A Holy Week Meditation: Monday

 

Christ in Bethany (Pugin) (Photo credit: Lawrence OP)

In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. Psalm 71

I always tell my unchurched friends (who respect what I do for a living, but don’t quite understand it) that Holy Week is my Big Week.  Then I add as though only I know just how funny I am “it’s Jesus Big Week too.” In my defense, for a parish minister, Holy Week truly is The Big Week.  But this particular Holy Week is bigger than usual.  As we follow Jesus to the cross and then to the empty tomb, we follow the United States Supreme Court in its own version of death and resurrection.   On Tuesday, the court will hear arguments considering the constitutionality of California’s gay marriage ban, Proposition 8. The next day, the court will hear arguments challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

The timing of these two cases could not have been better. They remind us that Holy Week is about justice.  Jesus was executed because he stood up for the oppressed and defended the disenfranchised.  If Jesus had not challenged the religious leaders, if he had not questioned the social order, he probably would have died quietly of old age.  Instead he died on a cross.  Not for our sins, but because of our sins. This Holy Week, we will watch and wait to see if our own country will make right a long held injustice—the denial of marriage to our gay brothers and sisters. 

Let us pray for the death of an old order and the resurrection of what is new and good.

May Your Week be Holy,

Pastor Jane

(look for a meditation from Pastor Jane everyday this week)

 

Vow of Poverty Pays Off

Pope Benedictus XVI at a private audience (January 20, 2006) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Vatican is facing a dilemma it hasn’t faced in 600 years. I am not talking about the alarming rise of secularism in the West, or the abandonment of traditional dogma, or the continued presence of scandal among priests.

I’m talking about the pope’s really awesome retirement package.

For the first time in pope-history, the Vatican will manage a retirement portfolio for a retired Vicar of Christ. And something tells me that that same Vicar has not been faithfully contributing to his own 401K.

Not surprisingly, the job of Apostolic See comes with a pretty nifty benefit package. For the remainder of his life, Benedict will rake in the spoils of a truly golden parachute. For starters, he will have a few thousand euro dumped into this checking account every month; private living quarters at the Mater Ecclesiae, a former convent, remodeled just for him (comes with a 500 sq meter organic fruit and vegetable garden—gardeners provided); personal physicians on-call 24/7; live-in assistance of a small group of German nuns (not sure what they do exactly but they’ve been with him a long time); and at his beck and call, a bevy of housekeepers, cooks, and valets. It is a papal parachute of just under $600,000.00 per year. Of course, he has to trade in his big hat, ring, cape, and red shoes. Personally, I would keep the shoes.

OK. Enough with the pope-bashing (even though everything I’ve said is entirely true). I won’t even mention Jesus and his persistent camel-through-the-eye-of-a-needle comments or that pesky last-will-be-first business. The pope wouldn’t be the pope if we took him out of the flashy, extravagant milieu of papal culture. And although I am pretty much ready to excuse all the over-the-top excessiveness of popedom, there is a nagging problem.

In the buzz words of today, the pope, the Vatican, and all the cool papal stuff, fit in the category of attractional not missional (except maybe the group of German nuns—never criticize nuns as they are true workers). Attractional means you market the church to the world. Missional means you bring the church into the world. In other words, when I ask myself, what can I do as pastor to get the world to come to Zion—I am being more attractional than missional. But when we go to Grace Church and help serve the Community meal, we are being missional. The trick is to tip the balance of church activity in the direction of missional (you certainly can’t abandon attractional altogether).

There are countless examples in the bible where missional trumps attractional. For example, the book of Acts:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. (Acts 2:44-45)

Out there serving, not inside waiting. Missional, not attractional. That’s why, when the pope flies in his private helicopter from the Vatican to his new posh residence and thousands of people cheer and wave, I wonder how much of the message of God’s Kingdom has been lost. Actually, I don’t wonder. I shudder.

Maybe the new pope will rescue and reclaim the message of Jesus. Maybe he will be the new John Paul XXIII. If he is, I won’t care if he wears the red shoes and the big hat and the gold ring. As long as he remembers who the real head of the Church is.

 

Desperately Seeking Jesus

At the heart of epiphany (revelation) is the promise that we are being brought into the very presence of Jesus.  (Luther Seminary’s blog “God Pause”)

 I would like some fulfillment on that promise of being brought into Jesus’ presence. At funerals and sometimes in just regular Sunday morning sermons, I hear ministers preach about when someone will  “stand in the presence of Jesus.”  They are generally talking about an afterlife experience; according to many Christians, it is after death that we will be united with Jesus.  It’s not that I don’t believe that I may meet Jesus someday, it’s just that I don’t have a lot of concrete facts about it.  My lack of knowledge doesn’t mean it isn’t true or that it won’t happen, it simply means that I am not overly knowledgeable about the life after this one.  Truthfully, none of us is.  But the good news is– I don’t think we have to be.   Jesus lived in the present and if I want to model my life after him, I need to live in the present also.  This means that instead of waiting on the promise of being brought into the company of Jesus in the distant future, I should be seeking the company of Jesus right now.  Expecting fulfillment sooner rather than later. 

We don’t want to make the mistake of the people of Nazareth who actually did stand in the presence of Jesus and even recognized that he was filled with God’s grace. For a few short moments, they knew they were in the presence of someone sent by God.  But then their cynicism kicked in.  “Is he not just the son of Joseph?”  And the moment had passed.  The knowledge that they stood in the presence of God’s Holy One, dried up and blew away like a dry leaf on the wind. 

The scriptures are full of hints on how to experience the presence of Jesus.  “Seek and you shall find.  Knock and the door shall be opened.”  “That which you did for the least of these you did for me.”  Jesus presence could weave its way in and out of the moments of our days, if we sought to see him. If we looked into the eyes of our brothers and sisters and saw not alienation but reconciliation.  If we took seriously the commandment to “love one another” and set aside the many laws and rules of the Hebrew scriptures that separate and divide. 

At Annual Meeting this past week, we voted unanimously to add our ONA statement of inclusivity to our constitution.  Open and Affirming is one of Zion’s ways of standing in the presence of Jesus.  No one was more welcoming than the One who said “Go forth unto all nations and baptize.”  It was Jesus’ most inclusive statement—ALL nations.  Not some, all.

So my words to you as we trade Epiphany for Lent–do not wait for some apocalyptic moment to stand in the presence of Jesus or to “meet” Jesus.  Seek him now.  Model your life after him in the present and the epiphany promise will be fulfilled.
 

See You in the Pews!
Pastor Jane

 

Church as Gym

Burlington YWCA

Every January, I make a few New Year’s resolutions. As of today, I am enjoying huge, unmitigated success in the fulfillment of these resolutions. I have fulfilled every one of my seventeen resolutions! I am a New Year’s resolutions success story!  Hannibal has crossed the Alps! OK…I’ll slow down.  Current literature on New Year’s resolutions and my own pathetic personal history do not indicate a favorable outcome.  Not only do I generally abandon my resolutions after about two weeks (at the time of writing this, I’m on day 3) but according to a recent issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 8% of all people who make resolutions actually achieve them.  I guess I am just one of the 92%.

But I do have one goal that is sure to meet success—working out at the gym (for me, “gym” is the Burlington YWCA).  The reason I will stick with going to the gym is this– I enjoy it.  Forbes Magazine says in “Five Resolutions You Won’t Keep and Five You Will” that a resolution works best if it is “pleasant” or if you really enjoy it.  Well, I enjoy the gym—I enjoy the people, the energy I feel when I walk in the weight room, the encouragement of the staff, the fact that we are all there for the same reason—improved health and quality of life.  So I know I will not abandon that particular resolution.

The gym is a good image for the church.  Similar to the gym, the church is where we go to work on our faith and build up those spiritual and ethical “muscles” we rely on when we are not in church. Just like my strength training sessions with my YWCA trainer, Stephie (who is really awesome), everything I do in church is deliberate.  Nothing is without purpose; or if it seems lacking in purpose, I may have forgotten why I come to the “gym” at all.  Is my reading of the scripture just one more element of the worship service or does it move me with the voice of God?  Do I pray knowing I am heard or am I just repeating words?  Do I know if I swing a kettle bell to strengthen my back or just for the entertainment of Stephie?  Hmmm…could be a little of both.

The other day, while clearing out our basement, I picked up a large box of books and quickly carried it up two flights to my office.  I commented to Don that if I hadn’t been working out, I wouldn’t have been able to do that so easily.  In other words, there are things I can do now that I couldn’t do without the benefit of the gym.

What benefit does your gym/church bring to you?  Is there anything that happens for you in church that helps you when you are not in church?  Are there loads you can now carry that would prove too heavy without your faith community?

Send me a comment; I would love to hear your thoughts!  Pastor Jane

Stephie the Awesome Trainer

 

Biggest Freebie Ever

Pastors hear everything.  No matter what is said about the pastor- their church, their personal life, or even their dog (fill in husband, child, car, choice of earrings, length of skirt)—it eventually makes it back to the pastor. And although some comments are not as complementary as one would want (at a previous church it was said the pastor—that would be me—looked a lot less “washed out” when she remembered to wear lipstick.  OK. I had to agree), I did just hear the most wonderful thing about Zion and inadvertently, about me.   Apparently, it was said (in a local restaurant a few days ago) that Zion was going downhill rapidly because it is “filling up with poor people who just go there to get all the freebies.”   Btw, the person who said this is not a member and doesn’t attend Zion.

Not everything I hear through the church grapevine makes me feel as deeply happy as that statement (i.e., the lipstick comment).  Wow.  Low income people feel comfortable worshipping at Zion and know they will leave with some freebies.  I am wondering what those freebies are.  Food?  Certainly. Our food pantry is open to all people all the time–our motto: “as much food as you want, as often as you want.”  Clothes?  Absolutely.  We recently purchased a pair of steel-toed boots for a young woman so she could take a job in a local factory.  Job search?  No problem. Deb will help you create a resume and apply online.  Money for a water bill? Heat? Help with rent?  A gas voucher?  School supplies for your kids?  Yes.  Zion is full of freebies and for that I thank God every day.  I love serving a congregation that knows the joy of giving and the gospel of hospitality.    I wish I could personally thank the individual who said we were “filling up with poor people.”   Can there be a greater complement given to those who follow Jesus?  My only hope is that everyone sitting in that restaurant heard her and went home wondering about the church with all the freebies.  

I do have one problem.  The individual has the order of things confused.  She implies that the reason “the poor” show up for worship is because they will go home with some freebies–as if our worship service were some sort of liturgical Happy Meal with a toy waiting in the bottom of the bag.  Instead, I would say that most of our very low income people sitting in the pews first came to Zion to receive assistance (I prefer “assistance” to “freebies” but I suppose it’s all the same) and in the process of receiving assistance, they established relationship with people in the church.  Then, feeling welcomed and safe, they began to attend church. In other words, these “poor people” are drawn to worship because they experienced the true generosity of an authentic church community.  Naturally, they wanted to be a part of it.

We have moved through the days and nights of Advent watching and waiting for the coming of the Christ child.  God’s Son given to the world in all its brokenness.  The gift of Jesus. Perhaps the biggest freebie ever offered.   Go to church for the freebies.  Sit in the pews and listen to the voice of God.  Take home a bag filled with groceries or a heart filled with the knowledge of God’s Presence in the world. 

Merry Christmas Everyone,

Pastor Jane

 

 

Homeless, Mentally Ill and a Rock Through a Window

The piece of cement still sits on the floor where it fell. A shattered window lets in the cold December air. Earlier today, a homeless woman threw the cement through a window of the church, climbed over the jagged shards of glass and entered the building. Mentally ill, in need of medication, food, and a winter coat, she ran through the sanctuary and then out the front door into the winter morning.

I have met her before. A month ago, she came into the church when the door was momentarily propped open (we have a security system where we buzz people in) and paced in a tight circle muttering words I couldn’t understand and then demanded a bible. Handing her the bible, I asked her to leave. She grabbed the bible and told me she was going to burn it that night. She hurried out back to the street and was gone. I am generally not afraid of the many homeless and nearly homeless people that come through the doors of Zion church. She scared me though. Tall and angry, she seemed out of control.

A colleague once criticized me for keeping the church door locked during the day. He is a catholic priest, a man, and doesn’t live in my world. I told him that unfortunately hospitality doesn’t trump security though I wish it did. Of course all the security in the world doesn’t keep someone from throwing a rock through a window and climbing in. And yet, as unsafe as the church staff might feel knowing that anyone who feels like it can bypass our expensive security system (complete with camera and buzzer) and come right in, it is not as unsafe as the woman must feel as she sleeps on the street, hears voices, and runs from the police. I would imagine that her world is unsafe to the point of daily terror. And yet, she is not uncommon. Over one-third of all homeless people have untreated psychiatric illnesses–about 250,000 individuals. (1)

In 2006, a study of 81 US cities, demonstrated a direct correlation between the decreasing availability of psychiatric hospital beds and the increase in homelessness. This study validates previous research conducted in Massachusetts and Ohio demonstrating that “27 and 36 percent of the discharges from state mental hospitals had become homeless within six months.” (2) In Jesus’s day, mental illness was understood as demon-possession and he called those demons out healing all whom he touched. Today, the demons of mental illness can be healed not with the touch of Jesus but with appropriate medical care. Except that there isn’t any. You might as well wait for the apocalypse than wait on help for those who are mentally ill and homeless.

Throughout the day following the window breaking, church members retold the story. I noticed that we described the woman who did it as “crazy” “on something” “out of her mind”. Sometimes we would laugh or smile as we described her bizarre behavior. Perhaps we had to make light of her not because we are really that insensitive (I hope), but because we desperately need to be freed from the responsibility and frustration that we feel for the woman and people like her. It is easier to laugh than it is to acknowledge the utter hopelessness of her situation. Our frustration comes from the reality that no matter how many bags of food, free winter coats, or soup kitchen meals we offer this person, none of it matters as long as her mental illness is untreated. She doesn’t stand a chance. Like many churches, the outreach program of Zion is great for people who have the chemistry of their brain in balance, but not for anyone who needs true mental health help.

A woman whose very existence is abysmal, dangerous, and deeply sad, throws a rock through a church window. And the only thing the church could fix was the window.

 

“Our Hopes and Fears Are Met in Thee Tonight”

I want to respond somehow to the unspeakable tragedy in Connecticut yesterday; yet, I find I have few words. All I can say is this– gather with those you love and together pray for the parents and grandparents of the children who died. Pray for the brother of the boy who killed them. Pray for the teachers and students who will someday walk through the halls of their school again.

It is still Advent. Remember the coming of the Christ child. Remind yourself of the hope he brings to the world.

Pastor Jane