Unfinished

Why Church? The Fading Uniqueness in a Post-Christian World

2012-02-08T19:55:00.001-05:00

The other day I read a Facebook post by fellow Presby, Bruce Reyes-Chow:

"If a church denomination, association, or organization took their website offline as part of the SOPA Strike, would anyone notice?

In my 10 years of youth ministry, I would venture to guess that unless there was an upcoming event that required folks to sign-up via said website, not many would notice.

This playful, although quite serious inquiry, also leads to a much larger question: if the church ceased to exist in a particular community would anyone notice? Still more, would anyone miss it?

Over the course of my young ministry career I have discovered that, at least in the 'burbs, church is no longer central to the vast majority of professing Christians. Yes, it is true that we live in a post-Christian context whereby the church is no longer central to the dominant culture. However, when it can be assessed that we not only live in a post-Christian "secular" society, but also permit a post-church Christian worldview, questions need to be asked.

My question: Is it even possible to profess to be Christian aside from a commitment to and covenanted relationship with a local church?

I think some believe the affirmative. If you ask your average pew sitter to describe what it means to be Christian you will often hear responses like, "to be a good person," "to love others," "to serve the less fortunate," and a whole host of musings related to deep-seeded twenty-first century altruism also confessed by organizations like the United Way and your local Rotary Club. These statements are not completely void of truth; rather, they are sure elements of Christian discipleship. Yet rarely are they followed by any reference to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Youth Ministry guru, Kenda Creasy-Dean, refers to this phenomena as "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism,"[1] a cultural doctrine that has infiltrated the Christian church and robbed God's people of its unique confession and related mission in and for the world. In other words, if Christianity is what many Christians "confess" it to be, the uniqueness of the church has abruptly faded only to be absorbed by the plethora of other communities, organizations, not-for-profit agencies, and therapeutic spirituality promoted by pop-psychology and cultural trend.

Said differently, why church when you can love your neighbors through Boy Scouts of America? Why church when you can participate in charity and community service through your local philanthropy club? Why church when you can be embraced by a community of like-minded people with a common goal through local athletics? Why church when you can find healing, strength, and spirituality through "leadership" retreats organized by the public school? [2] Why church when you can exercise your unique gifts for the benefit of others through school choirs, bands, and tuturing programs? Why church when there as many religious options in your community as there are cereals in your grocer's breakfast aisle?

Why church?

Again, if the local church ceased to exist would we miss it? Would we struggle to revive it? Or would we be relieved that we have one less organization to fund? Would we feel as though our evenings are finally liberated because we now have one less social activity to drive our kids to on the weekends? Would we relish the death of a committee and related responsibilities we never really liked in the first place? Would we be energized because Sunday mornings would actually become a time for rest? Would all that we "confess" as markers of the church simply be absorbed in the vast array of service organizations and clubs that lobby for and already claim our allegiances?

My question: Has a shallow and faulty understanding of church made the Body of Christ just one more entity we feel obligated to join so to keep pace with the Joneses?

That said, I pray for resurrected understandings of the uniqueness of church confession and mission whereby faith language and action are reunited. I pray for an ecclesial identity revival whereby we speak against injustice, exercise radical hospitality, quest to alleviate poverty and homelessness, practice peace and enemy love, speak for those whose voices go unheard, intervene in the midst of heinous crimes against humanity, tell stories of grace, and entertain strange guests in our home not because we want to be good people, although we do, but because these are the marks of Jesus' disciples who make up the church near and far. I pray that our present patterns and ways of being in the world would be pursued in light of our future anticipations- dreams of the day to come when God will make all things new and right because of God's work in and through Jesus. I pray that when asked about our hope, our love, and our life lived to the full, we would have the courage to confess Jesus as reason and motivation.

Why church? Because the object and subject of our faith is a crucified and resurrected Jesus from Nazareth, the world's Messiah, who is in process of resurrecting a crucified world. And yes, this cruciform resurrection is the vocation of the Christian church...its what makes us unique.

I have a fondness for the rich language of the reformed tradition. I believe that just when you feel you have had enough of the G-1.whatever and the endless hoops and hurdles blindly prescribed, protected, and preserved, the Spirit unexpectedly shows up and, as Jesus promised, bears witness to all Jesus said, did, and called the church to be:

"Membership in the Church of Jesus Christ is a joy and a privilege. It is also a commitment to participate in Christ’s mission. [3] A faithful member bears witness to God’s love and grace and promises to be involved responsibly in the ministry of Christ’s Church. Such involvement includes: proclaiming the good news in word and deed, taking part in the common life and worship of a congregation, lifting one another up in prayer, mutual concern, and active support, studying Scripture and the issues of Christian faith and life, supporting the ministry of the church through the giving of money, time, and talents, demonstrating a new quality of life within and through the church, responding to God’s activity in the world through service to others, living responsibly in the personal, family, vocational, political, cultural, and social relationships of life, working in the world for peace, justice, freedom, and human fulfillment, participating in the governing responsibilities of the church, and reviewing and evaluating regularly the integrity of one’s membership, and considering ways in which one’s participation in the worship and service of the church may be increased and made more meaningful." (G- 1.0304, PCUSA Book of Order) [4]

I wonder what would happen if God's people indeed "reviewed and evaluated regularly" the above ecclesial identity? The strong declaration that the church is the means by which God's people "participate in Christ's mission" and whose vocation begins with vocalized and incarnated proclamations of the gospel, reminds us that the church is unique. We follow Jesus. It's all about Jesus and Jesus' mission. Even more, if we choose to live into this unique identity with creativity and risk the church would not only be missed if its presence were removed from a particular context, but also Christians situated there would be filled with the Spirit to birth new communities, or resurrect old ones, of gathered and scattered disciples. And the world would be grateful if and when they did.

This past Sunday, as with every Sunday, we professed our faith through the Apostle's Creed. In the final stanza it declares, "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of sants, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting."

Why Church?

Because I believe in the church and all the Holy Spirit does in and through it as God's people participate in Christ's mission in and for the whole world. And if the church were not here, not only would I notice, but also I would deeply miss it.

Notes:

[1] A great book where she illustrates this is, Almost Christian (Oxford 2010).

[2] Many of my high school students have recently participated in a program called "Link." I would love to learn more about it, which is hard to do, but it appears to reflect a new age spirituality guised in leadership development. It is quite secretive in its programmatic structure, which leaves me skeptical, and has pulled kids away from several church related events.

[3] Another great statement From BOO: "The Church bears witness in word and work that in Christ the new creation has begun, and that God who creates life also frees those in bondage, forgives sin, reconciles brokenness, makes all things new, and is still at work in the world. To be members of the body of Christ is to be sent out to pursue the mission of God and to participate in God's new creation, God's kingdom drawing the present into itself." (F-1.0302, d). See related post, "Refreshing Revisions."

[4] I am grateful for the recent conversations with members of Westminster Presbyterian Church whereby we have explored in depth this citation and related understandings of membership as "general ordination" to participation in the reign of God.

[5] A great article, written by Adam Copeland, was in recent edition of Christian Century: "No Need for Church."

Eyes to See & Ears to Hear: Book & Music Recommendations

2012-02-02T11:12:00.002-05:00

I am conviced that a large part of what it means to follow Jesus is to be completely other-centered. That is, everything about who we are and what we do should serve to benefit others. This includes our financial decisions, residential selections, career choices, church involvements, ballot castings, food preparations, and consumer purchases. I even believe that what we read and listen to should be shared with others so to aid in their formation as a called and sent people of God.

That said, I thought I would post this week a simple list of books I have read and music that has influenced me in the past year or so. Feel free to click the links and engage as you quest to have your eyes and ears exposed to a variety of selections related to all things theology, faith, Scripture, culture, worship, justice, and our missional vocation in and for the world. I would also love for you to post your recommendations to me...

Bookshelf (no particular order)

Myers, Ched. Binding the Strongman: A Political Reading of Mark's Gospel. Orbis, 1988.

Myers, Ched, et al. "Say to This Mountain." Orbis, 1996.

Tickle, Phyllis. The Great Emergence. Baker Books, 2008.

Heinberg, Richard. The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality. New Society, 2011.

Hall, Douglass John. The Cross in Our Context. Augsburg, 2003.

Corbett, Steve and Brian Fikkert. When Helping Hurts. Moody, 2009.

Hilfiker, David. Urban Injustice: How Ghettos Happen. Seven Stories, 2002.

O' Connor, Elizabeth. Call to Commitment, The Potter's House Bookservice, 1975.

O'Connor, Elizabeth. Eighth Day of Creation. The Potter's House Bookservice, 1971.

Barth, Karl. Evangelical Theology. Eerdmans, 1963.

Barth, Karl. Philippians. Westminster John Knox, 2002.

Moltmann, Jurgen. Theology of Hope. Fortress, 1967.

Kosuke Koyama. Water Buffalo Theology. Orbis, 1999.

Origen: An Exhortation to Martyrdom, Prayer, and Selected Works. Paulist Press, 1979.

Dean, Kenda Creasy. Almost Christian. Oxford 2010.

Block, Peter. Community. Berrett-Koehler, 2008.

Bass, Diana Butler. A People's History of Christianity. HarperOne, 2009.

Balthasar, Hans Urs Von. Dare We Hope, "That All Men Be Saved"? Ignatius, 1988.

Forest, Jim. The Road to Emmaus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life. Orbis, 2008.

Bell, Rob. Love Wins. HarperOne, 2011.

Borg, Marcus. Putting Away Childish Things: A Modern Tale of Faith. HarperOne, 2010.

Playlist
Mumford & Sons. Sigh No More (2009)
Jars of Clay. The Shelter
Tim Hughes. "God of Justice"
Once: Original Soundtrack
Switchfoot, Vice Verses (2011)
The Decemberists, The King Is Dead (2011)
David Bazan, Curse Your Branches (2009)
Anything by Matisyahu
Derek Webb, "Take to the World"
Gungor, Beautiful Things (2010) and Ghosts Upon the Earth (2011)
Ordinary Time, "Holy Spirit, Truth Divine"

Gospel of Mark: Disciples Called to Animate the Messianic Narrative

2012-01-28T18:04:00.001-05:00

Karl Barth once wrote, "Theology responds to the Word which God has spoken, still speaks, and will speak again in the history of Jesus Christ which fulfills the history of Israel" (Evangelical Theology, 20). That is to say, the Word of God is not a frozen specimen to be dissected, rather a living and active testament to what God has done, is doing, and will continue do in and through the person and work of Jesus and those who profess to be Jesus' disciples. In this vein, Scripture warrants readers to move beyond mere passive spectating and into real participation, i.e. what Ched Myer's calls "theological animation." [1]

This is particularly significant when one engages the Gospel of Mark.[2] All too often the Church has approached the Gospel as though it were gifted to God's people in order to siphon desired timeless "Truths" and assent to absolute certainty about a series of theological propositions (especially those that assert the divinity of Jesus).[3] This oppressive and malevolent posture against Scripture not only domesticates the gospel within the (not-so) friendly confines of ivory theological towers, but also and especially de-fangs the biblical narrative of its contemporary significance intended to provoke the prophetic imagination of disciples past and present.

The Gospel of Mark exists for so much more. That is, Mark's writing is the intentional and subversive development of a "new literary genre" for the first-century Roman world: gospel (Myers 92). This gospel invites the people of God to shift their perspectives from the dominant and oppressive center, as occupied by the political and religious elite,[4] and towards what God's activity on the margins, i.e. the prophetic periphery. In other words, the Gospel of Mark is a call for hermeneutical and socio-political repentance that challenges our assumptions about what is good, just, right, and characteristic of the kingdom of God. Ched Myers writes:

"The evangelist Mark, too, enlisted into the war of myths in his day; he did so by writing his gospel, by retelling the story of Jesus of Nazareth and his struggles with the 'powers' of Roman Palestine. Today, how we interpret that Gospel depends upon our reading of, and engagement in, the war of myths that still continues." (4).

Therefore, whenever we engage in Bible Study, either as individuals or in the context of community, we eavesdrop on a cross-cultural religious and socio-political conversation (45). This rolling dialogue challenges the powers-that-be [5], past and present, which infringe upon God's dreams for the world and God's special concern for dwellers on the periphery.

That said, it is the task of anyone who reads the Gospel of Mark to pay close attention and uncover the poignancy of this "war on myths," not so much for the purpose of intellectual ascent, rather as means to animate radical discipleship in twenty-first century contexts. In so doing, disciples of the crucified and resurrected Messiah will begin to discover that the gospel is not only what God said, but also and especially what God continues to say in and through the person and work of Jesus. If we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear the message of Mark, we will soon discover that this divine activity often takes place, much to our surprise, on the periphery of our power-hungry world. It is only fitting to end where we began- with Karl Barth:

"The community does not speak with words alone. It speaks by the very fact of its existence in the world; by its characteristic attitude to world problems; and, moreover and especially, by its silent service to all the handicapped, weak, and needy in the world. It speaks, finally, by the simple fact that it prays for the world. It does all this because this is the purpose of its summons by the Word of God. It cannot avoid doing these things, since it believes" (Evangelical Theology, 38).

Notes:

[1] Much of my reading on the Gospel of Mark is framed in light of Ched Myers' work, Binding the Strong Man (Orbis, 1988). All citations here are from this text, unless otherwise noted.

[2] This post was written in preparation for and use within an upcoming course on the Gospel of Mark, as prescribed by the Revised Common Lectionary (Year B).

[3] This is not to say that the divinity of Jesus cannot be derived from the Gospel of Mark; rather, this theological conviction, contrary to much of what is taught and assumed, is not the primary focus of the gospel writer

[4] "The 'center-periphery' model is in many respects germane also to the world, and hence the site, of Mark himself. The ancient Mediterranean world was dominated by the rule of imperial Rome. However, whereas I read from the center, Mark wrote from the Palestinian periphery. His primary audience were those whose daily lives bore the exploitative weight of colonialism, whereas mine are those who are in a position to enjoy the privileges of the colonizer" (6).

[5] A great and related read on these "powers" is Walter Wink's, Engaging the Powers (Fortress Press, 1992).

Life as Liturgy: A Pastoral Prayer for Worship

2012-01-15T22:58:00.001-05:00

The Westminster community has begun a series on the vision and mission of our congregation. This week we engaged, "Worship as Our First Calling." Below is the pastoral prayer that some have asked to be posted or sent as we continue to contemplate what it looks like to not "go" to worship, rather to live into worship. Said best, life is liturgy.

God of creation, we are reminded that from the very beginning you have had a vision for your people. You have called us your image bearers, made out of dust to radiate and reflect your goodness in the world. You have invited us to be story tellers and story dwellers, not only proclaiming with our lips but also living into with our very lives how you have worked in and through your people throughout history. You have dreamed for us to be peacemakers, justice seekers, care givers, resource sharers, and hope instillers. You have provoked us to have the ears to hear the cries of the oppressed, the yearnings of the broken, the struggles of the wounded, and the pleas of the long forsaken, marginalized, and ignored. Still more, you have nudged us to have the eyes to see where we can be a people of liberation, agents of healing, and incarnations of your radical hospitality.

Yet above all, you have fashioned us to be worshipers. All that we say and do as individuals and a community of faith is wrapped up as a living sacrifice to you who molded and shaped us to be your people in the world. While we may gather for worship in this place, may we also see every waking moment as an opportunity to live into the liturgy of the gospel beyond the four walls of this building..

May we wake as a call to worship.

May our daily interactions with neighbors, co-workers, family, friends, and the kid who sits alone at lunch be bold moments to affirm our faith.

May our encounters with those who have offended us and those we have offended be real moments to confess our need for forgiveness. Strengthen us so we may offer such forgiveness to another. Humble us so we can receive it when forgiveness is offered to us.

Make us a Eucharistic people, your body and blood in the world, who enter into the broken places. Make us willing and able to vision together where we can incarnate the love of Christ to the poor from High Street to Honduras. Lead us to pursue generosity from Market Street to Mexico. Guide us as we extend the table of compassion from the borough to Broad Street. We also ask that we would be able to enter into communion with those in this congregation who long for your help and peace:

Father, Son, Holy Spirit, we worship you as the one who created us, sustains us, and moves us all the more closer to the final day when all will worship you in spirit and in truth. Until that day, we give you thanks that you have enabled us to be a people who sing into the world this good news found in and through the person and work of Jesus, our Lord. And may the prayer Jesus taught us be the song that gives rhythm to all that we are and all that we strive to become as we say this prayer together:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, butdeliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the powerand the glory, forever. Amen

Why Talk Anymore? Community Formation & On-Line World

2012-01-10T19:11:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I was sitting next to a former student in the Imago Dei Youth Ministry when he mentioned to me a recent update regarding his brother,

"He got accepted into one of his top colleges."

“I know," I responded. "I saw on Facebook.”

He quickly commented back, “Why do we even talk anymore?”

There is a lot of truth to my friend’s tongue-in-cheek retort. We are so inundated with social media and various forms of on-line communication that real human interactions and verbal dialogue seem out-dated and redundant at best. Yet I wonder, do these electronic interactions and web-based conversations have any real depth? Do they ever extend much farther than clever emoticons and shorthand text-lingo? Can we actually form true community and worthwhile relationships over the world wide web?

So I offer my thoughts, certainly aware of the irony, through my blog.

Yes: Community Can Be Fostered On-Line

As a youth pastor I can say without a doubt that I have witnessed the birth and evolution of adolescent community through the medium of social networking sites like Facebook, Blogger, WordPress, and Twitter. The same rings true for the adult populous of our congregation. There is an ability to share information and swap formative resources through the simple posting of a URL to a given current event, news story, creative video, or pertinent commentary related to theology and/or Scripture. I have found some of my most sacred discoveries through friends within my on-line community.

Even more, some of my most intentional, raw, and honest dialogues, dare I say pastoral ministry, have taken place over the internet. I have discovered that there is a tendency for students and adults who typically balk at any interaction beyond superficial banter to share deeper elements of their story through wall posts, Facebook chats, and other social-network dialogue. There are caution flags to be waved, for sure, when we deceive ourselves and believe to have "security" and "confidentiality" through these variations of on-line community. Furthermore, we are all aware of the horrific incidents that should cause us to pause and be on-guard whenever we engage in on-line discourse. But these abuses of technology do not extinguish the plausibility, even certainty, that community can be generated on-line. Actually, in the emerging technological age, which is actually not emerging but already here, this variation of community occurs quite often. I not only am grateful for this, but also have benefited significantly.

No: On-Line Community Cannot Replace Tangible Human Interactions

In short, unless we are willing to enter into flesh and blood interactions with others we will never fully experience community as God intended. Again, this is not to say that beautiful forms of community do not take place on-line. Rather, it is to say that community can only reach its fullest of potential when people gather together in tangible ways. I think a theology of the incarnation can underscore the significance of this suggestion.

The Christian tradition throughout history has held fast to the theology of Jesus as "God-in-flesh." In other words, while God's people, prior to the incarnation of Jesus, were able to pilgrimage together en route towards God's dreams for the world, confident that God was with them, only through the advent of Immanuel does the imago Dei fully experience and enter into fellowship with the Creator.

The Law: a gift.

The writings: a shared story.

The Temple: a sacred place.

But all of these are a mere shadow of the "with God life" compared to the actual incarnation of God in real human flesh. Still more, this Jesus as God incarnate called a people to live into the incarnation as they not only "provoke one another to love and good deeds," but also refuse to neglect the significance of "meeting together" (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Yet this is the habit of some.

I write all this because as I begin a new series with the Imago Dei Youth Ministry, "Below the Surface: Relationships and Faith of Depth," I am reminded how difficult it is to move beyond superficial dialogue and community engagements and to go deeper. As my former student said, "why do we even talk anymore?" Better said, do we even talk anymore? Or are we so entrenched in a Facebook world that we no longer have the capacity to engage in conversations, sustain strong relationships, covenant and commit to faith communities, and even pursue faith that dives below the surface.

Phyllis Tickle alludes to this in The Great Emergence:

"Dependency on machines, in other words, is part of the Great Emergence, and it infiltrates far more than our mundane activities. It infiltrates as well our unsettled and unsettling inability to determine where the line is between us and machines...how many of them we will allow into our bodies, how much we will allow them to stimulate our actions, how long we will be able to control them" (15).

I love social networking. I value the advances in technology that make communication with neighbors near and far possible in an instant. I am grateful for the ability to share ideas, stories, articles, videos, and thoughts through mediums like this blog with people all over the world and in my own church.

But while community may happen there, it does not end there. It should not end there.

Community needs to be incarnated. Community requires flesh and blood interactions...at least if we want our communities to move below the surface.

Note:

[1] Two great and relevant clips from Portlandia that expose the propensity for shallow conversations should we become so obsessed with community through social networking and media: "Technology Loop" & "Did You Read?"

The Year of Gratitude: Moving Beyond Mere Cynicism

2012-01-07T22:45:00.001-05:00

The past few years I have noticed that I have grown increasingly cynical. The circumstances of my own life, pastoral ministry to the life circumstances of others, encounters with poverty and contexts of oppression, rapid reading and engagement with current events, and a whole host of other factors have resulted in a very jaded version of me. Said differenty, suspicion and cynicism have become my new religions.[1] I have noticed that without fail many conversations move rather quickly from friendly discourse to critical banter. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the desire to move beyond superficiality and to challenge the status quo, to be defined by cynicism and suspicion is a deadly trap to the human spirit. This trap has begun to dig its teeth into my soul and cripple my passion. Even worse, I have begun to miss the beautiful attestations to God's kingdom alive and well all around me: in my family, my community, my church, and the world.

I have a particular zeal for the prophetic tradition and concern that is to play a pivotal role in God's people and ecclessial witness. We must be willing to ask the hard questions, to pull back the curtain on false assumptions and cheap imitations of truth, and to expose the idols of our culture and socio-political systems that continue to oppress and offend so many.

Said differently, we are to be a people of the cross.

Yet we must not forget that we are also a people of the resurrection.

Even more, we are a people who claim the Eucharist as sacramental center to our worship and missional vocation in the world.

And Eucharist means to give thanks.

I need to be more Eucharistic. This is my New Year's resolution.

I declare 2012 as the "Year of Gratitude," I proclaim 2012 as the year of thanksgiving. I resolve to make 2012 a fresh opportunity to incarnate a Eucharistic frame of mind.

In 2012 I will move beyond mere cynicsm and strive to give thanks for the many blessings around me...

Maybe you will join me...Maybe you can help me...

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:15-17).

Note:

[1] A great song by Switchfoot, "Selling the News" (2011).

Big Bang Theory and Christmas Reciprocity

2011-12-20T11:34:00.000-05:00

"The foundation of Christmas is reciprocity. You haven't given me a gift, you've given me an obligation."

---Sheldon

My wife's family has raved about Big Bang Theory for years, yet I had never invested the time into another 30-minute sitcom. However, when I recently stumbled on a re-run of a Christmas special, I was won over by the cynicism of Sheldon. Further, the lanky genius' commentary on "the foundation of Christmas" is not only comical, but also drips with pertinent theological claims. Sheldon and his fellow nerds are in the midst of their Wii bowling night, complete with button down shirts and alley-esque rental shoes, when their neighbor, Penny, drops in and asks if hey will be putting up a Christmas tree. Sheldon proceeds to explain why he does not celebrate "Saturnalia," the actual root of the Christmas tree tradition, only to be taken back when Penny thwarts his aversion to the holiday. That is, Penny has purchased and wrapped gifts for her neighbors.

Sheldon asks, "But why would you do such a thing?"

Sheldon refuses Penny's generosity and instead underscores her "silly neighbor presents" as attestation to Christmas "reciprocity," the foundation of seasonal anxiety and depression.

Again, "The foundation of Christmas is reciprocity. You haven't given me a gift, you've given me an obligation."

I have mulled over these Big Bang remarks and have come up with three musings in response to Sheldon's "theology" and scoial commentary:

1. The intensity of Christmas consumption and related anxiety is indeed about as foreign to the Spirit of the season as Saturnalia. We have become a culture that grosses nearly 450 billion dollars in frivolous purchases, ranging from the aged Ferbies to diamonds, as-seen-on-t.v. white elephant gifts to dust collecting stocking stuffers. We set monetary limits on gifts and "spend" entire weekends trying to make sure we have made our obligatory purchases for someone who may or may not be getting us something for the holiday. And if we think for a moment that we are not a part of this oppressive cycle, maybe find it amusing "when it's not happening to us, " in an instant we are convicted and confess, "it's happening to us!" In this regard, Sheldon is right, this obligatory reciprocity consumes Christmas and results in something many of us may no longer want to celebrate.

2. We have great difficulty receiving free gifts of generosity and grace. We constantly respond to others no-strings-attached gifts with statements like, "you didn't have to," "but I didn't get you anything," or "you shouldn't have." We see the "L" sticker with our name on it and we respond not with gratitude and thanksgiving, rather lamentation over our inability to offer something in return. We are o.k. to be those who give charity, but hesitate to be recipients. We feel vulnerable and weak and so maybe begin to make our purchases in the year-to-come a little earlier so that we are the first to give, not out of love, but as players in competitive charity. Again, Sheldon, you are spot on.

3. Still more, I wonder if Sheldon's remarks are comic sketches of missional theology. In other words, maybe the foundation of Christmas is reciprocity. Maybe the incarnation is not only a free gift, but also an obligatory invitation. While we may be quite comfortable to sit as observers of Christmas pageants, listeners of the Christmas stories, hearers of Christmas sermons, and pew-sitters in sacred services, the advent of Christ is no diorama. Instead, the gift of God as Immanuel invites a human response. We not only gaze, but also and especially engage. We must move beyond observation and pursue participation. Said best, "we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). God's gift to us is an opportunity for us to give back in gratitude, as an act of worship that illustrates our love for the one who first loved us. Again, thank you Sheldon. Actually, Merry Christmas Sheldon.

Tebow. Maccabees. Advent of Christ.

2011-12-15T10:38:00.000-05:00

I have a confession: Tebow Mania has won me over. I have become enamored with the young phenom's ability to win despite critics and cynics, to include his coach and John Elway. While I am not convinced that Tebow will be able to have a long and successful NFL career as a prolific pocket passer, his reverse-Lebron performances (i.e. absent for three quarters, come up big in the fourth) have proven that there is something about this kid that enables him to win games.[1]

Some have called it magic.

Others attribute it to his faith.

All find it difficult to explain. Tebow is unorthodox in technique. Timmy T is awkward and even slow in his delivery. And when it comes to his uncanny leadership, selfless demeanor, and ability to win, win, win, the Gator turned Bronco, born in the Philippines to missionary parents, is the byproduct of some of the most unnatural skill sets the NFL has ever seen.

And no one is quite sure what to make of it.

Something else may seem quite unnatural, certainly not normal- reading the Apocrypha as an Advent discipline. That's right, I decided to read what was going on in-between the Testaments that provided context for the first Christmas. So I am plowing my way through 4 Maccabees, an anonymous portion of Christian Scripture (according to 2/3 of the Christian church)[2] that underscores God's gift of reason:

"Now when God fashioned human beings, he planted in them emotions and inclinations, but at the same time he enthroned the mind among the senses as a sacred governor over them all. To the mind he gave the law..." (2:21-22).

The author(s) proceed to illustrate, through various athletic metaphors that bear resemblance to Pauline writings, the vitality of reason in the training of God's people for witness, mission, and life lived in the economy of God. This is especially pertinent as Maccabees builds towards the narration of seven brothers martyred by the evil Antiochus IV Epiphanes, whom some have labeled as the first Hitler. In other words, the essence of Maccabees is to goad God's people towards faith and reason found in the Law that may be quite unconventional and unnatural:

"Thus as one adopts a way of life in accordance with the law, even though a lover of money, one is forced to act contrary to natural ways and to lend without interest to the needy and to cancel debt when the seventh year arrives...It is evident that reason rules even the more violent emotions: lust for power, vain glory, boasting, arrogance, and malice" (2:8,15).

...to act contrary to natural ways.

Yes, this is the mandate of God's people whose minds are governed by the reason of God.

And God's reason is quite unnatural.

The Advent of Christ and all that surrounds it- quite unnatural.

A virgin pledged in marriage conceives the promised Messiah.

An elderly woman and her priestly husband shamed by infertility give birth to an unconventional prophet.

Shepherds as visitors to a manger maternity ward.

Magi and wisdom teachers from the East, a land known for its oppressive history towards God's people, bring gifts to this child and reroute in order to avoid an oppressive Roman emperor and his malicious plan.

Even more, the message and mission of this Christ child who grows into his Messianic identity- unnatural.

The first shall be last, the last shall be first.

Sell all you have and give to the poor.

If you want to save your life you must lose it.

Carry your cross.

Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you.

Blessed are the peacemakers, they are the children of God.

Woe to the rich.

Forgive.

Turn the other cheek.

Give your cloak, too.

Go the second mile.

Crucifixion at the hands of an oppressive empire.

Resurrection as hope for us and the whole world.

This is the reason of God-in-Flesh.

This is the mind of God that governs the Messianic passions.

We, too, are to have the mind of Christ.

Tebow. 4 Maccabees. The Advent of Christ. Unnatural, yes. Yet maybe that's how God has, is, and always will move in and through the faithful. May we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear how we may be called this Advent, Christmas, and everyday thereafter, to live into this unnatural kingdom of God.

Notes:

[1] As an aside, I actually agree with commentators who suggest that if Tebow did not have such a gifted defense and a kicker who was able to boot it through the uprights from 59 yards out, that we may be saying different things about Tebow and the Broncos. However, Tebow is the first to turn attention those same players, "It's not Tebow time; it's Bronco time."

[2] Catholic and Eastern Christians incorporate the Apocrypha in their canons. That said, I find it my Christian obligation to at least explore the texts that many of my christian brothers and sisters consider to be inspired and sacred texts.

[3] A great way to pursue unnatural Christmas giving is through the Advent Conspiracy, or your own variation: http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

Also, one of the best articles to date [updated post on 1/14/12] in regards to Tim Tebow. Simply beautiful: http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow

Partners in Mission: Youth Showing Us The Way

2011-12-08T16:17:00.001-05:00

The cover photo is of Imago Dei and Honduran Youth.

I recently co-autored an article with PCUSA mission co-worker, Mark Wright, which was published in the latest edition of PCUSA World Mission's magazine, Mission Crossroads. I encourage any one in the denomination to contemplate how to engage this extension of our vocation as a people of God and our interactions with the global church. If not connected to PCUSA, I encourage you to contemplate how you can engage your particular faith community's partnership with the church universal, especially within the developing world.

The article, "Partners in Mission: Youth Showing Us the Way," explores the process that lead the Imago Dei Youth of Westminster Presbyterian Church to partner with PCUSA World Mission and the Presbytery of Honduras. I have previously blogged about missional experiences as pilgrimage and partnership, see "Service Blitzes, Missional Pilgrims, and Jim Forest." However, this article underscores some of the nuts and bolts of what our pre-trip preparation looks like, a vital element of any youth ministry missional partnership.

Another great resource: "Short-term Missions: Paratrooper Incursion or 'Zaccheus Encounter'?" by Hunter Farrell, Director of PCUSA World Mission, and published in Journal of Latin American Theology: Christian Reflections from the Latino South (2007).

Spiritual Formation of Our Seven-Month Olds?

2011-12-06T11:01:00.001-05:00

Amber and I gifted this to Lily on her baptism.

This past Sunday my wife walked into worship mid-way through the sermon with Lily, 2 of 2 limited edition Klimovitz twins. Amber had arrived late due to our kids recent week-long battle with a wicked cold, yet the belated handoff was one of the more sacred moments I have experienced in worship. While it is quite common for our kids, not long after we make our grand circus entrance into the worship space, to be passed around and down the aisle of our friends and church family, this service I refused to let Lily go. I am not sure if it was the passage being read, a lyric sung, or the reminder that we were another week into Advent, but for some reason I felt a different grip of the Spirit. Then Amber walked in with Noah, i.e. 1 of 2, and the sacredness further enveloped me.

This time last year, Amber and I were anxiously waiting through Advent in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy. We were scared. We were hopeful. We were dreamers. We were worriers. We we were confident. We were uncertain. We held in tension the wonder and mystery of soon-to-be parents of two. Although at times we doubted, God was present with us the whole way.

I can say without hesitancy that those same things hold true today.

I wonder if that is what gripped me? I think it gripped us both. So as we moved through the liturgy, I could not help but not only sing out, but also sing into the ears of my daughter. I could not hold back from not only the recitation of prayers, but also gently whispering them into Lily's young mind. I could not refrain from incorporating my little girl into the sacredness of worship, an invitation for even her to enter into the life as a child of God, a baptized disciple of Jesus, and a member of the community of faith called the church.

In a way, these are the beginnings of Lily's spiritual formation. And as Amber held Noah next to me, I think these are the beginnings of his, too.

It could be said that when Christians have children they enter into a sacred and subversive art of spiritual formation. This artistic discipline, as Hauerwas and Willimon suggest, is also our baptismal obligation:

"Christians have children, in great part, in order to be able to tell our children the story. Fortunately for us, children love stories. It is our baptismal responsibility to tell this story to our young, to live it before them, to take time to be parents in a world that (though intent on blowing itself to bits) is God’s creation (a fact we would not know without this story). We have children as a witness that the future is not left up to us and that life, even in a threatening world, is worth living—and not because 'Children are the hope of the future,' but because God is the hope of the future." (Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, 60).

Amber and I have pondered what it will mean for us to tell this redemptive narrative to our kids.

How will we live into our responsibility not only as parents, but also and especially as baptized believers?

How will we form our children in the Way of Jesus and citizens of an alternative colony within the belly of an empire?

We have contemplated...

...what will happen if they begin each day with the Lord's Prayer as a different sort of pledge of faithful allegiance?

...how we will enable the dinner table be opportunities for holy laughter, shared stories, and reflections on divine encounters throughout the day?

...where we will be awakened by the movement of the Spirit through evening prayers?

...when we will provide space to ask questions and ponder the Scriptures together?

...how we will imagine opportunities to live into God's dreams for the world as a family and members of our church?

...how we will invite our kids to become channels of grace to their neighbors, friends, community, and especially those on the margins of society?

...ways we will seek to protect them from the world and ways we will be challenged to courageously expose them to it, even the most rawest and darkest elements?

Noah's baptismal gift :)

We recognize that for now we can only ponder. Yet this Advent reminds us that as we wait for the coming of Christ at Christmas, we also are invited to wait for the coming of our kids into their identity as faithful disciples and dreamers of God's future. And as we wait, we must continue to implement sacred rhythms and disciplines into our own lives as parents so that when they are able to take notice they cannot help but participate and enter into this sacred dance called faith.

Until then, we will continue to soak in these moments when we can hold either or both of our kids in worship as we enter into the sacred rhythm. We must, because these moments are certainly limited editions.

Note:

A great resource I have poured into recently is the latest edition of CONSP!RE, "a quarterly magazine of faith, art, justice, and community." The Summer 2011 edition was titled, "Children of God: Fearfully and Wonderfully Made," and incorporated a wide variety of articles and insights in regards to the spiritual formation of children. To subscribe visit: To view this edition: http://www.conspiremagazine.com/.

What Are We Waiting For? (First Sunday of Advent Sermon Text)

2011-11-29T07:36:00.001-05:00

Sermon Text: Mark 1:1-11

What are we waiting for? This is a common advent theme, as Advent is the season of waiting, expecting, longing, and hoping for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. While I would love to to begin with a clever story, a crafty illustration from my childhood, or even a humorous anecdote that would "prepare the way" for this sermon, I confess- I have nothing. That said, I thought that I would dive right into today's theme, text, eventual proclamation from today's "Face of Advent," John the Baptist, and what all this means for us as God's waiting and expectant people in and for the world.

So, what are we waiting for?

As my family gathered for thanksgiving this year I was reminded that many Americans are waiting for the holiday shopping season to begin. Actually, we cannot wait so Black Friday is now Black Thursday night.

This time last year Amber and I were anxiously waiting through a high risk pregnancy.

The Imago Dei Youth have spent the past four weeks working through and conversing about the message of the prophet, Habakkuk, who begins his discourse with a similar question consistent with many of the prophets, "How long, O, Lord?" Here were some of their responses of waiting written on old pieces of wood:

Read One (See Previous Blog Post)

I could ask those who attend Celebrate Recovery, "what are you waiting for," and they may say, you may say: we are waiting for strength to overcome addiction. Comfort as I struggle with deep rooted grief. Healing of pain buried for far too long.

If you ask members of this congregation and the roughly 8-10% of our national population (depending on polls), "what are you waiting for," the response is sure to be: steady employment. I am waiting for work, a paycheck. I long for the ability to provide for my family and their future.

If I asked new friends in Honduras, "what are you waiting for," they may say: we are waiting for an improved education system. We are waiting for our police force to provide protection versus promote corruption. We are waiting for justice in the political realm and peace in our neighborhoods.

If you ask victims of abuse, "what are you waiting for," you may give pause to their hopes for a voice, justice, healing, to be heard, safety, and protection.

If I asked the same question to Occupiers, "what are you waiting for," they would probably say: a fair and balanced economy. We are waiting for accountability.

I bring these up, because, despite what this season may reflect in the consumer-driven culture, we are a people and a humanity that are waiting for far more than new products, great deals, and Black Friday shopping sprees.

We are a people who have deep-seated anticipations and longings for the world around us to be different.

While we may participate in the race to nowhere, we want to be taken somewhere.

While we may wait through suffering in silence, we long for a voice.

We want to be delivered.

We want the creation to be liberated.

How long, O Lord, will this day ever come?

Then we turn to the first century, the very real context of today's passage, and we are invited to ask, "what were they waiting for?" What was John the Baptist, this prophet from the wilderness, waiting for?

In order to gain a glimpse of the longings and expectations of those who eagerly gathered by the Jordan to hear John's message, we must consider the religious tradition of Judaism.

Judaism is a religious tradition that hinges on story, narrative, and memory.

The poetic stories of creation. The flood stories. The patriarchal stories, i.e. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Yet the bulk of their storied tradition hinged on the Exodus motif. That is, they were to remember their story as an oppressed and enslaved people in Egypt, liberated from Pharaoh, and delivered through the waters of the sea.

This led to the Torah story and the gifting of God's people with a way of being in the world through the Law. They were to remember this story and live into this story as God's called and covenanted people, a light to the surrounding nations. In other words, the liberated people out of Egypt were to be a liberating community in and for the world, especially for the poor, oppressed, widows, orphans, resident aliens, and dwellers on the margins.

Again, their story of liberation and deliverance was to be the world's story of liberation and deliverance.

Yet everywhere they turned they witnessed suffering, injustice, oppression, and heinous crimes against humanity, to include those committed by God's people. They would even be overcome by neighboring nations and violent emperors, empires, and related armies. In short, their story and God's story were not meshing with reality. It could then be said that the story of Israel up to and during the time of Jesus was of exile, oppression,wandering, pondering, hoping, and expecting for God to act again and bring a new exodus, a final way out. This exodus, which would be led by a new Moses, a Messiah even, would be once and for all.

The real story of ancient Israel was of waiting. What were they waiting for?

Waiting for deliverance.

Waiting for salvation.

Waiting for peace.

Waiting for fair and balanced economics.

Waiting for direction.

Waiting for hope.

Waiting for home.

Waiting for God to act and make all things new and right. This may sound familiar...

Prophets often vocalized this waiting. How long, O, Lord? They would cry. Will you forget us forever? They would plea.

Prophets would even head out to the desserts to fast and pray on behalf of God's people. In the wilderness, much like their storied ancestors before they entered the land of promise, these prophets would petition and wait for a voice from God to announce that deliverance, once and for all, was coming...

Insert John the Baptist here- dressed in an attire that included a leather belt and camel hair and disciplined by a diet of locusts and honey. It is clear that despite the vocation of his father, Zechariah, John is no temple priest, rather a radical prophet.

What I love about today's text is that Mark's beginning is unlike any other of the gospels. Matthew begins with a family history of Jesus. Luke interweaves the birth stories of both John and Jesus. The Gospel of John hints at Jesus as the Word of God in flesh as the "beginning" of a new creation. But Mark gives us a rather odd illustration and characterization of John the Baptist that seems to parallel not only the Baptizers ministry, but also and especially that of Jesus, with the prophetic hope for a new Exodus.

Hear the echoes:

"Prepare the Way."

"A voice cries from the wilderness."

"They were baptized by him in the river Jordan."

John came out of the wilderness, as the passage Mark cites from Isaiah reminds us, to prepare the way out of captivity.

The message of John is urgent. John came out of the wilderness to announce it. The Baptist prophet invited his disciples to be baptized into it as preparation for this new exodus that was on the horizon.

And John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.

The word repent is a difficult word to digest. We have heard it on our television sets, maybe on city street corners, possibly at conventions, and on occasion in pulpits. We may cringe when it is spoken...maybe we should?

But I think scholar and author, Marcus Borg, helps to redeem the word for us:

"to repent is to 'go beyond the mind that you have'- to go beyond conventional understandings of what life with God is about" (Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary, 201)

That in mind, envision anew John's proclamation of a baptism of repentance.

It is as though the prophet John is saying to those gathered:

Go beyond your mind consumed by suffering.

Prepare yourself for an unconventional kingdom that is breaking in all around us.

No longer look towards temples or traditions, emperors or kings, for religious or socio-economic security.

Instead, get ready for God to act once and for all and incarnate a fresh understanding of what life with God is all about. It will be an unconventional way of deliverance.

Then we read the final stanza of today's text:

"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Jesus is not baptized here by John because he is in need of the confessional rite. Jesus is baptized because he is the one whom John has been waiting for. Jesus is the one the people of God gathered by the Jordan had been waiting for. Jesus is the new Moses, the Messiah, who announces and embodies this unconventional understanding of what life with God is all about.

Hear yet another Exodus echo as Jesus, much like the people lead out of Egypt, comes out of the water of his baptism, the Spirit descends upon this Messiah, and a voice announces, "You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased."

If you read on in Mark you will find that Jesus then immediately heads out, much like John, into the prophetic wilderness, only to return with a message similar to John's, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."

As N.T. Wright phrases it:

"[Jesus] was, in fact, to this extent very like John the Baptist, only more so" (Jesus and the Victory of God, 163)."

This is what the people of God had been waiting for. Jesus is who they had been, who we have been, waiting for.

And the signs, works, and message of Jesus' inaugurated kingdom are quite unconventional.

So, what are we waiting for?

It is easy to read today's text, sing a few songs, and leave this place inspired yet unchanged. Yet Mark reminds us throughout his gospel, especially in the dramatic beginning, that deliverance has once and for all come. Therefore, we are to stop waiting, change our minds, and live lives of urgent preparation for this unconventional kingdom of God that comes to us in and through the person and work of Jesus.

Again, what are we waiting for?

John calls us to look towards Jesus and pursue lives of unconventional preparation now.

In other words...

What are we waiting for to extend radical hospitality to our neighbors in need?

What are we waiting for to share resources and ideas in regards to poverty alleviation in our communities and around the world?

What are we waiting for to speak on behalf of those on the margins, the widows, the orphans, the homeless, and those long silenced by the powerful elite?

What are we waiting for to extend compassion to those who grieve and comfort to those who suffer?

What are we waiting for to look towards Jesus as the one who can set us free from addiction, lead us out of our greed, and move us towards a new family and community called the church?

What are we waiting for to confess our participation in unjust systems that exploit and creatively pursue alternative means to give, to serve, to love, and to live into God's future now?

What are we waiting for to share the good news of Jesus and the kingdom of God with friends, family, classmates, and co-workers?

What are we waiting for? Christmas?

May we repent from our waiting and proclaim with our lives and lips that in Jesus good news has come once and for all.

May we be a people who live unconventional lives of preparation for this new exodus that began in Jesus and will one day lead all, to include you and I, into a new and resurrected creation we will all call home.

So, may Jesus meet us in all our forms of waiting and longing this Advent.

Still more, may Jesus lead us out of and beyond our waiting and into unconventional preparations for the kingdom of God. Amen.

Joe Paterno and Habakkuk?

2011-11-14T12:32:00.001-05:00

"With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more." (Joe Paterno)

This is more than an epitaph on the career of one of college football's greatest legends, it is an indictment on all of us.

I am not interested in writing too much about the Penn State scandal. In fact, I hesitate to write anything at all, as the emotions it generates within a youth pastor and new father are so raw that a blog post neither does justice nor brings appropriate healing. Moreover, the vileness of child sexual abuse should speak for itself. It should. But it doesn't. Instead, like most forms of injustice, abuse, violence, and oppression, the issues are engaged and the victims find advocacy only in hindsight.

I confess: I have been enamored over the past week with the constant streaming of interviews, anecdotes, updates, and press conferences that have regarded the Sandusky scandal, the Paterno firing, and the grand jury report that brought both to the forefront of all news stations (I cannot bring myself to actually read it). However, as I have contemplated the atrocity I have also found it ironic that at the same time our youth ministry continues to engage the prophetic and woeful visions of Habakkuk:

“Alas for you who get evil gain for your houses,

setting your nest on high

to be safe from the reach of harm!”

You have devised shame for your house

by cutting off many peoples;

you have forfeited your life.

The very stones will cry out from the wall,

and the plaster will respond from the woodwork.

---Habakkuk 2:9-11

This is what I wrote for the students as an introduction to a contemplative and prophetic exercise, which engaged the above passage:

Often we interpret sin as when we do the wrong thing. But is it possible that sin can be understood as not doing the right thing? We are exposed to so many forms of suffering, abuse, evil, and injustice, whether they are in our homes, neighborhoods, communities, or schools. Even when we turn on the news it hits us: we live in a world that cries out to be made right and eased of its pain. Yet, how many times do we distance ourselves from these cries in the attempt to save ourselves, our stuff, our reputation, and our image? We have set ourselves apart from others harm only for the stones and plaster of our security to cry out on behalf of the weak and wounded of this world.

So what does Habakkuk have to do with Joe Paterno and Penn State?

Everything.

Again, "with the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more."

If we pause to consider the plethora of injustices and acts of violence that take place "on our watch," we would find that not only is Joe Paterno to be held accountable, but also each one of us. It is easy to demonize a fallen hero, much more difficult to listen to the cries of the stone and plaster walls we have constructed around our own reputations, families, goals, and lusts for security. We prefer to separate and ignore, isolate and overlook versus engage and advocate on behalf of a wide range of sufferings...and the list goes well beyond sexual abuse. How long must we cry never again and promise "not on our watch?"

Genocide.

Bullying.
Homophobia.
Sexual abuse.
Domestic violence.
Oppressive schedules.
Racism.
Classism.
Declarations of war.

The list could go on ad infinitum. Yet what will it take for us, for me, to respond and engage suffering and injustice before any one of us has to offer our own statement, "I wish I had done more."

There are many reasons that have been suggested for Joe Paterno's forced exit. Some have suggested that it was the Board of Trustees best opportunity to make a coaching change that has eluded them over the past 10 years. Others have demanded his resignation or termination with a level of hostility that would make one think that he was the actual perpetrator.

But I wonder, is Joe Paterno not only the scapegoat for a University and community that failed to respond to one of, if not the greatest manifestations of evil, but also one who now bears the guilt of all of us who have ever failed to do something. In other words, is our anger not only warranted, but also the projection of the shame each of us carries in light of our ignorance and silence in the face of so many forms of human suffering near and far.

If that is true, may this scandal no longer focus on a football program, a university, or legacies that have evaporated right before our eyes. Instead, may this be the opportunity for us to allow the stones and plaster of our communities to cry out on behalf of all those who suffer from whatever form of injustice, oppression, and marginalization. Still more, may we no longer ignore these cries but choose to echo and reverberate them.

May we prefer to act out of foresight versus hindsight.[1]

Note:

[1] As a youth pastor, I encourage every person who works with children to challenge their ministries, organizations, and institutions to revisit their child protection policies. This must be done not just to protect and preserve institutions from legal threats and accusations, but primarily to educate and inform people how to interact with children safely and responsibly. This may be one of the most compassionate extensions of our missional vocation, i.e. protecting children from abuse. In Pennsylvania each county has a Children and Youth Service organization, e.g. Chester County: http://www.chesco.org/cyf/site/default.asp . On a national level, a great resource is: http://www.childwelfare.gov/index.cfm
[2] Also, a great sermon by good friend Tony Sundermeier: "Not So Happy Valley: Power, Abuse, Leadership, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

Don't Worry. Look. Consider. Strive.: Part II of Fall Retreat Reflections

2011-11-08T10:05:00.002-05:00

"So why do I worry? Why do I freak out? God knows what I need. You know what I need." (Jon Foreman, "Your Love Is Strong")

Good question.

We are conditioned to worry. We live in a culture that promotes worry. The expectations of ______ demand that we worry until such expectations are met.

I suggest three reasons for our worry that come from Matthew 6:24-34:

High Expectations + Believed Lies = Increased Insecurities

We may be insecure about our own identity, body image, and self-worth. We have bought the lies spoken to us by those we thought were supposed to love us, at least tolerate us.

We face daily pressures by a world bent on status and success; we pursue the myth of achievement that tells us not to love neighbor, but to outdo and outlast our neighbor.

Even if we were to "achieve" these goals, by the time we do new ones are set or the old ones are not good enough- are we ever good enough?

Co-opted Imaginations + Forgotten Stories = Confused Identities

We frame our life around narratives and marketed images that have co-opted our imaginations. We believe that we are defined by what we own, what we wear, how we look, what teams we are on, or what parts we play. We no longer are allowed to discover our passions and gifts as God has given them to us, and then use them to transform the world around us. Instead we are given an identity and presented a portrait of who we should be, who we could be.

We pledge allegiance to these stories, forgetting that we are already stamped with an identity, the imago Dei (image of God) who live into the story of Jesus who has begun to put the whole world to rights.

Experiences of Suffering + Unanswered Prayers = Is God Really Concerned?

Most of us, maybe all of us, have experienced deep pain and suffering in some way shape or form. We may even be in the midst of the prophetic prayer, "how long, O Lord" and we wonder "will it be this way forever?" We cry out to God, yet things still seem the same. We the ask, "is God really concerned?"

Then we hear the voice of Jesus:

Look at the birds of the air...

Consider the lilies of the field...

Strive first for the kingdom of God.

It is as if Jesus is saying to us:

You are made in God's image; this is your secure identity unable to be purchased or stolen.

Together you are the people of God living into God's dreams for the world. This is your story, live into it as best you can with creativity and ingenuity.

If the same God who created the birds of the air and the lilies of the field created and called you, God surely is concerned and goes with you this day and every day...

Why do we worry? Because it is part of the real human experience.

Yet, Jesus transcends human experience and invites us to a new and transformed life. Jesus reminds us that worry is wasted energy that robs us of the ability to see who we really are, the story that we are really called to, and to embrace the God who created us and goes with us as we strive first for the kingdom- God's dreams for the world.

And this story that God has called us to, the dreams of God, the kingdom of God. Jesus says strive after, seek after this first...

-----

After this session we dismissed the students into small groups and later that evening they contemplated, "the kindom of God is like____?" We not only engaged a variety of Jesus' parables, but also contemplated contemporary attestations to this kingdom.

If we are honest, we spend so much time on the death and resurrection of Jesus, as we should, only to forget that Jesus also lived for something, died for something, and rose again as the beginning of something i.e. the kingdom of God and God's future breaking into the present.

What I find most intriguing is that Jesus did not say, "the kingdom of God is," but "the kingdom of God is like." In other words, Jesus illustrated and painted pictures of the kingdom and then invited us to enter into them...to strive first and seek them.

Jesus speaks in the present. Despite what we may think, God's kingdom is not only something that awaits us in the distant future, but also and especially God's dreams for the world inaugurated in the present, the here and now.

The Gospel of Luke says it this way, "For in fact, the kingdom of God is among you" (17:21)

Do you have the eyes to see and the ears to hear?

I think it is important to back track at this point to an earlier portion of Matthew 6. Jesus is situated somewhere on a hillside, like any good rabbi, calm and collected, when he says, "your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then in this way..." Jesus proceeds to pray a rather prophetic and poetic prayer that hinges on, "your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Here.

Now.

Today.

Look. Consider. Strive first for this kingdom.

But what is this kingdom like:

The kingdom of God is like a small seed that invades these fields and provides shelter and rest for all the birds of the air (Matthew 13:31).

The kingdom of God is like leaven that rises up within a hungry world and nourishes those in need of daily bread (Matthew 13:33).

The kingdom of God is like three churches coming together in a small town on the shores of the Bay for worship, play, conversation, rest, and laughter.

The kingdom of God is like an invitation from one high school student to another to join in this weekend of rest.

The kingdom of God is like music that resonates through a small meeting room, is sung on bus rides home, and echoes throughout the halls of schools in West Chester and New Jersey.

The kingdom of God is like:

[The students crafted origami birds and lilies out of written prayers and confessed worries and hung them along side and all around their musings about the kingdom of God that they strive after...]

This kingdom is so real and of such great value that Jesus not only lived into it as he walked and talked, but also and especially died for it. Even more, in and through Jesus' resurrection, this kingdom has begun to transform the worries of the world, and those that dominate our lives, into new creations of hope and peace.

Said best, the kingdom of God is like the Son of God who died on a Roman cross only to be resurrected three days later.

The kingdom of God is like resurrection.

Strive first for this kingdom of God. May this kingdom and the Jesus who died for it, resurrect your life into something new and without worry.

Don't worry. Look. Consider. Strive.

A Liturgy for Those Who Worry

Leader: God of creation, make us a people freed of worry and eased from anxiety.

People: We look to the birds of the air, as you provide for them so you will provide for us.

Leader: God of grace, make us a people confident and secure in out identity as the imago Dei, the beautiful image of God.

People: We consider the lilies of the field, as you made them so you have made us.

Leader: God of concern, remind us that as you have made us so you are with us, for us, ahead of us, and by your Spirit, you dwell within us.

All: We look to the birds of the air, we consider the lilies of the field, we rid ourselves of worry and strive towards your dreams for the world. Amen

---
For Part I of Retreat: http://gregklimovitz.blogspot.com/2011/11/abraham-heschel-on-fall-youth-retreat.html

Abraham Heschel on the Fall Youth Retreat?

2011-11-06T20:54:00.000-05:00

This past weekend the Imago Dei Youth along with two other churches engaged in retreat. The focus: Matthew 6:24-34. Don't Worry. Look. Consider. Strive. Here is session 1: Why Retreat? [1]

A quick story about 8-year-old Greg: I had a good friend who lived up the street from me, at the top of what then seemed to be a hill as tall as Everest. We used to ride our bikes down the hill everyday, a race to see who could make it to the bottom first. One summer day after a recent sleepover, we decided we would race to my house at the bottom. I hopped on my BMX, no helmet of course, and started to crush said friend. I released my hands from the handle, turned to see my competitor in my dust, lifted my arms in premature celebration, lost control of the bike, went up a curb, and slammed the back of my head into the corner of a mailbox. Eighteen stitches and a missed tee-ball game later, I was sure next time to slow down and certainly wear a helmet. I also never took my hands off the handle bar again.

I was moving too fast. I lost control. I crashed and burned. Despite traveling faster than my friend, I never arrived home...only at the hospital.

Many of us are moving too fast, we are traveling at an unhealthy speed and are about to crash and burn if we don't turn around and adjust our pace.

If we are honest with ourselves, we need retreat, we need rest, we need Sabbath. We need Sabbath for reasons different than we may think: We rest, retreat, and Sabbath, not as a means to recharge our battery for yet another hurried week. We rest, retreat, and Sabbath so to live into a completely new and fresh rhythm of life.

"To the biblical mind, however, labor is a means to an end, and the Sabbath as a day of rest, as a day from abstaining from toil, is not for the purpose of recovering one's lost strength and becoming fit for the forthcoming labor. The Sabbath is a day of rest for the sake of life...it is not an interlude but the climax of living" (Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath, 14, italics mine).

I believe that our lives are to be deeply formed by our hope for and understanding of God's future. We are to live in the present the way we dream God will make the world and all related rhythms in the future. Yet our present lives are so much formed, shaped, and owned by rhythms and beats that none of us really like: hurry, worry, and cluttered schedules.

I love what Susannah Heschel writes in the introduction to her father's, Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath:

"the goal is creating the Sabbath as a foretaste of paradise and a testimony to God's presence; in our prayers, we anticipate a messianic era that will be a Sabbath, and each Shabbat prepares us for that experience: 'Unless one learns how to relish the taste of Sabbath...one will be unable to enjoy the taste of eternity in the world to come" (xv).

However, I think that if we were to paint pictures of eternity based off many of our present "relishes" it would look much like runners on treadmills, constantly moving yet never really arriving anywhere. Indeed, this is our present pace. Still, upon such realization we convince ourselves that if we continue to turn up the speed, maybe even adjust the incline, we will arrive at some phantom destination more quickly. Nonetheless, although constantly moving and burning energy, we never arrive. The only fruit we bear: exhaustion, fatigue, and frustration. Sometimes we may even fly off because we are moving at a speed too fast for us to maintain.

Switchfoot's song, "Thrive," on their most recent album, Vice Verses, says it best:

"I feel like I'm traveling but I never arrive. I want to thrive not just survive."

I think this is precisely "why retreat?" To retreat is to make a break from the oppressive patterns and rhythms that many of us are caught in and to contemplate what it looks like not just to survive, but to thrive.

And in so doing, when we retreat, we are actually living into an ancient discipline of Sabbath rest. This Sabbath rest and retreat is not so much a recovery from worry, hurry, and cluttered schedules. We are not here to recharge our batteries so when Monday comes we can be rested enough to hop back on the treadmill, maybe even turn it up. Instead, to retreat, to Sabbath, is to begin to embody the future rhythm of rest and peace that awaits us in the new creation yet to come. To retreat and to rest is to enter into a new and full rhythm of life.

I recently read an ancient Jewish allegory told by a rabbi during the time of Jesus, i.e. first century A.D. The tale goes that each day of creation was a son of a King and wed to the corresponding element of creation. Yet when the seventh day came- nothing. The Day of Rest was alone. So the Sabbath made his complaint known to this King who said, "the Community of Israel shall be your mate" (The Sabbath, 51).

The People of God were wed to the Sabbath, and what God had joined no one could separate. This was especially important for the Jewish people who throughout history, to include the first century, were constantly ruled by foreign dictators: Assyria (8th Century), Babylon (6th Century), Rome (1st Century). Yet no one could take away the Sabbath. They were wed to the rhythm of rest as a reminder that not only was God's presence with them, but also and especially there was hope for a future to come. No empire, emperor, or cultural pattern could take this away from them. As long as they kept Sabbath they held onto life.

We live in the midst of another oppressive cultural context. We are wed to hurry, worry, and bulimic schedules. What we need is to be reunited with God's rhythm of rest that enables us to experience the Divine Presence. Only then can we enter into life as God intended. Only then can we live into the kingdom of God as we follow Jesus in and for the sake of the world.

That's why this weekend we begin with a reflection on "why retreat?" We want to invite you, if nothing else happens this weekend, to experience the rest of God. We dare you to cast aside worry, fear, hurry, and pressures and to retreat with one another. As we retreat we practice a form of Sabbath, which is an invitation to gain a glimpse of God's future that will break into the present this weekend. Even more, we will be then sent from this retreat to enter into real practices of God's future as they break into the present.

Note:

[1] This session served primarily to introduce students to the concept of "retreat," which is often new to students and a helpful reminder to those who have been many times before.

The Prophetic Imagination and Habakkuk 1:1-4

2011-10-30T22:58:00.000-04:00

You may have encountered these optical illusions before. The images are usually accompanied by a question: "what do you see?" If it is your first time viewing these images you typically see only one image: an old lady or a young woman, a rabbit or a duck, a vase or two silhouettes. It is rare for one to see both at first glance. Yet, once your eyes are opened to the alternative image it is next to impossible to shake or ignore. Now that you have been introduced and exposed to a new possibility, your imagination is no longer limited but awakened.

This is the mind and conscience of a prophet. This is the imagination of Habakkuk, tucked away in the back of our Old Testament. Once you encounter these prophetic voices and their alternative perspectives, they are difficult to shake and next to impossible to ignore. Walter Bruggemann says it best:

"The task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us." (The Prophetic Imagination, 3).

In other words, when the market screams "buy this, you must have that," prophets expose the idol of frivolous consumption. When video games, movies, nations, and empires promote violence without consequence and wars without end, the prophets scream reconciliation, peace, and enemy love. When wealth and resources are possessed by small percentages, prophets declare "jubilee" and protest for economic justice. When bullies isolate, intimidate, threaten, and offend, prophets proclaim "befriend, embrace, and welcome the victim." When the poor and hungry, both those safe distances away and right next door, long for daily bread and provision, prophets initiate prayers and fasts until all have enough.

The hearts and minds of prophets are so tuned-in to the heart and mind of God that when exposed to real manifestations of evil, injustice, pain, and suffering, prophets refuse to remain still and silent. Said differently, the prophetic pathos is the divine pathos:

“To us a single act of injustice- cheating in business, exploitation of the poor- is slight; to the prophets, a disaster. To us injustice is injurious to the welfare of the people; to the prophets it is a deathblow to existence: to us, an episode; to them a catastrophe, a threat to the world…To the prophets even a minor injustice assumes cosmic proportions” (Abraham Heschel, The Prophets, 4).

Again, the prophetic lyrics and laments are far more than cynical observations and disenfranchised grievances. Instead, the voices of the likes of Habakkuk generate from a deep and abiding relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The prophet has an imagination that refuses to settle for any reality not in rhythm with God's dreams for the world. The prophet then calls on not only God's people, but also God in and of God's self, to incarnate in the world this alternative consciousness of liberation, peace, justice, and cosmic redemption. Said differently, prophets are more than predictors of the future or out-dated fortune tellers. Instead, ancient and contemporary prophets are those who speak about God's future in desperate need of being manifested in the present. In this vein, Jesus taught his disciples a rather poignant prophetic prayer, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

And prophets, as the mouthpieces of God, announce that the "on earth as it is in heaven" time is now.

Again, a warning: once you are exposed to the prophetic imagination, to include Habakkuk, your own imagination is awakened and your eyes are opened to a completely new perspective on the world and related affairs. This alternative perspective is difficult to shake and next to impossible to ignore. It may even invite you into a new way of being in and for the world...

So, who is Habakkuk?

Habakkuk is a prophet from the southern tribe of Judah who lived in the latter portions of the seventh century and earliest sixth century. Therefore, the laments and grievances of this prophet generate from a context whereby the nation of Israel was recently recovering from exile and oppression sparked by one of history's most violent peoples, the Assyrian empire. While Israel experienced temporal deliverance, Judah to the south lived in anticipation of an invasion by yet another hostile empire: Babylon. That is to say, violence is the context; injustice is the reality. Suffering surrounds the prophet and his community on both sides of his experience. Habakkuk, whose name calls to mind words such as embrace, wrestle, or clasp, struggles with God's covenantal promises and beloved torah, which have little to no bearing on the world as the prophet sees it:

"Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails" (1:3-4).

And Habakkuk cries out emphatically:

"O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you 'Violence!' and you will not save? Why do you make me see wrongdoing and look at trouble?" (1:2-3).

Where is God? Why suffering? The prophet imagines something different and pleas for God to respond...

If you are thirsty for quick solutions and packaged statements to ease your soul, Habakkuk is not where you should turn. Instead, the prophetic questions are allowed to fester in the pages of Scripture; they are durable claims that resonate with our own shared experience and global perspective.[1]

How long shall middle school students be pushed around by bullies who seek to leverage themselves at another's expense?

How long must children in Uganda be kidnapped by oppressive dictators and turned into stoic young soldiers?

How long must we saturate our minds with video games and other forms of media that promote violence without consequence and turn human life into digital images able to be snuffed out and reset without concern?

How long must domestic abuse run rampant and uncontrolled, leaving so many frightened and ashamed?

Will justice never prevail? When will God act and make the world new and right?

Will salvation ever come?

Habakkuk refuses to ease into his prophetic discourse and chooses instead to provoke God from the very beginning. You may have done the same. You may be doing the same?

Again, Brueggemann captures the prophetic vocation:

"[The prophet] has only the hope that the ache of God could penetrate the numbness of history. He engages not in scare or threat but only in a yearning that grows with and out of pain." (The Prophetic Imagination, 55)

As we begin an exploration of Habakkuk, it seems appropriate to ask:

Where has the world gone numb?

Where do we long for the ache of God to penetrate and transform our world and communities?

Where do we see evidence of violence, abuse, oppression, and suffering?

What would it look like to imagine something different?

At the forefront of many prophetic movements are artists who provoke honest questions and foster hope for change. Artists have a knack for creating beauty out of just about anything. Artists often challenge us to see alternative portraits of reality and then invite us to live into them.

That said, as we quest to hear the cries of Habakkuk and make them our very own, we become prophetic artists. We are to paint raw and honest questions on top of real images of violence and injustice. We must create alternative images over top illustrations of devastation and destruction. We are called to write hope-filled prayers all around portraits of pain and despair. [2]

As we do so, may our prophetic imaginations be awakened. Even more, may we leave have the courage to embody these alternative illustrations in our schools, cities, and neighborhoods. May we live into the prophetic hope that the numbness of our world will indeed be overcome by the ache of God who created and will one day redeem all.

Note:

[1] I adapted this statement from an excellent comment by Brueggemann in Theology of the Old Testament, "While the book of Habakkuk is thus context-specific, its durable theological claim is a message of profound hope in a circumstance of profound despair" (244, italics mine).

[2] The youth ministry, when we engaged Habakkuk 1:1-4, painted and wrote prayers over top images of violence and suffering. In so doing, we invited youth to tap into their prophetic imaginations that are incarnations of the ache of God.

Pastoral Prayers for and from Hopeful Samaritans

2011-10-23T13:51:00.001-04:00

Pastoral Prayer // Luke 10 // Parable of the Good Samaritan

God of love and grace, we give you thanks on this day for the opportunity we have to gather as a people called your church. We give you thanks for the ways in which you continue to provide for us as a community of faith. We give you thanks for the generosity of this congregation that continues to invest time, money, resources, and abilities so we can be the people you have called us to be. Yet we ask that you would remind us over and again that we are not only called and set apart by you. Instead, in and through Jesus and the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, we are sent out from this place to love our neighbors as ourselves. Even more, we have even been reminded in recent days that we are to consider the needs and concerns of others greater than our own (Philippians 2:1-4).

God of the incarnation, in and through Jesus, you neighbored among us. As we continue to wrestle through budgets and contemplate visions for this community, help us to be faithful stewards of all that we have and all that we are so we can be neighbors to others. Still more, when we are tempted to ignore, distracted by hurry, or overly concerned about reputations or limitations, remind us of the sacred and sending waters of our baptisms and the sacred and sending elements of your table. Then stir within us fresh ideas for extending generosity, hospitality, compassion, and concern to those not only in places safe distances away, but also to those just down the road, in our neighborhoods, sitting in our school cafeterias, on the streets of local boroughs, and our places of work. May we even be neighbors by extending invitations to join in the work of this community as we live into your dreams for the world.

God of compassion, we especially lift up to you today neighbors in need, both near and far. We lift up to you our neighbors in Central America, especially new and old friends in Honduras, as they continue to battle extreme rains and flooding. We ask that you would use the churches in these places to be strength and courage to their neighbors. We also lift up to you our Christian neighbors around the globe who continue to pursue discipleship despite intense persecution, some whose lives are jeopardized because of their commitment to the good news of the gospel. We lift up to you Iranian Christians and a pastor there recently sentenced to death because of his faith and witness. We also lift up to you all our neighbors in need of employment, those who continue to suffer due to a strained economy, and this month we intercede on behalf of those who suffer as a result of domestic violence. May we be a people who walk beside victims, share our resources, offer our networks, lift our voices, and embody our concerns for peace and justice. Finally, we lift up to you those in this congregation in need of your presence and care...

Holy Spirit, we invite you to dwell among all of us, as individuals and a community. Occupy our hearts and minds so we, as in-Christ citizens of the kingdom of God, may occupy our communities in anticipation of the day when it will be on earth as it already is in heaven. Until that day, form and send us by the prayer you taught us as we say together...

Think on That: Philippians and the In-Christ Mind

2011-10-17T10:44:00.002-04:00

Afterreading through this portion of Philippians over and again, I amconvinced 4:4-7 are more than exhortations to Philippian faithcommunities. Instead, I believe theselyrics are the very mantras Paul spoke to himself, prayed to God, and chanted as he satalone in an isolated prison cell. If youlisten you may be able to hear faint echoes of the apostle as he whispers thesewords and contemplates how he got to where he is and if he will be able to make it yet onemore day. Philippians 4:4-7 is then Paul's invitation to eavesdrop on theinternal dialogue of an imprisoned disciple and participate in it just thesame.

One ofthe most common phrases Paul uses throughout Philippians is mind in Christ, a perfect expansion of the in-Christ motif thatruns throughout Pauline epistles.

Why?

How wethink and what we give permission to occupy our minds deeply affects how welive, interact with others, face suffering, focus our energies, distribute ourgifts, talents, and resources, and move in rhythm with the gospel. Paul knew this first hand. The earliest Christians, for whom commitmentto the Way was more than a religious preference but a costly daily decision,were convicted of this. We, too, woulddo well to lean forward and ponder the same.

It can besaid that to be a follower of Jesus and to exist as an "in-Christ"citizen of the colony of heaven does not come naturally. It is a discipline, apractice, an art form contemplated, considered, and ultimately lived into asindividuals within the context of community. We must learn to have the mind ofChrist, to think on the Way of Jesus,and ultimately become the people Godhas called to occupy earth as in heaven.

What do you think about? What occupies your mind?

Over thepast six months I have spent a lot of time in the car, especially since we havemoved and my commute to church is longer than four minutes. I have occupied my mind during these dailycommutes with the constant streaming of disgruntled sports talk radio. The past six months have also witnessed otheradditions to our family- hungry babies. As I struggle to balance two bottles offormula in the mouths of our fidgety twins, I have watched endless cycles ofSportscenter. This may not be that big of a deal if it was the fall of 2008with Philly sports, most notably the Phillies, at the apex of theirchampionship push. But this year is quite different. Therefore, the fruit of my mind tuned into ESPN and97.5: increased cynicism, deeper criticism, and certainly less gratitude forthe wide variety of blessings that have come our way this past year.

Yet, Ihear Paul whisper:

Rejoicein the Lord always.

Gentlenessevident to everyone.

The Lordis near.

Pray...withthanksgiving.

Peace ofGod.

Thesewords have hit me like a ton of bricks. Better said, Paul's internal dialogue hasactually become my own. My mind hadbecome so cluttered with radio voices and other distractions that I had begun to live into the same spirit of these voices. I had the mind of cynical analysts.

What I needed was to renew my mind in Christ.

Some ofyou may relate. The reality is this: wegive so many things permission to occupy and form our minds. The music we listen to, the video games weplay, the movies we watch, and the t.v. shows we view also affect us more thanwe may want to admit. We can also consider how much our minds are exposed tocorporate ads, all which tell us that we need to think on and ultimately purchase this or that product. This is a scary reality:

“The average American encounters3,000 commercial messages each day. Whether this is a radio commercial, amagazine ad, a logo on the side of a coffee cup or a billboard you pass onthe highway, these images and messages are designed to cause you to thinkof your life as incomplete, and desire the product they are selling tomake your life complete again” (Donald Miller, "Christianity and Advertising")

If weconsider how much time we "think on" these things compared to howmuch we center ourselves on Christ, it is no wonder we have difficulty hearingand living into the voice of God.

What we need is to renew our minds in Christ.

Yet Paulcalls us to more than an internalized, self-actualized way of thinking. In-Christ citizens of the colony of heavenare called to a renewed mind, yes! Yetminds formed by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus also and especiallyinvite us to a new way of being in andfor the world.

I thinkMumford & Sons help us out here:

"Where you invest your love, you invest your life" (Awake My Soul)

Saiddifferently, where you invest your mind,you invest your life.

Here wemeet Philippians 4:8-9, which builds on the previous verses. KarlBarth's interpretation captures it best:

"Finally,brothers [and sisters], whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever isrighteous, whatever is pure, whatever is kindly, whatever is praiseworthy,whatever is called a virtue and deserves recognition- think on that! And what youhave learned and received and heard and seen in me- do that! So will the God ofpeace be with you." (Epistle to the Philippians).

Think on that:

whatever is true

whatever is honorable
righteousness
purity

Invest yourlove and mind on these things:

whatever is kindly
whatever is worthy of praise
Virtues that mark the way of Christ

And don'tjust think on these things....do them, live into them, make them yourvery life as lived in Christ!

And theGod of peace will be with you...Remember, the Lord is near.

Therelationship Paul had with the Philippians would have made it a little easierfor them to know what these true, kindly, and honorable virtues were. Some havealready been mentioned in this prison letter:

Considerthe needs of others, even above your own (2:4).

Shinelike stars in a crooked world (2:15).
Hold fastto the word of life, who is Jesus (2:16).
Rememberand live into your identity as citizens of heaven (3:20).

Still, what is Paul talkingabout here? I wonder if the Philippians, when they gathered together for thereading of this letter and came to this point, they broke up into small groupsand discussed: what are these things Paulspeaks about? How can we do them?

So that'swhat the Imago Dei Youth did last night, here are a few:

May thesereflections form and shape our minds inChrist Jesus. Even more, may we notonly think on these things, but also do them as in-Christ citizens of thecolony of heaven. And may the peace of God, even the God ofpeace, lead us forward until all is made new and right…

Amen.

Note:

Two of the more helpful disciplines that I have practiced, and invited students to consider, over the years are Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer. Here is a resource I have used over and again: Lectio Divina/Centering Prayer

#OccupyWallStreet and Colonies of Heaven

2011-10-11T13:47:00.001-04:00

I am not sure what to make of the #OccupyWallStreet movement that continues to spread throughout the country. On one hand, their message and mission resonates with my socio-economic concerns and even appears to move in rhythm with the prophetic pathos of the biblical witness, especially as incarnated by the person and work of Jesus. The Scriptures are chalk-full of attestations to the imbalance of financial power and the unjust distribution of wealth that distort God's divine intentions for a good and beautiful creation and humanity. For example, many have noted the prescribed year of Jubilee as a reaction to, better said, preventative measure against pervasive poverty among a newly liberated Hebrew people (Lev. 25). This Jubilee became, at least as illustrated by Luke, a platform for the gospel proclaimed by Jesus (Lk. 4:16ff), inaugurated in his Messianic vocation, and lived into by the earliest Christian communities that occupied the Roman Empire (Acts 2:43ff; 4:32ff). One of the ancient mantras of these communities, as spoken by Jesus, could be recognized as, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first" (Mt. 20:16). This eschatological hope gave birth to counter-cultural praxis that announced the Messianic alternative to an unjust society. In essence, the imperial concerns of the #OccupyWallStreet movement are sure to be shared by ancient Christians scattered throughout another empire.

Jim Wallis writes:

"Here are a few things I do know about the Occupy Wall Street protesters:
When they stand with the poor, they stand with Jesus. When they stand with the hungry, they stand with Jesus. When they stand for those without a job or a home, they stand with Jesus. When they are peaceful, nonviolent, and love their neighbors (even the ones they don’t agree with and who don’t agree with them), they are walking as Jesus walked. When they talk about holding banks and corporations accountable, they sound like Jesus and the biblical prophets before him who all spoke about holding the wealthy and powerful accountable. Pray for those out on the streets. Think of ways that you or your church can be Jesus to them." [1]

Said differently, "Whoever is not against us is for us" (Mark 9:40).

On the other hand, caution is to be raised in regards to #OccupyWallStreet. The church must refrain from a reliance on political protesters and social movements in the pursuit of social change. Even more, as viable and prophetic as these protests may be, the Church must refuse to wait for these movements to begin to incarnate kingdom ethics on earth as they will be in heaven. John Perkins says it best:

"The test will be to see if these trends are more than a movement. Don't hope for a movement!...We must have some people who will keep moving after the movement dies, after it is no longer popular to do what is right."

In other words, colonies of the kingdom of heaven must continue to occupy earth in their prophetic concern and faithful witness that provokes contemporary Aristides to say to today's political leaders, "This, O emperor, is the rule of life of the Christians, and this their manner of life... And see, because of them, good flows on in the world!" (Apology 15, 16). [2] This must be "kept up" even long after social movements tire.

This has rang true of the church throughout history, and if we have the eyes to see and ears to hear, it rings true of particular ecclesial incarnations today. Again, John Perkins:

"There are people moving toward developing church communities, not just for themselves, but for organizing their resources around areas of need. There are Christians seeking and searching for ways to develop the church as the Body of Christ and to equip the saints with the gifts of the Spirit for real service to people. With these trends, I believe that we are quickly moving to a position where we can begin to really preach the gospel in a way that makes reconciliation and love meaningful to all people." [3]

As said in a previous post, these Christian communities are on-earth colonies of the kingdom of heaven, who live into the new creation already here and yet-to-come.

Colonies of heaven occupied Philippi.

Colonies of heaven occupied Rome.

Colonies of heaven occupy the Abrams Morgan section of Washington, D.C. [4]

Colonies of heaven occupy Kensington and Center City Philadelphia. [5]

Colonies of heaven occupy Wall Street.

Colonies of heaven gather and scatter around the globe. Yet I am conviced we are neither to take our cues from political protestors, nor to stifle their warranted cries for justice. Instead, we follow Jesus who is Lord over all systems, powers, financial institutions, and any and all who sustain and promote oppressive economies- to include you, me, and even those who protest along Wall Street and City Hall (Colossians 1:15-20) [6].

As we follow, we may discover the cries of protesters echo the cries of prophets. We would do well to listen. We may notice the aspirations and incarnations of social movements reflect the economy of God and the mission of the Church. But we will never know unless we follow Jesus and sit alongside our occupying neighbors ...which a few friends and I will do tomorrow...

Here are a few photos from that day:

Notes
[1] From a great article by Jim Wallis: http://blog.sojo.net/2011/10/04/in-case-you-missed-it-occupywallstreets-official-statement/
[2] A Previous Post: Aristides and Youth Ministry
[3] This comes from A Quiet Revolution, as cited on Church of the Saviour's "Inward/Outward": http://www.inwardoutward.org/
[4] If you have never learned of, visted, or encountered the ministry of Church of the Saviour and founder N. Gordon Cosby, stop reading my blog and visit their website: http://www.inwardoutward.org/page/who-church-saviour. they are by far one of the most faithful representations of the missional church and what it means to be a colony of heaven occupying earth. Youth from Imago Dei Youth Ministry spent a week with their Potter's House community in 2009.
[5] The Simple Way and Broad Street Ministry are also places and communities to check out.
[6] Another article to read that engages the #OccupyWallStreet protests:http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/octoberweb-only/occupy-wall-st.html

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Garbage-Cans and Philippians 3

2011-10-06T17:43:00.001-04:00

I am neither used to having my attention drawn to trash cans nor regularly inspired by metal containers on street corners. Yet the trash can that appeared to my right when I stopped in front of City Hall today was different. It had a message and a mission.

The city
has a heartbeat
and it's waiting
for you
to provide hope
to become change
to become
litter free.
The city
has a heartbeat
and its waiting
for you
to come clean. [1]

A rather unusual quote to appear on the side of a container reserved for garbage. Still, the garbage-can poetry resonated with my faith convictions and reminded me of my greatest aspirations: incarnations of hope, movements of change, and a litter-free city.

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God..." (Revelation 21:1-2)

It could be said that my morning began with a lesson in garbage-can theology.[2]

Yet, more than the reference from John's apocalypse, Paul's letter to the Philippians came to mind as I snapped this photo:

"For [Christ's] sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and and be found in him..." (3:8-9).

Rubbish.

Garbage.

Litter.

Skubala. [3]

Crap.

All of Paul's previous credentials, identities, and passions were considered garbage compared to his status as an in-Christ citizen within the colony of heaven. His life's message and mission had been transformed and were now wrapped-up in the person and work of Jesus as Messiah. This Jesus was the one whom he believed incarnated hope, inaugurated change, and proclaimed a litter-free city already here and yet-to-come.

Paul followed this Messiah.
The people of Philippi lived into the message of this Jesus.

Christians throughout history have proclaimed the garbage, litter, and skubala of this world, even refuse within churches, redeemed and made new in light of the resurrection of Christ.

Philippians is saturated with images and illustrations intended to form and send God's people into the world. Christ hymn's, tongue-in-cheek statements, subversive phrases, and off-color metaphors litter the letter.

Then I recall the garbage-can poetry I read this morning: provide hope, become change, come clean.

This sounds like a rallying anthem and confessional chant that would fit well within our ecclesial liturgies. It sounds like it belongs in the Philippians Book of Common Worship.

But it came from the side of a trash can.

It was printed on a container filled with skubala.

Notes:
[1]This poem was written by Gregory Corbin as a part of the "Unlitter Us" Campaign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WghNj4qtzs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
[2] One of my earliest potential blog titles was "Trash Heap Dialogue," inspired by Gustavo Gutierrez' interpretation of Job 2:8: http://gregklimovitz.blogspot.com/2010/06/whats-in-name-beginnings-of-my-blog.html
[3] I have vowed never to "litter" my sermons or writings with references to the Greek. Yet this one is too good to pass up. σκύβαλα refers to refuse, garbage, or dung. However, I think the urban dictionary says it best ;)

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In-Christ Citizens: World Communion Sunday Sermon

2011-10-03T11:40:00.001-04:00

Sermon Text: Philippians 3:12-4:1

3.75

1750

To you and me, these are arbitrary numbers. To a junior or senior in high school, these numbers have come to define them. GPA and SAT scores are sometimes written more than their names, or they at least directly follow, as anxiety-ridden high school students fill out endless stacks of applications for college admission boards and scholarship programs.

These are only a few contemporary identities. There are many others.

There is a temptation to be defined by the letters that come either before or after your name, depending on your level of education or the highest degree earned. Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts. MD. PhD. Seminary graduates receive a MDiv, i.e. Master of Divinity (a rather pompous title for those who confess that God and related speech can neither be possessed or "mastered").

I can think of a few personal identities:

Inquirer for Ordination.

Youth Director.

Father of two.

Husband.

Who are you?

In an economy and job market that continues to struggle, many of you may have asked this question. As you take a second look at your resume and contemplate an update, you may ponder not only who you are, but also and especially how you are perceived by potential employers. Even more, how are you better qualified than others.

Our identity is also a commodity in a consumer-based culture. Mass media and advertising agencies have developed clever schemes and evangelistic strategies to convince us that if we purchase a particular product a desired image or identity can be attained. This is who you should be? This is who you can be?

This identity quest is a rat race that leaves many of us tired and worn; some have called it a "race to nowhere." We run in place, exhaust ourselves, and often chase an unknown destination. Even worse, we pursue prizes and goals that are said to be important but we are pretty confident they lack any real value.

We may also struggle to define ourselves not only by personal accomplishments, but also mistakes made and maybe past failures that continue to haunt us.

Still more identities...

Democrat.

Republican.

Liberal.

Conservative.

Presbyterian.

American.

We are not the first generation to value status and social identity. The first-century, Roman world was also bent on classifications and images.

Rich.

Poor.

Slave.

Free.

Male.

Female.

Soldier.

Defector.

Philippian.

Roman citizen.

Worshiper of Caesar.

You knew who you were. You were told who you were. Your social and economic identity determined with whom you could and could not associate, where and when you could travel, and whether you could or could not participate in certain cultural festivities.

Who am I? The question was not one that caused internal and emotional angst like it does today. You were not offered options. You were told. Identity was predetermined by birth- no questions asked.

Then we read Philippians. Paul writes to his "beloved" from the (un)friendly confines of a cold and dark Roman prison cell, captive because he suggested and announced to the Roman world that there was another identity available, one which trumped those imposed by Caesar and his patrons.

Paul illustrates the Philippians, who are sure to be a motley crew and social mosaic, as follows:

Partners in a different gospel (1:3-5).

Followers of Jesus, Son of God, whose name "is above every name" and will one day be confessed by all- even Caesar (2:6-11)?

Children of God (2:15).

Shining stars in the midst of an often dark and crooked world (2:15)

The true "circumcision" (3:3).

Runners in a new kind of race (3:14).

Yet none of Paul's carefully crafted metaphors and identifications carry as much weight as what comes to us in Philippians 3: 20: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Citizenship.

In heaven.

Savior.

From heaven.

Jesus as Lord.

What about Rome?

What about Caesar?

What about social status?

What about the race to nowhere?

Paul suggests that only one identity matters: our "in Christ" citizenship within the kingdom of God. A citizenship that is offered and available to all.

There is a temptation to allow this identity, i.e. citizenship in heaven, to be limited to a future anticipation and eternal residence whereby we will all one day go.

Is that it?

N.T. Wright writes about this illustration:
"If someone in Philippi said, 'We are citizens of Rome', they certainly wouldn't mean 'so we're looking forward to going to live there'. Being a colony works the other way around. The last thing emperors wanted was a whole lot of colonists coming back to Rome. The capital was already overcrowded and underemployed [sound familiar?]. No: the task of the Roman citizen in a place like Philippi was to bring Roman culture and rule to northern Greece, to expand Roman influence there...The church is at present a colony of heaven, with the responsibility (as we say in the Lord's Prayer) for bringing the life and rule of heaven to bear on earth" (The Prison Letters 126).

That is who we are. We are in-Christ citizens of the kingdom of God who are called to bring to life in the present world the anticipations of the renewed and resurrected creation yet to come.

Paul says it this way, "Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own" (3:12).

Forget what is behind and live into what is ahead (3:13)

Practice resurrection.

Live as patriots of the colony of heaven.

I love that this text comes to us on World Communion Sunday. Today we celebrate the Church Universal. We are reminded on this day that this colony of heaven knows not national border, denominational affiliation, conservative or liberal agenda, not even rich or poor social status. I can hear Paul say, "you are not a number. You are not your GPA, SAT score, or revamped professional resume. Your allegiance is not paid to a flag and your loyalty resides not in any one institution." Instead, we are united around a table. We come to this table drenched in the waters of our baptism. We are then sent from the sacred table marked as an "in Christ" people who participate in the good news of the gospel. We are on earth colonies of the kingdom of heaven.

There were colonies of Christians scattered throughout a racially segregated nation who believed the church was called to confess Christ by pursuing reconciliation. The result: The Confession of 1967, which served as today’s "Affirmation of Faith.”

There are colonies of “in-Christ” citizens in West Chester. Many worship here, others gather in Methodist and Episcopal, Catholic and Baptist communities around town.

There are colonies in Honduras. Youth there continue to contemplate how they can "design their future under the will of God," maybe in partnership with youth from this congregation? Medical clinics are also constructed in La Entrada by retired dentists and doctors, who then offer their expertise and services to provide healthcare to those in the most rural parts of Central America.

There are colonies in Mexico. The Estado 29 orphanage in Ensenada has seen dreams of new employment opportunities become realities through an internet café, which has then made other dreams of college educations affordable for recent graduates.

There is a colony of believers located in an old Presby church on Broad Street in Philadelphia, where pastors, artists, entrepreneurs, and social service agencies work to alleviate homelessness and offer solidarity and hospitality to the marginalized of the city.

There are colonies in Pakistan, Sudan, Iraq, and Israel-Palestine.

There are colonies of the kingdom in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1)

We are all citizens of this kingdom, who gather around this sacred and sending table, in anticipation of the day to come when the whole of creation will be transformed and made new.

Until that day, we stand firm and faithful. We quest for opportunities to bear the marks of this kingdom in the present.

Who are we?

We are in-Christ citizens of the kingdom of God. May we be creative and faithful stewards of this identity today and every day. No matter what the cost.

Amen.

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This Is Our Song: Philippians 2:1-11

2011-09-18T23:09:00.001-04:00

This a variation of what was used this past Sunday night in conversation with the Imago Dei Youth of Westminster...

There is something about music that is able to speak to a variety of life circumstances. You may have a song of your own that, when it comes on the radio or pops up on itunes shuffle, you declare, that's my song or that's our song. You identify with it. You may even feel as though it is your life's or a particular relationship's soundtrack. A song can resurface the emotions associated with moments of celebration, seasons of grief, and eras of anxiety. When these songs play we sing along as if we were the original composers or artists.

What's your song?

We come to week two of our adventure through Paul's letter to the Philippians and stumble across a song, an ancient hymn. The words of today's text, Philippians 2:1-11, are often referred to as the "Christ hymn," as they are believed to have been familiar lyrics to both Paul and those who "shared in the gospel" while situated in the small coastal community of Philippi. Paul is crouched in the corner of his prison cell, has just praised and thanked his brothers and sisters for their partnership, hums the well-known words, and then embeds them as an ancient hyperlink within this epistle:who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (2:6-11)
But why this song? Why would he reference this song?

Hear Paul's "prelude" to the Christ hymn: If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, (2:1-5)
Paul can write all he wants to encourage and goad the people of Philippi to continue in "the good work" of the gospel (1:6); his words are surely poignant and effective. Yet when Paul draws attention to the song they had used for corporate worship time and time again, they are invited to remember that their identity and vocation generates not from who Paul is, but from the person and work of Jesus. They are the people of God, "in Christ" citizens of a different sort of kingdom, who move in rhythm with the Way of Jesus. They are to share the mind of the Messiah, who calls them to live not for themselves but for the sake of the whole world. Paul says it this way, "look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others" (1:4).

After all, that is who Jesus is; that is what Jesus did. Jesus "emptied himself" and became one of us for the sake of the whole world- to include you and me.

That is the main lyric of the Christ hymn. This is the refrain of the people of God who live into the humility of Jesus.

We live in a world where image is everything and social status is vital. The same was true then. The first-century world, which was the reality of the Philippian community, was drenched in assumed roles and social identities. You were male or female; rich or poor; citizen or foreigner; free person or owned slave. There was not much you could do about these identities; for the most part you were born into them. Even more, all your interactions, relationships, and travels reinforced these imposed identities and class affiliations. You would also be sure to do whatever it took to protect and preserve your inherited status.

Again, we do much of the same. Yet, unlike the first-century world, there is an added anxiety about social status and personal image. That is, we can choose and even purchase our status and identity. We carefully consider our lunch table communities, Friday night hangouts, music preferences, cell phone models, clothing apparels, sports team affiliations, favorite t.v. shows and movies, college preferences, and even hair styles. In today's culture, we are promised by ad agencies, commercials, and peers that if we make the right decisions or purchases we will receive the desired social statuses. This game we play is even a competition whereby we are pressured to leverage ourself over and above another. It is exhausting attempting to keep pace or outdo our neighbor in efforts to achieve this sort of identity.

Then we return to the early church, maybe those in Philippi. If you were to walk the streets of ancient Rome and perhaps stumble across one of these "Christian" gatherings, you would notice a striking difference: social class was thrown by the wayside and all called one another "brothers and sisters."

There were, gathered together, slaves and free; men, women, and children; rich and poor; former soldiers and reputed sinners; loners and doubters; chronically ill and recently healed; the educated and the illiterate.[1]

How could this be?

They moved to the rhythm of a different song. Their minds and voices were unified by a new kind of lyric. This song echoed throughout Philippi and a dark and cold Roman prison cell. The Christ-centered melody formed a new community whereby all were invited, welcomed, and received as equal participants marked by a new "in Christ" status.

And this is our song, too.

When we become followers of Jesus, i.e. "in Christ," we are grafted into a new family of God. We are re-born into a new status that need not be purchased. This changes everything. As Paul writes, "in Christ" we find "encouragement, consolation, fellowship, and compassion," especially as those who are wearied or defeated by the social status game.

Yet Paul's prelude and incorporation of the Christ hymn pleads with the faithful in Philippi, and even us in West Chester, to refuse to cling to this status alone. Instead, our individual and corporate minds are inwardly formed by this new identity so we can then journey outward and expend ourselves for the sake of another, maybe a peer who is also wearied and broken by the social status game. We join the church, even this youth ministry, because we quest to look "not to our own interests, but to the interests of others."

That's who Jesus is. That's what Jesus did. And we are to have the mind of Christ.

Karl Barth says this about the Christ hymn:"Grace certainly does not live and move abstractly, nor transcendently; it comes to meet us in life, in the efforts, hopes, insights, concerns of those about me, in whose company I stand before God...Humility in abstracto can be the grossest pride" (Epistle to the Philippians, p. 57).
A mind formed by Jesus leads a senior to befriend a freshman at a lunch table all alone. Humility, when it has flesh and bones, travels to Center City and dines with the homeless, participates in work projects in Pittsburgh, and follows the lead of Honduran youth in a different sort of missional partnership. We surrender our own interests and offer grace when we invite a stranger to a weekend retreat or another means to enter into this community of faith.

We do this because we have the mind of Jesus. We sing the Christ hymn because we are confident that the day will come when all will be made new and right once again.

This is our song. May our lives and lips be fresh incarnations of this gospel song. And may God's people continue to make the joy Paul spoke of complete until the day of Christ's return (2:2).

Amen

NOTE
[1] For an interesting reference on this point, read Origen's, Against Celsus, Book III Chapter V.

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What Does Genesis Have to Do with Philippians?

2011-09-08T08:32:00.001-04:00

This past summer the Westminster community[1] moved through the first book of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, Genesis. The venture reminded each preacher and all the faithful gathered that regardless how frequent we may visit the book of beginnings we will forever and again remain beginners and unfinished learners. Nonetheless, we were confident that God would meet us through the creation liturgy, ancient covenants, complex and twisted narratives, mind-boggling deceptions, raw and honest doubts and confusions, and even the faith and persistence illustrated by a few ancient characters. Even more, we were reminded that each Scriptural anecdote served to draw the readers and hearers, both of antiquity and present day, into a much larger story of God's ongoing activity. As we read, we were constantly invited to live into this story and the covenantal promises of God, which are for us and the whole world (Gen. 12:1-9).

That was the summer...what about the fall?

We come to September and October and we not only transition from the Old Testament to the New, but also from the genre of narrative to one of letter, i.e. Paul's epistle to the Philippians.

But what about Joseph? Just when we may have become familiar with and developed a fondness for the son of Jacob and Rachel, his elaborate coat, and his perseverance despite being trafficked into Pharaoh's courts, we make a break with the dreamer and interpreter of dreams. We only gained a glimpse of the deliverance of Israel that began in Pharaoh's prison situated in the vast Egyptian empire...

...and now we head to another prison in a different empire.

"I want you to know, beloved, that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ; and most of the brothers and sisters, having been made confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, dare to speak the word with greater boldness and without fear." (Philippians 1:12-14)

This fall, we find ourselves enveloped within a correspondence between an apostle, held captive for his faithful allegiance to Jesus as Lord, and his partners in Philippi, whom Paul declares "share in the gospel" (1:4). And the dreams of God, made known in the person and work of Jesus as Messiah, have spread like wildfire. This time, instead of a cup bearer, baker, and Pharaoh, we read of the Roman imperial guard and everyone else who catch wind of God's story of deliverance.

Can you hear the echoes of Joseph?

"Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today" (Genesis 50:20).

Do you remember the covenant?

"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:2-3).

And here we are. Readers of stories and letters. We covenant with the same God who called Abram out of Ur and delivered Joseph and his brothers from famine. We follow the same Jesus whose Spirit moved through Paul, the Philippians, the imperial guards, and everyone else. We are invited to dream the same dreams they dreamed, to confess the same faith they confessed, and to share in the same gospel that gave them hope and stirred their prophetic imaginations.

So, what has Genesis to do with Philippians? What is the connection between Joseph and Paul? Said simply, God's covenantal dreams for us and the whole world. May our lives and lips be fresh interpretations of such dreams, this day and everyday, to Pharaohs, guards, cup bearers, and neighbors. And may the day hasten when these dreams become the world's only known reality.

[1]This is a post written for the Westminster Blog, Work of the People?

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A Letter to Youth: Hopes for a New Year

2011-08-31T16:39:00.000-04:00

Dear Back-to-School Youth,

Yes, it’s that time of year again. I can tell by the inactivity of my Facebook news feed between the hours of 9-3, with the exception of a sporadic post at lunch or via your smart phone held at your side or under your desk during math. Yes, it is time to stand at the bus stop and wait, to run through the halls because you are late, to fill out endless forms (your parents actually have more work this week than you do), to struggle with locker combinations, and to consume the dreaded mystery meat at lunch (I always preferred to pack). Yet, I also know that late August and into September are not always welcomed months and seasons. For some Billy Madison is more than comic relief by another hilarious Sandler character, “Back to school, back to school,to prove to dad that I’m not a fool. I got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight; I hope that I don’t get in a fight.” Instead, this is your reality. Pressures begin to creep from a variety of angles. The quest to live into a myth of achievement and keep pace in the race to somewhere may leave you exhausted and worn. Even worse, some feel the need to look over shoulders en route to class, wondering if or when a heavy shove or harsh word will be delivered. I wish “back-to-school" could always maintain the celebratory nature and sacred wonder that enveloped your very first day. Unfortunately, as we grow up we come face to face with the reality that all is not right, all is not good, and back-to-school may mean back to fear. But it does not have to be that way. We can live into a greater hope and claim an alternative reality. It can get better… So as the 2011-2012 school year has already begun, I thought I would issue a youth pastor’s hopes for the year.

Claim one.

Live into a few.

Add your own…

Maybe then God’s dreams for the world, which includes your schools, will become our only known reality…

My Hopes for the 2011-2012 School Year

Education will be education versus competition. We are created to be learners so we can be contributors to the world God created good. My prayer is for education to serve and strengthen the next generation's ability to contribute to the whole of the world versus satisfy individual and institutional lusts to outdue, out-succeed, and outlast one's neighbor or rival district.

Students' identity will generate from the imago Dei versus numbers and statistics. You are not a 3.5 or 1350. You are not an A or a C. Do well. Work hard. Give thanks for the opportunities we have in this region to study and learn with excellence. But always know, your identity is wrapped up not in your success as determined by exams, averages, and scores, but by the very God who loves you and calls you by name.

We will study and tolerate violence and bullying NO MORE. I firmly believe that one of the most courageous means for adolescents to carry their cross and follow Jesus is by befriending a stranger and interceding for those isolated, marginalized, betrayed, and abused by another. Even more, for those who are bullied, you are worth more than that! You do not have to live in fear...find refuge and an advocate in a teacher, a peer, a counselor, a parent, or a pastor. See a related post...

A rhythm of rest will replace the chaos and confusion of hurry. I pray for students to find sabbath in weekends and youth ministries; in suffient sleep and time outside; through real conversations and shared meals over tables. I long for youth to be able to say no, not only to drugs and alcohol, but also to the most addictive "product" on the market- busy schedules.

Sporadic acts of kindness...even when they don't count for service hours. Youth are incredibly gifted and creative. Even more, youth have an imagination that has yet to be over come by "I can't" and "that's not possible." Still, our concern for others and our will for change often come with an attached document that is to be turned into the proper club authority. Love. Serve. Dream. Transform. But find a way to do so not for credit but because you believe and live into God's dreams for the whole world.

Begin each day as if it were on purpose. Yes, that is a borrowed line from a great flick, Hitch. But it is spot on. There are many ways that we begin the school day and rituals that form and shape our hearts, minds, and souls. Try one that sends you into your schools as the people of God. Write a prayer. Meditate on a Scripture. Claim the Lord's prayer as your own... or live into one like it...

I could type an endless list of hopes...these are just a few. Blessings in the year ahead and may the peace of God guard all of your hearts and minds in Jesus, this day and every day...

Reform Our Rhetoric; Tame the Tongue: Pastoral Words from John Stewart

Bullying: A Brief Word and Response

Refreshing Revisions: PCUSA Book of Order as Missional Theology?

2011-08-23T10:37:00.001-04:00

If you have had any conversations with me about theology, missional vocations, social and political issues, and the prophetic nature of the church and biblical witness, then you may find it obscure for me to make a post about Part II of the PCUSA Constitution, i.e. The Book of Order. In fact, I also am quite amused by the hilarity of God and God's ability to lead me to read what I once wrote off as superfluity. I can still hear some of the echoes of my colleagues in ministry, Greg, just read it. I think you may actually like it. Yet, I wanted to wait until the newest edition came out, which did as of July 10, 2011, not only to be relevant and because of its slightly condensed nature, but also because this is the edition that I will be tested on come time for ordination exams. In other words, no sense in reading BOO twice...that would be superfluity.

I have written before about how I do indeed appreciate the language and contextual tradition of the Reformed Faith that frames my PCUSA denomination. In all sincerity, I have developed quite a love and fascination for the confessional history, especially what comes to us in Part I of the Constitution. i.e. The Book of Confessions. I have even taught a course on the relationship between the Missional Church and Reformed Theology, which significantly engaged the Confessions. I would even consider myself a "Reformed theologian." However, The Book of Order always frightened me. Then I began to read it. Speaking of confessions, I confess that I have not made it past the first eight pages. In fact, I have found myself so enamored by these pages that I have read and re-read, dare I say meditated, on these pages and left unable to move forward. Yes, it is true, The Book of Order is Missional Theology, at least the first eight pages. Moreover, I am confident that I could post citations, which I will, and those familiar with the current conversations related to missional theology and church paradigms, would probably attirbute them to the likes of Barth, Guder, Wright, Keesmaat, McLaren, or Brueggemann.[2] But alas, they are from the section, "The Mission of the Church." Furthermore, in great missional reformation, the section that was previously buried after "Preliminary Principles," now holds a position of primacy, i.e. it is the first section to be read. I am eager to continue to explore this once feared and dreaded text. Even more, my hope and prayer is for the language and witness of the PCUSA Book of Order to move off the shelves, be rid of their dust, and begin to [or continue, depending on context] form the church for real incarnations of gospel witness in and for the world. Then we may begin [or continue] to live into the old language from the previous edition of BOO, "The Church of Jesus Christ is the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all of humanity."[1]

For now, here are a few excerpts from the first eight pages...maybe I can now read further? Maybe you can join me in this missional adventure...

A PDF of the 2011-2013 Edition

"The mission of God in Christ gives shape an substance to the life and work of the Church. In Christ, the Church participates in God's mission for the transformation of creation and humanity by proclaiming to all people the good news of God's love, offering to all people the grace of God at font and table, and calling all people to discipleship in Christ. Human beings have no higher goal in life than to glorify and enjoy God now and forever, living in covenant fellowship with God and participating in God's mission." (F-1.01)

"The Church's life and mission are a joyful participation in Christ's ongoing ife and work." (F-1.02)

"In Christ's name, therefore, the Church is sent out to bear witness to the good news of reconciliation with God, with others, and with all creation." (F-1.0205)

"The Church lives in the present on the strength of that promised new creation." (F-1.0301)

"The Church seeks to include all people and is never content to enjoy its benefits of Christian community for itself alone." (F-1.0302)

"The holiness of the Church comes from Christ who sets it apart to bear witness to his love, and not from the purity of its doctrine or the righteousness of its actions." (F-1.0302, b)

"In Christ, by the power of the Spirit, God sends the Church into the world to share the gospel of God's redemption of all things and people." (F- 1.0302, d)

"The Church bears witness in word and work that in Christ the new creation has begun, and that God who creates life also frees those in bondage, forgives sin, reconciles brokenness, makes all things new, and is still at work in the world. To be members of the body of Christ is to be sent out to pursue the mission of God and to participate in God's new creation, God's kingdom drawing the present into itself." (F-1.0302, d)

Notes
[1] I do grieve, however, that this brilliant and beautiful line was removed, at least stated differently, in the latest edition. I will still use it, that's for sure.
[2] This is most likely the case because the 'missional church' conversation is nothing new. Instead, it is the recovery of what always has been and the challenge to live into it with faithfulness, integrity, and a real conviction that the church is called not to glory, but to solidarity with the gospel that is first and foremost for the poor and oppressed and then also for the whole world. However, as the church has become so entrenched within and wed to Christendom and other incarnations of empire, the missional nature of the Church has often been expended, because it demands that the Church carry a cross of suffering versus wield a sword of power. I will save these thoughts for a post to come on Douglas John Hall's, The Cross in our Context: Jesus and the Suffering World

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Unlikely Reconciliation: Genesis 33:1-17

2011-08-14T16:31:00.004-04:00

Sermon Text from Today

I have always found it strange that when you purchase a new car you begin to see that car everywhere. The same is true when you have twins (as my wife and I did in April), you begin to recognize them everywhere. What once seemed to be such a rarity begins to become a common observation. In fact, last weekend my wife and I were at our family reunion and Amber commented, "Have you noticed how many twins there are here?" So I looked around and, much like when I feel like every other car is a 2006 CR-V, I began to see all over the place- double strollers. And we compared ours with theirs. What worked better, side by side or front and back? What wheels were able to endure the Knoebels gravel terrain the best? Who else looked like they were carting around a mini circus? Did they look as crazy as we felt? All in all, we recognized that our story was not as uncommon as we may have first thought. Then I look at the text I am preaching, twins again. And as I have said before, I hope Noah and Lily's story does not follow the same sort of path, or at least require the same sort of encounter, as today's text. For it is indeed a story of unlikely, at least unexpected, reconciliation that stems from a history of deception, distrust, and conflict.

If you have followed this summer's series on Genesis, maybe reading the stories in between at home, you may be well aware that Genesis, i.e. the book of beginnings, is everything but a clean text. Instead, the narratives that make up the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures and the story of Israel, i.e. what we call the Old Testament, is complicated, twisted, seductive, racy, and would be rated TV-14 if the ancient writers would have followed our cable parental codes. And remember, Genesis was the story that was told from generation to generation by the Jewish people about their beginnings, their history. These stories are often difficult to comprehend, especially those that concern the patriarch Jacob. Jacob, the younger twin brother to Esau and the offspring of Isaac and Rebekah, has moved through not one, but two plots of deception, graciously aided by his mother, so to claim for himself the birthright and blessing of not only his father, Isaac, but also and especially of God. He demands to be the called, chosen, and elected. And the narrators of Genesis claim that God's hand is at work in and through it all.

We come to today's text and, like a criminal on the run, Jacob is on the move and has discovered that his deception could be reasonable cause for his brother Esau to post WANTED signs throughout the Transjordan region. He lives in fear and anxiety, constantly looking over his shoulder for a vengeful Esau, and goes to great lengths en route to Canaan, the land promised to his ancestors, to defend and protect this blessing. In just a chapter earlier, we also read of Jacob's offering of a prayer, as Gordon Wenham notes, mixed with "faith, fear, and doubt" (291).[1] It is a prayer that looks all too familiar, maybe you have prayed one similar, God, although I may not be worthy, deliver me in my distress, fear, and uncertainty.

Jacob's prayer, though, is not his final move. Instead, unsure if God will be faithful, he sends a contingent of his fleet to investigate Esau's camp, and should they encounter the feared twin, they are to assure Esau that Jacob comes bearing gifts, a "present", an offering of atonement to make apparent amends. While this fleet marches ahead, Jacob stays behind, wrestles with a divine agent, and once again demands a blessing, this time not from Isaac or Esau, but from God. In this dramatic aside, Jacob's hip is displaced and his name changed to Israel, meaning "struggles with God." These are new marks of the patriarch's struggle with faith, fear, and doubt. Yet, Jacob presses on towards Esau, limping in anxiety and trembling in uncertainty.

This is where it gets messy. It has often been suggested that Jacob is questing for reconciliation because he has been convicted of his errant ways in the past and humbled by his encounter with God. We have often heard that Jacob is longing to make things right between himself and Esau, genuinely transformed. Jacob is the good guy? Maybe this is the case? But I also wonder, while Jacob may appear to long for amends to be made, does he expect it, i.e. is it an unlikely and risky reconciliation? Jacob expects nothing short of a frontal attack from his brother and so maybe his offerings and posture of surrender are actually further attempts to protect, defend, and secure the promise and blessing? And when he draws near to his twin brother he charges to the front of the line and is prepared for the worst, hoping for at least a partial pardon, so he can then get on his way.

Then we read of Esau's posture and response, which, if we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear, may sound somewhat familiar. The one who had been slighted, deceived, and displaced, offers an unlikely response to the deceiver: prodigal grace and uncommon embrace. The text reads, when seeing Jacob in the distance, bowed in surrender and submission, "Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept." Can you hear the echoes? Jacob, much like the younger son who has demanded then spoiled an inheritance in Luke's telling of Jesus' prodigal parable, approaches with a rehearsed plan of protection and preservation in the guise of surrender and submission, only to be welcomed by an unlikely and uncommon reconciliation.[2] Like Jesus' prodigal in Luke, Jacob is greeted, a la the father in the prodigal parable, by a once-perceived obstacle and enemy running towards him not to attack, condemn, confront, or shame, but instead to make right what was once a broken relationship. And through the actions of Esau and the father, Jacob, the prodigal son, and you and I witness the very face of God.

Yet, this reconciliation does not appear to last long, as the twin brothers ultimately part ways when Jacob refuses to travel "alongside" Esau; the older brother in Jesus' prodigal parable refuses the father's celebration of a once dead, and now alive lost son. The world around us, and maybe our own circumstances, are not fully right and good. Even today, the economy has been downgraded, the housing market still struggles, budgets are tight, wars and rumors of wars flood the airwaves, jobs are diamonds in a rough, and you and I may experience a wide range of other pressured experiences of anxiety and conflict. Again, reconciliation of our lives, let alone the whole world often feels unlikely and unfinished at best.

When I read today’s story my heart wants to celebrate with Jacob. But are his motives twisted? I want Esau to be the hero. Yet, despite his efforts, Jacob and Esau still part ways. This narrative is instead a reminder that reconciliation is hard, complicated, often unfinished and incomplete, and maybe unlikely or uncommon. But disciples of a crucified and resurrected Christ pursue it nonetheless. We believe, through the life and work of this unlikely Messiah, that the day will come when Esau will travel alongside Jacob; the older brother will enter the celebration of his younger prodigal brother; the lion will lay down with the lamb; wars will cease; crying will be no more; God will make a dwelling among all of us in a new and universally reconciled creation. And this is our story handed down to us. We call it the gospel..

Many of you are aware, and may have read about through the various blog posts, the recent pilgrimage our youth took to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. We traveled as listeners and learners and were blown away by the many stories shared about how Christians in Honduras longed to live into the unlikely, maybe an unfinished, reconciliation of God.

There was the Micah Project. Their director, Mike, had begun an outreach to the street kids in the city. These kids, for a wide variety of reasons, have been orphaned by their families and forced to call the streets their home. The youth often turn to yellow-glue as the drug of choice to connect them to a false sense of community and bring temporary relief to their pain. The Micah Project brings these boys in, offers them a place to call home, reconciles their addictions, and provides them an education that trumps the national average of fifth grade. In fact, many have gone on to college and become teachers. Lives are transformed by those who are living into an uncommon and unlikely story of reconciliation.

We also learned about Association for a More Just Society. Their director of communications, Abe, spoke to our group about the efforts of their ministry to enter into difficult and dangerous environments to pursue peace in violent neighborhoods, abusive homes, and corrupt political systems. However, they also have advocated for the reconciliation of a corrupt education system that has placed money and power over the development of Honduran youth. If you read through their website, they have experienced many victories, both large and small, because they live into a gospel story of uncommon and unlikely reconciliation, even though their work is unfinished.

Still more, we spent the entire week in community with youth from a Presbyterian church in Teguc, Peña de Horeb. They live under a simple confession: desañando tu futuro bajo la voluntad de Dios (designing your future under the will of God). They long to bridge the gap between what they believe to be a gospel of peace and the present realities of struggle, violence, and injustice around them. They shared of their hopes and dreams to be the people of God in Tegucigalpa and beyond, because they believe in an uncommon and unlikely Messiah named Jesus who is in the process of designing an alternative future in Honduras and will eventually reconcile the whole world.

I can see the same in our youth who gave up a week to learn of these stories, to partner with Honduran youth, and dream together about how to not only pursue reconciliation in Teguc, but also back home in Philadelphia and West Chester. Imago Dei Youth have their eyes and ears tuned into an unlikely and uncommon reconciliation. And, like Esau, many run towards it.

There may be a few Esaus among us, even some Jacobs, as we do not expect reconciliation. Yet, when the story of God's quest for reconciliation becomes our story, we begin to take notice of the uncommon and unlikely signs and symbols of an already and not-yet hope unfolding around us in Honduras, Pittsburgh, D.C., Mexico, Philly, and West Chester. Even more, when we embrace the prodigal story of reconciliation and peace as our own, we begin to live into it with regularity. Where and how is God calling you to do just that, to pursue unlikely and uncommon reconciliation?

If you flip to the front of your bulletin you will read a quote from a source you may find to be uncommon and unlikely, the PCUSA Book of Order, i.e. Part II of our denominational constitution. In its section on "The Church and Its Mission," it states our reconciliatory call better than anything I have said previously, "The church of Jesus Christ is the provisional demonstration of what God intends for all of humanity." (PCUSA Book of Order, G- 3.0200). May we live into this provisional demonstration this day and every day. And may reconciliation then cease to be so unlikely and uncommon.
Amen.

Benediction
We are reminded today that as we are a people who pursue reconciliation, we only do so because we are covered in God's grace that has gone ahead of us in Jesus. Reconciliation is difficult, and will sometimes be left unfinished. yet we still hold on hope for the day to come when the whole world, to include you and I, will be reconciled in the new creation. Until that day, le us live as God's provisional demonstration.

notes
[1] See Wenham's commentary on Genesis in the Word Biblical Commentary Series
[2] This contrast is credited to Ken Bailey's and his work in Jacob and the Prodigal: How Jesus Retold Israel's Story. The image from this post appears on the cover of Bailey's excellent contribution to Christian theology and biblical scholarship.

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Stay-cation: Bottles, Coffee, and Naps

2011-08-05T13:59:00.009-04:00

The past nine summers have incorporated a week-long family getaway in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. The week is spent doing a whole lot of nothing, just the way I like it. Aside from reading theology on the beach, walks on the shore line, and evening crab hunts, vacation in the Klimovitz family requires one thing: abandon schedules and expectations. Nonetheless, for a wide variety of reasons, this year marks the first in which we will watch Shark Week not from the confines of a beach house, but in our living room...does not have the same effect ;) That said, I chose this year, after returning from a week in Honduras, an already busy summer with much time away from family, and almost a month after my wife returned to work after maternity leave, to take my first ever "stay-cation." The requirements are the same, no schedule or expectations, except to care for the two greatest blessings my wife and I have ever known, our twins, Noah and Lily.

It is quite an adventure caring for fraternal twins, and sleep comes at a premium. Yet, I can say without hesitation, that I would have it no other way. Each morning I fill three bottles, two for the kids and a dark-roast brew for myself, which gets me to my 10 o'clock nap (my parental obligation for tired twins after a morning feed). I am not one who likes to slow down, do nothing, or take a break from work, ministry, reading, or writing (blogging about a stay-cation has to be a violation of some sort). Yet I have been pretty disciplined to do just that- nothing. I confess that I have tried many times to get through a chapter of my summer read, The Cross in Our Context: Jesus and the Suffering World by Douglas John Hall, with not much luck. And this is a good thing. Instead, I have spent every waking moment taking in all the subtleties of newborns.

I am reminded of Chesteron's comments about our need to grow-down as believers, i.e. to reclaim our ability to be left in awe, wonder, and amazement by even the simplest of experiences. We must become like a child who says, "do it again" to either a sunrise or a rainforest bouncy seat. As each day passes, I go to bed grateful that on my stay-cation I get to "do it again" and take in each discovery made by the youngest of Klimovitz imaginations, to witness their fresh experiences, hear their newest of sounds, and watch their minds take everything in as it is the first time...because maybe it is.

I was not sure what to expect when Amber and I became parents. I was not sure how our lives would change as a mom and dad of not just one, but of two, newborn babies. Despite all the horror stories shared by well-intentioned and experienced parents, the inital sleepless weeks, and a life that looks much akin to a circus, especially with twin beagles to accompany twin humans, I agree with Amber, I have never been happier than I am in these days. And this stay-cation has been a beautiful opportunity to bask in just that feeling and God-given reality that has become our new life.

I look forward to the days, weeks, years, and caffeinated bottles ahead. Even more, I hope to take more stay-cations in the future so not only to refresh and recharge before another ministry season, but also and especially to hold onto the simple wonders that come alive again and again through the eyes, ears, and lips of Noah and Lily. Because, if you ask me, they are the greatest theologians I know...

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Final Honduras Reflections: Partnership through Photography

2011-07-29T10:51:00.004-04:00

It is hard to believe that after nearly 16 months of planning and preparation that I am writing a final post on the airplane just before we descend back home in Philadelphia. We went into the week hoping and praying for opportunities to build a partnership with Honduran youth through local church connections...I believe we witnessed far more than that.

I have written much over the past week about our hopes and dreams, conversations and reflections. However, nothing can really do justice to all that took place in these last seven days in Tegucigalpa. Our students especially noticed, each night as we debriefed together in the retreat center owned by Tim and Gloria Wheeler of Heifer International, that although we may not speak the same language, we do share a vision and dream that transcends geographical setting. The words partnership, collaboration, and cooperation dripped from the lips of students within both Imago Dei Youth Ministry and Pena de Horeb. We were speaking the same language.

This was affirmed on Tuesday night as we gathered for a prayer service. Pastor Juan of Pena de Horeb gathered together Karen Gadson, a member of our volunteer team and PCUSA World Mission, and Mark Wright, PCUSA Mission Co-Worker, and among other things, he said the following, "We have never seen this before. This is partnership." I believe that our group would agree.

I would love to write more, yet I believe that no blog post can encompass how much God was at work in the week that was. Therefore, as a final post I have inserted a variety of photos from our pilgrimage made alongside fellow travelers from Central America. My prayer is that this is only the beginning of a beautiful and lasting partnership with our new family and friends of the faith.

Dios te bendiga...

a view of Tegucigalpa

Confucius monument in the foreground and the back of the Christ monument in the background

Micah Project: http://www.micahcentral.org/

Basilica de Suyapa

Globilization

a day at Parque Obrero with new friends from Pena de Horeb

our means of transportation from Puerto Grande to La Playa Negra

two youth leaders from Pena de Horeb

an eco-stove installed by PCUSA World Mission

Pena de Horeb operates a medical clinic out of their basement

This is partnership

youth ministry leadership

Pastor Juan of Pena de Horeb

youth-to-youth partnership conversation at Pena de Horeb

new friend and brother, Alex, who drove us around all week

La Tigra, a rainforest/cloud forest...quite the hike, note level of difficulty

Be sure to check out posts from Imago Dei Youth on the Westminster blog: Work of the People

Honduras Missional Reflections: Fried Fish and Youth to Youth Partnerships

2011-07-26T18:24:00.002-04:00

July 24
It is difficult to put into words all that took place today. In short, we experienced some of the most authentic and captivating Honduran culture.
We woke up bright and early and traveled with youth from Peña de Horeb to Puerta Grande, a small village on the Southwestern coast of Honduras. Located there is Sea of Galilee Evangelical Presbyterian Church. These congregations collectiveley planned for us an incredible lunch adventure and an all-day fellowship at La Playa Negra. The surprise... we had to take small motorized fishing boats 20km to an island not far from El Salvador. I cannot even begin to describe the beauty that enveloped the experience, along with the occasional nausea, as we cruised the Gulf and Pacific waters. Lunch was fried fish...whole fried fish...and it was delicious. A service of worship also took place under a canopy, as each church contributed some element and the local pastor's son spoke about utilizing one's gifts in the church. All in all the day was a great opportunity to further fellowship with our new friends and continue to develop relationships with Honduran Youth.

Another element of the day was the opportunity to learn of the eco-stoves that the PCUSA World Mission has begun to construct in homes. Many in the villages have continued to cook over open fires, which causes bronchial difficulties, heat exhaustion, high cooking expenses (for wood), and significant deforestation. However, these eco-stoves are able to reduce the amount of wood used by 60%, save families money, and eliminate health and heat hazards. This may sound like a minor change, but the results are significant. Each stove only costs $60.

July 25
Our group of 19 and Peña de Horeb's group of 12 (or more?) painted their entire sanctuary, which had not been done for years. It was a lot of work, yet the best part was the opportunity to be together, work together, and swap stories together.
After we finished our first coat of painting, we set up the room in a circle of chairs and entered into an intentional dialogue with the youth. Mark Wright posed two questions to be discussed in small groups made up of Honduran and American youth:

What do you value most about your church?
What would you like to see your church do differently?

The hope was to engage in intentional dialogue that can begin to provide a working framework for a potential partnership. The responses varied tremendousl, yet the cnversation was a first for the youth of Honduras and the Imago Dei Youth of Westminster. I am eager to further process this conversation and look forward to how we can take another step in the direction of a missional, youth-to-youth partnership.

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Further Reflections from Tegus: AJS, Globalization, and Missional Partnerships

2011-07-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

Further reflections from July 22
As mentioned, one of our destinations was Association for a More Just Society. This organization works to engage the various levels of social and political injustices in Tegucigalpa. Their mission, paraphrased, is to exist as brave Christian leaders who seek to advocate for justice, peace, and reform in Honduras, especially on behalf of the most vulnerable of society. Their director of communications, Abe, explained to the team the broad spectrum of concern and advocacy, which includes victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, government corruption, distribution of resources, and reform of a very dysfunctional education system. It is reported that the average Honduran does not receive an education beyond fifth grade, teacher's strikes occur at least every year, and political biases allow for the hiring of less-than-mediocre educators. The stories shared moved all of us us, especially those of youth who, through the networks, staff, and programs of AJS, have overcome sexual abuse and gang violence.

However, the most profound statement made by Abe was that despite Honduras seeing an influx of Christian communities, 40% of the population in 2010 compared to 8% in 1988, violence and poverty has continued to rise throughout the country. It was mentioned that the murder rate has tripled in the last 7 years. In other words, why is it that although more short-term missions and long-term missionaries have entered other country, the social and political climate has worsened? In short, Abe suggested that this is due to a disengaged evangelical influence that sees salvation in terms of the individual and not in regards to the social, political, and economic systems that oppresses individuals and communities. It was at that moment that Alex, son of the pastor and member of Peña de Horeb Presbyterian Church, asked Abe in eagerness, "How can we partner with you? If the local church leaders will not, I know that at least the youth will?" Again, a witness that the youth are eager to begin transforming their future...I look forward to these possibilities as we contemplate further partnerships.
Finally, we ended the day with a visit to...Wal-Mart. We needed to purchase a variety of supplies for some of the upcoming paint projects and this was the most effective means for us to do so (I have not been a Wall-Mart in over four years, and do not miss it). Later that night as we debriefed, I learned that one of the students was deeply grieved by this, especially as she noticed that Wal-Mart was an upscale experience in Tegus. It is incredible how much globalization continues to infringe on the developing world. Nonetheless, as Mark Wight mentioned, it does provide good jobs in the city. This is a tension that I am not sure I will ever overcome.

July 23
Today marked the first opportunity for our youth and the youth of Peña de Horeb to begin real face to face interactions. The day began with an initial encounter that impressed me a great deal. Most of the youth from both churches were eager to meet face-to-face those whom we have only heard about over the past year plus. The language barrier was a sure difficulty for some, surprisingly mine has been sufficient (better than I expected), yet students pressed on and enjoyed a day of fellowship, worship, Bible Study, and play at Parque Obrero, nearby Valle de los Angeles. I was invited to preach (I will post the text soon), and we also heard from their youth director, Erika. However, the highlights involved games of soccer or fútbol, an introduction to wiffle ball (my team won dramatic comeback fashion), and on-the-side conversations. The hope is to be able to share in more intentional conversations with the local youth in regards to their hopes and dreams for their churches, our potential partnership, and the issues in their community that they long to transform and engage. This may come on Monday or Tuesday.
As an aside, I have thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with Alex from Peña de Horeb. He has helped me to understand why the local Presbyterian Churches often resist engagement with social and political issues. He mentioned that most of the congregations in Tegus do not have sufficient resources to sustain their own churches and pastors and so all the funds they have must be put into sustaining their ecclesial community. It is true that piety also may play a role, as socio-political issues may be considered "secular work"; however, volunteer youth leaders like Alex and the youth he serves want to see something different. Their hopes are for partnerships like ours to make feasible, through the sharing of resources, not only internal church programs, but also and especially external involvement that seeks to improve their communities, cities, and country. Our prayers are or this to become a potential reality.

More to come...

Also check out The Westminster Blog: Work of the People for a great post from one of our Imago Dei Youth

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Design Your Future: Honduras Missional Experience Reflections

2011-07-22T17:46:00.006-04:00

July 21, 2011
Typical with most of my experiences in Latin America, when we arrived at the Tegus Airport we were greeted with extreme hospitality. Mark Wright, a PCUSA mission co-worker for the past two years, was accompanied by Alex, a son of a local Presbyterian church pastor, and several youth from the Peña de Horeb congregation. In our various commutes throughout the day I was able, in my broken Spanish, to converse with Alex about his hopes and dreams for the week ahead. Alex mentioned that the youth in his congregation, who greeted us at the airport, were eager to engage church partnerships differently. They had grown weary of experiences whereby others came and went with little to no lasting youth relationships and with the assumption that they were teachers and the Hondurans learners. They, as youth, were always being served, never invited to own and practice service and social and ecclesial change themselves. Instead, these youth want to be mutual learners, even to enter into partnerships with these congregations so to, as their t-shirts from a recent youth conference stated, begin "diseñando tu futuro bajo la voluntad de Dios." i.e. "designing your future under the will of God ." The exciting thing, the youth from Peña de Horeb want to enter into partnership with our youth. So we have set aside the duration of the upcoming weekend to enter into community, conversation, and fellowship, so to explore these possibilities. We will see what comes to be..

While we spent a good portion of the day simply getting acclimated to the retreat center where we are staying, we also made a brief field trip. We traveled back across Tegus and to a park situated around Cristo de Picacho, a large statue of Jesus with outstretched hands over the city. The statue rivals the one located in Rio, Brazil. However, this one assumes the posture of a resurrected and ascended Christ and accompanied by a passage from Luke 24. Yet this was not the only statue and monument in this park. We traveled through a garden and behind the statue of Christ was a much smaller one of Confucius, a marker of the Chinese culture and population that is apparently prominent within Honduras. I was able to stand in a spot where I could glimpse the top of Jesus with Confucius in the lower foreground. This sight, along with a Mayan temple replica, attest to the diverse cultural influences on the Honduran people and surely their witness to and understanding of the gospel. I am eager to learn more of the context that is Tegus, especially how the local Christian churches and ministries engage it for the sake of the gospel and the hopes of their communities, especially the poor there situated.

July 22nd
Todays immersion experiences began with interactions with the Micah Project, a ministry that extends love, grace, and family to the many "street kids" in Tegus. Many of these youth have been isolated from their families for a wide variety of reasons and forced to call the streets their home, whereby many of them become addicted to "yellow glue." This cheap and convenient drug provides a high that lasts all day and brings a false relief to their circumstances. Mike, their director, and his staff work to receive these youth, help them overcome their addiction, provide education, and exist as a family for the 13 boys who have never known such a basic human need. Mike said, "only God can save these boys, and God has." Mike mentioned that the Project operates under several core concerns and practices, none more important than the eternal practice of grace. As we listened to Mike talk, it was evident that what they do works. The kids have found faith, have overcome addiction (sometimes more than once), many graduated from high school and become teachers in local schools, and have a place to call home. Furthermore, some of the boys have discovered their gifts and exercise them as another form of healing. The song here posted is, "carta a mama," written to their mothers who have passed. One of the lyrics declares that only God can fill the void.

Video from Project

This missional experience has only just begun. Our team looks forward to further interactions with local ministries and youth. For now, we are on our way to Transformemos Honduras and Association for More Just Society Check out their significant work as advocates, social prophets, and people who risk it all for the sake of the most vulnerable of Honduras.

More to come...

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Who You Met Not What You Did: Honduras 2011

2011-07-18T12:24:00.003-04:00

In April/May 2010, I charged a few of our Imago Dei Youth Ministry Leaders (students and adults) to begin to discern a call and vision together about the nature and implementation of missional experiences and ministry partnerships. I was not disappointed. We developed a Missional Experience Visioning Team and explored the biblical theme of mission, i.e. missio Dei, missional church paradigms, the pros and cons of our previous summer missional experiences, and even how our denomination (PCUSA) is already engaged in similar conversations and activities domestically and internationally (see PCUSA World Mission). We prayed. We read. We researched. We discussed. Mostly, we waited for an invitation from an already established ministry and Christian community in an international context. The result is this year's pilgrimage to Tegucigalpa, Honduras in partnership with PCUSA World Mission and the local Christian communities and youth situated in this Central American city.

I have been encouraged by the 15 youth and 4 adults (to include myself) who have participated in faithful dialogue about the missional church and the significance of ministry partnerships. Students especially have recognized the need to serve alongside instead of to and for those in diverse contexts, to travel as listeners and learners versus imperialistic Christians who assume to possess all the answers, and to recognize that God speaks in and through cultural contexts beyond our own. Even more, the conversations over the past 15 months have reminded us that the church is to be in partnership with the poor, the marginalized, and those in developing nations. One of the books that has formed us along the way and given a helpful framework has been When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. They suggest that unlike typical paternalistic structures that are implemented by well-intending Christian churches, especially youth ministries [1], short-term missions and long term partnerships must function through asset-based community development:

"ABCD is consistent with the perspective that God has blessed every individual and community with a host of gifts, including such diverse things as land, social networks, knowledge, animals, savings, intelligence, schools, creativity, production equipment, etc. ABCD puts the emphasis on what the materially poor people already have and asks them to consider from the outset, 'What is right with you? What gifts has God given you that you can use to improve your life and that of your neighbors? How can the individuals and organizations in your community work together to improve your community?' Instead of looking outside the low-income individual or community for resources and solutions, ABCD starts by asking the materially poor how they can be stewards of their own gifts and resources, seeking to restore individuals and communities to being what God has created them to be from the very start of the relationship" (127).

This is not to suggest that socio-political and economic sytems and institutions are void of influence on poverty alleviation [2] strategies, or even the reality of poverty coming to be in the first place. On the contrary, missional partnerships and prophetic Christian witness must engage these empirical variables in the efforts to work towards holistic reconciliation. However, ABCD recognizes and empowers the poor and oppressed as significant players, even primary contributors, in the quest for liberation and justice. Unless we begin with their gifts, talents, resources, and ideas, our ministries and short-term experiences will be temporary relief at best, another manifestation of crippling paternalism at worst.

We have spent much of our time as a team in reflection and conversation,
students asked to do more than go but also to prepare their hearts, souls, and minds. However, we have also come to the conclusion that to be
the church in partnership with diverse Christian communities, especially in contexts of poverty, we must move beyond theory and projects and into real and lasting relationships with those in said communities. In other words, it is more than what we do, rather about who we meet. Missional experiences are opportunities to swap stories, share in fellowship, and live in community with fellow pilgrims of the Way of Jesus. This is precisely what we as a a youth ministry are about to do. I even hear that our first weekend will be spent over several picnics at local fresh-fish markets with Honduran youth from various Tegus churches.

I look forward to the days ahead. We ask that you would pray for us as we travel. May God give us the eyes to see and the ears to hear the signs and symbols of the resurrection that are already taking place in Tegucigalpa, especially through the youth who live there. And may we be forever transformed not so much but what we do while in Tegus, but more so by who we meet.

Stay tuned for more posts in country...

Notes
[1] Corbett and Fikkert define paternalism as doing things for people that they can do themselves (115).
[2] Poverty Alleviation is also defined in When Helping Hurts, as "the ministry of reconciliation: moving people closer to glorifying God by living in right relationship with God, with self, with others, and with the rest of creation" (79).

Other Helpful Resources

Presbyterians Do Mission in Partnership

Youth Ministry as an Exercise in Liberation Theology

Service Blitzes, Missional Pilgrims, and Jim Forest

Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence by David Livermore

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Water Buffalo Theology: A Must Read

2011-07-11T12:33:00.001-04:00

“Has not theology inflated my language and thought?Has this inflation kept me from real contact with people? Truly, theology ismore manageable than God” (151). These inquisitivewords of Japanese theologian, Kosuke Koyama, continue to echo throughout myheart and mind even after reading his seminal text on theology and mission, Water Buffalo Theology. As someone who loves to engage theology andthe various contributions of historical and contemporary voices, I haverecognized the hazardous tendency to become overly cognitive and disengagedwith real persons and human experiences. That said, Water Buffalo Theology wasa refreshing read, which I consider a vital resource for anyone who longs notonly to read and teach theology, but also and especially to live and incarnate God-talkin a variety of cultural contexts. KosukeKoyama (1929-2009), an astute learner, teacher, and respected academic, isintentional to bridge the gap between two sacred disciplines of the Christiantradition, i.e. how we speak of God (theology) and how we live into such speech (missiology). He writes:

“At this point theology becomes missiology, and missiologybecomes theology. Is not theology astammering description of the sending God culminating in the word of thecross? Is not missiology anunderstanding of God who is and acts in unsearchable and immeasurablestrength of love culminating in the person and work of Jesus Christ” (135-136)?

However, Koyama reminds the Christian theologian andpractitioner that we must constantly reform our speech so to be palatable andrelevant to those in our cultural contexts. Better said, our theological reflections are in vain if they cannot beunderstood by and transform the lives of the farmer who plows his field bywater buffalo. Koyama writes:

“I decided to subordinate great theological thoughts,like those of Thomas Aquinas and Karl Barth, to the intellectual and spiritualneeds of the farmers. I decided that Ihave not really understood SummaTheologiae and Church Dogmatics untilI am able to use them for the benefit of the farmers. My theology in northern Thailand must beginwith the need of the farmers and not with the great thoughts developed in Summa Theologiae and Church Dogmatics” (xvi).

WaterBuffalo Theology proceeds to engage the plethora ofAsian contexts and raise local questions posed by a situated gospel. What does this mean for the Buddhist inThailand? Who is Jesus in conversation with the likes of Confucius? What doesshalom look like to the Vietnamese in the wake of war, communism, and Westernimperialism? Can the gospel be understood aside from Western interpretations?How does the church move beyond and guard against denominationalism andinstitutionalization? How can we cross the dividing wall between library Christiansand street-Christians wherever we are?

Here are a few excerpts Koyama’s Water Buffalo Theology; however, Iencourage you to read it for yourself and allow this text to provoke fresh andcontextual questions that can form all of us for relevant and faithful gospelwitness in and for the whole world.

“Water BuffaloTheology is quietly convinced that theology- God-talk- belongs to the realmof poetry…’God-talk’ is poetic, not scientific language” (xi).

“The mission of the church begins with the nurtureof the crucified mind [v. the crusading mind], the mind of Christ in thecontext of theological raw situations” (18).

[Thequotes to follow continue to baffle me, as this was written in the 1970’s. Koyama suggests that the gospel’s greatestthreat in the technological age of modernization is the obsession with “efficiency.”]

“Have we given thought to the coming of a universaltechnological civilization and its impact upon us who live in a certainlocality, in certain cultural and religious traditions…The coming of theuniversal technological civilization compels me to grasp again the essence ofthe good news of God in Christ” (45).

“To ‘live in technological efficiency’ may becomefor many the experience of ‘salvation’…In fact, it may be said that thecontrast between the ‘inefficient God’ and ‘efficient human’ is becoming moreand more pronounced” (46).

---
“To what kind of spiritual and theological heritageam I heir? This question is of immediateconcern for me, for how can I make my witness meaningful to my neighbors if Ifail to understand where they are and where I am in the continuing story of theChristian church here” (57)?

“It is wrong to say that we must produce anindigenous theology. It is not necessaryto produce one. It is there” (60)!

“We must resort to analogy when we speak of God, butin doing so we are confronted by the God who constantly perturbs our use ofanalogy. This paradoxical burden intheological thinking is not sufficiently understood by the theology thatneglects history” (73).

“There is no private theology. Our theology is a community production” (77).

“Theology can only stammer about the person and workof Jesus Christ” (134).

“Our Christian life is surrounded by institutionsand establishments. And their number islegion. Some institutions are sacred andothers are less sacred. Someinstitutions are more useful tot the good of the community than others. Institutions have their respectivehistories. They tend to become rigid andinflexible. They die hard. Their self-denial only occurs veryrarely. The real danger of institutionsmust be located not in the institutions themselves, but in the ‘theology’ thatsurrounds them. The penetrating analysisof the deceptive theology is summarized by Jeremiah as ‘This is the temple ofthe Lord!- therefore we are safe!’…Onthis basis, Christians can and must be critical about institutionsrelated to the church” (138-9).

“Now how to communicate such a reality of God to ourneighbors? Neighbors who are not ‘neighborology’but real living neighbors who are in the midst of human and historicalcomplexities” (155)?

“The crucified mind, not the crusading mind, must bethe mind of all missionaries, indeed of all Christians” (159).

“The Christian faith is a noisy faith. Because it lives in believing in God’sdecisive and irreversible attachmentto people in Christ” (161).

“Participating in Christ’s work of holding allthings together by being deeply discomforted- what a singular form of missionin the discomforted world today” (167)!

Youth Ministry as an Exercise in Liberation Theology: Reflections on Gustavo Gutierrez

2011-06-28T11:24:00.000-04:00

As it has been mentioned in previous blogposts, all Christian theology is to be liberation theology that pays particular attention to God's special concern [1] for oppressed and marginalized peoples and communities. This is where Peruvian theologian, Gustavo Gutierrez, and his classic contribution to Christian theology, A Theology of Liberation, is advantageous for both academic and pragmatic forums and Christian witness. What follows are reflections from one of my favorite works of theology.

Over the course of my nearly ten years in ecclesial ministry, mainly in the realm of youth work, I have discovered a pervasive, albeit false, dichotomy, i.e. church speech as distinct from church praxis. The segregation of these disciplines is one of the most infectious misnomers among God's people. This is especially true of the faith communities located in suburban contexts of luxury and privilege. Therefore, it is no accident or coincidence that the bulk of liberation theology has roots in and develops from contexts of poverty, communities of oppression, and voices from the margins. In other words, for the aforementioned, Christian theology is liberation theology and refutes any and all dichotomies that segregate speech and witness. [2] Gutierrez writes, "we cannot separate our discourse about God from the historical process of liberation" (xviii). Moreover and especially, this discourse does not bud within a vacuum, rather blossoms in light of real communities and contexts of oppression. Again, Gutierrez writes:

These considerations should not make us forget, however, that we are not dealing here solely with an intellectual pursuit. Behind liberation theology are Christian communities, religious groups, and peoples, who are becoming increasingly conscious that the oppression and neglect from which they suffer, are incompatible with their faith in Jesus Christ (or, speaking more generally, with their religious faith). These concrete, real-life movements are what give this theology its distinctive character; in liberation theology, faith and life are inseparable. This unity accounts for its prophetic vigor and its potentialities (xix).

Therefore, as the Christian pursues related speech and discourse it is imperative to do so not in isolation from, rather in solidarity with the very communities and individuals whom God, in and through the vocation of Jesus, seeks to liberate and redeem. [3]

This theological posture is precisely the rationale for the missional paradigm that has been implemented within the youth ministry I serve, particularly the upcoming immersion experience in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. That is, the hope and prayer over the past four years has been to implement an environment whereby students in the youth ministry, their parents, and related volunteers in the program would become all the more aware of the vital intersection between what we say about God and the gospel and how God's people live into the character of God and related speech. In other words, it has been our intention to overcome the false assumption that theology and mission are two distinct characteristics of the life of a disciple. The result of this missional paradigm, i.e. youth ministry as an exercise in liberation theology, has been young disciples questing to discover how salvation extends well beyond personal assurance of a sweet by-and-by and more into incarnated acts of socio-political justice and reconciliation. Gutierrez says it best:

Salvation is not something otherworldly, in regard to which the present life is merely a test. Salvation- the communion of human beings with God and among themselves- is something which embraces all human reality, transforms it, and leads it to its fullness in Christ... (85).

This sort of activity in our youth ministry has led to a wide range of relationships across diverse lines of demarcation, or as Paul said, dividing walls of hostility (Eph. 2:14). Students in the Imago Dei Youth Ministry have lived in solidarity with those on the margins, others caught in cycles of poverty, and neighbors on the fringes of society. These relationships have not been developed so to fuel an appreciation for what they have, to earn credits for school, or to boost a resume. Instead, youth have become convicted that what it means to be a disciple of Jesus is to live in rhythm and communion with God's predilection option for the poor.

Nonetheless, there is a danger that lurks nearby when one reads Gutierrez', A Theology of Liberation. That is, one can read an assume that such a theological development is yet another genre created and explored by disengaged academics who have spent years-on-end in isolated study. However, Gutierrez is sure to remind the reader that liberation theology has its beginnings in latino youth movements at the forefront of prophetic gospel witness (40). This observation is yet another reason why, no matter how many degrees I earn or the trajectory of my ecclesial vocation, I long to stay engaged with the Spirit's activity in and through teenagers. It is my conviction that the unashamed nature and fearless character allows young disciples in a variety of contexts to live into the gospel of liberation with authenticity and audacity. Moreover, youth are sensitive to and move beyond irrelevant jargon and hope for alternative and just expressions of social, political, and economic systems. Again, this is not because they are neo-socialists or budding communists. Instead, today's youth, some in the suburbs and others in developing nations, are deeply concerned for proponents of the gospel to move beyond abstract anticipations and into real incarnations of liberation and peace:

The ultimate reason for commitment to the poor and oppressed is not to be found in the social analysis reuse, or in human compassion, or in any direct experience we have of poverty. These are all doubtless valid motives that play an important part in our commitment. As Christians, however, our commitment is grounded, in the final analysis, in the God of our faith. It is a theocentric, prophetic option that has its roots in the unmerited love of God and is demanded by this love" (xxvii).

Gutierrez reminds the church that there is a point of departure between trendy altruism and ecclesial Christian mission. This departure is found in the real conviction that Christian theology is a missional theology especially concerned for the poor and oppressed. Moreover, this gospel is confessed and pursued not to those on the margins, rather alongside those who are considered last by the world's standards. [4]

While I have found the contributions of Gutierrez and other liberation theologians to be advantageous and faithful to the biblical witness, there is a significant caveat. That is to say, I do not work in communities often associated with poverty, oppression, and injustice. Instead, I work among the elite, the wealthy, and the privileged who live in luxury and comfort versus hostility and marginalization. If God's preferential option is for the poor, is the gospel even available to them? Gutierrez is both consistent in his conviction and sensitive to this real tension when he writes:

The great challenge [is] to maintain both the universality of God's love and God's predilection for those on the lowest rung of the ladder of history...we have here two aspects of the church's life that are both demanding and inseparable: universality and preference for the poor" (xxvi)

Therefore, the task as a suburban youth pastor is to develop an ability to underscore not only the urgency of this preferential option, but also God's deep and universal love for all of humanity- to include those in contexts of comfort.[5] Nonetheless, what I have found, more often than not, is that when students engage the gospel of liberation and dwell in solidarity with those on the margins they understand God's love for them, even as suburban dwellers, to a much fuller and faithful extent. That is to say, they see themselves as fellow image bearers of a Creator who is concerned especially for their oppressed neighbors, brothers, and sisters, and also possesses a deep and abiding love for them in the 'burbs. In essence, the youth I serve recognize that they have found refuge within a broader community and larger story that is not only for them, but also and especially for the whole world. This is what makes youth ministry as an exercise in liberation theology so addictive and contagious, not only for youth pastors, but also for the larger Christian communities in whom they are a part. Even more, this is why we continually pursue partnerships with those in contexts of poverty and injustice, both domestically and internationally, because this is where God is most at work.

Notes:
[1] Gustavo Gutierrez refers to this as"God's preferential option for the poor." He writes, "The universality of Christian love is, I repeat, incompatible with the exclusion of persons, but it is not incompatible with preferential option for the poorest and most oppressed" (160, italics mine). This thesis stems from the biblical emphasis on God's mission of liberation that consistently elects and saves those in who stem from communities and contexts of marginalization. See my paper, "Poverty, Liberation, and Christian Scripture"

[2] The words of James Cone, prominent Black Liberation Theologian, are pertinent to this discussion, Christian theology is a theology of liberation. It is a rational study of the being of God in the world in light of the existential situation of an oppressed community, relating the forces of liberation to the essence of the gospel, which is Jesus Christ…There can be no Christian theology that is not identified unreservedly with those who are humiliated and abused. In fact, theology ceases to be a theology of the gospel when it fails to arise out of the community of the oppressed (1).

[3] Gutierrez writes, "To be a Christian is to be in solidarity....the process of liberation requires the active participation of the oppressed..." (67).

[4] Gutierrez offers yet another beautiful insight, "the historical point of view allows us to break out of a narrow, individualistic viewpoint and see with more Biblical eyes that human beings are called to meet the Lord insofar as they constitute a community, a people. It is a question not so much of a vocation to salvation as a convocation" (45). That is, any and all work of liberation theology as missional praxis is to be in partnership with those who are poor, oppressed, and on the margins. This is the framework in which our summer missional experience to Tegucigalpa, Honduras stems and gestates.

[5] This is not to suggest that there are not real experiences of poverty, injustice, oppression, and other forms of suffering in the suburbs, for there certainly are. Instead, I suggest that when one enters into community with those for whom God is especially concerned in cross-cultural experiences, those for whom God has a preferential option in one's own community are much more easily recognized. When this occurs, the Christian is commissioned to to pursue solidarity with their most local of neighbors.

Further Reflections from Genesis: Cain, Where Is Your Brother, Abel?

2011-06-23T09:56:00.000-04:00

The Ghent Altarpiece, ca. 1390-1441

I am Cain. I am the first born son of Adam, who by the help of God was born to my mother Eve. My story is from the beginning. You may know it well. It may even be your story, too.

I can still hear the voice echoing in the wind; the voice of Yahweh, “Cain, where is your brother, Abel? Cain, where is your brother, Abel? CAIN, WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER, ABEL?

My name is known. My name, Cain, is synonymous to many with violence, murder, deceit. Who would ever think to name their child Cain? It wasn’t always that way. My name was given to me as a witness that the Creator God had helped bring into the world yet another reflection of God’s image. Cain is similar to the Hebrew word for “acquired,” as in by the help of the Creator my mother acquired a son.

Cain, where is your brother, Abel? CAIN, WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER, ABEL?

We had gone out to the fields together to bring offerings to God. My younger brother, Abel, was a shepherd. He offered the best of his fold, the most precious of his flock. And the Creator God was pleased. I was a gardener. I offered the leftovers of my harvest from the ground cursed due to the actions of my father, Adam. And God took no regard. I remember thinking: How dare my brother, my little sibling, outdo me? Who is he to think he can bring delight to the Creator by giving his very best? Abel, I will see that you never outdo me again.

Abel was innocent, for sure. He did not deserve the consequences of my pending behavior. Yet envy and rage continued to loom large when I heard the voice again, “Cain, why are you angry? Cain, be on your guard. Cain, sin is lurking at your door. Its desire is for you. It wants to plant seeds of bitterness that will grow into vengeance and will produce violence. Cain, you must overcome your violence before violence overcomes you.

I lured my brother into the fields we both knew so well. We had grown up in these fields. But these fields now haunt me. My brother’s blood cries out from the ground of these fields. My brother’s blood was shed by my hands in these fields…

“Cain, where is your brother, Abel? Cain, where is your brother, Abel? CAIN, WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER, ABEL?”

I do not know! Am I my brother’s keeper? Am I my brother’s keeper?

The voice paused, but not for long. I knew the answer to the question. I knew I was my brother’s keeper. I knew I was to be co-laborers with my brother in the Creator’s call for us to be fruitful, to multiply, to care for and reproduce the life God created as good. But I took it instead. I crushed my brother, made in the same image of the God who created us both. I twisted the image. I offended the image. I killed the image. I tried to cover and burry the image…

But Abel’s blood cried out from the ground. Not even I could thwart the concern of this Creator for my younger brother. Not even death could overcome the compassion of this Creator for my younger brother. This creator hears the cries of the oppressed, the weak, the wounded, and those suffering at the hands of violence and injustice. This Creator hears the cries of even the dead.

But for me, a murderer, an abuser, the keeper of death over life, there would be no hope…or so I thought…

Then I heard the voice again, “Not so!”

Could it be that God’s compassion is even for me?

Genesis and the Beginnings of Biblical Narrative

2011-06-17T15:34:00.003-04:00

This Sunday Westminster Presbyterian Church begins a series on Genesis. While we have dibbled and dabbed in the Old Testament over recent years, this marks the first time in a while whereby we will explore the Pentateuch, i.e. first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures or Old Testament. The hope is to explore Exodus in the fall! That said, I scrolled through my previous writings and stumbled across this resource below, aware that as we approach Genesis it is imperative to take notice of the genre of narrative that provided a significant platform for this ancient text. This is important so to avoid doing violence to the text and reading out of or into Scripture what was never there in the first place.

Happy reading as we begin with the "book of beginnings"...

The biblical witness is compiled of a diverse set of literary forms and genres. It is imperative for the reader of Scripture to develop the skills necessary for the recognition of the related mediums used within to evoke the intended messages and meanings relevant not only to the world of Scripture, but also to the world of the reader. One of the primary literary forms that exists throughout Scripture is narrative. The biblical writers generate stories through the movements of characters within particular settings in order to interpret events and give meaning to realities. These narratives ultimately fit within the larger biblical story of God’s mission to and for God's people and creation. There are several key questions pertinent for the development of the skills and abilities necessary for the reader of biblical narrative. These questions will both challenge the reader’s approach to biblical narrative and enhance the ability to discern the intended meanings and representations of the related stories.

What is the difference between event and story?
This is a crucial question in the discipline of biblical studies and hermeneutics, i.e. interpretation, for the confusion of the two easily and often leads to a reading of the biblical witness external to the nature of the text and the natural function of the content. The primary distinction between event and story is that a story is the interpretation of an event(s) that formulates an understanding of the world and the related course through it (Bartholomew and Goheen 19). That is to say, events are what happened. Stories interpret what happened in order to illustrate what is happening and the intended relationship to past, present, and future readers (Ryken 83). The intention of story is to craft the characters, settings, and circumstances of an event in a particular arrangement for the communication of an interpreted idea (Ryken 81). Furthermore, events can elicit infinite stories intended to move the reader in a particular direction and affirm related metanarratives, i.e. large and overarching stories, and worldviews, i.e. how we interpret reality and human experience. The task of the reader is to carefully distinguish between event and story and maintain constant awareness of the personal biases and subjectivity (Fokkelman 25) that may affect honest readings of an event and infringe upon the proper intentions of a story.

The Scriptures incorporate a vast array of narratives that are uniquely crafted in efforts to interpret particular events for the movement of the theology, history, and mission of God and God's people. These narratives are representations of reality intended to communicate particular truths to the readers (Berlin 13). However, the truth of these stories and the truth of the depicted events are not one in the same (Bauckham 44; Berlin 14). In other words, the event of Israel’s captivity by Assyria is one truth; however, the narrative of Israel’s exile to the eastern nation as consequence for neglect of torah is another truth in light of the biblical witness.[1] The former is the true event; the latter is the true theological interpretation of the real event illustrated and framed by a much larger story (Schnittjer 16). When these truths are confused and the lines between story and event are blurred, the intended purposes, whether for history, theology, or others, are mistaken.[2]

How does biblical narration shape the meaning of, and interpret through representation, the events narrated?
Biblical narrative is a literary device and art form utilized to communicate meaning(s)(Berlin 135) to the reader(s).[3] The narrations within Scripture are carefully and creatively constructed with intentionality that goes beyond a report about given events. Instead, biblical narrative crafts events in a particular form for the sake of interpretation and representation pertinent especially, although not limited, to theology. Essentially, in order to inquire about the meaning(s) of biblical narrative, the reader must interact with the form, methods, settings, characters, activity, language, and intended audience of the story (Ryken 81). The reader of biblical narrative must understand not only the meaning of the story, i.e. content, but also how the meaning is illustrated, i.e. form (Fokkelman 29). This being the case, hermeneutical dialogue is critical to the proper interpretation and representation of biblical narrative (Fokkelman 24-25).

In biblical narrative the storytellers control not only what details and elements of the narrative readers see, but also how and when the readers see and interpret these components (Ryken 85). Literary devices such as repetition, highlighting, gaps, and analogy are activated with regularity to guide the reader in particular directions for the exposition of meanings (Ryken 83; Berlin 136-137). The narrators may also introduce commentaries through authorial assertions, i.e. narration external to the characters, and normative spokespersons, i.e. narration through a character within the story (Ryken 84-85). However, the conclusion of the narratives is often the most significant key to the interpretation of the meaning and the intended representation of the event(s). All of these devises are creatively included within the construction of biblical narrative and aid in the movement of both the thematic significance and the intellectual interpretation of the story.

One of the most significant concepts in the study of biblical narrative is that the characters, settings, movements, and activities within the story serve a greater purpose and carry heavier burdens than themselves (Ryken 83). The storytellers illustrate not only the reality of the characters involved, but also the reality in which the reader lives. Ryken comments, “The primary rule of narrative interpretation is thus the rule of significance: we assume that the writer intends to say something significant about reality and human experience” (82). This representation of reality and experience arrives only when the reader engages fully with the whole story and the related form (Ryken 86). In this, the reader gains greater insight into the storyteller’s intended meaning and suggested interpretation and representation of the illustrated events.

What should be the readers’ responsibility and posture toward scriptural narrative?
The reader of biblical narrative bears great responsibility in the realm of biblical interpretation. Each reader brings to the text an abundance of biases and preconceived notions about the narrative’s meaning and representation. This being said, the reader is to approach Scripture with a hermeneutic of suspicion, aware of the tendency to read into Scripture an interpretation external to the true nature and movement of the text (Hays 219). However, readers are not to deny personal subjectivity; rather, they are to engage and employ it for the benefit of the biblical witness versus the private ideologies and objectives of the reader (Fokkelman 25). The discipline of such hermeneutics allows the mind of the reader to be transformed by the Gospel and opened to fresh perspectives and trusts in God’s promises made known and complete in the faithfulness of Jesus (Hays 220).

The reader is also to be wise and embrace a hermeneutic of trust. The biblical witness can often seem out of sync with reality and the promises contained within empty. Therefore, “a trusting hermeneutic is essential for all who believe the word of the resurrection but do not yet see death made subject to God…Our reliance on God entails a death to common sense, and our trust is validated only by the resurrection” (Hays 219). The reader of biblical narrative is indeed to be suspicious of his/her inability to comprehend and his/her potential to misread. However, as the Scriptures take shape in the lives of the reader, guided by God’s Spirit, a transformation begins and an ability to trust the text and the God sovereign over it occurs (Hays 221). The reader is encouraged to ask difficult questions and explore honest criticism related to biblical narrative (Hays 222). At the same time, the reader is to read with a hermeneutic of consent and trust that elevates the biblical witness over and against the reader and the related suspicions. Ultimately, we can only faithfully live into and trust the biblical witness because of the faithfulness of the Messiah and the reality of Jesus' resurrection. For the Christian, all biblical interpretation is subject and witness to this event and story.

How should biblical narrative shape us as readers?
Biblical narrative is to goad the reader into a fresh interpretation not only of how the world was, but also how the world is (Bartholomew and Goheen 18). There is no larger story than that which is told within the pages of Scripture. That is to say, the narrative world of Scripture is also the reader’s world; the biblical story is also the reader’s story (Jenson 32, 34). This story gives shape and meaning to the realities of the reader and his/her movements through the world. Furthermore, we live in a world saturated by stories and myths. What is needed is not an escape from this storied world; instead, the need exists to embrace a more ethical and redemptive story and witness that transforms a world obsessed with narratives of domination, oppression, and consumption. This is the story generated by the collection of narratives within the Christian Scriptures (Bauckham 46). The biblical story is the unifying element that holds together all other forms within Scripture (Bauckham 39) and tells the public story of the entire creation.

How, in summary, does biblical narrative work?
Biblical narrative functions as the literary device necessary to communicate God’s work of creation, justice, redemption, and reconciliation through his people for the sake of the world. Events, characters, settings, themes, and conflicts are juxtaposed against other stories and forms in efforts to generate the single coherent story of exodus and resurrection that runs throughout the entire biblical witness (Bauckham 43). Biblical narrative interprets the realities of the world and frames them in a particular context. This framed story invites readers to embrace it as their own and live into the witness as it continues to unfold and anticipate the consummation of the Lord’s covenantal promises of new creation. Ultimately, biblical narrative works to anticipate the story of the Messiah and God’s work of liberation and new creation that culminates in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This is the story of Scripture. This is our story. This is also the story of the whole world. As N.T. Write suggests, N.T. Wright, “‘the whole point of Christianity is that it offers a story which is the story of the whole world. It is public truth’” (Bartholomew and Goheen 20).

Notes
[1] The entirety of Scripture hinges on the balance of event and story. Jenson explains, “The message of Jesus’ resurrection, the gospel, is a message about an event and so itself has the form of a narrative…The church reads her Scripture as a single plotted succession of events, stretching from creation to consummation, plotted around exodus and resurrection” (29).
[2] This is nowhere more evident than when the creation and flood stories are utilized for the purposes of science and history. Many well-intended students interpret these elements primarily as events, much to the neglect of their inclusion for the sake of biblical story and theology. Berlin comments, “…we are conscious that art is representation, but we forget that literature is, too. When we read narrative, especially biblical narrative, we are constantly tempted to mistake mimesis for reality- to take as real that which is only a representation of reality. And, conversely, we may be blind to a piece of the narrative picture because we are unaware of how it is being represented” (14).
[3] Fokkelman reminds students of the plurality of meaning within biblical narrative, “We constantly run the risk- whether during our first or our thirtieth reading of the story- of thinking: I’ve got it! So this is what the story is about!” (26).

Works Cited

Bartholomew, C. and Goheen, M. The Drama of Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2004.
Bauckham, R. “Reading Scripture as a Coherent Story.” The Art of Reading Scripture. Eds. E. Davis and R. Hays. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003.
Berlin, A. Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1983.
Fokkelman, J. Reading Biblical Narrative: An Introductory Guide. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1999.
Hays, R. “Salvation by trust? Reading the Bible Faithfully.” Christian Century. 1997. Pp. 218-223. Available on-line: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Reading-Scripture-Ellen-Davis/dp/0802812694/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308334901&sr=1-1
Jenson, R. “Scripture’s Authority in the Church.” The Art of Reading Scripture. Eds. E. Davis and R. Hays. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003.
Ryken, L. Words of Delight. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1992.
Schnittjer, G. The Torah Story. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006.