Paying Attention

Saying Thank You

2010-03-04T23:39:00.002-06:00

Do you think we could change the world if hundreds, thousands of us started to say thank you more often?

Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, had a personal philosophy that she taught her sales reps. She sent out three handwritten thank you notes every night before bed.

Not only did this allow her to express gratitude to the people she met and did business with, but it helped her to maintain a positive attitude all day long as she sought out people to say thank you to.

Oprah Winfrey talks about keeping a gratitude journal, where you write down five things you're grateful for every day. What if, instead of writing them in a journal, you sent them in a card. That would improve not only your life, but also the lives of the people who receive them.

Too hard, you say? You don't have enough time to write three handwritten cards a day? How about just two? Heck, how about just one? And what if there was a way you could send out one handwritten note in five minutes? Would you do it? What difference do you think it would make in your life?

Can you find one person a day to thank? How about the waitress who served you lunch? Or your neighbor for shoveling your walk? How about your spouse for taking out the trash or washing the dishes or cooking a fine meal or just for being your spouse? What about your child or your sister or your pastor or your teacher? What about thanking the person who made the biggest difference in your life?

Lately I've been having fun thanking people I don't know personally. A pastor/writer whose resources I'm using right now. The hosts of a radio show. Someone whose website I benefited from. And some people I don't know all that well, like the new activities director at my mom's assisted living facility.

My next project is to thank people whom I don't particularly like right now. It will do me good to think about something I can thank them for. And then I want to thank the people who have made a profound impact on my life.

Who would you like to thank?

Loving the Questions

2009-12-14T13:28:00.001-06:00

Do you have questions about God? About the Bible? Do you sometimes struggle with concepts such as sin and hell? Do you wonder at times how you’re supposed to live as a Christian? Do you wish you could sit down with Jesus for an hour one evening and ask all the questions you have?

You’re not alone. Jacob wrestled all night with a man (an angel? God himself?) and afterward the man said to Jacob, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” Jacob physically wrestled with the man, but it’s a great image for the way we sometimes struggle mentally and emotionally with God.

The whole book of Job is about Job asking why bad things happened to him. Job did have a sit down with God, and God’s answer? “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the world?” In other words, there are some things we just won’t know because we’re not God.

Paul said, “For we know only in part…now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face.”

If we’re not going to know everything fully here on earth, what’s the point of asking? Well, the point is the asking. The struggle, the questioning, the seeking is the point. Rainer Maria Rilke said in his Letters to a Young Poet:

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves...do not seek the answers which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them and the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

In January, I’m going to preach a sermon series on the Questions of the Faith, questions about sin and hell and salvation. I do it with fear and trembling, first of all because people often expect pastors to have all the answers, and I don’t. I’ve been waiting for years to preach a sermon on heaven and hell, because I’m waiting until I have it all figured out. I don’t yet. So I’m not going to give you the answers, we’re going to live the questions together.

And the second reason I do this with fear and trembling is because many people think they have to agree with their pastor about everything. And you won’t. I can guarantee it. You might think that because I’ve studied theology and the Bible for three years in seminary, I should have all the answers. But if you read many of the Biblical commentaries, you’ll realize that very educated and wise people often reach different conclusions.

So I invite you to join me on the journey of asking our difficult faith questions, and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us all. What are your biggest questions of faith?

Quotecard

2009-12-02T19:37:00.000-06:00

Mondays

2009-11-30T20:42:00.000-06:00

My friend Mark wrote on Facebook, "I like Mondays. TGIM!"

I agree. I love Mondays.

I know for Christians, Sunday is supposed to be the beginning of the week. It's not for me. It's the end. The culmination. The crescendo of my week.

Monday is the beginning.

I know many pastors take Monday off. It makes sense. After an exhausting day, it helps to have a day of rest. And since most of the time I'm not fully prepared for worship until right before it happens (and sometimes after it happens), you'd think I'd prefer my sabbath to be the day I'm not thinking about what's ahead.

But I love working on Mondays. Of course, I start slowly. I wake up when my body tells me to. I drink coffee and read in bed for a while. Then I straighten the house (it's usually a mess from the weekend). And I go through the piles on my desk.

And I start thinking about the week to come. The scripture and the sermon. They hymns and prayers for worship. Sunday school. Pastoral care visits and meetings and nursing home services. I can think and dream and plan and brainstorm.

One of my favorite characters, Anne Shirley, from Anne of Green Gables, says, "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?"

That's how I see Mondays: a new week, fresh and clean and full of possibilities, with no mistakes in it yet.

Christmas Values

2009-11-17T00:57:00.002-06:00

I’ve been thinking about Christmas lately. Our church's Advent Planning Team just met. I found the perfect quote for my Christmas cards (from our Sunday school curriculum!). And I’ve started to think about gifts.

So I’ve pulled out my favorite book about Christmas, Unplug the Christmas Machine, by Jo Robinson & Jean Coppock Staeheli. They talk about rethinking how we celebrate Christmas, taking some of the stress and materialism out and putting love and joy back in.

The authors have gone around the country doing workshops. In the workshops, they ask people to imagine what their perfect Christmas would be like.

What would the celebration be like if [you] could throw out all [your] old ideas and habits and start anew with only [your] personal tastes and preferences to take into account. The only requirement is that [you] imagine the Christmas that makes [you] feel most fulfilled.

I did the exercise a few years ago. I imagined being in a log cabin in the woods, with snow falling outside and a fire crackling inside, being with a few close family members, and enjoying a relaxing Christmas. What would your perfect Christmas look like?

Another exercise is to read through ten value statements. Cross off the ones that don’t mean anything to you. Add others that are important to you that aren’t included. Then rank the remaining items.

• Christmas is a time to be a peacemaker, within my family and the world at large.
• Christmas is a time to enjoy being with my immediate family.
• Christmas is a time to create a beautiful home environment.
• Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ.
• Christmas is a time to exchange gifts with my family and friends.
• Christmas is a time for parties, entertaining, and visits with friends.
• Christmas is a time to help those who are less fortunate.
• Christmas is a time to strengthen bonds with my relatives.
• Christmas is a time to strengthen my church community.
• Christmas is a time to be relaxed and renewed.

What are your top values for Christmas? There are no right or wrong answers. There are only the right answers for you.

I pray that this Christmas will be all that you want it to be.

Staying in Touch

2009-11-13T17:42:00.001-06:00

Several years ago I did a funeral for a woman who had died of breast cancer. It made me really sad. Not because she died of breast cancer, or because she was so young (in her 40s), although that was tragic.

She was very good at staying in touch with her friends, even a friend from kindergarten. At her funeral, all those friends and family members gathered to honor her and support one another. What made me sad is that I am not very good at staying in touch with people.

How many people have I lost track of because I didn't write?

My elementary school friend Barb. She doesn't live very far from me. We connected again after years of not seeing one another, but I've let that slip away once again.

My college friends Kara and Zoe, and Andrew and Marjorie, Julia and Todd. Luckily Facebook has helped me re-connect with them.

My friend Sirkka, from Finland. She was my best friend when I spent my junior year abroad in Athens, Greece.

My birth mom. I'm adopted, and I met my birth mom for the first time eight years ago. But I don't write very often.

My friend Victoria, from Malawi, Africa. After her husband died, I even bought a sympathy card. But it never got mailed.

I always wanted to be better at staying in touch with people. Facebook has helped. But I've also found another way to stay in touch. Now I can send out a paper greeting card in about five minutes.

I'm hoping this will help me stay connected to the people who matter to me. Who knows? Perhaps I'll even start sending out Christmas cards every year!

The WOW Factor

2009-10-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

Ah, stewardship season. My favorite time of the year. Not most people's because we've been taught that stewardship is about guilt and deprivation. It's not. It's about extravagance and generosity.

In last Sunday's sermon I talked about the fulfillment curve, a concept from the book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. I also wanted to talk about the WOW factor, from The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzcyn, but I didn't have time. So I'll share it with you.

Amy and her husband Jim had six children. They also had a goal of buying an old farm house on Jim's salary while Amy stayed home with the kids. They learned some excellent money-saving strategies, hence Amy's Tightwad Gazette newsletter, which is now a book (actually three of them). One principal they practiced with their kids was the WOW factor.

Amy often bought her kid's clothes at garage sales. One year she asked her daughter Jamie if she needed new boots. She didn't. But later on the in the season she wanted green L.L. Bean style boots like her classmates. Before hitting the stores, they went to their church's thrift shop. Miracle upon miracle, she found the exact boots she wanted, only they were plum colored instead of green. Amy bought them anyway, and then at home talked to her daughter about them.

"These boots are almost exactly what you want. Do you think we should spend $25 to buy new boots for you?"

"Mmmmoooommm! I didn't say 'new,' I said 'green'!"

"Okay, plum-colored boots cost .25 cents and green boots cost $25. Are green boots a hundred times better than plum-colored ones?"

She admitted they weren't and quite contentedly wore the plum-colored boots for the rest of the winter.

That would never work with my child, you say. Perhaps not, but maybe because we haven't learned how to use that principal with ourselves. When we go to buy something, we can ask ourselves will the more expensive version give us that much more satisfaction?

Say you were deciding between a $500 camping trip and a $5000 cruise. The camping trip, on a scale of 1 to 10, would be a five. So that's $100/wow. The cruise would be a 10, which is $500/wow. Would you enjoy the cruise five times more than the camping trip? And what if you spent that $4500 you didn't spend on the cruise on other things that had a higher wow factor? You might end up with 40, 50, or more wows for the same 10 wows you spent on the cruise.

Stewardship is about using the resources that God has given us to the best of our ability. One way I do that is to give each purchase the wow test.

Passing the Peace

2009-10-07T11:06:00.002-05:00

Deanna, JeNel, Bill and I led worship at the Golden Age Nursing Home today. Later today, Nancy, Jim and I are going to take communion to two of our members who live in Assisted Living. I don't do a very good job scheduling those things, but once I'm there, I love it.

My favorite part of the service is "passing the peace." When we do that in a regular worship service, it's often kind of a surface thing, a casual greeting, a handshake. But when I do it at the nursing home, I touch someone, lightly on the shoulder or the hand, I look into their eyes, and I say, "The peace of Christ be with you." I go to every person there, whether they're asleep or not, whether they understand or not.

Maybe it's like Jesus blessing the children.

Something happens when we lay a hand on someone, and ask God to bless them. Something happens when we say, "The peace of Christ be with you," and mean it.

Not only are they blessed, but I am, too.

Are You Content?

2009-10-05T21:33:00.001-05:00

Last night our small group met to discuss the third week of Adam Hamilton's study, Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity. We talked about "cultivating contentment." We were asked "What things in your life are you discontent with? What things in your life are you content with?"

I'm very content with parts of my life. I love my husband and we have a wonderful marriage. I'm very close with my family and friends. My congregation and I are a great match, and I'm nourished and challenged by my job. And my two cats are starting to get along with each other.

Of course there are parts of my life I'm not satisfied with: eating habits, exercise, getting things done, and my prayer life.

But during the discussion, I realized that even though I am content, I don't feel content much of the time. Two weeks ago we had an incredible worship service. We had five children in Sunday school and seven who came down for the children's sermon (for our small church those are fantastic numbers). The music was powerful and moving. The children's sermon was lively and fun, and nailed the point I was trying to make (to both the kids and the adults). The sermon was good. It was one of those worship services where you feel the Spirit moving.

I enjoyed it, yes. But shortly afterward I started focusing on how frazzled I was. Trying to do too many things and some of them not working right. Not enough time between Sunday school and worship. Not able to be fully present with the people in front of me. And then I jumped into the new week without so much as a backward glance.

The reason I don't feel more content is because I don't pause long enough to think about the good things that just happened. What if I spent even five minutes on Sunday afternoon reflecting with God about the service? What if I journaled for a few minutes, painting a picture of the gifts I had received that morning? What if I called my mom or emailed my friend Linda and shared with them what had happened?

I'd like to start doing the examen. Every night, or every week, or whenever you choose, light a candle to acknowledge God's presence, and ask yourself two questions: 1) For what moment today am I most grateful? 2) For what moment today am I least grateful? The book Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives You Life explains the examen in more detail.

So here I go. For what moment today am I most grateful? Thinking about my sermon for Sunday enough that I have the kernel of what it will be about. And since I want to feel contentment, I'm not going to do the second half.

Now for five minutes, I'm going to feel content by thinking about all the things I'm most grateful for.

Preparing for Worship

2009-09-25T13:41:00.000-05:00

How do I prepare for worship? If I'm not leading it, I show up. If I'm there a few minutes ahead, I'll read through the bulletin.

If I am leading worship, I usually don't have everything ready before my weekend. I spend the weekend with my husband, either in Centerville or Omaha, and during my "time off" I'm usually worrying about the sermon or the worship service. Sunday morning I get up early, 5 or 6am depending on how much I still have to do. I finish up the sermon, the children's sermon, the pastoral prayer, and any technology I might be using. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to practice the sermon once. I'm teaching children's Sunday school this year, so a couple of weeks ago I've added preparing for class and getting to church even earlier to my Sunday morning routine. Doesn't make for a very worshipful time for me. The prayer of confession I pray most often is, "I'm sorry for not being better prepared."

As I was sharing this with my spiritual director, she said, "What would it look like if you really prepared spiritually for worship?" I got a smile on my face and said, "Wow! If my sermon and everything else were already prepared, I could get up a little early, have a cup of coffee, and spend time in prayer."

I want my Sunday mornings to look like that. So my goal is to get everything ready at that beginning of the week so that my Saturdays and Sundays can be rest and preparation for worship.

It's Friday at 1:30pm. Sunday school is almost ready (I just have to glue a shepherd and sheep onto sticks). The pastoral prayer is ready. The children's sermon is ready. The video for the Peacemaking offering is ready. The sermon is not quite ready, but I have a couple of hours before Frank gets here. (Finishing the sermon earlier in the week is my dream, and I'm making progress. It's a bit like turning the Titanic. It takes a while.)

Perhaps this Sunday I'll be able to wake up a little early, get a cup of coffee, and pray before worship.

How do you prepare for worship?

Learn to Fly

2009-09-08T20:37:00.000-05:00

Learn To Fly from Christian Letruria on Vimeo.

Are you learning to fly?

The Effect of Famous People

2009-09-07T23:12:00.000-05:00

Since the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, I've been thinking about the effect that the death of famous people have on us.

After Micheal Jackson died, I listened to Dance Lessons from Michael on NPR's The Story. On the show, Joanne Spencer talks about how the music and videos of Michael Jackson spurred her interest in dance. She went on to become a professional dancer. She hadn't realized how important his music was to her until she heard that he had died. Now she's sharing Jackson's music with her own children.

Michael Jackson didn't affect me the same way he affected Joanne, but her story touched me. And it got me thinking about famous people who have made an impression on me.

I asked my husband Frank if he'd been affected by the death of someone famous, and he reminded me about Indian Larry. Indian Larry was a bike builder, stuntman, and innovator in the world of custom motorcycles. Frank had met him one year at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Indian Larry came in from a ride, wiped the sweat off his face, grabbed a bottle of water, and immediately started talking to people and signing autographs. Indian Larry had a tattoo on his neck that said In God We Trust - Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord - No Fear. The middle two lines were in reverse so that he could read them when looking in a mirror. Indian Larry died a few years ago while doing a motorcycle stunt. His death affected my husband deeply.

One of my favorite authors growing up was Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time. I enjoyed her fiction, but it was her non-fiction books that taught me the most. I still remember reading that she believed God would wait for as long as it took for every person to come to him. She influenced my theology more than I'll ever know. I hadn't heard that she died until I read that her granddaughter was continuing to lecture on her work, the granddaughter that I had read about in Madeleine's books.

I was going into a Taize prayer service when I heard that Brother Roger, found of the Taize Community in France, had died. A mentally ill woman stabbed him during a service at Taize. He died as he had lived. The community he founded, as well as the style of music and prayer they developed, continues to nourish millions of people.

What famous people have touched your life? Who did you mourn for when they died?

Jack and Dale

2009-09-03T10:18:00.001-05:00

I have two pastoral colleagues, Jack and Dale. Both are good friends. Both are older gentlemen. And I was realizing the other day, they are quite different, in at least one area: technology.

Jack was the moderator of the session of the church I was called to a year ago. He and his wife, Mary Ellen, were there at my first in-person interview. They've had me and my husband over for dinner, and we shared Easter dinner together at my house. They came to the church BBQ we had at the manse to celebrate my husband's and my first anniversary. Jack used a resource with his church that I had mentioned, Unbinding the Gospel. They want to come to a small group our church is having on Sunday evening about making wise choices with your money. They were both part of my installation service. Jack doesn't know a lot about technology. It's not his thing.

Dale, on the other hand, knows a lot about technology. His church has a blog, and he's putting a series of entries on it about 100 Ways to Pray. He's video-taping his services and putting them online. He was on Facebook and Twitter before I was. I learn something from him every time I talk to him.

I was thinking about how different these two men are, and how much I appreciate both of them. I'm so glad that God has put so many different kinds of people into my life, and I thank God for the blessings they've been.

Who are the different people God has put into your life? How have they blessed you?

Writing as Prayer

2009-08-31T12:11:00.002-05:00

Consistency is not my strong suit. I get interested in a topic and for several weeks I devour everything I can find. Then I lose interest and move onto something else. According to George Leonard, in his book Mastery, I am a Dabbler. It's not always a bad thing. I love to learn. Being a dabbler means I learn lots of things. But it does make it hard to master something like photography or exercising or eating well or sermon preparation or blogging. Inconsistency is the death of bloggers.

This morning I decided that I want to master one thing. But what one thing should I choose? I'm interested in blogging right now. I'm still working on my sermon preparation process. Worship is my main focus at the church. I wish I were interested in mastering exercise or eating right. I realized the area that affects nearly everything right now is writing. Writing this blog. Writing my Fresh Worship blog. Writing sermons. Journaling. Tweeting. Writing even affects advertising our church's movie night and our new children's Sunday school.

So I will focus on writing. I remember reading that writer Natalie Goldberg made writing her practice. Writing, all types of writing, will be my spiritual practice. Writing will be my prayer. I won't tack on a prayer at the end of my posts. I won't just ask God for help at the beginning of a sermon. I will make the entire act of writing into prayer. It's something I can do every day.

What is your spiritual practice? What is your prayer?

Stopping Along the Side of the Road

2009-08-28T09:06:00.000-05:00

I work in Centerville, Iowa, and my husband works in Omaha. Every weekend either he comes to Centerville or I go to Omaha. Sounds strange, but it's working quite well.

Every other weekend I have a 3 1/2 hour drive to Omaha. I've gotten to really enjoy my time on the road. Frank bought me a radio that I can plug my iPod into. I download lots of podcasts, like PCUSA moderator Bruce Reyes-Chow and Carol Howard Merritt doing The God Complex, and shows from NPR, and workshops from The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. The time flies by. Frank asked me how my trip was yesterday, and it sounded like a strange question. It went fine. It feels like a short commute from work.

But I never stop. Even when I see a beautiful old barn that I'd like to take a picture of. Even when I see a lake and a winding dirt road heading into a state park. Even when I pass the little chapel by the side of the road that I've now passed hundreds of times. Even the day that everything was coated with an inch of ice and it looked like I was surrounded by crystal sculptures. I never stop. Because I'm on my way somewhere, and I have to get there as soon as possible.

Maybe I should stop, every once in a while, to experience to beauty of the Iowa countryside, not passing it by at 55 mph focused on my podcasts, but standing still. Maybe I can take five minutes, breathe in and out, and say, "Thanks, God." And then get back in the car and continue on.

Notecard Prayers

2009-08-26T06:00:00.001-05:00

My friend Sarah writes quotes on notecards and then reads them over during her morning devotion time. What a brilliant idea! (My friend Sarah is quite brilliant!)

I'm always writing quotes on little post-it notes and sticking them on my desk. After a while, I get tired of the mess and try to figure out where to put them. Sometimes I put them in my journal program under a file marked "quotes." I used to put them in a Word document under a file named "quotes." I don't look at either of them.

But if I write them on notecards and go through them during my devotional time, I'll continually be reminded of quotes and prayers and ideas that I want to remember. They will have a place on my desk. And they will start to have a place in my spirit.

My friend Mark just put this quote on his Facebook page: "Obedience is the shape of God's presence." It's a quote by Walter Brueggemann. I'd like to chew on that quote for a while, too. Now it will have a place.

What are some of your favorite quotes or prayers that you would put on notecards?

Repetition

2009-08-24T20:02:00.003-05:00

I preached about repetition yesterday. I said the way to make other people's words, like scripture and printed prayers, our own was through repetition. I said that's why we repeat things during worship, like the Lord's Prayer and the doxology and certain verses of scripture. I said children need repetition so that they can learn and be involved in worship without having to read.

When I was growing up, my pastor always opened the worship service with "This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." That's now deeply ingrained in my soul because I heard it so many times. It's now a part of me and not just someone else's words. So I always open the worship services I lead with it. I want it to become deeply ingrained in the people I lead as much as it is ingrained in me.

After worship, one person asked, "When does repetition become brainwashing, and when does it become simply repeating empty words?" Good questions. I suppose, in a way, our repetition in worship is a bit like brainwashing. Are we brainwashing our children to think that God created the day and we should rejoice in it? I do want the children in our congregation, and the adults, too, for that matter, to know that God loves them. And I will repeat it as much as it takes for that realization to wash over them, over their souls as well as their brains.

Today I started to wonder, not just what words I repeat, but what actions and thoughts do I repeat? I remember someone saying that the people who watch Wheel of Fortune every night get really good at learning how to turn over letters. Is that what I want to repeat? Is that what I want ingrained in my soul? What about pausing throughout the day to pray, or greeting everyone I met throughout the day with a kind word?

What do you repeat most often? What are you washing into your heart and mind?

Do You Pray Right?

2009-08-21T06:00:00.007-05:00

When I was in college, I was involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. They talked alot about a "Daily Quiet Time." Good idea, although I got the impression that it should be daily (I'm not too good with daily consistency), and in the morning (I'm not a morning person). You were also supposed to read a portion of Scripture and answer questions about it.

Nothing wrong with any of that, except I wasn't too good at doing it. So for the past 20 years I've had in the back of my mind that "I don't pray right." Along the way I've read books like Listening to God by John Ackerman where I learned that there are different types of spirituality, and I'm more a contemplative that meets God through silence. I've discovered the labyrinth and A Guide to Walkin g Meditation, and learned that I pray better when I'm moving my body. I am nourished by Taize, the music, the prayer services, and now perhaps the podcasts. (Thanks Steve Whitney, for you post on morning prayer for night people, and the links to prayer sites. )I read Everyday Spiritual Practice, and learned that anything from balance to adversity to marriage to recycling can be a spiritual practice. (How about fasting between meals?) I keep in mind a quote from Richard Foster, that just like a child can never draw a bad picture, a child of God can never pray a bad prayer.

And yet... And yet I still have in the back of my mind "I'm not praying right." Why? Why has that stuck so deeply in my soul?

Dear Lord, teach me to pray. And Lord, help me to know that I am already "praying right."

Running with God

2009-08-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

I started running today.

Not as in "I started a new exercise routine." I was walking, and all of a sudden I got the urge to run. So I ran a while. And then I went back to walking.

I don't like to run. In fact, except for the time I joined the 50-Mile Club in junior high school (what, on earth, possessed me to do that?), I've avoided running. I've thought about walking a marathon, or a half-marathon, but certainly not running one. I hate to run. So why did I start running?

I wonder if it was because of God? Several months ago I was talking to my spiritual director about my desire to lose weight and exercise. She asked if I had prayed about it. I said no. I thought that asking God to help me lose weight meant asking God to magically take all the extra weight away, or allow me to continue to eat the way I want while still losing weight. But asking God for help doesn't have to mean that. It could mean that I still have to work hard and say no to things I'd like, but that God will help me do it. So I asked God to help me say no to the nachos last week and the third slice of pizza on Friday. And I asked God to help me go out and walk last week. And God did help. And today I even started running.

Breathing the Holy Spirit

2009-08-17T18:34:00.003-05:00

I've been having trouble breathing. I went to my allergy doctor the other day. She said it was probably caused by my allergies, so I'm supposed to bump up my allergy medicine. She also gave me some breathing exercises to do. I'm supposed to breath in through my nose, and then breathe out of my mouth slowly, for five minutes at a time, eight times a day.

Before my appointment with my allergy doctor, I met with my spiritual director. During the meditation at the beginning of the session, she told me to breathe in the Holy Spirit. All I could think was, "I can't breathe." I wonder if any of us are having trouble breathing in the Holy Spirit? Or maybe we breathe those shallow breathes instead of the deep, diaphram breaths. Do we need breathing exercises to help us breathe in the Holy Spirit? When I do my breathing exercises, I'll think about breathing in the Spirit.

My pastor friend Caroline said that when she leads the prayers of the people in her church, she starts with centering prayer. She prints in the bulletin instructions, such as "With each breath in, breathe in the Holy Spirit, and with each breath out, breathe out your worries." She gives people about 20 seconds of silence to practice the centering prayer, and then she goes on with the prayers of the people.

With each breath in, breathe in the Holy Spirit. With each breath out, breathe out your worries. Practice that for five minutes at a time, eight times a day. Or whenever you think of it.

The Shack Discussion Group

2009-06-04T13:55:00.003-05:00

The Shack is a fictional story about a man, Mack, whose daughter was brutally killed several years before. Since that time, Mack has gone through the Great Sadness. One day, he receives an invitation in the mail to meet Papa (his wife’s favorite name for God) at the shack, the scene of the crime. The book is about his interactions with the three persons of the Trinity.

Some people love it, some people hate it. Some think it’s a great way to start thinking about theology and questions like how can a loving God allow suffering? Others think it’s poor theology and shouldn’t be read.

On Sunday June 21 and 28 at 6pm, Centerville First Presbyterian Church is having a book discussion. If you’re interested in attending or have questions, let me know.

Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington, doesn't like The Shack. He says if you haven't read it, don't. In his sermon on the doctrine of the Trinity, he tells you why he thinks it's poor theology. Here's a clip:

Sometimes it's very helpful to look at what other people believe with so that we can discover what we believe. Let's look at some of Driscoll's major complaints about the book:

First, he says that the book breaks one of the Ten Commandments: do not make a graven image of God. Some people believe, as Driscoll does, that The Shack makes a graven image of God the Father by describing "him" as an African-American woman. But there's another way to look at it. We all have images in our minds of what God is like, some from movies, others from books, some even from the Bible itself. The Bible has many word pictures of God: rock, shepherd, cloud, fire. This opens up a great discussion about what it means to create a "graven image."

Second, Driscoll says picturing God as a woman is "Goddess worship." Others believe that it's important to have feminine images for God to balance our overly male depiction of God. There are even several feminine images of God in the Bible itself. We can discusss whether "Father" is the only appropriate way to address God.

Third, Driscoll disagrees with the book's idea that there is no hierarchy in the Trinity. He says there is equality but deference. But does that come close to the heresy of subordinationism, where the Son is subordinate to the Father or the Holy Spirit is subordinate to both? Is it possible to have relationships where there is no hierarchy? Is hierarchy a good thing or a bad thing? How does our culture's acceptance of hierarchy play into our beliefs about God?

So what do you think?

Good, faithful Christians come to different conclusions about the Bible and theology. First Presbyterian Church values the discussion and encourages people of all beliefs to voice their opinions and learn from one another. Come, join the conversation!

The Shack

2009-05-20T15:12:00.003-05:00

I’ve been hearing a lot about The Shack. My doctor recommended it, several of my congregation members are reading it, and I even read about it in our local newspaper (a negative review). So I decided to read it for myself. It’s the story of a man, Mack, whose daughter was brutally murdered several years before. Mack gets an invitation to meet God at the shack, the scene of the crime. The book describes his meeting with God.

I found it to be a deeply theological book. God the Father appears to Mack as a large, African-American woman and invites him to call her “Papa,” Mack’s wife’s favorite name for God. When he asks about it, Papa says,

I am neither male nor female, even though both genders are derived from my nature. If I choose to appear to you as a man or a woman, it’s because I love you. For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest that you call me ‘Papa’ is simply to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning.

Mack also meets Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Most of us don’t fully understand the concept of the Trinity, one God in three persons. This book helps us see the relationship between the three persons of the Trinity, and perhaps understand it a bit better.

When I was at my previous church, I led an adult study on the book Christian Doctrine by Shirley Guthrie. It’s a great book, but one of my good friends said, “Do you realize how boring that sounds?” I guess only a pastor or a theologian could love a book on Christian doctrine. But a story! A story is the perfect entry point into thinking about God. Jesus knew that. The Shack reminds me of the other great stories that teach us about the important themes of life, C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the Harry Potter books, and one of my favorites, C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, which is a story about heaven and hell.

One of the biggest questions that Christians and non-Christians alike ask is, “How can a loving God allow suffering and evil?” This book helps us wrestle with that question, just as the Biblical book of Job wrestles with that question. When I was a hospital chaplain, I realized that the emergency room was not the best place to struggle with theology. It’s better to figure out what we believe about God before we’re in the middle of a crisis. The Shack helps us do just that. I like it so much I’m going to have a book discussion in my church. Perhaps it will draw more people than a study of Christian Doctrine.

Read more about The Shack.

It's Not About the Numbers

2009-05-18T11:45:00.006-05:00

We don't have a large children's ministry, but we do have an incredible one! We have three or four children who come regularly. We have Sunday school and a children's message during worship. And we are teaching our children how to be disciples of Jesus through words and actions.

We've started a collection on the First Sunday for our local food bank and thrift shop. People bring cans of food, personal items, and money, and the kids collect the items during the children's message. They love it! They ask, "Is this the day we do the collection?" They are physically learning that discipleship means sharing what we have.

This past Sunday for the children's message we received a sandwich in the mail from John. When we're studying a letter, like we're currently doing with 1 John, we often get a big envelope with something in it. This Sunday it was a sandwich because 1 John asks how can God's love be in you if you see someone in need and don't share with them. So we talked about how our church will join with other churches this summer to make sack lunches and hand them out to hungry children. Our kids are going to help make the lunches and hand them out -- an inter-generational mission project. We decided that after church we would cut up the sandwich we got from John and let everybody have a piece of it.

After church, I was standing with the two girls and their mothers, and one of the girls said, "Ask her." They asked me to pray for them because they were having trouble with a bully on the playground. So I invited them into my office where I have a bowl with "prayer stones." We each took a stone, and I prayed that God would protect them.

We don't have a large children's ministry, but we do have an incredible one! It's not about the number anyway, is it? It's about the lives that are being formed by God.

Testimonies

2009-05-14T11:20:00.003-05:00

Testimonies. What a strange word for mainline Protestants, at least in church. We don't do that, do we? But I think God's been trying to tell me something...

Our church has been discussing Unbinding the Gospel, a book that teaches us how to share what God is doing in our lives. If you use the resource for a congreational event and series of sermons, which we plan on doing, you're encouraged to have people from the congregation share a testimony in worship.

I had heard about this book by Lillian Daniel, Tell it Like it is: Reclaiming the Practice of Testimony, from preaching professor Tom Long. In it she shares how her progressive New England Congregational church developed the practice in worship, and how it deepened their congregation. I just got it at the bookstore Tuesday.

And finally, the passage I'm preaching on next week, 1 John 5:1-13, uses "testify" or "testimony" no less than 9 times!

On our new church website, www.centervillepresbyterian.org, there will soon be a section for testimonies. We're not going to call it that. We're going to call it "why I belong."

When things come together like this, or I hear the same message three or four times, God is usually trying to tell me something. Can we learn how to share what God is doing in our lives so that others may be blessed?

Free Movie Night!

2009-05-07T15:41:00.005-05:00

Saturday, May 16 at 7pm

Want to watch and discuss powerful movies?
Or just chill out for a few hours?

Popular DVDs shown on the big screen
Snacks and optional discussion afterwards

First Presbyterian Church * 102 N. Main St. * Centerville, Iowa
Email me for title of movie

Romans 14:1-13

2009-05-07T15:27:00.003-05:00

Ah, here again is a passage from one of my favorite translations of the Bible, The Message by Eugene Peterson.

Romans 14:1-13

1Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

2For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume all Christians should be vegetarians and eat accordingly. 3But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. 4Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

5Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.

6What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. 7None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. 8It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. 9That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.

10So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. 11Read it for yourself in Scripture:
“As I live and breathe,” God says,
“every knee will bow before me;
Every tongue will tell the honest truth
that I and only I am God.”

12So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

13Forget about deciding what’s right for each other. Here’s what you need to be concerned about: that you don’t get in the way of someone else, making life more difficult than it already is.

Prayers of the People

2009-05-06T08:39:00.005-05:00

I've always struggled with the prayers of the people during worship. How do I write a prayer that helps everyone to pray? We need to know that all of us can pray, not just the pastor or Sunday school teacher.

I was reading the pastor's material from the Unbinding the Gospel series (EXCELLENT small group and church-wide series on doing evangelism in a way we Presbyterians can be comfortable with). The suggestion for the prayers of the people during the six week sermon series was to allow about three minutes of silence for people to pray individually. During the silence, every minute or so, the pastor would tell people the category to pray for: pray for the world, pray for the church, pray for those whom God is drawing to this church.

Our church has been getting used to silence. We've had three minutes of silence in worship. We pray in silence during our session meetings. I even preached a sermon on "Drawing Closer to God through Silence." This is like the ancient form of the "bidding prayer" only we respond in silence. We're going to try it this week. Instead of tuning out during the long pastoral prayer, maybe this will help us all draw closer to God and to pray for the world.

Laying down our lives

2009-05-04T22:25:00.002-05:00

I've been doing a sermon series on 1 John. I thought it was a good idea when I was planning it. 1 John is in the lectionary, and I wanted to start preaching through some of the smaller books of the Bible that I don't usually preach on. Philippians was a blast. But I'm not sure about 1 John. Preaching professor Anna Carter Florence says you should fall in love with the text you are preaching. I don't know if I've fallen in love with it yet.

This week I'm preaching on 1 John 3:16-24. I try to find one major idea to focus on, and this week it's that Jesus laid down his life for us and we are to do the same for one another. It's Monday, so I'm thinking about images and stories and illustrations. War movies come to mind, like Saving Private Ryan, because soldiers are asked to literally lay down their lives for one another. The Harry Potter books are another example. I just read an article about the friendship and sacrificial love in the Harry Potter books.

But most of us aren't asked to literally lay down our lives for one another. How do we live out this passage? Perhaps the little daily ways that we lay down our lives for each other, like taking out the trash or forgiving someone who has hurt us, are even harder than giving up our lives. At least more of us will experience that.

God Has Chosen Me

2008-12-16T09:22:00.003-06:00

The song I played Sunday for the offering was "God Has Chosen Me" by Bernadette Farrell and performed by the St. Thomas More Group on their CD "God Beyond All Names." There are some excellent songs on this CD. My favorites are "God Has Chosen Me" (of course), "God, Beyond All Names" and "God of Abraham Litany".

When I was at St. Mary's Church, waiting for the Christmas Musicale to start, I was leafing through their hymnbooks. One they have is "Gather" which has a lot of contemporary Catholic songs, and "God Has Chosen Me" is in it, along with some other songs by Bernadette Farrell. I'm going to purchase a copy of "Gather" so we'll be able to sing "God Has Chosen Me."

Rivers of Babylon

2008-12-09T10:47:00.004-06:00

Several people asked what song I used during the sermon last Sunday. The song is "Rivers of Babylon" by Jessica Meyer + IKAR. IKAR is a Jewish spiritual community in Los Angeles, and Sharon Brous is their rabbi. I heard the song on NPR's Speaking of Faith. The episode was "Days of Awe" about the Jewish high holy days. You can listen to the whole song on Speaking of Faith's Playlist, as well as listen to the whole program.

Priorities for December

2008-12-04T10:53:00.002-06:00

I just received this email article by Tom Bandy. The Tom Bandy/Bill Easum/Bill Tenny-Brittian E-zine has some great content.

Bandy said that December is not the month for pastors to do more. He said, "I am not responsible for making Christmas meaningful for everybody else. I am only responsible for getting close to Jesus myself. If I can personally experience the real presence of Christ, then Christ will use me, shine through me, and bless others."

Perhaps that should be the Christmas priority for everyone, not just pastors: getting close to Jesus. And then others will be blessed through us.

The Message

2008-11-25T16:00:00.002-06:00

The translation of the Bible that I used Sunday night at the community Thanksgiving service was The Message by Eugene Peterson. Peterson paraphrases the Bible into contemporary language. I often read it to get a different perspective on the text. My friend Linda has been reading through this translation like a novel.

Here's Philippians 4:1-9:

My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.

I urge Euodia and Syntyche to iron out their differences and make up. God doesn’t want his children holding grudges.

And, oh, yes, Syzygus, since you’re right there to help them work things out, do your best with them. These women worked for the Message hand in hand with Clement and me, and with the other veterans—worked as hard as any of us. Remember, their names are also in the book of life.

Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.

Bill Strickland's TED Talk

2008-11-25T15:53:00.002-06:00

If you want to listen to the whole 35 minute talk that Bill Strickland gave at the TED conference, here it is.

The TED conference started out as a gathering of Technology, Entertainment, and Design folks. People were invited to give 18 minute talks. It's caught on so much they've broadened it to other areas, and made the talks available online. There are some fascinating talks.

This is where I first heard about Bill Strickland. During this talk, Herbie Hancock plays the piano while Bill talks and shows slides.

Hate Songs

2008-11-25T15:48:00.002-06:00

The Apostle Paul talks about focusing on what is good and pure and beautiful. I believe beauty can heal us and bring us closer to Christ.

Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. Music filled with hate and evil can have just as much an effect. This NPR story talks about hate groups that are reaching young people through music.

What we fills our minds and hearts with does matter.

Beauty

2008-11-18T13:27:00.002-06:00

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Bill Strickland understands this verse. He lives it out.

Bill was a black kid from a tough neighborhood in Pittsburgh who was flunking out of high school. Until he passed by the art room and saw a ceramic bowl the art teacher had made. Bill said to him, "What is that?" The teacher, Frank Ross, said, "It's ceramics. Who are you?" "I'm Bill Strickland, and I want you to teach me that."

Bill went on to build a world-class training center in one of the worst neighborhoods in Pittsburg for at-risk kids, welfare moms, and ex-steel workers. He surrounds them with fresh flowers, sunlight, good food, and affection because at-risk kids, welfare moms, and ex-steel workers deserve those things, as do we all.

Listen to Bill Strickland.

Malawi Presentation

2008-10-30T20:32:00.002-05:00

Everyone is invited!

Ecumenical Prayer Cycle

2008-10-30T16:04:00.004-05:00

For the past month, since World Communion Sunday, we've been including the Ecumenical Prayer Cycle in our prayers of the people. The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle, created by the World Council of Churches, allows us to pray for every country in the world throughout the year. Each week we pray for different countries, offering both thanksgiving and petitions.

This week we are praying for Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda. I don't know anything about Burundi, I know a little about the DRC, and I know alot about Rwanda, thanks to the movie Hotel Rwanda and then other documentaries that I watched. I also know that Rwanda received a grant to establish a specialty coffee industry, and Starbucks gave them a Black Apron award (I bought and drank some of the Rwandan coffee several years ago).

Not only does the prayer cycle give us an opportunity to pray for our brothers and sisters in other countries, it encourages us to learn about the countries we don't know anything about. So I'm off to learn about Burundi.

Exodus 20:1-20: The Ten Commandments

2008-09-29T14:17:00.005-05:00

This Sunday's scripture is Exodus 20:1-20, where the Israelites receive the Ten Commandments.

For more Bible cartoons, check out ReverendFun.com.

Prayer

2008-09-25T20:00:00.001-05:00

"To pray is to dream in league with God."

Abraham Joshua Heschel

Responding to the Word

2008-09-20T13:29:00.004-05:00

I just found this article on the PC(USA) website about responding to the lectionary passages in creative ways. The author, David Gambrell, has been doing this for years. I'll continue posting the scripture passage I'm preaching on Sunday. You might want to try, as I will, reading the passage contemplatively, and then seeing what creative response arrises out of your spirit

How to live for the glory of God?

2008-09-19T10:59:00.002-05:00

I've been reading Henri Nouwen's book, The Genesee Diary, about the seven months he spent in a trappist monastery. He said,

The question, "How to live for the glory of God and not for your own glory?" has become very important to me...The question is not so much, "How to live for the glory of God?" but, "How to live who we are, how to make true our deepest self?"

So I've been thinking about that question. How do I make true the deepest self that God created me to be? And how does that glorify God?

Lord of the Rings

2008-09-16T14:34:00.004-05:00

Let's give it another shot on Sunday morning. This Sunday at 9am we'll watch clips and discuss the movie. We'll also plan for an evening when we can watch the movie together.

Anniversary B-B-Q

2008-09-15T18:01:00.003-05:00

Frank and I would like to invite the church to help celebrate our 1st Anniversary. We'd like to host a bar-b-que on Sunday, October 5th at 1pm at the manse. We'll provide the meat, if you'd like to bring a salad or dessert to share. (I'm making lemon cake with lemon frosting. There's a story behind that. Ask Frank.) Hopefully, I'll have all my new furniture by then, so the manse will be open for you to look around. If the weather is good, bring a lawn chair. If it's not, we'll eat inside.

Lord of the Rings Discussion

2008-09-15T15:08:00.003-05:00

I've been pondering changing the format of the discussion. I've heard from several people that a movie night, where we watch the movie and then discuss it, would be better than a Sunday morning class. An evening would probably be easier for most people than early Sunday morning, especially those who are already doing someone on Sunday morning. Some people might not have seen the movie and would appreciate seeing the whole before we discuss it. And it would be a fun event to invite other people to.

Was anyone planning on coming this next Sunday? I wouldn't want someone to show up and be disappointed.

September 21, 2008: Exodus 16:2-15: Manna

2008-09-15T13:52:00.002-05:00

The scripture for this week is Exodus 16:2-15, the story of God providing manna in the wilderness for the Israelites. One big part of the story is that the Israelites complain to Moses and Aaron, and to God, about the lack of food, so I started looking up references to complaining. I came across a story about the Rev. Will Bowen, who preached a sermon a while back on stopping complaining for 21 days. He got some purple wrist that his gave to his parishoners. Each time they complained, they were to switch the wristband to the other wrist. They were supposed to go 21 days without complaining. It took Rev. Bowen three months to make, some people it took seven or eight months. How would you do?

I've order a couple of wristbands, so if you see me wearing one, you'll know that I'm working on not complaining.

Here's a video clip of Rev. Bowen on NBC's Today Show.

Harriet Tubman -- The Moses of her People

2008-09-11T12:26:00.002-05:00

Did you know that Harriet Tubman was known as the "Moses of her People"? There was even an incident where she tried to protect one of her fellow slaves.

Jim, the slave of a farmer named Barnett, went to the Bucktown store without his permission. Harriet followed him to the store. A man named McCraken, an overseer, cornered Jim and ordered Tubman to help capture and tie up the runaway. She refused. As Jim went out the door, she blocked McCraken's pursuit. The enraged overseer picked up a 2-pound weight from the counter and hurled it at Jim hitting Harriet Tubman instead on the forehead. The blow nearly killed her and disabled her for months. She was left with an ugly scar and for the rest of her life she suffered from sudden, unexpected sleeping spells.

Read here for more information on Harriet Tubman.

Speaking of Faith episodes

2008-09-10T09:58:00.003-05:00

In my research for this week's sermon on the crossing of the Red Sea, I've listened to two episodes of NPR's Speaking of Faith. One was an interview with Avivah Zornberg, a scholar of Torah and rabbinic literature, called Exodus, Cargo of Hidden Stories. The second was an interview with Robi Damelin, an Israeli whose son was killed by a Palestinian sniper, and Ali Abu Awwad, a Palestinian whose brother was killed by the Israeli army, called
No More Taking Sides. Check them out, listen to the programs, or look at all the fascinating information on the Speaking of Faith websites for these programs.

Presbytery Committees

2008-09-10T09:20:00.003-05:00

I just received a letter from the Presbytery of Des Moines asking if there is anyone interested in serving on one of the committees.

The committees are:

Budget and Finance
Congregational Care and Development
Nominating
Permanent Judicial Commission
Personnel
Preparation for Ministry
Professional Care and Development
Representation
Sexual Misconduct Response Team
Stewardship and Mission Interpretation
Camping/Youth Ministries
CROSS Ministries
Older Adult Ministries
Peace, Unity and Purity
Social Ministries for Peace and Justice
Sudanese Ministries
Transformation Team
Women's Advocacy

Worship Task Group

I have a description of all the committees in case one jumps out at you and you'd like to know more. I'm thinking about the Transformation Team.

Let me know if you're interested.

Midrash

2008-09-09T14:28:00.002-05:00

Here is a Jewish midrash about the Israelites taking silver and gold from the Egyptians. "Midrash" means commentary or interpretation of the Hebrew bible, sometimes in story form.

BELATED WAGES
Nine plagues had come and gone, but Pharaoh learnt no lesson.

"One more plague will I bring upon Pharaoh and his people," said G-d unto Moses, "and then he shall send you out of here, and shall no longer mock you. Now, go and speak to the children of Israel that they borrow from the Egyptians silver and golden ware, so that they leave Egypt loaded with wealth. I shall make them find favor in the eyes of the Egyptians and their requests shall not be refused."

Thereupon Moses went to his brethren and told them what G-d had said.

The children of Israel went out to borrow silver and golden vessels from their masters.

"But I have no such vessels," the Egyptian would say.

"Oh yes, you have," back came the reply. "I'll even tell you where you keep it."

"But how on earth do you know?" the Egyptian would ask in amazement.

"Well, you see," the Israelite would explain, "when G-d brought darkness over Egypt for a few days, I visited you to see how you were faring. I could not help seeing all those precious things."

The Egyptian was very impressed by the honesty of the Jew who would not steal or kill even when it was so easy. So he gladly gave him whatever he asked for.

The Israelites thus received quite a good deal of precious valuables, but even so it was only a very small compensation for the hard labor that they had rendered to the Egyptians for many generations without getting paid for it.

The hard stuff

2008-09-07T22:13:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay. Several people were disappointed that I didn't tackle the hard questions of the passover text in my sermon. I figured I talked about it some on the blog, so I could go a different direction in the sermon. I guess I was wrong :-) So in three years, when this text comes up in the lectionary again, I'll tackle the hard stuff. And maybe even before then...

September 14, 2008: Exodus 14:19-31: The Red Sea

2008-09-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

Next week's scripture passage is Exodus 14:19-31, the story of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea. Read it and share your thoughts.

Movie Night

2008-09-07T08:41:00.000-05:00

How about a movie night about once a month at my house? During The Lord of the Rings discussion on Sunday morning we'll see clips of the movies and discuss them. Would anyone enjoying seeing the entire movie and discussing it afterwards?

There are lots of movies I'd like to discuss, such as Crash, Hotel Rwanda, Encounter Point, a documentary about Israelis and Palestinians who want an end to the violence, Sophie Scholl, the story about a young woman who distributed leaflets against the Nazis and was executed for it. Or how about Star Wars, one of my all-time favorite movies?

Anyone interested?

Stories that form us

2008-09-07T08:32:00.000-05:00

Today's sermon is about Passover, the festival of remembrance of God bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. The Last Supper that Jesus shared with his disciples was a Passover meal, and when we celebrate communion we are remembering that night.

All of us have stories that have formed us. By listening to one another's stories, and the stories of this congregation, we learn what significant events have formed us, and we get a glimpse into why we are who we are.

I've been thinking about stories as I've listened to the presidential campaign. One of John McCain's most formative stories is being a prisoner of war in VietNam. One of Barack Obama's formative stories is being the child of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya. I wonder how their political opinions have been shaped by their experiences, and whether they would hold different opinions if their experiences would have been different?

Perhaps one of the best things we can do for one another is to listen to our stories.

Death of the Firstborns

2008-09-04T20:51:00.000-05:00

An even bigger problem that I have is with the tenth plague -- the death of all the firstborns in Egypt, even to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon and the enslaved woman grinding grain. These are some of the thoughts that I've had, read or heard this past week.

Again, I don't think I realize the extent of the abuse that the Israelites suffered. They were in Egypt for 430 years. I don't think they were in slavery all that time, since Joseph was in good standing for a while, but probably a significant portion of the time. Even if it was just the last 80 years that Moses has been alive, it was 80 years of slavery, oppression, and ruthless labor. What if it were the death of the firstborns of the Nazis? Would I understand it better then?

Pharaoh had been warned. This was the tenth plague. Nine times God said, Let my people go, and either Pharaoh ignored it, or said he would let them go and then changed his mind. One commentator suggested that none of the other nine plagues affected Pharaoh personally, until the last one.

James Newsome says, "The Old Testament takes evil very seriously. God repudiates evil and seeks to destroy it root and branch." p. 44-45 We often ask why God doesn't do anything when people suffer. Do we also question God when God does something about it? And what about the Israelites' years of slavery. Should God be held responsible for letting them suffer for so long and not acting sooner?

Should the Egyptian people, who weren't making the decisions, suffer for what their leader did? Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Were they responsible for what their leader did? How much are we responsible for what our president and congress do?

James Newsome again writes, "...the Hebrews of old made little if any distinction between evil as an abstraction and persons who do evil deeds...Seen in this light, the narratives in Exodus consider the Israelites' enslavement to be the evil activity of the Egyptians, not just of Pharaoh. They further consider that an appropriate means for God to deal with this evil is to attack those persons who represent it. So the death of the Egyptian children is not as problematic an issue for those who first wrote and read Exodus 12 as it may be for you and me." p. 45 One thing we need to do when reading the Bible is to understand it from the perspective of those who wrote it, and not impose our own worldviews on it. On the other hand, questioning it from our own worldview is also part of the process.

None of these arguments solve the problem for me completely, but it does help.

Plundering the Egyptians

2008-09-04T20:36:00.000-05:00

One of the problems with the Exodus story that we've been studying is that the Israelites were supposed to take silver, gold, and clothing from their Egyptian neighbors. It first arrises in Exodus 3:21-22, and comes true in Exodus 12:35-36.

It seems that the Egyptians gave of their treasurses willingly. The Israelites had favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Perhaps as Pharaoh's daughter had pity on Moses when she saw him in the basket, the Egyptians had pity on the Israelites.

A commentator also notes that the word for "asked" could also be translated "borrow." I find that a weak argument because I don't think anyone had any intention of giving the stuff back.

Is it a matter of reparation for all the years of slavery? I can understand that. I think I have lost the understanding of how long and how abusive this period of slavery was for the Israelites.

“The Lord of the Rings” Discussion

2008-09-04T20:31:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, September 14 from 9am to 9:45am we're going to start a new class for young adults. We're going to watch clips from "The Lord of the Rings" and discuss them. The class is for Junior/Senior High, College, and people in their 20s and 30s, or anybody who would like to discuss the Lord of the Rings movies. If you know of someone who might be interested, let them know. We're going to meet in the "Upper Room" (the cool room above the offices).

Resources on Exodus

2008-09-03T14:29:00.000-05:00

If you want to do further reading on Exodus, I’ve found a couple of very good resources.

The first is from the Interpretation Bible Studies series on Exodus by James D. Newsome. It includes chapters on the ten most important passages from Exodus. It has questions at the end and so can be used as a bible study, but I’ve also found it very helpful as background information. Very easy to read.

The second resource is the Westminster Bible Companion on Exodus by J. Gerald Janzen. It’s a commentary on the entire book of Exodus. It’s more indepth, but still quite readable.

Both books are available through Amazon.com. Let me know if you need help purchasing one of them.

September 7, 2008: Exodus 12:1-14: Passover

2008-09-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

The scripture passage for last week was Exodus 3:1-15, the story of Moses and the burning bush. I had a blast. I love that story. I could have gone any number of ways with the sermon, but I focused on turning aside and paying attention to our "burning bush" experiences.

But this week -- I'm stuggling with this passage. The passage itself talks about the first passover, how each family is to take a lamb, slaughter it, eat it, and put some of the blood over their doorposts so that the Lord will pass over their house and not kill the firstborn in their house.

My struggle is with God killing all the firstborns. When Pharaoh wanted to kill the boy babies when Moses was born, and when Herod killed all the babies when Jesus was born, that was wrong. How can it be right for God to do that?

I've read some ideas that don't necessarily solve the problem, but help me to understand it a little better. I'll post those soon. But in the meantime, what do you think about this tenth plague?

The Maasai Creed

2008-09-02T16:09:00.001-05:00

One of my recent discoveries is NPR's Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett. As I was driving to church one Sunday, I turned on the radio and heard Krista interviewing Kate Braestrup, a widow who went to seminary, became a Unitarian Universalist minister, and is now chaplain for the Maine Warden Service.

I love stories. I love stories about people. And I especially love stories about people and God.

I'm usually busy on Sunday mornings, but I found that I can download the episodes to my iPod, and listen to them when I'm out walking or driving. I make sure I have four or five episodes ready to go. The Archives section has shows going back all the way to 2001. It will be quite a while before I listen to them all.

One show was on The Need for Creeds. On the website I found the Maasai Creed. It was composed in about 1960 by Western Christian missionaries for the Maasai people, an indigenous African tribe of semi-nomadic people located primarily in Kenya and northern Tanzania. It's a beautiful creed. I would like to use it in worship the Sunday I share my experiences in Malawi, Africa. It will remind us that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

I've got too much to say...

2008-09-02T15:57:00.001-05:00

One of the joys I've discovered of preaching every week is living in the text. I get to breathe it in all week, think about it, meditate on it, read about it, listen to God about it, pray about it, and keep it in the back of my mind as I'm washing dishes and taking a walk.

One of the difficulties of preparing a sermon is that I gather so much great material, and I can't use it all. I have questions about various parts of the text that I don't mention in the sermon because it doesn't fit with the theme I've chosen.

So I'd like a place to share all that wonderful material, and also a place to dialogue back and forth with others about the text. What questions do you have? What is God saying to you through this passage? I want to hear various points of view, not just my own.

So I'm starting a discussion with anyone who chooses to join in. And if you'd just like to read without speaking up, that's fine, too.