--posted by Brandon
Here's a confession: I don't like most contemporary Christian music. More often than not, I find it to be theologically shallow and self-centered, and musically unimaginative. (I had a friend remark that contemporary Christian music was always about 15 years behind the times: "I hear a new song and think, "Wow, that would have been a great grunge song back in 1992.") I find that the music that wrestles most deeply with issues of faith is from artists that you'd never hear on contemporary Christian radio. I'm much more likely to be moved by the theology layered into a song by Steve Earle or Tom Waits than one by Third Day or Michael W. Smith.
But I'm always looking for ways in which Christian themes pop up in surprising places. So with that in mind, here's a list of my favorite albums of the year (so far) that wrestle with questions of faith, or come at things from a Christian perspective. In no particular order:
1) Richard Shindell - "Not Far Now." The first album of original songs from this singer-songwriter in five years. It lacks the overt theological musings of some of his previous songs, like the truck-driver seeking God's presence on "Next Best Western" or God telling Christ why he has to be sent into the world on "Before You Go," but the album quietly speaks to a deep and abiding faith. The album closer, "Balloon Man," describes an unkempt man, probably mentally ill, who sells balloons in the park. In the transcendant chorus, it becomes clear that the speaker is addressing a distant loved one: "And you're so far away, on the other side of the world. I just thought you should know that balloon man lives in it, too." Somehow, the world is made a better place by the simple presence of this man. It's a beautiful tribute to the ways in which all of us are special creations, without ever descending to cliches.
2) M. Ward - "Hold Time." The buzz around M. Ward seems to grow with each album. He's a strange blend of acoustic music, often filtered through static or other effects, rockabilly, and country, tied together by his gravelly, whispered ghost of a voice. Often, he writes about typical pop song themes of love, loss, and regret, but every now and then he takes a stab at theology. In "Epistemology," he talks about finding God by living in this world, rather than thinking about it: "Finally I found you, without ever learning how to, I just put the right foot in front of the left. And after that, it's anybody's guess."
3) Antje Duvekot - "The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer." This East German-born songwriter re-records some of her earlier songs and adds a few new ones. Theology is never too far from the surface. Her song "Merry-Go-Round" was featured in a Bank of America ad awhile back, so it might sound familiar. It's a catchy melody with lyrics that fly by, but subtly talks about the ways in which things move toward an equilibrium in God's time. More moving is the aching ballad "Reasonland," about a king who has everything, but still feels an emptiness. ("There's a songbird who will not sing for me.") His turning to God is paralleled by the character of a preacher's wife, who has lived the life of faith but feels unrewarded. Both seek God in the same way, both ask for deliverance.
4) Antony and the Johnsons - "The Crying Light." There's no other music that sounds like Antony and the Johnsons, and this album is their most powerful statement yet. Antony usually sings in a quavering, broken falsetto, which sounds like nothing more than a soul being bared. The accompaniment is usually more chamber music than rock band. And Antony's lyrics are always swinging for the fences, taking on deep issues of identity and faith. God plays the biggest part in the glorious "One Dove:" "One dove, to bring me some peace. In starlight you came from the other side, to offer me mercy." It's the sound of a person living deeply into his true self.
5) Iron and Wine - "Around the Well." This is a bit of a cheat, since this double-disc set gathers B-sides, compliation tracks, and sountrack songs from 2000-2007. It starts off with Iron and Wine's earliest songs, nothing but Sam Beam, his guitars, and some double-tracked harmony vocals recorded at home on a 4-track. By the end of the album, Iron and Wine has morphed into a more experimental outfit, using layered percussion a la Tom Waits, looped keyboards, and all sorts of non-traditional sounds, while still remaining grounded in the singer-songwriter genre. Sam Beam considers himself an agnostic, but he grew up in a Southern Christian home and knows his scripture better than most of us. His songs have tackled Jezebel and our need to scapegoat, the trust asked of Mary in letting her son face the world alone, and the Cain and Abel story. But nothing he's done has gone as deep as "The Trapeze Swinger," the final song on this compilation. (Originally from the film "Company of Men.") It's an epic song, clocking in at almost 9 and a half minutes, looking back on a relationship. As the song progresses, it becomes apparent that the core issue was how easily belief came to her, and what a struggle it has been for him. This comes to the forefront at a circus performance, watching the trapeze swinger "swing as high as any savior." She was enthralled, while he could only offer cynicism. In his final wish, he hopes that, when he reaches the pearly gates, he'll be able to offer her a drawing of God and all that he sees in heaven. It's one of the most moving theological explorations I've ever heard, and a true testimony to the dialectic between faith and doubt.
That's what I've heard so far this year - I've got some more albums to listen to soon, so hopefully I'll be able to keep adding to this list. And if I keep feeling inspired, I'll go back and survey some of my favorites from years past - artists like Sufjan Stevens, Rosie Thomas, Patty Griffin, and more. Who are you listening to that deals with some of these issues? What strange places have you found Christianity hiding in?
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Church Growth and Work Schedules
Over the last year, I've been to several conferences and read quite a bit on strategies for church growth. All of them say the same thing - as a church, we're still stuck in the mindset of the 1950s, where we expect people to come to us. But there are too many things competing for attention in our culture, and attending church isn't considered mandatory in the way it used to be. A few generations ago, if you were an upstanding member of society you were expected to attend church. It's not that way any more - "no religious preference" is the fastest growing category in our society today.
So as a church, we have to find ways to communicate to people what we're about, what God is doing in the world, what a relationship with God can do for our lives, why church matters. It has to be an intentional effort on our part. We can't just throw our doors open and expect the pews to be filled.
One of the ways that the church seems to have fallen behind the times is in our schedule. For most of us in the mainline denominations, Sunday morning is worship time. But for working people, especially younger folk just getting in to the work force after high school or college, work schedules aren't Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Our healthcare industry has to work around the clock, and the good men and women who work in that industry need to have schedules that can adapt to the needs of the hospital or clinic where they work. Weekends are the busiest time for most retailers, so the majority of people in the retail industry are expected to work on Sundays. And the list goes on. It takes a lot of work, and often some seniority, before people earn the privilege of a Monday-Friday, 8-5 schedule.
As a church, we need to find ways to adapt to this. Here at Pilgrim, we're looking into adding an evening service to our church's schedule, partly as a way to give us the chance to try out new things in worship, and partly as a way to adapt to changing work schedules. We hope to make extensive use of multimedia as well as adapt traditional worship structures to speak to people who are returning to Christianity after a long absence. It's one small way we can reach out and invite people, one small way we can tear down the barriers that keep people from coming to church.
So as a church, we have to find ways to communicate to people what we're about, what God is doing in the world, what a relationship with God can do for our lives, why church matters. It has to be an intentional effort on our part. We can't just throw our doors open and expect the pews to be filled.
One of the ways that the church seems to have fallen behind the times is in our schedule. For most of us in the mainline denominations, Sunday morning is worship time. But for working people, especially younger folk just getting in to the work force after high school or college, work schedules aren't Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Our healthcare industry has to work around the clock, and the good men and women who work in that industry need to have schedules that can adapt to the needs of the hospital or clinic where they work. Weekends are the busiest time for most retailers, so the majority of people in the retail industry are expected to work on Sundays. And the list goes on. It takes a lot of work, and often some seniority, before people earn the privilege of a Monday-Friday, 8-5 schedule.
As a church, we need to find ways to adapt to this. Here at Pilgrim, we're looking into adding an evening service to our church's schedule, partly as a way to give us the chance to try out new things in worship, and partly as a way to adapt to changing work schedules. We hope to make extensive use of multimedia as well as adapt traditional worship structures to speak to people who are returning to Christianity after a long absence. It's one small way we can reach out and invite people, one small way we can tear down the barriers that keep people from coming to church.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Original Sin?
--posted by Brandon
A few months ago, Fenton was just shy of turning two months, and our house was invaded by box elder beetles. If you live in the Lansing area, you probably know these guys - black and red, long and thin, absolutely harmless but descending in hordes. Fenton thought they were pretty neat, and insisted on calling them "lady beetles." (I guess they do look kind of like ladybugs...)
So one afternoon, we were sitting together on the floor, playing with some of his toys, when a box elder beetle strolled across the carpet. Fenton pointed at it and said, "Lady beetle!" then went to pick it up. I had just gotten a few words out of my mouth about needing to be careful with the lady beetle when it was between his fingers and I heard a quiet "snap." Fenton looked down at it, then handed it to me and said, "Lady beetle broke."
It was a striking moment for me, seeing this child who I considered the most innocent creature on this earth kill something. I've never been a big believer in original sin - of course we're imperfect creatures, of course we all have the capacity to commit horrible acts, but I've never believed that translated into us being sinful from birth. Sin, to me, is an act, not a potential. But watching Fenton unintentionally kill this box elder beetle made me re-examine that notion. I guess I do believe in original sin, even if it looks a little different than traditional Christian doctrine.
Although the box elder beetle might have been the first thing Fenton killed directly, he's been responsible for death since the day he was born, just like all of us. For some of us, the easiest way to see this is in the meat we eat. For others, it's in all of the other resources we use up - the energy that goes to heat our house, the raw materials that built that house, the materials that made the clothes we wear. And even going beyond the materials, we all take up space that used to belong to something else. We live in a city that was carved out of the wilderness, causing countless animals to have their habitats destroyed for us. If we were being really honest with ourselves, we would also look at the way our country destroys lives all around the world to keep our "lifestyle" intact through economic exploitation and brute force.
Some of this violence could be averted if we made different choices, but some of it is inherent to being alive. Each day I'm alive, there are other things that die to sustain me. This has been true since the day I was born, it's been true for Fenton since the day he was born, it's true for all of us. We live off the life force of other creatures.
That's the way the world works, and it means I can only believe all of it is rescued by grace. Grace for all of the creatures who die every day, grace for all of us who are sustained by the life of something else. It's only with grace that any of this makes sense, the grace of a loving God who watches over all of the deaths and all of the lives and loves it all.
A few months ago, Fenton was just shy of turning two months, and our house was invaded by box elder beetles. If you live in the Lansing area, you probably know these guys - black and red, long and thin, absolutely harmless but descending in hordes. Fenton thought they were pretty neat, and insisted on calling them "lady beetles." (I guess they do look kind of like ladybugs...)
So one afternoon, we were sitting together on the floor, playing with some of his toys, when a box elder beetle strolled across the carpet. Fenton pointed at it and said, "Lady beetle!" then went to pick it up. I had just gotten a few words out of my mouth about needing to be careful with the lady beetle when it was between his fingers and I heard a quiet "snap." Fenton looked down at it, then handed it to me and said, "Lady beetle broke."
It was a striking moment for me, seeing this child who I considered the most innocent creature on this earth kill something. I've never been a big believer in original sin - of course we're imperfect creatures, of course we all have the capacity to commit horrible acts, but I've never believed that translated into us being sinful from birth. Sin, to me, is an act, not a potential. But watching Fenton unintentionally kill this box elder beetle made me re-examine that notion. I guess I do believe in original sin, even if it looks a little different than traditional Christian doctrine.
Although the box elder beetle might have been the first thing Fenton killed directly, he's been responsible for death since the day he was born, just like all of us. For some of us, the easiest way to see this is in the meat we eat. For others, it's in all of the other resources we use up - the energy that goes to heat our house, the raw materials that built that house, the materials that made the clothes we wear. And even going beyond the materials, we all take up space that used to belong to something else. We live in a city that was carved out of the wilderness, causing countless animals to have their habitats destroyed for us. If we were being really honest with ourselves, we would also look at the way our country destroys lives all around the world to keep our "lifestyle" intact through economic exploitation and brute force.
Some of this violence could be averted if we made different choices, but some of it is inherent to being alive. Each day I'm alive, there are other things that die to sustain me. This has been true since the day I was born, it's been true for Fenton since the day he was born, it's true for all of us. We live off the life force of other creatures.
That's the way the world works, and it means I can only believe all of it is rescued by grace. Grace for all of the creatures who die every day, grace for all of us who are sustained by the life of something else. It's only with grace that any of this makes sense, the grace of a loving God who watches over all of the deaths and all of the lives and loves it all.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Pride
Pride. It means different things.
Pride is, depending upon context, either a high sense of the worth of one's self or one's own or a pleasure taken in the contemplation of these things. One definition of pride in the first sense comes from Augustine: "the love of one's own excellence." [1] In this sense, the opposite of pride is humility. (wikipedia.org).
The term "humility" is derived from the Latin word "humilis", which is translated not only as humble but also alternatively as "low", or "from the earth", and "humus", humid, which in the past it was believed that emotions, diseases, and depressions were caused by imbalances of body waters.[1] Because the concept of humility addresses intrinsic self-worth, it is emphasized in the realm of religious practice and ethics where the notion is often made more precise and extensive. Humility as a religious or spiritual virtue is different from the act of humiliation or shaming though the former may follow as a consequence of the latter. (wikipedia.org.)
Some have considered pride one of the "seven deadly sins" in historical context, and so on the surface it's easy to have a darker connotation to those who would stand against pride in favor of humility.
But today I'm talking about a different Pride. The Pride that some would consider wrong.
Gay Pride. All the colors of the rainbow that represent the human experience in a slightly different framework. I say framework because I want to set a tone of humility, that of being from the earth. No matter who we love we all share this earth. Our children, straight or otherwise, inherit this earth. We all depend on this earth and by extension, each other.
We have black pride. We have Hispanic Pride. we have Asian Pride. We have a Women's History (or herstory, as some prefer to use) Month. We recognize all kinds of other diversity as a good and happy thing, generally. We still have work to do, to be sure, but the simple fact of the matter is that we have a great deal of other groups and titles that claim pride and do so without guilt or shame. We must think of the damage that happens to people who suffer abuse of the spirit. Think of a long term victim of domestic abuse, for instance. Over time, they find themselves at the bottom of the rung and feel themselves to be worthless people.
They need to escape the abuse and re learn how to be human beings again.
So now imagine that you never know who your allies really are. Imagine you have to live in a world where everyone and anyone could decide, outside of who you are, or any legitimate reason:
to deny you visitation of the person you love in the hospital.
(http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=221&topic_id=119230&mesg_id=119230)
To keep you from your children and force you to have a long, horribly drawn out battle for custody just because you are honest with the world about who you are.
(http://www.genderadvocates.org/News/Kantaras%20Decision.html)
To deny you appropriate medical treatment.
(http://www.therevealer.org/archives/today_002272.php)
... or any other of in excess of a thousand rights and/or priveledges that marriage grants.
(http://www.religioustolerance.org/mar_bene.htm)
So what is the problem with Gay Pride? A Religious argument?
How many other religious arguments have we heard in the past? Let's take a trip through history.
Miscegenation? (That's the fancy term for interracial marriage.)
Family Planning? (Yes, contraception was a big social no-no for many years.)
The right of women to vote?
The right of Black Men to vote?
The right to own/buy/sell slaves?
Or, perhaps, going way back, the age old list of what we should do to be strictly biblical.
http://www.uctaa.net/articles/meds/med01/med016.html - (A letter to Dr. Laura, a popular "conservative" commentator.)
Personal Favs from the above list-
Pride is important. Faith is important. Why do they have to be exclusive? I ask this question because the moment that anyone calls out a fundamentalist christian (I use the lowercase here, for obvious reasons, as they are not complete) on any of their practices it is immediately classed as an attack on the freedom of religion and speech. why? No one has used the power of the state to break their family apart. No one has denied them the right to worship freely as they choose. No one challenges the rights they have (assuming a
"straight" family) as listed above. Even to the chagrin of some of the more radical gay rights advocates, they are free to continue what some have called hate speech in Jesus's name unchecked. However, it seems the tide is turning with gay marriage wins in a handful of states, and official legal protection elsewhere in a smattering of localities.
Social Justice is a big part of the United Church of Christ. I feel that Gay Pride is a must, because we are humans without any distinctions to the idea of love and care. If anything, we can try to move these divided boundaries a little bit closer. We need more love and support and more brotherhood (or sisterhood, if you will) in our world.
I ask the question - who would Jesus hate? Not the sin, or the sinner. "Whosoever calls on me shall be saved." Isn't that enough?
See you at Pride!
Pride is, depending upon context, either a high sense of the worth of one's self or one's own or a pleasure taken in the contemplation of these things. One definition of pride in the first sense comes from Augustine: "the love of one's own excellence." [1] In this sense, the opposite of pride is humility. (wikipedia.org).
The term "humility" is derived from the Latin word "humilis", which is translated not only as humble but also alternatively as "low", or "from the earth", and "humus", humid, which in the past it was believed that emotions, diseases, and depressions were caused by imbalances of body waters.[1] Because the concept of humility addresses intrinsic self-worth, it is emphasized in the realm of religious practice and ethics where the notion is often made more precise and extensive. Humility as a religious or spiritual virtue is different from the act of humiliation or shaming though the former may follow as a consequence of the latter. (wikipedia.org.)
Some have considered pride one of the "seven deadly sins" in historical context, and so on the surface it's easy to have a darker connotation to those who would stand against pride in favor of humility.
But today I'm talking about a different Pride. The Pride that some would consider wrong.
Gay Pride. All the colors of the rainbow that represent the human experience in a slightly different framework. I say framework because I want to set a tone of humility, that of being from the earth. No matter who we love we all share this earth. Our children, straight or otherwise, inherit this earth. We all depend on this earth and by extension, each other.
We have black pride. We have Hispanic Pride. we have Asian Pride. We have a Women's History (or herstory, as some prefer to use) Month. We recognize all kinds of other diversity as a good and happy thing, generally. We still have work to do, to be sure, but the simple fact of the matter is that we have a great deal of other groups and titles that claim pride and do so without guilt or shame. We must think of the damage that happens to people who suffer abuse of the spirit. Think of a long term victim of domestic abuse, for instance. Over time, they find themselves at the bottom of the rung and feel themselves to be worthless people.
They need to escape the abuse and re learn how to be human beings again.
So now imagine that you never know who your allies really are. Imagine you have to live in a world where everyone and anyone could decide, outside of who you are, or any legitimate reason:
to deny you visitation of the person you love in the hospital.
(http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=221&topic_id=119230&mesg_id=119230)
To keep you from your children and force you to have a long, horribly drawn out battle for custody just because you are honest with the world about who you are.
(http://www.genderadvocates.org/News/Kantaras%20Decision.html)
To deny you appropriate medical treatment.
(http://www.therevealer.org/archives/today_002272.php)
... or any other of in excess of a thousand rights and/or priveledges that marriage grants.
(http://www.religioustolerance.org/mar_bene.htm)
So what is the problem with Gay Pride? A Religious argument?
How many other religious arguments have we heard in the past? Let's take a trip through history.
Miscegenation? (That's the fancy term for interracial marriage.)
Family Planning? (Yes, contraception was a big social no-no for many years.)
The right of women to vote?
The right of Black Men to vote?
The right to own/buy/sell slaves?
Or, perhaps, going way back, the age old list of what we should do to be strictly biblical.
http://www.uctaa.net/articles/meds/med01/med016.html - (A letter to Dr. Laura, a popular "conservative" commentator.)
Personal Favs from the above list-
- I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself? (Does this include anyone who works a church function for pay??? )
- A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Leviticus 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?
Pride is important. Faith is important. Why do they have to be exclusive? I ask this question because the moment that anyone calls out a fundamentalist christian (I use the lowercase here, for obvious reasons, as they are not complete) on any of their practices it is immediately classed as an attack on the freedom of religion and speech. why? No one has used the power of the state to break their family apart. No one has denied them the right to worship freely as they choose. No one challenges the rights they have (assuming a
"straight" family) as listed above. Even to the chagrin of some of the more radical gay rights advocates, they are free to continue what some have called hate speech in Jesus's name unchecked. However, it seems the tide is turning with gay marriage wins in a handful of states, and official legal protection elsewhere in a smattering of localities.
Social Justice is a big part of the United Church of Christ. I feel that Gay Pride is a must, because we are humans without any distinctions to the idea of love and care. If anything, we can try to move these divided boundaries a little bit closer. We need more love and support and more brotherhood (or sisterhood, if you will) in our world.
I ask the question - who would Jesus hate? Not the sin, or the sinner. "Whosoever calls on me shall be saved." Isn't that enough?
See you at Pride!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Good People in the World
So many of you know about the excitement I had a couple of Sundays ago.
Pastor Peter was on vacation, so Mike was preaching at the 10am service and I was leading worship through communion. We were serving communion in the pews that day. While the wine was being passed around, the sound man motioned for me to come over, and told me there was a police officer in the Parrish Hall waiting to speak with me. I took a deep breath, not sure of what to expect, waited until everyone had taken their communion wine, said a prayer, and dismissed the children and youth to Sunday school as calmly as I could, then went out to meet the officer.
She told me Shantana and Fenton (my pregnant wife and two-year old) were doing okay, but had been in a car accident on the way to church and were in ER. The hospital is right across the street from Pilgrim, so I told the officer I would walk over right away. Before I left, the officer stopped at my car with a few of Fenton's toys they had taken out of the car.
In all the chaos, we found people trying to live up to their best selves at every turn. Even the person who had caused the accident turned out to be an emergency response worker, and stopped right away. As soon as the emergency workers found out Shantana was pregnant, they loaded her up on a stretcher and put her in a precautionary neck brace, then put Fenton into the ambulance as well. Four firemen were riding in the ambulance with them. Of course, Fenton was scared, and Shantana was on a stretcher so the only thing she could do to comfort him was start singing "The Wheels on the Bus." Pretty soon, all four of the firemen joined in.
Throughout the day, we encountered doctors and nurses trying to do the best they could for us with as much compassion as possible, and a security guard who helped me move Fenton's car seat over to my car so we could take him home from the hospital. When I thanked people, most of them said something to the effect that they were "just doing their job." While that's true, we all have choices about how we do our job. We can do our job reasonably well, doing what's expected of us, and no one will complain. Or we can work to treat everyone we encounter during our day with grace and compassion.
We have that choice to make throughout our lives, in whatever we do. We can live our lives going through the motions, moving from one task to the next and doing what we need to do. Or we can treat the people we encounter as children of God, as people seeking the same kinds of connections we are seeking and hoping for the same kind words that we all want to hear. Living a life that way isn't always rewarded - not everyone will return a friendly smile, not everyone will respond to a kind word - but believing that it will make enough of a difference to be worthwhile is an important act of faith. I was reminded of that again a couple of Sundays ago, when the caring of strangers helped my family and me through a difficult time. I hope I will be able to live into that faith the next time I have the chance to make a difference in someone else's day, by showing them the same kindness.
Pastor Peter was on vacation, so Mike was preaching at the 10am service and I was leading worship through communion. We were serving communion in the pews that day. While the wine was being passed around, the sound man motioned for me to come over, and told me there was a police officer in the Parrish Hall waiting to speak with me. I took a deep breath, not sure of what to expect, waited until everyone had taken their communion wine, said a prayer, and dismissed the children and youth to Sunday school as calmly as I could, then went out to meet the officer.
She told me Shantana and Fenton (my pregnant wife and two-year old) were doing okay, but had been in a car accident on the way to church and were in ER. The hospital is right across the street from Pilgrim, so I told the officer I would walk over right away. Before I left, the officer stopped at my car with a few of Fenton's toys they had taken out of the car.
In all the chaos, we found people trying to live up to their best selves at every turn. Even the person who had caused the accident turned out to be an emergency response worker, and stopped right away. As soon as the emergency workers found out Shantana was pregnant, they loaded her up on a stretcher and put her in a precautionary neck brace, then put Fenton into the ambulance as well. Four firemen were riding in the ambulance with them. Of course, Fenton was scared, and Shantana was on a stretcher so the only thing she could do to comfort him was start singing "The Wheels on the Bus." Pretty soon, all four of the firemen joined in.
Throughout the day, we encountered doctors and nurses trying to do the best they could for us with as much compassion as possible, and a security guard who helped me move Fenton's car seat over to my car so we could take him home from the hospital. When I thanked people, most of them said something to the effect that they were "just doing their job." While that's true, we all have choices about how we do our job. We can do our job reasonably well, doing what's expected of us, and no one will complain. Or we can work to treat everyone we encounter during our day with grace and compassion.
We have that choice to make throughout our lives, in whatever we do. We can live our lives going through the motions, moving from one task to the next and doing what we need to do. Or we can treat the people we encounter as children of God, as people seeking the same kinds of connections we are seeking and hoping for the same kind words that we all want to hear. Living a life that way isn't always rewarded - not everyone will return a friendly smile, not everyone will respond to a kind word - but believing that it will make enough of a difference to be worthwhile is an important act of faith. I was reminded of that again a couple of Sundays ago, when the caring of strangers helped my family and me through a difficult time. I hope I will be able to live into that faith the next time I have the chance to make a difference in someone else's day, by showing them the same kindness.
Friday, April 24, 2009
So here I sit on the first warm night of the year.
The lights are almost all off, and all I hear outside are the quiet sounds of a soon to come storm, one that I can feel in my bones. There is a certain humid and heavy calm to this evening; one that suggests something big coming. Tonight the darkness does not scare me, rather I feel enveloped and somehow safe from the world. Despite the calm before the storm's way of feeling endless, it is only temporary. I know that soon the sun shall come again, and the world's troubles shall again knock on my door. The respite is deceptively long.
Since I've had children it is rare for me to be up late, the time when I am at my most creative. Now staying up late becomes a calculated exchange between the pain of fibromyalgia and the joy of creating something new as an artist, or as a protagonist for social justice. Something about tonight has encouraged me to break out of the sleepy eyed couch nap I take before finally going to bed. Maybe it's the smell of the air, perhaps it's the proverbial change of season that is now upon us.
I've been a parent, or at least a guardian of at least one child for nearly 8 years. Every day of these last 8 years it has shown itself to me to be a role model and a setter of a pace that must teach an uncomfortable idea for our society; the idea of being someone who loves and forgives, even in the face of horrible problems that somehow society seems to not fully address.
When children can ask "why?" with an intense and true desire to know, this is an awesome responsibility. We set the backdrop for how these children will think about life.
My youngest child is a free spirit of such reckless abandon that I as an adult worry about her safety. Yet, at the same time she is capable of such a beautiful honesty and emotional realness.
Her laughter has wings that can make even a hardened old soul smile again. Her tears invoke a primal empathy in me as a parent when I know they are a genuine expression of human hurt.
When I feel like my problems are too great to bear; my children's joy and passion, unspoiled by social expectation and imprinting, inspire me to rise again. Their gift to me is the experience of truth. I can never prepare for it, I simply experience it as it happens. It is always genuine.
By now you are probably asking what this little monologue has to do with God, Church, or Religion. If you only took this piece at face value that'd be easy to see. Bear with me. It's for a good reason, I promise.
There is a concept of God that is very arbitrary and limiting; I think that too many people have this abstract concept. I personally prefer the Native American philosophy of "Where the wind blows, Great Spirit Speaks." This works on several levels, the idea that the wind is not something we can see or touch, but only feel. This is spiritual life, this constant amazement at something that defies human logic but yet is everywhere. A life bringer, the carrier of life-giving rain.
It's on nights like this where there is a warm wind that brings the seasonal changes that I sit up and take notice. It reminds me that there is always new life and new possibilities. For us, the wind is our children. We know the moment of feeling them as part of our life, and yet, as they grow we suddenly find ourselves longing for a time when they were smaller, more innocent, more beautiful creatures unspoiled by human society. The wind of their dreams is our future. The seeds of our dreams ride on them, and yet we must also let them be their own persons. Perhaps this is why a newborn's cry is so primal to new parents; it is the wind of our souls being reminded of our roots. Perhaps this is why we weep just a little when our children are born, the joy of being refreshed a little while being simultaneously reminded of all the rules we must teach them. What a contradiction.
There is no Jew or Greek, servant or free, male or female: because you are all one in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:28).
Why do we make such spiritually meaningless distinctions that divide us, when there is no reason to?
We must think of the gifts of tolerance and acceptance in our own lives and how to live this path for our children as best we can. There is far to much hate and extremism in our world; we cannot in good faith let ourselves be unaware conduits of these things. We cannot teach our beautiful children how to hate without first knowing how to love. In fact, with true love, I offer that hate may become an impossible excercise.
Being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered is ultimately an expression of a deeper and diverse design. No one would choose it in a world that still wants to condemn differences, but there is no doubt that persons such as these are among us. They like anyone else seek love and understanding. A true parent gives love to a child without reservation. Even when this love can break our heart. Even in the example of Jesus facing death for those whom he loved. Any parent would jump in front of a moving bus to save their child without a moment's hesitation. "This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Sound familar?
What changes between childhood and adulthood? Why? Has anyone ever really spiritually asked themselves this question? Perhaps we could look to our children for a new way forward when we consider how to be open and affirming. Our actions teach them. Our love in action. The love of God in action through His people. The children of God. As Isaiah 11:6 prophesied, "... and a little child shall lead them."
If we truly are children of a loving God, what are we doing to prove it?
Since I've had children it is rare for me to be up late, the time when I am at my most creative. Now staying up late becomes a calculated exchange between the pain of fibromyalgia and the joy of creating something new as an artist, or as a protagonist for social justice. Something about tonight has encouraged me to break out of the sleepy eyed couch nap I take before finally going to bed. Maybe it's the smell of the air, perhaps it's the proverbial change of season that is now upon us.
I've been a parent, or at least a guardian of at least one child for nearly 8 years. Every day of these last 8 years it has shown itself to me to be a role model and a setter of a pace that must teach an uncomfortable idea for our society; the idea of being someone who loves and forgives, even in the face of horrible problems that somehow society seems to not fully address.
When children can ask "why?" with an intense and true desire to know, this is an awesome responsibility. We set the backdrop for how these children will think about life.
My youngest child is a free spirit of such reckless abandon that I as an adult worry about her safety. Yet, at the same time she is capable of such a beautiful honesty and emotional realness.
Her laughter has wings that can make even a hardened old soul smile again. Her tears invoke a primal empathy in me as a parent when I know they are a genuine expression of human hurt.
When I feel like my problems are too great to bear; my children's joy and passion, unspoiled by social expectation and imprinting, inspire me to rise again. Their gift to me is the experience of truth. I can never prepare for it, I simply experience it as it happens. It is always genuine.
By now you are probably asking what this little monologue has to do with God, Church, or Religion. If you only took this piece at face value that'd be easy to see. Bear with me. It's for a good reason, I promise.
There is a concept of God that is very arbitrary and limiting; I think that too many people have this abstract concept. I personally prefer the Native American philosophy of "Where the wind blows, Great Spirit Speaks." This works on several levels, the idea that the wind is not something we can see or touch, but only feel. This is spiritual life, this constant amazement at something that defies human logic but yet is everywhere. A life bringer, the carrier of life-giving rain.
It's on nights like this where there is a warm wind that brings the seasonal changes that I sit up and take notice. It reminds me that there is always new life and new possibilities. For us, the wind is our children. We know the moment of feeling them as part of our life, and yet, as they grow we suddenly find ourselves longing for a time when they were smaller, more innocent, more beautiful creatures unspoiled by human society. The wind of their dreams is our future. The seeds of our dreams ride on them, and yet we must also let them be their own persons. Perhaps this is why a newborn's cry is so primal to new parents; it is the wind of our souls being reminded of our roots. Perhaps this is why we weep just a little when our children are born, the joy of being refreshed a little while being simultaneously reminded of all the rules we must teach them. What a contradiction.
There is no Jew or Greek, servant or free, male or female: because you are all one in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:28).
Why do we make such spiritually meaningless distinctions that divide us, when there is no reason to?
We must think of the gifts of tolerance and acceptance in our own lives and how to live this path for our children as best we can. There is far to much hate and extremism in our world; we cannot in good faith let ourselves be unaware conduits of these things. We cannot teach our beautiful children how to hate without first knowing how to love. In fact, with true love, I offer that hate may become an impossible excercise.
Being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered is ultimately an expression of a deeper and diverse design. No one would choose it in a world that still wants to condemn differences, but there is no doubt that persons such as these are among us. They like anyone else seek love and understanding. A true parent gives love to a child without reservation. Even when this love can break our heart. Even in the example of Jesus facing death for those whom he loved. Any parent would jump in front of a moving bus to save their child without a moment's hesitation. "This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Sound familar?
What changes between childhood and adulthood? Why? Has anyone ever really spiritually asked themselves this question? Perhaps we could look to our children for a new way forward when we consider how to be open and affirming. Our actions teach them. Our love in action. The love of God in action through His people. The children of God. As Isaiah 11:6 prophesied, "... and a little child shall lead them."
If we truly are children of a loving God, what are we doing to prove it?
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome to Pilgrimages, the blog for Pilgrim Congregational UCC in Lansing, MI. We're a welcoming and affirming congregation with over 150 years of history, with traditional worship at 10am and a contemporary worship at 11:45, featuring our in-house folk-rock band.
I've been working with Pilgrim for a little over a year and a half, first as a ministry intern and now overseeing the growth and vitality ministries of the congregation. Over the coming weeks and months, I hope to see this page develop into a lively forum for some of the thoughts, musings, and questions of our congregation. I'll be writing about some of the theological and practical questions that have been bugging me, and we'll have plenty of other posters from our Pilgrim community. Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to check out our website at http://www.pilgrimucc.com for upcoming events and more information about Pilgrim UCC.
--Brandon
I've been working with Pilgrim for a little over a year and a half, first as a ministry intern and now overseeing the growth and vitality ministries of the congregation. Over the coming weeks and months, I hope to see this page develop into a lively forum for some of the thoughts, musings, and questions of our congregation. I'll be writing about some of the theological and practical questions that have been bugging me, and we'll have plenty of other posters from our Pilgrim community. Thanks for stopping by, and make sure to check out our website at http://www.pilgrimucc.com for upcoming events and more information about Pilgrim UCC.
--Brandon
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