Faith and a Haircut

       I went to get my hair cut several days ago.  It's a treat I try to get done on my day off.  I have to admit that I love the luxury of settling down and having someone else wash my hair, especially since they usually take their time and give me a scalp massage at the same time.  As I sat there, I told the beautician that if she kept it up, I would probably start purring!
       Then we moved back to the cutting and styling area and conversation began.  She began by asking what I wanted her to do with my hair and moved on to asking about me.  She's a stylist I haven't seen before so she asked what I do.  I wondered what her reaction would be as I told her that I am a Lutheran pastor.
       I felt her somewhat wary response.  She wanted to know more about what church I served and what kind of Lutheran I am.  She kept hesitating and finally asked if I was one of "those" Christians or if I was - and at this point she kind of lost words.  So I finished the sentence for her, "I'm an ELCA pastor, we are the welcoming Lutherans."
       By this time, I had kind of an idea of where she was going.  It's a question a lot of younger adults ask with their tattoos and varied lives, they are searching to find out if it is safe to be themselves in front of me.  Will I accept or will I judge.
       She sighed and visibly relaxed.  Then she began to talk about herself and her struggles to find a place accepting not of just her, but also family and friends that are gay or different in one way or another.  We talked about how it can be so agonizing to tell our family about very deep and important things about us.  She had a relative who recently told the family that he was quitting his career and going to seminary.  He was convinced everyone would be shocked and aghast.  Their actual response?  'Duh! What took you so long!'
       We moved from that to people we knew who have come out of the closet and admitted openly to themselves and others that they are gay.  And sometimes the response is the same, a sort of 'I could have told you that years ago'.  But it remains an agonizing experience and the person is not always welcomed anymore, even by their family.
       She asked how I held this together with my faith.  (By now, this haircut was becoming serious conversation.)  I told her that first I looked to Jesus, what he did and what he says and when I do that, I see a life spent in welcoming the least of these my brothers and sisters.  He was always getting into trouble with those in power because of the outcasts, sinners, and disreputable people that he ate with and forgave.  Over and over, Jesus says we will be known by our love, that this is the sign of discipleship.
       By now my hair was cut and dried and our conversation done.  She gave me a radiant smile and thanked me as I thanked her for the great cut.  As I waited for my husband, I thought about our conversation.   What had started out as chat between strangers had become holy dialogue about welcome versus judgment.  Would I accept her and the people she loved?
       Isn't this the question we all have of God?  Does God really love us, accept us as we are, or is there some sort of sword of doom hanging over our heads?  
       I am so grateful that I was listening carefully enough to hear the question she didn't know how to ask at first and that I didn't turn the conversation into a lecture or sermon.  For that I have to thank a friend of mine who left his church because he said he was tired of being tolerated when he needed to be accepted and loved.  
       Opportunities for these conversations happen all around us if we open our minds and ears to hear not only what is being said but to also hear what the heart is saying under the words.  If we let ourselves get distracted by arguing about the way things have always been or how they should be, we may miss the opportunity to share the "old, old story" of Jesus and his love.  Once we meet and get to know one another and meet in Christ's love, then we can go on from there to talk more, but first, we need to meet in a safe and welcome place.  Christ's love is a good place to begin.  Read John 13:34-35 and Mark 9:42

Tongues on Fire

       I spent Thursday evening sitting and watching the girl's volley ball games from the "C" squad to the varsity team.  Going to games is a fun way to visit with different people but also to keep up with the youth and watch them as they change and grow.  Plus, there is popcorn and the band plays; it's a good time.
       Last night found me sitting in the stands at the football game.  As the game went on, I found myself reflecting on the cheering I'd been hearing and had been part of at those games.  There was a lot of cheering for our side, encouraging individuals, recognizing good efforts, and groaning when things didn't go our way.  But for the most part, there wasn't any booing or negative cheers against the opposing teams.
       Now granted, this is probably a more gentle form of football than can be found at larger venues, or college or pro ball.  (You know you are at a small town, small school game when the national anthem is sung by a second grader and one of the officials is introduced as John Smith, nephew of Joe.)  This is not to say that there wasn't competition or that the teams weren't trying their hardest - they do their best.  But there was mingling around the concession stand, talking amongst people, and most people were just enjoying the evenings.
       What got me in this mood was thinking about the events of this week.  There seems to be a strong cultural shift to polarizing people into sides separated by differing thoughts and/or beliefs.  And disagreeing isn't enough; the separation gets cemented by disrespect, disdain, and outright hateful acts and speech.  In this kind of divided thinking, we aren't just different, we (whoever we are) are right and they (whoever they are) are wrong.  This attitude shows itself everywhere from politics and international relations to church and family relations.
        It feels like we have forgotten to be nice and to remember that we need each other and have to live with each other.  
       And into this mix, there was thrown the Molotov cocktail of the movie defaming the prophet Mohamed and the Islamic faith.  Violent protests have spread in several nations taking the lives of Ambassador Stevens and three of his staff and causing other injuries and destruction of property.  And all of this, on both sides, has been done (once again) in the name of God.  
       The second reading for Sunday comes from the letter of James. In it, James writes about the dangerous power of the tongue and how much damage words can cause when they are either careless or abusive.  The burnt out U.S. Embassy in Libya is a graphic depiction of the destructive power of words.
      More invisible but also painful are the divisions and injury caused by words in our own communities, families and churches.  Sometimes our words are literally thoughtless, spoken unguardedly without thinking through the consequences.  But there are other times when we plan our words, thinking that we can strike out at someone else without wounding ourselves.
       The words of James remind us that as we are loved by God, we need to live that love in all our relationships.  As he says, we are to live so that our actions "are done with gentleness born of wisdom".   In a world where speech has become a bloodsport, with God's help, even our words should witness to God's love.  Read James 3:1-13

Holy Karaoke!

       I had the most fun the other night.  I laughed until the tears ran down my cheeks and my abs (such as they are) got a real workout.  I went to a concert; well it was really a sing-a-long.   We sang songs from old movies and musicals.  I suppose you could compare it to live-action Karaoke as there was a group of singers and players leading us in the songs and the audience was definitely encouraged to sing along.
       I came in late and so I ended up sitting in front and found myself sitting next to someone who was having just as much fun as I was singing along to the songs and hamming it up a bit.  We surprised ourselves by remembering so many words.
       I was reminded of my mother and one of the things she used to do that embarrassed me so much as a teenager.  I mentioned to my seatmate that my mom always seemed to have a song for everything; give her a phrase or a situation or name something and Mom could have a song that fit.  She said her mom was similar, and now look at us, instead of being embarrassed, we are being just like our mothers and enjoying it.  (It happens more often than we like to admit!)
       It's fun to sing together - even if you can't carry a tune.  While at seminary, we belonged to a local mission congregation whose pastor loved to sing hymns, and he sang with lots of energy and volume even though the tune might be totally unrecognizable.  And yet, his joy and enthusiasm also came through loud and clear and the congregation also sang with passion.
       Singing is fun and a lot of people enjoy singing together even if we don't get many chances to do it.  But put singing together and church in the same subject line, and controversy seems sure to follow.  Much of the cussin' and discussion about worship and liturgy ends up being about what music to sing and how to sing it.
       Not only do most people seem to have an opinion about what they like and think is appropriate, but our song has become loaded down with lots of extra baggage.  Do we sing "old favorites" or contemporary?   On which generation do we focus our attention?  At the base of these kinds of questions may be the real issue, which is bringing more people to worship.
       Now scads and scads of stuff has been written on the subject but I'm not going to get into that.  As I sang my heart out the other night, what I experienced is something else.
       When people get together and are led with joy and passion, people like singing together.  It's not the style of the music or the ability of each person singing.  Certainly the other night there were those who just sat and enjoyed listening to the whole experience.  Some people knew more words than others.  But there is something about being in a group and singing together that is uplifting and energizing.  Look at flash mob choirs, karaoke bars, and the popularity of shows like Glee; a lot of people like to sing.
       The point isn't which songs we sing, or the style of the music, or how new or old it is.  The point is singing together; the joy and passion are catching.  I have a strong feeling that the secret to making our music attractive to others is not necessarily which music we pick but whether or not we love and enjoy that music and want to share it.  The key is doing this in community as a community.
       Our communal song will be shaped by who we are, our shared experiences, and our individual lives and gifts as well.  If we are not good at singing together, we may need to learn more music and spend time learning how to sing together.  Sometimes, our singing together may sound like a choir with balanced tones and harmonies and other times we may just make some joyful noise together.  The point isn't which song we sing or how well we sing, it is that we come together in faith and lift each other up by joining in song.  Certainly there is power in music, and the music of faith is the most powerful of all.  Read Ephesians 5:15-20.

Jesus Wins Wood

       The city sign at the intersection of both highways reads, "It could be worse.  It could be winter."    
       It was 92 yesterday according to the bank sign, it could be near 100 today, and we are still very dry although we did get a spit of rain Sunday evening.  Up here the winters can also be severe with 20 to 30 below zero temperatures fairly normal.  In this context, the sign makes sense.  It could be worse (until you look at the fields).
       The sign reflects a very human tendency to evaluate things by how they are in relation to other things.  This can be uplifting when you see someone else's circumstance and realize things aren't as bad as you thought.  But it can also be very negative when we look at what we have and find it lacking simply because we see someone else as having better or more.  At that point, it can bring out the worst in egotism, envy, and selfishness.
       I've been watching the Olympics when I can and this attitude has been very obvious in the reporting when a favored American athlete only gets a silver or a bronze instead of the gold medal. They didn't win.  They didn't get first.  It's a tragedy.  They are only second or third or fourth out of all the athletes in the world that competed to be there at that event.
        And yet this is set within the Olympics with a history and philosophy where it is an honor just to compete for your country and where the Olympic spirit is defined by someone who pushed through just to complete the event.  I was reminded of this yesterday when I caught some of the solo sculling (rowing) competition.
       They were showing a race heat where an African athlete had taken up the sport just three months ago in order to compete for his country.  Even though he was a full minute behind the other slowest competitor in the heat and all the rest of the contestants were off the course, he was still pulling as hard as he could to finish the race as best he could.  And in true Olympic spirit, the same crowd that had been fiercely urging on the winners was cheering and screaming in support for him to finish the race.
       Every Olympics, there are the stories of athletes who are "terrible" at their sport - in no way able to compete for world-class times and scores and yet they come, proudly marching in to represent their country.  I remember the runner who fell near the end, and in spite of being injured, struggled to limp across the line and finish the race.  And of course there was the Jamaican bobsled team whose story was told in the movie "Cool Runnings".
       Does it really matter if someone has it better or worse than we do?  Is that the scale we are to use or does faith change things?
       When I was a teenager, I remember a televised minute devotion that would come on everyday.  My mom liked it and so she tried to watch it all the time.  Each time, he ended the thought for the day, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." (Psalm 118:24)  I was totally into the trauma-drama of being a teenager and how awful my life was and what I couldn't do and couldn't have.  I could not understand how and why I was supposed to rejoice when things could be "so bad".
       I have to admit, there have been many times when things really have been bad and I had neither the heart nor the strength to rejoice.  So how do we grapple with the intent of this verse during those hard times?  Does God really expect us to be thankful in the middle of pain or illness or grief?
       The key to living with this verse is in its' context.  Verse 22 talks of the "stone that the builders rejected" which Christians take to speak of Jesus.  The last verse of the psalm confesses faith, giving thanks to God whose love endures forever.
        If we look at life from the context of whether we win the gold, these verses don't make sense.  But instead, we are invited to life and love through Jesus who not only didn't get the gold, he took the cross for our sake.  We rejoice not because we have it so good right now or in comparison to the person next to us but we rejoice because God's love for us endures through it all.  We will falter, we will fall, but God's love is steadfast.  Just to be here, to be able to stand in God's love and be able to share that love with others is everything.  Read Psalm 118:21-29.

After Aurora

         (From my sermon Sunday)

       There are times when the events that happen outside of our community have the ability to affect us deeply, especially when they are as tragic as the shooting early Friday morning in Aurora, Colorado.  The violence and evil shock us and we are left to try and make sense of the chaos.  We are left with questions.

        For some of those questions, there are armies of people already working to find the answers.  This kind of disaster is also a crime scene and there are many kinds of law enforcement people doing their tasks to investigate, search out and catalogue all the bits and pieces that are the evidence.

        The media is also searching for answers but in today’s world, that search is more like an unorganized competition where getting an answer first sometimes seems more important than getting it validated. They cluster around the scene trying to get as close as they can to victims and their families and friends as well as hounding anyone who knows or has had contact with the one did it.

        With all these people working, we soon know what happened, where and when, and then we start knowing whom.  The investigators are piecing together the answers to how it happened.  But there is one question left, the big one.

        Why?

        It’s a huge question because it encompasses so much.

Why did the shooter do it?  Why this theater, this movie?  Victims and families ask, why did this person live and this person die?

        We confront God with the biggest question: Why, God?  Why do you allow this happen?

        Soon, someone somewhere will say that this is all God’s punishment for our godlessness or whatever sin is their pet peeve.  It happened after Oklahoma City, it happened after 9/11, and after hurricane Katrina.  It’s not the Gospel that Jesus teaches, but some people seem to find pleasure in using tragedy to judge others.

        Such messages can be attractive because they seem to give an answer to that biggest question.  There is a reason that this happened and we are reassured that God is in control.  It is the same kind of comfort that people try to give when someone we love has died.  There is a reason.  God is in control.

        If we can blame someone or something, even God, then we are closer to making sure it doesn’t happen to us.  We like things to have a reason.  It lessens the chaos and confusion in our lives.

        In Mark 6: 30-34, Jesus tries to take the disciples and himself away for rest from their work, but the people see where they are going and by the time the boat gets to the deserted place, a great crowd of people are already there, waiting for Jesus.

        They are overwhelmed by the chaos in their lives, things they have no answers for and no control over.  They need help, they need answers, and they need love.  And Jesus has compassion for them.  He sees they are like sheep without a shepherd – meaning they have no one looking out for them, caring for them, keeping them safe.  So Jesus begins to teach and heal them.

        Jesus sees all these people who have followed them with all their needs and questions, and reaches out.  He looks on them with love and becomes their shepherd.

        They have followed him out into the wilderness probably without a lot of preparation or thought to simple things like where and how will they eat or find water.  In fact, in the verses following these, Jesus feeds them all, more than 5,000, with a small boy's lunch.  They have come with needs and Jesus cares for them.

        If only Jesus were here today, right?  Wouldn’t that make things easier?  Doesn’t this last week just make you wish you could be in that crowd with Jesus?  We need Jesus too!

        And Jesus is here, right here, with us today, right now, in this place, with us and in us.  We are not alone.  And he is here, teaching us too, giving us his answers, and giving us hope.

        Jesus looks at us, with all our questions and doubts, with all our faults and failings, our shortcomings, and our stubbornness, and holds us in love.  It is here.  For you!  Right now.  And that is as true and real as it gets.  Jesus is here in love – for you.

        But even when we don't have answers, we do have hope.  For no matter what is happening around us, we have the promise and hope that we are held in God’s love.  And there is nothing strong enough, or evil enough, or big enough, or bad enough to separate us from that love.  Nothing.  Not lone gunmen, or terrorists, or evil plots, or wars, or diseases, or the chaos of our lives.

        God is here.  God is with you and stays with you.  God goes with you in love, whereever you go.  And God loves you, forgives you, and gives you peace, even when we can’t know or understand the whys of what happens around us.  God's love outlasts and outbests everything.  Read Romans 8: 35-39.

What's Love Got To Do With It?

       It's hot out today, even up here in the Red River Valley.  Although I have to admit that we are often twenty degrees cooler than down south.  It still feels hot.
       It's the common opening topic of conversation this time of year: how hot it is, how humid, how dry, or did you get rain and if you got rain, how much did you get.  You can almost always count on weather as something to talk about without getting controversial but talk about the weather in person or on the news seems to carry an extra edge of urgency this summer.
       It goes along with all the reports of drought contrasting with heavy rains causing floods.  There are wild fires burning for miles and miles in several states while crops are dying in the fields in other places.  Spring came early this year and farmers planted early and now watch and wait and worry.  It's the kind of year that causes worry, especially since it was announced that this last year is the warmest year on record for the United States.
       Is it global warming? Is it climate change caused by human activity or just a phase the earth is going through?  This conversation is when the non-controversial topic of weather gets scientific, political and even theological.
       It's good and necessary conversation but in terms of practice of how we are to live, it's not the point.  How we live in caring for creation is a matter of faithful living and so we don't need to wait for the answers before we know how to act.  I don't pray because the presence of God or the power of prayer have been proven, I pray out of faith.
       So what does faith have to do with the weather?
       Followers of Jesus are given the command to love one another, that we will be known by how we love one another.
       When water is scarce, I can show my love by being careful not to waste water or to use too much.  I know that when it's so hot and the heat holds in pollution that even timing when I put gas in the car can make a difference.  The same kinds of things can be said about energy use such as replacing light bulbs and watching my thermostat and using old technology like using shades and curtains to keep the hot sun out of the house during the day.  By saving all my errands and organizing them into one trip, I save energy as well as money.
       In some ways I think of it like considerate backpacking, trying to make as little impact on the earth where I have been as possible.  I believe that Christ-like love impels us to care for creation instead of selfishly using it up with no regard for others or for the wonders God has created.
       The scientific/political/theological conversations need to happen and we need to listen to each other and take part in them but for me, the meaning is made real in the relational.  Faith calls us to live in relationship with God, people, and the world around us.
       My younger sister has been recycling and remodeling her house with these things in mind for years.  She takes seriously the relationship between everyday tasks and how they affect others.  Her shorthand for this is: "Save the polar bears".  Because they are so endangered by rising and melting seas and loss of habitat, it's her gentle reminder to be aware of your choices such as whether or not you remember to recycle or turn something off.
       When we were tots, we were taught to pick up our toys and put them away instead of leaving them for someone else.  Love pushes us to not only clean up after ourselves but also to reach out beyond ourselves.  This summer's heat and disasters are opportunities for us to put our faith and love into action.  Read 1 John 3:16-18.
   

Put Jesus Where He Belongs!

       The Gospel text for Sunday's sermon was the story of Jesus calming the storm while he and the disciples are in the boat (Mark 4: 35-41).  The disciples are afraid of drowning in the storm and wake Jesus up to do something.  They confront him and ask him, "Don't you care that we are about to die?"  They need proof that Jesus cares.  So I talked about being afraid in storms both in the childrens' sermon and the other one.

        After worship, one of the members told me this story from her childhood:

       She shared a room and bed with her sister who is seven years older than her.  One night during a bad thunderstorm, she got scared and cuddled up next to her sister.  Then her sister woke her up and asked her,why was she sleeping in the middle of the bed?  She answered, "Because Jesus is sleeping on the other side".

       Her older sister replied, "Well put Jesus in your heart where he belongs and there will be more room for the both of us!"

       Sometimes the storms of life are literally storms; the lightening and thunder and the possibility of floods and tornadoes.  If you have ever been through disaster caused by storm, even a dark cloudy sky starts to raise your anxiety.   Even as adults, we find ourselves fearful, wondering what will happen next.

       At other times, we get pummeled and tossed about by other events in our lives that we cannot control.  It may be illness (our own or someone we love), divorce, addiction, abuse, losing a job, or being in overwhelming debt.  In all of these, we need to be reassured, comforted, and kept safe.  It is at those times when we need "Jesus in our heart"; that feeling that God is with us.   

      Then the question becomes how do we get Jesus in our heart or how know God is with and within us? It is a question that cultures and religions have wondered about through all the millennia.  Within Christianity and in other religions there has been a common thread: ways that one can work their way towards holiness, or spirituality or finding your inner god.  The problem is the fact that humans are flawed and make this task impossible.  One of the human solutions to this is the theory of reincarnation; that you can keep coming back until you get it right.
        But God has a different solution.  God being in and with us is not something that we choose or merit or make happen.  God has chosen to come to us and into us.  The promise was given even in the book of Jeremiah (31:33-34) that the words of God will be written on our hearts.  God's promise is this gift of grace, signified by the fact that God forgives us all our  sins, failings, and brokenness.
       It is the new thing that Jesus teaches and gives: the people of God's family will never be left alone or forgotten.  Jesus is forever with us.  The gift of God's Spirit comes to us in the reading and preaching of the Word, in the water of baptism, and in the bread and wine of the holy meal.  If any of those things have happened to us, we have encountered God.  It is the promise given to you.
        But as for the times when we need a real person to be with us, that is why we are called into this glorious mixed hash of God's family of all kinds, shapes, colors, and personalities.  When we reach out to each other, we become Jesus with skin-on.  The care that we give, the love that we share is bigger and more powerful than just our own.  Coming to faith is not a perilous and hard trek that we must make on our seeking, seeking wisdom but instead it is the gift of belonging to God.  Read Matthew 28:19-20.