Tag Archives: Jesus

Jesus, the Heretic?

03 Sunday Feb 2013

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This post is based on my sermon from February 3, 2013 delivered at St. Paul United Church of Christ, Old Blue Rock Rd, Cincinnati, OH.

A few years ago, I saw a very thought provoking T-shirt.  It said “Heretic in good company.”  Underneath the title was a list of names, including St. Joan of Arc, Galileo and Martin Luther.  In the midst of the names was one name that stood out: Jesus of Nazareth.  Yes, that Jesus.

Woah, Michelle, did you just refer to Jesus a heretic?

Before I continue to further get myself into trouble by referring to Jesus as a heretic, let’s consider what heretic means.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines heretic as “1. A dissenter from established religious dogma and 2. One who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine.”

In his book Tribes, Seth Godin defines heretic as “ones who challenge the status quo, who get out of their tribes, who create movement.”  He continues that a heretic can mean “a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion).”

So, was Jesus a heretic?

When we look at the text today, we see Jesus challenging those in his hometown.  Verse 14 says that he was filled with the spirit when he entered the synagogues.  Once he starts referring to those in the margins positively – the widow and the leper, they started turning against Jesus.

This was just the beginning.  In chapters four through six alone, Jesus heals Simon’s mother on the Sabbath, he touched a man with leprosy which made Jesus unclean as well, he ate and drank with the people on the margins, and he healed in a synagogue on the Sabbath.

That’s just who Jesus was.

Jesus reframed rules for something greater.  He broke the rules so that he could be more inclusive to the Gentile, the widow and the leper.  He broke the rules so that people could feel loved.  He broke the rules so people could live a normal life, be accepted by their community, take care of themselves and family.

This is the Jesus I try to model my life after.

I’ve been told that our job is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.  And sometimes that means saying something in a very different and edgy sort of way.

This could mean that I support people who don’t fit an “traditional” love or life.  This means advocating for the poor, the widow, women, children – – even when people won’t agree with me.  This means volunteering to help those who are hungry, and yes, even call my representatives to be a voice to those who have no voice.  It’s doing justice and loving kindness as I walk humbly with my God.

So is being a heretic a bad thing?  Being a heretic is nothing new.  There have been heretics throughout the centuries.  Because the person with stated orthodox theology was more popular or powerful or had better connections, the less popular theologian was deemed a heretic and banished.  Sometimes, it was over little differences or larger differences –  like not believing in original sin or not believing that God and Christ were of the same essence.

Was Jesus a heretic?  Let’s look at the various definitions:

Was Jesus a dissenter from established religious dogma?  Was he One who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine?  If he healed on the Sabbath, then he dissented from established dogma and accepted beliefs.

Was Jesus one who challenged the status quo?  By advocating for the Gentile, he was.

Did Jesus hold unorthodox opinions?  If he was willing to pick food on the Sabbath, then yes.

Jesus hung out with women, ate with all sorts of people and challenged those in authority.  Jesus started movement.  Just like Martin Luther, a significant heretic who lit the fire of our type of Protestantism, Jesus was the one who sparked the flame that started the Jesus movement, or, as many of us know it, the early Christian church.

I celebrate Jesus as a heretic because being a heretic means a person is willing to listen for the voice of the still-speaking God.  Sometimes, it’s going beyond preconceived beliefs of the church or Scripture to embrace the greatest thing Jesus embraced: love.  It’s putting love and faith above legalism and rules.

Sometimes, we’ll hear that voice of God ourselves.  And we’ll follow that voice even though it’s unorthodox or means that we have to change the way we have always done it.

It also means that we have to be willing to get thrown of the cliff, like Jesus almost was in today’s reading.  Or even crucified as we see later in Luke’s gospel.

It’s not easy standing up for what you believe.  I can’t even imagine it was easy for Jesus – being disliked by so many people for saying what you believe.

It’s not easy for any of us to feel the dislike for our beliefs.  Whether it’s from our best friend or stranger, we hate being called a heretic or false prophet as we try to follow the God that’s speaking to our hearts.

Unfortunately, when people are challenged in their faith, they aren’t willing to take the time for conversations, to say politely how much they disagree with you.  They are just willing to call names and close relationships.

We need to have a very thick skin to follow Jesus.  Because we are willing to fully open ourselves up to the divine – we also have to be open to all of the good and bad that can come from following the faith of Jesus.

As we follow Jesus, learn more about faith and connecting to God, we will see elements of our faith in new and unorthodox ways.  Eventually, someone will make a comment about faith or religion that’s tough to hear.   Or someone will associate their faith with politics in a way that you haven’t heard before.  And it may be uncomfortable and against what you believe.

How can we make that uncomfortable feeling go away?  There is no easy way, but one effective way is through dialogue.  We need to say the edgy things that we believe to start conversations that need to begin.  We need to find out why someone believes what they believe instead of calling them names and closing our ears to them.

Maybe they are saying something I need to hear.  Maybe there’s something they need to hear from me.  And sometimes, I will say something here that you may not agree with.  I always invite you to have a conversation with me after a sermon.  I can’t expect you to agree with me 100% of the time, and conversations will create an atmosphere of dialogue and love even when we think very differently.

So, was Jesus a heretic?  Whether we believe that he was or just a guy who spoke in edgy ways, he made people think and got people moving.  Are we heretics?  As we continue to hear the still-speaking God as Jesus embraced and Joan of Arc, Galileo and Martin Luther followed, we may be deemed a heretic.  But we are in good company as the God of justice, the Christ of mercy and the spirit of passion walk along side of us, calling us to serve a hurting world in their name.

Have Facebook Envy?

24 Thursday Jan 2013

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How familiar I was with this video from  Brian Williams on tonight’s NBC News:

Facebook Envy – NBC Nightly News

As Williams says “…Facebook can full-on bum you out.”  While these world are not the typical words expected from a journalist, the sentiment could not be more true.

How many of you have Facebook Envy?

I have it all of the time.

I see my friends and old boyfriends married with children.  I see fabulous vacations all over the world, and new babies coming into the world.  I see major physical transformations, phenomenal jobs, great health.

My life seems so sub-par compared to all of your fantastic, perfect, well-orchestrated lives.

Granted, I think my life is pretty great.  Sure, I’ve dealt with car accidents, surgery and a disappointing love life.  But I love my job.  I love to write and have been able to write more in the past year.  I find myself on many mini life adventures, and I see God in random, odd and beautiful places.  I have so many people in my life who I truly love and feel their love in return.

And I go on Facebook because my friends truly are my community.

We pray together when times get rough.  We cheer for each other when something works out.  We repost each other’s writings.  We are family.  For better or worse, I am deeply connected to those who I primarily see on Facebook.

Yes, I will continue to feel bad about my non-existent plans on Valentine’s Day while seeing pictures of all of your gifts.  My heart will hurt a bit each time another friend gets engaged.  My womb will ache because I haven’t had children.  And I will continue to criticize myself when I see how easy it was for friends to lose weight.

I am human, after all.

As you read this, you may think to yourselves how your life is a lot less perfect than your Facebook profile.  Each of our lives have challenges, but our Facebook is typically our very best selves.  Facebook can be our best tool in connecting us with those we love or can be a source of repeated heartache.  How we frame our time on Facebook can be the difference between pain or joy.  What would it mean for us to remember each time we log on that Facebook is everyone’s brag book and everyone is still carrying a heavy load?

I wonder how would Jesus’ Facebook experience look like?  Here’s a guy who probably wasn’t married or had kids.  He wasn’t rich, and many people were saying some crazy things about him.

…As if Jesus would care.

In my belief, Jesus wouldn’t experience the same envy that some of us experience.  He’d just be happy having a relationship with each of his Facebook friends.  He would be praying with those who hurt and cheering with those who celebrate.

Yeah… I still have a ways to go to be like Jesus.

But I’m glad to see him all the time when I’m on Facebook…

Surgery beyond television dramas

15 Tuesday Jan 2013

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I’ve watched every episode of Grey’s Anatomy multiple times.  And many episodes of ER.  And a few episodes of St. Elsewhere.  I love medicine, and visiting hospitals absolutely does not gross me out.

That being said, facing surgery tomorrow is freaking me out.

I have endometriosis, a condition of migrating tissue.  Through laparoscopic surgery, I am able to get some relief from the pain and discomforts of my condition.

I had this surgery in December 2003.  With the exception of a little reaction to the anesthesia, I recovered fairly well and the results of the surgery delayed further growth.  I am fortunate that I’ve gone nine years without another surgery.

However, during the past six months, I’ve experienced horrific pain and other abdominal health issues.  My fatigue has been worse.  My life has been limited by my condition, and I want to live fully again.

So often, I visit people in hospitals immediately before their surgeries and in the days following.  As I’ve had to go under the knife, I remember the fear that people face when they, too, must have surgery.

Now it’ s my turn.

I don’t believe God is making me endure this surgery – – either because I’ve done something bad or because I need to learn a lesson somehow.  Instead, God goes with me into the surgery.  God sits with me as I freak out on my couch tonight.  God stands next to the operating table, stands with the doctors and nurses, gives wisdom to the anesthesiologist and gives peace to my parents in the waiting room.  God is in all of these places bringing strength and peace.

So I value your prayers, my friends.  If you are not a praying person, I value any thoughts, energy and love you send my way.  To me, all of these things sends a peaceful and healing energy into my life.  I am blessed to know that the people in my church, my clergy friends from around the country and my endosisters (women with endometriosis) all over the world are thinking about me.  Because of this energy and God’s constant presence, I know that I’m not alone.

Loving God,
Thank you for your gift of medicine,
Your doctors and nurses,
For family and friends who care.
Guide the hands of medical professionals,
Bring wisdom to their minds.

I pray for all others having surgery tomorrow and this month.
I pray for all caregivers,
And I pray for those who struggle with the same medical condition I have.
In the healing name of Jesus the Christ I pray, Amen.

An appeal to Christians in 2013

01 Tuesday Jan 2013

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Dear Fellow Christians,

After giving it much thought, I think the message of the Good News is being threatened.

Many people are leaving churches and turning their backs on Christianity.  Why?  Because people who speak on behalf of Jesus the Christ are dismissing the most important part of Christ’s message: Love.

About twenty years ago, I was rejecting Christianity myself.  When I was in college, I had experiences that led me to believe that Christianity was the religion of hypocrisy.  In the name of Christ, some were misusing their power to control and manipulate others.  When visiting churches, people were more concerned about their dress or hobnobbing with friends than greeting others with Christ’s love.

I could not see the presence of God in church or surrounding many Christians.

Fortunately, by my mid-twenties, I began to find the light in the Body of Christ.  I found my way back to church and began to see the presence of God in new and exciting ways.  There were times I still found doubt in the goodness of Christianity, especially when my beliefs weren’t “good enough” for people.  But I knew that spreading the message of Christ’s radical love was more important for me to focus on than negative remarks heading my way.

But not everyone is there.

Many people think that Christianity is the religion of rules and perfect morality.  People think we care more about getting into heaven instead of making heaven here on earth.  The message of Christ’s radical, enduring love has fallen short because Christians misuse the name of Jesus the Christ to correct and control other people.

And why not?  Mahatma Gandhi once stated “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”  This is a perfect example of the reputation Christianity now has in the world.

Thinking back to 2012, I remember stories like the exclusion of my friend’s church from a softball league because he identified as bisexual.  Rev. James Darnell Semmelroth was the pastor of the church but did not participate in the games.  Even though the pastor wasn’t playing, some churches didn’t want to associate with the church in any capacity.

While I am a straight ally, I understand that not everyone is at the place where they agree with gay marriage, ordination, etc.  But for the love of LOVE, can’t we put aside our theological differences and eat together, laugh together, even play softball together?  Love means crossing boundaries to embrace a person as a child of God, whether or not you agree with them.  Jesus ate and associated with all people.  He set “rules” aside as he healed people on the Sabbath.  To Jesus, love and relationships trump dogmas and fears.  By associating with people unlike ourselves, we hear personal narratives and learn to understand each other deeply.

We hear how Westboro Baptist Church wants to protest all sorts of funerals because we’re such a sin-ridden country.  In 2012, we heard various clergy blaming LGBT persons/allies for Hurricane Sandy and atheists for the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.  Do they realize how their hateful words ripples into our world?  Do they realize their loud voices are drowning so many voices of love and compassion?  Do they really think this is the message of the all-inclusive Christ?

Yes, maybe I’m being judgmental.  But I’ll be honest… stories like these may be why many people are turning their back on Christianity.  Many of the messages linked to Christianity are not ones of love.  The Good News can not be heard.  Because of this, many people find no use for Christianity anymore.  And I can understand why they’ve reached that conclusion.

So for 2013, I challenge all of us Christians to break the boundaries of love.  Let us love radically.  If there is someone who you feel like judging, try to talk with them and understand their story.  If there is someone who you fear, pray and understand why you may fear them.  You do not have to agree with them.  But in your love and escaping your comfort zone, you are being a witness to the greatest love of all time: the unconditional love of God that we Christians see in Christ.  Let our voices be louder than those of judgment and hate.

I realize that no matter how hard I try, this doesn’t mean I’m not going to mess up or misrepresent Christ now and again.  I wouldn’t try to misrepresent Christ’s love on purpose, but I think as humans we all tend to make errors now and again.  Sometimes these errors come out of misunderstanding or fear.  As a person of the Christian faith, my goal is to continuously find ways to focus on the radical love of Christ.  Allowing this steadfast love to trample any fears and to clear misunderstandings will bring us closer as humans.

All I can do as a Christian is keep on trying.

If Jesus, the one who knew God greater than any of us, was able to love outside of the box, then maybe we should give it a try.  Because if we call ourselves Christians and do not love, what kind of witness are we to our faith?

Instead of hearing messages of judgment and hate, what if people saw Christians feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, advocating for the voiceless?  What if we told people who have been discriminated against, bullied, beaten, blamed and shamed that God loves you just as you are?  What if we started a campaign to bring the louder voice of loving Christianity to the world?  What if people realized that this is the true Good News of Christianity worth sharing?  The worst that can happen is that by January 1, 2014, people will see Christianity being the religion of Christ’s radical love more clearly.  If you have any ideas, post below.  Let’s go for it!

The Fitzgerald Family Christmas… and forgiveness

28 Friday Dec 2012

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In general, do I find forgiveness hard?

That’s the beginning of the questions I asked myself while watching The Fitzgerald Family Christmas.  Through this film, Ed Burns gifts us with a heartfelt story and ways we can reflect upon our own lives.

It’s Christmas, and James Fitzgerald has approached his son, Jerry, regarding their upcoming Christmas plans.  Jerry and his six siblings have mixed feelings about their father since he deserted the family while they were young.  Their mother, Rosie, refuses to invite her ex-husband into her house under any circumstance, especially Christmas.

Inside each member of the Fitzgerald family bubbles feelings of resentment, anger and confusion.  When information comes out about their father, some take into account his present circumstances as they process forgiveness.

Through watching this movie, other points of reflection came to mind:

  • Who are specific people in our lives that we find it difficult to forgive?
  • Is there a certain time of year when forgiveness is easy?
  • How long does it take for each one of us to forgive?
  • How do each of us start the process of forgiveness?
  • Which member of the Fitzgerald family do we identify with the most when it comes to forgiving someone?

I think there are people in each of our lives that it would be incredibly difficult for us to forgive.  As Christians, we are told through Scriptures to forgive.  In Matthew 18:21-22, Peter asks Jesus “‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive?  As many as seven times?’  Jesus says to him ‘not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.'”

As he teaches prayer, Jesus reminds all to ask God to “‘forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).

Even as Jesus hung on the cross, in physical, emotional and spiritual pain, Luke 23:34 says that he prays “‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.'”

Forgiving others and forgiving ourselves?  Easier said than done, Jesus.  Easier said than done…

I am familiar that there are friends I still need to fully forgive.  The process may have started, but forgiveness isn’t an overnight occurrence.  It may have been a quick process for Jesus, but it hasn’t always been for me.  And it wasn’t for the Fitzgerald family.

Forgiveness is a journey.  Sometimes, we have to start by making a little step – – trying to understand what was going through their lives or seeing them as human.  It’s understanding that I would want mercy from my sisters and brothers and God, so why shouldn’t I grant that to another person?

As I think about it, if Judas would have experienced the grace and forgiveness of Jesus, would he had hung himself (Matthew 27)?  If we forgive those who have caused us pain, does that release both us and them from the burden of the past?  Does it free us to move forward towards the future, unloading the rocks that weigh us down?

Burns’ movie gives us a chance to reflect on our process of forgiveness.  It provides us an opportunity to think the anger that continues to fester inside of us.  And it gives us the chance to ask others for their forgiveness and make amends where possible.

Love is (actually) all around us… A Christmas Eve sermon of love

28 Friday Dec 2012

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IMG_1085

 

I preached this sermon on December 24, 2012 at St. Paul United Church of Christ, Old Blue Rock Rd., Cincinnati.

What is love?

When we think about love, we often think about romance, even falling in love.  We think about the love that a parent passes along to a child, grandparent to grandchild.  Our mind goes to the most-familiar love scenarios: two people falling in love.  A marriage ceremony.  The birth of a child.

But from what I see from the Divine, God is all about shining love in the least likely places.

Here we are at the stable, a non-conventional place for any child to be born.  At this little manger, a new spark of love is born into the world.

If you look at Luke’s account which was just read, in Jesus’ first few hours and days of his life, he was surrounded by love. And not just by his parents, but shepherds appeared adoring the baby.  After leaving the stable, Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the Temple in Jerusalem. While they were at the Temple, Simeon and the prophet Anna showered Jesus with love and gave glory to God for the experience of being with Jesus.

I believe this experience with love from the least likely people at the beginning of his life helped Jesus to truly understand the presence of God around him and within each of us. And I believe that his experience with love in the first few days of his life gave Jesus that extra persuasion to preach love.  Already born with the spark of the divine within him, Jesus grew in love, knowing that nothing else was greater than loving God, our neighbors and even ourselves.

We just never know who we’re going to interact with in our lives, and how this love will ripple into the world.  Through these interactions, Jesus felt love in his earliest days, and, to me, helped him grow in love.

Throughout the ministry of Jesus we see scenes of Jesus bringing compassion to the sick and those deemed unclean by society.  We see him having dinner with those who were the outcasts.  And they experienced divine, unconditional steadfast love that we see in Jesus.  Two thousand years later, the love that was given to Jesus and the love that Jesus gave to so many can still be felt in our world.

But how can we love when someone has hurt us so horrifically?

Earlier this year, a car pulled in front of James Moore, not giving him enough time to stop.  He slammed into the car.  While he was not at fault in the accident, the driver of the car, Zeke Stepaniak was killed and another passenger injured.  James had a heavy heart.  Even though it wasn’t his fault, he still felt so much guilt for the accident.  Soon after the accident, Zeke’s family, who are from the Colerain township area, contacted James in love.  While both families were reeling in anguish, they started praying with one another.  And on the day of the funeral, James Moore walked in with the family of Zeke Stepaniak.  Through their tragedy, they had adopted each other as family, putting grace and love above anger and hurt.

From this story, we see that love showers us with grace.

Have you seen the film Love Actually?  The opening scene begins at Heathrow airport, where people are blissfully meeting their loved ones at the arrivals gate. Then the prime minister states this:

“Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s always there – fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know, none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge – they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion… love actually is all around.”

So love is all around?  Love is in those in-between moments?  It’s hard to see hope, peace, joy and love after the tragedy happens. The events in Connecticut a couple of weeks ago gave us each a heavy heart. We know some of our sisters and brothers will be dealing with so much pain this Christmas, pain from grieving, depression and conflicts.

Often it’s difficult to see love when so many that we care about are truly hurting.

But then we open our eyes a little more. We look around at what is happening around us. People are sitting with someone who’s ill or grieving. People we don’t even know are praying for us. We see love going beyond races, genders, sexual orientations, religious beliefs, family structures, political views.  Love is the universal truth that we as Christians experience in Christ.

Bad things happen in our lives. There’s no way to avoid all suffering in our lifetime. But, again, we meet love in an unlikely place as we walk the horrible road of suffering.  Love has the potential to take a very bad situation and make it less painful and lonely. Love is contagious, and once we experience the greatness of love shared with us we can’t help but pass it forward.

From what we often see, love is always present, love is around us during moments of pain and moments of bliss.

From the recent tragedy in Connecticut, journalist Ann Curry tweeted “imagine if everyone could commit to doing one act of kindness for each precious life lost.  An act of kindness big or small.  Are you in?” The theme #26acts represent many of those whose lives were lost in Newtown.  Now people are posting their acts online hoping to influence more and more people to do the same.  A seven year old bought coffee for eight people with his own money.  Someone else bought books for a child in need.  This is how love trickles into the world.

And then the spirit of love keeps nudging people to pay it forward. People are creatively finding ways to bring love and comfort to the lives of their fellow neighbors.

How are we living into this theme of active love?  Just yesterday we collected presents for local children in need.  We collected food for those at Washington UCC.  In the past month, we’ve gone Christmas caroling, took cookies to our neighboring businesses and held a community dinner.

The love of Christ has touched so many hearts in this congregation, and we can not help but pass this along to our neighbors.

From this example, we see that love is not only a feeling but an active part of our lives.

Each little experience with love impacts us. From the time we are young into our later years, each time we meet love somewhere, we experience the presence of God. The more we share that love, the more others see God in their lives.

And that is what God is calling us to do this Christmas and throughout the entire year.

Part of our congregation’s vision statement is Carrying Christ Love to All. Our love a church family is an active part of our faith.  To us, love means having open tables and open hearts to all as we are all part of the Body of Christ.  Through our church’s vision of mission, nurture, laughter and inclusiveness, we have faith that people in our church and community will experience God. Through our involvement in this community, we pray that others will see the unconditional love of Christ in their midst.

How is God challenging you to love outside of the box today?  Maybe it’s extending love to someone who has hurt you.  Maybe it’s giving grace to yourself for making a mistake so many months ago.  Maybe it’s opening your eyes to a new way of loving.  Maybe it’s sharing your love with someone in pain.

Two thousand years ago, from simple beginnings, a baby was born.  With that birth came hope, light and love that has rippled into our world.  As we go forward, let us remember that love happens in the least likely places and ways and between the least likely people.  And today we see this in that least likely place: far away from home, surrounded by animals and strangers in a drafty stable.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, the Apocalypse and Turning 40

01 Saturday Dec 2012

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Luke 21:25-36

25“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. 26People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.27Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. 28Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees;30as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. 31So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. 33Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. 34“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (NRSV)

I have a love-hate relationship with the apocalyptic.

Ever since I was young, apocalyptic movies have scared me to no end.  Testament.  The Day After.  Miracle Mile.  Melancholia.  I’m not talking about the softy-apocalyptic movies like The Day After Tomorrow, Independence Day, Deep Impact and Armageddon.  I’m referring to those movies where no one lives at the end or death is immanent for everyone.  When these movies are playing on cable, I can’t turn away.  I am eerily drawn to them.

Reflecting on what these movies mean, at first glance I see “no hope.”  There’s no way to escape this.  Some of these are human-made and some are natural.  Yet there is no route of escape.

I remember March 10, 1982.  Hearing that the world was going to explode because the planets were going to align gave me much anxiety (see the Jupiter Effect).  I was almost 9 years old, so the possibility of doomsday took over my thoughts for the day.

I was also scared of the Bible texts like the one listed above.  As a child, Matthew 24 was my scary text.  It was as scary as March 10, 2012 or the movie The Day After.  What was Jesus talking about?  And when was this happening to us?

Back then, the early Christian communities (part of the Jesus Movement) believed that Jesus would be appearing at any moment.  In 2000 years, it didn’t happen.  In the past 39 1/2 years of my lifetime, nuclear wars and earth-ending natural disasters haven’t happened either.

Now that I’m an adult, I’m less anxious about a planet or meteor/asteroid hitting us.  I’m even less anxious about a nuclear war occurring.  Do I fear December 21?  No.  It’s another day that will come and go.  Logic and reason have now replaced expanding fears of the last days.  And with December 21, I see a change in seasons and the beginning of longer days.

But I continue to age, and I see how life continues to change, and life is full of loss.

Seeing the film Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is another reminder of our fragile lives and the grieving process we continuously endure.  All human life faces their extinction.  There will be nothing left.  Total extinction is a horrifying thought.  Sure – for many of us, there’s the hope of an afterlife with God, but we’re not always 100% sure what that’s going to look like.  We have faith that God will be there, but it’s still the unknown, and there’s still loss when transitioning from this life to the next.

***Sorta Spoiler Alert*** The most beautiful part in the movie is the end, where salvation is found in the love of people surrounding us.  That’s all I’ll say.  ***End of Spoiler Alert***

As we see in this movie and so many others, the chaos that occurs in response to the pending apocalypse is probably the scariest part of many films.  Some people are violent.  There are others who are kind.  The beautiful moments in these films are the human interactions that show love even in the face of doom.

Even if the world doesn’t end in fire and/or ice, with a bang or a mushroom cloud, there are still endings and beginnings.  My new apocalypse is turning 40.

Sure, this is absolutely a first-world problem.  But as the day grows closer, I still experience this sense of doom and loss.  What will the other side of 40 look like?  Who will be there?

It’s hard to do but instead of looking at 40 as the end of my young adulthood and the end of life’s summer, I instead look for a new hope.  There is hope after the long decade of my 30’s.  There is newness in a new decade, a new year.

So why does Advent start with such a shadow-like text?  We might as well be watching an apocalyptic marathon.  Because, unlike the apocalyptic movies, Jesus shows us that the end is a new beginning.  The end of our church year is a beginning of a new one.   The end of my 30’s is the beginning of a new decade with new levels of confidence and new relationships.  I am blessed to have so many by my side as I cross the threshold of a new decade.

So the fig trees are ripening, the year is ending and gray hairs are beginning to grow in my scalp.  Even so, the presence of God and neighbor are here, and that is where I find my hope.

Hoping With…

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

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Adapted from original posting on here 12/30/10.  Inspired by Grey’s Anatomy, season 3, episode 12

Hoping is a communal action.

Dr. Preston Burke says it best in a season 3 episode of Grey’s Anatomy.  George O’Malley’s father was diagnosed with advanced cancer.  We no longer see “George the doctor” but “George the patient’s son.”

As his father’s body experiences organ failure, George turns to Burke, the cardio surgeon, to discuss father’s health.  Preston alludes that George’s father probably won’t be coming back from this.  Preston tells George that what he can do is “hope with you.”

Hoping with… what a unique way to show solidarity with those in pain and those grieving. Usually, hope is something that I will do for me and you will do for you.  Hoping seems like a very private and internal journey.  But what if the journey of hope is intended to be something we do with others?  When our hope seems dwindling, what if someone comes along side of us and keeps the hope going?

Hoping with someone has its risks.  Maybe it means that we risk our emotions in hoping.  We sit in the depths of the ditch with our neighbor, and our heart is with them in that ditch.  As their hope becomes our hope, we, too, risk having hope pass us by.

If we identify with the Christian faith, we are undoubtedly in the hope business.  We are in the tomb with Christ, hoping for resurrection.  We are with the women at the tomb, hoping for a better day.

Hope isn’t just for Easter.  At Christmas, hope comes as we wait for the birth of someone who embodied God’s love.  Hope comes as we know night will not last forever, and longer days are ahead.

For what are you hoping?  How can I hope with you?

Thanksgiving, Black Friday and… Winter’s Holy Week

24 Saturday Nov 2012

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I would like to thank my clergy friends for a discussion topic on Facebook: Black Friday vs. Good Friday.*  Because of them and the movement of the Holy Spirit, I couldn’t stop thinking about the special connection between these two Fridays.

My initial thought was that they are complete opposite festivities… one being the day people give their heart and soul for consumerism, the other that someone gave their heart and soul for justice… Wait… Not so fast… I need to get over my Thanksgiving turkey coma before really diving into this topic…

Once my coma wore off and I began to read one or two other comments in the discussion, I realized there were more similarities.

First of all, for those who believe solely in sacrificial atonement may arrive at the conclusion that these two days are complete opposites.  As I mentioned earlier, to some people Good Friday is good because they believed Jesus died to save their sins.  But not everyone believes that model of atonement.

Many of us believe that Jesus died because of our sins not for our sins.  Because of a broken system in which few had great power and many were disposable, Jesus had to stand up as a voice for the voiceless and to give dignity to the unclean.  Because of his courage and risk, Jesus was forced to face the cross.  Thus, Good Friday is a sad day in which we remember something bad that happened to someone who loved with his whole heart.  Good Friday is a gloomy day.

It’s not the only ominous Friday.

I’ve worked in retail.  While I’ve worked on Black Friday, I never truly experienced the chaos of a store opening.  I have, however, worked full-time in a department store during the weeks before Christmas.  I was exhausted.  Through this gloomy holiday memory, I experienced the disillusionment of Christmas.  While most people darted in and out of stores, some left the negativity which rippled through each of our lives.  Christmas was no longer a season of joy and sparkle but a time of dismay under florescent store lights.  (Fortunately, I found my resurrection since my retail days by working in non-profits and churches.  But I wonder where others find their resurrection while working in bleak midwinter at the mall…)

Thinking back to my retail experience, Black Friday wasn’t the beginning of the festive Christmas Season but a reminder of the somber parts of Holy Week and the despair of Good Friday.  Little did I realize that I was in need of resurrection and renewal.

By comparing Black Friday to Good Friday, I see a Christ who is in solidarity with the retail worker.  I am reminded of a Jesus who experienced the impact of a broken system.  Likewise, those in retail during the holidays experience the same brunt of a broken economic system.  I recall the story of Jdimytai Damour, a retail worker who died when opening the doors to Black Friday crowds.  Damour was just trying to do his job and earn a paycheck.  Instead, he met his demise in the cracks of an unjust and broken system.  I think Jesus wanted to be on that cross as much as the Damour wanted to be trampled in a 2008 Walmart stampede.

Both workers and shoppers have been hurt in the name of great sales.  And each year it gets bigger.  Rarely do people challenge the way the system works.  In fact, more sales are desired by the “powers that be.”  Hours are expanded.  Sales are promoted greater than the prior year.  Corporations understand that having a few items that many people want (and couldn’t otherwise afford) will drive people into the stores.  Because dignity comes with owning certain items, people will forgo time with their loved ones to make purchases.  (I highly recommend reading this article by Diana Butler Bass.)  The value of Thanksgiving lessens while the value of Black Friday increases.

The way that I would like to explain how much Black Friday has grown is through this analogy: what if Good Friday was celebrated at the exclusion of Maundy Thursday?  What if we stopped celebrating Maundy Thursday, the supper and the words of institution?  What if we removed the story of Jesus celebrating Passover with his friends and just focused on his arrest and death?  Corporate’s decision to veil Thanksgiving by adding store hours is the equivalent of Jesus being arrested before celebrating Thursday’s Passover meal.  It’s hiding the sacredness of our annual meal-sharing.  Time specifically set aside to sit at the table, relax and enjoy family, friends and food has now been taken away to worship the almighty dollar and a very broken system.

I find it interesting that both Black Friday and Good Friday arrive after the day of meal-sharing.  In Jesus’ time, it was the Passover meal.  In our time, we share the Thanksgiving table.  Peaks of kindness hover over the food.  Prayers given in gratitude for the incredible blessings in our life.

Yet the warmth of the food and love at the Table begins to drift away.  In the midst of the night, Jesus begins to experience the chills of abandonment and hate.  Workers all around our country travel to work as the moon lurks overhead.  As doors open to the whirlwind of coveting hearts, the loving energy of Thanksgiving is drained from the retail workers souls.  Rarely does someone find their death at the hands of a broken system like Damour did.  However, souls are crushed and spirits begin to die through the exhaustion and heartlessness that a retail worker can experience throughout the holiday season.

When does the resurrection come?  For Good Friday, it was the “third” day.  They needed to experience only two restless nights and resurrection was experienced.

Yet after our Thanksgiving Thursday and Black Friday, resurrection is rarely seen on the following Sunday.  Shoppers still fight the crowds, hoping to find a parking space and getting grumpy when they can’t find what they are looking for.  Workers continue to work the expanded hours and feel the ripple effect of negativity.

If we believe that Christ is in solidarity with the retail worker, resurrection is needed.  Since it probably won’t come on the Sunday after Black Friday, or for another three to four weeks, some kind of hope is needed in the lives of retail workers.

What does this look like?  How can we bring renewal, grace and hope to those working in the retail business?

First of all, we can stand for the dignity of the workers.  This may include writing to corporate headquarters to let them know if their employer practices do not seem fair.

Secondly, we can be aware of how we treat the retail workers.  They are on their feet five to eight hours per day.  Many are making little over minimum wage.  On top of all of this, they are encountering lots of shoppers each day, many of whom are grumpy.  We can bring smiles and joy to their day and help them see the love of Christ whose birthday we mark with the purchase of these gifts.  We can ask them how they are doing and treat them as humans, not servants.  Retail workers are God’s children and made in God’s image.

There is very little joy in either Black Friday and Good Friday.  Because of greed and selfishness, people hurt.   Yet helping people find resurrection sooner rather than later will assist them in finding the presence of God in their midst.

*Special thanks to Désirée Hartson Gold and Chris McArdle

Ferris Bueller remembers the Sabbath

24 Wednesday Oct 2012

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Torigian… Torigian…

Well, of course I’m here!

I was the youth with semesters of perfect attendance and involved in MANY after-school activities.  I wouldn’t be the student wanting to take the day off to head to the Cardinals game, head to the Hill for lunch or traipse around the St. Louis Art Museum in an effort to skip history class.  In fact, opportunities for Sabbath seemed slim since I was involved in so many activities.

Now that I’m getting to the age where I could easily be a parent of a high school student, I have begun to look at Ferris Bueller as the slacker kid that decides to skip school one last day before high school graduation.  Could I be more judgmental and more wrong?

Maybe Ferris just needed the day off because he needed some “self-care”.  Would Jesus take a day off for some self-care?  Scripture shows that Jesus needed to get away from the enthusiastic crowds for some “chill” time.  He didn’t work every hour of every day.  Granted, we don’t see him riding on a float in a parade, but we do see him riding on a donkey in a parade…

If you were to stop and create a fun and relaxing day off, what would your true Sabbath look like?  Would you take a road trip to Chicago to catch a ballgame or ride a float in a parade?  Would you walk in a park, see a matinee or just go home to take a nap?

“Life moves pretty fast… If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Sabbath gives us each a chance to see the details of life.  When we stop to see the small moments, we see God much clearer.  Could Ferris experience the presence of God while singing to thousands in downtown Chicago?  Could Ferris experience God’s presence while staring at the works of art? Maybe “playing hookey” isn’t the most ethical way to spend time.   However, remembering to take time to rest, spend with friends, value our lives and look for God is needed.  When our work swallows any Sabbath and any chance to relax, it could be time to reevaluate our lives and our schedules.

While I’m only taking days off when I’m actually sick or scheduled a vacation, sometimes, it’s worth taking ten minutes, twenty minutes or an hour to take a walk, get a cup of coffee or drive through a park.  Maybe that super-short Sabbath will shine a stronger light on God’s presence.  Maybe we will refocus our minds to discern God’s call with more clarity.

Or maybe we will just cherish life a little more…  just like Ferris…