Recently Cameron Trimble was the catalyst for a lively discussion on Facebook concerning the realities and vagaries of the urban church….particularly the United Church of Christ version. As is with most mainline denominations – those who say “Jesus” in two syllables, there have been few successes in developing a dynamic Christian presence in the city. Having been blessed to serve a parish in a midsize city, having been again blessed to serve in a large urban rim church which was open to making significant connections with churches in the city, and having been called to assist as a reflective resource with several urban churches in my conference and national roles, I have nurtured an increasing passion for the need for a progressive church presence in the city. Rather than abandoning the city – as I believe is being done by most mainline denominations, I am adamant in my belief that it is THE time to plant and renew some of the most import “mission outposts” that are essential for “well-being” – shalom – of the human race. I know what you are thinking – that sounds preposterous! The city is a microcosm of the global community and therefore provides insights on addressing the prickly realities of the world which seem beyond our grasp – ethnic, cultural, religious diversity, economic disparities / haves and have nots, quality educational and healthcare issues. The urban church needs to be the “sacred space” that ministers to the divergent populations of the city and offers an “insight place” where these global realities need to be openly and honestly discussed with grace abounding. It needs to be the safe space for dialogue on the issues of what it means to be human and to live in community with others.
At the same time that I was following Cameron’s Facebook thoughts a painful e-mail arrived. The first church that I had served was a struggling small city church. Over my ten year ministry there the congregation developed into a strong church with a commanding presence in the community. The e-mail from a former and current leader in the church announced the resignation of its pastor and the harsh suggestion that the church would die within the next half-decade. In close to 30 years membership had dwindled from over 1,000 members to a precious few and the pledge units had fallen from over 300 to under 50. What happened? If the truth be told with full candor, it was the choice of the wrong pastoral leadership at a critical time in the church’s ministry that led to a downward spiral. While I believe that a renewal could take place with some very strong pastoral leadership and significant risk taking on the part of the congregation, I am broken hearted about the state of decline that the church is experiencing.
Leadership – that is the key component for a vital church in an urban setting. My concern is that most mainline denominations (the UCC being my preference) do little in the identifying and training of clergy for urban churches. In large part most seminary education does not help candidates for the ordained ministry to discern whether she or he might have the gifts essential for ordained ministry in an urban setting……some of those gifts being – a passion for diversity; an optimistic openness to outlandish creativity; an uncanny ability to study the unique sociology of the urban scene; a gift for hearing the voices of others and often allowing the marginalized to bring their wisdom to the shaping of ministry; an ability in building alliances with other sacred and secular institutions – including government. While most of our seminaries do an excellent job in training those seeking ordained ministry in the “generic” local church – usually in a suburban, town, or rural setting, the nuances of ministry in the urban setting are given little visibility.
Alliances – this is the second key component to enriching the ministry of churches in urban settings. “We covenant together….” are foundational words on which the United Church of Christ is built. Yet too often “autonomy” is the operative practice by a majority of local churches. A covenantal, an alliance building ecclesiology is essential for the health and witness of the urban church. As I have alluded to, covenants with sacred and secular institutions who share the city-space are primary. Still I believe that alliances with churches on the sub-urban rim of the city are an often neglected opportunities for strengthening the ministry of churches in both settings. For the challenges of the city are real world challenges. The city church offers access to diversity training in a “micro” perspective. I remember well the relationships that allowed a large suburban church I was serving to gain a new perspective on living in a global world. A significant parabolic moment took place in a shared Bible study in a predominately African-American church. As we worked our way through the Beatitudes, one of the women from one of our partner churches said sternly without animosity in her voice: “This passage about blessed are the poor has little to do with you my friends who live in the suburbs – it ain’t about being poor in spirit – it’s about being poor. Jesus has a preference for the poor.” There was silence and then grace-filled, soul changing dialogue. The blessing of understanding from such alliance building took on a more humorous perspective among a group of five churches who were gathered together around racial tensions in the small city of my first church. Following a time of racial tension at the local high school, I challenged four other churches to join in a “Cross Connections” ministry. The connection partners were an African-American Baptist Church, an Orthodox Arabic Melkite Church, an Hispanic Baptist Church, and two “Anglo” (as we were called) churches. Along with establishing youth service programs together we covenanted together to have a series of Lenten meals with Bible Study. At one of these “heavenly banquet” feasts my dear friend and pastor of the Hispanic Church made a comment on the variety of foods on the serving table. “Bob the foods we bring might say a lot about the way we go about living out our faith. Notice that we Hispanics bring spicy foods. Our African-American friends bring some spicy and some earthy foods. Our Orthodox friends bring foods that are earthy and rich in flavor. And what do you Anglos bring – jellied salads and baked beans. Enough said? You folks might learn a little something about delicious food and rich and hot faith from the rest of us.” What touched my soul was the reality that amid the levity, there was an honesty he felt comfortable in sharing with me. And the reality that we had much to learned from our others brothers and sisters in Christ. An openness to listen was the only requirement. Alliances – covenant relationships lead to vitality and new understandings for all who are willing to risk setting aside their control needs and preconceptions in the pursuit of God’s justice and grace. Such alliances are particularly key for the strengthening of the ministries of the city church.
Let me offer a word of thanks for a Facebook posting that called me to remember the costs and JOYS of discipleship that I experienced in my times of ministry in the urban church. I hope this humble effort on ministry in the city – I feel like breaking out in the song by The Eagles – will foster further dialogue. And unlike The Eagles song, I hope the United Church of Christ will not seek to flee from providing its inclusive and justice based ministry in the city!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Christmas - The Extreme Season
The story was the same as it is every year. God has sent an angel to earth seeking a sign of Christmas hope and peace. The story always has the same happy ending when a father is reconciled and re-united with his run-away daughter. Yet the journey of getting from the beginning to the end of the Christmas tale is always a most joyous and outlandish ride. This year the story was told in The Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum in Jacksonville, Fla., by The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The musicians’ affinity for classical music played in a heavy rock and roll style fills the entire 2 ½ hour performance. But what also pervades the performance during the playing of most of the classical and Christmas carol based music are strobe lights, lasers, flame throwing fire-pots, smoke machines, stage rigging that moves out over the audience, and, oh yes, a fifteen piece orchestra backing up the three guitarists, the two keyboard players, the one electronic violinist, and the sole drummer who has lasers flying out of his drums. The Christmas message is invoked in a sensory overloaded experience. One 84-year-old woman who was in the final stages of her battle with cancer who accompanied me to a performance two years ago stood clapping and dancing as the final selection – Beethoven’s Fifth - was being played. Then she said to me, “What joy I felt! That was really something! I feel like a child again!” That’s part of what Christmas is all about – innocence and freedom of spirit and child-like joy and wonder. There is a part of the heart of Christmas that should be outlandishly joyous. “Joy to the world the Lord has come!”
I move ahead twelve hours to a street in the old section of St. Augustine, Fla. As we walked down the narrow streets of the “oldest city in America” I noticed an unassuming sign hanging from the entrance to a small courtyard. It was the entrance to St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine. They called the shrine – where the first colony of Greeks arrived in America – their “Plymouth Rock.” We cautiously approached the narrow doorway. After being greeted warmly by two members of the shrine’s staff, we walked into the history filled and icon laden shrine. The altar evoked a meditative spirit and calming silence to our souls. The awe and wonder of the shepherds and magi enfolded us. Speechless, silence, iconic beauty – the Virgin and Child looked into our souls from their elevated place behind the altar. “How silently the wondrous gift is given!”
Child-like joy and innocence that believes that reconciliation among all peoples is possible; that lions and lambs can lie together – awe-filled silence that is birthed because of the mystery and majesty of this Holy Birth. “Let heaven and nature sing” – “Fall on your knees and hear the angel voices!” This is why I call Christmas the extreme season. It is no season for mediocrity when it comes to the state of our souls. May Christmas be the catalyst for our living an extremely Christ-filled life regardless of the date on the calendar.
Bob
P.S. Since I finished this article Congress voted a weak budget deal and extension of the payroll tax cuts. Our elected officials have become such boring, joyless, boxed up people. They have become the supreme example of “Bah! Humbug People!” Maybe they need to go to a TSO concert and to the shrine of St. Photios.
I move ahead twelve hours to a street in the old section of St. Augustine, Fla. As we walked down the narrow streets of the “oldest city in America” I noticed an unassuming sign hanging from the entrance to a small courtyard. It was the entrance to St. Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine. They called the shrine – where the first colony of Greeks arrived in America – their “Plymouth Rock.” We cautiously approached the narrow doorway. After being greeted warmly by two members of the shrine’s staff, we walked into the history filled and icon laden shrine. The altar evoked a meditative spirit and calming silence to our souls. The awe and wonder of the shepherds and magi enfolded us. Speechless, silence, iconic beauty – the Virgin and Child looked into our souls from their elevated place behind the altar. “How silently the wondrous gift is given!”
Child-like joy and innocence that believes that reconciliation among all peoples is possible; that lions and lambs can lie together – awe-filled silence that is birthed because of the mystery and majesty of this Holy Birth. “Let heaven and nature sing” – “Fall on your knees and hear the angel voices!” This is why I call Christmas the extreme season. It is no season for mediocrity when it comes to the state of our souls. May Christmas be the catalyst for our living an extremely Christ-filled life regardless of the date on the calendar.
Bob
P.S. Since I finished this article Congress voted a weak budget deal and extension of the payroll tax cuts. Our elected officials have become such boring, joyless, boxed up people. They have become the supreme example of “Bah! Humbug People!” Maybe they need to go to a TSO concert and to the shrine of St. Photios.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
An Anecdote for Knowing It All
I woke up this a.m. and listened to my favorite political fix show Morning Joe. Naturally most of the news was about the Super Committee dealing with the budget, the Republican candidates for president expressing their viewpoints, and the lingering news about the Penn State fiasco surrounding the accusations of child abuse brought against a long time football coach. I then read a few e-mails from some of my friends who were expressing hard line positions about “certain” people and things political – most with which I strongly disagreed. At first I wanted to e-mail them back and tell them about their “lost” way and share the “truth” with them. As you can see I started my day hearing about people taking hard line positions – speaking as if they knew it all about the person or the issue which they were addressing. It was then that I turned to my morning meditative reading. The words I read were from the twentieth century monastic Thomas Merton.
We ought to have the humility to admit we do not know all about ourselves, that we are not experts at running our own lives. We ought to stop taking our conscious plans and decisions with such infinite seriousness. It may well be that we are not the martyrs or mystics or apostles or the leaders or lovers of God that we imagine ourselves to be. Our subconscious mind may be trying to tell us this in many ways and we have trained ourselves with the most egregious self-righteousness to turn a deaf ear.”
Was this a God thing? Those who have ears, hear! Maybe taking the time to come to know ourselves (our desires, our motives, our strengths, our weaknesses, our hopes and fears) before becoming a know it all about any person or issue might just be the way to building bridges over chasms of misunderstanding.
I woke up this a.m. and listened to my favorite political fix show Morning Joe. Naturally most of the news was about the Super Committee dealing with the budget, the Republican candidates for president expressing their viewpoints, and the lingering news about the Penn State fiasco surrounding the accusations of child abuse brought against a long time football coach. I then read a few e-mails from some of my friends who were expressing hard line positions about “certain” people and things political – most with which I strongly disagreed. At first I wanted to e-mail them back and tell them about their “lost” way and share the “truth” with them. As you can see I started my day hearing about people taking hard line positions – speaking as if they knew it all about the person or the issue which they were addressing. It was then that I turned to my morning meditative reading. The words I read were from the twentieth century monastic Thomas Merton.
We ought to have the humility to admit we do not know all about ourselves, that we are not experts at running our own lives. We ought to stop taking our conscious plans and decisions with such infinite seriousness. It may well be that we are not the martyrs or mystics or apostles or the leaders or lovers of God that we imagine ourselves to be. Our subconscious mind may be trying to tell us this in many ways and we have trained ourselves with the most egregious self-righteousness to turn a deaf ear.”
Was this a God thing? Those who have ears, hear! Maybe taking the time to come to know ourselves (our desires, our motives, our strengths, our weaknesses, our hopes and fears) before becoming a know it all about any person or issue might just be the way to building bridges over chasms of misunderstanding.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
A Lesson from Penn State That Requires Our Attention
So Joe’s Gone – Stop Piling On – Sinners All
The forced exit of Joe Paterno as coach of the Penn State football team will not ease the pain of the victims and their families. The tragedy has happened and hopefully time and an undercurrent of God’s grace will help the abused to find some healing from scares inflicted upon their souls. Paterno’s exit, while necessary, will not solve the underlying problem that allows all forms of abuse to take place in the world of sport……games have become multi-million dollar businesses. And those teams and usually their coaches that succeed in the business of sport – whether amateur (I almost regret using the word – Are there any left?) or professional – have been elevated to a divine status. They are worshipped and adored and well-compensated for their elect status. O come let us adore them! Let us adore them with TV contracts and tee shirt sales and media commentator praise! Let us adore them with the excessive adulation of fanatical followers and free athletic equipment as long as the logo of the giver is visible for all to see. Come let us adore them by allowing substandard academic achievement and blind acceptance of all forms of less than acceptable behavior.
I am amazed at the number of sport’s commentators who make a living helping to elevate and praise these gods of sport who have suddenly become so self-righteous in their pointing their fingers at “those” sinners. I am repulsed at the “grandstand righteous” who know what Joe Pa and others should have done but in their daily lives either look the other way or do just “what is required” in the face of all kinds of injustices and marginally and blatantly immoral behaviors that occur around them. I have always been concerned about those who are rabidly fanatical about “their team” and in doing so lose all sense of rational thinking or behavior. We who have lost our way and our minds when it comes to our love of sport are guilty of allowing competitive sports to live by different moral standards.
And what is our penance? Let us in all possible ways begin to bring back into sports a spirit that affirms “it is not whether you win or lose but rather it is how you play the game.” May all parents and coaches of children and youth sports teams behave in ways that exemplify the highest in moral behavior. Let us help our children to build character not resumes for scholarships. Let all who love sports appreciate fair play and good behavior on the field of play more than the their team’s standing in the league or their rankings in the polls. Let us speak up not just about such heinous acts like those that has brought disgrace at Penn State but whenever we see less than character building behaviors in any sporting endeavor.
Personally from afar I have liked what I have seen in the character building work of Joe Paterno. He made one very tragic mistake which will not soon be forgotten. Yes, maybe all the adulation led to some hubris in dealing with his tenacious desire to coach until the end of the season. But there is at least one visual testimony to Paterno’s character building focus that is displayed every time the Nittany Lions take the field. There are no names on the players’ shirts. It is all about “we”, not “me.” It is WE who say we love sports who need to accept our share of the blame for where the world of sport has gone. And it is we who need to take the steps to bring individual and team sports back to earth. It is we who have done much in granting elevated, godlike status to those who excel in playing games. For the sake of all children we need to do the right and moral thing so others are not emotionally scarred through their participation in playing their games or through, God forbid, another very sick predator’s actions.
“Those who are without sin, let them cast the first stone.”
Prayerfully and Penitentially Yours, Bob
The forced exit of Joe Paterno as coach of the Penn State football team will not ease the pain of the victims and their families. The tragedy has happened and hopefully time and an undercurrent of God’s grace will help the abused to find some healing from scares inflicted upon their souls. Paterno’s exit, while necessary, will not solve the underlying problem that allows all forms of abuse to take place in the world of sport……games have become multi-million dollar businesses. And those teams and usually their coaches that succeed in the business of sport – whether amateur (I almost regret using the word – Are there any left?) or professional – have been elevated to a divine status. They are worshipped and adored and well-compensated for their elect status. O come let us adore them! Let us adore them with TV contracts and tee shirt sales and media commentator praise! Let us adore them with the excessive adulation of fanatical followers and free athletic equipment as long as the logo of the giver is visible for all to see. Come let us adore them by allowing substandard academic achievement and blind acceptance of all forms of less than acceptable behavior.
I am amazed at the number of sport’s commentators who make a living helping to elevate and praise these gods of sport who have suddenly become so self-righteous in their pointing their fingers at “those” sinners. I am repulsed at the “grandstand righteous” who know what Joe Pa and others should have done but in their daily lives either look the other way or do just “what is required” in the face of all kinds of injustices and marginally and blatantly immoral behaviors that occur around them. I have always been concerned about those who are rabidly fanatical about “their team” and in doing so lose all sense of rational thinking or behavior. We who have lost our way and our minds when it comes to our love of sport are guilty of allowing competitive sports to live by different moral standards.
And what is our penance? Let us in all possible ways begin to bring back into sports a spirit that affirms “it is not whether you win or lose but rather it is how you play the game.” May all parents and coaches of children and youth sports teams behave in ways that exemplify the highest in moral behavior. Let us help our children to build character not resumes for scholarships. Let all who love sports appreciate fair play and good behavior on the field of play more than the their team’s standing in the league or their rankings in the polls. Let us speak up not just about such heinous acts like those that has brought disgrace at Penn State but whenever we see less than character building behaviors in any sporting endeavor.
Personally from afar I have liked what I have seen in the character building work of Joe Paterno. He made one very tragic mistake which will not soon be forgotten. Yes, maybe all the adulation led to some hubris in dealing with his tenacious desire to coach until the end of the season. But there is at least one visual testimony to Paterno’s character building focus that is displayed every time the Nittany Lions take the field. There are no names on the players’ shirts. It is all about “we”, not “me.” It is WE who say we love sports who need to accept our share of the blame for where the world of sport has gone. And it is we who need to take the steps to bring individual and team sports back to earth. It is we who have done much in granting elevated, godlike status to those who excel in playing games. For the sake of all children we need to do the right and moral thing so others are not emotionally scarred through their participation in playing their games or through, God forbid, another very sick predator’s actions.
“Those who are without sin, let them cast the first stone.”
Prayerfully and Penitentially Yours, Bob
Friday, September 9, 2011
9/11
Rebuilding a Tower Together
Genesis 11 – Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’
9 – 11! Two numbers that up until 10 years ago meant little together. Now when placed side by side they define – hatred, sadness, insecurity, loss of innocence, shattered hopes, suffering………… of all the definitions of 9/11, I am most dismayed by the loss of innocence. The terrorists have won if we now live in a state of constant mistrust and fear. It is so antithetical to the Gospel message of “fear not.” They have won if it has dampened the childlike dream of a realm where the lion and the lamb can lie together in harmony.
For some reason this morning I was led to Genesis 11 – the account of the tower of Babel. It starts out with that wonderful dream of one world where there was understanding and unity. But then came the devilish words: “Come, let us………………..make a name for ourselves.” “Ourselves…not our God…….Ourselves.” It began the battle between bricks and mortar and things of the Spirit.
Come us rebuild this tower together
Built with those holy girders that can weather
The storms of life
That come because of hatred and selfishness induced strife
Come let us rebuild a tower that auto-pilot planes built with revenge cannot topple and shatter
Let us rebuild it with concrete hard faith-based values, those things that when given flight in the heart really matter
No unmanned drones that have collateral damage that the innocent disfigure and kill
But rather planes overflowing with food for the hungry whose stomachs cry out to be filled
Let us rebuild with pillars of innocent trust given which pre-judges no one until the stranger’s story is heard
That in speaking of others recognizes all as children of God and begins by speaking an good, uplifting word
Let us rebuild with pillars that are not motivated by seeking self esteem or greed
But listens and then acts to meet the other’s need.
It is strange that the initial response to those now forever wed numbers 9/11
Brought a visual image not of towers crumbling before our eyes but a vision of heaven
People risking their lives to comfort the suffering and seek the lost
To be there for the others regardless of the cost
No questions on that day whether a person in need was Christian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, Buddhist or Jew
To save a life or weep with those who weep was all the heroes of that day knew
So let us begin the rebuilding task infused in our souls by an innocent yet strong message preached from a towering cross
In rebuilding let us make a name for the One who proclaimed in reaching for heaven there are vistas of joy awaiting our sight in spite of the cost.
I know! For some this attempt at prose will appear so idyllic and unrealistic. The question is “Have we ever really tried it?”
Genesis 11 – Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as they migrated from the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’
9 – 11! Two numbers that up until 10 years ago meant little together. Now when placed side by side they define – hatred, sadness, insecurity, loss of innocence, shattered hopes, suffering………… of all the definitions of 9/11, I am most dismayed by the loss of innocence. The terrorists have won if we now live in a state of constant mistrust and fear. It is so antithetical to the Gospel message of “fear not.” They have won if it has dampened the childlike dream of a realm where the lion and the lamb can lie together in harmony.
For some reason this morning I was led to Genesis 11 – the account of the tower of Babel. It starts out with that wonderful dream of one world where there was understanding and unity. But then came the devilish words: “Come, let us………………..make a name for ourselves.” “Ourselves…not our God…….Ourselves.” It began the battle between bricks and mortar and things of the Spirit.
Come us rebuild this tower together
Built with those holy girders that can weather
The storms of life
That come because of hatred and selfishness induced strife
Come let us rebuild a tower that auto-pilot planes built with revenge cannot topple and shatter
Let us rebuild it with concrete hard faith-based values, those things that when given flight in the heart really matter
No unmanned drones that have collateral damage that the innocent disfigure and kill
But rather planes overflowing with food for the hungry whose stomachs cry out to be filled
Let us rebuild with pillars of innocent trust given which pre-judges no one until the stranger’s story is heard
That in speaking of others recognizes all as children of God and begins by speaking an good, uplifting word
Let us rebuild with pillars that are not motivated by seeking self esteem or greed
But listens and then acts to meet the other’s need.
It is strange that the initial response to those now forever wed numbers 9/11
Brought a visual image not of towers crumbling before our eyes but a vision of heaven
People risking their lives to comfort the suffering and seek the lost
To be there for the others regardless of the cost
No questions on that day whether a person in need was Christian, Muslim, Hindu, atheist, Buddhist or Jew
To save a life or weep with those who weep was all the heroes of that day knew
So let us begin the rebuilding task infused in our souls by an innocent yet strong message preached from a towering cross
In rebuilding let us make a name for the One who proclaimed in reaching for heaven there are vistas of joy awaiting our sight in spite of the cost.
I know! For some this attempt at prose will appear so idyllic and unrealistic. The question is “Have we ever really tried it?”
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
In Praise of the Commons
God Bless Wayne Terwilliger and Michael Martinez
I Corinthians 12:4-13
I am afraid I will expire before I complete an important life task – selling my massive collection of sports cards, particularly baseball cards. It is an emotionally and mentally straining thing to do. These cards represent my childhood, my love of sport, my escape from some of the painful realities of life that clergy are involved in every day. Yet my children, while appreciating sport, have little interest in such collecting and because I have close to 100,000 cards and they live in townhouses with little storage space it is my pre-expiration goal to sort and sell! The sorting is a monumental task because the value of the cards is largely dependent upon the “star” quality of the athletes. Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Henry Aaron, Willie Mays are worth over $500 while the “commons” are worth a few cents to a few dollars.
Most players who end up in the common lot have names that few will remember. Yet while the world cares less about the commons, I have a fond affection for many of them. The names Wayne Terwilliger and Michael Martinez lingered in my mind as I read Paul’s call to the divided church in Corinth – a church that was struggling with pecking order questions. You see Wayne Terwilliger was a journeyman second baseman for several American and National League teams who shouldn’t have been around for almost ten years……he was a weak hitter. But his utility of playing numerous positions and his baseball savvy kept made him a valuable fill-in when needed. Michael Martinez is a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies and has played six positions this year as a backup when the starters went down with injuries or needed some rest.
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the Spirit.” For Paul there was not one ungifted person in the church. Paul realized that the utility players are often at the heart of a successful church ministry. A warm welcome; a meal prepared for someone who is sick; a time of volunteer at a shelter or soup kitchen; a firm word said when a prejudicial or unjust word is said; taking time to listen to someone who has a painful story to tell! The utility players are always ready to step in and handle the dirty work or do the simple deeds that mean so much in the building of the realm of God.
With 9/11 approaching we also remember that the real heroes on that day were largely the utility players – the police, the firefighters, EMTs, the individual souls whose names will not be remembered who did the small things that saved lives, that comforted the mourning, that fed those rescue team members, that offered simple prayers as they watched the horrific acts on their televisions. As we remember that steel blue sky dark day, let us give thanks for the “common” souls who did what they could to bring light out of the darkness.
There are often too many people who want to be stars and not enough of the faithful wanting to be utility players. Prayerfully ponder your remembrances of some of the faithful utility players who have ministered to you and have helped to shape your life of faith. Be alert for opportunities as you go about your daily lives for opportunities to be a utility player in building the realm of God.
I Corinthians 12:4-13
I am afraid I will expire before I complete an important life task – selling my massive collection of sports cards, particularly baseball cards. It is an emotionally and mentally straining thing to do. These cards represent my childhood, my love of sport, my escape from some of the painful realities of life that clergy are involved in every day. Yet my children, while appreciating sport, have little interest in such collecting and because I have close to 100,000 cards and they live in townhouses with little storage space it is my pre-expiration goal to sort and sell! The sorting is a monumental task because the value of the cards is largely dependent upon the “star” quality of the athletes. Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Henry Aaron, Willie Mays are worth over $500 while the “commons” are worth a few cents to a few dollars.
Most players who end up in the common lot have names that few will remember. Yet while the world cares less about the commons, I have a fond affection for many of them. The names Wayne Terwilliger and Michael Martinez lingered in my mind as I read Paul’s call to the divided church in Corinth – a church that was struggling with pecking order questions. You see Wayne Terwilliger was a journeyman second baseman for several American and National League teams who shouldn’t have been around for almost ten years……he was a weak hitter. But his utility of playing numerous positions and his baseball savvy kept made him a valuable fill-in when needed. Michael Martinez is a rookie with the Philadelphia Phillies and has played six positions this year as a backup when the starters went down with injuries or needed some rest.
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the Spirit.” For Paul there was not one ungifted person in the church. Paul realized that the utility players are often at the heart of a successful church ministry. A warm welcome; a meal prepared for someone who is sick; a time of volunteer at a shelter or soup kitchen; a firm word said when a prejudicial or unjust word is said; taking time to listen to someone who has a painful story to tell! The utility players are always ready to step in and handle the dirty work or do the simple deeds that mean so much in the building of the realm of God.
With 9/11 approaching we also remember that the real heroes on that day were largely the utility players – the police, the firefighters, EMTs, the individual souls whose names will not be remembered who did the small things that saved lives, that comforted the mourning, that fed those rescue team members, that offered simple prayers as they watched the horrific acts on their televisions. As we remember that steel blue sky dark day, let us give thanks for the “common” souls who did what they could to bring light out of the darkness.
There are often too many people who want to be stars and not enough of the faithful wanting to be utility players. Prayerfully ponder your remembrances of some of the faithful utility players who have ministered to you and have helped to shape your life of faith. Be alert for opportunities as you go about your daily lives for opportunities to be a utility player in building the realm of God.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
For Those Who Desire an Innocent Soul
Thinking about Children
“The Cat in the Hat told the Grinch that ‘How to behave is all in the BOOK, so why don’t to take a small look in the book.’” The Cat in the Hat also told Sam I-Am that “The BOOK is better than green eggs and ham and the BOOK isn’t filled with foolish spam.” These profound words were the opening gathered syllables and thoughts to a sermon I preached several years ago on “Homecoming Sunday” – “Rally Day” – “It’s Time to Begin to Try and Make an Effort to Get the Children to Church Sunday.” You name it. I always felt it was a Sunday to focus on innocent faith and the nurture of children within the family. And how does one keep the attention of little ones for fifteen to twenty minutes. You write a musical sermon entitled “The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss.” After that sermon, which seemed to resonate with the little ones, one older child of God came up to me and said: “That was a most meaningful sermon….one of your best.” I wasn’t sure how to receive such a mixed message – I worked hard to make them all my best. Several other big “ones” also joined in the chorus of accolades. I couldn’t help but think – “Maybe I should quote the great theologians and spiritual giants less and quote Sesame Street, Curious George, Mr. Rogers (He was a Presbyterian minister) more often.” I don’t think that’s what they had in mind but I do think that we all have a child’s spirit within us waiting to be unlocked every once in awhile. Maybe we spend too little time with children and also not enough time reading the innocent and Spirit reviving message in THE BOOK.
It is a time to remember and be concerned about children and to recommit ourselves to the innocent faith that most of us first learned as a child. The children are going back to school and hopefully to church school. Maybe it is time that we go back to school by taking a look in THE BOOK. There are “Grinches” out there who are “filling themselves with gold and green eggs and ham……..and telling others ‘It’s all about me and maybe if you’re lucky you’ll find some out of date Spam’.” “So let’s take a look in THE BOOK and if we follow and do not flinch, we’ll put the Grinches of this world in a terrible pinch.”
Prayer
Lover of the little ones, help me to avoid looking into the eyes of little children. The ones at play make me feel sad that I have lost my ability to play without feeling silly. The ones who long for attention make me feel guilty that I don’t have the time or patience to really give them my attention. The ones who are hungry and hurting because of poverty make me feel uncomfortable that I am doing so little to change their lot in life. God of the incarnate innocent Little One, touch my eyes with your Spirit so that I might see with the eyes of children and might laugh and dance and sing with thanksgiving for the miracles that are everywhere; so that I might cry when I see a wounded bird or wounded soul; so that I might believe that fairy tales can come true and that in living with that hope in my heart I can help to make them come true. I pray all this hoping for a rebirth of my ability to see as if I were seeing everything for the first time. Amen.
“The Cat in the Hat told the Grinch that ‘How to behave is all in the BOOK, so why don’t to take a small look in the book.’” The Cat in the Hat also told Sam I-Am that “The BOOK is better than green eggs and ham and the BOOK isn’t filled with foolish spam.” These profound words were the opening gathered syllables and thoughts to a sermon I preached several years ago on “Homecoming Sunday” – “Rally Day” – “It’s Time to Begin to Try and Make an Effort to Get the Children to Church Sunday.” You name it. I always felt it was a Sunday to focus on innocent faith and the nurture of children within the family. And how does one keep the attention of little ones for fifteen to twenty minutes. You write a musical sermon entitled “The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss.” After that sermon, which seemed to resonate with the little ones, one older child of God came up to me and said: “That was a most meaningful sermon….one of your best.” I wasn’t sure how to receive such a mixed message – I worked hard to make them all my best. Several other big “ones” also joined in the chorus of accolades. I couldn’t help but think – “Maybe I should quote the great theologians and spiritual giants less and quote Sesame Street, Curious George, Mr. Rogers (He was a Presbyterian minister) more often.” I don’t think that’s what they had in mind but I do think that we all have a child’s spirit within us waiting to be unlocked every once in awhile. Maybe we spend too little time with children and also not enough time reading the innocent and Spirit reviving message in THE BOOK.
It is a time to remember and be concerned about children and to recommit ourselves to the innocent faith that most of us first learned as a child. The children are going back to school and hopefully to church school. Maybe it is time that we go back to school by taking a look in THE BOOK. There are “Grinches” out there who are “filling themselves with gold and green eggs and ham……..and telling others ‘It’s all about me and maybe if you’re lucky you’ll find some out of date Spam’.” “So let’s take a look in THE BOOK and if we follow and do not flinch, we’ll put the Grinches of this world in a terrible pinch.”
Prayer
Lover of the little ones, help me to avoid looking into the eyes of little children. The ones at play make me feel sad that I have lost my ability to play without feeling silly. The ones who long for attention make me feel guilty that I don’t have the time or patience to really give them my attention. The ones who are hungry and hurting because of poverty make me feel uncomfortable that I am doing so little to change their lot in life. God of the incarnate innocent Little One, touch my eyes with your Spirit so that I might see with the eyes of children and might laugh and dance and sing with thanksgiving for the miracles that are everywhere; so that I might cry when I see a wounded bird or wounded soul; so that I might believe that fairy tales can come true and that in living with that hope in my heart I can help to make them come true. I pray all this hoping for a rebirth of my ability to see as if I were seeing everything for the first time. Amen.
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