Grandmother's Peace

       Peace.  It gets talked about a lot in faith circles.  We pray for peace.  We search for peace.  Some people find peace in worship while others still haven't reconciled themselves to the fact that we are asked to exchange a sign of "the peace" of Christ with the people sitting around us, no less.   Great people of faith seem to have a serene peace about them; it is one of the qualities that sets them apart from many of us.  This peace seems to come from a deep faith or acceptance.

       It's a quality a lot of people want as part of their spirituality.  Some people search for inner peace through prayer, meditation, and other spiritual practices.  Most of us have to work at it, but some people just "have it". Their faith just seems to give them a calm base; like weebles, they seem to be able to take the storms of life without falling down.  Counselor-types call it having a "non-anxious presence". 

       I remember my maternal grandmother as having that kind of presence.  Growing up, we spent summers with her.  And in spite of all the kids and our mess and noise, she was always calm.  There was only one time I remember her being upset. 

       My older sister had rescued a newborn kitten that was just a few days old.  It's eyes weren't even opened when she brought it home.  She fed it warmed formula from a doll's bottle and kept it warm.  It was still so small when we came up, that it still needed care and attention.

       A cousin had taken the kitten away and was being mean to it; and we went crying out to Grandma for help.  I don't remember what she said or did, except that she flew out of the kitchen, apron flying and soon returned, having rescued the kitten from the cousin and the cow tank.  She settled down with one of her good kitchen towels (the kind we would get in trouble for using to wipe our hands),gently wiping the kitten.   She sat by the stove, holding the kitten up near her chin and softly singing Norwegian lullabies.  Grandma was in her chair; the world was at peace.

        The peace we share during worship is the gift of peace given in faith by Jesus himself. After the resurrection, he greets the disciples with the words "Peace be with you" every time they meet. It is Jesus' wish, that we have his peace.  

       But there are times in the gospels when Jesus is upset.  Like my Grandmother, it is usually when he is looking out for the "little ones"  and the "least of these"; the ones that need his help and protection.  Our search for peace is never to come at the cost of the call to care for those in need.  

       Christ's peace comes from following his Way, which like the life he led, takes us out into the world to care for others.  

       Reading and studying the bible, daily prayer, yoga, meditation, deep breathing, all our spiritual practices will all fall short of peace unless we also reach out to others.  God's peace is not self-contained; it is communal.

       Living Christ's peace is something I know that I have to practice.  

       As a musician, the word practice has special meaning.  Learning an instrument, getting a degree in music means hours of practice locking away in a small room working hard and also working hard in groups large and small until the notes on the page make the music contained in them.

       Our spiritual practice takes the same dedication; time alone and time together in groups large and small.  We come together to pray and praise, to give God what is due God, and in return, we are filled and strengthened to continue.  Putting away our fears and anxiety doesn't mean running away from the world, but rather taking Christ with us into our everyday lives and giving him all the things we cannot control and do not know.  Read Matthew 6:33-34

Butterflies and Wall Street

       Just the other day, I came out of the church into swirl of fallen leaves being blown by the wind in the sunshine.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed one up near my shoulder.  I was going to ignore it and go when I stopped and thought, "how did this one leaf get up by my shoulder?"  Before I could finish that thought, the blacks and golds fluttered by my face.  It was a Monarch butterfly.
       It was beautiful.  I stood absolutely still and watched it in wonder until it flew off.  I reflected later that this experience was all the more special because of how rare it has been this year.  I haven't seen many Monarchs.
       In chaos theory, the butterfly effect describes how a tiny change in one place in the system can effect great changes overall.  This year perhaps especially, the Monarch butterfly is an example of that effect.
       Monarchs have been endangered for years now by the use of pesticides, the change in farming practices where fields are even larger and hedges and brush along fence lines are disappearing, and along with those practices, milk weed pod, the weed that the butterflies depend on for food are disappearing.  This year, these delicate beauties are also being hit hard by the severe drought on the southern Great Plains.  To survive, Monarchs must migrate south to Mexico beginning in August.  Like all migrating species, they need food and water along the way to survive the rigorous trip.  Some scientists are worried that conditions this year may be the tipping point for the species.
       In New York City and in cities around the country, people are protesting.  It's called Occupy Wall Street.  The media has been having a hard time covering it because they can't find a concise reason or meaning.  One common sign reads, 'We are the 99'; meaning the ninety-nine percent that are not extremely wealthy.  They are protesting everything from the banks and those that were bailed out and are now making record profits while "regular" people have lost homes, jobs, and taken losses in their retirement funds and abilities.
       These two phenomena intersect at a very central biblical concept: stewardship.  Now this is not "stewardship lite" in the way that contemporary church talk has reduced stewardship to a once-yearly focus on how much money you need to give to "the church" or "to God".  The central biblical concept of stewardship is about how humans are to relate with each other and to the whole of creation that God has put into our hands.  The core of that concept is care for the poor, the weak, and nature itself.
       According to the Old Testament, the Monarch would have habitat and the poor would have food; "you shall not reap to the very edges of your fields... you shall not strip your vineyard bare... you shall leave them for the poor" (Leviticus 19:9-10).  There is also the concept of the year of Jubilee when liberty is proclaimed for all people and for the land.  At its base is an understanding that the land belongs not to people but to God and therefore, we cannot claim ownership in perpetuity nor are people to be dealt with unfairly or a few to retain dominion over others.
       The biblical concept of stewardship calls us to mindfulness that we are the caretakers not the owners and that God's wish is for mercy and to look after all people. It is in this faith question that the life of the butterflies and the protestors can meet.  What does God have to say about corporate greed, about a time when the richer get wildly richer and more and more people fall into poverty, and about the devastation of rain forests, butterflies, and the polar ice caps?
       The biblical concept of stewardship does impact monetary issues, but only because it seeks to impact everything from energy-saving lightbulbs, to recycling, to our menus, and whom we invite to the table to eat of the harvested bounty.  It's not a question of what do we do with "our" stuff but of recognizing and then living the truth that all of this and us included, belong to God.  Read Isaiah 58:6-9

The Love that Tells the Story

     

       A couple of weeks ago, I was at a meeting on one of the lakes in the region. It was a blustery day with clouds rolling through, the sun peeking through less and less as the morning went on and the wind was rising. The lake was getting choppier and by noon, the wind was whipping up white caps on the waves. There was a point where it looked as if rain was coming across the lake but it never came.

        I took time during our break to walk outside on the deck overlooking the shoreline.  As I walked along, I noticed a group of ducks floating near the shore.  The five or six young ducks were almost the size of the mother but they still puddled together in the water staying close.  All the same, in spite of the choppy waves, they just floated closely together as family group bobbing up and down as the waves came to shore. 

        I stood and watched them, amazed.  They didn't seem ruffled at all by the wind and the waves; just at ease to  float where ever it took them. There was no squawking or trying to change positions to get to the inside of the circle and not one of them tried to leave and get out of the water.  They were content to be together in spite of the rough water and chilly wind and water.

        Now I don't know what those ducks are capable of thinking or feeling and I don't want to put human words or feelings into their mouths.  But I have been thinking about them since.  I think they can be a parable for us in these rough times as a church and world-wide economically.

        There are many people who react to these rough waters with a lot of anxiety; as the anxiety rises, it is a normal reaction to want to find a way out, to find shelter.  Other people seem to take it as a personal affront.  They feel that their rights to the good life are being stepped on and so they tend to squawk loudly but the justice they seek is their own and not on behalf of others.  Then there are the people who are into "trauma-drama" - a term I invented when teaching  young students music lessons.

        These trauma-drama students would make faces, stop playing and even exclaim out loud at every wrong note or even imagined mishap.  Often, these students believed that their job was to play perfectly all the time and that the goal of playing their instrument was to never make a mistake.  They were often surprised and disagreed at first when I told them that even the world's best musicians make mistakes in their performances.  The goal is not to play perfectly but to make music, to play with passion and sensitivity.  The performances that move me to tears and are amazing are those that make clear the performers passion and love for the music.  When that happens, the music transcends the ages or performance levels and touches the heart.  I have had that happen when listening to some of the world's greatest performers and also the local high school or middle school band or choir.  Trauma-drama only calls attention to mistakes and stops the music, multiplying and magnifying all the problems.

        It is a much more important lesson for us in the church.  Our calling is not to worry about making perfect decisions or being perfect Christians.  On some level we all know it, but all too often we live as if that is indeed our goal as people of faith.  Instead, we need to focus on the passion, the love of each other and the gospel which is the music, the message that we project to the people around us. Even if we could attain a veneer of perfection, instead of being a beacon of good news, it can act as a barrier to those who most need to hear it. 

        Jesus knew it best (of course).  Love speaks the loudest.  It is the music that sings to hearts that are storm-tossed, weary, and buffeted about.  God's love is strong enough even in the roughest times. 

       The tendency for some to have trauma-drama is just disruptive and distracting and keeps the message from being heard.  Our fear of making mistakes often keeps us from acting at all or makes it all to easy for some to decide to leave the witness of the church to the "professionals".  Our witness to the world is the love we show.

       God gave the gift of the Son.  Jesus has done the work of saving us.  The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith and makes us holy.  All we have to do is float together in the waters of baptism, drawing strength and love from each other.  Read John 15: 23-27

Toxic Waste

       My two sons are about 2 and a half years apart.  They always have been each other's best friend and best adversary.   As little kids will, they fought a lot when they were small over everything from "he touched me!" to taking turns or sharing or disagreeing.
       One time, it got so bad that I felt the need to intervene before someone got hurt.  We talked and got to the point where I asked them to forgive each other and make up.  That's when one of them stood straight with arms folded and said very loudly and stubbornly, "No!  I'm not ready to be sorry.  I still want to be mad."
        His intention was to stay mad at his brother and hold on to that anger.  Fortunately, at their very young ages, it didn't take long before wanting to play together became a greater need than enjoying being angry and they were soon off playing together again.  Even today, I would feel sorry for anyone who tried to come between them.
       But at the same time, I think my son gave voice to something that we often feel but don't usually have enough nerve to admit to ourselves much less to say to out loud.
       "No!  I'm not ready to be sorry.  I still want to be mad."
       There are times when we almost enjoy being angry.  We relish it, feeling self-righteous; especially when we are convinced we are in the right and have been put upon unfairly.  It starts there, feeling justified.  But when we hang on to it, nurse it, and feed it by rehearsing re-playing it over and over, then our hurt and anger become dangerous and toxic.  The common reaction is to avoid the other person and stop talking to them and so we hurt ourselves.  Like the quote I heard, "Resentment is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die."
       When Christian community works, we are able to hold each other accountable to living faithfully, encouraging one another to love and forgive one another and working together to serve those in need.  Living in community enables us to live faith more fully than we might otherwise be inclined to by ourselves.  Like candles in the darkness, the shared light of our faith shines brighter than any one flame.
       Unfortunately, group dynamics can also serve to amplify anger and resentment, feeding division and seeming to give it approval.  That this happens to congregations shouldn't surprise us, after all, a congregation is a gathering of people with all our foibles, sins, and flaws.  But as people who follow Jesus, the measure of our behavior is not "the majority rules" but to look to the teaching and action of Jesus.
       Jesus is very clear about how we are to live with one another.  Together we are the body of Christ. "Dear Christ gathered" was a favorite way the early church named itself.  And living together requires lots of love and lots of forgiveness; more forgiveness than we can count and record.  Those without faith, those searching for faith, and those whose faith is young or weak are watching.  Our witness, like Jesus feeding the hungry, is to be overflowing with forgiveness, a gift of abundance.  And when we forgive the other, we find ourselves freed to live into the future.
       This forgiveness is not something we can accomplish on our own; we are only able to forgive because we have first been forgiven - like it says in the Lord's prayer.  And although people sometimes describe forgiveness like erasing the board clean, many people have reflected that it is more of a process that takes time.  Which is okay; God has lots of time.  What is important is that we keep coming back to be forgiven and to forgive.  Read Matthew 18:18-22.

Teach Your Children Well

Confirmation begins again this month, and a whole new class of seventh graders will begin their Wednesday afternoons in class.  They will hear again what I tell every new class.  Their journey to confirmation began at their baptism and what I teach and what they will learn was set out before most of them were old enough to talk!  In fact, what I teach and what they will study was set out long before my infancy.

It begins with the promises made by our parents and godparents at our baptisms.  The pastor asks them to promise to fulfill the obligations to:

            “to live with them among God's faithful people,

            bring them to the word of God and the holy supper,

            teach them the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments,

            place in their hands the holy scriptures,

            and nurture them in faith and prayer”.

These things are promised so that the children may learn to live out their faith in the communion of the church and as a witness in the community of the world.

            Now comes the interesting fact that many parents would like to forget.  The promise is for the parents (and or godparents in their stead) to teach their children these basics of faith by word and action.  No word is made of confirmation as class or schooling.  In fact, Luther wrote the small catechism for parents to use in teaching their children at home.

            In spite of the long history and shared expectations that pastors should and will teach confirmation, the biblical and early church traditions are that faith is taught at home.  That’s where Jesus learned scripture and faith basics.  And whether or not we are aware of what we are teaching, we teach our children by what we do and don’t do at home. 

            I often hear young adults say they feel church is important but they want their children to make up their own minds when they are older.  I challenge them, saying that if they do not bring their children to church and Sunday School, they will have already taught their children that faith and worship are not important.  That they didn’t go as a family will teach the children a lesson that will be difficult to overcome later in life.

            Also, by not teaching and experiencing the basics of faith: the Lord’s prayer, the Apostles’ Creed, scripture, and feeding that faith at the Lord’s table, those children will miss out on the great consolation faith is late in life.  Alzheimer’s, stroke, and other diseases or disorders often related to old age can diminish or threaten to take away the comprehension and memories that make us who we are.  But I experience over and over again that the pattern of life-long, lived-in faith gives hope and comfort even when everything seems lost: the Lord’s prayer, the words of communion, or the giving of the bread and wine will bring a response.  The person will remember and join us in spite of their condition.

            I believe that is able to happen because the habit of faith and participation in the “communion of saints” has been life-long.  The words and actions are so ingrained in the pathways of the heart and brain that even the closeness of death cannot erase them.  I am humbled and honored to have witnessed this consolation of faith many times.

            That is a gift that we can begin to give to our children (all the children in our midst are part of our – God’s family) by passing on the words and patterns of faith early and often. 

            It begins with baptism, with the gift of God’s grace through faith.  We nurture it with every prayer, shared table, and sung hymn.  We give it the power of witness every time we gather in worship, every gesture of caring, and every gift of sharing.  We are all witness and teachers.  Read Deuteronomy 11:18-21

All Together Now

       Last week was a wild and crazy week!  We had bible school with 90 children, 20 youth helpers, and over 35 adults who all worked to make it possible.  It was an amazing experience and full of so many blessings and also very exhausting.
       I once had a cartoon that showed a crowd of children running first one way and then the other in front of two adults.  In the third frame of the cartoon looking tired, one of them says, "Whoever named it vacation bible school had a strange sense of humor."  Indeed.  It takes a lot of energy, hard work, and help to make vacation bible school a good experience for so many children.
       During the same week, our denomination met together in a church wide body made of both laity and clergy to do the business of the church and plan for the future.  Like most churches, ours is in an on-going process of re-structuring and looking at finances and numbers.
       Knowing this, I had a feeling last week that while the meeting was discussing and voting on plans for the future; we were living the future here at bible school.
       In the past, churches and denominations lived behind separate walls and rarely ventured beyond them.  Even when decades of mergers landed neighboring congregations in the same denomination, all too often, they stayed separate.  (Lutherans are famous for having two churches in the same church body across the street from one another because of this!) The idea of working together was preceded by years of "talks" by church leaders and theologians.
       I take last week, as a sign of things to come and of the way things should be done. This is a small congregation; most of those children were not members.  We had kids from all over the county, from several churches and denominations and kids who have no church home.  Several neighboring congregations helped to make bible school happen.
       Some people see this as a negative side effect of the shrinking population of small towns and rural areas.  That may be part of what is moving us to work together but it is more than that.  Jesus envisioned a church where all would be one, unified by the love of Christ. (John 17:20-21)  If anything, I think we are finally seeing that as Christians, we cannot afford to be divided from each other but need to work together.  It has never been a good witness to the gospel for us to fight and disagree so loudly amongst ourselves.
       Will our pews be fuller on Sunday because of bible school? I don't know.  It wasn't the point.  We had a chance to make a difference in the lives of a lot of children if only for a short time, and sometimes that is all the time you need to make a positive change in a child's life.  That is what it was about.  I am convinced that Jesus was right in the middle of all of that chaos, noise, and energy!
       Let me share my favorite moment from bible school.  One of my roles was leading the children in prayer both before our meal and at the close.
       20 or so of the children came again on Sunday to share some of their songs with us during worship and sat up in front of the congregation with me.  During the prayers, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that one of the youngest girls had come over and was sitting by me looking at my guitar.  Then as we began the Lord's Lord, she stopped and noticed what we were doing.  She immediately knelt down and folded her hands and bowed her head.  In her ruffled dress and long hair, she sat absolutely still for the whole prayer.
       May we all come to God in prayer with such innocence and attention.  Read Matthew 19:13-15.

Half Full?!

       How is your hope meter? --- You know, that feeling inside that tells you whether the cup is half full or half empty.  Are you up or are you down?

        These days it seems that there are lots of reasons to feel empty.  It has been a spring and summer of disasters, trauma, and discord from natural disasters and the famine in East Africa to the violence in Norway, the downward economy, and congressional gridlock.  Add to all of that the stuff that happens in our personal lives, and life can seem overwhelming.

       But in spite of it all, I am full of hope.  And not just hope, I am excited and filled with wonder to be part of this family Jesus has put together!  I count on this hope and trust this promise no matter what comes my way because it comes from Christ and not anything that I am or do or say.  It is a matter of faith, faith that has been given to me.

       That’s a very different hope than the hope some churches are dishing out.  If you listen on the radio or watch church on TV, you will probably hear their version of gospel that says that if you are a faithful Christian, you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise.  Life will be good and you will be happy.  The preachers and leaders are charming, smiling, and if not pretty, are certainly not dumpy.  Some will even go so far as attach specific criteria: there are specific prayers to be prayed in the right way or verses to be “claimed” or behaviors to be followed faithfully such as the amount of money given to the church, services to be attended, etc…  It follows that if your life hasn’t been “blessed” yet, that it has to do with the quality of your faith and your rightness of action.

        It’s no wonder that this kind of religion is very popular in uncertain and difficult times.  It offers a way out that seems much more sure and more available that winning the lottery.  Surely Jesus wants us to have the good life, right?

        Well, it not that Jesus doesn’t want good for us.  The truth is that our Savior himself lived a live that was not “blessed” in that way.  Even for the birth of God’s own son, there wasn’t a room available except for a stable.  He wandered in ministry and said that he had no home to call his own (Matthew 8:20).  And as the great arc of the Gospel story makes clear, his own life ended early in suffering and pain. 

        Jesus never promises the disciples an easy beautiful life.  In fact, he often warns them that following him is hard. (Mark 8:34-35)  In the reading for August 7^th, the disciples end up in a boat all night, tossed about by wind and waves.  They are afraid and the text makes it clear that Jesus made them get into that boat.  We often find ourselves trying to be faithful in difficult places.  I find that hopeful.

        When life turns to chaos around me, or is hard and painful, instead of that being a sign that I am somehow not being “faithful” enough, I look to Jesus with hope.  I know that Jesus is with me especially in those hard places.

       As the morning began to dawn on that storm-tossed sea, Jesus came walking to the disciples and got into the boat with them.  And then the waves and wind ceased.  We do not have to pray our way out of the boat or off the sea; the real promise is that Jesus comes to us and gets into the boat with us. 

       By himself, outside of the boat, Peter lost faith and began to sink; then Jesus reached out and saved him and put him back into the boat with the others.  It is so with us.  By ourselves, it is easy for us to lose heart and hope in the storms of life.  It is when we are back in the boat with Jesus and each other that our faltering faith is strengthened and hope is restored.  Join me and climb back into the boat that is life together.  Read Matthew 14:22-33