Posts

Can you imagine trying to live without the use of your limbs? No hands or feet. No legs or arms. But your mind and torso are basically fine? There was a recent story on Story Corps about a young man, Collin Smith, who lost the use of his limbs in a car accident when he was a sophomore in high school. When the time came for him to go to college, he would need full-time continuous help each and every day. A man from his church who did not know him heard about the situation. He determined that it would cost the family something like $50,000 to hire that kind of help. The family did not have those resources, so Ernest Greene decided he would help Collin.

Greene, 50 years older than Smith, headed to college. They were together each and every day. Greene helped not only with academics, but with personal care and with Smith’s social life.

At the end of the four years, Greene pushed Smith, the proud graduate, forward to receive his diploma. After the the diploma had been delivered, the college president stopped Greene. There was something for him, too. An honorary degree.

“I don’t think I’ve been any more shocked in my life,” Greene said. “I didn’t think I had done anything more than any other person ought to do.” [http://www.npr.org/2014/04/11/301574558/one-man-becomes-anothers-hands-feet-and-family]
Greene was so humble about the whole thing. The young man needed help and he could do it so he did. That was it. No grand heroics. Just simple human kindness and service.

Our faith tradition teaches us that God has grand hopes and dreams for the world. Yet what about God’s hands and feet? God needs help to accomplish God’s goals. And as the old prayer reminds us, “He has no hands but ours.” Like that steady, faithful church member, Earnest Greene, who was the hands and feet of God serving Collin Smith, so we are all called to be the hands and feet of God. To serve. To see the needs around us and give of ourselves, with no expectation of reward or acclaim.

This Lenten season is a time to consider what our hands and feet are doing. Are they serving God? Are they meeting the needs of those around us? Are they idle? Are they otherwise occupied?

Prayer: We are grateful for faithful souls like Earnest Greene who remind us of our calling as human beings and as people of faith. We pray for ears and eyes open to the needs of those around us, the needs of the world. We are thankful for all that we can do and we pray that we are able to give our lives in service to others without fanfare or fame. May we be simple, humble servants in the spirit of our savior Christ Jesus. Amen.

Our son’s first grade teacher had a saying: “You’re only bored if you’re boring.” When the students complained that something was boring, that is the response they would get. As parents, we really liked that message and we have adopted that phrase and still use it even though our “children” are 29, 26, and 18!

In response to an article about why people are leaving church, John Longhurst commented: “Evangelicals are leaving the church because they are angry. Roman Catholics are leaving because they feel betrayed. And mainline Christians? They’re leaving because they’re bored.” [The Christian Century, April 16, 2014, p. 9] While LUCC is quite liberal and progressive both in terms of social issues and theology, we are still what would be considered “mainline.” So, we would fit under the category of church that is boring.

Boring. That is one of the last words I would ever choose to describe Lakewood United Church of Christ. I think that part of why LUCC is not boring is because the congregation really is the church. It’s the people. And the people shape the worship, programs, activities, relationships, and character of the church and its ministries. The church reflects the interests, passions, and personalities of the people. The identity of the church is not shaped by a hierarchy beyond the church. The identity of the church is not dictated by a book or by tradition. The identity of the church is not molded by a pastor or a few leaders.

LUCC is an expression of its many members. This happens because each and every member is important and valued. The church tries to be egalitarian. Involvement and participation are valued. Suggestions, ideas, and opinions are readily shared. The church also tries to be open to new ways of doing things and new initiatives. This also involves a willingness to let things go and experiment with change. With a mix of personalities, perspectives, backgrounds, beliefs, experiences, gifts, and graces how can the church be boring? When everyone is the church it can’t be boring.

Maybe a “spectator” church could be boring. A church in which people come, watch, listen, and leave. A church limited by a book and a hierarchy might get boring. But a church open to the Spirit in its diverse, surprising manifestations? A church that values and expects the involvement of everyone? It’s hard to imagine that being boring.

If you think that church is boring, or not relevant, maybe the thing to think about is what you can do to liven things up. Are you making church boring by not getting involved and getting to know people? Are you investing yourself in the life of the church in ways that contribute to the vitality of the church? Are you helping to make church life-giving and engaging?

Prayer: Life in the Spirit is anything but boring if we are paying attention. In this Lenten season may we be attuned to the vibrancy of faith around us. May we devote ourselves to breathing life into the church, the body of Christ, so that the love of God may infuse the world. Amen.

Surprising. God. These two words were in a sentence I read recently. Not next to each other, but just in the same sentence. They jumped out at me. Surprising God.

Our tradition teaches us about a God that is full of surprises. Creation itself with all of its diversity and majesty and mystery is a surprise. The flood shows a surprising God. Abraham and Sarah being called to head to a new land and have a family late in life is surprising. The Hebrews being rescued from slavery in Egypt is a surprise. A Messiah born in humble circumstances is a surprise. Jesus gathering followers from among those who are poor, lame, outcast, and sinners – that is a surprise. The Messiah being put to death as a traitor by the Roman Empire is a surprise. Jesus’ followers gladly facing death for their beliefs is a surprise. Again and again, the Bible shows us a God full of surprises.

The God of the Bible is not portrayed as we might expect or predict. The God of our tradition is experienced as a God that is free. Completely free. Not bound by human demands or expectations. But also, in that freedom, seemingly responsive to human desires and needs. We see a God that chooses to favor humanity with forgiveness, mercy, and compassion. But over and over again, we see a God of surprises.

Surprising God. But if we hear that phrase another way, it can be interpreted with humanity as the subject. We may be surprising God. We may be the ones that deliver the surprise. Maybe our foolishness is surprising. Maybe our generosity is surprising. Maybe how we are despoiling the earth is surprising. Maybe our development and application of our intellect is surprising. Maybe our love of violence is surprising. Maybe our compassion is surprising. Maybe our creativity is surprising. How might we be surprising God? Are we different than God expects us to be? Would God predict that we are as we are?

Surprising. God. Unexpected. Astonishing. Shocking even. And it works both ways.

Prayer: Again and again a surprising God breaks into our lives and our world in unexpected ways. May we learn from God to be surprising. To shock with our forgiveness and compassion. To astonish with our patience and generosity. To exceed expectations with our commitment to justice and peace. We are, after all, created in the image of a surprising God! In the spirit of our beloved Savior Jesus we pray. Amen.

Look before you leap.
He who hesitates is lost.
Strike while the iron is hot.

A stitch in time saves nine.
Haste makes waste.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Better safe than sorry.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
The best things in life are free.

Many hands make light work.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.

Well, which is it? As we can see, conventional wisdom is often contradictory. We grow up with these sayings and others but they clearly point in different directions. So how do these differing angles on things help to inform our lives and our behavior?

As we examine these sayings, we can probably see some truth in all of them even though they are contradictory. It may depend on the situation or circumstances. Hindsight may offer insight. And sometimes such opposing sayings reveal the folly of excess. It’s true if you don’t take it too far or if you don’t expect it to hold up in every circumstance. We are used to living with such tensions and finding a balance. Two opposing perspectives juxtaposed can often help us to sort out the best approach for a given situation.

When we examine our scriptures we see that there are similar contradictions contained in our holy books. Is this a problem? Does this show a flaw? Does this undermine scripture as the word of God? Does this need to be glossed over? Do we have to create some kind of brain bender to harmonize everything in the Bible?

Here are a few examples of contradictions:

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
Matthew 12: 30
Whoever is not against us is for us.
Mark 9:40

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever else you get, get insight.
Proverbs 4:7
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow.
Ecclesiastes 1:18

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:3-4

When we look at these verses side by side they seem similar to the contradictory adages. Does this mean the Bible is wrong? Or that we need to figure out a way to see consistency? Most biblical scholars of the Jewish and Christian traditions think the Bible intentionally includes a variety of voices and perspectives to keep people searching and exploring their faith and their experience of God. A multiplicity of views keeps any one from becoming entirely dominant. There is never full and complete knowledge of the truth. There is always a sense of mystery and humility. We never fully know.

There’s trouble in religion when there is absolutism. Those who wrote and selected what is in the Bible knew that and tried to prevent the distortion and perversion of faith by intentionally including differing voices in scripture. This provides some built in mystery and contradiction to keep people from slipping into the hubris of absolutism. What should make us really suspicious in religion are claims of absolute truth. The reality of God is revealed in the tensions and the contradictions that compel us to keep searching. Lent is a time to pay attention to the many voices of our tradition and how they invite us to know God in many ways and to examine our lives and our world from varying perspectives always seeking the path of love.

Prayer: Each day invites us to experience our faith in new ways. Our tradition gives us much guidance and a variety of voices so that we have much to draw from in our search for meaning. May we not be afraid to use the wonderful intellect we have been given to explore our faith and our experience. May love be our guide as we make our way through the complexities of life seeking to serve. Amen.

Norman Mailer has been in the public eye recently – something he always craved. He was a writer, social critic, and figure who gained notoriety through shock and excess. But, then, it was the 60’s.

Among other things, Mailer stabbed his third (of 6) wives. Their marriage had soured. He was drunk. She had taunted him. It happened at their apartment in New York as a party they were hosting was winding down. Twice with a pen knife necessitating a four hour emergency surgery. In the immediate aftermath, Mailer told his wife, “I love you and I had to save you from cancer.” The stabbing actually increased Mailer’s infamy and popularity. Twenty-eight years later, he apologized to her: “I’m sorry I trashed your life.” Her reply? “You trashed your life, too.”

Yes, when we hurt someone, we are usually harming ourselves as well. This is the great travesty of sin. Not only do we damage the life of another, we damage ourselves. Vengeance, retribution, hostility, and violence come back to haunt us. Either we suffer directly from regret and remorse or we suffer from the consequences inflicted upon us because of our actions. Evidently the stabbing gnawed at Mailer for at least 28 years. That’s a lot of pain to endure.

Our faith teaches to do the right. We are taught to be generous, to serve others, to invest our lives in the good of the world. We are taught to be loving and nonviolent. We are taught not to harm others. Not to pursue violence. Not to take advantage of others.

But we are not always our best selves. There are those times that we fall short of our ideals. We inflict pain. We do harm. Anger gets the best of us. We disappoint ourselves and others. This is part of the human experience; a consequence of our free will. We will not always choose the right. And that is why our faith is so important.

In Jesus, we are given a way to heal the wounds we cause others and ourselves when we are not the people that we want to be. Christianity is a religion of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of healing, and of restoration. It’s not just about doing the right thing. It’s about doing the right thing after you’ve done the wrong thing, which will inevitable happen. It’s about a way back. Our faith gives us a way to take responsibility for our actions. It gives us the dignity and humility to express regret and remorse. Our faith gives us the strength to seek to make things right through restitution. Our faith teaches us to reach out and heal the rifts that we create.

In addition, our faith teaches us to forgive others. “Forgive us our sins as we forgive the sins of others” we pray in the Savior’s Prayer. Not only do we seek to make things right when we have done wrong, but we also receive with openness the initiatives of others to make right the wrongs they have done. We help others to make a way back as well. Christianity is all about reconciliation after there has been a breach in a relationship.

Years after the stabbing, in talking with his daughter about it, Mailer confessed, “I let God down.” Yes, he did let God down. And his family. And himself. Mailer let God and himself down not only by stabbing his wife but by taking 28 years to begin a reconciliation process. That was 28 years of pain for both of them. As his ex-wife said, he trashed his life, too. All those many years of carrying that burden unresolved when Mailer could have repented and sought the forgiveness of the one he stabbed. Instead, he added to the pain for himself and for her by not seeking reconciliation. I think the added years of suffering were heartbreaking for God.

In this Lenten season, may we take the time to think about what things we have left unresolved. Are there things from days or years past for which we need to make amends. Are we adding to the suffering of another, of ourselves, and of God by not seeking reconciliation in a relationship? This is a time to start a process of repentance, forgiveness, and renewal.

Prayer: We are grateful for this season of Lent with its lengthening days. We are glad for the rebirth of the earth and the new life emerging around us. May we think about those places in our lives that need to be healed, resolved, and reconciled and may we have the courage and strength to pursue forgiveness. Sometimes circumstances take us to places we do not want to go, but our faith in God and the teaching of Jesus give us a way to get back on the right track. God’s open arms are always awaiting us even when we let God, ourselves and others down. Let us accept the offer of new life in Christ. Amen.