June 22nd, 2008 – Baptism is Risky Business

Reverend Christian Jennert presided and preached during worship this morning. Like Bishop Dave last week, the Gospel reading Matthew 10:24-39 contained words from Jesus that many feel uncomfortable exploring; in particular verses 34 and 35:

Do not think I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a son against his father, and a daughter against her mother and a daughter-in law against her mother-in-law.

Like last week, a powerful, uncomfortable Gospel text led to an equally powerful sermon that strengthened and highlighted our understanding of what we are asked to do as followers of the Way.

Pastor Christian started his sermon saying baptism is risky business. He provided historical perspective by describing how Christians were viewed by outsiders in the first three centuries of the existence of the church as superstitious atheists because Christians refused to profess belief in Roman gods and were reportedly engaged in rituals involving the drinking of blood.

In contrast today Pastor Christian preached most of society feels that church is a fundamental part of creating good citizens. Are we living the gospel when we are living as good citizens?

Personally, I am beginning to see a shift. Christians are not viewed now as superstitious atheists but I know many of my friends who do not belong to a church become increasingly more distrustful of those who attend. They see church as being more at the fringe of society rather than the center of it and that faith in God can lead to religious intolerance. They seem to trust schools and education more to create good citizens.

Kelly led most of the music solo on piano today and the team he and Lisa lead were the volunteers for the service work. There was a wide variety of music, as usual in the service.

Kelly also led the Adult Forum after the service, an RIC event Naming Our Concerns and Fears, Honoring Our Traditions which named any concerns or fears the congregation had about becoming RIC.

To start with, we went around the circle describing our earliest church memories or first memories of Creator. Many were of church buildings, Christmas pageants or Easter clothes; sweet or funny memories for the most part.

The ground rule that no one would address or argue with anything that came up at the meeting was followed fairly well. There were complexities and nuances to how people felt. The written feedback helped propel the discussion to a deeper level as well. There was a range of opinions represented but this was Creator at its best when dealing with disagreement. Everyone who contributed was heard with respect.

The RIC team will take the feedback and work to strengthen the discernment process with what was learned.

June 15th, 2008 – Ripped to Shreds, Ready to Rumble!

Bishop Dave presided today and Gretchen was the Assisting Minister. My Spiritworks team, Team Light, served as the volunteers. Ripped to Shreds, Ready to Rumble was the attention-drawing title of the sermon in the bulletin. Bishop Dave did not make a direct reference to the title in the sermon itself but the title set a tone that the sermon matched in interesting ways.

Dave led an adult Bible Study after worship as well. Both study and service were centered on the Gospel reading in Matthew. As I planned out how to write about them here, the power of what was said and what needed to be taken to heart grew stronger.

The sermon centered on the instructions Jesus gave to his disciples that Bishop Dave summarized in the title of the Adult Forum as Traveling Lite (this was definitely a “light” Sunday) to take no gold, or silver or copper in your belts, no bag for you journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff.

For the Children’s Time Dave emptied out coins on the floor and he instructed the children to pick up the pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters but not to take them outside the church but rather put them in the collection plate.

In the sermon he admitted the Jesus’ instructions in the text were tough to follow. There is a new reality there for us to embrace and but most of us in relative positions of privilege find Matthew Chapter 10 difficult because we don't want to change the status quo.

Who among us would take a trip or undertake the mission Jesus commands without money? It flies in the face of reason. Bishop Dave asked us to hold each other accountable to take risks and be unreasonable in this regard. Our present reality is in need of change.

A verse, Matthew 10:15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town gave us a glimpse of what the July Bible Study will be about in part as Bishop Dave went into a deep dive on Sodom and Gomorrah in scripture. He cited the many places Sodom and Gomorrah is referenced in the Bible but the true sin of Sodom is described in Ezekiel 16:49

Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy.

This opened a few eyes. It moved the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah from what is commonly thought of as God’s retribution for sexually licentious behavior to something far closer to a collective sin we can too easily rationalize in our society.

In the Adult Education Forum Bishop Dave asked about where we are “working from an edge” in our lives. By that he wanted us to identify a thought or issue we are currently wrestling that moves us forward in our spiritual life. This reading from Matthew went to the heart of a current “edge” for him. There were people who were working on simplifying their lives and /or trying to make purchases with the health of the planet in mind.

In the end, this Sunday was filled with challenge, complexity and taking hard looks at ourselves and how we contribute to a new reality. Christianity is not an easy road. Sometimes we are ripped to shreds and, at times, we are ready to rumble.

June 8th, 2008 – Leading, Following, Touching

Reverend Mary Peterson was the presiding minister today. She let the congregation know that she and Al are scheduled to preside somewhat regularly with visits from former vicars while Pastor Dayle is on sabbatical.

The service was well-attended. The congregation was in good voice. Team Joy handled the volunteer work well and there was a minimal amount of differences in the way worship was conducted. Lisa was the Assisting Minister and should be thanked for at least a piece of that.

Rev. Mary introduced herself to the children and congregation during the Children’s Time. She talked about celebration and community and complemented Creator for being able to celebrate and be in community with one another.

For her sermon, Rev Mary pointed out there was something in common with the tax collectors and sinners, the woman suffering from hemorrhages, and the girl who died. They were all unclean and Jesus touched them all.

One part of the gospel reading that impressed Rev. Mary was that Jesus and Matthew both followed and led one another. Matthew did what Jesus asked and followed Jesus and Jesus followed Matthew to dine.

Many ideas were brought into the sermon. One was something Rev. Mary quoted: Faith is the direction our feet take us when we know that we are loved. It is an interesting quote. Flipping it was interesting as well: Faith is the direction our feet take us when we don’t know that we are loved. There is a dynamic both ways.

As usual, I’m So Glad Jesus Lifted Me was particularly joyous in sending us out.

June 1st, 2008 – Pastor Dayle’s Last Service before Sabbatical

This service was Pastor Dayle’s last before her sabbatical starting now and ending in October. It was also the first service with the volunteer positions filled through the new Spiritworks small group ministry.

Particularly in the readings there was a burst of enthusiasm / spirit with this new method of volunteering, particularly in the readings. For most of the work there were two volunteers and veterans teaching people new to work how it is done. This was an auspicious beginning for Spiritworks.

During announcements Sara and Craig gave us an update on synod assembly which happened over the weekend. They talked about the Book of Faith initiative and the material that was given out at the assembly reinforcing our habits to read the Bible more diligently.

During Children’s Time and later in the sermon Pr. Dayle stressed our call to mission and ministry. She gave out M&Ms as reminders of the two m’s that we as the church needs to keep in mind. She warned us that M&Ms won't keep and that we need to do something with our M&Ms.

This was the choir’s last service until October as well. The choir sang Worthy To Be Praised for the Psalmody, Ave Verum Corpus for Communion Distribution, and The Lord Bless You and Keep You for the Benediction. The choir circled encompassing Pastor Dayle and some members of the congregation and there were those who laid hands on her while the choir sang.

There was a Sending Song listed in the bulletin but the Sevenfold Amen that ends The Lord Bless You and Keep You definitely became a musical highlight. Pastor Dayle just smiled and said that was all the music that was needed.

The piece did complete the moment and it was the perfect way to say goodbye to Pastor Dayle until she returns.

A Time to Listen, A Time to Write

Since my last entry here I have been immersed in a time of listening, of work and; quite frankly; of astonishment. Many incredible things have happened, starting with Pastor Christian's memorable Wednesday Talk on April 30th through Pentecost until now. Besides the other work I am doing the time I have spent on the blog has been spent contemplating how to capture in words what happened with Pastor Christian when he spoke to us about his life before, during and after Creator.

His talk that Wednesday was grace-filled. Many from Creator came and there were others in the audience. Christian’s talk took us on a journey that started with what we believes unites us all – the gift of baptism. From that inclusive moment in his life he went on to describe his family, his church, his life growing up, his decision to become a pastor, his time in seminary, his time at Creator, his ordination and his subsequent ministry.

His understanding that he was a gay man complicated this journey. There were moments of discovery when his life made sense to him, of shame when he was conflicted by hiding this part of himself, and of intense joy when he met the man he loves.

The honesty and courage of his words impacted his audience and affected him. Due to that courage this was an evening where lives and dreams intersected. It felt like some cosmic tumblers went into alignment and something amazing opened up. We were all connected, recognized by one another and grateful for what was happening.

During his talk Pastor Christian emphasized the importance of process to Lutherans. His reference has stayed with me for since then. Sometimes process is painfully difficult and slow. As far as I’m concerned Creator’s RIC process continues to be a revelation and a testament to how a community comes together on decisions regarding change.

At one point that Wednesday evening there was a question about the latitude of bishops in applying the language that is currently contained in the Vision and Expectations: Ordained Ministers in the ELCA. Christian replied that since Bishop Dave was present he might be the best person to answer the question and Bishop Dave gave a clear, succinct answer that helped those there understand more fully what action was currently going on in the ELCA.

There were spontaneous shows of support for Christian after his talk. There was energy and spirit again present in the Creator community that Wednesday. It has appeared many times now in our RIC process and it both gives a boost and sustains our work together with our care and concern. That is apparent not only during the RIC meetings but in Creator church activities in general.

Trying to describe in detail all those activities would make for too long a blog entry. Highlights for me included Pentecost and May 18th. On that Sunday Genesis, a youth group, performed Friends 4Ever at both services. Creator youth performed Friends 4Ever in 2004 and this performance brought back memories of directing the youth then and of the choreography Denise put together and the Kelly coaching the singing.

There was a Telling Stories event for RIC after church on that same Sunday where we had invited guests telling stories of various degrees of welcome they experienced from the church as homosexuals. We learned much more about the details of being a welcoming church from both speakers, Doug Hamill and Michelle Kisinger.

The book discussion group finished The New Man and decided to move onto John Steinbeck's East of Eden after a summer break. These Wednesday evening discussions before choir have been insightful and I feel priviledged to be able to meet with this group with their dedication and their honesty.

There is also a newly installed Creator council with three new members; Brent, Lisa and Vera. At our last meeting the council worked on the financial condition of the congregation, SpiritWorks – our new small group ministry effort and Pastor Dayle’s sabbatical.

Thanks to all of you who let me know that this blog is read and updating it makes a difference.

Peace.

April 27th, 2008 – Understanding Our Connectedness

The Gospel lesson, John 14:15-21, was particularly moving and roused our hearts:

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them are those who love me and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and reveal myself to them.

Susan talked about the Bible being God’s letter of love to us and demonstrated an aspect of the last line in the Children’s Time by sealing an envelope, that had the name of individual listening, in another envelop and enclosing that in another envelope. This was a representation of us living within Jesus and then God’s love.

Pastor Dayle preached on our interconnectedness. We celebrated Earth Day this week and the sermon affirmed the Holy Spirit as sustainer and nurturer and also how she connects us. Toni, for one, talked in the Adult Education hour after the first service about how important defining the feminine side of the Holy Spirit was to her.

Our hearts moved to those who don’t feel welcome, connected, especially in church. Creator is moving to change this. As Pastor Dayle, said many churches do not do this well. We want to practice more radical hospitality and there are several efforts underway to do just that.

We talked about the Gospel lesson in Adult Education. There were beautiful moments during the hour. There are times where people feel comfortable with the black and white, right and wrong answer. Diane brought up how that eliminates the grace / grays of God’s world.

Linda talked about the eyes of love we have towards each other that she particularly experiences as people come up for communion. I believe we all knew exactly what she was talking about.

Larry, alluding to one effort we are making in structuring new small groups, gave an interesting analogy for that kind of connection and the electronic structure of atoms. He talked first about the weak Ionic bond completely transferring an electron to reach the two electron goal each atom wants in the bond and ended with the diamond covalent structure, which is the strongest and involves 18 atoms. “Maybe 18 is a perfect size for small groups” he concluded.

Levels of connection were high this Sunday.

April 9th, 2008 – The New Man Book Discussion

Tonight there were searching questions and insights. Will started us off asking Nicholl’s definition of Good, Truth and Knowledge.

Once again these questions cut to the heart of the material we were reading. Nicholl writes about a reversal that must take place where truth comes first to help us know what is Good and then Good must come first because truth without Good misses the “mark” (this is the Greek word for sin as translated by Nicholl).

Greg talked about this passage and how much of church history, when the focus is on Truth rather than Good not only misses the mark but misses the point of what the church is here to do.

Debi brought up the devaluation of the word “good” now. When college students use “good” to describe something it is frowned upon as a mediocre description. This was also something we talked about last week when using the word “good” felt boring.

The next chapter we discussed brought this into focus. The author described two types of righteousness, the righteousness of the Pharisees and the righteousness Jesus extolled. The righteousness of the Pharisees was an external righteousness; playing by all the rules, getting to heaven by good works.

The righteousness Jesus extolled is completely different. Rules may need to be broken, healing on the Sabbath, breaking the purity rules of Leviticus to help the half-dead victim in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. This was tough talk and a tough concept because probably something inside all of us longs for simple answers and to follow a rule book without questioning.

We moved into interesting “side” conversations that were more about the book in general. We had a long discussion where we compared ourselves to ancient people because of a remark Nicholl had made about the ancient language modern man is no longer acquainted with now.. Greg and Mary talked about how this did not mean they were smarter than we were but there were connections we no longer explore and explanations we no longer accept.

Myth and metaphor are discounted as knowledge in favor of scientific knowledge and the what can be proved in the physical world.

This book group continues to be impressive week after week. Everyone reads the material and everyone participates in the discussion and it is lively. Marvis talked about how she needs silent time to think about the ideas this book presents and I believe she was speaking for us all. Janet and Eileen agreed that this is a different level of material than they have read in a while.

Unfortunately there was work I needed to do prevented me from attending choir practice tonight.