tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51810738657174280422024-03-13T11:07:45.279-07:00Table of Grace-JCTable of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-13231417748399704502016-01-17T12:08:00.000-08:002016-01-17T12:08:03.528-08:00Keys to the Kingdom<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;"><i>Matthew 16: 13-20 (NRSV) 13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">Sometimes we just avoid this passage in the church, because it is connected to some difficult and rather embarrassing times in our history as the church of Jesus Christ. (under statement alert!) It is verses 18-19 of this passage that the Roman Catholic Church uses to claim authority and apostolic succession for the papacy. The doctrine of apostolic succession says that St. Peter, as Roman Catholics know him, was the first Bishop or Pope in the church and that he has been succeeded by an unbroken chain of MEN who have taken up the position of authority at the end of the reign of the one before him</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">In an obvious over simplification of the issues, the protestant church (that is Christians who align themselves with denominations that were formed in protest of what they believed to be abuses of authority in the Catholic church during the Reformation and beyond)…the protestant church denies papal authority and apostolic succession and understands Peter in this passage to be a stand-in for the church as a whole. The only problem with that is that there was technically no “church” at the time that Jesus is said to have made this proclamation. In addition to the different understanding of Jesus’ proclamation in this passage, Protestants have also often claimed that the apostolic succession was broken at some point during the Middle Ages.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;"> This disagreement, which may seem petty and inconsequential to us today, has claimed literally tens (maybe hundreds) of millions of lives in church heresy trials, crusades, inquisitions, and wars dedicated to converting the infidel to a faith that was “true”. Lest we think that we can point to “them” as the guilty ones, these events were initiated and perpetuated by both sides.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">So, let that soak in for a moment. People who profess deep and life changing faith in Jesus Christ, use that profession of faith as their sole motivation to attack, maim, torture, and finally kill, other human beings who profess deep and life changing faith in Jesus Christ as represented by a different group of teachers and a different set of doctrine.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">In my second grave understatement of the day, I might call this adventures in missing the point.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">Even with differing views on guns, war, and national and individual defense, I hope we can all acknowledge, in an age where people wear bracelets and t-shirts with the letters WWJD (what would Jesus do) that if someone asked the question Who would Jesus Kill (WWJK)? The answer would be emphatically NO ONE. That’s another topic for another day though.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">For today, let’s focus on Jesus’ question, perhaps imagining that we are the ones being asked to answer, and let’s consider the implications of our own confession of faith. Jesus knows that there are all kinds of opinions out there about who is he and what he came to do, and he asks the disciples to put aside all that other people have told them, and to answer from the depths of their own hearts “who do you say that I am”. It’s an important question, because who we say that Jesus is has everything to do with who we are willing to be at Jesus’ beckoning.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">We who are a part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) likely affirm Peter’s answer, “you are the messiah (or the Christ), the son of the Living God.” That is, in fact, our only creed. Because, really, it’s enough. <i>We don’t have to agree on anything else to be church together.</i> There’s an old saying that has been attributed to many people in the history of the church that says “in essentials, unity, in non-essentials, liberty, and in all things, charity.” Our common affirmation that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God is our essential, and that which brings us unity. It is what calls us together to be the church and what sustains us in being church together.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">If only being the church could always be easy, and we always knew the best ways to fulfill our personal and communal calling, that would be great! But the truth is that we often get lost somewhere in our own adventures in missing the point. And even when we’re not missing the point, we often get stuck trying to figure out where to go from here, especially in the midst of changing culture, shrinking budgets, and aging buildings. And sometimes, partly due to our fear of the unknown, we become paralyzed by those challenges that we can readily see, and fail to see the opportunities that lie beyond. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;"><b><i>Sometimes in the church, we prop up the form of the institution to the peril of it’s function.</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">At the very beginning of my college career, I was an architecture student. This was a short-lived and highly unsuccessful endeavor, which also is a topic for another day. But there was one concept that I learned there that has always stuck with me, and it’s an idea that seems to be in keeping with the ministry and teachings of Jesus. Form follows function.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">Louis Sullivan was one of the most influential architects to come out of the Chicago School of architecture in the late 1800s. He is often called the “father of the skyscraper” and the “prophet of modern architecture” and conceived the most famous phrase ever to come out of his profession, “form follows function” (or, more accurately, “form ever follows function”). </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">Sullivan was teacher and mentor to my architectural hero, Frank Lloyd Wright, who took the idea even further to suggest that, if done well, form and function are one. If Sullivan was the prophet of modern architecture, Wright was the sage of organic architecture. It sounds so 2016, but Wright first used the term in an article over a century ago in the August 1914 issue of Architectural Record. He wrote that “the ideal of an organic architecture… is a sentient, rational building that would owe its ‘style’ to the integrity with which it was individually fashioned to serve its particular purpose”</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">I know you didn’t come here for an architecture lesson, so bear with me for a minute and I’ll tell you why I think this matters in the church today. In fact I want to read a description of organic architecture and substitute the words architecture and building, with the word church…</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">· Organic church is church appropriate to time, place, and people</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">· Appropriate to time means a church that belongs to the era in which it is created, addresses contemporary life, social patterns and conditions, and employs available materials and new technological methods resourcefully and honestly.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">· Appropriate to place means a church in harmony with its natural environment—a church that in its proportions, materials and design, belongs to its site or community.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">· Appropriate to people means a humane church in human scale.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">I </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">think Jesus calls us to be an organic church, ministering to the people and the situations that we find in our midst. He calls us to walk outside our walls and to look at the landscape, both natural and human made, and to respond with Good News. He calls us to walk with and not stand against. He calls us to know and love our neighbors. He calls us to adapt to the world around us without letting go of the relationship with God that calls us together in the first place. Jesus calls us to live out our confession of faith, not just in word on Sundays, but in deed, every day of the week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">And to equip us for that work, he gives to us, like he gave to Peter, the keys to the kingdom. He gives us the power to make a difference in the very world in which we live and work every day. Just having faith is powerful. Speaking out about our faith is even more powerful. But to act out of our faith is the most powerful thing we can do as believers in a living God who came to earth as one of us, and gave his life, so that all might live.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">So you and I, and people all over the world who profess their faith in the living God, made known to us in Jesus; we hold the keys. They aren’t keys to a pearly gate in a faraway heaven, where the imagined task may be to decide who is in and who is out. They are the keys to a realm of God right here among us, a kingdom place, that Jesus told us was already at hand. And we get the honor of using the keys to open wide the door of the church to welcome God’s people in.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">Holding the keys to the kingdom means we have an incredible amount of power. And with power comes great responsibility. Listen again to these words of Jesus…I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">That’s powerful, and a little intimidating.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What do we do with that power?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What do we do with these “keys”?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we, the church, believed Jesus. Not believed “in Jesus”, but believed Jesus?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we believed him when he said that the kingdom of heaven was among us, here, on earth, and that our task was to welcome in those who didn’t yet know they were invited?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we believed Jesus when he told us that we had the power to bind and loose, and that whatever we bind and loose here, is bound and loosed in heaven?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind hunger, and loose food security?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind sorrow, and loose joy?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind oppression, and loose equality?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind our self centeredness, and loose service to neighbor?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind injustice, and loose God’s justice and righteousness?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind violence, and loose the peace that Jesus taught?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind guilt, and loose forgiveness?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind spiritual apathy, and loose spiritual fulfillment in relationship with the living God?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind fear and hate, and loose love and grace and mercy and all of those things that Jesus modeled for us?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind darkness, and loose God’s overcoming light?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we could bind the sting of death, and loose the power of resurrection?</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">What if we believed it, when Jesus said it, and then we acted out of that belief? What a powerful force we would be for the Kingdom of God!</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">Jesus said it, we say we believe it, now let’s live into it!</span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 19.9733px;">May it be so, even today! In the name of our savior, Jesus the Christ, son of the living God. Amen!</span></div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-70655552704938838192015-12-26T19:27:00.000-08:002015-12-26T19:27:35.174-08:00The Grace of God Has Appeared!From our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, a response to Titus 2:11-14. Perhaps it will resonate with some of you. <div>
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<i>For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:11-14 NRSV</i></div>
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The Grace of God has appeared. </div>
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I didn't deserve it. I didn't expect it. I didn't even believe it. </div>
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But it came. </div>
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Grace. </div>
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It came freely. It came like a mighty rushing wave. It came in a breath, a smile, a note.</div>
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It came like a mother's reassuring glance. </div>
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She told me I was enough. I was beautiful. I was worthy. I was loved. </div>
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And that I was going to make it.</div>
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The grace of God has appeared. She brought salvation.</div>
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Freedom. Liberation. Wholeness. Salvation.</div>
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Peace. Love. Joy. Hope. </div>
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Blessed Hope. </div>
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God puts on human skin and my humanity dances with the divine. </div>
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Manifestation of God's great glory. </div>
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Incarnation. </div>
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Jesus. Me. You. Us. </div>
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Divine and human all mixed up in this beautiful mess we call life. </div>
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We get it right. </div>
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We get it wrong. </div>
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And over and over, </div>
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the grace of God appears. </div>
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Thanks be to God!<br /><div>
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Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-51324100178777458262015-10-25T07:59:00.000-07:002015-10-25T08:23:20.599-07:00Ch-ch-ch-ch-changesReflection on Change given at the Regional Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Mid-America, Broadway Christian Church, Columbia, MO 10/24/15<br />
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Change…<br />
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Isn’t it ironic that an institution that holds transformation as its primary mission would be so resistant to change?<br />
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It occurs to me that we approach change from 2 basic standpoints.<br />
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One is that we resist it, desperately wanting to hold on to what we know and what is comfortable (even when deep down we know that things could be better).<br />
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And the second (which represents most of the people that I do ministry with) is that what we know is that we have never been comfortable to begin with and we hope and pray with all of our hearts that something, anything, will change.<br />
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I grew up in a church that taught me to love Jesus and obey God. It also taught me that God didn’t call women to be pastors. After sharing my sense of call with my pastor and being laughed at, I ventured out to another church home that was more than willing to ordain a woman, but of course, not one who loved another woman (which, by the way, was as much a surprise to me as it was to them). As God’s revelation of who I was and what I was supposed to become continued to unfold in my life over several years, I became ever more comfortable in my own skin. I became the whole person that I had never been before, and I was able to move forward, with the winds of God’s spirit blowing to guide me. I distinctly remember a conversation with God (one of millions), where I heard god’s voice loud and clear. The message was simply this. “Jesus gave everything for you, I expect you to give all of yourself for me and my people.” And so I knew in that moment, that my call was to enter into ministry with all of myself, embracing all of who I am and serving from that place of wholeness. And to the church where I was taught to listen for God’s voice and to heed God’s call, exactly the things I was finally learning to practice, I became an abomination, an outsider, a heretic, apostate. What a heartbreaking and eye opening reality that was (and is). But in the words of Sam Cooke in the great civil rights song, I believe a change is gonna come.<br />
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God called us to start Table of Grace and to extend unconditional love and grace to others, all others, without expectation or exclusion. These others are LGBT, they’re homeless, they’re without sight or hearing, they’re destitute, they’re addicted, they’re single parents raising beautiful children with autism spectrum disorders and many other challenges, and they’re the people committed to God’s love and justice for all people. They’re all hungry, some physically and all spiritually. And the thing that brings them to our table together is their common experience of not belonging in the very places where everybody should belong. And even though they’ve sworn off God and church at some point in the past, now they come, because they believe a change is gonna come.<br />
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One of those “others” came to Table of Grace, skeptical, having walked away from God and his faith when his church failed to affirm him for who he was. A 26 year old high school dropout, struggling with addiction, walked up to the piano after his first service and began to play. He immediately began to serve our church with his gift of music, even before he was convinced that we could really love him without judgment and condemnation. 3 years later, Matt became one of the first residents in the NBA Xplor program and began college this fall at Eureka College on a full Disciples Leadership scholarship. The young man who said to me not too long ago, “right now I kinda think the Bible is a bunch of BS”, is at the top of his Hebrew Scriptures class and dreaming about where he’ll go to seminary. Matt believes a change is gonna come.<br />
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Here in the Christian Church in Mid-America, we’ve seen our fair share of change over these last couple of years. Some of us have entered into this time of transition willingly and some begrudgingly. But here we are, a region transformed and transforming. Some of us, myself included, can get stuck in our desire to hold on to what we have known. But God beckons us to come see what lies beyond our view.<br />
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On a practical level, I’ve recently had this conversation with myself regarding the rather expensive purchase of school pictures. I should preface this by saying that my wife is an amazing photographer and we have no shortage of beautiful photos of our girls in our own home and that we share with our family.<br />
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I don’t have to buy the picture of my hastily posed child, who spent a grand total of 1.5 minutes with the photographer in front of the ugly grey background. But I do. Why? Well, because that’s the way we’ve always done it.<br />
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I have year after year of school and sports photos in their original envelopes, never having given a single one to a family member or friend. What a complete waste of my time, energy and resources. Meanwhile, a whole world of photographic imagination and creativity swirls around me.<br />
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When will I stop being afraid to buck the system, and just say I’m not going to play this silly game anymore? When will I open myself up to the opportunities and possibilities that come with my willingness to take a risk, or even a leap of faith?<br />
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And so it is with us, the church, presented over and over with the choice to grow or to stagnate. To stay where we are, doing what we have always done, or to give our whole selves to God’s mission in the world, granting permission to our creator to keep making us a new creation of God’s beautiful handiwork.<br />
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What if the mark of the church in the future is not that we have held so tightly onto traditions, rituals, and structures with the death grip of fear; but that we have moved boldly into unknown and unfamiliar spaces, fully willing to experience God anew in our lives, our faith communities and in the kingdom of God that surrounds us, holding on to the traditions and rituals that ground us in our faith, and learning to experience them in ways that speak to new generations of Jesus followers.<br />
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I believe a change is gonna come. I hope WE believe a change is gonna come. Thanks be to God for the invitation to be a part of it.<br />
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Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-68102256055525038772015-07-05T18:06:00.002-07:002015-07-05T18:06:43.601-07:00Hometown Heroes without Honor<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i>Mark 6:1-6 He left that place and came to his hometown,
and his disciples followed him. 2On the sabbath he began to teach in the
synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this
man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of
power are being done by his hands! 3Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary
and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters
here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4Then Jesus said to them,
“Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own
kin, and in their own house.” 5And he could do no deed of power there, except
that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6And he was amazed
at their unbelief.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Have you ever wondered what happened between verse 2, where
the people are astounded, remarking about Jesus’ wisdom and his power; and
verse 3, where they start to tear him down?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have a theory. I imagine the conversation to go something
like this: (except without the American names…)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hey Joe, have you heard this guy preach? He’s amazing. He
just gets it. In all the years I’ve been coming to this synagogue, I’ve never
heard anyone tell the story quite like that! And a healer too? Fred hasn’t been
up out of that wheelchair in 8 years, and this Jesus tells him to get up and
walk and up he goes. I really think he could change some things around here. A
few more weeks of this and we might just be different people altogether! Why, I
think he may be a hero!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now wait a minute, Charlie. It’s fine to have some smooth
talker come up here every once in a while and make us wonder if there isn’t
something better out there. That Rabbi from over at Capernaum has done that a
time or two, but you’re getting a little too worked up. And what do you mean
change some things? Why would we want to change anything? We’re just fine doing
things the way we’ve always done it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so it begins. Joe convinces Charlie that it wasn’t
conviction he just felt in his heart, and that nothing needs to change. Rather
than focus on what God may have been trying to speak into their community, they
invested their time trying to tear down the messenger.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not this local kid, we know too much about him. Not a woman
again. He’s too old, she’s too young, he’s got a tattoo, she’s a little too
loud. Too much Jesus, not enough Jesus, the music’s too loud, to slow, too
fast, I can’t even hear it. Don’t bring that projector in here and put the
songs on the wall. These hymnals are old and outdated, and they smell bad.
Wafers, bread, wine, grape juice? She’s so far to the right, could he be any
more of a liberal? So many possibilities for offense!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What if we thwart the power of God to transform our lives
because we pick apart the messenger or the prophet that God has sent to
us?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note that in Marks version of this story, the text says that
Jesus “COULD do no deed of power there”. The writer of Matthew’s gospel softens
it to say that Jesus “DID not do many deeds of power there”.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Either way, whether Jesus couldn’t do it, or didn’t do it,
the fact remains that God had work to do in Nazareth and the intended
instruments of that work were Jesus and the disciples. People’s lives were
supposed to be transformed, but instead, they scoffed at him, and they set out
on a fault finding mission.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Surely this man can’t be worthy to have such power. He’s
just one of us. Surely this illegitimate child, born out of wedlock, has no
wisdom or moral code that is greater than our own. And with each spoken doubt or
accusation, the accuser takes one more step away from the truth that God was
trying to show him (or her) about themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, what a fabulous technique it is to ignore our own issues
and make some up about someone else instead! It’s the age old diversion tactic
known as fault-finding!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Fred Van Amburgh says of fault-finding, “It requires no
thought, no consideration, no character, no talent to be a fault-finder...It is
much easier to find fault than to find ways to help. How easy to be critical
and how hard to be correct. How easy to find fault with others and how hard to
mend our own ways.” (http://www.livinglifefully.com/faultfinding.htm)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>We, the people, need to spend a whole lot less time being
offended, and a whole lot more time being astounded at the power of God at work
right in front of us!</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, but we live in a world now where offense is lurking
around every corner. The public discourse is so polarized and social media
gives otherwise reasonable people a platform to spout off things they would
never say to a person face to face. And if all else fails, there’s always the
option to unfriend.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of us have been in situations in our lives where the
people around us didn’t appreciate us the way they should have. Whether it was
a family member, an old teacher, or the kid whose girlfriend you stole in 8th
grade. It’s easy for us to relate to Jesus in this narrative. We’ve been there.
What does it take to get a little respect, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What if we consider the times that we’ve been more like the
scoffers in the synagogue than we are like Jesus? I’ll give you a minute to
think about it… If you’re like me, you won’t need long. It was just yesterday,
and last Wednesday, and a month ago.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You see, God is forever trying to do something in my life
that I’m not ready for, or don’t recall signing up for. And I would always
rather point out to God, and anyone else that will listen, that there is
someone in much greater need of redemption, and God and I should both focus our
energies there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And God laughs.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And what if the scope of this message is even bigger than
the church, which it surely is?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who are the other hometown heroes without honor?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Local police officers (probably not where you live, of
course) but in other places, who are the butt of all manner of donut shop jokes
and called all sorts of derogatory names.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The football player who had a bad game the day your team
lost, and whose name is used in conjunction with all sorts of curse words and
insults, as if somehow the armchair quarterback doing the criticizing might
have played better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Any elected official, who immediately upon taking office, is
seen as worthless and incompetent, and inevitably fails in the eyes of even the
ones who voted him or her into the office.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>We have a tendency to
use people up and throw them away, both in the church, and in our society.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Consider for a moment 300,000 homeless veterans.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
300,000 homeless veterans.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How does a bright, outgoing 17 year old go from the high
school cafeteria to homeless vet before he’s 25? Let me tell you how, because
I’ve seen it happen so many times, it makes my stomach turn to think about it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Military recruiters, often perceived as cool by high school
students are granted access to our public high schools and often spend time in
the cafeteria wooing possible recruits. Potential recruits are promised a cash
bonus of more money than many of their parents make in a year as soon as they
complete their training. It’s a great opportunity to get out of the place where
they may feel stuck and they take it. (please note that this is not a statement
against military service, but a concern over the moral implications of sending
kids who are barely driving and have never even lived on their own to make the
very adult decision to take a human life, and then to fail to offer the
psychological care required to deal with the aftermath of such a decision)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In an environment of sustained, simultaneous wars, they are
sure to be sent “over there”. Some of them come home in a box. Others come home
bearing scars, physical and emotional, that will never heal. Sometimes they
have their enlistments or their deployments involuntarily extended. And when
they come home, they are different. They’ve seen things that no human being
should ever have to see. They don’t know how to relate to their people, and
their people don’t know how to relate to them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p>Unresolved PTSD or moral injury lurks inside them, and life
as they knew it is no more. And far too often, the kid in the cafeteria with
the bright future becomes the twenty-something homeless vet, searching the
streets for a place to fit in and a group of people with whom she or he can
connect.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And we ask, what did he do to end up here? He should have
had plenty of money when he came home, he didn’t have any way to spend it over
there. He must have made some really bad decisions. Must be drugs or alcohol,
or maybe gambling. Whatever it was, he made his bed and now he has to lay in
it.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Except that he has no bed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And why is the question always what he did to get himself in
this situation and never: why am I not in this same situation? Because I’ve
made some really bad decisions, and I’ll bet you have, too. And maybe, just
maybe, that shift in our thinking would drum up some compassion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Less offense. More compassion. Less judging. More loving.</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke’s version of this story gives us a little more detail
about just what it was that Jesus said that incited such anger: He dared to put
himself in the long line of Hebrew prophets calling for God’s justice in the
land. Reading from Isaiah, he claimed the words as his own mission: “The spirit
of the lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the
poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight
to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s
favor.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mic drop.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It all sounds good until the folks in the room start to
wonder what happens to their own status when all of these “others” get lifted
to honorable status. The answer of course, is nothing, others don’t need to be
dishonored for our honor to mean something. In God’s economy, there is enough
honor to envelope every single child of God. But the perceived threat is great.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so it begins. Dislike the message, discredit the
messenger.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Again..."It requires no thought, no consideration, no
character, no talent to be a fault-finder...It is much easier to find fault
than to find ways to help. How easy to be critical and how hard to be correct.
How easy to find fault with others and how hard to mend our own
ways." <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thanks be to God that our redemption draweth nigh. May we
open our hearts and minds to the transformation that God is offering. Amen.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-64732552091049665242015-01-11T15:54:00.000-08:002015-10-25T08:16:03.939-07:00The Gift of BaptismSermon: The Gift of Baptism, January 11, 2015<br />
Text: Mark 1:4-11<br />
<br />
As we come together this weekend to remember and celebrate the baptism of Jesus, we are extended an opportunity to spend some time in reflection on our own baptism. We are invited to consider just what baptism is to us, and how it has transformed our lives.<br />
<br />
<b>Baptism is…</b><br />
<br />
<b>Affirmation, only deeper, more like unconditional acceptance.</b> We need to be accepted just as we are. Affirmation is that release of endorphins that we feel when we posted something on Facebook 30 seconds ago and somebody likes it. And then as we sit and watch the number grow. It’s that feeling that our young people know when they see how many followers they have on Instagram. Our need for affirmation in some cases is so heightened in our world of social media, that a lack of instant affirmation throws us into the realm of anxiety, depression, self-loathing, wondering what is wrong with us and/or the picture we just posted, that nobody has liked it. And to make matters worse, now we can see who saw it, but didn’t choose to click like. I personally have a theory that the founder of Facebook, that Zuckerberg guy, is in cahoots with the national association of therapists or something. Maybe not though, come to think of it, because when we go into a deep self-doubt hole, we rarely seek professional help to speak rationality to us, rather we often act out in passive aggression, refusing to like other people’s things, or just flat out berating them on how they could have the nerve to look at our thing, but not like our thing. I could go on about this, but I won’t.<br />
<br />
Because I say all of this to say that we are created for relationship, and we crave the acceptance that comes when someone loves us as we are, where we are, for who we are. God does that with us. Sometimes one or two humans get it right too, but we should first seek it from the one who never fails. Remember at the moment that Jesus came up from the waters of his own baptism, he and those around him heard God’s voice of affirmation, acceptance, and blessing. “You are my son, in whom I am well pleased” Wrapped up in those words are identity, worth, and unwavering acceptance. Our baptism gives us the opportunity to re-enact the baptism of our Lord, and hear for ourselves those same words of love.<br />
<br />
<b>It is an initiation,</b> into something much larger than ourselves. When we are baptized, we are actually initiated into many communities. One of those is the group of candidates that we are baptized with. In many protestant denominations, baptismal candidates spend several months meeting together in a pastor’s class. Imagine being an impressionable youth and spending time each week with a group of your peers who are held together by common faith, thinking of how you will live out faith in each of your lives, and what it will mean to take this next step on your spiritual journey. The bonds that are formed in those groups are strong and long lasting.<br />
<br />
The next community that you are initiated into is the local church. While it may seem that baptism is an individual act between the pastor, the candidate, and God. It really is much more than that, and I would argue that it was always meant to be more than that. Look at the baptism of Jesus…Jesus was intentional about aligning himself with Jewish community, but not just any Jewish community. He could have, and probably did on many occasions, go and dip himself in the cleansing pools outside the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. But he chose instead to find John the Baptist and his followers out in the wilderness, and wade into the Jordan River for his baptism.<br />
<br />
Think about that for a minute…sterile pools in town, at the door of the temple, or a river, an ever flowing stream, that as far as they can see, never begins and never ends. There, readily available for anyone to wade into, the elements of nature integrated into the experience. It was everything that organized religion and civilized society would frown upon. And yet it was chosen, by our Lord, to be the place where he received his blessing and accepted his calling.<br />
<br />
And we become connected to Jesus and every other baptized person through our shared experience. We often sing a song at Table of Grace, by Christopher Grundy called Stepping In. Part of it says “There is a prayer, like a wide river, it never ends, does not begin, around the world, it’s always flowing, and I am stepping in, we are stepping in. That’s what happens when we are baptized. We step into a stream touched by all who have gone before us and all who will come after us.<br />
<br />
<b>It is surrender.</b> It’s a giving up of the old and grabbing hold of the new. Admitting that we can’t and don’t want to live this life on our own, and that we want to walk with God and our faith community through all of the milestones in our lives, good and bad. Imagine with me, if you will, your dust covered body, about to wade into the flowing stream. Each particle of dust represents a sin, a regret, or some burden that you have carried for way too long. As you are dipped into the water, your toxins, the dust particles, remain at the top. They aren’t strong enough to penetrate the flow of the water, and so they float away, downstream. And as you come up out of the water, you can feel the newness of God’s love and redemption, clinging to your body like a glove. So it is with our baptism, we enter those waters with sin and death clinging to us with all their might, but the purity of strength of God’s love are too much, and they wash us clean. The old life has been surrendered, and we come out ready to experience the new. Thanks be to God!<br />
<br />
<b>It is tradition,</b> with meaning. It’s not a tradition like Uncle Joe getting drunk on Thanksgiving and knocking over the dessert table every year. But a tradition more like your grandmother handing down her wedding ring because there was so much love in her relationship with your grandfather that she wants to share that with her children and their children and so on. It should bless us to know that we get to experience the same sacrament as Jesus, the disciples, and so many heroes of our faith over the last 2000 years. And it blesses us equally to know that this rich and beautiful tradition will be shared by our grandchildren, and great-great-great grandchildren, along so many others who will live beautiful, God centered lives, connected to our own through Baptism.<br />
<br />
<b>Baptism isn’t incidental, it’s foundational. </b>David Lose, one of my heroes in the profession of preaching and teaching about Jesus writes “Jesus’ baptism isn’t preamble to all that comes later in his life, it’s the highpoint and climax of the story in a nutshell. Again and again, as Jesus casts out unclean spirits, heals the sick, feeds the hungry, and welcomes the outcast, he will only do to others what has already been done to him, telling them via word and deed that they, too, are beloved children of God with whom God is well pleased. And the darkest moment of the story when Jesus feels absolutely abandoned is followed immediately by the story of resurrection, where the messenger testifies that God has kept God’s baptismal promise and continues to accept and honor Jesus as God’s own beloved Son. So also, at our low moments, we might remember that the God who raised Jesus from the dead is the same one who promised in baptism to never abandon us and to love and accept us always and still as beloved children, even and especially when we have a hard time loving and accepting ourselves.”*<br />
<br />
<b>It isn’t an end, but a beginning.</b> Being initiated into such a community of believers, filled with the affirmation and unconditional acceptance of our creator, in the tradition of those who have informed our lives, having surrendered that which separates us from God, symbolically once, but knowing that we will continue a lifetime of surrender, empowered to give to others what has been given to us, we go forth from the waters of our baptism having been made new. Ready to be an agent of God’s love, grace and mercy in a world that needs it so badly. Thanks be to God for the gift of new life, given anytime we ask, and for the sacrament of Baptism to stand as the ever present reminder that our lives are not our own.<br />
<br />
Remember now your own baptism. Dip your toes or your fingers into some of water, eyes closed, feeling God as close to you as the water to your pores, and know that you are loved, and that God is calling you to walk in God’s light, giving to others the gifts of love and healing that have been given to you. And if, by chance, you haven’t been baptized, that’s okay! Know that the gift of baptism is for you too, if you desire to step into the stream and surrender. I or any other pastor will be happy to talk with you about your decision.<br />
<br />
Blessings my friends, may you all be renewed in your spirits as you consider the gift of baptism, and all that it means for your life. Amen.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
*http://www.davidlose.net/2015/01/baptism-of-our-lord-b/Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-88778588343431269182015-01-04T17:26:00.001-08:002015-01-04T17:26:39.782-08:002015: The Year of EmbodimentToday I had the honor of filling the pulpit at Community Christian Church in Jefferson City. It's a beautiful worship space, and also the place where I baptized my oldest child. It was a blessing to be there! Below is the sermon that I preached.<br />
<br />
Sermon: New Year, New Us! <br />
Community Christian Church, Jefferson City, MO, 1/4/15<br />
Text: Jeremiah 31:10-14 and John 1:16-18<br />
<br />
There is just something extra special about worship services that mark the beginning or the end of something. And here today, the air is still full of the wonder of Christmas, God born anew into our world, and the opportunity and possibilities of a blank canvass heading into this new year.<br />
<br />
Some of you are likely happy that 2014 is gone. Perhaps you muttered the tired line “don’t let the door hit you on the way out” as the year came to a close. Some of you may be sad to see it go, clinging to some victory, joy, or celebration brought to you by 2014.<br />
<br />
However we look at it though, 2014 is gone, and 2015 has snuck right in. There are two ways that I know for sure that we’ve moved into a new year. One is that I write the date incorrectly on a check, and the second is that I almost print the church bulletins with last year’s date. I’ve done both of those this week, so it’s official. So given the fact that it’s here and there’s nothing we can do about it, it seems like a good idea to think a bit about how we’ll handle it. Hence, today’s sermon, New Year, New Us!<br />
<br />
By now I’m sure that you’ve already been inundated with offers to create a new you in this new year. Scrolling through my email inbox on January 2 after a couple of days of being unplugged allowed me to get the full effect of the end of year/beginning of year mash-up. January 31 brings all the last minute offers I can handle, suggesting that there are many places that I could get rid of any pesky money that might still be lying around after Christmas. And then comes the onslaught of New You emails on January 1. They suggest that I need an overhaul in every aspect of my life. My weight, my health, my career, my finances, my spiritual journey; and I wonder, have these people all been spying on me? How do they know that I’m in such bad shape, and such well-rounded bad shape at that? Do you wonder these things?<br />
<br />
Well, yes, they have been watching our every move; our purchases, our google searches, our Facebook likes and our tweets will provide most any marketing expert all the information they need to make us their next target. More importantly though, they know we’re human, and that more often than not, we fall short of where we had hoped to be at this point, sometimes due to our own bad decisions, and sometimes due to unfortunate circumstances beyond our control.<br />
<br />
The writers of today’s texts knew a few things about bad decisions and unfortunate circumstances…<br />
<br />
Jeremiah prophecies to the remnants of a decimated Northern Kingdom, the 30 chapters leading up to this one relentlessly suggest that the destruction they have experienced is largely due to their unfaithfulness to the God who has sustained them up to this point. Chaos reigns, but one thing is clear: they will never again experience God’s presence in the places and the ways that they were accustomed to. Jeremiah’s words are hanging somewhere between exile and restoration, between judgment and mercy.<br />
<br />
This is a people profoundly changed by their experiences of loss and of exile. It is a lost and vulnerable people being gathered by their God, much like a people, hopeless in so many ways, gathered at the manger of the newborn King, shepherds and kings alike, looking for new life and a fresh start. John writes to a community some 700 years after Jeremiah, who also struggle with their circumstances AND their belief! Their struggle is different, but no less real, and the need for God to intervene and correct our course had not then, and still has not gone away!<br />
<br />
The Jeremiah passage shows us that out of death and destruction, God creates new life. The gospel passage shows us that out of nothing, God creates new life. Most of us fall somewhere on that spectrum right now, between death and destruction, and just a blank canvass. I wonder how there can be any question for us, whether God can create new life for us too? And yet, we’re just not sure.<br />
<br />
As we ponder what a new us might look like in 2015, we have to look back at the old us of 2014. It seems clear that 2014 revealed to us a disheartening level of brokenness in our world. Some of which we may have thought was long gone, and some of it new, thanks to the barrage of polarizing and sensationalized information that is served up to us 24/7 via the media, social and otherwise.<br />
<br />
Slate magazine dubbed 2014 “the Year of Outrage”, noting that “following the news in 2014 is a bit like flying a kite in flat country during tornado season. Every so often, a whirlwind of outrage touches down, sowing destruction and chaos before disappearing into the sky.”1<br />
<br />
Outrage seems to have become a way of life for us. “It rises from our disappointment.”2 Out of the ashes of broken dreams, failed ventures, tainted relationships, and shattered hopes; outrage is like the smoke that wafts through the air, lingering, waiting to hitch a ride on some unsuspecting host. It is a natural, and even honorable response to the things that happen to us and to others in a broken world. The problem comes when outrage becomes our destination, rather than a stop on our journey to something better.<br />
<br />
Perhaps that something better is something akin to incarnation, that which we celebrate when we honor the baby Jesus at Christmas. Jesus was God incarnate, putting on human flesh to be present among us and show us the way. The life and teachings of Jesus give us the opportunity to bridge the human/divine gap too. When we, who are human flesh, put on ourselves the attributes of God, wisdom, faithfulness, steadfast love, grace and mercy, we might call that embodiment. What if 360 days from now, we were able to look back and point to the ways that 2015 was the year of embodiment? Where the people of God spoke words that honored God and God’s people, where they (we actually) acted like we believe the truths that we proclaim, and where followers of Jesus emulated his selfless actions?<br />
<br />
Jesus himself expressed outrage, most notably remembered in the episode that we call “Jesus cleansing the temple”. He is angered by the exploitation that he sees taking place by people in power at the temple, taking advantage of those who had little to spare, and turning sacred space into a marketplace. He was so angry that he made a whip out of cords and ran them all out, overturning their tables as he went. There are, for sure, some institutions today that need a good cleansing and would benefit from the removal of some money-changers, but that’s a topic for another day. The point today is that even after expressing deep outrage at what was going on, Jesus didn’t stay there. He went on to heal, and teach, and grant new life. The text says “many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name”.<br />
<br />
Outrage makes way for incarnation. Rev. John Allen writes about our embodiment of the divine will in terms of “incarnational intention”. I think he’s onto something. He writes:<br />
<br />
“God’s incarnational intention is that God’s story gets lived out in recognizable ways in the world. Not only over some grand cosmic saga, but also in the way we engage the specific broken places in our communities and even in the forgettable interactions we have with our neighbors.<br />
<br />
God’s incarnational intention is that God’s presence becomes unmistakable in our midst because the faithful have put their bodies, and not just their language, into effect for what they believe to be true.<br />
<br />
God’s incarnational intention is that the faithful enact our hope in liturgy AND life. That we embody God’s justice and love in the world, not just by speaking it, but by living it out. Not through testing philosophical edicts against the long arc of history, but by showing up in the world we have, as the people we are, to make God into flesh once again.”3<br />
<br />
Thanks be to God for the gift of Christmas, pure love, wisdom, grace, and mercy, wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger; sent to us in hopes that we might apply the gifts to our own lives. May we who call ourselves God’s children, receive and embody the gift in 2015. New year, new us! Amen.<br />
<br />
1&2. Slate Magazine, The Year of Outrage http://www.slate.com/articles/life/culturebox/2014/12/the_year_of_outrage_2014_everything_you_were_angry_about_on_social_media.html<br />
<br />
3. Rev John Allen, The Politics of Incarnation. http://www.politicaltheology.com/blog/the-politics-of-incarnation-john-11-18/Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-34474042611450276462014-12-21T21:16:00.000-08:002014-12-21T21:16:07.179-08:00When Christmas Hurts<div class="MsoNormal">
Tonight at Table of Grace, we held our annual Blue Christmas
service. It’s something that we’ve done every year since we started the church,
and even though it is always attended by somewhere between 1 and 8 people, I
believe it is one of the most important services that we do. I borrowed a new
name for the service this year from an Episcopalian colleague, who calls her
Blue Christmas service “When Christmas Hurts”. Sometimes, it’s not just that
folks are a little extra down or lonely during the Christmas season, sometimes Christmas,
and the reminders of what we no longer have, hurts, badly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I seem to be reminded of this harsh reality even more this
year than in years past. I think it’s because our youngest, Morgan, is an 11
year old sixth grader, just like I was when my world came crashing down around
me. It was on this night 32 years ago, that I went to bed, a little bummed that
I wouldn’t be enjoying the day before Christmas break celebrations at school
the next day, due to the fact that I had chicken pox. Little did I know that
chicken pox would be the least of my heartbreaks that Christmas. When I woke up
the next morning, I woke with a terrible headache. I remember walking into the
kitchen in my underwear and t-shirt that I had slept in, and feeling a little
awkward when I saw that our kitchen was full of people. They all sat around the table as if they had been there for hours while I slept. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t remember any of the words, just that it was too
light in the kitchen, it hurt my head. And there were too many people, and I
was in my underwear. And they said he was gone. My brother. My hero. Gone. Something
about Christmas shopping and dark and windy roads, and sleeping and driving, or
not, and a wreck, and gone. 21 years old and gone. In my young mind, and with
his wild nature, it seemed somehow inevitable that it would be a car wreck, someday.
But now? This soon and this close to Christmas? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn’t my first taste of death. I believe it was in the
spring of that same year when I awoke to the news that one of my best friends
had died of some fluke illness, and just like that, she was gone. Funny, I remember
something about underwear and a headache that day, too. The difference, of
course, is that Kendra’s house was the one that had too many people in the
kitchen for a weekday morning, and <i>her sister</i>
was asking “what happened” and “how” and “why so soon”. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though it wasn’t my first experience with death, it was
my first experience with hating Christmas. I carried that with me for a couple
of decades. I don’t remember anything that I got for Christmas that year,
except the thing that made me hate it. It was a little ceramic thing, a
knick-knack. They told me that he bought it for me. I never really understood
the story, and I had questions. Did he buy it on a previous shopping trip? What
21 year old man buys his kid sister a gift in advance? Where had he kept it?
Had he wrapped it himself? Did he buy it that night? Did someone find it in the
wrecked car? If so, how did they know he bought it for me? So many questions,
though none that I would ask. Instead, I would just let them rumble around
inside me, fueling my anger and my newfound dislike of Christmas. Years later,
I would find a Christmas gift, still wrapped, in a file cabinet at my grandparents’
house, with a tag that said: To Grandpa From Roger. I wondered if he had the
same questions. I didn’t ask. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not sure when I got over hating Christmas. As I grew
into an adult, I had all sorts of excuses. I owned a retail store, and worked
ridiculous hours through the Christmas season, right up to Christmas Eve.
Somewhere along the line, I had to get away to pick up gifts for everyone else
for multiple family celebrations that would take place, often beginning that
very night. People were demanding, rude, and thankless; and deep down I knew
that even with a successful Christmas, we’d be right back in the red within a
couple of months, pinning our hopes to the next Black Friday to Christmas Eve
cycle. Maybe it was when I got out of the jewelry business, maybe it was when
the joy of seeing my kids excited on Christmas morning became greater than the
pain of dashed hopes and shattered dreams. Maybe it was when I realized that
Christmas was about new birth, and sixty-fifth chances, and God breaking into
the harsh reality of my life to say “I am here, will you stop being so damn
stubborn and walk with me?” And yes, I think God would say damn, among other
things that we’ve been taught not to say out loud. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Whenever it happened, I bet I wasn’t ready. I wouldn’t have
made the choice myself to move forward and to begin to see the beauty of the
season again. Thankfully, God doesn’t usually ask if we’re ready. In our Blue
Christmas service tonight, I read an adaptation of a passage from Madeleine L’Engle’s
“First Coming”. I’d like to share it with you. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“God did not wait until the world was ready, till the
nations were at peace. God came when the heavens were unsteady and prisoners
cried for release. God did not wait for the perfect time. God came when the
need was deep and great. God dined with sinners in all their grime. God did not
wait until the hearts were pure. In JOY
God came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt. To a world of anguish and
shame. God came in JOY, and his light never goes out. God came to a world which
did not mesh; to heal its ill, and shield its scorn. In the mystery of the Word made flesh, the
maker of the stars were born. We cannot wait until the world is whole, to raise
our songs with joyful voice, to share our grief, to touch our pain. God came in
grace, with love. Rejoice!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God knows that right now our need is deep and great, that we
live in a world of anguish and shame, and that we still don’t mesh. Thank God
it doesn’t matter! God breaks in anyway. God shines light in all the dark
places of our hearts, our souls, our world; and as hard as the darkness tries
to fend off the light, it can’t. John 1:5 tells us that “The light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Thank. You. Jesus. Thank
you for coming into this broken world and especially into this broken heart.
Thank you for your assurance that joy comes in the morning. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tonight also happens to be the Winter Solstice, the longest
night of the year. As part of our Blue Christmas service, we share a “Blessing
for the Longest Night”, which ends with these words: “So when this blessing
comes, take its hand. Get up. Set out on the road you cannot see. This is the
night when you can trust that any direction you go, you will be walking toward
the dawn.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so I’ll walk. I’ll walk blindly forward in the darkness
of a world filled with love and hate, violence and peace, justice and grave
injustice. I’ll walk in trust, knowing that even as God’s light shines in the
darkness of my own heart, it does so in the hearts of billions of others as
well. And I’ll believe that there will be a dawn. I hope that you’ll believe
with me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We closed our service tonight with this song from the Indigo
Girls. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhSLK_iMLaw">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhSLK_iMLaw</a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Listen, sing, watch, and believe. There’s still our joy. Christmas
Blessings to you, my friends. May you experience anew the magic of God born
into our midst; even when Christmas hurts. <o:p></o:p></div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-79311855572477460142014-03-02T11:33:00.000-08:002014-03-02T11:33:15.945-08:00Trading the Turnpike of Expediency for the Dirt Road of Connection<div class="MsoNormal">
There’s a thought that’s been floating around in my head for
the last several weeks and I haven’t been able to grab it and put it into
words. And then, thanks to one of my Facebook friends, today it came to me. My
friend was commenting on the Oklahoma Tourism ads, revealing her skepticism
about their honesty, having never experienced such beauty herself. Her comment
was this: “all my drives through Oklahoma with nothing in site but tolls.....no
thank you.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I read her words and immediately it hit me. You have to
leave the turnpike if you want to see the beauty. If you don’t, you’re destined
to believe that all a place has to offer is gas stations, fast food, and run
down casinos. For those of you who have never driven the Oklahoma Turnpike, you
can pretty easily substitute I-70 from Kansas City to St. Louis in your mental
image. True, if that were your only experience of the Show-Me State, you wouldn't
think there was much to show. If you never left the interstate in Missouri, you
would miss all the sights that look like these (and many more!):</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uOy3n9yRqy8/UxODefP0tUI/AAAAAAAAAC8/_g7KnxFRSik/s1600/5613_142540305738_5563871_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uOy3n9yRqy8/UxODefP0tUI/AAAAAAAAAC8/_g7KnxFRSik/s1600/5613_142540305738_5563871_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a> <br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8BOTUVIEPPs/UxODd3G5ZeI/AAAAAAAAACw/AeRI0rfeNLM/s1600/163826_10150117354730739_5084655_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8BOTUVIEPPs/UxODd3G5ZeI/AAAAAAAAACw/AeRI0rfeNLM/s1600/163826_10150117354730739_5084655_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">
And as much as I believe this
shift in perspective is important in our geographic explorations, I think it is
even more necessary in our interactions with people. I have the opportunity to
decide if I’m going to view people that I meet through a ho-hum, when do I get
off this road, I-70 lens, or through a knock-my-socks-off, wow that’s
beautiful, thank you God lens. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wish I could post pictures
of all the people that I’ve met through Table of Grace that I have had the
honor to see through lens #2. I would show you endless pictures of people whose
lives may appear messed up, hopeless, and down-and-out at first glance; and who, in reality, have had the most profound, positive impacts in my own life. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They would be pictures of
people who have fought and are currently fighting addictions, who have shown me
more courage and authenticity in their struggles than I've ever seen anywhere
else. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There would certainly be
pictures of young people who struggle with self harm, suicidal thoughts, and
debilitating deficits in self-esteem; who have taught me about wrestling so
hard with fear, doubt and pain, that every scar tells a story of struggle and
redemption. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There would be pictures of
numerous people struggling to reconcile their sexual preference or gender
identity with everything that society and religion has previously told them. If
there were a way for the picture to show their hearts and minds, you might see
the resolve, strength and compassion that comes from somebody having to go
against every existing system in order to just be who they are. You might see
the gift of tolerance and appreciation for diversity that takes root in a
person who has truly experienced a life of being “the other”. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There would be adorable
pictures of children who are crazy cute, with huge smiles, that sometimes mask
the pain of troubles at home, bullying at school, and disorders that make
sitting still and just communicating with others a major challenge. Yesterday
at church, I leaned over one of those kids to talk to the person next to him,
and as I leaned past him, he grabbed me and gave me a hug that melted my heart.
I can’t begin to count the number of heart-melting hugs, notes, and smiles I've
received from kids who others have seen as out of control and disruptive. I
continue to be blessed to my core by these holy disruptions. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There would be pictures of
straight, middle class, seemingly “normal” individuals and families who don’t
struggle with the effects of exclusion, or extreme poverty, or mental illness;
but have a commitment to being present with and being in relationship with
others whose lives are different than theirs. If you could see inside them, you
would see minds that know the truth that we are all part of one human family; and
you would see hearts that have both experienced and rejected the privilege of
being what the rest of the world might call “normal”. They come because they
believe whole heartedly that diversity, respect, and a sense of belonging for
all people really can transform our world. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I could go on forever about
the hidden blessings that I've discovered in the ragtag collection of people
that we have gathered at Table of Grace as a direct result of our commitment to
welcoming everyone. It is, simultaneously, the most important and most
challenging commitment that we have as a faith community. Today I’m thankful
that I got off the proverbial turnpike, and started traveling the back roads of
human interaction. I’m thankful that somewhere along the line, somebody taught
me to look past the surface and into the soul of the people that I have been
blessed to encounter. Each and every one of you has knocked-my-socks-off; and
all I can say sometimes is “Wow, that’s beautiful! Thank you, God!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For those of you who are
still on the Turnpike, judging other people at first glance as nothing more
beautiful than fast food, gas stations and run-down casinos; I would invite you
to spend some time travelling the back roads of human interaction. Dismiss your
judgments long enough to see the soul. You are sure to have your eyes opened,
your heart changed, and your life enriched by what (and who) you will find. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessings my friends. May you
discover some gems in your travels. <o:p></o:p></div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-91562796833224419282014-02-04T13:48:00.002-08:002014-02-04T13:49:38.468-08:00More, with less. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The vision of The Pantry.</div>
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We are in need of the food items listed on the donation list to make this work so we are asking for your help. You can help us feed some folks meals by donating to The Pantry. Here is the donation sheet. Please feel free to print it out, fill it out and/or donate anytime. Thank you for your support!<br />
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<br />Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-49849519979154876722013-12-02T19:45:00.001-08:002013-12-02T19:45:08.484-08:00Welcome to Advent. Let's Hope. <div class="MsoNormal">
The caption on the picture on the front of our Table of
Grace brochures says “Where Hope is Alive!” It’s a bold statement to make,
suggesting that we are a community of people who have not yet given up hope. We
live in a world of dashed hopes, a world where one who continues to hope in the
face of adversity may be seen as some kind of Pollyanna; or at least completely
out of touch with reality. Most of us have mastered the art of dismissing our
hopes in advance to save ourselves the disappointment later. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first week of Advent calls us to hope. Not only does it
call us to hope, it calls us to sit with that hope…to hold on to it, until we
return the next week to light the next candle. I wonder if we are willing to be
that vulnerable, to open ourselves up to hope that we hold onto for long enough
to convince ourselves that the thing for which we hope might actually be a
possibility. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wonder if allowing ourselves to hope for better living
conditions for the homeless people in our community would cause us to seek God’s
guidance in helping to be a part of the solution. I wonder if having the
audacity to hope for racial equality in our world would cause us to spend some
time getting to know the people who don’t look like us, who we claim to want to
liberate. I wonder if hoping that people in a village in Africa might someday
have access to clean drinking water would encourage us to spend less on
frivolous gifts this Christmas, and send the money we save to an organization
that can make that happen. I wonder if allowing ourselves to hope for a
government that represents our collective interests would push us into a level
of civic engagement that begins to reclaim the voice of the people in the
public sphere. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wonder. And I hope. I hope that deep down, we know that
God is alive in our biggest dreams and our greatest hopes. I hope that we
recognize that God’s Spirit uses the creative space that hope provides to bring
great transformation in our lives. I hope, above all else, that we can remember
how to hope like a child counting down the months to a birthday or the days to
Christmas; and that having remembered, we will start to live in our hope for
days and weeks and months at a time. And perhaps that we will let ourselves
believe the word of the Lord spoken through the prophet Jeremiah “For I know
the plans I have for you," says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not
for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our hope is a gift from God. Don’t shove it in the back of
the closet like the ugly sweater your Aunt Sally gave you last Christmas, or
the combination hammer/corkscrew/TV antenna from your mother-in-law. Get it
out, use it, enjoy it, let it transform you. I bet you’ll find that it begins
to transform the people around you as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What are you hoping for right now? I challenge you to hold
onto that hope, and allow yourself to think about it this week, maybe even to
talk about it. Offer it to God in your prayer time and allow it to creep into
your dreams. Let’s just see what happens. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And while you’re hoping, here’s an earworm from the Dixie
Chicks…<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hope, for more love, more joy and laughter<br />
I hope, we'll have more than we'll ever need<br />
I hope, we'll have more happy ever after<br />
I hope, we can all live more fearlessly<br />
And we can lose all the pain and misery<br />
I hope, I hope<o:p></o:p></div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-45706977925321064162013-11-06T17:20:00.001-08:002013-11-06T17:21:57.638-08:00Why This Lesbian Pastor Gives to the Salvation Army<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m really proud of the questions our young people are
asking these days. I think if we raise a generation who has learned to question
everything, we will have done the world good. So I had to smile the other day
when I read a Facebook post of a friend asking for volunteers to do bell
ringing for the Salvation Army locally and the first comment was one from a
high school student asking an important question about the social service
agency. “Is it true that the Salvation Army is an anti-gay organization?” Good
question! I’m especially happy about the answer that he was provided, too. The
original poster, a director of youth ministry, affirmed his need to know and
provided information for him to read and make his own decision. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That, my friends, is how the world ought to work! Instead of
getting all hyped up and attacking one another, how about if we look at things
from all angles? I’m a lesbian, and I’m quite happy to drop some money in those
red buckets when I have it available. Why? Because I believe in the work that
the Salvation Army does to improve people’s lives. We are all pretty quick to
criticize, but the bottom line is that in most places, they are the ones on the
front lines of the war against poverty and homelessness. How many homeless
people have most of us housed, clothed, fed, and gotten employed recently?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In addition to being a lesbian who would gladly give my
change to the bell ringer outside the grocery store, I’m a pastor of a
Christian church. My church is pretty different from the one that meets at the
Salvation Army. We don’t believe all the same things. I believe that God
celebrates all of the fabulous gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in
my congregation (and the straight folks too!). But we do believe some of the
same things. We both believe that the love of Jesus was enough to change the
world forever. We believe that human beings are made in the image of God, and
therefore deserve to live a life of dignity. We believe that a part of our
Christian duty is to make the world a better place. We even both believe that
the way to transform the world is one person at a time, tending first to the
most basic needs like food and shelter, and also to the soul. This is where our
methods and understandings begin to differ, in some places pretty drastically.
But the bottom line is that while we were agreeing on all those other things,
we could work together to get women and children off the streets and out of
dangerous situations. We could work together to provide meals to people who are
hungry, whether or not they meet the requirements to stay in the Salvation Army
shelter. We could work to get men and women into treatment programs that help
them to get their life back in order; help them get into employment programs
and get back on their feet; and even help with the initial costs of getting
somebody back into a housing of their own with rental deposit assistance.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I believe firmly in acting out of our most deeply held
religious beliefs. I do it every day, and my hope is that all other people of
faith do the same thing. Even if they believe the exact opposite of what I do.
To do anything less would be inauthentic. I believe in interfaith relationships
and collaboration, not by reducing our beliefs to the lowest common denominator,
but by allowing space for those who think differently to express themselves from
their viewpoint and act with integrity out of that understanding. Will there be
some things we may never be able to do together? Absolutely!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This morning I sat across the table at a local Unmet Needs
Committee meeting across from a Major from our local Salvation Army. We
collaborated together, and with others, on ways to meet the needs of the most
vulnerable people in our community. I’m pretty obviously gay. He didn’t seem to
let that change the work that we were there to do. I doubt that we’ll be
sharing communion together in a church service anytime soon, but that’s true of
lots of folks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I guess I say all of this to say…before you get all bent
out of shape about pictures that have likely been altered or staged, showing
Salvation Army bell ringers proclaiming anti-LGBT hate, consider the purpose
behind the bell ringing, and ask yourself if the money you would give would
change lives for the positive. I think if you checked it out, you would find
that in many communities, the Salvation Army really is “doing the most good.”
That’s why this lesbian pastor will gladly continue to support their work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll give my money to the Human Rights Campaign when I want
somebody looking out for things like marriage equality. And when I want my
money to feed the hungry two meals a day, 365 days a year; and provide a
Christmas for families who otherwise might not have one, I’ll drop it in the
red bucket outside the grocery store. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-54894987950193585442013-07-27T22:38:00.000-07:002013-07-27T22:38:44.545-07:00Random Christ Spottings<div class="MsoNormal">
I saw Jesus today. She didn't look anything like those
pictures on the wall in the churches I've been in. You know the one, the fair
skinned young man with flowing brown hair and strangely European eyes (for a
Palestinian), with a white puffy lamb hiked up over one shoulder. Funny that I
have long since dismissed that image of Jesus as not realistic, but when I
think about seeing Jesus, it’s the first image that pops into my head. Oh, the
effects of embedded belief systems…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, this Jesus was totally different. She looked to be
in her mid to late 70s, with short, grey, curly hair. She sat next to a man who
seemed to be her husband and they were both wearing a starched white shirt and
black bottoms (pants for him and skirt for her, of course). Did I mention that
the place where I experienced this Jesus spotting was in the first row of the
first class section of an airplane leaving Salt Lake City? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As it turns out, after a second glance, maybe she wasn't
ACTUALLY Jesus, but she had me there for a second. It was the name tag that did
it. It looked something like this…<o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">The Church of </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">JESUS
CHRIST</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Of Latter Day Saints<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Your Name Here</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So you might imagine my surprise when I boarded the plane
and saw Jesus there in first class. It was actually much harder for me to
imagine that Jesus would be travelling first class than it was for me to
imagine that Jesus was a seventy something year old Mormon lady. Either way, it
got me thinking a little bit about the ways that we do and do not invoke the
name of Jesus Christ in our world. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I've been known to lean to the heretical side now and then
in pushing the boundaries of scriptural interpretation. This was recently
pointed out when a friend brought me a poster that he stumbled across while on
vacation that said “Heretic in Good Company” and listed the names of my cohorts
in heresy…some of them you may recognize…Joan of Arc, Origen, Galileo, Jesus of
Nazareth, Martin Luther…the list goes on. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So having gladly accepted my lot in life of being a bit on
the edge; it seems that today’s Jesus sighting is a good conversation starter
(at least in my own mind). So, what if we all, at least those of us who
consider ourselves Jesus followers, began wearing name tags that said Jesus
Christ? C’mon now, you are perfectly willing to wear the name Ralph Lauren or
Tommy Hilfiger. Would the people we meet take us more seriously? Would they
dismiss us as two fries short of a happy meal? Would they patronize us? Or
would they sit up and take notice, because it might seem that we have something
to say to the world? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now most of the people that I know, Christian or not, would
find it a bit blasphemous to put on a name tag that said Jesus and walk around
in public. Understandably so. That’s what we were taught. Only Jesus has been
and ever will be Jesus, and there will never be another Jesus. Ever. Because
that would somehow dishonor God to have a bunch of people running around acting
all humble and merciful, loving and graceful, forgiving sins and healing
people. I mean really, the audacity of that is just unthinkable, isn’t it? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, seriously, what if… What if we proudly wore the name
Jesus Christ on our chest because we believed in ourselves the way that we
believe in Jesus. Okay, so maybe having it say Jesus Christ wouldn’t be so cool
(unless you are my Cuban friend Jesus, then it would be cool). Anyway, say for
instance that my name tag said “Michelle Christ”. After all, the Greek word
Christos actually means “anointed”, and is related to the Hebrew word for
Messiah. A Messiah (not THE Messiah) is a savior or liberator of a group of
people. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I think it’s safe to say that I’m anointed. I’m called by
God to be a pastor to God’s people. I’ve had a whole room full of clergy anoint
me and pray blessings over me as I kneeled through 5 verses of “Spirit” on the
concrete floor at my ordination service. Not only am I anointed, I hope that in
being a pastor to the people who come to Table of Grace, that I’m a liberator
too. So I think I’m qualified for the nametag. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How about you? Will you join me in identifying yourself as a
<i>christos</i>, an anointed one; or a
messiah, one who is about the business of liberating people? I hope you will,
all of you, because I know that these words describe you too. Whatever work it
is that you have been called to, I know that it somehow involves blessing and
freeing those with whom you come into contact. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessing and freeing take on so many different
manifestations, I can’t even begin to name them here, but I’ll try to list a
few. Here are the Christ-like actions that I know some of you are taking: you
liberate others by helping them to free themselves from bondage to drugs and/or
alcohol; you liberate homeless folks by offering them a meal, maybe a warm
place to stay, and resources to help them on their journey; you liberate other
moms by encouraging them in methods of natural parenting and breastfeeding; you
liberate other differently abled people by being a voice in the community for
disability justice; you liberate babies who were born into families that didn’t
want them or couldn’t care for them by giving them a home and a lot of love;
you liberate others who suffer with mental health issues by being open and
honest about your own struggles; you liberate secular homeschool parents who
feel alone in a conservative Christian homeschool community by offering an
alternative community; you liberate LGBT people who have been told they don’t
belong by finding your own place of belonging and service in the church and the
community; you liberate people who are lost in desperation feeling like they
just aren’t good enough by continuing to offer an encouraging word and a
listening ear; you liberate me, every day, by showing me that divine goodness
and human goodness exist in an eternal partnership that can and will transform
our world. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is nowhere near all of the things that I see daily in the people that I know, both in the church and out. It is merely a
beginning, but it is enough to convince me that you are all anointed ones. You
are all working in different ways, within faith traditions and outside of them,
to be a liberator of people, a messiah. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I want to say thank you for the very important work that
you do, and instead of you dismissing my thank you, and saying “oh, I don’t do
anything”, I want you to receive it and believe it. I want you to make the name
tag…your name CHRIST…slap it on your shirt and go look in the mirror. Then say
to yourself and whoever is around to listen “I AM anointed! I AM a liberator!”
Pat yourself on the back, know that you make a difference in the world, and
believe that YOU have the power to change lives, to feed souls, and to bring
blessing and freedom to so many people! Now take off the name tag (so your
friends don’t have you committed) and get back to your every day, anointed,
liberating life. Have a great day, anointed one!<o:p></o:p></div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-13200011952656174082013-03-22T05:52:00.000-07:002013-03-22T05:52:10.163-07:00Perspective on the Prodigal<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here we are, nearing the end of lent. One of the
lenten practices that I've taken up is preaching on the Psalms in the
lectionary, rather than the gospel passage. It has been a good practice, and I
have been stretched. Another of my lenten practices, though not publicly
announced, was going to be to write more. Alas, I have not been able to work
that into my crazy schedule. BUT, I was thankful to have been asked to
speak/preach/whatever at another church for their Thursday night Lenten service
last night. </span><span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;">They have been focusing on the story of the
"Prodigal Son" as told in Luke's gospel. They asked me to speak from
the perspective of the people in the countryside, the community. So many times,
I've read the passage and put myself in the place of the younger son, the older
son, and the father; but never in the place of the neighbors. It was a fun
exercise. Here's what I wrote: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I don’t know if any of you have been to first century
Palestine, but I hear it’s a different world than this one in which we live. In
a Jewish community such as this one, people held tightly to codes of honor and
shame, and to the demarcation of clean and unclean. This son, this selfish one,
who had dishonored his father by having the audacity to ask for his inheritance
early, by walking away from his home and family, and heaven forbid, traveling
to a foreign land <keep in mind that in this context, foreign does not imply
exotic as it might for us here today, rather it implies other, different,
wrong, and scary>. This boy might as well have SHAME and UNCLEAN
written on his forehead and any other exposed part of him, so that good,
observant Jewish people might know that if they see him, they should run the
other way. Jesus sets this story up to let us know that this son has committed
the worst kind of sin, against God, against his family, and against his
community. Today, we hear the story from the perspective of a neighbor, a
member of the community who was invited to join in the celebration…</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s not often that somebody just throws a party around
here, right out of the blue. So imagine my surprise, when one of the young
servants of the rich guy down the street came running down the road shouting,
“come one, come all, it’s a celebration. The master has ordered the fatted calf
to be killed. It’s a party to beat all parties. Gather your wives, your
daughters, your sons, and even your servants, and come join in the
celebration!”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well, who can resist such an invitation? So I did it, I
gathered all the members of my household and a couple of our best skins of
wine, and off we went, heading to the party, all the while wondering what could
possibly warrant such an extravagant, unplanned celebration. There were many
people already gathered when we arrived, and the house was all a buzz, so it
was a while before we saw him.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He looked different, more worldly, less proper, he LOOKED
like a foreigner. What a disgrace! I once considered him an excellent prospect
to marry my youngest daughter. Now I see him as a threat to our community. I
heard he worked among pigs, for God’s sake, the worst kind of unclean there is,
you can’t just wash that off. It is a filth that goes all the way to the soul.
Only a miracle from God can cleanse the soul of one who has strayed so far.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I find it hard to celebrate, difficult to loosen up. The
music was lively and people were dancing. What was wrong with them? The wine
flowed freely, and the food...oh, the food. Killing the fatted calf? This is a
luxury reserved for only the most decadent occasion. It’s something big,
something worthy of a gathering of the whole community. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Oh, I get it. It’s like when a woman is caught in
adultery, and we take her into the town square and everybody comes out to watch
and participate in her punishment. There’s a place, alongside the road on the
way into town, where you can pick up the best rocks. I didn’t realize that’s
what this was. I didn’t pick up any stones along the way. That’s ok, we’ll just
watch, there are a lot of people here, I’m sure others came prepared. I’ll just
stand back a little with my family, taking the time to make sure that the
lesson really sinks in with them. You just don’t dishonor your father, and take
off into distant lands, squandering away his money, bringing dishonor to his
name, living a lewd and careless life. There are consequences, and today, we
will witness those consequences. I’m glad the family saw fit to feed the crowd
first, that was an added touch of class that we don’t usually experience at
these, um…events.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After a while, when it seems like most of the guests have
arrived, the master of the house came to the center of the house and asked
everybody to gather around. He had been absent for a while, some say that he
was outside consoling his oldest son. Maybe he was embarrassed, feeling like
his own honor had been stripped away, a sort of guilt by
association. Or perhaps he loved his brother just enough, that he was
distraught about his upcoming public punishment. Whatever it was, that boy
never did come in and join the party.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, here we are, gathered in the great room, the father
calls his son over to him. It wasn’t until now that I noticed that he is
wearing one of his father’s robes, his sandals, and even a family ring. I have
to say, I’ve never seen this done in quite this way. It reminds me of the
stories that I learned in synagogue growing up. Who were those guys…Shem and
Japheth, took a robe and covered their father’s nakedness to regain his honor
and save face for the family. But wait, there are other stories about covering
nakedness that I recall, that aren’t so much about damage control, as they are
about bestowing honor as if it is deserved.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes, it’s coming to me, I recall now that in Exodus, there
are elaborate instructions for making a robe and adornments for Moses to put on
Aaron, to show that he is chosen, anointed, ordained. I’m just not sure that
story applies here. What was the other one? Oh that’s right! It was the prophet
Ezekiel, speaking as God to God’s people, saying I see that you are old enough
to be loved, to be in relationship with me, and I wrap my robe around you, to
cover you and make you mine.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have to say I don’t really understand what is going on
here. The actions that are being taken, the words that are being used, are
familiar. But they aren’t the words and actions of punishment and shame. They
are the words and actions of forgiveness, grace, mercy, and the unconditional
love of a father for his child. The words that father spoke still echo in my
head today. “For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost
and is found. Let us celebrate!”</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The words play over and over again in my head, along with
the words I spoke myself. Only a miracle of God can cleanse the soul of one who
has strayed so far. Dead and alive again. Lost and now found. A miracle of God.
A soul that has been washed clean. A broken family that has been made whole.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I learned a lesson that day that has been with me ever
since. My God, the One whose laws I strive to follow, the One whose praises I
sing, and to whom I cry out in my time of need; THAT God, MY God, does indeed
work miracles. How could I not celebrate with shouts of joy and a dance of
praise? You and I, who are sometimes lost, are found, over and over again. You
and I, who wander off into the land of the dead, failing to live in the
abundance and simplicity of the life that has been given to us, are brought
back to life, over and over again. You and I, whose souls get dingy and dirty
from the influences of the world around us, have been washed clean, each and
every time we have chosen to turn back to the light.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am changed, I am made new. These things that were foreign
to me, grace and mercy, compassion and unconditional love; they are contagious!
Not only did I feel a change in myself that day, but I saw it in my neighbors. This
display of forgiveness, this restoration, has given us all a renewed sense of
hope and expectation.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I pray that it will catch on for you too, there is nothing
more glorious than celebrating with God and neighbor the victory of life over
death, wholeness over brokenness, salvation over shame. May God’s Spirit so
fill your heart with grace and love, that there is no longer room for judgment
and division. May you live today in the knowledge that God’s mercy can and will
lift you and ANYBODY else who desires, out of the pit of sin and despair, to be
restored to your rightful place of honor, a beloved child of God! This is my
story, and this is my prayer. Amen. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-74399001831006876422013-01-26T06:18:00.000-08:002013-01-26T06:18:11.224-08:00The Traveling Table<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tonight I got out my handy dandy communion kit, a gift from my favorite mother-in-law, and I went to visit someone in the hospital. I carefully (and prayerfully) prepared it before going, tearing the bread, real bread, not styrofoam wafers, and putting it in the little container. I counted the pieces as I tore, knowing that I was going to serve one or two, and myself, but somehow feeling like maybe six pieces would be enough. I poured the grape juice from the big bottle into the fancy little flask, wondering if the nurses might think that I was smuggling in vodka or something. I suppose I should add that the patient I was going to visit is currently in the behavioral health unit of the hospital, so the items brought in and out are under great scrutiny. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we entered the unit, I introduced myself as a pastor to the nurse who greeted us and I asked if it would be okay for me to bring in the communion elements and serve communion to the person I came to visit. The nurse indicated that she thought it would be okay, but that she needed to ask<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>somebody else. From down the hall, I heard bits and pieces of the conversation and watched the person in charge (presumably) look down the hall at me. Then I heard her say something that sounded like “why not, they could probably all use it.” Well, ain’t that the truth? They could all probably use it, as could we. You, me, the nurses, the visitors, it seems that we could all use a little bread of life and cup of blessing today, and everyday really. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After chatting with the person I came to visit, serving her communion, and praying with her; we went out into the common area. I expressed to one of the other ladies sitting there that I had prayed for her at the request of the person I was speaking with before. She began to tell me about her conversation with the hospital chaplain that she had spoken to a few days back. She said that she had asked if they might be able to bring her communion, and they told her they didn’t really know the schedule for communion for the week, but they might not be able to get it to her while she was there. She seemed sad about that, so I said “I brought communion and I would be happy to serve you”. Her eyes lit up and she said “yes, but I’m not Catholic”, I replied “that’s okay, neither am I”. We left the common area to find a quiet place to talk, share communion, and pray together. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our talk revealed that we have much in common; our denomination, faith journeys, kids, previous marriage, coming out, homeschooling…it was odd, really, how much we shared in common. We easily chatted about the day to day activity of God in our lives, and what it means to have an amazing church family. We talked about the blessings of big churches and small churches, liberal churches and conservative churches, and the way that we have seen God present and working in all of them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While we sat chatting, a young lady kept walking by, as if she wanted to say something, but hadn’t worked up the courage yet. Finally, she asked if she could talk to me. As we sat down together, she said “What do I do, I don’t know if I tell you what’s wrong with me or what?” She shared what she felt were her demons, the things that had gripped her and wouldn’t let go. They were fears and hurts and physical pain all rolled up into something that was taking over her life. We prayed and we shared communion. Then visiting hours ended and the nurse came to escort<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>me out. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Six pieces of bread. Three beautiful people, each willing to let me in, to share their lives and share communion with me. A call from God to invite the people to the table and to bring the table to the people. How blessed am I?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At Table of Grace, we talk so much about our open table, the fact that anybody can come. But tonight I am reminded that the table is not just open for the sake of having people come to the table. The table is open as a means of opening our lives to one another and to God. What a beautiful, sacred, scary gift it is, the responsibility to bear one another’s burdens, to face one another’s demons, to live life together. Every week at Table of Grace, when I serve communion to the people in our congregation, I am humbled and honored to be allowed to share such a deeply personal and spiritual moment with people. Tonight, after having taken communion out, in my handy dandy communion kit, I feel all the more privileged to be able to share God with God’s people through bread and cup. Thanks be to God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-91630792247088436952012-11-18T19:13:00.000-08:002012-11-18T19:13:26.527-08:00Thankfulness<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today I attended our Community Thanksgiving Service here in Jefferson City. It was a bit of a milestone moment for me, because I was asked to participate in the service by choosing and reading the lection from the Hebrew Bible. No big deal, it would seem to most, I’m sure. However, to be quite honest, it was a big deal. It was a big deal because somebody took the time to invite us to participate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Quite honestly, there are many in the local Christian Community who would much prefer that we didn’t exist. But, as it turns out, there are also many who are glad that we are here, and who are willing to risk their reputation on making sure that we are included. And those same few people keep going out of their way to be sure that we get invited. For that, I am thankful. And the way that extension of welcome warms my heart reminds me that it is that kind of welcome to which God calls us all, and specifically the kind of radical welcome for which God has called Table of Grace into existence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am thankful for our call to radical welcome. I think the welcome part is easy. We’re a friendly bunch, happy to have a new friend pop in every now and then. I used to get a bit offended when I heard the words “radical welcome” because they suggested to me that someone could be so unworthy of our welcome, that to extend such welcome would in fact be “radical” <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(thoroughgoing</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">extreme,</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'">especially</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'">as</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'">regards</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">change</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'">from</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">accepted</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">or</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: default;">traditional</span> <span id="hotword" name="hotword" onclick="return hotwordOneClick(this);" onmouseout="this.style.color='#333333';this.style.cursor='default'" onmouseover="this.style.color='#0055bb';this.style.cursor='pointer'" style="cursor: pointer;">forms</span></span></div>
, according to dictionary.com). Well really, who are we to suggest that someone is so outside of the normal realm of welcome that they belong in the radical category?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I should tell you that I also have a pretty deep rooted issue with the biblical language of “the least of these.” Those words make me cringe any time I hear them. Ponder that for a moment. <o:p></o:p><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, since I have determined that radical welcome can’t mean that to me…it can’t mean that there are certain persons in this world who would only be worthy of radical welcome. I’ve spent some time considering what else it might mean to me. I think the radical part of radical welcome is more about stick-to-it-ive-ness, than about the inherent worth of the person being welcomed. It is all about the ability of the community not just to invite somebody in, but rather, to stick with them when they figure out that just like us, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they got issues!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And really, these days, who has time for other people’s crap? I’m sorry, did that sound harsh? Maybe, but it’s truthful, right? We all need people around us who require the least possible amount of our time and attention, because we are already spread way too thin. So, new friends, new community members are good, as long as they don’t require a lot of stamina on our parts. Sometimes I watch the attitude creep into the gathering space at ToG. It’s rare, but it does occasionally happen, and it makes me sad. But then I see the magic. I see the light go on, the twinkle in people’s eyes, when they come back around. People step back for a moment and it’s as if they say to themselves “THIS is what the Kingdom of Heaven looks like. “ Well, okay, I usually say that, but maybe there aren’t a whole lot of other folks at ToG regularly using kingdom of heaven language in their thought life…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyway, people push through, and it’s a beautiful thing. It’s the point in a relationship where the person who was originally the welcomee realizes that these people are for real. It’s the point where people who have heard for years about unconditional love, but never experienced it; begin to ask themselves if it could really be so. It’s the point where we let God, who lives within each of us, come out to play. If we know anything from our sacred texts, and from our faith tradition, it is that our God is a God of steadfast love and grace. No matter how many times we walk out on God and on each other, God remains. God waits, lets us throw our tantrums, lets us have our way, lets us wreck our relationships; and stands there waiting with open arms for us to give up and come back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That, my friends is what we are called to. When we put a sign in the front of our church that said “a place of sanctuary for all”, we made a statement that most people aren’t willing to make, or at least to make and mean. It is that, a sanctuary, a safe place, a refuge, for anyone and everyone, and all the stuff that they bring with them. And it is that because there are people there who are committed to that kingdom vision. And for that, I am thankful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like those few people in the local Christian community who keep going out of their way to be sure that ToG is invited and included; I pray that we are that kind of presence for individuals who need to find their place of welcome. It’s hard work my friends. Stick-to-it-ive-ness is not a trait that comes natural to humanity, and certainly not to us here in this “have it your way” society; but it is a beautiful gift that has been given to us by the One who made us, and I see it being nurtured in our amazing little community every day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thank you for being amazing and loving and welcoming. For YOU I am thankful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-66412391682712107872012-08-29T16:59:00.000-07:002012-08-29T16:59:14.373-07:00Happy Anniversary ToGWow, it's August 29th! Guess it's been a while since the last blog post! So much has been happening at Table of Grace, and we're so excited about the things that are going to continue to happen. We set out at our first service (and really way before) to create a place of belonging for a diverse group of people. We wanted to invite and include people who had never, or at least not for many years, felt welcome in any church. That first service was one year and two days ago, and every day since then, I have been in awe to watch God move in our lives, in our new faith community, and in our local community. I have seen people come out of their shells. I've seen people who didn't feel welcome anywhere loved beyond measure by a bunch of people who just met them. I've seen people who had written off God and anything related to Christianity because of bad experiences, who might consider calling themselves a Christian, or at least a follower of Jesus. And I've seen people who are not now and never intend to be Christian discover that this little community can still be a place of spiritual renewal for them, regardless of their faith tradition. <br />
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If I didn't work so hard to keep my composure, I would be a sobbing mess every moment of every day thinking about the beauty of what God and the folks at ToG are doing! Children of the community are being loved, fed and taught about being themselves, loving one another and taking care of the Earth. Adults who have never really been interested in the Bible are engaged in great discussion asking "Banned Questions About the Bible" and "Feasting on the Word" (our two bible study guides to date). People who barely know one another are going to great lengths to take care of other members of the community with pressing needs. This is what any faith community should be about, and I'm so proud to be a part of this!<br />
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Even as I write this, folks are planning and making connections to get our food pantry and community meal up and running. We will be providing a much needed addition to the community food resources that already exist, being extra careful and diligent to provide healthy and usable food items for anyone who needs them. In addition to providing extra food help, we will invite the community in to come share a meal with us on the days that the pantry is open. We have learned the value of eating together. We know that when we sit across the table from somebody and share a meal with them, we begin to share their life and their story. That is what we want to do with those who come to the Table of Grace food pantry for assistance as well. We want to share in the lives, the struggles and the hopes of our neighbors; and we want to share meals with them. <br />
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These are just a few of the things that we are doing right now, and there are so many more in our hearts and probably in yours! Next week we will be gathering together to share those hopes and dreams and try to organize our efforts for the upcoming year. If you've ever thought about becoming a part of this amazing community, I hope that you'll check it out soon. We need your voice, your hands and your heart. Please check out our Facebook page for weekly updates about what is going on. Just search for Table of Grace-Jefferson City. <br />
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There are so many people who have yet to hear the life giving news that we are here to proclaim. God loves each and every one of us and desires peace and justice in our world, here and now. At Table of Grace, we will continue to work toward that end, realizing of course that we will never fully arrive, but knowing that we sure can work with God to bring light into the darkness around us. Will you join us in proclaiming this good news and roll your sleeves up to work with us for peace and justice?Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-78800720638538813642012-02-19T13:42:00.000-08:002012-02-19T13:42:29.117-08:00What if?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last night at Table of Grace, I preached a “what if” sermon, asking along the way…What if I were the friends in the passage (Mark 2:1-12…feel free to stop and read it now if you weren’t there)? What if I were the paralyzed man? What if I were in the group of onlookers? What if…wait for it…what if I was Jesus?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wait a minute, did I just blaspheme? Can you even say that? I mean, really, is that like calling myself God? It seems a bit like shaky ground. In my own life, though, I feel like that is the place where I have been called to stand…on the shaky ground. It is the ground that Jesus walked on, where he muddied waters, and stirred pots, and challenged establishments. That ground, the ground of status quo and of inequality and injustice, was forever shaken by the life and message of Jesus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over and over again throughout the gospels, we have Jesus calling us to follow him. He tells the disciples that they have authority to do all of the things that he is doing, and more. When he left them, no longer to be visibly, physically present with them, he told them that they would have a Spirit that would accompany them always, and that through that Spirit, he, and of course God, would always be with them. I believe that he asked them to take over his place in the stories, to continue his mission, to spread his good news. Therefore, I have decided to start looking at the Biblical text through this lens (along with the collection of others that I have). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last night I shared a quote from Peter Gomes, author of The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus, among other things. Peter, who passed from this world far too early, last spring, said this: “The question should not be 'What would Jesus do?' but rather, more dangerously, 'What would Jesus have me do?' The onus is not on Jesus but on us, for Jesus did not come to ask semi-divine human beings to do impossible things. He came to ask human beings to live up to their full humanity; he wants us to live in the full implication of our human gifts, and that is far more demanding.” Enough said, right? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What would Jesus have me do? What if Jesus expected me to take seriously the charge to keep doing what he was doing? What if I did? What if you did? What if people began to experience wholeness in body, mind, and spirit because we cared?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if people who were hungry began to experience food security, rather than food insecurity, because we who have shared with those who have not? What if my self-interest began to wane because my concern for others began to fill me in ways that I have never experienced? What if the love of God began to flow through me in the same way that it flowed through Jesus because I began to really follow? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What if, what if, what if. During our children’s moment last night, I asked the children what message they got from the four friends holding on tightly to the ropes and lowering their friend into the middle of the room where Jesus could heal him. The answer that I got came from our daughter, Alexis, who I must say is pretty amazing. She said “you have to hold on tight to your friends until they get what they need.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wow. What if we did that? What if our friends did that for us? You know what’s cool? I believe we have friends who would do that. And I feel pretty strongly that we would do that for any of our friends. So I guess the challenge is to go back and ask “what if I’m Jesus?” That just explodes the possibilities, because now everybody is my friend, and everybody is deserving of my care and compassion. What if there was nobody for whom I wasn’t willing to hold on tight, until they got what they needed. That is the goal to which I aspire. Anyone care to join me? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">These are my thoughts today, I hope you'll share yours.</span></div>
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Blessings, Michelle</div>Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5181073865717428042.post-6637147467411261532012-02-17T11:54:00.001-08:002012-02-17T11:55:21.911-08:00What I wish everyone knew about Table of Grace.<br />
Not long ago, I was thinking about all the great things I'm seeing happen at Table of Grace, so I tried to put in to words.<br />
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I hope you will find these words to be true as well.<br />
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Peace,<br />
Stephanie Scott-Huffman<br />
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What I wish everyone knew about Table of Grace.<br />
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It's hard to get people to come to church.<br />
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So many people don't care for church because they view it as boring, they've been burned and hurt by the church or their experience with church just hasn't been pleasant. <br />
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These are just a few reasons we hesitate calling Table of Grace "church". A lot of times we say it's a faith community because that's how we see it. It's a community of people who are on a journey together. Different pasts, paths, beliefs and stories. We envision a community of people who can come together, just as they are and just be. <br />
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But the thing is, it is a church. No matter what we want to call it, it's still a church. It's the kind of church that I still believe in. The kind of church that is like a breath of fresh air. The kind of church that you don't have to worry about what to wear or what people will think of you. It's the kind of church that when someone ask "How are you doing", it's not just a nice question, they really want to know. It's a relational church. Where people, their lives and their struggles really matter.<br />
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We want Table of Grace to be the church that many have longed for. The church that many have been looking for. It isn't our hope to compete with other churches in the area, to be that cool church that seems to be popular or in style. It is our desire and hope that Table of Grace become the place where people will find acceptance, love, grace, hope, friendship, help, guidance and community at levels they've never experienced anywhere else. Table of Grace is down to earth, genuine, simple, traditional and non-traditional. We are a place of sanctuary for all and when we say all, we mean ALL. No one should be excluded from being a part of God's kingdom. <br />
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Do we do things a little differently? Yes, we do. Some days you'll find Lady Gaga, Supertramp, John Lennon or Macy Gray playing at the end of the service, along with hymns, some Christian songs and other music as well-because we believe the gift of music isn't just limited to Christian music. You'll find the kids in the sanctuary with the rest of us through the service, coloring, making things, listening and taking communion. You won't find fancy fixtures that have cost large amounts of money, but you'll find the creativity of the children's art work that reflect the heart of God with things like peace, love, joy and more love. You'll find a casual atmosphere where conversation about what the Pastor is preaching is welcomed. You'll find a variety of people participating in the service, not just Elders and Deacons. You'll find good food after service, laughter, great conversation and sometimes a fun game of something or another will break out. <br />
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It is our hope to build a community that feeds to hungry, clothe the naked, offers a hand to the oppressed, helps lift the heavy loads of others, empowers people, walks along side people through the bad and celebrate with each other through the good. We believe that we need each other. We believe that our differences are actually gifts that can be accepted and celebrated. We believe that each of us have amazing things to bring to this world and to one another and that our differences are not to be feared, but embraced. We believe that many people find God in different ways and we respect those ways. We believe that we can learn together, worship together and explore together. We believe that it's ok to ask questions, express doubt and draw our own conclusions. <br />
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These are just some things I wish you knew about the Table of Grace. Perhaps one day soon, you will come and get a glimpse of just some of the things that I see. <br />
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It's beautiful. <br />
<br />Table of Grace-JChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15525926544336710298noreply@blogger.com0