"Re-Envisioning The Gospel" Sermon

Video of "Re-Envisioning The Gospel" sermon based on Exodus 13: 17-22, Psalm 8, and Luke 4:14-30 for EF/TH4100.

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Sermon for Oct. 9, 2011

Main Scripture: Exodus 32:1-14

            It can be easy for people to forget how weird Bible stories are. And these are two stories are weird. The first sounds like fraternity pledge week gone religious, and the second is oddly violent. Both of these stories deal with how people act after they’ve been labeled “chosen”… a bit shocking to those of us in the Reformed tradition where the word “chosen” gets thrown around a lot. Maybe we’d like to think that being chosen by God gives someone a free pass. Maybe we’d prefer to think of ourselves in the second round of guests in the parable or as a new Moses standing high above the noise and seeing everything clearly. And if being chosen means acting like this, I don’t think I want to be chosen.

            So let’s focus in on the Golden Calf incident. I’m not sure I can blame the Israelites for wanting to party. But don’t call in Kevin Bacon, we’re not going to outlaw dancing. Because it’s not the party that’s the problem; but the calf made of gold that according to Aaron represents the God who brought them out of Egypt. Instead of waiting for Moses and the real God who led them out of Egypt the Israelites turn quickly to a false-god, a thing that they worship as a god but that is light-years away from the God who led them out of slavery. They might have known God’s name, but their lives claimed they didn’t know God at all. (PAUSE)

            It’s hard for me to get past the anger God expresses at the Israelites. But God has every right to be angry. Right? The Israelites saw the power of God in the plagues sent to Egypt. They have seen God as a pillar of fire. They heard God’s voice delivering the 10 Commandments and were so terrified they begged Moses to talk to God for them. They’ve been told directly that graven images are a really bad idea! They have been filled in on all sorts of things as Moses and Joshua and Aaron have traveled back and forth, up and down the mountain. Check the entire story out in Exodus. It’s well worth a read.

            So it’s not like the Israelites didn’t know it’s a bad idea to worship the Golden Calf. It’s a little bit tricky to figure out if they’re worshiping the Calf as a separate god or as a physical representation of the LORD. Aaron uses the direct name of God when he says after building the golden calf “Tomorrow will be a festival for the LORD.” That “LORD” is the stand-in for the name of God that we learned earlier in the Exodus story as Yahweh, but because they don’t want to say God’s name directly the writers used shorthand. That shorthand was translated into the English as “LORD” in all capitals. So my best guess is that this Calf wasn’t supposed to be a different god but was supposed to be the real God. So the idolatry is not worshiping another so-called god but in forming the one true God into a shape they could build and touch and manipulate. They were trying to build God as their image of what God “should” be.

            It was very normal at this time in history to shape gods as animals and humans. The Egyptians had a very popular deity named Apis who was a bull known as the “renewer of life.” The bull is a religious symbol the Israelites understood. The calf or bull is not confusing. There’s no waiting when you’ve got a statue you can easily sacrifice or pray to. You can do what you need to do, you know, god-wise, and then get on with your life. Isn’t it easier to point to a tangible item and have faith in it than to act like your chosen-ness is actually transforming you? The Israelites already waited 400 years to be liberated from slavery. They spent so long crying and praying in Egypt before God chose Moses and liberated them…They want to go to the Promised Land. Their biggest mistake isn’t building the Golden Calf. Their biggest mistake is who they thought the Golden Calf represented. They’re not worshiping the God who brought them out of Egypt. They’re worshiping a god literally crafted in their image of what God “should be”! It was not for the Israelites to choose a god for themselves. It is God who does the choosing. They knew God’s name, but their actions claimed they didn’t know God at all. How could anyone who experienced what the Israelites experienced think that the Lord God could be conceptualized as a bull? How could the Israelites physically craft a representation like this?

            Last week I attended a chapel service at the seminary that was led by my classmate Jacob who is fluent in American Sign Language, his deaf brother Noah, and several others who knew sign language. The Scripture was the story of God’s working through Moses to liberate the Israelites. As Jacob told the story of how the Israelites were freed from slavery, his brother Noah signed the story. The congregation joined in as the Israelites with a refrain. But instead of singing together, we signed it together. We signed to “praise the Lord.” I was captivated by the story in a new way because of how Noah told the story. Noah fully embodied the story of the Exodus—each character and each event. His face got flushed. His excitement drew us in. But what astounded me most was that each and every movement had a specific meaning. Even if Jacob had not been vocally narrating the story, I would have understood quite a lot just by watching Noah. For the rest of the day I realized how much I talk with my hands. Not sign language but body language. How when someone shared good news I smiled and hugged them. How I waved “hello” to people. How when a person I don’t feel comfortable with sat at my table at lunch and I clasped my hands together and sat back in my chair. Each movement had a specific meaning. And I wonder what a neutral party would think about my religion or spirituality if they had just watched what I did. I might have learned how to sign “Lord” and “God,” but were my actions saying I knew God at all?

            It’s easy to get caught up in saying one thing and doing another, especially in a culture where people often say they know God or what God wants but their actions leave room for questions. I like being able to touch things. Personally, I like being able to control things from the TV remote to my car to running a meeting. But as C.S. Lewis said, “God is not a tame lion.” We don’t control God. It’s not easy to admit to ourselves that we’ve somewhat crafted God into an image or idea that we want God to be. It’s not easy to admit that some actions may not match our words and faith. The Israelites learned the hard way. And as we read in the Old Testament they kept learning over and over again. We learn the hard way and keep learning over and over. There were repercussions for the Israelite’s actions, just as there are for our actions. We have to live with the bad decisions we make. But the beautiful thing about this story is that it is not just a cautionary tale of what not to do. God does get angry and plans some huge disaster to bring upon the people, and after being reminded about how choosing the Israelites was indeed God’s choice God overturned the first decision. That day and every day mercy outweighed anger. Thanks be to God.

Hymns: "God You Spin the Whirling Planets" (Presbyterian Hymnal 285); "Called as Partners in Christ's Service" (PH 343); "Today We are All Called to Be" (PH 434)

Post-Hurricane

I live in Jersey and have for two full years. This past weekend was the first hurricane watch I have been through. I was stuck inside for three days more or less, although yesterday I walked to the grocery store. Then today I got up, put on jeans for the first time in months, and went to class. I got cold and put on my hoodie. Sometime, somehow it's that time between summer and fall when you can be freezing one minute and baking the next. The fall semester books are in at the bookstore, and in two and a half weeks school starts. My summer reading list is... no smaller. Thanks, Hebrew class.
Yeah, I got all reflect-y when I was stuck inside.

Expectations

I recently heard a friend telling a story about a friend if theirs who decided he didn't want to take other people's word about what was in the Bible. Though not a traditionally faithful person he read through the entire Bible then told my friend, "It's nothing like I expected! There's so much sex and stuff!"
My expectations often ruin experiences for me. I get upset when something isn't like I expected instead of enjoying what's happening as what it is. In the fourth week of summer language many people are saying that seminary and summer language is nothing like they expected. Some are relieved, some are upset, and some are confused. I'm enjoying Hebrew a lot more than Greek because my expectations have been adjusted and because I have a group of friends already. We can't let our expectations hold us back from experiencing, and we can't let other's expectations weigh us down. Following Christ is a marathon, not a sprint. You don't always know what's around the next corner or when the next water station is coming up. We can worry and stress over how we expected the race to go or we can meet the new challenges as they arise. There's always time to put off worrying.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book The Cost of Discipleship spends a lot of time talking about "costly grace." God's grace is a very complicated thing, but we as humans respond through faith and action. Cheap grace is grace without obedience to God; costly grace is the kind of grace that transforms our lives, our actions, and our words. Obedience has a negative connotation, but it's an act of free will. Transformation is a process. It takes time. Obedience to many at seminary is the act of going to seminary to empower them for lifelong ministry. We expect certain things. We're the "good ones." We're the older brother diligently working the fields who gets angry when our Parent shows great love and grace to that prodigal sibling. Going to seminary is one long lesson in humility. We have the honor to work closely with our Parent. The work is hard. We expect something for our hard work.
Don't we?
We expect the good grades, the financially stable job, the relationship that doesn't need work. Well, maybe some of us expect those things.
God has made some big promises. Do our expectations match those promises? Did God promise I would receive good grades when I decided to live a life of discipleship? No. Is the path always straight? No. Are we blessed by a community who supports and uplifts us? Yes.
Expect God. It's a lot less stressful that way.

Hebrew Part 3

Second week of Hebrew, and now the grammar rules are really getting complex. We even get to learn about verbs on Friday! That'll be... difficult. For now we're figuring out roots and the fancy dictionary.

Hebrew Part 2

I have survived the first week of summer Hebrew. They say if you do that, you'll be fine the rest of the summer. At least, that's what I hope they say. Today I'm only going over vocab. Will spend the time tomorrow doing the homework and learning the new grammar rules from yesterday's lecture. Now, I need a nap...

Also, Harry Potter 7B is awesome.

Adventures in Hebrew Part 1

As a Presbyterian on the path to ordination I am required to pass both Koine Greek and Biblical Hebrew. Two summers ago I took Greek, and this summer I am taking Hebrew. Now I took Hebrew in my senior year of college, but it's a different level at seminary. Everything's a different level at seminary...
You may be thinking "why are the biblical languages such a big deal?" I'm glad you asked. And, yes, the answer does go back to John Calvin. Calvin and many others of his time were Humanists, and one of the Humanists' main emphases was learning original languages to better understand a text. This idea has trickled down through Reformed history to make itself known in current Presbyterian systems by having all potential pastors learn the original languages well enough to inform our preaching. Before ordination I will have to pass an exam where I translate, exegete, and write a sermon on an assigned passage. Don't worry, we get almost a week to do it. But that's later on. For now, I need to go quiz myself on vocabulary.

Earth and All Stars

Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls; from the NASA website

Earth and all stars, loud rushing planets,

Sing to the Lord a new song.

Hail, wind and rain, loud blowing snowstorms

Sing to the Lord a new song.

God has done marvelous things!

We will sing praises with a new song!

(Herbert Frederick Brokering, 1964; Presbyterian Hymnal #458)

I have great respect for NASA and the USAF space program and all space programs. Most of my favorite TV shows and movies are science fiction, and I have great memories of watching Star Trek: The Next Generation with my dad.  More than anything, NASA's programs have opened our imaginations to push beyond what we thought were human limits. In high school I was convinced by the time I was middle aged the human race would have colonized at least the moon if not further. Today was the last launch in NASA's shuttle program. I understand the economy is difficult and the US budget is difficult, but I can't imagine a US without an active NASA shuttle program. Not only does NASA employ a lot of people, a lot of people want to work for NASA. People want to grow up to become astronauts, engineers, software writers to work in the space program. If NASA ever decides to hire chaplains, I'm applying ASAP. (How awesome would that be?) The International Space Station has been a symbol of what connects us as human beings. We need NASA. We need events, for both the national and international, that bring people together for a common goal that ignites our imagination. We need the shuttle program.

Fire of the Spirit

Fire of the Spirit, life of the lives of creatures,
Spiral of sanctity, bond of all natures,
Goal of charity, lights of clarity,
Taste of sweetness to sinners, be with us and hear us.


Composer of all things, light of all the risen,
Key of salvation, release from the dark prison,
Hope of all unions, scope of chastities,
Joy in the glory, strong honor, be with us and hear us.


--Hildegard of Bingen, 12th century Benedictine abbess


(Chalice Hymnal, 52)

Lessons from Gordon Ramsay

Chef Gordon Ramsay

Most of my friends know how much I love watching shows about food. Last week a friend told me about a show called Kitchen Nightmares where chef Gordon Ramsay goes into failing restaurants and tries to save the business. So I went to Netflix and found the UK version of the show (which is documentary-like and has a lot less screaming than the US version). Many restaurants have the same problems:

1. Things are too complicated and take too long
2. There is little or no organization
3. There is little or no healthy communication
4. People are too stubborn to change even though the doors are ready to close forever
5. The owners and/or chefs won't listen to the expert who has been brought in to help them

This sounds incredibly familiar, doesn't it? I hear the same kind of complaints about churches all around the country.  The parallel is actually a huge part of the Christian faith. (Communion, anyone?) So it's not surprising that restaurants sometimes have the same problems as churches. Food feeds the body, and spirituality feeds the soul. So what lessons can church leaders learn from Mr. Ramsay and the struggling restaurants he tries to help?

1. Use what's local. Good restaurants use fresh, local ingredients. Churches can use resources including congregants, buildings, denominational resources, and local non-profits. Not every church can be a part of every ministry; so it's crucial to connect with others across denominational, religious, and political differences.
2. Churches are not businesses, but organization is just as key to a church's health as to a businesses'. Roles need to be defined for paid and volunteer staff with everyone knowing who their supervisor is. Training and education is thought out and, when necessary, people are sent out or brought in.
3. Communication needs to be clear and active. Everyone (hopefully) is in the loop of what everyone else is doing. Goals short-term and long-term are clear. The building and grounds committee chair has been talking to the finance committee chair and is aware of where the budget is going and preparing accordingly.
4. Congregants and staff are honest when things aren't working and are open to change. It's not about blame or disrespecting the past. It's about effectiveness of ministry.
5. Listen. Listen to the Spirit. Listen to the people who are trained. Listen to people who are there every week. Listen to the people on the edges. Listen to people of different ages. Listen to people who have stopped coming. Listen to outsiders. And, listen to the Spirit. With listening we can start building a vision of what we can be.

I've been working on personal organization in the past week, and it hasn't been easy. So I know it's not easy for a church. The biggest problem, I think, is how difficult all of this is. Each idea by itself (using local resources, organization, communication, openness, and listening) is difficult, but when attempted together is downright daunting. Plus, it's easy for a person sitting alone in her apartment thinking lofty ideas about how to build an effective church while watching a reality show from the UK. But if I don't think these lofty ideas on my off time, I may not think about them when I'm part of a particular church.


There is one thing Chef Ramsay wants to pump into people: passion. When people who don't seem to care about the restaurant find passion for their job the restaurant is far more likely to succeed. Passion. If that doesn't have spiritual overtones, nothing else in the show does. Without passion, businesses fail. Without the Passion, churches fail.
And that's all I have to say about that.

Second-hand Faith

A few days ago my friend David and I went to a local thrift store to look for lightweight business casual clothes for David's summer job. I found this beautiful wooden frame with a photograph of an Orthodox church interior. I guess someone was redecorating. It's a funny thing to buy something I feel is really personal, but I'm happy to have a visual reminder of my time in Greece. I spent quite of bit of time looking at artwork in churches. We modern Christians possess a second-hand faith. While our faith is our own, we wouldn't have our faith traditions without the Cloud of Witnesses who came before us. I am aware of how incredibly influenced I have been by the Presbyterian and Reformed traditions without even knowing it! The larger Christian tradition influences us every day. One of my favorite things about my denomination is the ecumenical focus. Even knowing that differences exist in theology and history and liturgical practices, we also know that we are one Body. Or, as Henry Nouwen said, "We need each other more than we need to agree."

Ordination

Me and Rev. Brenna!

I hear about ordination a lot. We discuss theologies of ordination and how things are going with our different care committees. We compare different denominations ordination requirements and worry about paperwork. Today I had the great blessing to attend a good friend's ordination worship service. Not only is my my friend Brenna a fantastic liturgy crafter, she has a wonderful aura around her that shines God's love. (She's also really, really tall.) Brenna is my first friend to be ordained, and I'm looking forward to many more. To see the Spirit moving in a friend's life, to see her complete requirements, graduate, get a call to a church job, and get ordained gives me so much joy I can't even explain it. Sometimes seminarians who are on the ordination track get really focused on the details and we may forget occasionally that ordination is not an ending. It's a calling to a type of ministry and the recognition by the community of that calling. More than anything, ordination is a blessing. The PC (USA) is blessed to have Brenna as a minister, and every community she's a part of for the rest of her life will be blessed. Tomorrow Brenna is getting into her car and beginning the relocation process.
I have taken some time off recently to give my brain a break and rest. This service has refocused me. I have a call to ministry. One day I hope my friend Rev. Brenna will be my colleague.

Musing

There are many things to be learned when school is out for the summer. I will figure out what those are later...

We are Presbyterians

Woman Priests

Courtesy of Gene Renner, on NPR's website.

"When you have an unjust law, sometimes it needs to be broken before it can be changed." Rev. Patti LaRosa, Catholic Womanpriest

Today NPR's All Things Considered reported on the latest ordination of Catholic Womanpriests. I have so much respect for the Catholic Womanpriest movement, and I am very glad the movement is getting some press. Back in 2002 a few women were secretly ordained in Germany by a Roman Catholic bishop, and the NPR article is reporting on the most recent ordination of Catholic Womanpriests (which happened in Maryland). Several books have been written by Womenpriests including Eucharistic Prayers for Inclusive Communities by Bridget Mary Meehan and Sheila Durkin Dierks. What saddens me most in this article is that the Womanpriests have lost relationships because people are afraid to openly support the women's ordination movement within the Roman Catholic Church. While I recognize the difficulties of the movement within Catholic doctrine, things will not change unless people are willing to work for the change. I do not know any Womenpriests personally, but as a Christian woman on the path to ordination I support them and hope one day to work with Womenpriest colleagues in my future ministries. 


For more information, check out their website www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org
or buy the book Women Find A Way: The Movement and Stories of Roman Catholic Womenpriests

We are Presbyterians

So the awesome Bruce Reyes-Chow has broadcasted on his website that the We are Presbyterians project is calling for videos. 8 minute videos addressing a few questions, and they want as many as possible. I'll be making a video, and I encourage everyone else who's a Presbyterian to consider making one as well.

Vacation

I am on vacation for the next three weeks, so my posting will be irregular during this time.  I'm up in Minneapolis-St. Paul at my parents' new house. Not planning on doing much up here but am planning on sleeping in and watching bad TV.

The dogs are super happy to see me, but they're playing it cool.

Courage, Part 2

I have been challenged by a friend to think about courage in a different way. While this friend didn't give me a lot of direction, I thought about the different aspects of courage. I thought about the people I talked about in my last post on courage. I did my undergrad in history, and so a lot of times I focus on actions that make change because that's often what makes the history books. But when we're talking about everyday actions that can help or facilitate change there was one that stuck out to me.

Listening.

It's not a surprise that I'm drawn to listening as courage. I practice Non-Violent Communication which focuses on active listening skills. But I want to tell you about an event that happened this last semester which I think shows how listening is courageous.

One class I took this semester was team taught by an African-American female and a Caucasian-American male. During one Q and A session a student asked about how the male professor learns about other ways of interpreting the Bible. The professor said "I listen." He went on to talk about how he was aware of the cultural and societal advantages he has just based on his outward appearance. He said that he can't change many the -isms of our society (racism, sexism, hetero-sexism especially) overnight and he works towards the equality God made us with through listening. He said he gets to talk a lot, and that it is his responsibility to stop talking and actually listen to others. I was struck by his honesty and self-awareness. He made me think about the patterns in our society and how I contribute whether consciously or unconsciously.

It takes courage to listen when one is privileged to talk, and it takes courage to talk when one is demeaned into silence or expected to be silent. If everyone is speaking, no one will be heard. If everyone is listening, nothing will be heard. It seems like people are often pushed into action when no one is listening to their voice.  Think about it. Why did the colonies revolt against England? Taxation with representation, among other things, which translates to the government (those in power) wasn't listening to the people (those expected to be silent). But not all the silenced voices were heard in the 13 colonies, either. There are millions of voices who came from Africa and crossed in the Middle Passage that will never be heard. There are millions of voices of indigenous peoples that will never be heard. So even though the colonies rebelled and gained their freedom many in power continued to talk without listening. But when a balance is struck between listening and talking, I believe amazing things can happen without violence.

This doesn't resolve my complicated thinking about courage. Expect part 3.

Psalm 22

I am poured out like water,
   and all my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like wax;
   it is melted within my breast;
my mouth is dried up like a potsherd,
   and my tongue sticks to my jaws;
   you lay me in the dust of death.
--Psalm 22:14-15

When people talk about Psalm 22 they don't normally get this far. We like to stop with the first verse ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?) because we meditate on that verse during Lent and Good Friday. So it may sound odd that I'm bringing out this Psalm during Eastertide. I think the writer of Psalm 22 went to seminary, or the ancient equivalent. If the writer did not experience higher education, then s/he experienced the same emotions from another experience. The two verses above are what many of my classmates are feeling right now. The 'dust of death' may be a bit over dramatic, but what's seminary without a little drama? After the school year spent reading, writing essays, taking exams, and discussion some of us may be glad for a time when our tongue to stick to our jaw. We've spent the year pouring out ourselves into our studies and internships while balancing other commitments. In some ways, we're very dry. I see the exhaustion in my classmates' face. Many are moving to a new place on campus, many are beginning summer jobs in the next couple of weeks, many are relocating for a post-seminary job, and a few have decided to leave seminary early for various reasons.

I don't really have a point today. I just wanted to acknowledge what my friends and classmates are going through. I'm sure our professors have some similar feelings. This is the time to ask again for the gift of living water that we may never be thirsty again.

A Task to be Pursued with Courage

Recently I was called a "Brief Statement of Faith person" by a friend as we were discussing the spiritual needs of older adults. I have to agree. For those not familiar, A Brief Statement of Faith is the youngest document in the PC(USA)'s Book of Confessions. It was written when two denominations merged to create the PC(USA) and became part of the Book of Confessions in 1991. While I do love the Brief Statement of Faith, I have been reflecting on the following quote from Confession of 1967 lately:

"Life is a gift to be received with gratitude and a task to be pursued with courage." (Confession of 1967, 9.17)

For some reason this sentence has stuck with me for a couple months, ever since we studied the Confession of 1967 in my Presbyterian History course. I was really struck by the multiple ideas held together. Life. Gift. Receive. Gratitude. Task. Pursue. Courage. I especially like that the authors did not define these words for us. Words do change in meaning over time and depending on your point of view. Today I'd like to focus on courage. That's a tricky word to define in general, but what is courage to a Christian living in 2011 America? We can point to people we think are courageous. Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Harriet Tubman. Mary. Bishop Gene Robinson. I have many friends at seminary who are graduating this Saturday. One is taking a call in the mid-west and will be ordained in June. One has a job at their denominational main office. One couple has been called to the same church. But several do not have that security.  I think all of them are courageous.

Is pursuing a task with courage the same as being courageous? Being courageous suggests a state of being. Some people seem naturally courageous--globe trotters and dare devils. But anyone can pursue a task with courage. You don't have to be a courageous person to pursue a task with courage. People in abusive relationships may not be thought of as courageous people, but it certainly shows a lot of courage to leave an abusive relationship. It takes a lot of courage to dream of a better world for ourselves and future generations. It takes a lot of courage to dream of a life outside of an abusive relationship or a world where members of the LGBTQ community are considered for ordination on their call and preparation for ministry and not on their sexuality. It takes courage to pursue those dreams. It takes organization, support, and prophetic vision to see what needs to be changed in order to pursue the task. It is no easy feat. So much in our culture tells us to be content with the status quo... but there is a lot of injustice in the status quo.

It's easy to look back in history and say "Well, of course someone needed to change that." Of course slavery needed to be ended. Of course the Nazis had to be stopped. But how many of us are willing to stand up today, name injustice in our world, and pursue the task of change with courage? Courage does not mean there will not be fear or trepidation. Even Jesus asked for the cup to be passed from him. But then Jesus pursued his task with courage. Now that's me reading this confession's language back into the passion story, but the Bible is the basis of the confessions.

Taking time to reflect on these things leads me to more questions...

What are the injustices in our world that need to changed?
Are we participating in communities working towards that change?
What gifts/talents/passions do we have that can contribute to that change?
Are we being the change we want to see? (Mahatma Gandhi)

Well, are we?

End of the School Year

Tomorrow is the last day of classes for the 2010-2011 school year. As I was checking my grades from the long term (and praise be to God!) I was stuck at the range of classes I've taken this year. My first year I was taking a lot of intro courses. This year I've taken classes on preaching, feminist theology, Christian worship (both general and specifically Presbyterian), Jewish biblical interpretation, learning and practicing liturgical movements (like breaking bread and how to hold an infant while trying to pour water), and finding musical resources for congregational use, and others. What I like about the Masters of Divinity program is the wide variety of experiences. My education is not limited to, well, anything. Our internships offer us the chance to learn what we need to learn. We can take generalized or specific courses. For instance, we have to take a modern (Post-Reformation) history course. I took Presbyterian History. Both fascinating and useful.

But I have to admit, I'm looking forward to the summer break. Some time to sleep in, read, watch bad TV, travel, and then come back and start my summer job and Hebrew class. I'm going to be working at the campus book store this summer!! I have held many part-time jobs, but I have to admit working at a book store sounds awesome. But for now, one more final presentation tomorrow morning.

Lost Post

I have been working on a blog post for three days. It brought a the Bible into conversation with two modern books to talk about God's love. Today I was typing in the saved draft, and then it disappeared. It's disheartening. As much as I like the internet and blogging it's stuff like this that keeps me handwriting my class notes and whatnot. I will try re-writing the post later this week.

A Message about Amendment 10-A to the Constitution of the PC(USA)

10A

Amendment 10A has been a big deal to Presbyterians for a long time. If you're not familiar with Presbyterian church government we have two parts of our constitution: The Book of Confessions containing documents ranging from ancient to modern, and The Book of Order which outlines the specifics of our church government. Last summer our General Assembly gave the go-ahead for Amendment 10A to be passed to the presbyteries (local groups of churches) for the final vote. Tonight an 87th presbytery voted and passed Amendment 10A which means the PCUSA has passed 10A. I am grateful for the wholistic look at ordination candidates without focusing on one aspect of the person. The Office of the General Assembly has released a statement. The PCUSA has invited us to join in the prayer below. While I know there are a number of views on this amendment, I think we can all agree to pray together.

Almighty God, we give thanks for a rich heritage of faithful witnesses to the gospel throughout the ages. We offer gratitude not only for those who have gone before us, but for General Assembly commissioners and presbyters across the church who have sought diligently to discern the mind of Christ for the church in every time and place, and especially in this present time.

May your Spirit of peace be present with us in difficult decisions, especially where relationships are strained and the future is unclear. Open our ears and our hearts to listen to and hear those with whom we differ. Most of all, we give thanks for Jesus Christ, our risen Savior and Lord, who called the Church into being and who continues to call us to follow his example of loving our neighbor and working for the reconciliation of the world. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Rooted Spirituality: Emerging Adults in the Church

As part of my spiritual guidance course we are interviewing people from three different age groups: emerging adult/young adult, middle adult, and older adult. Last week I interviewed a 20-year-old college sophomore about her life and spirituality. She called her spirituality "Grassroots Spirituality." Her understanding of God came from her experiences at a Christian summer camp and have grown in relation to the physical world around her as well as to her intellectual and emotional growth. This idea really struck me. Rooted spirituality. Those who have the luxury to be emerging adults (ages 18-24ish) are thought to be drifting without roots. They move frequently and explore their identity and career course. But all the reading we've been doing makes me think we've got it wrong, and this interview confirmed it. Stop thinking all young adults want in a spiritual community is a rock show. There's enough in our world that is shallow. We want a deep community with roots. True, some of us also want a rock show; but that's not the only thing. Our roots need to be nurtured as we continue growing toward the Sun. We can't do that alone.

So many members of churches have asked me "How do we get more people your age into the church?" Welcome us. Nurture us. Go out and find us. Realize that not everyone has transportation. Stop thinking that changing something in the liturgy means you're giving up your religious tradition. Read the Bible as a community and be willing to hear voices you don't agree with or voices you've ignored/didn't know about. Be authentic. Be open to listening to our questions without feeling you have to know the answer to everything. Put us in leadership roles. Mentor us. We're not asking you to be perfect. Don't expect us to be like you were at this age. Accept us for who we are and know we're going to transform if you nurture us. Without sun and water plants die. Offer us Living Water and the Light from God to nurture us and prevent spiritual death. Take the time to explain tradition. Offer introductory classes or even informal conversational groups to discuss what it means to call ourselves a Christian and what it means to call ourselves a certain denomination. Don't exclude the single. Don't exclude our LGBTTQI friends/family/partners/selves. Know we may not fit into traditional membership categories and be open to our involvement anyway. Empathize. Don't assume. Recognize us. Know no church is your church or my church; it is God's church. Sing a new song, sing old songs, just choose songs that have theological content. Celebrate worship with many languages. The sacraments are cool; we'd like to talk about them because they're also confusing to a lot of people. Help us find silence and stillness in a world that demands noise because we want to hear God. Don't preach at us. Preach the Word in the midst of us. Feed us. Point out God's actions in the world so we learn to pay attention to God. Enter dialogue with other religions and other traditions from Christianity. Find a way to support those of us who are single parents. Help us get involved in the local community mission/soup kitchen/garden/after school tutoring program/food drive/whatever. We want to make a difference. Show and tell us how Christ made a difference. Don't expect us to believe everything exactly the way you do or to sign up for something we don't want to do. Love us in spite of ourselves and yourselves. We like our agency and intellect and believe both come from God. Even if we are only in your community for a short time know that our roots have been entwined and the journey will never be the same. Be joyful in our transitions through break ups, new jobs, marriages, illness, grappling with grief, changing majors, graduation, and making difficult decisions even when they're hard for us. You are the love of Christ to us during the hard times. Engage us in the hard issues the church is dealing with. We worship God in wholistic ways in our everyday lives and would be thrilled to see Sunday morning come into the week. Guide us into taking ownership of our own faith even knowing at the same time it is the faith of our ancestors. Talk about the Cloud of Witnesses. We don't get many Christian role models in pop culture. We don't want our faith to be fueled by fear, so please don't try to make us do things you think we "should" do by threatening us with hellfire. That's not your decision to make. If we disagree politically or theologically remember we are each children of God and deserve to be treated with respect. Don't talk down to us just because we're young. Know there are some things we can only learn from experience but don't be condescending about it. Take us seriously and with flexibility. Plant some seeds of wisdom. Pray for peace and act on those prayers. Be thoughtful.

Preach the Good News of God's love.

Practice what you preach.

Live the Good News for the world today and into the future with us.

Nurture our roots.

Soul Friendships

During this May term we are looking at soul friendships as part of our overview of spiritual guidance. Our main book for this has been Sacred Companions by David Benner. The second half of the book is about spiritual direction, but the first half is all about spiritual friendships also known as soul friendships. (His use of the term "soul" is not referring to the Hellenistic dualism between body and spirit but instead is using "soul" referring to our deepest and most whole selves which include the physical, mental, spiritual, etc.) 

We have many friends, but how many of those are soul friends? How many friends do we have who we are fully present with and able to be vulnerable without fear of judgement? Soul friends accompany each other's journeys. In a world where "Friends" is a sitcom soul friendship sounds odd. It's an intriguing, ancient idea of friendship. Jonathon and David. Ruth and Naomi. Paul and Timothy. Ross and Chandler? The thing that sets soul friendships apart is the focus on God and the intentionality behind soul friendships. The soul friend pulls you toward God as you pull them toward God. Some people wander into soul friendships, but for the most part it appears to me that people need to discern soul friendships. It's difficult enough to be authentic in a world that values shallowness, but to allow someone else in your life to be authentically themselves is also difficult. Soul friendships also value deep listening also called holy listening. It's part of being fully present with someone. Not trying to think about what you're going to say next, not thinking about your to do list, listening intently to the other is prayerful listening. I've spent a lot of time talking to God, and I've spent most of my time in seminary learning to listen for God. It's an active listening, but it's still prayerful/holy/deep listening. Soul friendships help tune your ears to listen for God and your eyes to look for God in your everyday lives. God pops up in some weird places. Like our friendships, we need to cultivate our relationship with God through holy/prayerful/deep listening.

Who in your life always points you back towards God?

Soul friends. If you don't have one, discern one.

In a Time of International Crisis

Prayer in a Time of International Crisis

Eternal God, our only hope,
our help in times of trouble:
show nations ways to work out differences.
Do not let threats multiply
or power be used without compassion.
May your will overrule human willfulness,
so that people may agree and settle claims peacefully.
Hold back those who are impulsive,
lest desire for vengeance overwhelm the world's common welfare.
Give us the courage to mourn with those who mourn
and the strength to turn our swords into plowshares.
Bless the people of every nation.
Bring peace to earth,
the peace preached and lived by Jesus of Nazareth,
who is called the Prince of Peace.
Send your Spirit,
that we may speak love in the language of every nation
once again.
Amen.

(Adapted from Book of Common Worship, Daily Prayer, p. 411)

Eastertide Reflection

Resurrection starts
with the cry of grief,
an empty place,
a familiar voice.
It's tiny...
like the fingers of a newborn.
Seemingly insignificant...
like the grain that lands in the clam's open mouth.
'Often overlooked...
like the leaf bud on the tree.
Christ has risen.
Waiting for us to take notice.
Christ has risen.
Waiting for us to respond.
Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed!

--Katherine Hawker (Liturgy Outside)

Eastertide is a good time to reset. Our time of confession is over; the time of assured grace is now. We worship without prayers of confession; we shout "alleluia!" Lilies abound. Black has given way to white. Christ has risen!

Today my friend Sara preached about living as Easter people. She asked us to fill in this sentence:
"Life is _______."
Most everyone responded with a variation on "Life is more complicated and difficult than it appears." Even the classic "Life is like a box of chocolate" gets to the heart of life's intrinsic complicated-ness. "You never know what you're going to get." Resurrection gives us a chance to open our eyes to new possibilities, new ways of dealing with complications of life. Life looks different in Eastertide. Lent is, in some ways, a time to look at ourselves individually and communally. Easter re-focuses us on the ultimate expression of love streaming from God in waterfalls of mercy. Eastertide keeps this focus as we go back to our 'normal' lives.

But is life really "normal" after Easter?

Pressing the "Reset" Button

I am taking a course this May term about spiritual guidance throughout a person's life. My professor (Dr. O) is very aware of the student population's mental overload from a year of other classes and is focusing the class in an experiential model of learning. Today Dr. O told us that he studied under Henri Nouwen who told him to spend 20 minutes a day in structured prayer and meditation. Anything more than that is difficult to sustain, but a simple daily routine will keep you walking with God through the ups and downs and sideways switches. Dr. O continued to say that as seminarians our lives are busy and often our personal spirituality gets dropped in the ensuing chaos. He encouraged us to press the "reset" button during this May term and re-center our lives on our relationship with God. So I'm doing that. Part of this reset is the realization that I have not kept up this blog. Blogging is a good way to keep accountability even if no one reads your blog, so I am hoping to update my blog at least once a week for the rest of the calendar year and then reassess.

By the way, if you haven't read any Henri Nouwen, he's a great writer. Go out and read any book by him. 

PTS video

Looking Forward

A few days ago the 2011-2013 course catalog came out. It's a little strange to be reading through it and saying "Oh! I want to take that!" only to find out it's being taught during the 2012-2013 year. I can't take everything I want to take; and it's a hard balancing act between PTS requirements, presbytery requirements, personal requirements, and interest. For example, I need to take a class focused on a Reformed theologian. Next year the two being offered are about Friedrich Schleiermacher's theology and a class about Calvin's theology and modern reinterpretations. Both classes would be great, and both would help in my future.

Play rehearsals are going well. My main costume is really pretty, and I found earrings online that match perfectly and were super cheap. We perform April 7, 8, 9 at 8pm and April 10 at 2pm. Call the seminary's speech office for tickets (free!).

 This Thursday we're starting our Lenten reflection series "Daring...". This series is being led by me but is an amalgamation of a lot of different resources with a splash of my creativity. We begin with "Entering" based on the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as set forward by Luke. Works well for a first session. Preaching next Monday  on 1 Samuel 16: 1-13, Samuel anointing David. Works well because we're talking about callings in worship for Lent, and the Daring... series is focusing on Jesus' anointing next Thursday. Gotta love it when the Spirit pulls moving parts into harmony.

This summer I'm taking Hebrew, but I get time off for good behavior before that. Going to spend some time with the parents and attend a reunion of my college friends! Also going to take some time up in New York at the Holy Cross monastery, a Protestant Benedictine community.

Oh, and next year I'll be working at Christ Presbyterian Church. It's a very small church (15 members) focused on intentional community to make a difference in the members' lives and the community's life. They have a labyrinth as part of their church grounds. Awesome.

Summer Reading List

This summer I will be learning Hebrew and having already spent a summer learning a biblical language, I am preparing a summer reading list of books I want to read but don't have the time during the academic year. Thus far this is the list:

1. Dogmatics in Outline--Barth
2. Letters and Papers from Prison--Bonhoeffer
3. Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews--Allen
4. The Halachic Process--Roth
5. In Memory of Her--Fiorenza
6. Harry Potter 7 (again)
7. Birthing the Sermon--Childers

Lent 2011

PTS is doing daily Lenten devotionals.

Lent is pretty late this year. Holy Week is our finals' week. That's going to be fun for the student, faculty, and staff who work in churches or have loved ones who do.

Lent is about intentionality in our spiritual lives. Let's start by asking the question "What in my life is keeping me from getting closer to God?"

Reasons to love living in an apartment

1. My own kitchen 
2. People walk their dogs, and they let me pet them
3. Your own bathroom
4. Walking distance from a Barnes and Noble, Staples, and Whole Foods
5. Bus conversations
6. Entertaining
7. Playing Guitar Hero as loud as I want
8. Meeting classmates whose names I didn't know before
9. Not having a day lag with mail
10. Brewing my coffee my way
11. Watching parents teach their kids how to ride bikes
12. Sitting on my porch
13. Thrift shopping
14. Spending free time flipping through cookbooks
15. Couch
16. Artwork above the couch
17. Going to bed at 9pm
18. Having room to iron
19. Living and going to school in two different places
20. Baking bread

Valentine's Day

Today I had the opportunity to preach at Rider University's chapel this evening on "A Different Kind of Love" based on Ruth 1:1-18. It went well.

Rehearsals for the play are coming along. Still trying to get those lines down. "The ancient saying is no heresy. Hanging and wiving go by destiny."

I've been in my new apartment for over a week now, and my kitchen is pretty well furnished. Tomorrow I'll be making chicken chimichangas. Because I can. And because chicken was on sale last weekend.

That's about it for me.

Replying to the Open Letter to the PCUSA

My seminary is on fire discussing the "Open Letter" document that came out on February 7th. A lot of us see things differently, particularly the young (under 30) Presbyterians who are on the ordination track. We are all committed to the unity of the PC(USA). We made the decision to come to seminary rather than pursue other (probably better paying) careers. To many of us the church is not dying. It's being renewed. The church in the coming century will not look like the church in the 20th Century or the 16th Century or the 2nd Century. The church is constantly hearing the Holy Spirit speaking in different ways. It is not the number of church members that makes a church alive. It is the presence of the Spirit.

I would like to point you to Rev. Margaret Aymer Oget's reply. She puts forth a much better reply about the other issues than I could at this time.

I respectfully decline the invitation to the gathering this August. I will be in Hebrew, preparing for Ordination Exams, and living into my call in the PC(USA).

Two Awesome Things

Two awesome things have happened in the last couple of days. I moved into my first grown-up apartment, and I got cast in the part of Nerissa in The Merchant of Venice which the seminary is putting on this semester. A good friend of mine got cast as Gratiano, the dude Nerissa marries; and we're going to have a lot of fun. Merchant is a tragic comedy with lots of interesting religious and cultural questions you can discuss with your friends after you've seen it. Most of the scenes Nerissa is in are the comedy scenes, although looks like I'll be standing through a long court scene with nothing to do again this year. Hopefully next year the play will have no court scene. The apartment is fabulous and most everything's still in boxes. I don't have many storage things yet, and I'll be hitting thrift stores next weekend. Bookshelves I'm in desperate need of. The parents have mailed me a kitchen-in-a-box, and until then it's sandwiches, salads, oatmeal, and microwavable soups. Sounds great to me.

Spring Semester

I realize I have lapsed a bit in my blog writing, and I apologize. The middler year has been very intense but awesome. Over the January term I took Presbyterian Worship where I learned to worship Presbyterian-ly and prepared for the Sacrament and Worship Ordination Exam.

Here are my classes for the spring semester:
Presbyterian History and Theology
Crossing the Deep River (exploring the Exodus event and the interpretation of the event particularly focusing on African-American experiences from the 19th Century to the modern day)
Jewish Biblical Interpretation (taught by a professor from Jewish Theological Seminary in NYC)

I am also trying out for the play, "The Merchant of Venice." It's a fascinating play with lots of interesting religious questions that arise from it.

I'm also still working at Rider University. This semester I will be leading a Lenten reflection group.

It's going to be a busy semester, but I'm very excited about it!