December 23, 2011
We were asked, at the clergy writing group, to give the opening sentence of a seasonal sermon we would probably never give in our congregations. Here are my two entries:
It might surprise you to learn that our ideal person of faith is an expectant, unwed twelve year old …
and
Having the magi recognize Jesus’ birth is like having palm reading astrologers give him their seal of approval …
November 16, 2011
Paul can be a hard case: blaming illness and death in the community on coming unworthily to the table. It feels a lot like blaming the victim or the patient. And it resulted, historically, in my church, in most members (for many years) receiving communion (at most) once or twice a year.
That’s really putting the fear of God in us!
So I like Luther’s take (if I understand it) that knowing and feeling your need of the sacrament is coming worthily to the table.
And I like Anne’s take even better: Isn’t it precisely when you come unworthily to the table that you most need to be there and be fed and graced by God? (more…)
August 17, 2011
What we have is a story.
Yes. It’s God’s story — even Jesus’ story.
But it’s a story without any power at all if it’s not also our story.
And it’s not that we don’t have a story. In my experience, we all do. We just don’t seem to recognize our own story. And we don’t seem to want to tell it.
All of us have our reasons for being members of our particular church family. When asked, I have yet to find one person at St. George’s who couldn’t tell me why they were here. But almost none of them recognize their own story as a story of faith. Which it is.
I wonder sometimes if it’s simply a (mis)perceived dualism between realms we see as “holy” and “secular” (when in fact it’s all one). But somehow we fail to see God at work in our daily lives and work — even as we are drawn to God precisely because of our everyday life experiences.
And I’m not so much talking about the mystical here — seeing the whole of creation in a walnut or some such. We just all seem to intuit, or experience, or whatever some kind of connections to something beyond ourselves — some kind of leading or guidance or caring …
Which I’m more and more convinced is what it’s all about. Relationship. Caring. Love.
That’s our story.
That’s the difference maker.
December 15, 2010
We had another clergy write yesterday. Our third write was on the phrase (from “O Little Town of Bethlehem”) “Be Born In Me Today.” I think I may have at least a start for Sunday’s sermon:
At bible study yesterday we were talking about Joseph, who was going to put Mary aside quietly (rather than have her stoned or publicly humiliated) when he had a dream. And a dream is certainly not an automatically authoritative event. We have lots of dreams, and they don’t all come from God — though therapists tell us we can all benefit from paying attention to our dreams.
Anyway, Joseph clearly didn’t want Mary as his wife when he had this dream. (more…)
November 20, 2010
Again, from the writer’s group; we were working on (the Lutheran’s) Reformation Sunday “If the Son makes you free, you are free indeed.” Here’s my response:
How free am I in Christ?
What does it even mean to be free in Christ?
I’m clear that I cannot earn and will never deserve my salvation. It’s simply a gift offered and received.
But maybe something needs to be said about the receiving?
I’ve probably said this before. But the controlling image in my mind for grace is marriage.
I don’t deserve (and could never have earned) Anne’s love. But the gift of her love was offered and (so far) has been something I received.
But the receiving changes me. If I love Anne, I live differently. I choose to do, some things at least, because I know they will please her. And I avoid doing other things I know will hurt her.
I do this as myself. A real turning point in our relationship [as I remember it] came when she broke up with me, I think right after I asked her to marry me, and we reconciled (within a couple of days).
What she told me was, “You are not my Prince Charming …” — which was why we broke up. “But,” she continued, “I love you anyway.”
So I was free to be me, and still be loved.
Maybe God has created me to be someone in particular. Maybe I am most fully myself as I become that person. But it isn’t primarily about rules and expectations. it’s about love and relationship.
And I’m free to be me.
I’m free to become myself.
At my own pace.
Lived out in a loving relationship.
I’m thinking that’s what it might mean to be “free indeed in Christ.”
November 20, 2010
Can’t remember the cartoon (about bankers) that was the genesis for this. But this is from my last participation with my clergy writing group:
What is it about bankers and other “owners” of finance and production? They seem to feel that their well-being supersedes and is necessary to the well-being of others. So rules and justice and fairness simply don’t apply to them. And their importance is such that they need to be rewarded on a scale that they would never consider applying to other people.
Or is this just human nature? I could argue that there are may Christians, and even people of other religions, who may play on a different, non monetary field, but who also see themselves as outside of the normal rules with spiritual recompense due them that would never apply to others outside their special group.
And I would bet I could say the same thing for champions of the underdog, whether we’re talking animals or the poor or the unborn.
So maybe the question to ask myself is this: do I want to apply this expectation I have across the board to everyone? Could I live with this?
September 21, 2010
I know I’ve been quiet for a while; busy with church, prayer life, music and reading. And that may continue for a while. But I did finally get back to my clergy writing group. And here is what I did for our free write today:
“What I’m thinking about is preaching and jazz. (more…)
February 23, 2010
So, a little mini addition to the blog tonight. My clergy writer’s group met this morning. And one assignment was to write for 10 minutes on the parallels between figure skating and being a pastor:
I have to say, figure skating and ice dancing may be my least favorite olympic events. Unlike my wife and daughters, I’m not convinced they should even be in the olympics. Yes. They demand strength and stamina. But there is no objective and no objective standard in the activity. (more…)
January 2, 2010
So here is something else from my clergy writer’s group. Remember, these are timed writes, one quick draft only that ends when time is out. This happened back before Christmast during Advent:
Expectations. Pleasing other people. We all have them. We all do it. Face it: if we didn’t meet some expectations and please some people, we wouldn’t have jobs. We wouldn’t have families. We couldn’t function. (more…)
December 16, 2009
My friend Mary wrote this piece (one draft, unedited) in the writer’s group last month. It’s the third part of Descended from the Dead:
He descended to the dead…. I have felt at times as if I were on a descent to the dead: no life in me, no passion, no joy, no purpose… Maybe even felt like I wanted to go to that place of quiet oblivion, but only envisioning it as: divorce, abortion, adopting out my children, then running away: end of life as I knew it. (more…)
