Hm...
Recently I received a packet in the mail with some faith guides in it - for sale. You know, the color pamphlets that say "What you should know about...Lent" (for example.) I have seen these guides before and actually skimmed a few. They never really caught me, but I thought they might have some useful tidbits for those who weren't raised in the church.
But...they also have some fairly self-help theology in them, that can veer those with and without a connection to the church in the wrong way. I don't think it is intended to "steer folks a certain way" but rather, the set-up of a "How To" book is the culprit.
For instance - the one that just crossed my desk was "What You Should Know About Lent." Good enough...many people have no clue about Lent, its history, its practices, etc... As I flipped through the pages I was caught by the tremendous power that was given to humanity in our salvation.
Here's the biggest red flag for me, "Lent prepares us so we may fulfill the promises of Easter."
WHAT!?! We can fulfill the promises of Easter? Aren't the promises of Easter new and eternal life in and through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Can we take on the cross so that the promises of Easter are fulfilled? Isn't that God's gift to humanity, the whole point of Easter and our need of a Savior in the first place? If we could fulfill these promises (and here I ask, are they God's promises or ours?) why would we need God, Jesus Christ, or Easter at all?
Wow. I mean, don't get me wrong. There are some good tidbits in here, some really good ones. But once something like self-salvation is put forth, well all the rest really doesn't matter does it. This pamphlet tell us that WE have the power to bring about new life. That WE are the ones who will fulfill God's promise. This is a How To of a modern world. A How To that gives us all the steps and all we need to do is follow the directions and all will be saved.
I pray that God's word, Jesus Christ is heard and seen in this upcoming season of Lent - heard and seen as the salvific word and life that it is. We can't save ourselves...and God knows that, so God sent God's son to die on the cross for us. So we don't have to. We are called to follow after Christ, to take up our cross, to die to sin, and live into this NEW life that is given through Jesus Christ.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
My First Christmas (awww...)
That's right, tonight is my First Christmas...as a pastor of a congregation. I am excited. I am nervous. I am like a little kid on Christmas Eve I think - still with the twinkle in my eye, looking for the greatest gift that we can ever receive...listening with ears glued to the greatest story ever told.
In the calm before the celebration (service is one hour away and I am all alone in the parish right now) I am thinking about all the pieces that come together tonight. All of the gifts that people bring to this place...and yet, I am called to preach that it is not about what we give - it is about God who gives us the most outrageous and incredible gift ever imagined. The gift of new life in a little tiny baby, a savior who will bear my sin and the sin of the whole world so that we can be in a right relationship with God. That's what tonight is about...what we get...not in a selfish sort of counting, but in the realization that this is a gift I don't deserve, and a gift I can't repay. This gift that all are given tonight and every night is the gift of a new life in and through Jesus Christ, the baby in the manger, the man on the cross, the Lord in the light of the resurrection. Tonight is about what we get...and God pulls out all the stops, giving fully of Godself so that we won't be in want. God gives us God's only son...first as a baby in a manger. Counter-cultural.
So with that I am going to step away for some quiet prayer before people start flooding in. I pray that all may come to know God's amazing gift to all the world tonight and that all can celebrate and go out telling of this great gift...sharing the best gift ever given with one another, with friend and neighbor. God's at work in and through this gift - in each one of us, in our communities, and in the church in the world. Merry Christmas!
In the calm before the celebration (service is one hour away and I am all alone in the parish right now) I am thinking about all the pieces that come together tonight. All of the gifts that people bring to this place...and yet, I am called to preach that it is not about what we give - it is about God who gives us the most outrageous and incredible gift ever imagined. The gift of new life in a little tiny baby, a savior who will bear my sin and the sin of the whole world so that we can be in a right relationship with God. That's what tonight is about...what we get...not in a selfish sort of counting, but in the realization that this is a gift I don't deserve, and a gift I can't repay. This gift that all are given tonight and every night is the gift of a new life in and through Jesus Christ, the baby in the manger, the man on the cross, the Lord in the light of the resurrection. Tonight is about what we get...and God pulls out all the stops, giving fully of Godself so that we won't be in want. God gives us God's only son...first as a baby in a manger. Counter-cultural.
So with that I am going to step away for some quiet prayer before people start flooding in. I pray that all may come to know God's amazing gift to all the world tonight and that all can celebrate and go out telling of this great gift...sharing the best gift ever given with one another, with friend and neighbor. God's at work in and through this gift - in each one of us, in our communities, and in the church in the world. Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Partnership in the Gospel
I must tell you how overwhelmed with joy at I am. Being called to the Metropolitan Washington DC Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America I am also a part of the Fairfax Conference - which is a smaller geographical grouping of churches within the synod. The Fairfax Conference is a gift to me in my new ministry at Epiphany.
My previous experience with conferences (and one place where I have been they were referred to as clusters) was one of competition and idle rumor-milling. Truly, on internship I attented ONE cluster meeting - at which the Dean, myself, and my supervisor attended. No one else showed up and apparently that had been the case for quite some time. When I met the leaders of these congregations at synod events or continuing education endeavors, there was no real companionship or partnership - but rather a display of numbers and figures ("I baptized 6 people last month." or "We took in 12 new members the month before.") It boggled my mind, because I saw this group as a colleague group and yet it was a group of competitors vying for numbers and people, so as to appear "on top."
Additionally at other times I have attended conference/cluster text-study groups and anything but the texts of the week were studied. It was a bash session of "Oh, this member this..." or "Did you hear what XYZ did to his worship space?" It was petty, and while I so crave and need such a colleague group, I found soon-enough in each case that being a part of this group, even after sharing my concern (afterwhich I became seen as the goody-two-shoes), was not good stewardship of my time. So I soon quit attending these and turned to text-study on my own and online voices.
But things are quite different here. I don't know if it is the same across the synod, I pray so. But in the Fairfax Conference our calls are seen as partnerships. Our calls are seen as collaborative efforts. What I do in my parish may be beneficial for others, and so I share. The knowledge that I gain from conferences or readings might be what another pastor is seeking, so I offer that up. This is the Fairfax Conference. Our monthlt conference meetings are times of prayer, checking-in, and sharing of learning, resources, experience, etc...followed by a time of fellowship at a local restaurant that turns into much more sharing - sometimes personal, sometime professional.
Since beginning my call I have attended three of these meetings and all have been moments of gained knowledge and growing collegiality. I have felt supported by those who have been in the parish for a time, I have felt empowered and positively challenged by those who are new like me, and I have felt safe to ask questions, offer thoughts, or challenge others. This is such a joy and such a gift! It is a model of the body of Christ. None of us in this conference are perfect in person or in community, but we seek to proclaim the good news in all we do, and desire to learn more and help each other as we walk in faith.
This is a true gift and as Christmas time closes in, I am thankful for this great gift - the gift of true community, the gift of the full church, the gift of God's community of disciples.
My previous experience with conferences (and one place where I have been they were referred to as clusters) was one of competition and idle rumor-milling. Truly, on internship I attented ONE cluster meeting - at which the Dean, myself, and my supervisor attended. No one else showed up and apparently that had been the case for quite some time. When I met the leaders of these congregations at synod events or continuing education endeavors, there was no real companionship or partnership - but rather a display of numbers and figures ("I baptized 6 people last month." or "We took in 12 new members the month before.") It boggled my mind, because I saw this group as a colleague group and yet it was a group of competitors vying for numbers and people, so as to appear "on top."
Additionally at other times I have attended conference/cluster text-study groups and anything but the texts of the week were studied. It was a bash session of "Oh, this member this..." or "Did you hear what XYZ did to his worship space?" It was petty, and while I so crave and need such a colleague group, I found soon-enough in each case that being a part of this group, even after sharing my concern (afterwhich I became seen as the goody-two-shoes), was not good stewardship of my time. So I soon quit attending these and turned to text-study on my own and online voices.
But things are quite different here. I don't know if it is the same across the synod, I pray so. But in the Fairfax Conference our calls are seen as partnerships. Our calls are seen as collaborative efforts. What I do in my parish may be beneficial for others, and so I share. The knowledge that I gain from conferences or readings might be what another pastor is seeking, so I offer that up. This is the Fairfax Conference. Our monthlt conference meetings are times of prayer, checking-in, and sharing of learning, resources, experience, etc...followed by a time of fellowship at a local restaurant that turns into much more sharing - sometimes personal, sometime professional.
Since beginning my call I have attended three of these meetings and all have been moments of gained knowledge and growing collegiality. I have felt supported by those who have been in the parish for a time, I have felt empowered and positively challenged by those who are new like me, and I have felt safe to ask questions, offer thoughts, or challenge others. This is such a joy and such a gift! It is a model of the body of Christ. None of us in this conference are perfect in person or in community, but we seek to proclaim the good news in all we do, and desire to learn more and help each other as we walk in faith.
This is a true gift and as Christmas time closes in, I am thankful for this great gift - the gift of true community, the gift of the full church, the gift of God's community of disciples.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
A Late Night Plea (and chuckle...)
A while back I changed the layout of my blog, added a few new elements, and just made it a bit more interactive, if you will. As a result of this I lost my original world map and the dots that pointed to who had been looking at my blog. I was really captivated by this map because it only went to show how truly small the world has become.
Before I made the change there had been visitors from all continents (well, maybe not Antartica) and that made me smile, for I too often wander across blogs that were written from other continents. BUT, now after the revision of the blog and the 'refreshing' of the map as a result I keep looking at it longing for the days when there was a red dot on each continent, in fact multiple dots on each. Now South America, Africa, and Australia sit entirely green with not red dots and this makes me sad. I mean after all...Christmas is coming and the traditional American red and green would be such a wonderful vision, now wouldn't it?
SO...if you are out there...come check out this blog. Represent your good continents and help to spread the Christmas cheer via a cultural color display. (Besides - if you are reading this, your dot will ultimately be posted, so maybe we are already there since there is a delay.)
:-)
Before I made the change there had been visitors from all continents (well, maybe not Antartica) and that made me smile, for I too often wander across blogs that were written from other continents. BUT, now after the revision of the blog and the 'refreshing' of the map as a result I keep looking at it longing for the days when there was a red dot on each continent, in fact multiple dots on each. Now South America, Africa, and Australia sit entirely green with not red dots and this makes me sad. I mean after all...Christmas is coming and the traditional American red and green would be such a wonderful vision, now wouldn't it?
SO...if you are out there...come check out this blog. Represent your good continents and help to spread the Christmas cheer via a cultural color display. (Besides - if you are reading this, your dot will ultimately be posted, so maybe we are already there since there is a delay.)
:-)
Monday, December 03, 2007
LARCUM
Friday and Saturday I attended an annual conference hosted by LARCUM - Lutherans, Anglicans, Roman Catholics, and United Methodists in Covenant in Virginia.
Ted Campbell was the speaker for the event - and focused on what is the most common and underlying commonality for all of us - the Gospel. He was quite a captivating speaker and had many moments of seriously hilarious laughter.
This weekend was quite exciting for me because ecumenism is a growing passion of mine. I thought about this and realized that my life has been one of ecumenism from the time I was born. My mother was born and raised Lutheran, my father was born into a Catholic and Serbian Orthodox family and worshipped with both parents in both traditions. My godmother is Roman Catholic. In college I was quite active in both things going on in the Lutheran Church (some campus ministry, but more so outdoor ministry) and an evangelical Christian fellowship ministry group. So I guess it only makes sense that I would seek to find ways for us to be faithful followers of Christ who seek to focus on what is held between us, and rejoice in the differences and uniqueness.
As I talked with folks at this conference (and I have to say that many, many of these folks were Roman Catholic laity) I started to think of the churches and communities around Dale City/Woodbridge. I am thinking about drafting a letter of introduction, but also to see if any of these leaders and laity are interested in coming to know each other more and seeking ways to live out our callings as disciples together.
I'll keep ya posted if this comes to fruition...just need to find the time to get this done and then see who/where the local congregations are.
Ted Campbell was the speaker for the event - and focused on what is the most common and underlying commonality for all of us - the Gospel. He was quite a captivating speaker and had many moments of seriously hilarious laughter.
This weekend was quite exciting for me because ecumenism is a growing passion of mine. I thought about this and realized that my life has been one of ecumenism from the time I was born. My mother was born and raised Lutheran, my father was born into a Catholic and Serbian Orthodox family and worshipped with both parents in both traditions. My godmother is Roman Catholic. In college I was quite active in both things going on in the Lutheran Church (some campus ministry, but more so outdoor ministry) and an evangelical Christian fellowship ministry group. So I guess it only makes sense that I would seek to find ways for us to be faithful followers of Christ who seek to focus on what is held between us, and rejoice in the differences and uniqueness.
As I talked with folks at this conference (and I have to say that many, many of these folks were Roman Catholic laity) I started to think of the churches and communities around Dale City/Woodbridge. I am thinking about drafting a letter of introduction, but also to see if any of these leaders and laity are interested in coming to know each other more and seeking ways to live out our callings as disciples together.
I'll keep ya posted if this comes to fruition...just need to find the time to get this done and then see who/where the local congregations are.
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