I celebrated Christmas today. It was one of those random moments that I'm slightly notorious for. There remains a slight perception that in my family people either end up eccentric or crazy - and I have few qualms about embracing eccentricity.
Truth be told, the need to celebrate Christmas had something to do with losing Jonathan. There was some hint of grief and indwelling sadness, a hint that might remain for some time. I couldn't quite make the connection. It's like the lochness monster, I'm still convinced that it's there - I just couldn't find it.
I cooked a traditional Christmas dinner, invited a friend over, and watched some Christmas specials. It was perfect like the morning after the last Pancake and Pajama night. The one with Rebecca still in Georgia. A group had spent the night and studied for a math exam. I was more than ready, and managed to sleep at least 6 hours while everyone else crammed. I was the only one to pass the exam. In the morning, Rebecca made us all pancakes before she went into work. She made a Mickey mouse pancake for Jonathan. It was perfect like Christmas dinner in March.
It feels a little bit as though so many things are broken in my life. I banter around the phrase "in my broken Ukrainian" to describe all of my conversations; this as though at one point I had spoken Ukrainian quiet lovely and fluently and then one day a neighborhood kid hit a baseball through it and suddenly it was broken.
We need a better word:
Flailing?
Stuttered?
Slovenly?
Because it's not that things are broken. It's that things are flailing about in a slovenly fashion. I stutter over the remains of self confidence and stop-gap at memories.
I can't mention baseball without remembering the time that Jonathan was staying at my house and the tree branch fell on my neighbor's roof. It made a tremendous noise, and sounded like someone had broken down the door. By the time I sat up and reached under my bed for the baseball bat, Jonathan was already out on the porch in - with my baseball bat in hand, in nothing but his underwear. It was another of those eccentric moments that made my gossipy neighbors overjoyed.
It will take a while to deal with this grief. It will help to go to his graveside, to visit with his family, to talk with our friends about him. But, this too shall pass. I'll move past mandating holidays and word-association games. Eventually I'll get to the point were things are back to normal. I'll forgive easily and I'll love easily, again.
It might take a few more random holidays. Who's up for Halloween in two weeks? Really.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
In memoriam...
Jonathan and I became friends when he decided to write a love letter to my friend, Rachel. I had met him before and didn't like him. He seemed too cocky, to self-assured. We sat on an old pipe that crossed the river and had a strict discussion. A few days later I went to his room to confront him about an action that I found inappropriate. I thought he would blow me off - but soon he started showing up at my house to talk.
Jonathan and I would go on long drives together, he would offer to buy me a beverage every time we stopped at a gas station. I had never paid gas-station-prices for anything, and felt that I was being treated to a real luxury. Sometimes we would steal away to a secret spot to smoke a clove cigarette. This fact embarrasses me now beyond belief - but I haven't smoked in ages and it didn't embarrass Jon; so maybe it shouldn't. We wanted to be rebellious and as middle-class white males we really didn't have much else going in our favor in that department - so smoking would suffice.
With passion oozing out of every orifice, he would explain the latest injustice. Some days we felt like we could change the world - other days felt more hopeless than a quicksand swimming pool.
Now that this long battle is over; I begin to wonder, "What's next?" With whom will I crusade? How am I suppose to change the world without J.G. Pound at my side? Sometimes the weight is oppresive - that I might have to carry out our vision without him. Other days I laugh with joy and hope - Jonathan has led like a true visionary and there are hundreds who will take up the cross to go where Jon has been heading.
Who among our friends will leave behind their vision of a comfy desk job to staff an orphanage in India? Which fellow student will begin working with troubled teens to show them God's love? Who will plant churches? Who will challenge "good Christians" to think a little harder about the theological pills they're swallowing? Who will fight the administration when it tries to screw over students to gain more of the almighty dollar? Who will love people that others find detestable?
You. You who knew and loved our dear friend. You who have loved and prayed and fought to the very end. You will crusade with us. You will live out the vision that Jonathan has boldly proclaimed in the name of Christ.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Sick.
I've been sick this last week. It was just a little virus with no major complications ... but it sure did knock me out for a while. I felt a little ill on Monday night law week, but tried to push through it. I managed to get everything done for English Club last Tuesday, but I had to go home sick in the afternoon - and I was in bed sick for the next five days! I managed to make it through the whole day on Sunday, but I have been taking it easy since then. I'm still at about 50% energy!
Sorry for not blogging at all these last few weeks.
Sorry for not blogging at all these last few weeks.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Do not worry
When my mother went to University, her parents bought her a calculator. She had to leave it plugged in overnight, and it could hold it's charge for only a class or two. It calculated so slowly, that she just did most of the math work in her head to save time. She took a computer course - on the only computer at the university - in which she cut holes out of a sheet of cardboard and then fed it into the monster-sized computer to see if it would run a program.
As a child I remember my whole family sitting around our brand new PC or personal computer. I remember using the internet over our phone line and watching as pictures showed up one line at a time - just downloading at lightning speed for the time.
I'm sometimes amazed at how fast we have come so far. In less than 40 years we have moved from slow calculators the size of ovens to super-fast computers that fit in the palm of our hands.
I wonder sometimes how far away could we possibly be from flying cars and robot friends.
Todays scripture is so poignant because it reminds us how very little we have moved in the last 2000 years.
We could almost imagine if any of the 12 disciples were to show up in our modern times - we could see the cartoon-y blooper wheel as he attempts to understand our modern life and its conveniences. He would surely be out of place in our busy city, with our fast cars, and our degrees. But, any of the twelve would fit right in with our people. While they wouldn't understand the microwave, they would certainly understand our greed, lust, envy and pride. They might be confused by such simple convenience as our electric kettle, but there would be no confusion regarding our worry.
It seems that as the modern era has moved forward we have begun to worry more and more. While we work fewer hours than most generations before us, live in larger houses, accomplish more with our time, and have a greater understanding of what financial security really means - we worry just as much as we ever have.
Jesus lays out a simple plan for his followers - do not worry - and yet by and large we ignore the advice.
Now I would think that if my friend went to the doctor to complain of a serious problem - and the doctor said that he would be cured if he eats a spoon full of sugar each day - that my friend would comply with that simple advice. But instead we find so many of our friends get sicker and sicker and refuse the simple advice of the doctor.
I had friends who graduated university with 40,000 dollars in debt and immediately decided that they needed to buy a six bedroom house in a nice neighborhood. And yet they couldn't understand why they had so much stress and why they worried so much.
Jesus tells us not to worry. Jesus, the homeless carpenter/teacher, tells the gathered crowd that they shouldn't worry. Now, clearly this is a little hard to take ... because, a little worry is good. The world tells us that we should be worried about finding a place to sleep, and food to fill our stomachs. We need to earn an income and pay bills in order to be a part of normal society.
But Jesus uses the most simple and beautiful illustrations.
Take the flowers of the field for an example. All flowers are beautiful. Even the ones that sprout up as weeds are actually quite pleasant to look at. Even though they are here one day and gone the next, God gives each flower a beautiful design.
For many of us, tomorrow is a scary concept. We don't know how we're going to make it to the end of the month, we don't know how we're going to finish building our house, we don't know how many more days we can survive just eating gretchka. We don't know how we could afford to live if our parents stopped paying for things - or we don't know how our parents could afford to live if we weren't paying for things.
We simply don't know what tomorrow holds.
But we know who holds tomorrow.
As Christians we believe that God is in control. Our lives should reflect that.
Here's an example. I believe in gravity. I think that gravity is real, and I believe that it affects my life. So, if I hold this object out and drop it - and then I want to find the object again - I should look on the floor for it. I shouldn't be surprised that it has fallen, and I shouldn't live as though I expected it to ignore gravity.
When we worry, we show strong evidence of our beliefs. Worry shows that we think we are in control - or that we don't trust God who is clearly in charge.
When we trust, we show strong evidence of our beliefs. We trust that God loved us enough to send Jesus to die on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins. If God loved us that much, why wouldn't God love us enough to take care of everything else? We trust in God for our eternal salvation, why wouldn't we trust God to also handle our finances? Our daily bread? Our interactions with others?
This is such a strong part of our testimony. In this postmodern world, we will rarely win people to the gospel of Jesus Christ by proving the logical facts of the Christian religion. We will only persuade people by the actions of our lives. We must show them that something in our lives is desirable.
The freedom to trust God and remove worry from our daily lives is a radical statement of faith.
I'll tell you this right now, if you leave this place and you genuinely live out the command "do not worry" you'll have people lining up behind you following you to church next week.
Take for example the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. ... but deep down, don't we all want to be a little more like them. Don't we all just want to spread our wings and fly? Don't we all wish we had the freedom to fly?
There is freedom, a tremendous freedom, in the good words of our savior this day. This week, Jesus is challenging us to set our worry aside, to trust fully in the God of heaven and earth, and to spread our wings and fly.
As a child I remember my whole family sitting around our brand new PC or personal computer. I remember using the internet over our phone line and watching as pictures showed up one line at a time - just downloading at lightning speed for the time.
I'm sometimes amazed at how fast we have come so far. In less than 40 years we have moved from slow calculators the size of ovens to super-fast computers that fit in the palm of our hands.
I wonder sometimes how far away could we possibly be from flying cars and robot friends.
Todays scripture is so poignant because it reminds us how very little we have moved in the last 2000 years.
We could almost imagine if any of the 12 disciples were to show up in our modern times - we could see the cartoon-y blooper wheel as he attempts to understand our modern life and its conveniences. He would surely be out of place in our busy city, with our fast cars, and our degrees. But, any of the twelve would fit right in with our people. While they wouldn't understand the microwave, they would certainly understand our greed, lust, envy and pride. They might be confused by such simple convenience as our electric kettle, but there would be no confusion regarding our worry.
It seems that as the modern era has moved forward we have begun to worry more and more. While we work fewer hours than most generations before us, live in larger houses, accomplish more with our time, and have a greater understanding of what financial security really means - we worry just as much as we ever have.
Jesus lays out a simple plan for his followers - do not worry - and yet by and large we ignore the advice.
Now I would think that if my friend went to the doctor to complain of a serious problem - and the doctor said that he would be cured if he eats a spoon full of sugar each day - that my friend would comply with that simple advice. But instead we find so many of our friends get sicker and sicker and refuse the simple advice of the doctor.
I had friends who graduated university with 40,000 dollars in debt and immediately decided that they needed to buy a six bedroom house in a nice neighborhood. And yet they couldn't understand why they had so much stress and why they worried so much.
Jesus tells us not to worry. Jesus, the homeless carpenter/teacher, tells the gathered crowd that they shouldn't worry. Now, clearly this is a little hard to take ... because, a little worry is good. The world tells us that we should be worried about finding a place to sleep, and food to fill our stomachs. We need to earn an income and pay bills in order to be a part of normal society.
But Jesus uses the most simple and beautiful illustrations.
Take the flowers of the field for an example. All flowers are beautiful. Even the ones that sprout up as weeds are actually quite pleasant to look at. Even though they are here one day and gone the next, God gives each flower a beautiful design.
For many of us, tomorrow is a scary concept. We don't know how we're going to make it to the end of the month, we don't know how we're going to finish building our house, we don't know how many more days we can survive just eating gretchka. We don't know how we could afford to live if our parents stopped paying for things - or we don't know how our parents could afford to live if we weren't paying for things.
We simply don't know what tomorrow holds.
But we know who holds tomorrow.
As Christians we believe that God is in control. Our lives should reflect that.
Here's an example. I believe in gravity. I think that gravity is real, and I believe that it affects my life. So, if I hold this object out and drop it - and then I want to find the object again - I should look on the floor for it. I shouldn't be surprised that it has fallen, and I shouldn't live as though I expected it to ignore gravity.
When we worry, we show strong evidence of our beliefs. Worry shows that we think we are in control - or that we don't trust God who is clearly in charge.
When we trust, we show strong evidence of our beliefs. We trust that God loved us enough to send Jesus to die on a cross for the forgiveness of our sins. If God loved us that much, why wouldn't God love us enough to take care of everything else? We trust in God for our eternal salvation, why wouldn't we trust God to also handle our finances? Our daily bread? Our interactions with others?
This is such a strong part of our testimony. In this postmodern world, we will rarely win people to the gospel of Jesus Christ by proving the logical facts of the Christian religion. We will only persuade people by the actions of our lives. We must show them that something in our lives is desirable.
The freedom to trust God and remove worry from our daily lives is a radical statement of faith.
I'll tell you this right now, if you leave this place and you genuinely live out the command "do not worry" you'll have people lining up behind you following you to church next week.
Take for example the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. ... but deep down, don't we all want to be a little more like them. Don't we all just want to spread our wings and fly? Don't we all wish we had the freedom to fly?
There is freedom, a tremendous freedom, in the good words of our savior this day. This week, Jesus is challenging us to set our worry aside, to trust fully in the God of heaven and earth, and to spread our wings and fly.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
On the road again...
What does grace mean to you?
When we think of the idea of grace, it might be a little challenging. In Ukrainian it’s difficult to translate a sermon on grace, because there are lots of words to use – but maybe there isn’t an exact word.
It’s difficult in English as well. We primarily use the word “grace” in a church setting. We talk about dancers being “graceful” but that really loses the meaning of the word.
Because, really, when we look outside of the Christian religion we don’t see much grace. Grace is what separates Christianity from all the other world religions. While we might share a lot of the same Holy Scriptures, and even have similar ideas and stories about God – in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we experience grace. We didn’t do anything to earn it; it is entirely a God-thing.
And in the Christian life, we experience grace a lot. We experience grace daily as we try to live out our faith, but we have also experienced grace before we ever realized it.
If you're a Pilgrim, grace should be meaningful to you. You should think of the ways that God has shown grace to you. You should be able to remember times when you have shown grace to others.
We titled this sermon series, "On the road again..." because we believe that as Pilgrims we are on a faith journey. We are going to focus on three stories of grace in the Bible. It just so happens that all of these people were on the road to somewhere when they experienced grace. David will preach about Saul on the road to Damascus, and Jesus on the road to the cross, but tonight I will talk about Jesus and the others on the road to Emmaus.
Please read this scripture with me.
Luke 24:13-35
When I was in Thailand I was visiting a museum near the hotel I was staying at. A young couple were having some photographs taken, and I was struck by how beautiful the young woman looked in her traditional Thai dress. I spoke a little bit with the couple and asked the woman if I could take a picture of her. I thought it was a little strange that she didn't seem embarrassed that some stranger would want her picture.
We talked a little more about the museum and about the weather, and I moved on with my vacation. The next morning I was reading the local paper and on the front page were several pictures of the royal family. Front and center I saw the young couple and the beautiful princess in the traditional wedding dress she had been wearing the day before at the museum.
I had accidentally met the princess of Thailand before the Thai people. I had talked with her about the weather without knowing who she was.
In the scripture story we see Jesus interacting with people long before they realize who He is. Jesus teaches these two men while they are on their journey. He explains the scripture and helps them to understand what it means.
God does this in our own lives as well.
So imagine that we are going on a long journey together. You don't know the destination, but you're ready to go anyway. You go to pack you bags, and you find that they are already packed. You think, "Oh, I'm sure I'll need toothpaste!" and you find that it's been packed. In fact, everything you think you will need is in your suitcase - as well as several items that you're sure you will never need.
So, let's take a sit before we go on our journey and just relax a little bit.
Here: I'll get us going with some stories:
I grew up in a Christian family and went to church every Sunday. I was a pretty bad little kid. I was so bad that one of my Sunday School teachers asked my parents not to bring me back. I hated going to church, and my parents forced me to go every week. I hated church, but I still knew that there was a hole in my heart. When I was 11 I went to a summer camp - during that week away I realized that I needed to turn my life over to God. I asked forgiveness for my sins and I tried to live differently.
Now, some would say that at this moment I experienced the grace of God. But, I believe it goes much further and much deeper than that. I believe that I experienced the grace of God long before I ever acknowledged God.
God was present in my life from before I was born. In Jeremiah it is written, "For I knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb." God had a plan and a vision for my life before my parents did.
John Wesley called this idea Prevenient Grace: literally, "the grace that comes before." He had an idea of how God had been active in his life from an early age. When he was five he was rescued from a house fire. He sat at his mother's feet as she led his father's congregation while he was away on business. He learned that his life mattered and that he better do something good with it. He learned that anyone could lead and that God called all people, regardless of wealth or class, to follow Jesus.
When John Wesley grew up he became a priest - but he felt that the church he loved so much didn't show or offer grace to people. Only the wealthy were welcome inside the church. So, John and his brother Charles began a crusade to change that. They began preaching outside of the church - wherever people would listen to them. They shared with others the goodness of God, and they told people that God offered them grace.
In their small groups they offered everyone the chance to experience and express the grace of God in their own life.
In the Bible story today what is the specific thing Jesus does when the men realize who they have been speaking with? Jesus breaks the bread. When he does this, their minds flash back to the last supper where Jesus broke the bread. He had told his disciples to remember him every time they broke bread. We experience grace every time we take communion. Maybe in your own faith journey you had your first communion long before God was an important part of your life. Maybe you just didn’t care about him, but week after week God showed you grace through communion.
---
I want you to think about the ways that God has come before and led the way in your life. I want you to think about how God showed grace before you even thought about God.
---
When I look at the path my life has led, I can see God's grace working long before I acknowledged God.
Just to give one example: When I was five or six my mother had a piano student named Maxine. Maxine was an older woman and her family had come to America from Slovenia. She spoke Slovene, and enjoyed teaching me words and phrases. Some weekends my mother and I would meet her at the local nursing home where many old people spoke Slovene. I would listen as they spoke and she would show off her little student to the other Slovene speakers. Well, fast forward to the present and (ena, dve, tri, schtiri, pet) sounds a lot like the numbers in Ukrainian. Now, not many young children in America grew up hearing and learning Slavic languages. Long before I was a Christian, God was preparing me for this period of my life - right here, right now, that I get to share with you.
And God is just as active in everyone's life. God slowly but surely presses people towards faith. He graciously guides them on the path of life.
1. I want you to share the ways that God led the way in your lives with the people around you. Take a few minutes to share a few stories or examples.
2. How did Jesus show grace to you on the path of life before you ever recognized him?
3. How have you showed the grace of God to others?
If someone in your group had a really good story, I want you to bring them up here and help them tell it.
-----
God is present in everyone's life. When I look at my path I see people who have showed me the grace of God.
Sometimes it's really hard to show grace to others. It's easier to judge - and, consequently, we judge a lot more than we show grace.
God wants to use us as a way to show grace to those who do not yet believe. We must always be looking for ways to reach out to others, to show them the grace and forgiveness of God, so that we may help God to build the road for them.
Dear friends, as Pilgrims we are on a journey. Long before we knew we would take the journey; God packed our bags, God set a direction, and God prepared our fellow Pilgrims to go with us.
We are on the road again ...
[[David Goran and I are co-preaching a 3 week sermon series. We are going to try to sing the Willy Nelson song, "On the Road Again" and I plan on working up a special music number with some of the musicians to go along with the theme. David will preach on Sanctifying and Perfecting grace.]]
When we think of the idea of grace, it might be a little challenging. In Ukrainian it’s difficult to translate a sermon on grace, because there are lots of words to use – but maybe there isn’t an exact word.
It’s difficult in English as well. We primarily use the word “grace” in a church setting. We talk about dancers being “graceful” but that really loses the meaning of the word.
Because, really, when we look outside of the Christian religion we don’t see much grace. Grace is what separates Christianity from all the other world religions. While we might share a lot of the same Holy Scriptures, and even have similar ideas and stories about God – in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we experience grace. We didn’t do anything to earn it; it is entirely a God-thing.
And in the Christian life, we experience grace a lot. We experience grace daily as we try to live out our faith, but we have also experienced grace before we ever realized it.
If you're a Pilgrim, grace should be meaningful to you. You should think of the ways that God has shown grace to you. You should be able to remember times when you have shown grace to others.
We titled this sermon series, "On the road again..." because we believe that as Pilgrims we are on a faith journey. We are going to focus on three stories of grace in the Bible. It just so happens that all of these people were on the road to somewhere when they experienced grace. David will preach about Saul on the road to Damascus, and Jesus on the road to the cross, but tonight I will talk about Jesus and the others on the road to Emmaus.
Please read this scripture with me.
Luke 24:13-35
When I was in Thailand I was visiting a museum near the hotel I was staying at. A young couple were having some photographs taken, and I was struck by how beautiful the young woman looked in her traditional Thai dress. I spoke a little bit with the couple and asked the woman if I could take a picture of her. I thought it was a little strange that she didn't seem embarrassed that some stranger would want her picture.
We talked a little more about the museum and about the weather, and I moved on with my vacation. The next morning I was reading the local paper and on the front page were several pictures of the royal family. Front and center I saw the young couple and the beautiful princess in the traditional wedding dress she had been wearing the day before at the museum.
I had accidentally met the princess of Thailand before the Thai people. I had talked with her about the weather without knowing who she was.
In the scripture story we see Jesus interacting with people long before they realize who He is. Jesus teaches these two men while they are on their journey. He explains the scripture and helps them to understand what it means.
God does this in our own lives as well.
So imagine that we are going on a long journey together. You don't know the destination, but you're ready to go anyway. You go to pack you bags, and you find that they are already packed. You think, "Oh, I'm sure I'll need toothpaste!" and you find that it's been packed. In fact, everything you think you will need is in your suitcase - as well as several items that you're sure you will never need.
So, let's take a sit before we go on our journey and just relax a little bit.
Here: I'll get us going with some stories:
I grew up in a Christian family and went to church every Sunday. I was a pretty bad little kid. I was so bad that one of my Sunday School teachers asked my parents not to bring me back. I hated going to church, and my parents forced me to go every week. I hated church, but I still knew that there was a hole in my heart. When I was 11 I went to a summer camp - during that week away I realized that I needed to turn my life over to God. I asked forgiveness for my sins and I tried to live differently.
Now, some would say that at this moment I experienced the grace of God. But, I believe it goes much further and much deeper than that. I believe that I experienced the grace of God long before I ever acknowledged God.
God was present in my life from before I was born. In Jeremiah it is written, "For I knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb." God had a plan and a vision for my life before my parents did.
John Wesley called this idea Prevenient Grace: literally, "the grace that comes before." He had an idea of how God had been active in his life from an early age. When he was five he was rescued from a house fire. He sat at his mother's feet as she led his father's congregation while he was away on business. He learned that his life mattered and that he better do something good with it. He learned that anyone could lead and that God called all people, regardless of wealth or class, to follow Jesus.
When John Wesley grew up he became a priest - but he felt that the church he loved so much didn't show or offer grace to people. Only the wealthy were welcome inside the church. So, John and his brother Charles began a crusade to change that. They began preaching outside of the church - wherever people would listen to them. They shared with others the goodness of God, and they told people that God offered them grace.
In their small groups they offered everyone the chance to experience and express the grace of God in their own life.
In the Bible story today what is the specific thing Jesus does when the men realize who they have been speaking with? Jesus breaks the bread. When he does this, their minds flash back to the last supper where Jesus broke the bread. He had told his disciples to remember him every time they broke bread. We experience grace every time we take communion. Maybe in your own faith journey you had your first communion long before God was an important part of your life. Maybe you just didn’t care about him, but week after week God showed you grace through communion.
---
I want you to think about the ways that God has come before and led the way in your life. I want you to think about how God showed grace before you even thought about God.
---
When I look at the path my life has led, I can see God's grace working long before I acknowledged God.
Just to give one example: When I was five or six my mother had a piano student named Maxine. Maxine was an older woman and her family had come to America from Slovenia. She spoke Slovene, and enjoyed teaching me words and phrases. Some weekends my mother and I would meet her at the local nursing home where many old people spoke Slovene. I would listen as they spoke and she would show off her little student to the other Slovene speakers. Well, fast forward to the present and (ena, dve, tri, schtiri, pet) sounds a lot like the numbers in Ukrainian. Now, not many young children in America grew up hearing and learning Slavic languages. Long before I was a Christian, God was preparing me for this period of my life - right here, right now, that I get to share with you.
And God is just as active in everyone's life. God slowly but surely presses people towards faith. He graciously guides them on the path of life.
1. I want you to share the ways that God led the way in your lives with the people around you. Take a few minutes to share a few stories or examples.
2. How did Jesus show grace to you on the path of life before you ever recognized him?
3. How have you showed the grace of God to others?
If someone in your group had a really good story, I want you to bring them up here and help them tell it.
-----
God is present in everyone's life. When I look at my path I see people who have showed me the grace of God.
Sometimes it's really hard to show grace to others. It's easier to judge - and, consequently, we judge a lot more than we show grace.
God wants to use us as a way to show grace to those who do not yet believe. We must always be looking for ways to reach out to others, to show them the grace and forgiveness of God, so that we may help God to build the road for them.
Dear friends, as Pilgrims we are on a journey. Long before we knew we would take the journey; God packed our bags, God set a direction, and God prepared our fellow Pilgrims to go with us.
We are on the road again ...
[[David Goran and I are co-preaching a 3 week sermon series. We are going to try to sing the Willy Nelson song, "On the Road Again" and I plan on working up a special music number with some of the musicians to go along with the theme. David will preach on Sanctifying and Perfecting grace.]]
Friday, February 04, 2011
What do these stones mean to you?
Joshua 4:1-9
As a child I really looked up to my grandparents. They lived far away and we rarely saw them. I'm told that I was always an inquisitive child. I always asked a lot of questions - and worse - I always remembered the answers I was given. I remember asking my grandparents a lot of questions about religion - because they were old, and surely they had been around back when Jesus was alive. Certainly they were around back when the church first started. So, surely they should know the answers to my questions.
Our scripture starts from the idea of inquisitive children and grandchildren. Joshua places the stones so that one day, their grandchildren will ask, "What do these stones mean to you?" "Why are they here?"
And the story that they would tell their grandchildren goes something like this:
They came to the river and they had a pretty good understanding of what would happen next. They had heard the stories that their own grandparents had told them. They rejoiced over the fact that when their ancestors had been trapped against the Red Sea and Moses raised his arms the water parted and the people crossed.
But these stones are at a different river, and they celebrate a different time that the people crossed a river.
If you've heard of the story of Joshua crossing the Jordan river, you probably have a mental picture of some guys crossing a stream. But, this was flood season. The river was much wider than normal, and the river was rushing wildly.
They came to the river and this time everything was different. Moses wasn't present. Joshua was leading and he didn't raise his staff. Joshua sent the priests and the Ark of the Covenant first - into the wild rapids. He didn't tell them to wait for the water to part - he just told them to cross. But after the priests' feet were wet, the water stopped flowing and the Jordan river dried up past where the priests were standing.
So Joshua sets up these stones to remind the people of what God had accomplished.
---
I was on the phone with my grandfather a few nights ago and he had some questions for me about our church, "Now Michael, is the church there growing? It should be." I more than gladly gave him an honest answer.
[Bring up faithfulness report slides to show the congregation.]
One year ago we worshiped in the single digits. For months we worshiped without any children. This year we begin worship with very different numbers. The sounds of lots of children echo through our space. Last week we celebrated the fact that God has brought us a long way.
But, these stones also help us to look to the future. Today, we will celebrate where God will take us next.
What does God have in store for this community? Where will God take us?
Because I'm certain that God isn't done with us, yet. I'm sure that God has even bigger plans for us.
I believe that God will use the history we share of planting this church to help us plant other new churches. God is doing just that in Stree. God will do that in other cities as well.
God will use the history we share of starting the Sunday School to help us start similar programs for children in other areas or for other age groups.
God will challenge us to dig deep and to be faithful in our giving so that our church can survive without outside support - and more than that, our church will be able to readily expand ministry to those outside of our community.
God will use our shared history of beginning home groups to help us begin a movement of home groups. We will invite others into our groups and when we get too big to fit in our homes we will divide those groups up and multiply God's blessing.
And when we look at the pile of stones in front of us, and our children ask us why they are there, we can answer honestly - they are here because we chose to be faithful to the vision God had for us. We got our feet wet and God showed up in a powerful way.
----
One of my professors tells this story of his first year on the mission field. He was in the Philippines and it was monsoon season. He and his wife had spent almost the whole year in language classes. They struggled with the language, but were really beginning to become comfortable with it. His family was on an island with an active volcano and it began to erupt. They and another family started to drive to the relative safety of another island - but all of the bridges had been washed out by the rains and the rivers. So, as the flood waters were rising, and a volcano was exploding, they put a long plank across the river, and as the waters swept at their feet they placed their children on their shoulders and tight-rope-walked across the wet plank of wood. They watched as their car and their remaining possessions were swept away with the river and they continued to climb to safer ground.
But even after this miracle of their lives and safety, they were still incredibly frustrated. They hadn't seen any fruit from their ministry. They had worked so hard at learning the language - and now they were in a city where the people spoke an entirely different language and they couldn't go back to their village for at least a month. Staying at a guest house in the city, they really didn't have anything to do.
An older man came to the gate of the guest house - and in the language that my professor had learned he said, "You're the man." You're the one from my dream. These are the symbols."
Amid a confusing conversation it came out that the old man was the leader of a tribe high in the mountains on yet another island. He had a dream with the four symbols of the guest house sign and of the young man sitting on the porch. In the dream, the voice of God had told the older man to go and find this man and to listen to him. The old man said, "God told me to come and listen. Whatever you tell me, I and all of my village will repent and follow." My professor brought the man in and told him the good news of Jesus Christ. He accompanied the old man back to the village and together they shared the good news. The whole tribe rejoiced in the good news and became followers of Jesus Christ. They immediately began making plans to go and share the good news with the other tribes on the other mountains. They set aside the wars they had been waging for generations in order to share the good news.
We as a congregation have faced some hard challenges this year. It would be easy for us to ignore the miracle that we have survived this first year in one piece. It would be easy for us to be discouraged. But somewhere in this city is a man or a woman who is waiting to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ from you.
And when their children ask them - "What do these stones mean to you?" They will also have an answer.
Those stones mean everything to us. Those stones are here because God has led the way in our past and God will build for us a future.
As a child I really looked up to my grandparents. They lived far away and we rarely saw them. I'm told that I was always an inquisitive child. I always asked a lot of questions - and worse - I always remembered the answers I was given. I remember asking my grandparents a lot of questions about religion - because they were old, and surely they had been around back when Jesus was alive. Certainly they were around back when the church first started. So, surely they should know the answers to my questions.
Our scripture starts from the idea of inquisitive children and grandchildren. Joshua places the stones so that one day, their grandchildren will ask, "What do these stones mean to you?" "Why are they here?"
And the story that they would tell their grandchildren goes something like this:
They came to the river and they had a pretty good understanding of what would happen next. They had heard the stories that their own grandparents had told them. They rejoiced over the fact that when their ancestors had been trapped against the Red Sea and Moses raised his arms the water parted and the people crossed.
But these stones are at a different river, and they celebrate a different time that the people crossed a river.
If you've heard of the story of Joshua crossing the Jordan river, you probably have a mental picture of some guys crossing a stream. But, this was flood season. The river was much wider than normal, and the river was rushing wildly.
They came to the river and this time everything was different. Moses wasn't present. Joshua was leading and he didn't raise his staff. Joshua sent the priests and the Ark of the Covenant first - into the wild rapids. He didn't tell them to wait for the water to part - he just told them to cross. But after the priests' feet were wet, the water stopped flowing and the Jordan river dried up past where the priests were standing.
So Joshua sets up these stones to remind the people of what God had accomplished.
---
I was on the phone with my grandfather a few nights ago and he had some questions for me about our church, "Now Michael, is the church there growing? It should be." I more than gladly gave him an honest answer.
[Bring up faithfulness report slides to show the congregation.]
One year ago we worshiped in the single digits. For months we worshiped without any children. This year we begin worship with very different numbers. The sounds of lots of children echo through our space. Last week we celebrated the fact that God has brought us a long way.
But, these stones also help us to look to the future. Today, we will celebrate where God will take us next.
What does God have in store for this community? Where will God take us?
Because I'm certain that God isn't done with us, yet. I'm sure that God has even bigger plans for us.
I believe that God will use the history we share of planting this church to help us plant other new churches. God is doing just that in Stree. God will do that in other cities as well.
God will use the history we share of starting the Sunday School to help us start similar programs for children in other areas or for other age groups.
God will challenge us to dig deep and to be faithful in our giving so that our church can survive without outside support - and more than that, our church will be able to readily expand ministry to those outside of our community.
God will use our shared history of beginning home groups to help us begin a movement of home groups. We will invite others into our groups and when we get too big to fit in our homes we will divide those groups up and multiply God's blessing.
And when we look at the pile of stones in front of us, and our children ask us why they are there, we can answer honestly - they are here because we chose to be faithful to the vision God had for us. We got our feet wet and God showed up in a powerful way.
----
One of my professors tells this story of his first year on the mission field. He was in the Philippines and it was monsoon season. He and his wife had spent almost the whole year in language classes. They struggled with the language, but were really beginning to become comfortable with it. His family was on an island with an active volcano and it began to erupt. They and another family started to drive to the relative safety of another island - but all of the bridges had been washed out by the rains and the rivers. So, as the flood waters were rising, and a volcano was exploding, they put a long plank across the river, and as the waters swept at their feet they placed their children on their shoulders and tight-rope-walked across the wet plank of wood. They watched as their car and their remaining possessions were swept away with the river and they continued to climb to safer ground.
But even after this miracle of their lives and safety, they were still incredibly frustrated. They hadn't seen any fruit from their ministry. They had worked so hard at learning the language - and now they were in a city where the people spoke an entirely different language and they couldn't go back to their village for at least a month. Staying at a guest house in the city, they really didn't have anything to do.
An older man came to the gate of the guest house - and in the language that my professor had learned he said, "You're the man." You're the one from my dream. These are the symbols."
Amid a confusing conversation it came out that the old man was the leader of a tribe high in the mountains on yet another island. He had a dream with the four symbols of the guest house sign and of the young man sitting on the porch. In the dream, the voice of God had told the older man to go and find this man and to listen to him. The old man said, "God told me to come and listen. Whatever you tell me, I and all of my village will repent and follow." My professor brought the man in and told him the good news of Jesus Christ. He accompanied the old man back to the village and together they shared the good news. The whole tribe rejoiced in the good news and became followers of Jesus Christ. They immediately began making plans to go and share the good news with the other tribes on the other mountains. They set aside the wars they had been waging for generations in order to share the good news.
We as a congregation have faced some hard challenges this year. It would be easy for us to ignore the miracle that we have survived this first year in one piece. It would be easy for us to be discouraged. But somewhere in this city is a man or a woman who is waiting to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ from you.
And when their children ask them - "What do these stones mean to you?" They will also have an answer.
Those stones mean everything to us. Those stones are here because God has led the way in our past and God will build for us a future.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
In response...
UMC.org recently posted an article about a statement recently released by 33 retired Bishops calling for an end to the ban of gay and lesbian clergy.
In opposition, Bishop Whitaker responded, "We have the Church — with a capital C — in many different cultural settings, and in those different cultural settings, there are different understandings of human sexuality. I think in making its decisions, the Church must be mindful of its responsibility to its members in all its cultural settings and not just select ones.”
This is a recurrent line by people who wish that the conversation would go away, and it is basically a moot point.
This statement is a double-edged sword. In some African, Asian, and Eastern European contexts the United Methodist Church would be laughed out the door and seen as a great disgrace for allowing gay and lesbian clergy. In other areas - Western Europe, some Asian countries, and some areas in the Americas - the United Methodist Church is ignored as culturally irrelevant for our sexual hang-ups and lack of acceptance.
I think that it would be foolish of any church to hold cultural norms as a deciding factor in theological ideals. The base point is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms cultures. It doesn't bend and shape until it finds a comfortable position that lines up with society - it re-invents society.
When missionaries first went to Africa they reported cannibalism, inter-tribal warfare, the worship of animistic gods, and all other sorts of evil. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed the lives of those present in the church. For those who have accepted the grace and love of Jesus Christ - animism, cannibalism, and other cultural items have become a historical footnote.
I'm not entirely convinced that our missionaries didn't also bring the strong hatred for GLBT people that is so prevalent. Along with the gospel, we imported many of our own cultural ideas and understandings. This is why many churches in Africa have pipe organs and bell towers. This might also be the reason that Christians in Africa believe it is okay to hate gay and lesbian people.
Ugandan David Kato, a gay rights activist, was recently murdered in his home after local newspapers posted photos and home addresses of many gay and lesbian people fighting for basic human rights. Allegedly, the paper specifically called for mob justice. The church was relatively silent on his death. In other parts of Africa recent reports indicate that the number of "restorative rapes," in which a lesbian is raped by groups of men in order to convince her to become heterosexual, is on the rise.
In Ukraine, where I serve as an Individual Volunteer, GLBT people are scared for their lives. I'm close friends with a lesbian couple - and they risk their lives every time they are seen together in public. I could write stories they have told me about the abuse they and their GLBT friends have endured; but you probably wouldn't believe them. One Christian who visited the United Methodist church in Ukraine asked me, "Do you beat homosexuals in America?" He went on to explain that maybe if we beat homosexuals in America we wouldn't have so many of them. This, he explains, is what he learned at his church.
So, the point has been raised that out of respect for Christians in other cultures we should drop the subject and stop pushing for the ordination of gays and lesbians. I would respond that out of love for the world, we should pray that Christ would transform their cultures - and that we must fight for the safety of gay and lesbian people in all countries.
On a recent trip to the Philippines I attended Makati City UMC. It's a medium size church in a shady section of Manila. Nestled between a trans-gender strip club and a Korean butcher shop, the church is literally caught in the middle of this issue. They have chosen the route of love. They love and support the GLBT community, and the youth are actively seeking ways to reach out to this community on their block.
When I was an exchange student in Russia I lived in a small town. There was only one small protestant church and there was only one other young person who attended. Masha and I were good friends because of our common faith. She came to me one day with a look of absolute brokenness. Her friend Misha, who was gay, was going to get beat up. The boys at school had apparently been planning it for several days and by the time Masha and I got there quite a large, angry mob had gathered around Misha. Luckily, a language-challenged American always serves as a good diversion - and Masha was able to help Misha escape. When I look back at all of my mission work; I would probably count that day as one of the most missional things I have ever done. Because Masha and I were protestants, it was a natural extension that we would protect someone from harm.
I guess in this conversation, one key distinction must be made clear: we must wait expectantly for Christ to transform our own culture as well. I am strongly opposed to legislative overhauls within the church. True transformation of hearts is needed on this issue. People must be convinced that God loves and accepts all people through an international grassroots effort. No vote at any General Conference will solve this problem - but consistent love and generous grace on a large scale would be able to change hearts and minds. When our denomination makes a stand that all people are worthy of the grace of God and that none is truly righteous to earn the calling of pastor - and extends ordination to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ - this will be one small step in the transformation of the world.
As United Methodist we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. May it be so. Amen.
In opposition, Bishop Whitaker responded, "We have the Church — with a capital C — in many different cultural settings, and in those different cultural settings, there are different understandings of human sexuality. I think in making its decisions, the Church must be mindful of its responsibility to its members in all its cultural settings and not just select ones.”
This is a recurrent line by people who wish that the conversation would go away, and it is basically a moot point.
This statement is a double-edged sword. In some African, Asian, and Eastern European contexts the United Methodist Church would be laughed out the door and seen as a great disgrace for allowing gay and lesbian clergy. In other areas - Western Europe, some Asian countries, and some areas in the Americas - the United Methodist Church is ignored as culturally irrelevant for our sexual hang-ups and lack of acceptance.
I think that it would be foolish of any church to hold cultural norms as a deciding factor in theological ideals. The base point is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms cultures. It doesn't bend and shape until it finds a comfortable position that lines up with society - it re-invents society.
When missionaries first went to Africa they reported cannibalism, inter-tribal warfare, the worship of animistic gods, and all other sorts of evil. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed the lives of those present in the church. For those who have accepted the grace and love of Jesus Christ - animism, cannibalism, and other cultural items have become a historical footnote.
I'm not entirely convinced that our missionaries didn't also bring the strong hatred for GLBT people that is so prevalent. Along with the gospel, we imported many of our own cultural ideas and understandings. This is why many churches in Africa have pipe organs and bell towers. This might also be the reason that Christians in Africa believe it is okay to hate gay and lesbian people.
Ugandan David Kato, a gay rights activist, was recently murdered in his home after local newspapers posted photos and home addresses of many gay and lesbian people fighting for basic human rights. Allegedly, the paper specifically called for mob justice. The church was relatively silent on his death. In other parts of Africa recent reports indicate that the number of "restorative rapes," in which a lesbian is raped by groups of men in order to convince her to become heterosexual, is on the rise.
In Ukraine, where I serve as an Individual Volunteer, GLBT people are scared for their lives. I'm close friends with a lesbian couple - and they risk their lives every time they are seen together in public. I could write stories they have told me about the abuse they and their GLBT friends have endured; but you probably wouldn't believe them. One Christian who visited the United Methodist church in Ukraine asked me, "Do you beat homosexuals in America?" He went on to explain that maybe if we beat homosexuals in America we wouldn't have so many of them. This, he explains, is what he learned at his church.
So, the point has been raised that out of respect for Christians in other cultures we should drop the subject and stop pushing for the ordination of gays and lesbians. I would respond that out of love for the world, we should pray that Christ would transform their cultures - and that we must fight for the safety of gay and lesbian people in all countries.
On a recent trip to the Philippines I attended Makati City UMC. It's a medium size church in a shady section of Manila. Nestled between a trans-gender strip club and a Korean butcher shop, the church is literally caught in the middle of this issue. They have chosen the route of love. They love and support the GLBT community, and the youth are actively seeking ways to reach out to this community on their block.
When I was an exchange student in Russia I lived in a small town. There was only one small protestant church and there was only one other young person who attended. Masha and I were good friends because of our common faith. She came to me one day with a look of absolute brokenness. Her friend Misha, who was gay, was going to get beat up. The boys at school had apparently been planning it for several days and by the time Masha and I got there quite a large, angry mob had gathered around Misha. Luckily, a language-challenged American always serves as a good diversion - and Masha was able to help Misha escape. When I look back at all of my mission work; I would probably count that day as one of the most missional things I have ever done. Because Masha and I were protestants, it was a natural extension that we would protect someone from harm.
I guess in this conversation, one key distinction must be made clear: we must wait expectantly for Christ to transform our own culture as well. I am strongly opposed to legislative overhauls within the church. True transformation of hearts is needed on this issue. People must be convinced that God loves and accepts all people through an international grassroots effort. No vote at any General Conference will solve this problem - but consistent love and generous grace on a large scale would be able to change hearts and minds. When our denomination makes a stand that all people are worthy of the grace of God and that none is truly righteous to earn the calling of pastor - and extends ordination to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ - this will be one small step in the transformation of the world.
As United Methodist we are called to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. May it be so. Amen.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Fred was born the son of a railroad worker. His mother died of throat cancer at 28. His great aunt raised him and his sister until his father could get back on his feet. She died in a tragic car crash some years later.
Fred graduated from high school as a bright 16 year old. He was accepted to West Point. One night he went to a Methodist revival meeting - and after that night he decided that he couldn't in good conscience attend West Point and he decided to become a minister instead. He worked with a Billy Graham crusade out west while he was in school
His education was rocky - but he eventually completed the necessary schooling to become a pastor and a lawyer. He was a great civil rights attorney - one third of the civil rights cases on the docket in Kansas were brought by him and his law firm. His children tell stories of their car windows being shot out while their father dismantled Jim Crowe laws.
Fred Phelps was ordained as the pastor of an independent baptist church. Over the years, he grew tired of watching other churches be weak on the issues of sin. There was a park near his home where many gay men went to find random partners. One day he intercepted as one man tried to lure his five year old son into the bushes. He began to place notices around the park, and asked other churches to join his crusade. As he grew angrier and more violent, the other churches slowly backed off their support. As the other churches showed their love of sin more, he became angrier and more violent.
Today Fred Phelps and his congregation are internationally infamous for their protests and picketing. The young man who pledged his life to God at 16 has followed a path that strays far from religious convention. He has taught his children and his grandchildren to hate in the name of Jesus.
We risk so much in preaching the gospel. We have no control over how people hear the words we say, or what they will do with it. The person in the pew could be the next Billy Graham or the next Fred Phelps. They could take your words out of context and come to any conclusion they want.
And that's a risk we must be willing to take. We must humbly offer our words up to God - in the full knowledge that they are either his or they aren't worth speaking.
Fred graduated from high school as a bright 16 year old. He was accepted to West Point. One night he went to a Methodist revival meeting - and after that night he decided that he couldn't in good conscience attend West Point and he decided to become a minister instead. He worked with a Billy Graham crusade out west while he was in school
His education was rocky - but he eventually completed the necessary schooling to become a pastor and a lawyer. He was a great civil rights attorney - one third of the civil rights cases on the docket in Kansas were brought by him and his law firm. His children tell stories of their car windows being shot out while their father dismantled Jim Crowe laws.
Fred Phelps was ordained as the pastor of an independent baptist church. Over the years, he grew tired of watching other churches be weak on the issues of sin. There was a park near his home where many gay men went to find random partners. One day he intercepted as one man tried to lure his five year old son into the bushes. He began to place notices around the park, and asked other churches to join his crusade. As he grew angrier and more violent, the other churches slowly backed off their support. As the other churches showed their love of sin more, he became angrier and more violent.
Today Fred Phelps and his congregation are internationally infamous for their protests and picketing. The young man who pledged his life to God at 16 has followed a path that strays far from religious convention. He has taught his children and his grandchildren to hate in the name of Jesus.
We risk so much in preaching the gospel. We have no control over how people hear the words we say, or what they will do with it. The person in the pew could be the next Billy Graham or the next Fred Phelps. They could take your words out of context and come to any conclusion they want.
And that's a risk we must be willing to take. We must humbly offer our words up to God - in the full knowledge that they are either his or they aren't worth speaking.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Beatitudes
I'm not very good at reading my Bible as often as I should. I know - this is probably shocking news for everyone. One would assume that as the intern I would be perfect in every way. But, that would be a wrong understanding.
I have various reasons for not reading my Bible. Most often I just forget, or I get distracted, or I'm "too busy," or any other number of excuses. But sometimes I just don't want to read the Bible. Sometimes it's hard to view the Bible as a message of love. After a lifetime spent with this book, and with the people who read it - sometimes I just get really discouraged. I get really furious at the people who misrepresent the Bible to justify their own hate. It makes me really sad to think of all the terrible things throughout history that have been justified by the Bible. It makes me sad that people are still using the Bible for this purpose. It breaks my heart that people who have only read a few select verses feel that they can speak for all of the Bible and for all of Christianity. And sometimes I blame all of this on the Bible itself.
Which, to be honest, that's a really childish response. But, childish or not, it's what I've done for a long time. But I realized a few years ago that there was one part of the Bible that I could always turn to. When things are really bad in my life, when my faith is in tatters, and when the world is really dark I can always turn to this one small section and I can be filled with hope again. Let's turn to the beatitudes and read them today.
:: Matthew 5:3-11 ::
The beatitudes are the opening stanza of the Sermon on the Mount.
They say that the most difficult part of writing a book is writing the first sentence. It's really intimidating to write the first sentence of a sermon as well. Some pastors always start with a joke, others give an update on their lives. I had a pastor once that would always start by talking about the most recent football or basketball scores. It really is unnerving to stand up in front of people and begin a sermon. I feel that it's like jumping in to a swimming pool - it's better to just jump in and get used to the water right away rather than to wade in slowly. Jesus not only jumps into the water - he dives head first into the messy swamp of humanity.
Some call this particular sermon Jesus is preaching, The Upside Down Kingdom. Jesus takes the whole world and turns it upside down.
---
Jonathan and I were roommates in University. We were very close friends and we would talk almost every night until we fell asleep. A lot of the time we would talk about happiness and how to be happier. I was happy while I was in school. I had good friends, a nice apartment, a wonderful church family, and I enjoyed my classes. But I felt that my happiness should depend on what was going on around me. If I got good grades I would be happier. If I ate thick, juicy steak I would be happier than if I ate a more meager diet. I was happy being single, but I felt that if I could just be in a healthy relationship that I would be truly happy.
I was letting outside influences dictate my happiness, not only that but the thoughts and opinions of others also played a huge factor. I didn't like steak more than chicken - but other people thought I should ... so I did.
---
Last year I got a phone call from my friend Jonathan. His call was not a happy one. He was calling to inform me that he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer in several parts of his body. They were measuring his life in months or weeks - not years. There were a lot of unknowns. I just remember vomiting until I was dry heaving. I couldn't keep food down for days. My body and my mind were in shock.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
These aren't some far off promises that some day life will get better. Jesus says, "You are truly blessed when you find yourself mourning." It's not that right now you are mourning, but some day you will be blessed. In this moment of mourning - find yourself blessed.
And we did. Throughout this last year Jonathan has suffered unbelievable hell. He has taken chemotherapy treatments that should have killed him. And through it all his faith in Christ has grown deeper and he has taken a stranglehold on joy. Through this year we have been taught to live in the joy of Christ. We don't try to be happier, we just enjoy the joy that being a small part of God's creation brings.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.
These blessings come with promises. In our meekness we are blessed and we will inherit the earth. In our hunger for righteousness we are blessed and we will be filled.
The promise isn't that we are going to get better. Jesus never promises that we will live up to earthly standards. The poor won't win the lottery, the meek won't become star athletes. But Jesus promises that they will have a much greater reward.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Because we feel so certain that we know how to define success. The new Ukrainian with the bodyguard and the super sexy trophy wife - man, he's living the life. But Jesus challenges us on each assumption. He forces us to look at the beggar with no legs or the blind woman playing her accordion and he makes us see that they are blessed. That God loves them. That we are rewarded for being merciful to them, that we will see God when we can look at them with pure hearts and love them like God does.
If we see anything less than Jesus when we look at these people, we have missed the point. In the beatitudes, Jesus writes an autobiography. Jesus is our model, our example, and our guide.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Who is God's son? Who is the child of God? Who came and lived among us and died that we might find peace with God?
Jesus is the peacemaker, and because of him we too can become peacemakers. We can make a difference in the world around us. Our humble lives of peace lived in service of Jesus of Nazareth will change the world. Jesus shows us the way to live the upside down life - to truly turn the world upside down.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Don't think for a second that you can turn the world upside down without some consequences. When you reject the world's standard of success, the world will reject you.
People will hate you and you will not fit in.
But you will be blessed. You will be a child of God and you will inherit the Promised Land.
Blessed are you!
I have various reasons for not reading my Bible. Most often I just forget, or I get distracted, or I'm "too busy," or any other number of excuses. But sometimes I just don't want to read the Bible. Sometimes it's hard to view the Bible as a message of love. After a lifetime spent with this book, and with the people who read it - sometimes I just get really discouraged. I get really furious at the people who misrepresent the Bible to justify their own hate. It makes me really sad to think of all the terrible things throughout history that have been justified by the Bible. It makes me sad that people are still using the Bible for this purpose. It breaks my heart that people who have only read a few select verses feel that they can speak for all of the Bible and for all of Christianity. And sometimes I blame all of this on the Bible itself.
Which, to be honest, that's a really childish response. But, childish or not, it's what I've done for a long time. But I realized a few years ago that there was one part of the Bible that I could always turn to. When things are really bad in my life, when my faith is in tatters, and when the world is really dark I can always turn to this one small section and I can be filled with hope again. Let's turn to the beatitudes and read them today.
:: Matthew 5:3-11 ::
The beatitudes are the opening stanza of the Sermon on the Mount.
They say that the most difficult part of writing a book is writing the first sentence. It's really intimidating to write the first sentence of a sermon as well. Some pastors always start with a joke, others give an update on their lives. I had a pastor once that would always start by talking about the most recent football or basketball scores. It really is unnerving to stand up in front of people and begin a sermon. I feel that it's like jumping in to a swimming pool - it's better to just jump in and get used to the water right away rather than to wade in slowly. Jesus not only jumps into the water - he dives head first into the messy swamp of humanity.
Some call this particular sermon Jesus is preaching, The Upside Down Kingdom. Jesus takes the whole world and turns it upside down.
---
Jonathan and I were roommates in University. We were very close friends and we would talk almost every night until we fell asleep. A lot of the time we would talk about happiness and how to be happier. I was happy while I was in school. I had good friends, a nice apartment, a wonderful church family, and I enjoyed my classes. But I felt that my happiness should depend on what was going on around me. If I got good grades I would be happier. If I ate thick, juicy steak I would be happier than if I ate a more meager diet. I was happy being single, but I felt that if I could just be in a healthy relationship that I would be truly happy.
I was letting outside influences dictate my happiness, not only that but the thoughts and opinions of others also played a huge factor. I didn't like steak more than chicken - but other people thought I should ... so I did.
---
Last year I got a phone call from my friend Jonathan. His call was not a happy one. He was calling to inform me that he had been diagnosed with stage four cancer in several parts of his body. They were measuring his life in months or weeks - not years. There were a lot of unknowns. I just remember vomiting until I was dry heaving. I couldn't keep food down for days. My body and my mind were in shock.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,for they will be comforted.
These aren't some far off promises that some day life will get better. Jesus says, "You are truly blessed when you find yourself mourning." It's not that right now you are mourning, but some day you will be blessed. In this moment of mourning - find yourself blessed.
And we did. Throughout this last year Jonathan has suffered unbelievable hell. He has taken chemotherapy treatments that should have killed him. And through it all his faith in Christ has grown deeper and he has taken a stranglehold on joy. Through this year we have been taught to live in the joy of Christ. We don't try to be happier, we just enjoy the joy that being a small part of God's creation brings.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.
These blessings come with promises. In our meekness we are blessed and we will inherit the earth. In our hunger for righteousness we are blessed and we will be filled.
The promise isn't that we are going to get better. Jesus never promises that we will live up to earthly standards. The poor won't win the lottery, the meek won't become star athletes. But Jesus promises that they will have a much greater reward.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Because we feel so certain that we know how to define success. The new Ukrainian with the bodyguard and the super sexy trophy wife - man, he's living the life. But Jesus challenges us on each assumption. He forces us to look at the beggar with no legs or the blind woman playing her accordion and he makes us see that they are blessed. That God loves them. That we are rewarded for being merciful to them, that we will see God when we can look at them with pure hearts and love them like God does.
If we see anything less than Jesus when we look at these people, we have missed the point. In the beatitudes, Jesus writes an autobiography. Jesus is our model, our example, and our guide.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Who is God's son? Who is the child of God? Who came and lived among us and died that we might find peace with God?
Jesus is the peacemaker, and because of him we too can become peacemakers. We can make a difference in the world around us. Our humble lives of peace lived in service of Jesus of Nazareth will change the world. Jesus shows us the way to live the upside down life - to truly turn the world upside down.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Don't think for a second that you can turn the world upside down without some consequences. When you reject the world's standard of success, the world will reject you.
People will hate you and you will not fit in.
But you will be blessed. You will be a child of God and you will inherit the Promised Land.
Blessed are you!
Monday, January 17, 2011
Light of the World
This Thursday we are going to have a drama performed. This sermon will be in response to that drama.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
Amen.
Over the weekend I visited the museum at Auschwitz. This was the site of the largest Nazi concentration camps. More than a million people were murdered there. It was really overwhelming more than anything else. I kept wanting to change the subject in my head, to push out the bad. I kept turning to the song that we sing at Pilgrims so often. In my head I would start singing, "Oh, how he loves us..." but then my inner voice would scream, "Stop!" "Don't love us ... look at how evil we are! Look at what we are capable of doing! Why would you ever love us?"
And my sins aren't that great either. While I've never masterminded the genocide of a people, I have messed up the lives of others in fairly substantial ways. I've hurt other people and felt no sympathy. I have committed terrible sins. My sins are great, but my savior is greater.
My pastor told this story once. He knew a man who was very strict and severe. The man was very conservative and was very strict with his daughters. They weren't allowed to date until they were 18. When his youngest daughter was in college she got knocked up.
He immediately disowned her and vowed that he would never speak to her again. But nine months later the baby was born and his wife was able to convince him to see the new baby. She was certain that if he could just see the little bundle of joy that all would be forgiven.
The day came and his daughter walked into the house with the baby in her arms. The man took the baby in his own arms and sat down in his chair. He held the baby in his arms and began to cry.
He stood back up and he handed the baby back to its mother. He said, "I never want to see you or this baby again."
These last few weeks we have celebrated the birth of Jesus - we have enjoyed the traditions of our Christian faith. We have looked the Holy Baby in the face - and now we must make the decision. Do we want him to be a part of our lives? Or will we reject him? We can't just pretend that everything is okay. We can't say that we like the idea of the baby but that we like our lives they way they are. If we want Christ to have a part in our lives, we must be ready to give him all of our lives.
It's during these times that we are most likely to lose our focus and our connection. It's a dark time right now for many of us. We're busy studying and we have so many things to do. It's hard to balance finals and holidays and the people we love. It's harder to make Christ the center for all of that time. I know that this upcoming week is going to be especially challenging for many of you. I love nothing more than an extra challenge! Around this room there are sign up sheets. We are going to have a busy-persons' retreat this week.
This will be a time for us to gather together, to relax, to calm down, and to re-energize our souls. We will focus on the beatitudes. There are five options - and I want everyone to choose at least one of these options. They are each offered on different days and at different times. I want everyone to set aside one extra hour this week to focus on God and what God has in store for our lives.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
Amen.
Over the weekend I visited the museum at Auschwitz. This was the site of the largest Nazi concentration camps. More than a million people were murdered there. It was really overwhelming more than anything else. I kept wanting to change the subject in my head, to push out the bad. I kept turning to the song that we sing at Pilgrims so often. In my head I would start singing, "Oh, how he loves us..." but then my inner voice would scream, "Stop!" "Don't love us ... look at how evil we are! Look at what we are capable of doing! Why would you ever love us?"
And my sins aren't that great either. While I've never masterminded the genocide of a people, I have messed up the lives of others in fairly substantial ways. I've hurt other people and felt no sympathy. I have committed terrible sins. My sins are great, but my savior is greater.
My pastor told this story once. He knew a man who was very strict and severe. The man was very conservative and was very strict with his daughters. They weren't allowed to date until they were 18. When his youngest daughter was in college she got knocked up.
He immediately disowned her and vowed that he would never speak to her again. But nine months later the baby was born and his wife was able to convince him to see the new baby. She was certain that if he could just see the little bundle of joy that all would be forgiven.
The day came and his daughter walked into the house with the baby in her arms. The man took the baby in his own arms and sat down in his chair. He held the baby in his arms and began to cry.
He stood back up and he handed the baby back to its mother. He said, "I never want to see you or this baby again."
These last few weeks we have celebrated the birth of Jesus - we have enjoyed the traditions of our Christian faith. We have looked the Holy Baby in the face - and now we must make the decision. Do we want him to be a part of our lives? Or will we reject him? We can't just pretend that everything is okay. We can't say that we like the idea of the baby but that we like our lives they way they are. If we want Christ to have a part in our lives, we must be ready to give him all of our lives.
It's during these times that we are most likely to lose our focus and our connection. It's a dark time right now for many of us. We're busy studying and we have so many things to do. It's hard to balance finals and holidays and the people we love. It's harder to make Christ the center for all of that time. I know that this upcoming week is going to be especially challenging for many of you. I love nothing more than an extra challenge! Around this room there are sign up sheets. We are going to have a busy-persons' retreat this week.
This will be a time for us to gather together, to relax, to calm down, and to re-energize our souls. We will focus on the beatitudes. There are five options - and I want everyone to choose at least one of these options. They are each offered on different days and at different times. I want everyone to set aside one extra hour this week to focus on God and what God has in store for our lives.
The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has never put it out.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
January Game
http://www.supercook.com/
So, this is a fun tool for mid-stage January game play. You can enter all the ingredients you have in your house and it will generate recipes for you based on the food you currently have.
It could definitely use more vegetarian options (or I could have stock piled more meat in December) and it would be best if you could sort foods by complexity (i.e: to be able to make the dish that uses the most ingredients) or the strangest (i.e: to find a recipe that calls for coconut milk before I use up everything else I would need to use the coconut milk.
So, this is a fun tool for mid-stage January game play. You can enter all the ingredients you have in your house and it will generate recipes for you based on the food you currently have.
It could definitely use more vegetarian options (or I could have stock piled more meat in December) and it would be best if you could sort foods by complexity (i.e: to be able to make the dish that uses the most ingredients) or the strangest (i.e: to find a recipe that calls for coconut milk before I use up everything else I would need to use the coconut milk.
My Birthday Party
I'm officially 24. Here's a short video of the party we had at the student center.
Friday, January 07, 2011
January Game post #3
So, the only thing I've been getting rid of lately has been my money. It was my birthday and I broke the rules a few times. I might break them again. The good news is that I now have a refrigerator full of leftovers and a well stocked pantry to destroy this month.
Debbie Airgood, who also plays the January game, made her first purchase of the month. She found a can of discontinued Pumpkin and bought it. Shelf life, Shmelf life. I wish I had her commitment.
I also received a ton of birthday presents. So far I'm definitely losing the January game. But, the holidays are over - and I think that I'm going to do just fine the rest of the month.
Debbie Airgood, who also plays the January game, made her first purchase of the month. She found a can of discontinued Pumpkin and bought it. Shelf life, Shmelf life. I wish I had her commitment.
I also received a ton of birthday presents. So far I'm definitely losing the January game. But, the holidays are over - and I think that I'm going to do just fine the rest of the month.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
January Game #2
So today I cleaned out my inbox and my wallet. I deleted over 600 messages ... which still leaves over 700 messages! At least I tried.
I also cleaned out my wallet - only to discover that my debit card will no longer work because it is past the expiration date. So ... I only have a small amount of cash and my credit card until my new debit card comes in the mail. Haha. I generally plan ahead for such circumstances!
I also cleaned out my wallet - only to discover that my debit card will no longer work because it is past the expiration date. So ... I only have a small amount of cash and my credit card until my new debit card comes in the mail. Haha. I generally plan ahead for such circumstances!
Monday, January 03, 2011
January Game post #1
Okay. These are the first two things I've removed from my life. This is one of my suitcases. The wheels don't work anymore, and I've been worrying about carting it home. So - I will officially return to the states with only one suitcase.
My mystery St. Nicholas gave this to me. Sadly, it's arm broke off. I figured that I would eventually throw it away when I left, so I might as well bite the bullet today and chuck it. It was a nice gift idea ... so thanks if you gave it to me.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The January Game
So this year I will resume the January Game.
Last January I was reliant upon the kindness of strangers for my housing - and while I briefly advocated the January Game, it was Mongolia and things stored in freezers were meant to last as long as possible and to be savored rarely.
The basic rules of the January Game are simple:
1. Don't purchase any food until you have finished everything in storage.
2. You may buy bread, milk, and one other item each week.
3. Create one new feature to enhance the game and personalize it - the new feature should focus on simplifying life, generating surprise income, or saving money.
My friends Jared and Janet (and now Jovi Indigo!) Kaup taught me the game a few years ago. In the final days of January we ate a shrimp pizza made from biscuit dough, shrimp dipping sauce, Parmesan cheese, and frozen shrimp. It was delicious.
One January I put all of my books up for sale on Amazon and made a few hundred dollars. The same January my friends cleaned our the garage and returned all unused supplies to the hardware stores they had purchased the items at. You would be surprised the amount of cash that we just sit on in our daily lives.
This year will be a little difficult because I live with roommates and they eat my food - so I don't have much stockpiled. I envision a lot of rice happening at the end of the month.
My extra component this year will focus on simplifying my life.
I will remove one item a day from my life. This means that I will either throw away, give away, sell, return, or re-purpose one item every day.
On January 1st I will throw away one of my suitcases. The wheels are broken, and I have been dreading carting it to the airport in that condition - so instead I will only take one suitcase back to the states. This means that I will need to let go of many things between now and then. When I have the time and energy I will post pictures and stories of things as they leave me throughout the month of January.
Last January I was reliant upon the kindness of strangers for my housing - and while I briefly advocated the January Game, it was Mongolia and things stored in freezers were meant to last as long as possible and to be savored rarely.
The basic rules of the January Game are simple:
1. Don't purchase any food until you have finished everything in storage.
2. You may buy bread, milk, and one other item each week.
3. Create one new feature to enhance the game and personalize it - the new feature should focus on simplifying life, generating surprise income, or saving money.
My friends Jared and Janet (and now Jovi Indigo!) Kaup taught me the game a few years ago. In the final days of January we ate a shrimp pizza made from biscuit dough, shrimp dipping sauce, Parmesan cheese, and frozen shrimp. It was delicious.
One January I put all of my books up for sale on Amazon and made a few hundred dollars. The same January my friends cleaned our the garage and returned all unused supplies to the hardware stores they had purchased the items at. You would be surprised the amount of cash that we just sit on in our daily lives.
This year will be a little difficult because I live with roommates and they eat my food - so I don't have much stockpiled. I envision a lot of rice happening at the end of the month.
My extra component this year will focus on simplifying my life.
I will remove one item a day from my life. This means that I will either throw away, give away, sell, return, or re-purpose one item every day.
On January 1st I will throw away one of my suitcases. The wheels are broken, and I have been dreading carting it to the airport in that condition - so instead I will only take one suitcase back to the states. This means that I will need to let go of many things between now and then. When I have the time and energy I will post pictures and stories of things as they leave me throughout the month of January.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Togetherness
[This is the sermon for the sixth week of Advent. We will read the stories of the Magi and the Shepherds and light the разом (togetherness) candle. With this sermon, we will finish discussing each of the major players in the birth narrative. The following Friday Pastors David Goran and Lyubomir Rudko will preach together for the Christmas sermon. That will be followed by a "leftover lunch."]
The magi are exactly the people we would expect to be searching for the baby king. They are wealthy and wise. They knew enough to follow a strange star in the west as far as it would take them. They knew that they were coming upon something wonderful – but they don’t know exactly what they are looking for. They bring lavish gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are expensive gifts – but they are gifts better suited to an old man; they are burial items. Kings were buried with gold – and mummified using these spices. The gifts they bring prove that they were not expecting to find a baby in a manger at the end of their journey.
The shepherds weren’t expecting to go on a journey at all. They were quietly watching their sheep at night when an angel shoots into the sky. The terrified common laborers are ready to head for the hills when the angel explains that a baby is coming and that baby is the promised Messiah. And after this amazing light show they all begin to lead their sheep into the chaotic city because they don’t want to miss a thing.
The magi are wealthy elites. The shepherds are poor and dirty. We see both of these groups in our time.
We see the new Ukrainians in their fancy cars that we couldn’t even afford to wash.
We see the people working to fix our streets and the children raising chickens in the village.
But we don’t see these peoples coming together. We don’t see them sitting in a cafĂ© and sharing lunch or working together on some project. We never associate these people.
But in the story of the birth of Jesus these two groups are side by side. They are both given miraculous signs showing that something amazing is happening – and they both follow because they don’t want to miss out.
My friend Joe was a pastor at a very large church in a city in America. The church was very old and historic, as well as very rich. There was one man in particular who was filthy rich. He was old money – his family had been unfathomably wealthy for generations. He was really a stereotype of wealthy people. He wore a three-piece suit to church every Sunday. He was driven into the city by his driver.
One Sunday the church was particularly full. There were very few seats left. Right before the service began a homeless man walked in. If you hadn’t seen him you would have smelled him. He wandered up and down the aisle looking for a seat. Everyone was a little astonished to hear the voice of the rich man in the three piece suit. He said, “Excuse me, sir? There’s a seat right over here” as he moved over. The homeless man squeezed into the seat next to the wealthy man – and they worshipped together.
The story of Jesus is the only thing that can bring people together. Only the grace of God can bring wealthy rulers and poor farmers into the same barn to see the miracle of the baby king.
Because of Jesus we can put our differences aside and share life together. This Friday (the 7th) we are going to come together and share a meal. On the days leading up to Christmas we will all be busy preparing the twelve traditional dishes to share with our families – and after the huge feast we will all be left with lots of food. We are asking that the following morning you pack up some of that food and bring it here to share with us.
The idea is that we all will bring different food prepared in different ways by different people. But, when we bring it all together we will share in a complete feast. We will be able to come together and relax and enjoy each other’s company. And in the same way God has brought us to this place. We all have different personalities and gifts – but God brings us together into one body. Together we can do more than we could ever dream to do alone. Together we are complete.
The Magi and the Shepherds show us that all may come to the King and worship. Gentile or Jew, white or black, rich or poor, foreign or local, educated or simple – it doesn’t matter who you are. What matters is that we are willing to come into the manger and worship the King - together.
Amen.
The magi are exactly the people we would expect to be searching for the baby king. They are wealthy and wise. They knew enough to follow a strange star in the west as far as it would take them. They knew that they were coming upon something wonderful – but they don’t know exactly what they are looking for. They bring lavish gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are expensive gifts – but they are gifts better suited to an old man; they are burial items. Kings were buried with gold – and mummified using these spices. The gifts they bring prove that they were not expecting to find a baby in a manger at the end of their journey.
The shepherds weren’t expecting to go on a journey at all. They were quietly watching their sheep at night when an angel shoots into the sky. The terrified common laborers are ready to head for the hills when the angel explains that a baby is coming and that baby is the promised Messiah. And after this amazing light show they all begin to lead their sheep into the chaotic city because they don’t want to miss a thing.
The magi are wealthy elites. The shepherds are poor and dirty. We see both of these groups in our time.
We see the new Ukrainians in their fancy cars that we couldn’t even afford to wash.
We see the people working to fix our streets and the children raising chickens in the village.
But we don’t see these peoples coming together. We don’t see them sitting in a cafĂ© and sharing lunch or working together on some project. We never associate these people.
But in the story of the birth of Jesus these two groups are side by side. They are both given miraculous signs showing that something amazing is happening – and they both follow because they don’t want to miss out.
My friend Joe was a pastor at a very large church in a city in America. The church was very old and historic, as well as very rich. There was one man in particular who was filthy rich. He was old money – his family had been unfathomably wealthy for generations. He was really a stereotype of wealthy people. He wore a three-piece suit to church every Sunday. He was driven into the city by his driver.
One Sunday the church was particularly full. There were very few seats left. Right before the service began a homeless man walked in. If you hadn’t seen him you would have smelled him. He wandered up and down the aisle looking for a seat. Everyone was a little astonished to hear the voice of the rich man in the three piece suit. He said, “Excuse me, sir? There’s a seat right over here” as he moved over. The homeless man squeezed into the seat next to the wealthy man – and they worshipped together.
The story of Jesus is the only thing that can bring people together. Only the grace of God can bring wealthy rulers and poor farmers into the same barn to see the miracle of the baby king.
Because of Jesus we can put our differences aside and share life together. This Friday (the 7th) we are going to come together and share a meal. On the days leading up to Christmas we will all be busy preparing the twelve traditional dishes to share with our families – and after the huge feast we will all be left with lots of food. We are asking that the following morning you pack up some of that food and bring it here to share with us.
The idea is that we all will bring different food prepared in different ways by different people. But, when we bring it all together we will share in a complete feast. We will be able to come together and relax and enjoy each other’s company. And in the same way God has brought us to this place. We all have different personalities and gifts – but God brings us together into one body. Together we can do more than we could ever dream to do alone. Together we are complete.
The Magi and the Shepherds show us that all may come to the King and worship. Gentile or Jew, white or black, rich or poor, foreign or local, educated or simple – it doesn’t matter who you are. What matters is that we are willing to come into the manger and worship the King - together.
Amen.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Words matter.
Growing up we used to sing-song, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."
Now, clearly this is the greatest lie we were taught as children - because words do hurt.
There has recently been a campaign to stop using "The 'I-word' because of it's inherently negative implications. Illegal, is the "I-word" if you missed it ... because I know I did. I had to read the article a few times to catch the reference. To reference immigrants as "illegals" is hurtful.
When I lived in Korea, I constantly heard the Korean words for "foreigner" and "American." It was the tone and the staring that hurt most. Daily I was reminded that there was something shameful about my presence. Being treated poorly didn't make me want to become a stronger member of society.
In Ukraine I am at least given a little dignity - and I work hard to return the favor. I work harder to learn Ukrainian because I know that I will be rewarded for my effort. I adopt many Ukrainian habits and customs because I genuinely enjoy a culture that would welcome and accept me.
The huge part of the immigration problem in America is that we fail to show respect. Our motivation for showing respect is not that they have earned it, but because we are good people. We are better than racist slurs and hurtful comments. Let's work hard so that they will have a reason to work hard. Let's be kind, welcoming, and generous - and let's watch todays illegals become tomorrows productive citizens.
Growing up we used to sing-song, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me."
Now, clearly this is the greatest lie we were taught as children - because words do hurt.
There has recently been a campaign to stop using "The 'I-word' because of it's inherently negative implications. Illegal, is the "I-word" if you missed it ... because I know I did. I had to read the article a few times to catch the reference. To reference immigrants as "illegals" is hurtful.
When I lived in Korea, I constantly heard the Korean words for "foreigner" and "American." It was the tone and the staring that hurt most. Daily I was reminded that there was something shameful about my presence. Being treated poorly didn't make me want to become a stronger member of society.
In Ukraine I am at least given a little dignity - and I work hard to return the favor. I work harder to learn Ukrainian because I know that I will be rewarded for my effort. I adopt many Ukrainian habits and customs because I genuinely enjoy a culture that would welcome and accept me.
The huge part of the immigration problem in America is that we fail to show respect. Our motivation for showing respect is not that they have earned it, but because we are good people. We are better than racist slurs and hurtful comments. Let's work hard so that they will have a reason to work hard. Let's be kind, welcoming, and generous - and let's watch todays illegals become tomorrows productive citizens.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Dort.
My grandmother was a terrible driver. In my memory she didn't drive until after her husband had passed away. It seems that she sold the clunky "free-candy" van that my grandfather preferred and traded up for a rice-burner of some variety. There was a lot of shame in what seemed to me a no-brainer. Grandma wore a foam neck-brace for a while after an accident of some kind, but I think that after every drive to the corner store she could have used her neck brace.
And, yes, she would drive to the corner store. She would come back later if there wasn't a convenient parking space, too. Once, after she had moved to live closer to our family, I was riding with grandma in her car. We pulled into the first intersection off of her street and were almost hit by an oncoming truck. Grandma quickly whipped up her stubby little arm and threw out her stubby, middle finger.
"Grandma! How could you flip him off?"
"I didn't flip nobody off. I wouldn't do nothing like that."
" Grandma! I saw you flip him off!"
"Well, he deserved it."
Grandma made a much better backseat driver. I laughed riotously through Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find." I had been the child strapped into the back seat with that old woman. I knew her well. Grandma was the best backseat driver in the world.
If anyone even tapped the breaks with a little too much gusto her goiter would start acting up or some such nonsense. It was always something. The arm that would fly twelve feet up into the air during a rendition of the "chicken dance" at a wedding or hoe-down couldn't muster the altitude or strength to reach for the seatbelt.
This was always the first argument. It was never the last.
As a child it was just an assumed fact that a car was either going too fast or too slow. Prodded by my grandmother's nagging I assumed that the speed limit was a fixed number. If the sign read 55, cars were expected to drive at exactly 55 MPH - the wand couldn't be at 54 and certainly not at 56. I still drive with this secret knowledge.
With Dort as the backseat driver we never arrived anywhere too early or too late. We never veered off course. We never stopped to see side attractions that would prolong our trip for another second.
Theology is a great backseat driver. It keeps us on track and in a timely manner. But, in all honesty, it's probably a terrible driver. Theology should always take a back seat to the practice of loving people. If your theology isn't big enough to include someone or some group in those you count as beloved - you have probably let theology sit in the driver's seat for far too long.
Because theology finds it far too easy to flip people off. When we focus on the intellectual pursuits of our faith it is much too easy to forget about people. Suddenly figuring out the exact number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin becomes more important than having people over for dinner and a movie.
But we can't dispense of theology. We need it's ever-present voice nagging from the backseat. We need our love to be tempered with truth and our actions to speak to a greater understanding.
It's important that theology is along for the ride, but it's equally important that it's not steering the car.
And, yes, she would drive to the corner store. She would come back later if there wasn't a convenient parking space, too. Once, after she had moved to live closer to our family, I was riding with grandma in her car. We pulled into the first intersection off of her street and were almost hit by an oncoming truck. Grandma quickly whipped up her stubby little arm and threw out her stubby, middle finger.
"Grandma! How could you flip him off?"
"I didn't flip nobody off. I wouldn't do nothing like that."
" Grandma! I saw you flip him off!"
"Well, he deserved it."
Grandma made a much better backseat driver. I laughed riotously through Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find." I had been the child strapped into the back seat with that old woman. I knew her well. Grandma was the best backseat driver in the world.
If anyone even tapped the breaks with a little too much gusto her goiter would start acting up or some such nonsense. It was always something. The arm that would fly twelve feet up into the air during a rendition of the "chicken dance" at a wedding or hoe-down couldn't muster the altitude or strength to reach for the seatbelt.
This was always the first argument. It was never the last.
As a child it was just an assumed fact that a car was either going too fast or too slow. Prodded by my grandmother's nagging I assumed that the speed limit was a fixed number. If the sign read 55, cars were expected to drive at exactly 55 MPH - the wand couldn't be at 54 and certainly not at 56. I still drive with this secret knowledge.
With Dort as the backseat driver we never arrived anywhere too early or too late. We never veered off course. We never stopped to see side attractions that would prolong our trip for another second.
Theology is a great backseat driver. It keeps us on track and in a timely manner. But, in all honesty, it's probably a terrible driver. Theology should always take a back seat to the practice of loving people. If your theology isn't big enough to include someone or some group in those you count as beloved - you have probably let theology sit in the driver's seat for far too long.
Because theology finds it far too easy to flip people off. When we focus on the intellectual pursuits of our faith it is much too easy to forget about people. Suddenly figuring out the exact number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin becomes more important than having people over for dinner and a movie.
But we can't dispense of theology. We need it's ever-present voice nagging from the backseat. We need our love to be tempered with truth and our actions to speak to a greater understanding.
It's important that theology is along for the ride, but it's equally important that it's not steering the car.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Students First
If there is one cause to support - this is it. Michelle Rhee has launched a new initiative to reform education.
If anyone is capable of such an undertaking - it is her.
I really encourage you to check out studentsfirst.org and consider how you can be part of lasting change in your community.
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