Category Archives: Seasons of Faith

Finding the sacred in the calendar year.

Christ is King

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extinction

Almost 99 percent of all species ever are now extinct. And according to some scientists, about half of the species now alive may be extinct by 2100.  The human relationship with creation may or may not have significant impact on why this is so. We could theorize that our presence on earth has a cause and effect relationship on some species. Or we could say that the extinction of species, like dinosaurs was random. Did you know there is a general decrease in amphibians world-wide, the Golden toad, a rainforest creature, was last seen in 1989.  I think I told you that I rescued a snake from this very floor a couple of weeks ago, “Save the snakes,” we could form a ministry around this. Is extinction, the cessation of species , a  part of God’s plan for the earth?

Today is Christ the King Sunday! Some people don’t like the suggestion that Christian’s  live under a monarchy,  that using the term king for God is not helpful, but Christ is not similar in any way to any form of democratic government, God is not up for re-election every four years, God does not rule under a system of checks and balances. And there is no similarity under the current democracy, where the result of the work being done by the government is increasing division rather than unity.

God’s plan is to move from death to resurrection. God can be trusted completely, to take us beyond where we have experienced love, mercy and peace. Our vision for Christ the King is so limited, we see the things that are becoming extinct, including wondering if the church will be extinct, instead of seeing all that is coming alive in the world. Even though the church is in transition, we are at an important time in history, never before have there been so many people who don’t claim to practice any faith, and yet clearly, God has set this sanctuary in the middle of community, God who holds all things in unity. God is not domesticated by us, not managed or manipulated, Christ brings us to live outside ourselves, to go beyond where we have gone before, sounds like star trek, but really do you trust God to take you beyond where you have experienced love before? Anyone who has had a taste of the love of God knows this is a scary thing to accept, because when you get a taste of God’s love, you don’t stay the same, everything changes. Yes, your whole life changes, what you do, who you spend time with, how you spend money, where you go, God’s love moves you to places and people you have never been to before. God’s love moves us from death to resurrection.

Do you trust God to take you beyond where you have experienced mercy before? There is no mistake, no transgression large enough for God to turn his back on you, God suffers your sin. God takes it into himself so you can be whole. Are you ready to let go of the sin, are you ready to let go of the behavior, of anything that holds you back from living fully in the face of God’s mercy, not just once but everyday. Have you thought that God might call you to forgive another’s transgression so they can have fullness of life? Has God given you that gift, that opportunity to experience that kind of mercy? God’s mercy moves us from death to resurrection.

Do you trust God to take the church beyond any experience the church had in the 1950’s? Are you getting what I am driving at? We don’t want God to work for us, domesticated by us, we don’t need God to take us where we have already been, we can do that ourselves. Christ is King, Christ alone is righteous and his kingdom extends beyond our experience. The pattern of our faith, is death and resurrection, are you ready to follow that pattern? Are you willing to receive the resurrection here? Listen up my friends, this is important: The resurrection is going to happen whether you are willing or not.

In the early part of the gospel of Mark, Jesus is teaching and he goes home, it was impossible for them to even eat because of the crowds gathering, and his family go out to seize him and they say, “He is out of his mind.”  The church should be dreaming for the day when we follow Christ so closely that we too, are accused of looking crazy.

Scott Harrison, a young affluent man who lived and worked in NYC in the 90’s living the kind of life he describes as having it all. He was a rep for alcoholic beverages,  he was paid to drink, he went from bar to bar being served by others, he spent all of his time in nightclubs, and even  his girlfriend was seen on billboards. He was up there in the ranks of those who live the NYC highlife. Eventually he found his outwardly successful life felt inwardly spiritually bankrupt. He started reading scripture. He decided to go do something worthy of serving others. When he first applied to work for a nonprofit, he was rejected by every one. His friends thought he was out of his mind. Finally one nonprofit told him that if he could pay them five hundred dollars a month, he could come on board their medical ship. They treated people in Africa who had facial tumors because of the poor quality water they drink. Scott Harrison is the man who began an organization called Charity water. Since 2006, they have funded 9, 458 water projects in 20 countries. He was willing to go beyond where his life experience had taken him.

A friend of mine lost her son to a brain cancer, he was 21. This coming week of Thanksgiving, her family is running a blood drive, to save the lives of other children dealing with the same illness. She is willing to go where her own life experience did not take her, she is going beyond to watch for relief in other families, because you know what, these other families, she will tell you that they are her family, too.  

I don’t for a minute believe that extinction is God’s plan for humankind. I don’t believe for a minute that extinction is God’s plan for the church, I believe that resurrection is. Resurrection was not just something that happened to Jesus, my good friends, resurrection is the transformation of life in all its forms, in all its need, bringing it beyond our current experience. It is not what we ourselves do, it is what God does in us. God alone gives us life. God alone is making us one. God alone will bring us to unity. Here these words from the prophet Ezekiel, “God alone will put the sanctuary among them  forever. “  Christ our King, is our God and we are blessed to be his people.

Letter To Students

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Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

My Dear Students,

     You are precious to me, and I am so thankful for all that we have learned about God together. You have been attentive and have participated well in your learning. Your questions have helped me grow as your teacher. Christian education is discipleship and discipleship does not end with a graduation. Discipleship is ongoing. 

As you embark on this new endeavor, this new opportunity, all that you do, will be used toward remaking the world. That is the task of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Though your study, your work, may not at all be religious, you are on a path that both will serve to preserve as well as expose new ways of thinking in our world. Thus, you will be both salt and light as Jesus teaches in the fifth chapter of Matthew.

Salt makes food taste good. You are the salt of the earth, you have the capability to do good on earth. Whatever you contribute to this world can make a positive impact for our society, culture and environment. Our best work may be something we did that we don’t even know about, something we offered to impact another’s life that did not cost us anything it all, it happened simply because of who we are. That is when God’s grace truly becomes real.  Often we don’t recognize those who help us to grow until years later. One woman who was salt in my life at an early age, was Mrs. Goddard. She was the music director at the church in town, and she knew our family. I think she saw us four little girls as a gold mine for her choir. So every week, she would pick us up for choir practice. On Sunday’s during church, I remember that the priest would have the children whose birthday it was come forward for a blessing, It must have been about my sixth birthday and I was in awe, fearful of the holiness of God, and too nervous  to approach the priest, to get that close to the altar, the holy space for God. Mrs. Goddard sensed my pounding heart and she held my hand all the way through that blessing. Today, the hymns that I know by heart are the hymns she taught me as a child. One in particular is “Jesus Calls Us”… little did I know and little did she know the impact she was making on my life. You see, God uses people to make His grace real.  People who are salty, bring flavor to our lives.

Salt also makes us thirsty. If the only thing you can find in your heart is a desire to know God, that is enough. It is the intent of your heart that will lead you to further knowledge of Christ. There are two ways to acquire knowledge of God, one is through study.  Read the scriptures, all the scriptures, read the church fathers, read from Christians like Martin Luther King, Jr. Study with a small group, to bring further perspective. You will find others who are as thirsty as you are. The second way to acquire knowledge of God is to simply practice your faith; pray, worship, offer your service to others, these practices turn your knowledge into experience. Experiencing God’s love and grace happens with increasing awareness the more we step out in faith to do the difficult, yes, if it is easy, we tend to rely on our own abilities to perform, but when it is difficult, we have to rely on our faith in God, remember that and don’t be afraid to practice faith. Practice often, yolk together with other Christians, and practice together.

I want you to be aware that salt, can fail to do what it is intended to do, it can be useless. Not everything you learn will be useful, and some of what you do, will also be cast aside. Apathy and anger are both ways that salt looses its ability to be useful. There is a way to retain salt in your life, always measure what you do by the love you offer others. Love is the single most power that redeems the world. Love is not always saying yes, saying no can also protect and preserve life. Discernment is done through prayer, asking God for direction and inviting the Holy Spirit into your heart will guide your most challenging faithful responses. When you find the rich place of saltiness in your life, you will have found love and it will preserve, protect and promote life for you and others. On every exam you take, remember that love is always the right answer.

Everything you build that will last, that which is eternal, is built on love. When things come tumbling down, they only fall to the level where love is exposed. Always look for love in the brokenness of your life. When your relationships fail, do not be dismayed, for there are riches found in forgiveness and especially taking care to be forgiving of your own mistakes. Later on, rich opportunities will come your way to be the forgiving presence for someone who has not yet experienced that blessing. Saltiness is revealed as we grow spiritually and personally, we change and we persevere, increasing our saltiness.

Jesus also said, “You are the light of the world.” There will be a public dimension to your life, thus do not put your light under a bushel. Your lamp will light up the hill for others. Our Christianity should be visible to everyone, visible to your new professors, visible to the checkout at the grocery store, visible to the child on the playground, visible to your employers, visible in the way we park our car, or in the language we use at a ball game. Jesus did not say you are the light of the church, he said, “You are the light of the world.” Archbishop William Temple is famous for saying, “The church is the only institution on earth that exists for those who are not its members.”

A light is a guide, like the lighthouse that guides ships into shore, your light guides others to solid ground.  Discipleship is not a secret, privatized act but leads us to public ministry that reaches and includes others. Good works are the light that point beyond themselves toward God. Putting your light on the lampstand lights the whole house. The scriptures say, we the church are the light on the hill, we light the whole city!

Consider the things that we rely on light for today. Plants and trees grow because of sunlight. We now have solar panels that can transform light to electricity. Small beams of light, lasers can be used for healing. In the same way, disciples of Christ are beams of God’s light sent to bring vitality and energy toward life, to offer growth and understanding, and bring healing works that glorify God.

On those days when it seems like there is a lot of darkness, remember that Jesus said in the gospel of John, 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Look towards the light and you will find Christ. Yes, like the early disciples, whatever work you are called to will at times put you in places where others will revile and persecute you. Unlike the salt that loses its capacity to season food, your light cannot be hidden. The darkness can never overcome the light. Understand that. Darkness can never overcome your light. Sometimes we are to go to places of darkness to bear light. Author Annie Dillard writes, “ You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is necessary.“[1]

The best part of what your faith will do as you move out into the world is engage you in the wonderful mysteries of God, how every ending is a new beginning, how the last things become the first things. You will find that your greatest weakness becomes strength. You will receive through giving. You will be most free when you are bound in service to others. You gain your life through losing it. You will find the eternal spring not outside of yourself but deep within, where God will refresh your life, and give you life each day and in every circumstance. Remember that in the heart pounding moments of your life, you are not alone. God is with you shining light to lead your way. Neither salt, not light are given for your own personal enjoyment, they are to be carried into the world, go and be salt and light for others.

I will remember you in my prayers, even better, Christ who is sitting at the right hand of our heavenly Father is interceding for us all. Go forth in faith and in love, for you are blessed to be a blessing in this world.

Signed, your pastor, friend and sister in Christ. Amen.

[1] Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk, Expeditions and Encounters, (New York: Harper Perennial, 1992) 43.

First Fruits

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DSCN1359When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Acts 2:1-3

Do you know why the community was gathered in one place? They were in Jerusalem for the offering of the first fruits, a festival called Shavouth. An unblemished perfect sheaf of wheat or barley was given to the priest to wave over the altar in thanksgiving to God before the harvest. No flour was ground, nothing taken to market, no bread was baked until after the offering of the first fruits. The community was giving the very best of their lives to God even before knowing the benefit of the harvest which would occur 7 weeks later. The offering of the first fruits is when the Holy Spirit showed up to empower the community.

We celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The experience of the Holy Spirit is near and dear to the heart of Methodism. John Wesley was working to revitalize a stale church, a church that was caught up in theological arguments, a church of individuals, and a church that had yet to uncover how to extend God’s grace. After John Wesley experienced the Holy Spirit, which he described in his journal as “my heart was strangely warmed,” on May 24, 1783 , the Methodist movement took off. The cross in United Methodism has a flame attached to its base to remind us that the Spirit is the basis of our relationship with the living God. Augustine called the Holy Spirit the bond of love. The Spirit bonds us in love to God the Father and God the Son. The Father and Son cannot exist without the Spirit. We cannot live without Love either.

Many people well intended people think the Holy Spirit is that which nudges them towards whatever feels good. After all, in the gospel of John, the Paraclete is most often translated as the ‘comforter,’ and we often misinterpret the experience of the Holy Spirit as that which gives us permission to act in whatever way we think feels best. What feels best is unfortunately not always necessarily what is faithful. John Wesley called the work of the Spirit in our lives, sanctification. It is the grace present when we are empowered to love God and one another. The work of the Holy Spirit works within the entire community. It is the power of the Holy Spirit at work when we remain devoted and honor God. It is the work of the Holy Spirit when we give the very best of ourselves even when we don’t know what lies ahead. It is the work of the Holy Spirit when we care for and minister with one another. It is the work of the Holy Spirit when we get along well both in work and in play. It is the work of the Holy Spirit when our humility and acceptance for another is expressed in community. Through the Holy Spirit, we inspire one another on to good deeds.  Like the water in a mountain spring, the life of the Spirit cannot be contained in community either, it spills out and gushes forth becoming a blessing for the world.

The full Pentecostal blessing is intended for the whole family of God.
We wait and hope for this.

Alive in Christ!

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DSC00272                             Easter Sunrise, Woodlawn Plantation

Today we celebrate the Risen Christ! Today, we celebrate victory over sin and death! And here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter if we feel victorious or not, if we recognize Christ or not,  if we deny Jesus or accept him, it doesn’t matter if new life is part of our experience or if we are still waiting for something good to happen in our lives, because simply put, we do not accomplish the resurrection, God does that! And there is nothing we can do about it. God loves us and wants us all to have a full and meaningful life. The good news for the church, and the good news for you and for me today, is that any emptiness, any place of death in our lives, any life-sucking energy depleting circumstances, any illness or addiction we might be dealing with, could be the very avenue that God will use to bring us to new life.

Alleluia! Christ our Lord is Risen today!

I Thirst

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I thirst.

It’s a hot 90 degree day, you have been working outside, covered in dust and dirt, smeared on your face and in your hair. You notice a garden hose, or a spigot,  water dripping out across the sidewalk, you reach down and pick it up, just a sip, just enough to wet your lips brings you relief.

Jesus calls out from the cross, “I thirst.”

Below him, someone steps up with a branch of hyssop and wine vinegar, and touches his lips.  Wine vinegar diluted with water was called posca, the drink of choice because it was thirst quenching, inexpensive and made river water more palatable. They soldiers at the crucifixion weren’t getting drunk on it, just using it to quench their own thirst.

Lifting the sponge soaked with posca with the branch of hyssop was necessary to reach Jesus’ lips. For those watching, the hyssop would remind them of the washing of the sacrificial blood of the lamb over the door posts in the Passover. Even in the midst of human failure and sin, here at Golgotha, a new Passover was being initiated.

As a nurse in the hospital, I had many occasions to put a cup of water, or straw to the lips of a thirsty patient, perhaps someone had surgery, or a stroke and could not lift the cup. I remember one patient in particular whose broken bones kept him from moving his arms and legs. Can you give me a drink? Thirst is the universal experience essential for sustaining all human life.

John’s gospel likes to point out the many ways Jesus’ humanity is revealed; he weeps, he gets angry, he thirsts. I think here on the cross however, when Jesus said, “I thirst,” rather than revealing his humanity, I think Jesus was revealing his full divinity. 

God on the cross, the divinity of Jesus exposed there, the love that held Jesus to the cross, became the liquid poured out for our sakes. It’s the water that is separated for our baptism, it is the water that brings forth the new creation. Jesus’ thirst fulfilled the revelation of scripture, Psalm 69:21 “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”

Rather than posca, the liquid Jesus thirsted for that is essential for life is love. And here’s the thing: on Good Friday, we acknowledge that the crucified God still thirsts for our love. What makes our love available to God, what quenches God’s thirst is our complete trust, our faith.  God thirsts for us to love God with our whole lives. Not just sharing ourselves a sip at a time.

There on the cross is not the only time Jesus asked for a drink. Do you remember Jesus in Samaria, “Give me a drink?” Jesus greets the woman at the well. He was certainly able to get his own drink. And the woman is already suspicious, what did Jesus really want? She asks, why are you asking me for a drink?

It doesn’t take long to realize the way to care for those who thirst is through a relationship. She has the longest recorded conversation with Jesus found anywhere in scripture. She accepts the truth he gives her and she is so transformed that she goes back into her village where she was an outcast and brings many out to meet Jesus. She has fallen in love with yet another man, Jesus.  She has fallen in love with truth, with the way and with the life.

This question, “give me a drink,” was the very question I heard when my relationship with Jesus deepened.  Why are you asking me for a drink? What kind of relationship are you calling me to?

What Jesus was asking the woman at the well for was this: give me what I am thirsting for most, let go of your past, your five husbands and give me your whole life. He told the woman, “when you drink the water I shall give, it shall become in you a well springing up to eternal life.” You see when God gives us water, when God gives us his love, love that is essential for life, there is none of this sipping out of a hose, God is like a three-year old and pours that water over us until we are drenched in love. God is the ultimate fireman, a big huge hose of water poured out to save our lives.

Jesus Christ thirsts for more than our doing good things for others, following Jesus means placing our full trust in his love that gives life.  Following Jesus means that our lives are filled with love. Our one single aim is to quench Jesus’ thirst on that cross, to relieve his suffering, to give him our love and our lives.  Your cup and mine, Jesus wants to drink deeply of the love that places our complete trust in him.
(Photo Credit, Casey Boga)

Fasting Is Slowing

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Lent is the season to grow in our relationship with God. Prayer and fasting are good starting places for attending to God’s presence in our lives. Fasting from things other than food can be very helpful in providing us time to focus instead on God. Where do you spend your free time? How you spend your free time reveals where your priorities are. Often, we find ourselves wasting time without realizing it. Television, gossip magazines, Facebook, Twitter, internet games not to mention addictions like alcohol, pornography and gambling steal our time.

Listening in silence is one way to fast. It invites us to let go of our many distractions. Do not try to evacuate your mind, rather listen for the word that continues to surface that reveals the Divine. Use the Simple Prayers on this site to lead you into a time of silence.

Replace the things that steal your time with an intent to notice God in simple activities like  taking a walk, breathing consciously will re-establish the connection between your body and spirit. Practice taking each step gently as an effort to offer peace in our world.

Fasting in these ways can actually produce a slowing. We notice things we otherwise might overlook. Fasting is not very comfortable, because it reminds us how empty we are. I encourage you to empty out, my friends, slow down and fill up on the presence of God.Image

Welcoming in the New

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How did you welcome in a New Year? Many of us attended a party with friends, family, food and music and waited until the Big Apple in Times Square dropped.. Did you enter this New Year concerned about whether your work will create more stress than benefit? Are you concerned for how you will make ends meet? Are you concerned about the side effects and efficacy for the health care treatment that you receive? Or were you able to welcome in this New Year excited for what lies ahead, for how God will shine light into your days, and wonder for how God will use you?

Perhaps we can do both. Perhaps we can enter this New Year with an appreciation of the difficulties of navigating our faith in this broken world. Perhaps this New Year will call us to make ends meet through life giving relationships that make all the difference for how we manage our families, our lifework and our recreation. Perhaps we can enter this New Year, knowing that in the midst of our illness, God will use us for someone or something beyond our understanding.

Welcoming in a new year for me always means welcoming in new people. Each year I am blessed by making new friends. Do you have a plan for welcoming new people in your life this year? Those at work? In your neighborhood? At the bus or on the metro? At your church?

Jesus made friends with everyone, the disciples and the lost, children in the family and those outside the family, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the ill. He sent the disciples instructing them, “ Therefore, be as shrewd and snakes and as innocent as doves.” Even in the time of Jesus, making friends and sharing the love of God was a risk taking mission. Jesus instructed the twelve in Matthew 10, “Go to find the lost sheep, preach this message, the kingdom of God is near.” Jesus instructed them to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy and drive out the demons. He warned them about the difficulties they would encounter, saying “Do not be afraid, the very hairs on your head are numbered.”

We make friends in the knowledge that God is with us, that our truest form of sharing Christ comes through friendship, journeying alongside one another to encourage, keep one another accountable and strengthen our faith. It’s time to welcome in the new! Let’s look forward to all the Holy Spirit will send in our midst in the year ahead. I am sure we will find Christ revealed in each of our new friends.

Hope is Here

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Hope is not wishful thinking, it is not wanting things to turn out a certain way. Hope is accepting all that is here and responding in trust for the future. Mary is our symbol of hope this season. Mary openly received the direction to head down an unknown road. She was affirmed through the messengers sent to join her on the way.  She continued on, knowing that Joseph and Elizabeth were aware of all that was happening within her.

Hope is strengthened through sharing with others. Joseph held Mary’s hand the whole journey long, himself hoping for what was ahead. It was not easier or more comfortable, their questions was not answered immediately.

In fact, I am not sure you can have hope without vulnerability. What are you hoping for? Who is holding your hand? What is affirming you as you respond? These are the questions of the season.

We are not merely to survive this season.  Hope is here.

Advent Waiting

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The season of Advent  is upon us. This is a season of waiting. As we wait,
we watch. We seek God’s active presence coming into the world. Maybe we are watching world news and want to see peace. Maybe we are waiting with a sick relative and want to see healing. Perhaps we are waiting with children and want to see love open wide in family life. Some of us wait by ourselves,
looking for a glimpse of Jesus coming toward us.

Waiting and prayer have a lot in common. Waiting is not inactive. We wait
with an openness to respond. We wait with a heart ready to help. We wait to
have God move us to share love. Christians most often have the dilemma
between choosing between two good options. Maybe this year we need to choose an option that helps us admit we need God to accomplish it. Maybe we need to choose to do the thing that moves us to more fully experience God’s presence and power at work in our lives. Maybe this is what it means for Christ to come again.

Turning The Grateful Season into The Great Full Season

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Some days it just doesn’t seem like we have enough, not enough time, not enough energy or support, not enough love. When disappointment runs deep, we cannot help but ask, “Where are you, God?”

If we dare, if we take courage and look beyond our limitations, stepping out into uncertainty, sure of only the One, there we find surprising mystery, there is the grace. At first, maybe a drop, and then a trickle, that leads us to the fountain of mercy and goodness that God intends. For each one of us, God’s plan is different, but we are all caught up in a universal experience of what is means to be human. Thanks be to our Lord Jesus, God knows the human experience intimately. And taught us thanksgiving anyway. “On the night in which we was betrayed, Jesus took bread and gave thanks.” (1 Corinthians 11:23) Amazing. Jesus knew his circumstances were dire, he knew he was headed to suffer and he did so with thanksgiving.

I don’t believe we get to the Great Full Season, until we have passed by the grateful season. We give thanks for everything, no matter how fleeting. No matter what our situation, we bless God and give thanks. Giving thanks helps us to gain new perspective, to see things we had not seen before. The Great Full Season arrives when we are able to let go of what we think we need, and find God in the dark, find God in the autumns of our lives when things are falling away. Let us enter the Great Full Season, placing our full trust in the fullness of glory that lies ahead.