter season we generally place a “robe” of purple on the cross hanging from the center of the sanctuary of our church to symbolize the authority of Christ in our lives. That is what the Easter season is all about – and the color purple can be an outward sign of our inward desire to be more like Christ – to live like Christ – to be known as Christ’s disciples! Let’s take our outwardly imperfect selves and clothe ourselves in the color of royalty and spirituality! Christ leads us through death of the old self, motives, attitudes and behavior -- to new life, and empowers, energizes, enables us to face life today and tomorrow as winners, not losers, lovers, not haters, victors, not victims. Amen!
” I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.” Alice Walker “The Color Purple”
In the April edition of our church newsletter, I’ve suggested that we celebrate PURPLE SUNDAY on the Sunday following Easter – April 19. The Sunday following Easter in the Christian calendar is referred to by lay people and clergy alike as “low Sunday”... low meaning lower attendance and certainly, lower expectations than Easter week – but I’m suggesting that we do something different (even radical?) on that Sunday. Let’s rename it and reclaim it! We’ll drape the pulpit and lectern in purple, hang a royal purple drape over the overhead cross and we’ll all wear purple – and all its varied shades – as diverse as we are: Violet, plum, lavender, lilac, puce, thistle, orchid, mauve, magenta, royal, amethyst, wine, pomegranate, eggplant and mulberry!
Why purple?? Purple has always been linked to royalty and spirituality. A mysterious color, purple is associated with both nobility and spirituality. The opposites of hot red and cool blue combine to create this intriguing color and it has a special, almost sacred place in nature: lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are often delicate and considered precious. Because purple is derived from the mixing of a strong warm and strong cool color it has both warm and cool properties – making it a blending of opposites – mysterious in its make up!
The color of mourning for widows in Thailand, purple was the favorite color of Egypt's Cleopatra. It has been traditionally associated with royalty in many cultures. Purple robes were worn by royalty and people of authority or high rank. The Purple Heart is a U.S. Military decoration given to soldiers wounded in battle.
The earliest archaeological evidence for the origins of purple dyes points to the Minoan civilization in Crete, about 1900 B.C. The ancient land of Canaan (its corresponding Greek name was Phoenicia, which means “land of the purple”) was the center of the ancient purple dye industry. “Tyrian Purple,” the purple dye of the ancients mentioned in texts dating back to about 1600 B.C., was produced from the mucus of the hypobranchial gland of various species of marine mollusks, notably Murex. It took some 12,000 shellfish to extract 1.5 grams of the pure dye. Legend credits its discovery to Herakles, or rather to his dog, whose mouth was stained purple from chewing on snails along the Levantine coast.
Rome, Egypt, and Persia all used purple as the imperial standard. Purple dyes were rare and expensive; only the rich had access to them. The purple colorants used came from different sources, most from the dye extraction from fish or insects. The imperial purple of Rome was based on mollusk from which purpura comes. Emperor Aurelian refused to let his wife buy a purpura-dyed silk garment, as it cost its weight in gold!
Insect and animal-based purple colors were mentioned in the Bible for use in textile furnishings of the Tabernacle and for the sacred vestments for the High Priest Aaron, and they also were used in King Solomon's and King Herod's temples in Jerusalem.
Pope Paul II in 1464 introduced the so-called “Cardinal's Purple,” which was really scarlet extracted from the Kermes insect. This became the first luxury dye of the Middle Ages until William H. Perkin discovered an aniline-based purple dye called “mauveine” in 1856 while searching for a cure for malaria. Perkin was an English chemist who changed the world of his time by making this purple color available to the masses. It became quite fashionable to wear clothing dyed with “mauve,” and Mr. Perkin became a very wealthy man.
The New Testament makes reference to one of Jesus’ female followers and financial supporters being a “seller of purple.”
During the Easter season we generally place a “robe” of purple on the cross hanging from the center of the sanctuary of our church to symbolize the authority of Christ in our lives. That is what the Easter season is all about – and the color purple can be an outward sign of our inward desire to be more like Christ – to live like Christ – to be known as Christ’s disciples! Let’s take our outwardly imperfect selves and clothe ourselves in the color of royalty and spirituality! Christ leads us through death of the old self, motives, attitudes and behavior -- to new life, and empowers, energizes, enables us to face life today and tomorrow as winners, not losers, lovers, not haters, victors, not victims. Amen!
Monday, March 16, 2009
On "Honoring the Hardened Heart" - A Lenten Sermon
The following is my sermon from March 8. I think it's a valuable subject -- and maybe worth repeating here. Enjoy -- and I'd be interested in your comments.
Our last two sermons of the Lenten season have been about the wilderness – and now that we know about the wilderness, this week becomes a time to choose a particular part of it and select a practice to clear space in that wilderness…. Or to put it another way “how to create a small oasis of peace amid the chaos of our lives.”
Hear another voice from scripture that talks about our hearts – “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing” Joel 2:12-13
What does it mean to “rend your heart – and not your clothing?” Well, it’s not pretty! To rend a piece of fabric is to tear it… or break it. So what we are being asked to do is break our hearts or tear our hearts – rather than anything else – in order that we might be prepared for God?
O Great, you say – the one Sunday I come to church and the pastor tells me to break my own heart – like I need help with that!! Well, here’s what I mean:
If you’ve ever been in psychotherapy – you know that you can expect things to get worse before they get better. Therapy, rehab from a torn muscle or broken bone or any kind of recuperative healing, means that we have to work hard – and hurt – in order to bring about healing. Any significant experience of introspection and change, rends our hearts just in the way the book of Joel describes. In healing, a person begins to clear away defenses, old habits, and destructive patterns – whether they are physical, mental or emotional.
From an emotional or spiritual point of view we need to see that underneath those patterns is the heart – the tender, vulnerable and wounded core self. When feelings, long held at bay, begin to emerge, a person initially feels more pain than before the therapy or spiritual awakening began! – It feels like the effort to heal is making life worse!
However, when we move through long unfelt emotions and continue with courageous change – a richer, fuller life emerges – and produces a deeper connection with ones self and others.
What I’m suggesting today is that we “rend out hearts to God” – or break our hearts open to God for the sake of greater love – larger truth – and a more open communication with ourselves, one another and with our God. The Lenten invitation to “rend your hearts” is not a breaking for the sake of destruction – but a rending for the sake of greater tenderness, and openness.
The first step in rending one’s heart for God is learning to respect and appreciate the hardened heart! We all have hardened or closed our hearts in various ways for various reasons – and we will do it again. The hardened heart is essentially a collection of defenses that protect us from harm – some of these defenses have been in place for years – others may be new. When they are first used, these defenses serve a wonderful purpose – to deflect pain! But sometimes, those defenses – so closely guarded – become more of a problem than the pain itself.
At our first Lenten Learning event, Sam Gill talked about dependency and addiction as a defense. For instance, the child of an alcoholic might become a super achiever because achieving gives a much needed sense of control. Perfect grades and a perfectly tidy room can give a sense of safety. This child tells herself that a perfectly ordered life magically protects her from her alcoholic parent’s unpredictability. The super achiever role safeguards her from a terrifying sense of powerlessness. For this child, a good set of defenses means survival – and we owe our defenses a dept of gratitude – they keep us sane and in some cases, even alive. Recognizing and honoring our hardened hearts is the first step to a new way of being. Giving thanks for the precious gift of the protection that our hardened heart has offered helps us to break open the shell and reveal the precious vulnerability that we have guarded for so long.
Since it is daylight savings time – I’m reminded of a Sundaymany yea rs ago when we had turned the clocks forward as we did this morning – and after worship I recessed as I always do after the benediction and run head first into one of my parishioners – a man who was active in the church – smart and likeable – but also very controlled and fastidious – a perfectionist in many ways.
As our eyes met I saw that he was FURIOUS!! It was obvious that he had forgotten to set his clock forward – and here he was wandering into the lobby at the sound of the benediction – an hour late for worship. Before I could say anything he VERBALLY lunged at me. HOW COULD YOU?? HOW COULD YOU? He said. “Pardon me” I asked. HOW COULD YOU CHANGE THE TIME OF THE SERVICE AND TELL EVERYONE EXCEPT ME!!
Now, if it wasn’t so sad, it would have been laughable! He thought I had INTENTIONALLY moved the time of the service and INTENTIONALLY not let him know! That I had picked him out of 200 other members of the church – and kept it a secret from him.
Was his heart hardened? Oh yes it was – in a very sad and counterproductive way. Can you imagine how much hurt must have been in his life – how much rejection and abandonment – that he would actually BELIEVE that a church and a pastor would single him out to deny him something the rest of us had!
This defense of the hardened heart – the one who needs to be in control – or who lives in a faulty delusion. happens to far more than just the child of the alcoholic – it happens to ANY of us who experience our life as out of control.
The capacity to express vulnerability is a great human strength. We sometimes wish our vulnerabilities would disappear so we wouldn’t have to worry about hiding them. But without hose pesky vulnerabilities we could convince the world that we have it all together, that we have no unsatisfied needs, that we can care constantly for others and never need care ourselves, that we are who we appear to be on the outside – and that we are not afraid, or sad or insecure or ashamed or lonely.
But it is only in showing our weakness that we become strong – only in giving in to a broken heart that we can achieve real power – the power to truly be who we are.
Human beings need care, especially during childhood when our lives depend on it. But we also need it as adults. No one, not even the most rugged individual is entirely self-sufficient. Christ’s good shepherd image speaks directly to our need for care – here is one who knows that we need care and seeks us out and provides for us.
By admitting our weakness, we take the first step toward embracing true power, no matter how shameful we consider our weakness. Accepting our vulnerability is yet another way in which our hearts break for God. We break away the mask of false self-sufficiency and admit that we depend upon one another, that we depend on God and that we are limited and human – weak by nature and strong by our ability to connect with others and to ask for what we need.
So take a moment – What are your favorite defenses? How have they protected you over the course of your life? How have your defenses created a hardened heart – or barriers between you and God or you and others? When you feel that you are “rending you heart”
Our last two sermons of the Lenten season have been about the wilderness – and now that we know about the wilderness, this week becomes a time to choose a particular part of it and select a practice to clear space in that wilderness…. Or to put it another way “how to create a small oasis of peace amid the chaos of our lives.”
Hear another voice from scripture that talks about our hearts – “Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing” Joel 2:12-13
What does it mean to “rend your heart – and not your clothing?” Well, it’s not pretty! To rend a piece of fabric is to tear it… or break it. So what we are being asked to do is break our hearts or tear our hearts – rather than anything else – in order that we might be prepared for God?
O Great, you say – the one Sunday I come to church and the pastor tells me to break my own heart – like I need help with that!! Well, here’s what I mean:
If you’ve ever been in psychotherapy – you know that you can expect things to get worse before they get better. Therapy, rehab from a torn muscle or broken bone or any kind of recuperative healing, means that we have to work hard – and hurt – in order to bring about healing. Any significant experience of introspection and change, rends our hearts just in the way the book of Joel describes. In healing, a person begins to clear away defenses, old habits, and destructive patterns – whether they are physical, mental or emotional.
From an emotional or spiritual point of view we need to see that underneath those patterns is the heart – the tender, vulnerable and wounded core self. When feelings, long held at bay, begin to emerge, a person initially feels more pain than before the therapy or spiritual awakening began! – It feels like the effort to heal is making life worse!
However, when we move through long unfelt emotions and continue with courageous change – a richer, fuller life emerges – and produces a deeper connection with ones self and others.
What I’m suggesting today is that we “rend out hearts to God” – or break our hearts open to God for the sake of greater love – larger truth – and a more open communication with ourselves, one another and with our God. The Lenten invitation to “rend your hearts” is not a breaking for the sake of destruction – but a rending for the sake of greater tenderness, and openness.
The first step in rending one’s heart for God is learning to respect and appreciate the hardened heart! We all have hardened or closed our hearts in various ways for various reasons – and we will do it again. The hardened heart is essentially a collection of defenses that protect us from harm – some of these defenses have been in place for years – others may be new. When they are first used, these defenses serve a wonderful purpose – to deflect pain! But sometimes, those defenses – so closely guarded – become more of a problem than the pain itself.
At our first Lenten Learning event, Sam Gill talked about dependency and addiction as a defense. For instance, the child of an alcoholic might become a super achiever because achieving gives a much needed sense of control. Perfect grades and a perfectly tidy room can give a sense of safety. This child tells herself that a perfectly ordered life magically protects her from her alcoholic parent’s unpredictability. The super achiever role safeguards her from a terrifying sense of powerlessness. For this child, a good set of defenses means survival – and we owe our defenses a dept of gratitude – they keep us sane and in some cases, even alive. Recognizing and honoring our hardened hearts is the first step to a new way of being. Giving thanks for the precious gift of the protection that our hardened heart has offered helps us to break open the shell and reveal the precious vulnerability that we have guarded for so long.
Since it is daylight savings time – I’m reminded of a Sundaymany yea rs ago when we had turned the clocks forward as we did this morning – and after worship I recessed as I always do after the benediction and run head first into one of my parishioners – a man who was active in the church – smart and likeable – but also very controlled and fastidious – a perfectionist in many ways.
As our eyes met I saw that he was FURIOUS!! It was obvious that he had forgotten to set his clock forward – and here he was wandering into the lobby at the sound of the benediction – an hour late for worship. Before I could say anything he VERBALLY lunged at me. HOW COULD YOU?? HOW COULD YOU? He said. “Pardon me” I asked. HOW COULD YOU CHANGE THE TIME OF THE SERVICE AND TELL EVERYONE EXCEPT ME!!
Now, if it wasn’t so sad, it would have been laughable! He thought I had INTENTIONALLY moved the time of the service and INTENTIONALLY not let him know! That I had picked him out of 200 other members of the church – and kept it a secret from him.
Was his heart hardened? Oh yes it was – in a very sad and counterproductive way. Can you imagine how much hurt must have been in his life – how much rejection and abandonment – that he would actually BELIEVE that a church and a pastor would single him out to deny him something the rest of us had!
This defense of the hardened heart – the one who needs to be in control – or who lives in a faulty delusion. happens to far more than just the child of the alcoholic – it happens to ANY of us who experience our life as out of control.
The capacity to express vulnerability is a great human strength. We sometimes wish our vulnerabilities would disappear so we wouldn’t have to worry about hiding them. But without hose pesky vulnerabilities we could convince the world that we have it all together, that we have no unsatisfied needs, that we can care constantly for others and never need care ourselves, that we are who we appear to be on the outside – and that we are not afraid, or sad or insecure or ashamed or lonely.
But it is only in showing our weakness that we become strong – only in giving in to a broken heart that we can achieve real power – the power to truly be who we are.
Human beings need care, especially during childhood when our lives depend on it. But we also need it as adults. No one, not even the most rugged individual is entirely self-sufficient. Christ’s good shepherd image speaks directly to our need for care – here is one who knows that we need care and seeks us out and provides for us.
By admitting our weakness, we take the first step toward embracing true power, no matter how shameful we consider our weakness. Accepting our vulnerability is yet another way in which our hearts break for God. We break away the mask of false self-sufficiency and admit that we depend upon one another, that we depend on God and that we are limited and human – weak by nature and strong by our ability to connect with others and to ask for what we need.
So take a moment – What are your favorite defenses? How have they protected you over the course of your life? How have your defenses created a hardened heart – or barriers between you and God or you and others? When you feel that you are “rending you heart”
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
A Trinity Challenge (Thanks, Oprah!)
If you’ve been around me for very long you know that I am an Oprah fan. I watch her show whenever I have the chance – and on Monday, still recovering from an upset stomach and with 4 inches of snow outside my window – I had the chance!
Her program was on a relevant topic – how to scale back in these tough economic times. Two families took an “Oprah challenge” that involved reductions in spending, time spent on the computer or in front of the television and driving. As I watched, I couldn’t help but think how a challenge like this would be good for everyone – and wondered if as a church we might engage ourselves in a similar challenge for the Lenten season.
Here is what Oprah proposed:
One day without spending.
One week without using your credit card
One month without going out to eat or ordering take out.
Additionally, her families had other restrictions involving prohibitions on electronics (TV and computer) and for some, giving away “excesses” to charities.
What would it be like to take the Oprah challenge? Could we come up with out own “Trinity Challenge” for Lent or could we offer each other the choice of taking the Oprah challenge or accepting our own challenge tailored to our congregation? I’d like to propose the following:
One day when we give an equal amount to the church or a charity what we spend on ourselves.
(Choose the day ahead of time – if it’s Thursday, then you will need to keep track of all your expenditures on that day so you know what to donate.)
An “E-Sabbath” when you turn off all electronic devices for at least 24 hours – no Blackberry, no personal computer, no email, no cell phone, no television, no DVD or VCR, no Gameboys or other handheld electronics. (Exceptions can be made for those who use a computer at work… this is about your PERSONAL use of these items)
One week without going out to eat or ordering take out – and in addition, making an effort to “eat local” by avoiding all foods that have been grown in far-away places and shipped, trucked or railed to us. Eating local means shopping at a local farmers market and reading the labels about where you food comes from when you buy it at the grocery store.
Donate what you don’t need and what you can live without: Go through your closet and remove “duplicate” items. Do you have 4 cans of baked beans? 6 bottles of detergent? Are there clothes in your closet with the tags still on them that you haven’t worn? Do you have 8 pair of the same kind of shoes? Make some tough decisions! Donate those items to the rummage sale or to some other charity – or give them to a friend or family member who has less than you do.
Lastly, think of what else might belong on this list. Contact me in the next week and we can make decisions about the “Trinity Challenge”. Perhaps one week before Easter we can make some changes in our lives and the lives of others by doing some rather simple things.
I’ll wait to hear from you!
Her program was on a relevant topic – how to scale back in these tough economic times. Two families took an “Oprah challenge” that involved reductions in spending, time spent on the computer or in front of the television and driving. As I watched, I couldn’t help but think how a challenge like this would be good for everyone – and wondered if as a church we might engage ourselves in a similar challenge for the Lenten season.
Here is what Oprah proposed:
One day without spending.
One week without using your credit card
One month without going out to eat or ordering take out.
Additionally, her families had other restrictions involving prohibitions on electronics (TV and computer) and for some, giving away “excesses” to charities.
What would it be like to take the Oprah challenge? Could we come up with out own “Trinity Challenge” for Lent or could we offer each other the choice of taking the Oprah challenge or accepting our own challenge tailored to our congregation? I’d like to propose the following:
One day when we give an equal amount to the church or a charity what we spend on ourselves.
(Choose the day ahead of time – if it’s Thursday, then you will need to keep track of all your expenditures on that day so you know what to donate.)
An “E-Sabbath” when you turn off all electronic devices for at least 24 hours – no Blackberry, no personal computer, no email, no cell phone, no television, no DVD or VCR, no Gameboys or other handheld electronics. (Exceptions can be made for those who use a computer at work… this is about your PERSONAL use of these items)
One week without going out to eat or ordering take out – and in addition, making an effort to “eat local” by avoiding all foods that have been grown in far-away places and shipped, trucked or railed to us. Eating local means shopping at a local farmers market and reading the labels about where you food comes from when you buy it at the grocery store.
Donate what you don’t need and what you can live without: Go through your closet and remove “duplicate” items. Do you have 4 cans of baked beans? 6 bottles of detergent? Are there clothes in your closet with the tags still on them that you haven’t worn? Do you have 8 pair of the same kind of shoes? Make some tough decisions! Donate those items to the rummage sale or to some other charity – or give them to a friend or family member who has less than you do.
Lastly, think of what else might belong on this list. Contact me in the next week and we can make decisions about the “Trinity Challenge”. Perhaps one week before Easter we can make some changes in our lives and the lives of others by doing some rather simple things.
I’ll wait to hear from you!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
I am old enough to remember Laurel and Hardy. One of their stock lines was "Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into." Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever just looked around and suddenly said: "How did we get here?" All of us have and all of us have scrambled then to get out of the mess.
It’s Lent, and of all the seasons of the church year, this is the time when we take a hard look at all the “messes” we’ve gotten ourselves into – and how we might get ourselves out – with the help of God, each other and a time of introspection.
The theme for our Lenten worship and learning is “A Clearing Season”. It’s a time for considering that archaic word “sin” which perhaps we should bring out of the closet! Lent is the season when we consider “sin” – and the sins that we may be participating in that create all those messes!
In his book “The Fifth Discipline”, Peter Senge states "Today's problems come from yesterday's solutions." Sometimes the current “mess” we find ourselves in is a direct result of an old solution adopted months or years before. For instance – one’s loneliness and fear of abandonment might be “solved” by infidelity or casual sex. Emotional pain and anxiety might be assuaged by drugs or alcohol. Fear and jealousy might be alleviated by higher control or bullying. And dissatisfaction with one’s appearance could be addressed by abstaining from food or a “binge and purge” response to eating. All of these “cause and affect” cycles can lead to more problems rather than the elimination of the original predicament!
Another law you may be familiar with is "The easy way out usually leads back in.” Sometimes we try solutions that have worked in the past or just easy solutions that may or may not address the real issues. Lent is a time to “go underneath” the outer layers of ourselves and to find what may be hidden deep within us. It’s a time for radical surgery rather than a Band-Aid fix.
How do you get out the mess you find yourself in? Here are a few suggestions:
1. STOP. Take a long look at the big picture, a panorama of processes that led to the mess instead of just looking at the mess.
2. Avoid the temptation to use solutions you have tried before when they may not address the real underlying problem.
3. If you are in a mess, find a way to stop messes from happening, not just look for a cleaning crew. In other words, an apology and flowers (cleaning crew) might get you out of a “mess” but what needs to change in order to prevent another “mess” from happening?
4. Look “inside” instead of trying to find the cause "out there." In the Laurel and Hardy sketches, it was usually Oliver (the plump one) saying that line..."Well here is another nice mess...." to Stan (the thin one.) It was always true that the mess they were in was not Stan's fault alone. Ollie made decisions too!
Welcome to Lent! A time to enter into a “clearing season” – a time to find our way out of our messes – and into God’s curative time and healing love! This is a time to reconcile, rebuild and be restored to emotional and spiritual health. Let Lent do it’s thing! Let God bring healing to you life. Participate in the “clearing season”.
*”A Clearing Season” – by Sarah Parsons
* “The Fifth Discipline” – by Peter Senge
It’s Lent, and of all the seasons of the church year, this is the time when we take a hard look at all the “messes” we’ve gotten ourselves into – and how we might get ourselves out – with the help of God, each other and a time of introspection.
The theme for our Lenten worship and learning is “A Clearing Season”. It’s a time for considering that archaic word “sin” which perhaps we should bring out of the closet! Lent is the season when we consider “sin” – and the sins that we may be participating in that create all those messes!
In his book “The Fifth Discipline”, Peter Senge states "Today's problems come from yesterday's solutions." Sometimes the current “mess” we find ourselves in is a direct result of an old solution adopted months or years before. For instance – one’s loneliness and fear of abandonment might be “solved” by infidelity or casual sex. Emotional pain and anxiety might be assuaged by drugs or alcohol. Fear and jealousy might be alleviated by higher control or bullying. And dissatisfaction with one’s appearance could be addressed by abstaining from food or a “binge and purge” response to eating. All of these “cause and affect” cycles can lead to more problems rather than the elimination of the original predicament!
Another law you may be familiar with is "The easy way out usually leads back in.” Sometimes we try solutions that have worked in the past or just easy solutions that may or may not address the real issues. Lent is a time to “go underneath” the outer layers of ourselves and to find what may be hidden deep within us. It’s a time for radical surgery rather than a Band-Aid fix.
How do you get out the mess you find yourself in? Here are a few suggestions:
1. STOP. Take a long look at the big picture, a panorama of processes that led to the mess instead of just looking at the mess.
2. Avoid the temptation to use solutions you have tried before when they may not address the real underlying problem.
3. If you are in a mess, find a way to stop messes from happening, not just look for a cleaning crew. In other words, an apology and flowers (cleaning crew) might get you out of a “mess” but what needs to change in order to prevent another “mess” from happening?
4. Look “inside” instead of trying to find the cause "out there." In the Laurel and Hardy sketches, it was usually Oliver (the plump one) saying that line..."Well here is another nice mess...." to Stan (the thin one.) It was always true that the mess they were in was not Stan's fault alone. Ollie made decisions too!
Welcome to Lent! A time to enter into a “clearing season” – a time to find our way out of our messes – and into God’s curative time and healing love! This is a time to reconcile, rebuild and be restored to emotional and spiritual health. Let Lent do it’s thing! Let God bring healing to you life. Participate in the “clearing season”.
*”A Clearing Season” – by Sarah Parsons
* “The Fifth Discipline” – by Peter Senge
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
What Time Is It?
What Time Is It?
Next week volunteers from Trinity will “pull an all-nighter” in order to make Fastnachts for sale. If you are not a native to Central Pennsylvania (like me!) you may be asking an obvious question: “What the heck are fastnachts – and what do they have to do with church?”
Well, it all goes back to the early church (doesn’t everything!) and some of the religious customs that developed over the centuries – but which have been clouded by time and changing traditions as time has gone by.
Let’s start with “Fat Tuesday”. Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday… and if you know your high school French, you may know that Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday". The name comes from the ancient custom of parading a fat ox through Paris on this day. The ox was to remind the people that they were not allowed to eat meat during Lent. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday thru Easter Sunday.French people who came to the United States brought the custom of Mardi Gras with them. The most famous festival in the US (and perhaps the world) is in New Orleans, but Mardi Gras parades happen throughout the world:
In Southern Italy, people dress up in costumes and put on an ancient play during Mardi Gras
In Rio de Jeneiro, people dance in the streets for “Carni-Val” (Literal translation: “To “lift” or abstain from flesh”)
In Nice, France people wear giant masks in the Mardi Gras parade (it looks like a bunch of walking heads with tiny bodies).
In Binche, Belgium people dress in colorful clown costumes (the clowns are called gilles). The clowns wear bunches of ostrich feathers on their heads and dance in the streets. They carry baskets of oranges which they throw to the watching crowds.
In Germany, “fastnachts” were made and eaten. The word means “Fast Night” – or the beginning of the “fast” of Lent.
And in New Orleans everyone dresses up in costumes. Trinkets, especially beads and doubloons, are tossed to the crowds from the parade floats.
The Christian faithful have many different ways of recognizing the beginning of Lent. For some, they pulled out all the stops and did all their “sinning” and celebrating before the start of a time of fasting and repentance. For others of a more serious bent, they spent the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday confessing! For those, it wasn’t called “Fat” Tuesday, it was called “Shrove” Tuesday. Shrove means "to be forgiven one's sins."
The tradition behind all this conspicuous consumption comes from the observance of Lent when the faithful spent 40 days (except Sundays) preparing their hearts, minds and souls for the celebration of Easter. In earlier times those days were spent in solemn reflection, prayer and fasting – when no bright colors were worn, no parties were held, no marriages performed, no dancing, no singing, no alcohol, no sex and no meat or sweets were eaten! (No wonder it’s currently out of fashion – even for the pious faithful!) On “Fat Tuesday” the cupboards were stripped of sugar and fats which were considered “luxuries” as people entered into a period of introspection, confession and sacrifice. All of this to mirror the suffering of Christ and a re-enactment in the lives of Christians of the 40 days of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.
Until refrigeration became common, there was no way to store any perishable food for the 40 days of Lent, so ALL had to be eaten before Ash Wednesday so as not to waste...and what better way to get rid of any extra food and drink than to have a party! Depending on the country of origin, Christians around the world used up their eggs, milk and butter (not to mention candy and alcohol!) Today, we continue some of those traditions -- although there meaning has been lost to most of us.
Aren't you glad we just make donuts??!!
Next week volunteers from Trinity will “pull an all-nighter” in order to make Fastnachts for sale. If you are not a native to Central Pennsylvania (like me!) you may be asking an obvious question: “What the heck are fastnachts – and what do they have to do with church?”
Well, it all goes back to the early church (doesn’t everything!) and some of the religious customs that developed over the centuries – but which have been clouded by time and changing traditions as time has gone by.
Let’s start with “Fat Tuesday”. Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday… and if you know your high school French, you may know that Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday". The name comes from the ancient custom of parading a fat ox through Paris on this day. The ox was to remind the people that they were not allowed to eat meat during Lent. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday thru Easter Sunday.French people who came to the United States brought the custom of Mardi Gras with them. The most famous festival in the US (and perhaps the world) is in New Orleans, but Mardi Gras parades happen throughout the world:
In Southern Italy, people dress up in costumes and put on an ancient play during Mardi Gras
In Rio de Jeneiro, people dance in the streets for “Carni-Val” (Literal translation: “To “lift” or abstain from flesh”)
In Nice, France people wear giant masks in the Mardi Gras parade (it looks like a bunch of walking heads with tiny bodies).
In Binche, Belgium people dress in colorful clown costumes (the clowns are called gilles). The clowns wear bunches of ostrich feathers on their heads and dance in the streets. They carry baskets of oranges which they throw to the watching crowds.
In Germany, “fastnachts” were made and eaten. The word means “Fast Night” – or the beginning of the “fast” of Lent.
And in New Orleans everyone dresses up in costumes. Trinkets, especially beads and doubloons, are tossed to the crowds from the parade floats.
The Christian faithful have many different ways of recognizing the beginning of Lent. For some, they pulled out all the stops and did all their “sinning” and celebrating before the start of a time of fasting and repentance. For others of a more serious bent, they spent the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday confessing! For those, it wasn’t called “Fat” Tuesday, it was called “Shrove” Tuesday. Shrove means "to be forgiven one's sins."
The tradition behind all this conspicuous consumption comes from the observance of Lent when the faithful spent 40 days (except Sundays) preparing their hearts, minds and souls for the celebration of Easter. In earlier times those days were spent in solemn reflection, prayer and fasting – when no bright colors were worn, no parties were held, no marriages performed, no dancing, no singing, no alcohol, no sex and no meat or sweets were eaten! (No wonder it’s currently out of fashion – even for the pious faithful!) On “Fat Tuesday” the cupboards were stripped of sugar and fats which were considered “luxuries” as people entered into a period of introspection, confession and sacrifice. All of this to mirror the suffering of Christ and a re-enactment in the lives of Christians of the 40 days of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.
Until refrigeration became common, there was no way to store any perishable food for the 40 days of Lent, so ALL had to be eaten before Ash Wednesday so as not to waste...and what better way to get rid of any extra food and drink than to have a party! Depending on the country of origin, Christians around the world used up their eggs, milk and butter (not to mention candy and alcohol!) Today, we continue some of those traditions -- although there meaning has been lost to most of us.
Aren't you glad we just make donuts??!!
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