R U Crazy?

I was just talking recently with someone who said, 'People in the church are crazy!' I believe it was being said because there are times when the worst of our humanity is on display within the family of faith. Yes, churches like all other families, bring the fun back into dysfunctionality!

The Apostle Paul got it right! Followers of Christ are crazy. It is foolishness! It is foolish to think that if I want to get closer to Jesus I might want to put my Bible down and serve a crazy street person. It is foolish to imagine that we become more holy by allowing our humanity to be exposed to others, warts and all. It is foolish to believe that by acknowledging our sinfulness we become more saintly. It is foolish to submit to God trusting that this is the way to freedom. It is foolish to believe that by dying we will begin living. It is foolishness... and yet it is at the heart of the gospel.

Church people are crazy. Sometimes, when we least expect it, its a Good Crazy. Like a home bound person making a phone call to 'care' for those old people who cannot get out anymore. Like a kid who gives up playing on his baseball team because he made a commitment to his church youth group. Like a widow who has little and yet chose to turns over to her church the stock certificates she has been sleeping on for years that are literally worth a small fortune. If we in the church aren't willing to admit to our brand of crazy, how can we hope to be in conversation with a crazy world?

Yes church people are crazy, because we live in a crazy world. Fortunately, God doesn't hold it against us, but instead chooses to use our craziness for the sake of the world. Now that is ONE CRAZY IDEA!

Living a 'Thin' life

The past couple of weeks I have been privileged to attend a couple of conferences. What hit me hardest was our contemporary willingness to live a 'thin' life.

Now I am not talking about our yearly attempt to get thin after eating too much and exercising too little over the holidays (although I would like to lose about 8 lbs before the end of March).

I am talking about our tendency to a) define ourselves oh so very narrowly in terms of who we are and what we stand for; b) our willingness to allow ourselves to be satisfied with symbols and not substance. Allow me to explain....

All across America we hear a cry for an end to the bickering and posturing, and yet the reality is that we are defining ourselves by a narrower and narrower bandwidth. If you cannot agree with me about everything we cannot agree about anything seems to be the motto for today. The follow up is that if we cannot agree then we just write one another off.

I attended a conference called, 'Big Tent Christianity' which attempted to get folks from the various tribes of Christianity talking to and hopefully listening as well to one another. It is a marvelous attempt, but what I noticed was that it was mostly represented by only one portion of the tent. While attempts were made to bridge the divide, let's be honest, religious people like to hang onto their cherished religious beliefs and as a result we are better at building walls than bridges.

The other conference was a symposium lead by Andrew Root as he helped us understand a culture that is rich in symbols and poor in substance. Through scientific evidence and anecdotal experience he showed us how these two-dimensional symbols have become the new reality, because it is easier that way. Of course, this means that we are getting 'thin' in our concept of reality which in turn impacts how we are willing to engage in discourse with other world views.

What does this all mean? Well for one, I believe that the speed in which we live life is not just detrimental to our sense of the Spirit, but it is now impacting our sense of reality. If we live a spritiually deprived and physically constricted lifesytle, can you imagine what that means for our humanity? This last week the best at Jeopardy were beaten by Watson, the IBM computer. Maybe this is a portent of what awaits us as we become 'thinner' in our humanity.

Advent or Ad Event

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone. It sounds like people were out in droves seeking and finding bargains. As we well remember from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign, 'Its the economy stupid.'



Advertising and Christmas are almost synonymous these days. Santa sells cars. Reindeer encourage us to buy the right jewelry. Elves are busy making the perfect toy for Johnny. This time of year is really an Ad Event.



God, however, has a different sense of economy. It is not based upon what you can get, but what you can give. Its not about ownership but about stewardship. Its an invitation to prepare to welcome the one who comes in the face of the least, last, lost, and lonely. Advent is a call to watch for the God who comes to us in ways that baffle the world in which we live.



Fifteen years ago, a 'young' pastor and his wife took their first born (age 4) to see the glitz and glamour of Christmas in San Francisco. They took the BART to Union Square and toured the beautiful stores filled with 'things' far beyond their price range. They traveled by cable car to Fisherman's Wharf and witnessed shops filled with Christmas 'goodies.' At the end of the day, preparing to head home they popped into McDonald's for substance for the journey home.



While finding a table in a crowded restaurant, the first born took note of a man waiting in the long lines for a cup of coffee. He wore a stocking cap, an old heavy coat to ward off the chill evenings, pants that were well beyond their prime, and beat up old boots. He carried over his back and old duffel bag, and he had white locks poking out from under his cap and framing his chin. The pastor felt sorry for him, realizing that he was one of San Francisco's many homeless people.



The eldest son, however, saw something different. He saw a winter's visitor in disguise. He saw the one he had read of in myriad stories. He saw the one we know as Santa Claus. While father tried to ignore, for the eldest and only child, he could not contain his excitement. His excitement could not be contained, for he was the one to first notice that Santa was in our midst.



Perhaps his father could learn something from the oldest child. Perhaps the eldest child got it right, or maybe he was just a little mistaken. Perhaps it was not Santa in their midst, but he was the first to see Jesus whose birth we were making preparations to celebrate. 'When have we seen you Lord?'

The elect and elections

Last night was supposedly about a change in course. The Republican Party, two years after its demise was predicted, struck back with a winning hand. Now we can look forward to two years of pundits questions as they anticipate what will happen in 2012.

What really happened last night? Was it a big vote for change? Was it simply an act of frustration by an electorate that has been beaten and battered over the past 2-3 years? Was it a desire to get back to basics?

Within the church, there is always this tension between change and tradition. We often profess a desire to grow, but quite honestly are afraid of the change it will bring. A recent quote I was exposed to puts it in perspective; 'We yearn for change, but cling to the familiar.' (Anthony de Mello)

Last night, I believe we saw just that, a yearning for change but we clung to the familiar with an iron grip. We are not sure we like where the future is leading us and so we tried to reset and restore. We wistfully remember the 'good old days' forgetting that they weren't necessarily all good after all.

I hope that as a nation we can figure it out. I understand the Tea Party's complaint that the little guy seems to be getting the shaft. I am concerned that we just keep upping the ante in this game of debt poker without really an endgame in sight. Yet I hope that we will not allow fear to be the driving force in our nation's debate. While we may or may not agree with all that President Obama has done or hasn't done, he is right when he says 'Hope' is the only way.

As one of the 'elect' it is my hope that we might allow the image of the peaceable kingdom, the messianic kingdom, the kingdom of God guide us as we continue in this national discourse concerning our future. I have hope for the future despite the current concerns, for I am reminded that hope is the belief in the things not yet seen. (Hebrews 11.1)

Peace,

Pal

Letter to Questioner...

This is from an email I sent to a seeker. Maybe it might speak to you...

A new favorite statement of mine (partly mine and partly adaptation of another’s thoughts) is – the law wants conclusions, and grace desires conversation. It seems to me, you are in the midst of the conversation, exactly where God wants you to be.

I like how you are wrestling with questions. I believe it takes some maturity to ask the question, ‘What does God need?’ Perhaps, however, that’s not the real question you are struggling with (presumptuous on my part for me to say, I know) at this moment. Perhaps the bigger issue behind your question is a sense of ‘calling.’

‘Calling’ is the song that God sings in our hearts. Calling is the sense of harmony with my world. Calling doesn’t mean that all is easy or that we have no anxiety, but calling speaks of an alignment of my voice with the melody God’s choir is singing.

When we are living in the midst of the melody of God’s song; allowing for our own expressions of harmony, a smile forms on our face much like a musician who is caught up in a difficult piece of music. We feel as if our talent, our task, and our temperament are working toward a tangible goal. It may not be any more real than the sound of a note that is soon lost in the midst of many notes, but it is real. It may not come easy but it gives us life, abundant life (Jn 10.10).

I encourage you, if you desire what ‘God needs,’ to reflect upon what has and continues to bring you joy. Think about what comes naturally to you and what others affirm in you. Give yourself the opportunity to remember what makes your steps lighter and your burden easier. Ultimately, God’s desire (because this is the way to the fullness of life for which we were created) is that you live within your gifts, yours alone, and that you use your gifts as you respond to God’s ‘calling’ upon your life.

I don’t know if this helps any, but I encourage you to stay in the conversation and don’t allow yourself to feel as if you have to come to some conclusion…ever!

Halloween - Trick or TREAT?

Right about now, I can imagine there are many in the faith community raising the hue and cry about the evils of Halloween. Some see only witches and demons, and others see a glorification of the occult. I, however, see the gospel of GRACE!



Perhaps my appreciation of Halloween goes back to my youth and the fact that my day of birth is so closely aligned with this holiday. The end of October meant good things to me. It meant presents, parties, and candy! What more could a kid want?



That's my point! On Halloween we get to dress up and become whoever we want, and not what the world demands of us. For one night we are no longer slaves to the perceptions of others, but free to be what only God could imagine. (Now I know that some abuse this opportunity, as is the case whenever we express our freedom, but that should not detract from the beauty of the gift!)



Secondly, without deserving it, simply by showing up we are showered with good things. What other night of the year can I just show up at a strangers house, be welcomed and given good things? What better image of God's GRACE. Candy is given not because we have earned it, but simply out of love for us knocking at the door.



Yes, Halloween can be used by others to proclaim the dark side of life, but that's no reason for followers of the light to run away and pretend as if it doesn't exist. Like our ancestors in the past, let us take this holiday and tell the alternative story, the story of light, love, and grace. Let us joyfully participate in this one night of the year when we as neighbors get out into our neighborhood and experience the joy of community. Let us celebrate the God is the God of all nights and days including Halloween.



(By the way... another reason I like Halloween is that on this day in 1517 a German monk by the name of Martin Luther nailed 95 thesis on the church door in Wittenburg and thus began what we now know as the Protestant Reformation. But that's another blog!)

Re-inventing Relationships?

Many a movie is about them. Almost every popular song has something to say about them. We pretend to have them on the Internet. Relationships, the deep and abiding ones are what we all hope to have.

What has happened, however, is that like Esau, we have sold our birthright for a bowl of soup. We are willing to be satisfied with a few lines on a social network site like Facebook or a TWEET from one of our 'friends.' We rarely have time to sit across a table and luxuriate over a home made meal because we have to get to some place where we will hang out with our 'friends' for a few hours.

Why is it that Rascal Flatts can sing songs about Mayberry and sitting on the front porch and we all go 'ahhhhhhh?' Could it be that we all wish for a time when people actually took the time to know one another and be known by one another? How do we put the Jeanie back in the bottle?

Maybe communities of faith could lead us back home...to a place where we are known and know others. Maybe, and only maybe, because it is far too easy for congregations to measure themselves based on numbers rather than friendships. Even in communities of faith we have lost the sense of what it means to be a 'sanctuary.'

I really don't know how to reclaim my birthright, because like all the rest of you I have drunk of the soup and it tasted good going down. The problem now is that I have acid stomach reflex and the pain is keeping me from doing anything about it.