The Truth As Best I Know It

Lenten Discipline

2012-02-02T14:27:00.002-06:00

I've been pondering lately what to take on as my discipline for Lent this year. In past years I've fasted and prayed during lunchtime, and last year I gave up alcohol, which was a healthy thing since I was coming out of a very high-stress period. It dampened March Madness just a tad though...

I like to do something different every year, picking something that will really challenge and strengthen me where I'm at in my life at that moment. I've found that my experience of God's presence is much more profound if I do that.

This defining characteristic of this particular season in my life is busyness. I'm working a lot more hours at Arlington than I did at Bethlehem (in many ways this is a good thing, which is probably the subject for another post), and this will especially be the case this Lent, as we're working toward the launch of our yet-to-be-named Alternative Worship Service at Arlington.

So while I can't give up busyness altogether for Lent, I can do something to intentionally slow down the tempo. I'll be making it my daily practice to take some time each morning (usually first thing when I get to the office) to read and meditate on the day's entry from Lent and Easter Wisdom from Thomas Merton.

This book is produced by the Merton Institute for Contemplative Living, whose retreats and programs have been a great blessing to me during some very difficult times.

The reason I'm talking about this on the blog is that I'll post my reflections each day (well, most days), and I invite you to join me. Click the link above to order the book, and if you're so inclined, share your reflections and reactions in the Comments section. We could form a virtual small group doing this together.

That's what I'll be doing. How about you? Sound off below and share what, if any, Lenten discipline you've selected and why, or why you choose not to do so, if you're comfortable sharing that. All opinions are welcome, but please be respectful of others. No judgments or condemnations here.

The Driscoll Discipline Conversation- My 2 cents

2012-01-26T11:55:00.000-06:00

I read a story on Matthew Paul Turner's blog this week that absolutely made my skin crawl. It concerns a young man named Andrew who was part of Mark Driscoll's Mars Hill Church in Seattle (not to be confused with the church in Michigan that was, until recently, pastored by Rob Bell) who, when faced with a moral crisis, put his trust in his church and was treated horribly, under the pretense that such treatment is in accord with God's will. You can read Part 1 and Part 2 of Turner's posts about Andrew's ordeal and his "excommunication" (seriously, they used that word) from Mars Hill.

Several other bloggers out there have offered some very thoughtful commentary on this particular story, and on the phenomenon of celebrity bully pastors like Driscoll. Chaplain Mike at Internet Monk, Rachel Held Evans, and a guest poster on Turner's blog named Stephen's contributions to the discussion are excellent.

I want to offer my own take, not on Andrew's particular situation, or individuals like Driscoll or even churches like Mars Hill. Others have already done so in more gracious and thoughtful ways than I would. Instead, I want to take a look at the "biblical basis" for Andrew's excommunication.

As the document in Part 2 on Turner's site says, the model for their actions is Matthew 18:15-18. In this passage, Jesus says

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

I've heard people who are on various places on the theological spectrum quote this passage, and focus in on the "treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector" part as a justification for shunning someone.

Since the words of Jesus are being used here, it follows that the actions of Jesus should tell us how one treats a pagan or a tax collector. How did Jesus treat these folks? Did he shun them and protect himself from them so as to not let their sinfulness infect him, as I've heard this passage applied?

No!

Jesus treated pagans and tax collectors, not to mention prostitutes, thieves, and all other kinds of "undesirables" with love and respect. He didn't just talk to them for the purpose of encouraging them to get their act together.

When he encountered Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:1-10), he didn't even wait for Zacchaeus to say a word before saying that he would dine with him. Zacchaeus' declaration of turning over a new leaf was in response to Jesus love. Grace came first, then repentance. But in the church we've flipped the equation around.

Let's also remember that Jesus' harshest words were reserved for the religious people that thought themselves too pious to associate with the common "sinner". He called them "broods of vipers", among other things. It was the religious people who wanted to exclude everyone they didn't approve of that conspired with the Romans to kill Jesus.

So if you find someone in a place where you think they're harming themselves and others through their sin, if you've talked with them about it and they disagreed, then you talked it through with others and the whole group talked to that person and they still disagreed, what does Jesus say you should do?

Keep loving them anyway. Don't shun them. Don't become so preoccupied with your own sanctity that you throw a relationship away over a disagreement. Love them. Eat with them. Show them that you'll never give up on them. That's what helps people understand that they're forgiven and that they can make a new start.

Perhaps if the church practiced more radically inclusive love and less superiority and exclusion under the guise of "church discipline", the rest of the world wouldn't find us to be at odds with the Christ we worship.

Shameless Self Promotion- 2012 Edition

2012-01-19T14:26:00.002-06:00

Lent is approaching and many pastors are thinking about sermon series for Lent. Ministry Matters has published an outline of a series I did a few years ago called "Giving It Up". It began with the idea of people giving certain things up for the 40 days of Lent, and considers things that God wants us to give up permanently.

You can find the article here. If anyone would like the full text of any of the sermons, I'd be happy to send them to you.

Remembering the Real Dr. King

2012-01-16T10:00:00.000-06:00

Ever since I've been blogging, I've taken the opportunity on the national holiday remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to point out that as thoroughly as we've sanitized Dr. King in our national consciousness, he still remains as dangerous a figure to the economic and political status quo today as he was in his day.

I've met too many kids who assume King's I Have A Dream speech (as wonderful as it is) somehow instantly ended racism and achieved total equality for all people in America to not make this annual reminder. Particularly with the events of this past year, the things we don't say about Dr. King show how badly we want to make him safe. The Poor People's Campaign he was planning at the time of his murder in 1968 had exactly the same tactics and goals as the current "Occupy Wall Street" movement.

But I also have to acknowledge that the words of a white, upper middle class guy who has never encountered a shred of prejudice or oppression don't carry a lot of weight when I'm trying to make a claim about who Martin Luther King really was. So I think I'll let Dr. King speak for himself.

Below is the audio of his 1967 sermon, "Why I Am Opposed to the War in Vietnam". This sermon literally made everybody mad. His enemies found further reason to dislike him. His friends and colleagues in the civil rights movement thought that he was doing grave damage to their cause by taking such an unpopular stance, and said he should just stick to issues of race. But, as he says in this sermon, "I am determined to take the gospel seriously." As a prophet, he couldn't speak up against one type of injustice and remain silent on other types of injustice.

The sermon is over 20 minutes long, but it's worth taking the time to listen. There are so many parallels between Dr. King's time and ours that one finds in this message, but the one that stood out most to me was, "One of the difficulties in speaking out today grows out of the fact that there are those who are seeking to equate dissent with disloyalty."

May we honor the man in whose name we're getting a day off of work and school by being brave enough to speak up against evil and injustice even when, especially when, no one else will stand beside us.

Why We're Baptizing Our Infant Daughter

2012-01-14T13:27:00.000-06:00

(Note- this post is a slightly updated reprint of a post I wrote back in 2009, anticipating Kate's baptism.)

Claire is being baptized this coming Sunday. We're very honored to have Rev. Dr. M. Douglas Meeks, a mentor and professor of mine from my seminary days at Vanderbilt, coming to preside at the baptism.

Over the years I've heard the argument more than a few times from my Baptist friends (and from a few Methodists who think they're Baptist) that infant baptism isn't biblical, valid, or anything else remotely good. (Jessica wrote a really great blog post on the subject several years ago)

A cursory glance at the history of the Christian faith presents a different picture, however. In the 4th century St. Augustine (in one of his only major contributions to Christian theology that didn't turn out horribly) helped answer the question of what to do with people who came back into the Orthodox fold from a schismatic group called the Donatists. Augustine determined that the efficacy of baptism lay not in the holiness of the priest performing the sacrament (ex opere operato), but in the holiness of God.

In my own tradition, we view baptism as a sign of prevenient grace (a term Mr. Wesley learned from Jacob Arminius), which is symbolic of God's claim upon us. Claire doesn't understand the concept of God at three months old, but God's love for her and God's claim upon her life are no less real. In the same way she doesn't understand the concept of family, but she's no less a part of our family. Later she will be able to understand and claim for herself what has been true about her before she was even born.

Furthermore, baptizing an infant is an act of the church in which we are making a covenant to raise the child in the faith, provide a Christian example for them to emulate, and support them as they grow in their spiritual life. We are also reaffirming our covenant with one another and dedicating ourselves to emulating the divine life of perichoresis we see in the Holy Trinity.

On the non-theological side, this baptism is very special because I was baptized at Arlington as a baby, and Claire will be wearing the baptismal gown my mother made for me, which was also worn by my brother, Andrew, and Kate at their baptisms.

Look for a recreation of this photo after tomorrow's service:

If you're in the Nashville area, come to Arlington UMC this Sunday at 10am and celebrate with us!

A Little "Tebowing" of my Own

2012-01-09T00:33:00.000-06:00

In his first ever NFL playoff game earlier tonight, Denver Broncos' Quarterback Tim Tebow passed for 316 yards, including a very impressive overtime play that beat the heavily favored Steelers.

Because Tebow is a very vocal Christian, some people have taken that statistic as some kind of sign from God, because 1 Timothy 3:16 says
"Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory."

This is kind of neat, but the problem is that some people are assuming that God rigged the game so that Tebow would pass for this exact number of yards to get people to check out this Bible verse.

I have a host of theological problems with this, not least of which is the idea that God gets intimately involved in the details of NFL games, due to Tebow's piety (which I believe is totally genuine and sincere), and yet refuses to lift a finger to stop tens of thousands of children from dying of hunger every single day.

Making that claim is basically saying that God cares very little for the world and is a complete narcissist- an idea that the biblical narrative does not present. You can cherry pick quite a few verses to make God seem very shallow and insecure, and lots of folks have done just that.

My own polemics aside, I'm a Bible nerd and a sports nerd, so I thought I'd follow this line of logic a bit further. There are a number of Quarterbacks in the NFL whose names are also books of the Bible. So I looked on ESPN at their passing yards from each game this season to see what else God may have been trying to tell us through the NFL. Here are some of the more interesting results.

Mark Sanchez- New York Jets
9/11 vs. Dallas Cowboys, 335 yards
Mark 3:35. Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.

Dan Orlovsky- Indianapolis Colts
12/22 vs. Houston Texans, 244 yards
Daniel 2:44. In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

Matt Hasselbeck- Tennessee Titans
9/25 vs. Denver Broncos, 311 yards
Matthew 3:11. I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John Beck- Washington Redskins
10.16 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 117 yards
John 1:17. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John Skelton- Arizona Cardinals
11/13 vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 315 yards
John 3:15 ...that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
11/27 vs. St. Louis Rams, 114 yards
John 1:14. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Sam Bradford- St. Louis Rams
11/27 vs. Arizona Cardinals, 203 yards
1 Samuel 2:3. Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the LORD is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.

Matthew Stafford- Detroit Lions
1/1 vs. Green Bay Packers, 520 yards
Matthew 5:20. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Lastly, and this one's my favorite:
Tim Tebow- Denver Broncos
11/17 vs. New York Jets, 104 yards
1 Timothy 1:4. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.

Hmmm... maybe God is trying to say something through Tim Tebow's passing stats...

2012 Return, Link, etc.

2011-12-10T13:19:00.001-06:00

Between a new baby at home (the adventures of whom you can follow on Jessica's blog) and Advent/Christmas preparations at Arlington UMC (check out the church's webpage for Christmas service times if you're in the Nashville area), I haven't had a whole lot of time to put together fully formed blog posts. After feeling guilty about this for a while, I just decided to accept my limitations and let it slide for the rest of the year.

The Truth As Best I Know It will return in 2012, when I'm sure I'll be having lots of thoughts about the Presidential race, the sure to be many "end of the world" predictions, Claire being baptized in the same church as her dad, and maybe even a theological/spiritual thought or two.

I know most of the readers of this site (hi Mom!) enjoyed the Project Israel series I did earlier this year, and my friend and colleague Rev. Jill Howard and her husband, Corey, are leading a Holy Land pilgrimage right now and blogging about their experiences. Their site is called Memorial UMC in the Holy Land, and it's a great look at the settings of the biblical narratives, particularly at this time of year. Check it out.

See you in 2012!

Advent Devotions from Arlington UMC

2011-11-28T13:43:00.001-06:00

The people of Arlington UMC collaborate each year to produce an Advent devotional book, and this year's product, "The Best is Yet to Come" is outstanding.

You can read each day's devotion on Arlington's homepage, and if you're in Nashville, you can come by the church for a hard copy.

Each day's reading contains a brief scripture passage, a reflection or memory, and a brief prayer. We hope that this devotional guide is a blessing to you in this season.

An All-Saints' Angel

2011-11-02T01:49:00.003-05:00

On this All-Saints' Day, I was blessed with the gift of another angel in my family. Claire Moriah Kelley came into the world (unofficially #7,000,000,001 on earth) at 10:21pm at Centennial Hospital in Nashville. She weighs 6 pounds, 15 ounces, and is 20.5 inches long.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers and good thoughts that have been coming our way. They've been felt and appreciated.

An actual day off. Huh?

2011-10-26T21:57:00.004-05:00

I've turned in all my ordination materials, which I've been working on since June. This coming Sunday is Laity Sunday, and a very gifted member is preaching the sermon. So if Claire doesn't decide to come before Friday, I'll actually have a day off that doesn't involve doing church work. I'm having trouble processing this concept in my brain. So I ask you, dear reader, what should I do? How shall I spend a true sabbath?

Cool Stuff up for Auction!

2011-10-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

I think it's blog protocol to put up an apology/excuse if one has gone more than a few days without a post, so sorry I haven't been blogging much lately. I know the literally tens of people who read this have been starving for more of my musings. #sarcasm

The truth is that I'm knee-deep in finishing ordination papers, which I'm hoping to have turned in before Claire arrives. You'll be seeing lots of coverage of her birth (the cute parts, not the gross parts) here and on Jessica's blog.

But there is something cool for you to check out right now! As part of Arlington's Harvest Celebration, we're auctioning off donated items to raise money for building repairs. One of the items is so cool, we just had to put it out there for everybody to have the chance to get.

It's a basket full of CMA stuff, including four tickets to the taping of the CMA Country Christmas Show at the Bridgestone Arena on November 10.

We have two of these baskets and we've put them up on Ebay, and you can check them out and make a bid on the Ebay widget we have on the Arlington homepage, or right here!

Columbus Day Images

2011-10-10T14:43:00.002-05:00

No commentary (for once). Just some things to ponder.

Little Town of Bethlehem Special Screening

2011-09-27T14:04:00.001-05:00

Arlington United Methodist Church will be hosting a special screening of the documentary film, Little Town of Bethlehem on Sunday, October 9, at 6pm.

From the film's website: Little Town of Bethlehem, a documentary film, follows the story of three men of three different faiths and their lives in Israel and Palestine. The story explores each man’s choice of nonviolent action amidst a culture of overwhelming violence.

This is an extremely powerful film, and if you're in the Nashville/Middle TN area, I encourage you to attend. If you're interested, see my Project Israel posts from earlier this year to see what I experienced firsthand in this region.

If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment here or message me privately.

Budrus- streaming today only!

2011-09-21T15:09:00.003-05:00

I've shared my feelings about the relations between Israel and Palestine on a number of occasions, and I've begun and deleted at least half a dozen blog posts this week about the issue of Palestinian statehood coming before the UN's current session.

But here's something that will speak about these issues better than any of my words ever could. A documentary about nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation in Palestine called "Budrus" (the name of the village where this particular movement originated), is streaming for free online for anyone in the US today (September 21) only.

Unfortunately, I can't embed the Mubi player here, but go over to the page and you can watch it. Do yourself a favor and discover a side of this conflict that we in the US rarely ever hear about.

Romans series week 8- Overview and Wrapup

2011-09-19T14:00:00.000-05:00

This week we will be wrapping up our eight week series on Romans, "Grace is for Everybody", and we'll be reading Romans 15:14-22 in the worship service.

Paul is beginning to wind down the letter, having made all of his major theological points, and now he’s talking a bit about himself and how he perceives his role in the rapidly expanding Jesus-movement. Here we see Paul affirming again (as he did in chapter 1) his confidence in the Roman church. He isn’t writing this letter to them to fix specific problems, even though he addresses number of general issues happening all over the place. Paul talks about his desire to go to Spain, which we don’t know if he ever did, but it’s likely that he never made it past Rome, where church tradition says he was martyred in a wave of persecutions under Nero, as was the apostle Peter.

This week’s message won’t dive too deeply into the text. Instead, we’ll be recapping the different things we’ve covered in the past seven weeks, but I do want to put some questions out there, nonetheless.

Given that Romans covers such a wide range of topics, how do we do a coherent summary in one sermon?

Repeating the question we began with, what do you see as the overall theme of Romans?

Are there passages or issues in Romans that we’ve skipped over that you wish we had covered? It’s still possible that we could hit them.

Discuss!

New podcast- Grace is for Everybody pt. 7- People with Different Needs

2011-09-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

The latest episode of the Arlington UMC podcast is live. This week is part 7 of our eight week series on Romans, "Grace is for Everybody". This week we're considering Romans 14:1-17. The message is titled "People with Different Needs".

You can listen in the media player below, on Arlington's webpage, on sermon.net/arlington, or subscribe to us on iTunes. If you're on iTunes, please rate us and write a review so they'll promote our podcast!

Check back later today for notes and questions on the final installment of our series on Romans, where we'll be recapping all the things we've been talking about and asking "now what?".

As always, comments are always appreciated.

Romans Series pt. 7- notes and questions

2011-09-15T12:04:00.000-05:00

We're down to the next to last week in our eight part series on Romans, "Grace is for Everybody". This week we're reading Romans 14:1-8.

Chapter 14 is the “beginning of the end”, not in the apocalyptic sense, but Paul is wrapping up his theological commentary, and spends the last half of chapter 15 and all of chapter 16 with final greetings and whatnot.

Last week we saw Paul talking about communal ethics, both for those in the church and how to deal with outsiders, particularly those who weren’t friendly. This week we see more ethical discussion, with Paul focusing in on the fact that people in the church come from extremely different backgrounds. Although the words “Jew” and “Gentile” aren’t used, the context of Paul’s comments suggests that’s what he’s talking about, particularly when he talks about what one chooses what they eat. Paul uses the phrases “the strong” and “the weak”, but they aren’t necessarily stand-ins for Jews and Gentiles, respectively.

The context of meat and vegetables has to due with Christians who chose to keep the Jewish food laws, specifically that it was often difficult to know if the meat one purchased in a market had been used in a pagan sacrifice, so some people in the Roman church evidently felt that eating such meat, even if they weren’t aware of whether it was sacrificed or not, was participating in idolatry, and therefore a sin. For others, that wasn’t an issue, so Paul is exhorting the people not to pass judgment on one another because of these differences, and appreciate that people can be very faithful in very different ways.

The same idea applies to the days one considers holy described in verse 5. Jewish Christians usually observed the different Jewish festivals, whereas Gentile Christians often did not, and were often giving up other festivals they used to observe before they became part of the church. A Gentile Christian might well get upset with a Jewish Christian because he had to give up his festivals, whereas the other did not. Paul is telling them to get over it. We’re all on the same team here, and eating meat and observing certain holy days is not a deal breaker.

One does not have to belong to one particular cultural form to faithfully follow Jesus- something that many Western missionaries in recent centuries have forgotten, often to the detriment of native cultures.

Later in chapter 14, after the passage we’re reading Sunday, Paul encourages his readers/hearers to not “put a stumbling block in your brother/sister’s way”, knowingly doing something that would make another’s faith journey harder.

The most immediate example that comes to mind is alcohol use. When I was in college, the Campus Crusade group said that ever having a drink anywhere could possibly be a stumbling block to someone else, so you should never do it. While I can appreciate the care that demonstrates for others, I think the obsession with alcohol is more indicative of the hangover (pun intended) that our culture has from the prohibition era than in alcohol being a major issue in God’s eyes.

Here are some questions:

Paul clearly believes there are areas where people of faith can disagree and neither be wrong or right. Do you share this view? Why or why not?

What areas are ones where people of faith can have differing views. Are there issues you think we all have to agree on? If so, what?

What are some “stumbling blocks” that could be difficult for people today? Are there some instances where we should yield our own preferences or desires for the good of someone else?

Anything else of interest that I haven’t brought up here? Discuss...

New AUMC Podcast- Grace is for Everybody part 6

2011-09-12T13:17:00.000-05:00

The latest episode of the Arlington UMC Podcast is online. This message is part 6 of our eight week series on Romans, "Grace is for Everybody". It's called "The Renewed Creation" and is based on Romans 12:9-21.

Being the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, that event is discussed in light of the biblical text.

You can listen on the media player below, on Arlington's webpage, on sermon.net/arlingon, or subscribe on iTunes. In fact, if you're on iTunes, could you take the time to rate our podcast and write a review? That will increase the chances that iTunes will promote our podcast.

I'm at Duke for the Full Connection seminar, so I'll get notes and questions for week 7 up as soon as I can. Until then, comments are always welcome!

Romans series Week 6

2011-09-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

This week we're reading Romans 12:9-21 in worship. The tentative sermon title is "Marks of the Renewed Creation".

This week, the context in which this sermon is preached has a major effect on how it will be shaped. That’s always true to a certain extent with any sermon, but this Sunday is the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, so the question, “what does this text have to say to us today?” is especially important.

Chapter 12 begins the last major section of Romans, where Paul’s theology gets practical in exhortations about ethical living. Instructions about specific attitudes are the content of the passage we’re focusing on this week. NT Wright argues that Paul doesn’t have the nuanced concepts of later philosophers distinguishing individual morality from that of the community, so, Wright says, what Paul is talking about here is more properly called “ecclesiology”, which is seminary-speak for how the church is supposed to live together as a community formed by Christ.

Paul uses two different words for “love” in Greek, agape and philadelphia, both of which are used interchangeably elsewhere in Paul’s writings, so we know he’s talking about the deep, gut level love that is more than just warm fuzzies or raging hormones. Again, this reinforces the idea that Paul’s exhortation is communal in nature.

He then gives some advice on how to live amongst those that are not part of the Christian community, who may not share these values and might even be hostile to them. The appropriate response to people hostile to Christians is to bless them, and not to curse them. Televangelists who proclaim God’s judgment against their personal enemies list might want to read this passage carefully. As do those who argue that Christians have to self-segregate to avoid any temptation to sinning. Paul concludes by encouraging people to let God dispense justice.

Before we get to the questions- a quick aside. This is one of the few places where Paul is echoing the teachings of Jesus, almost word for word in this passage. Paul’s letters were written before the gospels, which is often pointed to as the reason Paul never quotes them as such. But the stories in the gospels were being told before they were written down in the form we have them now, so it’s reasonable to assume that Paul was familiar with the stories and teachings of Jesus, even though he focuses almost exclusively on the suffering and death of Jesus, and the cosmic implications of it.

Now for the questions:
What might the ethics Paul is advocating look like in the church today? Give a specific example (don’t name names, though) if you can.

How do we deal with those we perceive to be hostile to us or our understanding and practice of our faith?

Since this passage is divided into two different sections, do you think there are separate standards of ethics for how Christians treat those inside the community and those outside of it, or are we supposed to treat all people the same?

How does this passage and these issues resonate with us in light of the anniversary of 9/11 and all the ways our country and our world have changed since then?

Anything else about this passage stand out? Discuss

Nonviolent Resistance in Palestine

2011-09-01T10:55:00.001-05:00

One of the questions I've heard lots of people ask me since my pilgrimage to the Holy Land (you can check out my Project Israel posts for the rundown of the things our group saw and did) is why the Palestinians don't engage in nonviolent resistance. Several people have even said, "they just need a Palestinian Martin Luther King, and this whole thing would get solved".

While that particular statement is probably oversimplifying the complexity of the issues, the short answer is that there is lots of nonviolent resistance to the Israeli occupation. One example I saw firsthand is the Tent of Nations project. We in America just don't hear about these things very much.

This is the point where someone typically blames "the media", and to a certain extent there is some truth to that finger-pointing, because stories about death and destruction tend to attract more readers/viewers (the whole "if it bleeds, it leads" concept), and these organizations are businesses.

But I do think there's something else that lies beneath the surface. Seeing resistance to the Israeli occupation that doesn't involve bombs or guns interrupts the convenient narrative of Israeli good guys vs. Palestinian/Arab Muslim terrorists we've constructed. To consider that Israel might be treating Palestinians unfairly, and that not all Palestinians want to "drive Israel into the sea" requires us to think more deeply about the issue. It might even force us to ask some hard questions of ourselves and wonder if our country is always the good guy in the white hat, since Israel and the USA have so many close ties.

The video below is from a TED conference, by a filmmaker that tries to remedy the lack of attention paid to nonviolent resistance in Palestine. Watch it, and consider for just a moment that complex international issues might not be as black and white as we've been lead to believe.

Romans Series Week 5 Notes and Questions

2011-08-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

We are now in Week 5 of our eight week series on Romans- "Grace is for Everybody". This week we're reading chapters 9 through 11, specifically Romans 11:1-2a, 13-24.

This passage caps off another section of Romans that, like chapters 5 through 8, some scholars think to be a precomposed unit unto itself. If one took these three chapters out, the line of argument going through chapter 8 could flow straight into 12. Given how much Paul jumps around and frequently stops mid-sentence only to come back to the same idea after going down a totally different path, the incongruity of these chapters isn’t all that surprising, given what we know about the writer. Whatever the case may be, these chapters are here, and people have had a lot of opinions about them.

The central question is, given what God has done in Jesus the Messiah, how do we understand Israel’s role in what God is doing?

Some writers have posed this question slightly differently, asking now that Jesus has come, what is Israel’s purpose? That question, framing it in terms of time, rests upon the assumption that Israel’s sole purpose is to produce the Messiah. But as many messianic promises and foreshadowing as we Christians tend to read into the Old Testament, we never see such a thing expressed as part of God’s covenant with Israel.

The covenant language we read in the first books of the Old Testament talk about Israel being a “holy people” and “priestly kingdom” whose purpose is to demonstrate to the world who God is. Christians believe that this is what happens in the person of Jesus, being the definitive (but not final) revelation of who God is, but this doesn’t mean that this is the only way Israel goes about proclaiming God’s identity.

When discussing the relationship of the Judaism and Christianity (which, at the time of Paul’s writing, were not two separate religions as we understand them today), there is an 800 pound gorilla sitting in the corner that has not been there for most generations encountering this text: the Holocaust. Obviously mass genocide is not the context in which Paul is writing, but it is part of the context in which we interpret what this text means for us, so while the actions of Adolf Hitler have to come in to the discussion, they don’t need to set the agenda.

We should also note that the current popularity of Dispensational theology (the Left Behind novels, etc.), with its insistence that the reestablishment of Israel as a political state (which has, of course, happened) and the building of a third Temple (which has not) are necessary for the “second coming” of Jesus, plays a role in how many people address this question today.

NT Wright claims that the story Paul is setting up in these chapters is intended to be a counter-narrative to that of the Roman Empire. Rome points back to Romulus and Remus, traces its heritage through great rulers, all culminating in Caesar sitting on the throne as lord of all creation. Paul, in turn, takes the shape of that same story, points back to Abraham, whose descendants become Israel, culminating in Jesus, who is “Lord of Lords and King of Kings” (a title taken by the Caesars). So rather than explicit supersessionism, Paul is likely being politically subversive against the theological claims of the Empire. As a citizen of the current most powerful nation in the world, this gives me pause to examine the stories we tell about our own nation and what God’s role is in our rise to dominance. Perhaps we should back off on our claims of God’s unquestioned approval of all our government’s (or one particular party’s) actions.

Like last week, the whole “predestination” thing rears it head in these chapters, particularly chapter 9, and we likely won’t be addressing that issue this time around. Perhaps it merits coming back to for another sermon or series as part of a larger discussion about who God is and what salvation is.

Paul laments of Israel’s “unbelief”. Since he, himself, is a Jew, and never renounces that identity, he desperately wants the rest of his people to experience what he is experiencing. This is not, necessarily, because he thinks they will go to Hell if they don’t get on board. I have never read any examination of what, if anything, Paul believed about the concept of Hell, but I’m sure it’s out there somewhere. If any New Testament scholars want to point something out, I’d be grateful.

In spite of Paul’s lament over Israel’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah, he emphatically states that God has not abandoned Israel (11:1, 11:11, etc). In the part of chapter 11 that we will be reading on Sunday, Paul is warning Gentile Christians against falling into the same trap that some of the Jewish Christians had- assuming they were superior because of their ethnicity. This is the part I’m most interested in, because one of the biggest temptations that human beings experience is to assume that they are better than someone else because of any kind of external factors, instead of seeing that the image of God in all people makes us all of equally sacred worth.

The image of branches grafted on to an olive tree is a very vivid one, even if it doesn’t represent what horticulturists would actually do, blending wild and cultivated vines in the way Paul describes. There is empty space left by cultivated branches that were intentionally broken off, and those spaces are filled by the wild branches. If the vine represents the Kingdom, is there some implication here that space is limited? I hope not!

There’s also a certain messiness implied in the grafting of branches from one tree on to another. While they’re similar enough to coexist, they’re different enough that the mingling can easily go wrong, so there has to be a lot of tending and care for it to work. Does that say something for us about diversity in the church and how we handle cultivating the meeting and mixing of different cultures?

I’ve thrown out several questions in the above paragraphs, so feel free to comment on those or anything else you feel relevant. Then tune in next week to see how this came to fruition in the sermon.

New AUMC Podcast- Grace is for Everybody part 4

2011-08-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

The latest episode of the Arlington UMC podcast is up. This message is part 4 of our eight week series on the Book of Romans- "Grace is for Everybody". It's called "Nothing Can Separate Us", and is based on Romans 7:15-20; 8:31-39.

You can listen on the media player below, on Arlington's webpage, on sermon.net/arlingon, or subscribe on iTunes. In fact, if you're on iTunes, could you take the time to rate our podcast and write a review? That will increase the chances that iTunes will promote our podcast.

Check in later today for notes and questions on Romans chapter 11.

I'm "Them"

2011-08-27T13:54:00.000-05:00

When I was in college, I was a political science major, and I couldn't get enough of campaigns and debates. I had cable news on all the time, and I was actively engaged in whatever they were talking about.

Maybe it's because I'm a little older, or more cynical, or that I have more responsibilities, but those things that used to invigorate me now just wear me out. Particularly all the scapegoating we see going on. Everything that happens is somehow proof that whomever is speaking's agenda is correct, and any problem is always somebody else's fault.

I get that that's the game when it's one candidate or political party vs. another, but what really amazes me is when we point to things like "the economy", "the market", "the media", or "the voters". All these terms are simply the sum total of actions taken by members of the groups of which we are a part, but very few people seem to own up to their participation.

(Sidenote- the irony that the biggest ratings giant in cable news is the one who most frequently villifies "the media" is simultaneously awesome and highly depressing)

So I'll go ahead and own up to it. I'm part of "them". I'm part of the problem.

I'm part of "the economy" because I'm a middle class American that consumes way more than my share of the world's resources.

I'm part of "the market" because I'm saving for my retirement and my kids' college tuition using the stock market, with the sole goal of making money on my investment.

I'm part of "the media", not because lots of people read my blog (they don't- I'll show you the metrics), but because, like everyone else, I'm much more likely to look at a story about a sex scandal than I am one about monetary policy, famine in Africa, or someone making a positive difference in the world. Media organizations are businesses that are almost entirely dependent on ad revenue, so the more eyeballs they draw, the more money they make, and they know what we will consume. In fact, I'm more guilty than most because, as Homer Simpson said, "I'm a white male between the ages of 18 and 45. Everyone cares what I think!"

I'm part of "the voters". I vote, even in midterm elections. I communicate my concerns to my representatives and to my best to talk about issues with others in a respectful manner. I have yet to create a sign that puts a Hitler mustache on anybody. So maybe I'm not so much part of the problem in this respect.

I try very hard to be part of the solution, but at the same time I continue to be part of the problem. Perhaps if we spent more time examining our own role in large, complex problems, and less time pointing fingers at the list of usual suspects, we might make some progress in solving them.

Romans series week 4- notes and questions

2011-08-23T14:29:00.000-05:00

This week we're focusing on Romans chapters 7 and 8, specifically 7:15-20 and 8:31-39.

I’m going to go ahead and admit a bias upfront. The last few verses of Romans 8 is my absolute favorite passage in the whole Bible. It’s one of the most profound expressions of how limitless God’s love and grace are, and my temptation is to structure the entire sermon around just that. But there is a lot of theological red meat in chapters 7 and 8.

Paul’s “I” in chapter 7 is likely a rhetorical device, personifying one of the fundamental contradictions of the human conditions- having a sense of the way things, including ourselves, should be, and the disconnect we see in within us and the world. As such, Paul is likely using hyperbole in saying that there is absolutely no good in him, and is not articulating a doctrine of “total depravity”. That’s one that has its roots in Augustine, several centuries later.

To be fair, though, there are plenty of people who have thought that Paul was speaking in the first person and that he was establishing said doctrine. In his extensive Lectures on Romans, Luther states very matter-of-factly that Paul is speaking for himself and on behalf of all humanity. Luther’s chief source to back up his conclusions is Augustine.

The verses that come just before the section we’re reading from chapter 8 have been the subject of much discussion and debate over the years. Paul uses words that get translated in English as “foreknew” and “predestined”, leading some people to conclude that God has decided beforehand who will be saved and who will be damned. This idea has found its fullest expression in the work of John Calvin, but Karl Barth has also put forth the solution of “universal predestination”, whereby everyone is saved, whether they like it or not.

John Wesley preached quite eloquently against said doctrine, saying “if this be so, then all preaching is in vain” (in his 1739 sermon, “Free Grace”). Mr. Wesley, following the lead of Jacob Arminius, thought that if one’s eternal destination were predetermined, then we should all just do whatever the heck we want, and churches shouldn’t bother doing anything, since they can’t affect it. We likely won’t be dealing this issue in the sermon this week, but feel free to comment on it if you’re so inclined.

NT Wright says that Romans 5-8 is one sustained argument, which Wright titles “God’s People in Christ as the True Humanity” that possibly had been composed beforehand and then inserted into the letter. Preachers do this kind of thing with favorite sermon illustrations, throwing them in over and over again whenever it fits the context. The final part of chapter 8, which is included in this Sunday’s reading, is the great crescendo of the sermon, kind of like the repetition of “let freedom ring” in Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”.

Paul rounds this section out by articulating his unshakable assurance that God’s love trumps all.

So, here are some questions:Do you think that human beings, whether corporately or individually, are completely incapable of good? What do you make of this paradox Paul is talking about?

It’s easy to say that nothing separates us from God’s love, but how fully do we believe that? Are there things we hold on to because on some level, we don’t believe that anyone would love us if they knew?

Unfortunately, the way Christians act towards others preaches a very different message than what Paul is saying at the end of Romans 8. How might the church look differently if that was our core belief?

Pastors Like Football, Too

2011-08-23T12:26:00.001-05:00

Even though we work on Sundays, lots of pastors are football fans. In fact, plopping down on the couch in front of the game can be the perfect way to unwind from a long Sunday morning.

With this in mind, I've created a Fantasy Football league for clergy, seminary students, church professionals, and anybody else who wants to play. The league, "Touchdown Jesus" (no affiliation with Notre Dame) is run through the Sports Illustrated app on Facebook, and it's public, so you anyone can join. Click here if you want to play.

New AUMC Podcast- Grace is for Everybody part 3

2011-08-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

The newest edition of the Arlington UMC Podcast is up. This is part 3 of our eight week series on Romans- "Grace is for Everybody"

This week, in addition to Paul's text in Romans 6, we also brought James 2 in the conversation about Law and Grace.

You can listen on the media player below, on Arlington's webpage, download it from sermon.net, or subscribe on iTunes. If you're on iTunes, please rate us and write a quick review so they'll promote our podcast.

Check in tomorrow for notes and questions about Romans chapters 7 and 8.

Romans series Week 3

2011-08-17T14:00:00.000-05:00

Check out how your comments on last week's post made their way into Sunday's sermon by listening to the podcast. Now we continue with Week 3 of "Grace is for Everybody" by reading Romans 6:1-4, 15-23.

This week we’ll be focusing on the relationship between Law and Grace. This is another huge theme in Paul’s writings, and the whole thing isn’t encapsulated in the brief passages we’re reading on Sunday, so please read the chapters around this to get a feel for Paul’s rather lengthy argument.

For starters, “Law” refers specifically to the keeping of the Laws of Moses, and also stands more broadly for doing any good or righteous actions. Paul’s contrast of the Law with God’s unmerited Grace have led some Christians to conclude that the Jewish people’s understanding of the Law was that their actions earned them God’s favor. Other scholars, particularly those in the “New Perspective on Paul” school (a name that none of them created or really claim), point out that the Law was given to help the people understand how to live faithfully as part of the covenant God had already made with them.

Given that Law and Grace is such a major issue, particularly in the birth of the Protestant movement, major Christian thinkers have written volumes on it, and of course we can only begin to scratch the surface here. So here are a few brief snapshots of how some of the most influential Christian theologians have interpreted Paul on Law and Grace.

Augustine said that without God’s grace, no good work or adherence to any type of Law gets you any points. In one of his sermons on the Psalms, he says, “believe in Him who justifies the ungodly, so that your good works may really be good works. For I should not call them good as long as they do not proceed from the right foundation.” Augustine’s own life story and the strength of his experience of conversion led him to have a very low opinion of human nature, thus any attempt on the part of humans to be “good enough” for God was not only a waste of time, but an insult to God.

Martin Luther reads Paul as saying that the Law only serves to make people understand that they can never live up to the standards God has set for them. In essence, Luther is saying that God has set us up to fail. In his Preface to Romans, he claims that those who keep the Law do so “out of fear of punishment or love of gain”. Like Augustine, Herr Luther clearly does not have a high opinion of human nature.

John Wesley was a self described “Bible bigot” and held that all scriptures, including the Mosaic Law, were the fundamental norm for all Christian doctrine and practice. But as hard-headed a biblicist as Wesley could often be, even he recognized that the texts by themselves do nothing without the work of the Holy Spirit, thus grace being necessary to fulfill any law.

Karl Barth views God as fundamentally free, unconstrained by anything, even sets of laws given directly by God. In his commentary on Romans, Barth says that “God speaks where there is law; but he speaks also where there is no law. He speaks where law is, not because it is there, but because he wills to speak.” For Barth, God’s choice to speak to us is itself grace.

Paul Tillich, a contemporary of Barth’s, makes no comment specifically on the Laws of Moses, rather he talk about “law keeping” as one of the misguided human attempts at “self-salvation”, assuming that receiving any set of laws is itself a revelatory experience. Tillich is careful to mention that attempts at self-salvation happen in all religions, including Christianity, but that does not mean these religious traditions are of no value.

In NT Wright’s commentary on Romans 6 in New Interpreter’s series, he emphasizes Paul’s usage of the word “slavery” (usually rendered as “servanthood” in more PC translations) to describe all human existence. We’re all slaves to something, it’s just a question of what. Paul realizes that the analogy isn’t perfect, adding “I’m speaking in human terms because of your natural limitation”. His use of “your” instead of “our” suggests he has a rather high view of himself, and that he can understand things other people can’t. Wow.

Paul’s rather massive ego aside, he has a point in saying that we all serve something. We all have things that drive us, things that factor into every decision we make, even if they’re things we can’t necessarily name. The aforementioned Tillich called that “ultimate concern”. Or as Bob Dylan sang, “you’re gonna have to serve somebody”.

All that being said, here are some questions:

If “the Law” stands in for any moral standard, set of rules/practices, etc., what is the value of following them. What do we gain?

What effect does viewing God’s grace as completely free have? Does it give us license to do whatever we want with no consequences? Or does it have a different effect? In other words, how do we respond to grace?

New AUMC Podcast- Romans series part 2

2011-08-16T07:00:00.001-05:00

The newest edition of the Arlington UMC podcast is live!

This weeks' message is the second in our eight week series on the book of Romans, "Grace is for Everybody". This message is called "The Righteousness of God", based on Romans 3:21-31.

We're inviting collaboration on this series. Later today I'll be posting notes and questions for week 3, focusing on Romans 6:1-4, 15-23.

You can listen on Arlington's webpage, on the media player below, listen to/download the file from sermon.net/arlington, and you can subscribe in iTunes.

If you are on iTunes, please rate us and write a review so they'll promote our podcast!

As always, feedback is gratefully appreciated.

Dads are Parents, too

2011-08-10T09:30:00.003-05:00

Warning: a rant is about to commence.

The title should seem obvious, but in the last two and a half years, I've noticed a serious double standard when it comes to moms and dads.

I first experienced this when Kate was a few weeks old, after Jessica had gone back to work but before we put her in day-care, and I spent about six weeks caring for her by myself during the work day. Since I was pastoring a church, I couldn't just stay home, so she spent a fair amount of time in her car seat during that time.

I had her with me when I was doing sermon prep and meeting with someone at a local coffee shop, and a lady came up to me just beaming about how I was doing "such a good job" with her, in a tone that sounded like she was talking to a child. Would anyone have said something like that to a woman out by herself with an infant?

Other times people asked me if I was "babysitting" or "being dad today". No, I'm parenting, and I'm her dad every day, regardless of whether she's with me during work hours! Again, would anyone ask a woman if she was "being mom"?

While this apparent double standard is clearly gender-based, I'm not going to call it sexist, because it's only a mild annoyance, and nothing compared to to challenges and discrimination many women face every day.

Still, next time you see a man in public with his children, don't demean him by acting like he's doing something special or incredibly difficult. He's simply doing his job and carrying his share of the load so his wife's life is a little bit easier.

OK, rant over. Thanks for reading.

Romans series Week 2

2011-08-08T21:17:00.000-05:00

Here are my notes and questions for week 2 of Arlington's eight week series on Romans, "Grace is for Everybody". The passage is Romans 3:21-31.

The term “righteousness” is a major topic for this week’s passage.

Paul seems to be saying that all righteousness begins with God. The Law and the Covenant (not a word used here, but seems to be the subject) are not ends unto themselves, but things that point to a larger reality.

Paul emphasizes that what God has done in Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham. In other words, it’s a continuation rather than a reboot.

NT Wright believes that the Greek phrase usually translated “the righteousness of God” (dikaiosyne theou) is not a status that people have before God. Instead, it is a way of describing God’s whole being. The word “dikaiosyne” can also be translated as “justice”, so justice and righteousness are intertwined when one is talking about the nature of God.

Along similar lines (although I imagine Bishop Wright takes issue with him on a number of points), Karl Barth spills quite a bit of ink talking about how the “righteousness of God” is central to Romans. One of Barth’s recurring themes in his work is that everything begins with God’s choice to reveal God’s self to the creation, so this term is the way Paul talks about God’s divine self-disclosure. Barth writes, “the righteousness of God is the meaning of all religion, the answer to every human hope and desire and striving and waiting, and it is especially the answer to all that human activity which is concentrated upon hope.”

Martin Luther, on the other hand, sees righteousness primarily as status before God, almost as coterminous with justification. Luther’s term is “alien righteousness”, meaning that which is clearly not produced of any human effort, bestowed entirely by God’s will. Luther then talks about “our proper righteousness”, which flows from the alien righteousness bestowed to us by God.

Wright makes a very interesting point about v. 22, taking issue with the phrase translated “faith in Jesus”. The Greek word “pistis” (faith) here is not referring to a confessional faith that you or I might have, but instead the faithfulness of Jesus. While changing that one preposition may seem like a small detail, it takes away the likeliness of this verse being used as a proof-text for the type of insider/outsider mentality that Paul strongly opposes in this letter.

Speaking of proof-texts, we find one of the most often yanked-out-of-context verses in this passage, v. 23- “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”. In darn near all of the evangelistic tracts I’ve ever seen, this verse is used to “prove” that everyone is completely separated from God, and therefore incapable of doing anything good. The context this statement appears in, though, seems to rebut that idea, since Paul has spoken extensively about God’s righteousness having been revealed, which would be impossible if we were completely separate.

One more thing regarding proof-texts. In v. 25, Paul references the righteousness of God being revealed in the sacrificial death of Jesus, which is often used as “proof” for the “Penal Substitution” atonement theory (the word “atonement” may not be the best translation from the Greek here, but that’s a long discussion and I’m not proficient enough in Greek to articulate it well), where Jesus gets the punishment we deserve. While this understanding certainly has a strong biblical basis, it is not the only way to understand how the suffering and death of Jesus is part of God’s redeeming work for the creation.

OK, this commentary has gone on a lot longer than I expected. Thanks for those who read the whole thing through. Here are some questions:

What comes to mind when you hear the term “righteousness”. Does it have a positive or negative connotation?

How do you conceive of the relationship between God and humanity? How does this relationship get complicated (if at all) by human actions?

We talk a lot about Jesus showing us who God is. How do you understand Jesus revealing God to us (again, if at all)?

Feel free to take on anything not mentioned here. Discuss...

New AUMC Podcast- Romans series part 1

2011-08-08T09:38:00.002-05:00

The newest edition of the Arlington UMC podcast is live!

This weeks' message is the first in our eight week series on the book of Romans, "Grace is for Everybody". This message is called "I'm a Sinner, You're a Sinner",based on Romans 1:18-26 and 2:1-6.

We're inviting collaboration on this series. Later today I'll be posting notes and questions for week 2, focusing on Romans 3:21-31.

You can listen on Arlington's webpage, on the media player below, listen to/download the file from sermon.net/arlington, and you can subscribe in iTunes.

If you are on iTunes, please rate us and write a review so they'll promote our podcast!

As always, feedback is gratefully appreciated.

Romans series Week 1

2011-08-01T12:48:00.002-05:00

This week at Arlington we're beginning two months spent in Paul's letter to the Romans. The overall theme for our series is "Grace is for Everybody".

Each Monday I'll be posting notes from my own research and reading on the passages for the week, as well as some questions for discussion. Your comments will be a big part of my sermon preparation process. All opinions are welcome, but keep it respectful. Comments attacking others will be deleted and you will be blocked from commenting ever again.

So here's my notes and questions for Romans chapters 1 and 2, specifically Romans 1:18-23 and 2:1-6. The tentative sermon title is "I"m a Sinner, You're a Sinner".

Two preliminary notes. One, we’re going to try our best to read Paul as a first century person and a first generation follower of Jesus. We can’t simply pretend Augustine and other interpreters don’t exist, but we can acknowledge their influence and try to sort out whose voice we're hearing.

Two, there is a problem in Romans that exists in nearly all English translations of the New Testament, specifically the use of the word “Jews”. The Greek word Ioudios more accurately translates as “Judeans”. The Second Temple was still standing at the time of Paul’s writings, and the Judean faith that centered on Temple worship is so very different than the Rabbinic Judaism of today that using the term “Jews” in a New Testament document can be misleading, and can even make Paul seem anti-Jewish, which he's not because he's a Jew! The problem of anti-Judaism is especially sensitive in light things that have happened in the last century, so we’ll be using the term “Judeans” for our discussion here.

Paul’s proclamation of God’s judgment is universal. Judeans don’t get off any easier because of the covenant.

Without doing a lengthy family history, I should say that my parents and I have both had negative experiences with evangelicals who lean heavily on passages like this to convince you you’re hopeless and make you desperate for grace. So I have to acknowledge my own bias and desire not skip over passages that sound very condemning.

Is Paul doing “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” here, or does his polemic about everyone being a sinner utterly dependent on God’s more an acknowledgement than a condemnation?

note- “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is perhaps the best known “hellfire and brimstone” sermon in the English language. It was preached by a guy named Jonathan Edwards (no relation to the 2004 Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate) in July of 1781, during an era in American history known as the Second Great Awakening. If you’ve never read this sermon, check it out.

Paul talks about no one being in a position to condemn, but when he’s putting out his laundry list of sinful acts and attitudes, he certainly sounds like he’s doing just what he’s telling us not to do. Is that Paul’s genuine voice we’re hearing there, or is it the voice of others whose judgmental attitudes we dislike?

We're intentionally skipping last part of chapter 1, because the “God gave them up” stuff drags us into arguments about sexual orientation, which aren’t unimportant, but for our purposes here would distract us from a larger discussion about sin and grace.

John Wesley's "heart-warming" moment at Aldersgate came as he was listening to someone read Martin Luther's Preface to Romans, which is not exactly a heart-warming document. Luther's clear intent is for you to feel like an awful, hopeless sinner. What do you make of this? (I have my own theory, but I'll hold back for now).

My overall take on these first two chapters is that Paul’s long polemic serves the purpose of reminding us that we’re all in the same boat. None of us is perfect, and we all stand in need of grace. His intent is more about getting insiders off their high-horse than making outsiders feel bad for being outsiders.

Agree? Disagree? Discuss...

New AUMC Podcast

2011-07-31T20:00:00.007-05:00

The newest edition of the Arlington UMC podcast is live!

This weeks' message is called "Asking for Wisdom", and it's based on 1 Kings 3:5-12.

You can listen on Arlington's webpage, on the media player below, listen to/download the file from sermon.net/arlington, and you can subscribe in iTunes.

If you are on iTunes, please rate us and write a review so they'll promote our podcast!

As always, feedback is gratefully appreciated.

Romans Series- slight tweak and reading schedule

2011-07-30T10:07:00.001-05:00

After reflecting some more, I think the sermon series title "Jesus is for Everybody" might be misleading and suggest some kind of Christian exclusivism. Jesus did not come for his own sake, and I don't think Jesus is as preoccupied with his own glory (nor is God, despite what some suggest), so while Jesus is a huge part of what Paul is talking about in Romans, Jesus is not the ultimate point. The radically inclusive, barrier-breaking nature of God's grace is.

So we're going to call this series "Grace is for Everybody".

Also, as promised, here is the schedule of scriptures and tentative sermon titles for Arlington's two months reading through Romans together. On Monday, I'll post some initial thoughts and questions regarding the passage for the following week. Your input here will be part of my sermon preparation.

In the absence of a physical sermon discussion group the way I did at Bethlehem (and I hope to do at Arlington), we'll go virtual for this one.

August 7- Romans 1:18-23; 2:1-6 (I’m a sinner, You’re a sinner)

August 14- Romans 3:21-31 (Righteousness by Faith)

August 21 Romans 6:1-4, 15-23 (Law and Grace)

August 28- Romans 7:15-20; 8:31-39 (Nothing can Separate Us)

September 4- Romans 11:1-2a, 13-24 (Branches Grafted on to the Tree)

September 11- Romans 12:9-21 (Marks of the Renewed Creation)

September 18- Romans 14:1-8 (People with Different Needs)

September 25- Romans 15:14-22 (What We’ve Learned)

The following Monday we'll be posting the podcast of the final product, so those of you who aren't able to worship with us in person at Arlington (if you're in Nashville and not currently part of any church, come check us out!) can see how your input affected the sermon.

Tune in Monday as we begin talking about the first two chapters of Romans.

The Theme of Romans Is...

2011-07-28T22:38:00.001-05:00

not quite that easy to pin down.

As I've reflected more on what I want to be an overarching theme for a sermon series, it's occurred to me that the concept of there being a thesis around which Romans is wrapped is a very modern one.

Paul's epistle is not a work of systematic theology, so we can't read it like we do Aquinas or Barth. In fact, I suspect that if Paul was a Divinity School student, Romans would not get a very good grade.

Instead, Paul is writing very much stream of consciousness, addressing the problems in the Roman Christian community as he understands them. So while the question of a central thesis is one that I don't really think Romans is trying to answer, I do think there are some ideas that keep coming up in Paul's writings that reflect what he thought was most important about being a follower of Jesus.

As the "apostle to the Gentiles", Paul spent a lot of time thinking and arguing with others about just what new thing God was doing in Jesus. Paul did not cease to be Jewish, and thus probably didn't see Christianity as a separate religion the way we do today, but neither did he believe that one had to go through all the steps of conversion to Judaism, such as circumcision, to be part of this new thing God was doing. So as hyper-critical as Paul can be of others whose ideas or practices he disagrees with, Paul's vision of what God is doing is radically inclusive for his time.

So, all that being said, the theme for Arlington's upcoming two months exploring the Book of Romans is

"Jesus is for everybody"

thoughts?

Shameless Self Promotion- Christmas in July Edition

2011-07-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

It's Christmas in July week over at Ministry Matters, and I've contributed an article about presenting the Nativity story using first person monologues. The article covers both the process of collaboratively producing the dramas, as well as some examples that I've used in worship services before.

There are lots of other great Christmas in July articles being posted all week, especially one by Mike Slaughter- "Santa Claus Jesus". Keep checking back during the week for more great stuff!

As always, feedback is always appreciated, either on Ministry Matters or here.

New Podcast

2011-07-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

The newest edition of the Arlington UMC podcast is live!

This weeks' message is called "Wrestling With God", and it's based on Genesis 32:22-31.

You can listen on Arlington's webpage, on the media player below, listen to/download the file from sermon.net/arlington, and you can subscribe in iTunes.

If you are on iTunes, please rate us and write a review so they'll promote our podcast!

As always, feedback is gratefully appreciated.

Response to Romans Question

2011-07-23T12:57:00.003-05:00

Wow, I'm amazed at how much traction my simple question from yesterday's post has gotten. My little corner of the intranets usually goes unnoticed by most people, so this is kind of fun.

There have been several very thoughtful comments left on this blog, and a number on James McGrath's blog, who put the question out there as well. Tim Gombis (a NT scholar whose work I am now just discovering), blogged his own response.

One of the reasons I put the question out there is that there are some folks at Arlington who like to make altar displays and other visuals to enhance the sermon theme, and they are thinking of making one big display for the whole Romans series, so I'm hoping to state the overarching theme in a way that could be visually represented.

While we're on the subject of visuals, if you're in Nashville, come worship with us at Arlington UMC tomorrow, where you'll see a cool altar display (and hopefully hear a decent sermon) about Jacob wrestling with God.

But back to the question at hand. What do you see as the overarching theme of Paul's Epistle to the Romans?

Help for an upcoming Romans Sermon Series

2011-07-22T14:29:00.000-05:00

Paul's epistle to the Romans occupies much of the lectionary this summer, so I'm going to be preaching on Romans for eight weeks, through August and September. Since I know that at least one colleague is going to be doing the same thing, and since I haven't yet started some kind of sermon roundtable at Arlington (it will be forthcoming, though), I'm going to use this blog for some collaboration.

I'll be covering roughly two chapters a week, although we won't be reading the entire text aloud in worship. I'll post a schedule as soon as I have it finalized, but I'm wondering if I should have some kind of overarching theme.

So my question for you all today is whether there is an overarching theme in Romans. Any and all ideas are welcome, but please be more creative than the old "Romans Road". That's just shallow proof-texting, and we're going to be diving deeper than that.

Discuss!

New Podcast- The Long and Winding Road

2011-07-17T22:04:00.001-05:00

The newest edition of the Arlington UMC podcast is live!

This weeks' message is called "The Long and Winding Road" (please don't sue me, Paul McCartney), and it's based on Genesis 28:10-22.

You can listen on Arlington's webpage, on the media player below, listen to/download the file from sermon.net/arlington, and you can subscribe in iTunes.

If you are on iTunes, please rate us and write a review so they'll promote our podcast!

As always, feedback is gratefully appreciated.

A Prejudice I Didn't I Know I Had

2011-07-15T09:36:00.002-05:00

I haven't been blogging much lately because I've been adjusting to my new congregation and trying to figure out how to structure my day and my week. It's a work in progress, but I'm determined to keep posting for my dozen-ish loyal readers (hi, Mom!)

I have prejudices. We all do. Unlike Stephen Colbert, we see things like race, gender, clothing, body size/type, etc, and we automatically make assumptions about people based on our previous experiences of people with similar characteristics. Sometimes these snap judgments are correct, sometimes they're not, but we all make them. I've come to believe the key to not letting these things control us is to acknowledge they're there so we can get to know a person, and perhaps have those snap judgments proven wrong. Prejudices are only dangerous when we don't realize that they're there.

So I was surprised recently to discover that I had a prejudice I didn't even know was there. One of the things that I love about Arlington is that we have a food pantry that is open every weekday. When I'm in the office, I try very hard to go out and talk with the folks that are coming for food assistance, and I've found myself being very surprised at who is coming.

Some of the folks coming to the food pantry have the "homeless look" (a very bad stereotype we need to purge from our culture)- shabby clothes, haven't showered in a while, etc. But a surprising number of folks coming for assistance don't look like they're homeless or even poor. They're not someone that you'd pass on the street and think that they didn't have enough to eat.

Thankfully, I've been smart/lucky enough to keep my mouth shut and not say something stupid about them not looking like they need help or question the sincerity of their needs. I've seen the statistics about how many people in our country don't have enough to eat, but I think I understand them now in a different way. We pass people every day who don't have the basic necessities of life, and most of the time we don't bother to notice that someone is suffering right before our eyes.

I was reminded of this again not long after when I was driving home and saw a vendor selling The Contributor at an intersection. (for non-Nashvillians, The Contributor is a newspaper sold by homeless people who are trained and assigned a "zone" where they can sell the paper as a way to make money other than begging)

I have friends who are very involved with The Contributor and other homeless ministries here, and I've heard them complain when people won't buy a paper from a vendor because they don't "look homeless". The reason they don't have the "look" is because selling the paper has enabled them to have enough money to get a place to stay and begin to build a life off the streets. The reason many of the vendors don't "look homeless" is because The Contributor is succeeding at getting people off the streets!

All of this reminded me that we don't know what is going on with somebody by their outward appearance. Someone who doesn't appear poor or homeless might still be in need of assistance. Someone who looks like they have their whole life figured out might falling apart inside, just waiting for you or I to ask how it is with their soul. Poverty, be it economic, emotional, or spiritual, is all around us, even if we don't see it on the surface.

I'm grateful to my new church and my city for helping me see a prejudice I didn't even know I had.

New Podcast

2011-07-11T11:14:00.001-05:00

The latest Arlington UMC sermon podcast is live!

This week's message is called "A Story of Seeds and Soil" and is based on Matthew 13:1-9- 18-23.

You can listen on Arlington's webpage, listen on and/or download the file from sermon.net/arlington, and you can subscribe on iTunes.

If you are on iTunes, please rate us and write a review so they'll promote our podcast!

As always, feedback is gratefully appreciated.

Arlington UMC Podcast

2011-07-04T16:39:00.002-05:00

The inaugural episode of the Arlington United Methodist Church sermon podcast is live on the web. Each Monday (probably some weeks it will be Tuesday) we'll be bringing you the audio of the sermons from Arlington's 10am worship service.

This week's message is called "A Church Like That", and is based on Ephesians 2:19-22.

You can listen on Arlington's web page, listen on and/or download the file from sermon.net/arlington.

Sermon Network is kind enough to host our podcast and those of thousands of other ministries, and has a very user friendly database for sermons on all kinds of scriptures, topics, etc.. Big thanks to Rev. Jill M. Howard for directing my attention to this site.

You can also subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.

Jesstravaganza

2011-07-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my best friend, the best wife and mom anyone could ever hope for. The world has been blessed by thirty years of your presence here, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. I love you!!!

Shameless Self Promotion- Independence Day Edition

2011-06-29T13:24:00.000-05:00

I have a new article up on Ministry Matters, "Praising America More Than God", discussing the place of patriotism in the church in light of the July 4 holiday (Independence Day, not Jessica's birthday). A sermon referenced in the article is attached.

Comments are always appreciated!

Julian of Norwich- Eighth Showing

2011-06-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

This post is part of my meditative reading of Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

Julian’s eighth showing is an extended meditation on the suffering and death of Jesus that includes a lot of very specific (some might say graphic) detail and the effect it has on the one who contemplates this image. My knee-jerk reaction was not positive, mostly because of the negative associations I’ve had in the past with those who talk endlessly about the suffering of Jesus (as a friend of mine likes to say, “swimming in the blood”) and never talking about the Resurrection. I think that negative reaction deserves its own post.

My experience of this showing began to change, however, when I quit reading the text like I would a work of systematic theology and tried instead to slow down and hear it in my head as if Julian was speaking these words out loud. Imagining the tone of her voice made these words sound very different in my head. Instead of laboring the point of Jesus’ suffering to make the reader feel guilty and get them to pray a magic prayer, Julian is meditating on this ugly, horrifying image and finding incredible beauty in it.

I am particularly struck when she talks about feeling Mary’s pain and how her suffering was worse than that of any of the disciples. As a parent, causing me physical pain would be infinitely preferable to seeing my child in pain for even one second.

Just when the reader begins to imagine Julian inhabiting some other plain of existence where masochistic love of pain and suffering is totally normal, she says several times how she regrets asking to experience the pain and suffering of Christ because she didn’t know what she was asking for. At this point, perhaps she’s thinking there would have been an easier way to get such insight into the mind of God.

Many people I know who take their faith very seriously and have made major life decisions based on their best understanding of God’s will for their life have said that they are glad they didn’t know what they were in for when the signed up for this, because they probably would have said no!

Since Julian has a strong sense of God orchestrating all these things ahead of time, perhaps she’d say God keeps us from knowing what we’re asking for for our own good.

Wild Goose, etc.

2011-06-22T14:00:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know I'm doing a ton of posting today, so I'm sorry if this is clogging your Google Reader, FB blog page, or whatever else you use to read my musings. I'm mostly trying to catch up on my reflections on Dame Julian's text, which I'll likely still be working on after my renewal leave ends next week.

I also have a post I've been working on since I got back from the Holy Land, and I've been inspired to finish and post it because I've been reading about the experience a group of university students is having there thanks to J Street. Hopefully that will be up tonight.

Tomorrow through Sunday, Jessica and I will be at the inaugural Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina. I know of some folks who are going, and I'm looking forward to sharing the muddy, humid weekend with friends old and new. If you're going, please tweet at me (@matthewlkelley) so I can be sure to catch up with you. I especially want to hang out if we haven't met in person yet!

Julian of Norwich- Seventh Showing

2011-06-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

This post (my 350th!) is part of my meditative reading of Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

In the seventh showing, Julian experiences an emotional roller coaster that one might today see as symptoms of manic depression or bipolar disorder. In her depression, Julian acknowledges that while the comfort of God’s promises was there, it wasn’t terribly helpful when she found herself in so dark a mood. That might be another way of saying she knew those things in her head, but at the time her heart just couldn’t get on board with it.

Julian’s depression doesn’t last long, however, as she finds herself on a spiritual high of total certainty in God’s protection. She concludes that “it is profitable for some souls to experience these alternations of mood” so that they can know how God sees them through everything they experience, even when that experience seems like separation from God.

As someone who suffers bouts of very bleak depression, I can identify with Julian’s feelings of hopelessness and her conclusion that God walks with us through those dark places. I differ with her, though, in her belief that God causes such emotional states so that we can learn something about the nature of God. Suffering is an unfortunate fact of living in a fallen world, and it is not God’s desire that we go through it. God works to make the best out of even the worst situations, but that doesn’t mean God wanted it to happen in the first place. Still, Julian’s conclusion that coming out on the other side increases one’s gratitude for God’s sustaining grace is right on.

Julian of Norwich- Sixth Showing

2011-06-22T10:01:00.000-05:00

This post is part of my meditative reading of Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

In the sixth showing, Julian sees “three degrees of bliss” that await God’s servants in heaven. The first is being delivered from pain as part of God’s gratitude for being God’s servant in life. The second is the “glorious thanking” where God makes known all the servant’s good deeds while on earth. The third is the joy of knowing that this state free of pain and full of glory will last forever.

The “second degree of bliss” really intrigues me, because the idea of having to make an account for all one’s deeds after life is over is usually used as a scare tactic and to convince people that they’re awful sinners. The idea that one’s good deeds are also noticed and remembered (as Jesus promises in the Sermon on the Mount) is a very comforting counter-point to such scare tactics.

It hadn’t occurred to me until meditating on this showing that for all Julian’s talk about human sinfulness, she doesn’t say it with any scorn or condescension, as if she’s better than anyone else. She sees us all as in the same boat, all equally in need of grace.

Julian of Norwich- Fifth Showing

2011-06-21T15:55:00.000-05:00

This post is part of my meditative reading through Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

This showing begins with Julian looking at God for a “measurable period of time”. She says nothing of God’s appearance, but notes this because there are no words at first. After a while, the very act of beholding God tells her what she is meant to know. This builds nicely on the meditation on divine self-giving from the previous showing.

What Julian realizes here is that God and the devil (whom she clearly believes to be a conscious entity rather than a projection of human brokenness and sinfulness) are fundamentally different. She says that the devil is full of malice and contempt- things that lead one to try to defeat their enemy through violence. But God doesn’t overcome evil through force, but through loving self-sacrifice. In fact, Julian says, “there can be no wrath in God”. God does not fight fire with fire, as it were.

The way for us to live out the Kingdom of God in the world is to realize that it operates by a fundamentally different set of rules than human kingdoms. It doesn’t simply play the game better than they do, it changes the game entirely. God doesn’t conquer human kingdoms or human hearts through coercion or violence, but through self-giving love.

Julian of Norwich- Fourth Showing

2011-06-20T19:00:00.001-05:00

This post is part of my meditative reading through Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

In the fourth showing Julian briefly explains how God showed her that God chooses to wash us clean with blood rather than with water. At first this sounded a bit macabre to me, but after meditating on this passage for a while I saw a different side.

Julian talks about how God created water for many purposes out of love for us, but that his blood is simultaneously more precious and more plentiful than water.

As I thought more about this, it struck me that water is a created thing, just as we are. So of course God could use created things to redeem other created things, but in the Incarnation we see God inserting God's self into the created order. Jesus is God's ultimate act of self-giving.

Perhaps this is because as a created thing, I can possess and give all kinds of other created things and maintain the illusion that I am somehow in control. One of the reasons that religious institutions get so twisted and toxic is that we begin to believe that we are in control, and we leave God out of the process. But when God gives God's self, there can be no mistaking who is doing the giving, hence there is no mistaking who is in control.

Although Julian doesn't mention this, God choosing to redeem us through self-giving as opposed to through a created thing calls to mind the sacrament of Holy Communion. Celebrating Communion (both as celebrant and congregant) has always been very meaningful to me, because recalling the story of the Last Supper and proclaiming the elements to be infused with the real presence of Christ helps me temporarily forget the limitations of finite people and things and see everything as interconnected and animated by the living presence of God.

Until meditating on this showing, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to find the beauty that Merton and others found in her text, but I may be beginning to see what they see.

Julian of Norwich- Third Showing

2011-06-20T14:53:00.000-05:00

This post is part of my meditative reading through Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

In the third showing, Julian is shown a concept directly instead of arriving at it through a particular image God is showing her. This showing concerns God's omnipotence, and she claims that God is the first cause of all things and that nothing happens outside of God's will. Julian says that anything that seems to us to be an accident or outside of God's will only seems so because "our blindness and lack of foreseeing".

I can't get on board with this particular assertion, as beautiful a description of God's infinite power and goodness as it is. Perhaps it was easier for Julian to avoid the plethora of questions this assertion raises about God's character because she was cloistered in a cell beside a church for much of her life.

I wonder, though, if the priest of that parish would be able to say such a thing so easily, having sat with the sick and the dying, consoling parents whose children died senselessly, and trying to reconcile the goodness of God with a world full of suffering. Then again, maybe the priest would have said the exact same thing. I don't really know how the common fourteenth century priest handled questions of theodicy. Any scholars of medieval theology care to enlighten me? (I know theodicy didn't exist as a theological category at the time, but the question still has to have occurred to people)

In the introduction, del Mastro said that each showing built upon the previous one, so I'm trying to make sense of how this relates to the first two showings of Jesus' passion. Perhaps this is her way of working out why God would will such pain and suffering to happen to his own son in the larger context of suffering and evil in the world. Or perhaps it will make more sense in the next showings.

Jon Stewart on Fox News Sunday

2011-06-19T21:12:00.000-05:00

Jon Stewart was on Fox News Sunday this morning, and the interview blew my mind.

What's hilarious is that Chris Wallace does not get that The Daily Show is a comedy show. It seems like he and the Fox News take themselves so seriously that they can't conceive of anybody not playing the exact same game. So since Stewart lampoons them on a nightly basis, he must have as militantly a partisan agenda as they do.

They don't get the joke.

The only analogous situation I can think of is evangelical Christians who rant and rave about the "homosexual agenda", insisting that people of other sexual orientations are out to convert others to their way of life. That's what they do, after all, and they assume everyone else is playing the same game.

What if people who disagree with us or are just wired differently than us aren't at war with us? What if the majority of people in the world don't have a "kill or be killed" mentality about everything? What if it actually is possible to respectfully disagree, peacefully coexist, and perhaps even have our horizons broadened by those who are different?

The sooner Fox News and the establishment they represent ponder those kinds of questions, the sooner they stand a chance of actually being "fair and balanced".

Julian of Norwich- Second Showing

2011-06-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

This post is part of my meditative reading through Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

In the second showing, Julian is focusing her attention on the crucifix on the wall when she sees Jesus’ face becoming discolored. Perhaps what she is seeing is what modern medicine would tell us happens as the result of gradual oxygen deprivation, as a crucified person is less and less able to take full breaths. That is what makes crucifixion such an agonizing death, and the discoloration shows Julian how the image of God is distorted by the sinful cruelty of humanity.

She reflects on the Trinity and how God created all human beings in God’s image, and how in the Incarnation God shows us “as a man might be if he were without guilt”.

Julian also reflects on the difference between “seeking” God and “seeing” God. Seeking after God is something all people do to one extent or another, although Julian emphasizes that even that cannot be done without the leading of God’s grace. Seeing, however, is something that happens entirely independent of human effort. Julian’s visions are “seeing” God in full as God wills God’s self to be seen, and all she can do is be still and marvel at what God is showing her.

Julian of Norwich- First Showing

2011-06-15T09:46:00.001-05:00

This post is part of my meditative reading through Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

In the first showing Julian witnesses the “crowning of Christ”, where the crown of thorns is pushed onto Jesus’ head so roughly that the thorns cause blood to flow quite freely. The modern reader will likely recall Mel Gibson’s “Passion” film that seemed to delight in every gory detail of Jesus’ torture and execution.

Far from finding the image gruesome or repulsive, Julian is filled with joy because she is so aware of how she is a “sinful creature living in wretched flesh”, and God chose to endure this for her even so. The image also causes Julian to think of the oneness of the Trinity, but she doesn’t make the connection explicit. My guess is that the contrast of God’s ultimacy and humanity’s smallness makes her marvel that God chose to experience everything we experience, but I don’t know if that’s how she’s coming at it.

This showing also causes Julian to think of St. Mary, again contrasting God’s ultimacy with humanity’s smallness and how Mary marveled at the fullness of God dwelling within her. Not being Catholic, I don’t normally give as much attention to Mary as I do to some other people in biblical stories, but being a parent has given me lots of new things to think about. The holiest and most joyous moment of my life was when my daughter was born, yet it occurred in the midst of a lot of blood and pain (blocked by some excellent drugs). Jessica will tell you the same thing, and she has more ground to stand on because it was her blood and her discomfort in that holy moment.

Julian’s first showing reminds us that God can be profoundly experienced in the midst of the messiest human circumstances.

Julian's Prologue

2011-06-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

This post is part of a journal I'm keeping as I prayerfully read through Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love during my renewal leave.

By way of prolegomena, Julian briefly describes each of the sixteen showings. She then pulls back and describes the things she asked God for that occasioned the revelation. She asked to “enter into the spirit of Christ’s passion”, a “bodily sickness so severe it would bring (her) to the point of death”, and the “three wounds” of “true contrition, natural compassion, and full-hearted longing for God”. It is the second of these “gifts” that she elaborates on before describing the first showing, which is also the one that intrigues me the most.

Julian became very ill when she was about thirty years old. She languished for several days and was then given last rites, which meant that she and everyone else thought she was done for. She mentions that she forgot that she asked God for this, because I guess if she remembered that if she asked to go the brink of death without actually dying, it would kind of defeat the purpose. Being sick to the point of dying would make one truly let go of all earthly things and focus solely on God. Some of the most inspiring interactions I have had as a pastor have been with people who knew they didn’t have long to live. They knew what was really important.

The skeptical side of me wonders about how much of her own vision Julian determined beforehand. She appears to have had a really awful fever, and when that happens, the things people see are tied to what is on their mind or buried in their subconscious. Since she lived in a cell on the side of a church and dedicated her entire life to prayer and contemplation, Jesus is the foremost thing on her mind, so it’s not surprising that it’s what she sees in a delirious state.

A possible psychological explanation of her vision doesn’t mean that God was not involved, of course. But the modern reader does have this extra difficulty that a contemporary of Julian’s would not have had.

I’m hoping this won’t continue to be an obstacle, and I’m guessing it won’t since Julian has remained very popular and influential even into modern times.

Julian of Norwich- Translator's Introduction

2011-06-08T17:15:00.000-05:00

According to translator M.L. del Mastro, we don’t know much at all about Julian of Norwich (or Juliana, as he calls her), and she wants it that way. We don’t even know her real name. She is called Julian because her cell was attached to the church of St. Julian in Norwich.

Julian would completely disagree with the idea that “all theology is biography”. I’ve subscribed to that notion for quite some time and became particularly convinced after reading Jurgen Moltmann’s autobiography, A Broad Place. I believe that God reveals God’s self in very real and powerful ways, but that we communicate these experiences of revelation using words and images that we understand. So when I tell you about God, you’re learning as much about me as you are about God, because you’re hearing about the divine through the means of my own subjectivity.

Julian of Norwich does not share this belief. She wanted people to focus on the message, not the messenger, believing that she would only get in the way of people knowing and loving God more fully. But if she and I were sitting across the table from one another, I’d remind her that the written account of this revelation from God is the product of twenty years worth of meditation on events that occurred over a period of two days. Wouldn’t she have to agree that her own fingerprints are all over the finished product?

Having one’s fingerprints all over the report of a revelation from God is not a bad thing, nor does it somehow cheapen what one can gain from hearing about such an experience. Quite the opposite, in fact. I believe that recognizing the inherent subjectivity that we all bring to the table should inspire even more wonder that God chooses to use highly flawed, imperfect vessels to make the depths of God’s love known to us. I think perhaps Julian would agree with the latter part of that statement.

In any case, it would be a mistake to expect Julian to share this assumption with me, because she is a person of the fourteenth century and I a person of the twenty-first. To expect long-dead authors to share my assumptions about the nature of divine truth as if they were some kind of objective fact would be quite hypocritical!

I’ll have to see if this epistemological tension remains between Juliana and myself as we spend more time together. Hopefully they won't be a barrier to God speaking through the text. If that turns out to be the case, Julian's fear would be realized.

And the winner is...

2011-06-06T22:28:00.000-05:00

Me!

Since my father-in-law and I were the only entrants in the Tell Matt how to wear his facial hair for a good cause drawing, it was pretty much a coin-flip. I went all twenty-first century and used a random number generating website, and it turned out that one of my entries was the winner.

Once I discovered I won my own contest, I had to decide what to do. Which of the many interesting and somewhat humorous options should I choose as my winnings? I actually decided to select several, and have some fun along the way.

I started off looking like I've looked for almost a decade.

Next I did a tribute to my friend Eric, who sports a version of the Chester Arthur:

Then I did a kind of early 2000s boy band look, complete with every man-bander's "I'm trying to be sexy but really I just look like I've got digestive issues" face:

Then I went with the Errol Flynn, which in the 1930s was cool, but in 2011 might be interpreted otherwise...

Next came McDreamy-esque stubble, alas without Patrick Dempsey's wavy hair, strong chin, or sensitive eyes

Finally, I put down the trimmer and grabbed the razor, recalling what's been under there all this time:

I've haven't been clean shaven since before I met Jessica, and her first words upon seeing this were, "you're naked! Your face, I mean..." Here's my impression of her reaction:

I'll be really curious to see how Kate reacts in the morning, since Daddy's had a beard for her entire life.

I'll post soon with my first reflections on Julian of Norwich's revelation soon. I'll be at a friend's farm for a few days, so my internet access may not be all that great, but I'll be recording my daily meditations regardless. It's just a question of when they'll end up here.

You can still donate to One Day's Wages partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects in Ethiopia, and every dollar will help plant ten trees and create jobs in a part of the world that really needs them. Thanks!

Liminal Space

2011-06-06T09:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my last Sunday at Bethlehem, and so my renewal leave begins today. As I mentioned before, I'm going to be reading through Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love.

The other day when I was working out a reading schedule, I realized that Dame Julian had pretty much made it for me. Beginning today, taking Sundays off, and ending on June 27, which is the day before the official Conference "moving day", I have seventeen days to read. Julian's revelation is documented in sixteen showings, so I've decided to do one per day, reading the translator's introduction today. I'll try to do a post about what I'm reading most days, but Annual Conference and some other activities may interfere with my ability to post each day.

If you have the book and are so inclined, read along with me and post your thoughts in the comments. I'll post later tonight after I've read M.L. del Mastro's (the translator) introduction.

Also, you have a few more hours to get in the drawing to tell me how to wear my facial hair for the next two weeks. So far the only entrants are me and my father-in-law. Make a donation to One Day's Wages partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects in Ethiopia, and you'll be in the drawing, which will take place at 3 this afternoon. The winner and the pictures of their prize will be announced this evening.

Back Online

2011-05-28T14:39:00.001-05:00

After a rather chaotic week moving from the Bethlehem parsonage to our new house in Nashville, I'm back in the swing of things.

You have a little more than a week to enter the drawing to get to tell me how to configure my facial hair during my renewal leave in June. Make a donation to One Day's Wages' campaign to plant trees in Ethiopia, creating jobs and restoring the environment, and you'll be in the drawing. So far only I and my father-in-law are in. Let's make this interesting!

Speaking of my renewal leave, I've decided what book I'll be meditating/blogging my way through. Although many folks made some great suggestions, I ultimately decided what to read while making my way through Michael Mott's mammoth biography, The Seven Mountains of Thomas Merton. I'm currently at the point in the early 60s where Merton is spending more and more time in his hermitage and growing in his anti-war activism and in his frustration with his monastic superiors.

At this point in his life, Merton was growing in his appreciation for the 14th century English mystic, Dame Julian of Norwich, so during my renewal leave I'll be reading Julian's Revelations of Divine Love (Paraclete Essentials). I read part of this text years ago in a class on mysticism in college, but I was doing so academically, and this time I'll be doing so meditatively and prayerfully.

I'll be posting a reading schedule soon, and I'll be posting regular updates as I go through the book, so feel free to join in!

Renewal Leave Update

2011-05-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still pondering what my "project" will be during my renewal leave. I had given thought to working through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, but my friend Brian reminded me that doing the exercises really requires doing them with a spiritual director, and the only people who really make it through them in 30 days are Jesuits on the "long retreat", and they're doing nothing else. So that's too ambitious.

What I'm leaning toward is a very intentional reading of some book, perhaps just a chapter or two a day, and blogging about my reactions each day. That sounds much more manageable given that Annual Conference and the Wild Goose Festival are happening during June.

The question now is, what book? It could be something academic in nature, but not so abstract as to have no relevance to anyone not familiar with seminary-speak. But it should be meaty enough that it deals with real questions. Anyone recommending a Joel Osteen book is permanently banned from this blog!

So I look to you, dear reader, for advice. What book would you like to see me blog through during my renewal leave?

While you're thinking about that, also remember that you have a chance to decide what facial hair configuration I will have during the first part of my leave. Click above to make a donation to Eden Reforestation Projects in Ethiopia, and you'll be part of the June 6 drawing where the winner gets to tell me if and how to shave my beard. Currently, my father-in-law has a 71% chance of winning, so let's make this a little more competitive!

Cutting and Growing

2011-05-13T15:28:00.002-05:00

Note- it seems that Blogger is eating posts, so this is a reproduction of a post from Thursday.

I mentioned yesterday that I'll be taking a renewal leave during the month of June, and one of the things I've considered doing is seeing what I look like clean shaven. It has been a while since I haven't worn any facial hair:

OK, not quite that long, but it sure feels like it!

I'd like to make this interesting, and to benefit some people in need while doing so. Luckily, the folks at One Day's Wages have provided an awesome opportunity. They just formed a new partnership with Eden Reforestation Projects in Ethiopia to raise enough money to plant 200,000 trees and provide 2,000 total days of employment to eco-workers serving with ERP. At a cost of about 10 cents per tree, I think we can all do something to help.

So here's how we make this interesting as well as helpful. Every person who makes a donation of any size will have their name entered in a drawing at least once. Every $10 (that's 100 trees!) you donate gets you an additional entry, to be held on Monday, June 6.

The winner of the drawing gets to decide what facial hair configuration I wear for at least two weeks during my renewal leave. You can choose darn near anything you want.

You can tell me to keep things the same,

or go Grizzly Adams,

Chester Arthur,

Errol Flynn,

Dr. McDreamy,

Abe Lincoln,

the soul-patch,

early 90's Luke Perry,

early 2000's boy band "pencil beard",

or pretty much anything else you can think of. I won't wear a Hitler mustache, mostly because I could slick my hair to the side and kind of resemble the guy, and since I'm not Prince Harry or Eric Cartman, I don't think that's very funny. (OK, not funny "ha ha", but "what the heck is wrong with you?" funny)

So let's help out a good cause and compete to get to have a laugh at my expense. Let's cut my beard and grow some trees.

Renewal Leave

2011-05-10T19:23:00.000-05:00

I've shared before how I'll have my last Sunday with the people of Bethlehem on June 5, and I'll begin my pastorate at Arlington on July 3. I'm taking a few weeks to rest, recuperate, attend Annual Conference, and get ready to hit the ground running in my new congregation. I was referring to the month of June as a "short sabbatical", but someone informed me recently that a sabbatical has to be formally approved by the Board of Ordained Ministry, and that every pastor is entitled to a periodic "renewal leave" without having to ask anyone's permission. Gotta love United Methodists and all our specific terminology!

Knowing myself and how easily I become bored and depressed if I have nothing to do, I know I need some kind of plan for my renewal leave, but I'm not sure what I should do. Over lunch the other day, Jessica asked me if I was thinking of something more academic, reading through Barth's Church Dogmatics, for example; or spiritual, like Henry Nouwen did when he spent seven months at a Trappist monastery, chronicled in The Gennessee Diary.

While both of these ideas sound really interesting, this particular leave is lasting just under a month and will include Annual Conference. So while I can't do something terribly expansive, I would like to do something focused, perhaps something I can blog about on a regular basis.

So I put the question to you, dear reader. What should I do with my renewal leave? What should I read? How should I structure my day? What would be beneficial not only to me but to the relatively few people who read my blog (hi, Mom and Dad)?

I'm open to suggestion, and if someone shares an idea that I run with, you'll get credit if I produce something interesting from it.

Unfinished Business?

2011-05-09T23:38:00.001-05:00

As I have less than a month to go before my last Sunday with Bethlehem, I've been reflecting back on the last four years, what I've learned, what I've done well, the many things I've done wrong, etc. I've especially thought a lot about the previous two years and everything that has happened since the fire.

One of the questions I've gotten from more than a few people is why I'm leaving now. Specifically, they wonder why I "don't want to see it (the building project) through" or if I'm leaving things "unfinished".

Honestly, I asked those questions for several months as the sense that I needed to move on began to grow. Would walking away now make two years worth of hard work all be for nothing? Would moving on now be saying that I couldn't handle a difficult situation? What would this mean for my legacy at Bethlehem?

Pondering these questions made me realize that my main motivation for staying would be for the sake of my own ego, for the opportunity to be the guy standing front and center on the day we dedicate the new building. One member of my congregation told me that I "deserve to preach the first sermon in the new sanctuary". Whether that's true is for other people to decide, and reasons of ego are a bad reason to do anything, especially to stay too long in a pastoral role.

I blogged about my rationale for leaving a while back, and those reasons are the final result of a lot of reflection and prayer. One of the things that has kept coming to me over and over as I've pondered my future is how Paul corrects the people in the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 3) when they're arguing about who they "belong to" and use that to argue that one person is better than another. Paul reminds them that he, Apollos, and any other person are just laborers, that God is the one who makes everything happens, and that only God is worthy of the glory afforded by saying someone "belongs to" them.

I came to realize (with the help of some wise friends) that my desire to be front and center the day we dedicate the new building, to have my name on the plaque saying who built the building, was a desire for the glory and credit that belong to God and not to me or anyone else. I also came to realize that the day the congregation dedicates the new building will not be the day they arrive at some perfect status. There will always be more work to do, just as there was much work done before I ever got there. Thinking that my leadership is somehow crucial is pretty darn arrogant. There is always "unfinished business" at the end of every pastorate- it's just a little more obvious in this case.

In any case, we did come to a natural point of completion. The ground-breaking on Palm Sunday symbolized the end of the fire chapter of the church's life, with all the hard work of grieving (although the grieving has not ended for some), recovering, visioning, and planning for the future. We even set up the space for the ceremony to resemble the first worship following the fire. Now that the ground is broken, the congregation can focus on nesting in the new building and what that will mean for their future, and that chapter of their lives will be overseen by a new pastor.

I look forward to witnessing the fruits of our labor together from afar, knowing that no matter what person gets the credit in the eyes of some people, it's God who has made it all happen.

Preaching bin Laden's Death

2011-05-02T18:22:00.002-05:00

Note- this post was picked up by Ministry Matters, so you can participate in the conversation there if you prefer

I haven't been able to turn on the TV in the last 24 hours without hearing people analyze the death of Osama bin Laden from every conceivable angle. Even though it's Monday, it's very likely that this will still be on people's minds come Sunday. So if we are to do theology with "the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other", as Karl Barth said (or having both apps open on our iPad), then clearly pastors have to say something about it in the coming days.

I've had a lot of thoughts, few of them complete and some that are even in tension with one another, so I'm just going to throw them up here and invite discussion.

If you're a pastor, I'm really curious about how you're planning on addressing this issue. If you're a church-goer, I'd love to hear what you think your pastor might say or how you would want your pastor to address this. And if you're not a church-goer, what would you imagine a loving, faithful pastoral response would be?

OK, here goes.

The first images I saw were of a crowd of mostly college students cheering and spilling beer on one another outside the White House, acting like their team had just won a championship. That made my stomach turn, because it's likely that few if any of these people actually lost anyone in 9/11 or the War on Terror.

Speaking of the families of the victims, we saw images of a much more somber gathering at Ground Zero. All the victims' families expressed relief that bin Laden is no longer able to hurt anyone, but they also acknowledged that it won't bring their loved ones back.

I can also understand relief and celebration on the part of our servicemen and women, who have been feeling the strain of the War on Terror for a decade now.

Having spent a lot of time with combat veterans the past few years, I've noticed a clear difference in the attitudes of those who have seen the guy next to them get killed, and the attitudes of those whose combat experience comes solely from playing first-person-shooter video games. Those who have seen combat first hand don't have any romantic notions about it, nor do they cheer and chest-thump when hearing tales of others in combat.

While I'm not sad that he's gone, I don't believe we should rejoice at the death of anybody, even a person as evil as bin Laden.

I'm uncomfortable at how many Christians on the net are rejoicing about bin Laden being in Hell. That may well be the case, but let's leave judgment to God, and direct our energy toward compassion for his victims.

How will bin Laden's death impact the very poor perception (born out of more than a little latent racism) of Muslims and Arab-Americans?

What will this mean in terms of our involvement in Afghanistan?

I was really shocked that bin Laden was still alive. Since he's easily recognizable, has serious health problems, and was supposedly living in caves all these years, I figured he was dead.

Since he was living in a suburb of Islamabad, what does that say about Pakistan and our diplomatic and military relationships with them?

I really appreciate hearing how our military went about this raid. They verified their intelligence, and they went in and did a "surgical strike" (I think that's the correct term) on the ground, doing everything they could to make sure bystanders didn't get caught in the crossfire. I'm impressed that we didn't bomb the whole neighborhood in hopes of getting him and chalking all the other deaths up to "collateral damage".

I also appreciate how they buried bin Laden's body in accordance with Islamic tradition, washing the body and saying prayers before burying it at sea. I applaud them for maintaining the moral high ground when few people would have faulted them for doing otherwise.

I struggle with the idea that we "had" to kill bin Laden. It was a choice, and I think there were no good options available. He actively plotted acts of terror and rejoiced in the deaths of innocent people, so doing nothing to stop him when we had the ability to would make us complicit in his acts. If someone was going to harm my family and I harmed them in the process of preventing them from doing so, I would not consider it a "good" thing, but doing nothing would have been worse. I'm not comfortable with the phrase "necessary evil", but I do believe that the reality of living in a fallen world means that we sometimes have to choose the "least bad option" when good options are off the table.

A few scriptural passages that have come to my mind or have been mentioned by others that may be relevant:
Ezekiel 18:32 For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!

Proverbs 24:17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice

And, of course, Matthew 5:44-45 (the whole Sermon on the Mount, for that matter) But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

OK, so that's my brain dump. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Where am I right? Where am I wrong? What haven't I considered? All I ask is that you keep the comments respectful.

400 Years of the KJV

2011-05-02T11:19:00.000-05:00

On May 2, 1611, the King James Version of the Bible made its debut. To mark the 400th anniversary of this still highly influential translation, the folks at YouVersion put together a kind of virtual flashmob, where everyone who signed up was given one chapter to read at noon EDT. So many people signed up that the entire KJV was read over eight times this afternoon!

I was assigned Joel 1, and here's my contribution.

What about ye, dear reader? Didst thou participate in reading ye ol' KVJ today? Hast thou a favorite passage using the King's English?

Further Adventures in Shameless Self Promotion

2011-04-27T12:11:00.000-05:00

Today an article I wrote is on the front page of the worship section of Ministry Matters.

The article is called Worship for Communities in Crisis, and it talks about how we used the first worship service after the Bethlehem UMC fire in 2009 to give voice to what our community was feeling and to help begin facilitating the grief process. The article also includes the order of worship for that Sunday in PDF form.

I pray that no other pastors and churches out there have to go through an experience like this, but unfortunately I know that it will happen, so I hope what I've shared is somehow useful to them, or just interesting for those who plan and lead worship.

Good Friday Meditation

2011-04-22T12:37:00.000-05:00

I've been pondering the significance of Lent this year and what the purpose of a Lenten fast really is. Denying myself something like coffee or chocolate for a certain period of time is a good discipline, I suppose, but I don't really feel like I'm growing closer to understanding the suffering of Jesus through doing it.

But how do we really get in touch with Jesus' suffering without going to extreme lengths like these guys in the Philippines who have themselves crucified every year? Plus, I'm not sure that's the point, either.

At its most basic level, I take the story of Jesus' passion and death to be a demonstration of how God experiences everything that human beings experience, and by going through these things and coming out on the other side, we know that all the pain of this life ends, but life itself does not.

The Gethsemane part of the passion story has always been very meaningful to me because it's easier to see myself in this story. I've never known extreme physical suffering, but I do know what it is to have crippling anxiety and deep, painful loneliness. I can also see myself in the shoes of Peter, James, and John, being so oblivious to how a friend is hurting that it's like I'm asleep in their hour of need, only to realize how badly I've screwed up after the fact.

So on this Good Friday, I'm using a song by Eli (one of the few Christian artists who isn't afraid to sing about what people really go through, and not just sing "Jesus is my Boyfriend" songs), called "King of the Hill", and it's enhanced with some images from Mel Gibsons Passion of the Christ.

I hope this enhances your experience of this holy day in some small way.

Breaking Ground

2011-04-19T08:37:00.000-05:00

AOn Palm Sunday afternoon we broke ground on the new building for Bethlehem United Methodist Church. We had over one hundred people join us for the ceremony, including several former pastors, and my successor, who will begin serving Bethlehem in July.

The Leaf Chronicle covered the event.

The groundbreaking was really special for me because it marked the end of a nearly two year process of recovery, visioning, and planning following the fire, as well as symbolically marking the end of my tenure with Bethlehem.

BUMC's choir began the service by singing "Holy Ground"

Several congregational officers and I dug the ceremonial first shovels-full of dirt with our golden shovel (a regular shovel from Lowes covered in metallic spray paint!).

I got chills as I pronounced the words from the Book of Worship's Order for the Breaking of Ground for a Church Building.

After the ceremony, we invited everyone to take the shovel and dig. Kate wanted to get in on the action, of course.

Afterward, Jessica and my mom gave me a gift they'd been planning and working on sporadically for nearly six years (it was originally intended as an engagement present). They made a stole with symbols that reflect what is really important to me in ministry.

The Big Reveal

2011-04-16T08:00:00.011-05:00

OK, so after a couple weeks of having to sit on this news (although several folks have already found out), I can announce where I'll be moving this summer.

Starting in July I'll begin serving as the pastor of Arlington United Methodist Church in Nashville.

This is very exciting for a number of reasons. Nashville is my hometown, so we'll be closer to my parents, not to mention where Jessica works, so no more 100 mile roundtrip commutes every day!

But there's another reason I'm excited about this appointment. I've actually worshipped at Arlington before:

These photos were taken in February of 1981, when my parents were members of Arlington. I was baptized there by Dr. Glen Phillips, and the church has had a number of amazing pastors in its history, so I have some very large shoes to fill.

This move is also great for us because it has given Jessica and I the opportunity to buy our first home.

We had the inspection done today, and everything looks great. We feel very blessed to have found such a great place for our children to grow up. We'll close in the next few weeks and move in soon after that. Check Jessica's blog soon for the first of what will be many, many posts on our house.

The only sad part, of course, is that I'm leaving the wonderful people of Bethlehem. My four years with them have been great, the last two very eventful and memorable. We'll break ground on our new building on Sunday, which will mark the end of the "fire and recovery" chapter of BUMC's history, so it's a fitting time to end my tenure and let them begin this new chapter with a new pastor.

Thanks to all those who have been inquiring about our next step and praying for us. Before 2011 is out we'll have a new church, a new baby, and a new house. More prayers, please!

Proud Spouse Promotion!

2011-04-14T15:40:00.000-05:00

My wife, Jessica, and her team have been working for months on the new resource website from the Publishing House, and it launched earlier this week. So here it is!

Introducing MinistryMatters.com!

The site is a one-stop-shop for Sunday mornings. It has resources on preaching, teaching, worship, leadership, and many other things. It also includes access to a number of different biblical commentaries and posts from interesting folks' blogs, and even podcasts.

Quick disclaimer- you will find some of my material on the site, so my praise is biased, but there is a lot of really great stuff there.

While the site is still in the Beta stage, access to all the resources is free. In a little while there will be a few different categories of subscriptions, but for all the stuff you get, it's worth the money.

Check it out and leave a comment or two, because the team is always looking to make improvements.

A Parable of the Kingdom?

2011-04-14T09:11:00.001-05:00

I found this over at the Emergent Village blog. I hope they don't mind me sharing this:

What is the Kingdom of God like, you ask?

A woman lived in rural central California. She was known for her kindness, generosity and love, but she was also fair and just. Her five children were normal kids, but the four youngest were known around town for their rebellious streaks. As a single mom, she did the best she could to establish both love and rules in the house, but four of her kids desired freedom over relationship. So one evening, the four youngest filled their backpacks and ran away.

The mom woke up and, finding four of her children’s beds empty, began to weep. She would not rest until her children returned home or she found them. Being a farm owner, she had plenty of hired hands to help in her search. She put the farm’s business on hold and sent her workers out to search for her lost darlings. She spent every last dime printing pamphlets, recording radio spots and inundating the TV with ads exclaiming her love for her children and her pleas for them to return home into her loving arms. All that she had, was and would be theirs.

Then one day, it happened. One of her runaways returned home. Seeing and hearing her message, his heart melted and he came back. She embraced him, welcoming him home. She turned to her eldest son (the one that never ran away) and asked if he would help find and bring back the others. He set out with a mission and a message. When he found two of the three, he told them of their mom’s love for them and how badly she missed them and her relentless desire for all of them to come home. He also reminded them of the Great Rule, but they refused to come back with him. He never did find the forth lost one.

Years passed and no sign of her kids. Regardless, a great rule had been violated. So she climbed into her pickup truck with a few hired hands and set out to bring her children home. On May 17, she found them.

All three were huddled up near a dumpster, clutching a worn blanket. They saw her truck approach and, too tired to run, they just sat with terror I their eyes. See, while away, they had been told countless lies by countless people that their mom was not a kind woman, that she did not love them and that she was mad-as-hell at them. Added to this were their incredible loneliness, shame and feelings of worthlessness. Living on the street—isolated from love—can do this to anyone, and it certainly did them. Seeing her children and hearing about their condition, the mother reassured them of her love. But despite her undying, never-ending motherly love for her children, she knew that the Great Rule had been violated and she must act accordingly.

They pulled up into the driveway and the truck came to a dusty halt. The hired hands helped the kids climb out of the back of the truck. As the mom walked to the house she looked back one last time at her kids. Motioning to the hired hands, she firmly declared, “Take them away. They violated the Great Rule and did not return to me on their own.”

“But mom….!?”

“Not another word,” she interrupted. “Whether you knew it or not, The Great Rule says that my children shall not run away and that if they do, they are to return on their own within three years. If they do not, I will find them and the Great Punishment must be inflicted. I even sent my oldest son for you, but you did not believe him.”

“Mom, we are sorry. We were scared, hurting and full of shame. We did things we are not proud of and that you would not approve of. Deep inside, when the nights were the quietest, we knew you loved us but we were afraid that you would have nothing to do with us after all we had done.”

With tears in her eyes she slowly replied, “I understand, I see you are truly sorry and I love you. But there is nothing I can do; I am powerless against the Great Rule. Three years have passed, you did not return and the Rule is the Rule.” With that, she turned and walked towards the house where her returning-son stood on the porch, watching.

The hired hands, still clutching the children by the arms, took them away to the barn…even the fourth child who never heard the eldest son’s message. As directed by the Great Punishment, they entered the barn, tied the children to the posts and began beating them. Next came the kerosene. Then, in the midst of their screams and under the watchful eye of their loving mom, they and the barn were set ablaze.

The loving, kind, full-of-mercy, just and righteous mom, turning from the window overlooking the burning barn, looked at her oldest son and the child who returned to her, wiped the tear from her eye and smiled. She motioned once more to her hired hands and—with the other children still burning and screaming outside—the feast of feasts, the party of parties, began. The mom, her eldest son, her returning-on-his-own child, and even her hired hands lived, feasted, and partied…happily…ever…after.

The End.

Now go, and share this GOOD NEWS of the Kingdom. Praise be to God.

For those that missed the irony, this retelling of the modern evangelical Christian meta-narrative shows how unbelievably screwed up our theology is when we're very comfortable with the everyone burning in Hell, and offended by everyone going to Heaven. Check out all the noise people have made over Rob Bell's latest book, Love Wins, if you want to know what I'm talking about.

This little parable doesn't prove universalism is true or that Hell doesn't exist, of course, but it does raise a question about what we really believe. Do we really believe that God's love conquers all, or do we believe that Jesus somehow exploits a loophole in the system set up by an angry, wrathful deity? And if the latter is the case, do we really believe that God is triune and completely of one essence in three persons?

On a personal note, as a father, myself, this story makes me sick. If this truly were the essence of the Christian faith, then I'd walk away and never set foot in a church again. Sadly, we've done a very good job convincing the world that this really is Christianity, and they've acted accordingly. I, for one, don't blame them.

Let's make sure we're not only telling a better story, but a true story about who God really is.

Pilgrimage

2011-04-08T22:29:00.000-05:00

I've been promising further reflection on several experiences from Project Israel, and I haven't forgotten about them. For better or worse, I've been rather distracted lately with finishing certain pieces of business at Bethlehem, specifically the groundbreaking for the new building on Palm Sunday, and taking care of managing the transition to my new appointment. More details on that to come, later too. (promises, promises...)

One thing I have kept asserting to everyone I've talked to since I got back is that this experience was not merely a trip, but a pilgrimage. While I fear coming off sounding snooty, as if my experience was somehow on a different plain unattainable by others, I do believe that the purpose of our journey was specific enough to warrant the designation.

This was not a vacation, although I did find the change of pace restful in its own way. Nor was this merely an educational experience, although I learned a tremendous amount. To paraphrase our guide, Peter Miano (who runs the Society for Biblical Studies), a pilgrimage is unique (specifically, different from commercial sightseeing) because the places you visit require investing something of yourself. These places ask deep questions of you, and the experience of the journey changes you in some fundamental way.

Or, to quote Paul Elie, "the process of pilgrimage is how we take others’ stories and, while remaining faithful to them, make them our own".

I hope to finish a post these further reflections in the next week (otherwise Holy Week will do me in and put them off God knows how long) and share a bit about how these places challenged me with some deep questions, and how these others' stories have now become part of my own.

43 Years Ago Last Night

2011-04-04T12:39:00.000-05:00

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his last speech, in Memphis.

43 years ago today he was martyred by the forces of hatred.

But his legacy lives on, because the gospel he preached is more powerful than death.

Rest in peace, Dr. King. We're not there yet, but because of you we're a lot closer.

If Only I Could Preach Like This Guy

2011-04-02T17:09:00.002-05:00

Changes

2011-03-20T16:39:00.000-05:00

I shared the news with my congregation this morning, so I'll share it with the blogosphere now. I'll be leaving Bethlehem United Methodist Church in June.

A few people have expressed surprise because the rebuilding isn't yet complete. It's true that the physical construction won't be complete for about another year, but the church is about to start a new chapter in it's life. The past two years have been about mourning, regrouping, visioning, and planning. The groundbreaking (which will be in a few weeks, pending an affirmative vote at next week's charge conference) will mark the end of that chapter and the beginning of the nesting chapter of their story.

After a whole lot of prayer, contemplation, and conversations with people I trust, I became convinced that the best way for the church to leave this chapter behind and start a new one was with a new pastor, and that the energy and excitement that a pastoral change brings will provide the right momentum to carry them into the new building.

I have mixed emotions about leaving, of course. There are many people I will miss, and my ego makes me want very badly to be the person at the front and center when they dedicate the new building. But rarely does any change in life come painlessly, and I have peace that this is the right thing.

One of the unique things about our United Methodist system is that we are appointed by the Bishop to our areas of ministry, and there is a period of time where appointments are "projected" where we can't really tell anyone because the appointment picture for the whole conference isn't yet complete. So I know where I've been appointed for the coming year, but I can't share that just yet! I'll announce it as soon as I'm able.

But for now there is still work to do. Next week Bethlehem will have a Charge Conference for the final vote on the building, and if the consensus that seems to be developing translates into the necessary votes, we will break ground on the new building very soon. As hard as much of this experience has been, I will look back fondly on my time as pastor of Bethlehem.

The Things They Don't Teach You about The Things They Don't Teach You in Seminary

2011-03-18T19:43:00.000-05:00

One of the running jokes among clergy is about the literally endless list of things they don't teach you about in seminary. Whether it's dealing with facilities issues, difficult people in your congregation, or unclogging toilets, I and many other pastors tend to laugh about these unexpected things and put them on that proverbial list.

As a seminary student, and now as a young clergy person, I've been extremely blessed to have older clergy to talk to about situations I face, get their advice, and hear their stories. And now that I've got a bit of experience under my belt, I've really enjoyed talking to seminary students and sharing some of the things I had to learn (often the hard way) after seminary.

I'm starting to wonder, however, how much of those "things they didn't teach me" are really applicable to other people and how much is just me and others universalizing our own experience.

I wonder this because I've had conversations with older clergy where they've said that certain things would definitely happen to me during my career. Some things, people blaming you for their own personal problems, for example, have happened and I'm glad someone told me it would. But there are other things that I haven't yet encountered and may never encounter. Some of the "this will happen to you" stories I've heard are so bizarre I can't imagine them happening to every single pastor!

I've certainly been guilty of this, too. I think I unnecessarily scared a younger colleague once when I told them how badly the Board of Ordained Ministry would treat them, based on my own previous experience. This person didn't encounter those same difficulties, so I wonder if I caused them undue anxiety. On the other hand, perhaps it caused them to prepare differently. I'm not really sure.

The real question is how much of our own personal experience is normative to what others experience, and is therefore instructive, and how much of it is so unique to our own situations that universalizing it is more about making ourselves feel important than it is about imparting wisdom to another.

Regardless of what the answer to this question is, one of the most powerful things we can do together in any type of community is to share our stories with one another. Whether or not our experience exactly matches that of another, we can find common ground in all of our stories. We've all experienced joy, excitement, frustration, anger, discouragement, and confusion. Particularly when it comes to negative emotions, it can be easy to believe that we are the only ones who feel this way, and hearing another's story reminds us that we are not alone.

So how much of my own story is helpful and instructive for others and how much is just my own junk? Well, that's something they didn't teach me in seminary.

Project Israel- Mishmar ha Emek

2011-03-14T10:23:00.000-05:00

One our second full day of the Holy Land pilgrimage, we visited a Kibbutz called Mishmar ha Eemek. A Kibbutz is a collective community, most of which were begun in the early twentieth century by Jews immigrating from Europe before the foundation of the state of Israel in 1948. As of 2000, there were approximately 268 kibbutzim in Israel (according to the Jewish Virtual Library), but they hardly look alike, as operate on a variety of different models due to generational shifts in philosophy.

Mishmar ha Emek means "guard of the valley" in Hebrew. It is located in Northern Israel, just west of Megiddo. It was also the site of a battle between Israeli and Arab Liberation Army (supplied by the Syrians) forces in 1948.

What really struck me about kibbutzim in general is that they were begun as utopian communities for Jews fleeing persecution, but they were all non-religious, and most of them staunchly atheist. Their Jewish identity was more rooted in ethnic heritage, which was made stronger by the anti-Semitism they experienced in their countries of origin.

I've been pondering why that was so surprising to me, and I'm pretty sure it's because I'm very steeped in the modern, Western understanding of what religion is- sets of beliefs and practices that are almost entirely divorced from ethnicity, region, culture and language. I'm used to people being able to change religions any time they feel like it, so it still surprises me when someone identifies themselves as an atheist, and at the same time as Jewish.

Lydia Eisenburg, our guide around the kibbutz, told us about growing up in England being asked by other kids where her horns where and being called up in front of her class at school to explain why her people killed Christ. So even though it seems unusual to me, I can understand why such treatment would cause you to identify with a particular ethnic and cultural heritage even if you didn't subscribe to its theological beliefs.

One question our group got to ask a bit about, which I wish we'd had more time to explore with her, was why she felt so particularly attached to the land of Israel. I understand wanting to leave a society that treated you as a second class citizen because of your Jewish heritage, but why this particular land rather than, for example, the United States (where 5 million of the world's 12 million Jews reside) or any other place?

This question particularly sticks with me in light of the conversation I had several days later with a self-identified "Fundamentalist Zionist" who grounded all of his arguments for possession of the land in his understanding of God's promises in the Torah (the full story on that conversation is forthcoming). Clearly, as Avihai Stollat of Breaking the Silence told us, there are many different understandings of what "Zionism" is among the people of Israel.

Lydia's answer: "What Zionism means to me? This!" as she picked up a rock from the path we were walking on. So for a member of a kibbutznik (member of a kibbutz) who is not particularly religious, what causes them to cling to their Jewish identity is a mixture of early life experience, tradition they have received from their families, and some transcendent sense of connection to this land that can't really be put into words.

As I said before, I wish I'd gotten to ask her further questions about this connection to the land, and I think some in our group may have done so during the rest of our brief visit. If any of them can expand on this, please comment below!

Next I'll be posting on our visit to the Tent of Nations and and the al Arub refugee camp: two of the first Palestinian voices we heard on our pilgrimage.

Project Israel- Coming Soon

2011-03-11T12:05:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone. I've been busy in the days since we returned from the Holy Land catching up with members of my congregation and working to finish several unfinished projects, to say nothing of beginning the season of Lent!

All this is to say that there are about a half dozen further reflections from the pilgrimage that I promised in the daily posts, and those will be forthcoming starting next week. Thanks to all who have commented on Facebook and other places. I look forward to sharing even more of the experience with you very soon.

Project Israel- Breaking the Silence

2011-03-08T08:00:00.001-06:00

During our pilgrimage to the Holy Land we had the great fortune to meet with Avihai Stollat, who works with an organization called Breaking the Silence. BTS collects and shares the stories of former Israeli soldiers (every citizen, male and female, is required to serve) telling what they did in the Palestinian territories at the orders of their government.

Our group spent about an hour in conversation with Avihai, and with his permission I recorded our interaction and share parts of it with you here.

(I will be sharing my own reactions to this encounter in context of what I learned during my time in the Holy Land, but my commentary is best reserved for another time. For now I want to let Avihai speak for himself, which you will see is very powerful.)

Avihai began by telling us about his own experience serving in the IDF in the Palestinian Territories.

Avihai then answered questions from the group. First he was asked about the kinds of stories he has heard from other soldiers.

He then answered my question about what he was taught growing up and in his military training about the relationship between Israel and Palestine.

He also shared about the Israeli government's reaction to BTS' activities.

Avihai shared about his very limited exposure to Palestinians prior to joining the military.

He told us about the diversity of opinions amongst Iraelis regarding the Palestinian conflict.

Because the state of Israel is often associated with the word "Zionism", Avihai reflected on the many different ways Israelis understand that term.

On a related note, he also reflected on how he understands his Jewish identity and Israel's role as a Jewish state.

Each person in our group was profoundly moved by our conversation with Avihai Stollat and the witness of Breaking the Silence. I hope these videos have given you a sense of what we experienced.

My thanks to the General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church and The Society for Biblical Studies for the opportunity for our group to have this transformational experience.

Project Israel- Jerusalem

2011-03-04T14:30:00.000-06:00

On our last day, we visited the Old City in Jerusalem. First we headed to the Western Wall (also known as the Wailing Wall), where people have placed prayers for centuries. I was honored to carry the prayers of my family, friends, and my congregation to this holy place.

The Western Wall is part of the Temple Mount built by Solomon, and expanded several times by various rulers. Currently the Temple Mount occupies 35 acres, making in the largest man-made platform in the world, and is the site of the Dome of the Rock- the 3rd holiest site in Islam (it contains the rock from which Mohammed is said to ascended to Heaven). This is the site of the First and Second Temples (built by Solomon and Herod, respectively), as well as Mt. Moriah, where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac (according to Christians and Jewish tradition) or Ishmael (according to Muslim tradition)- Genesis 28 and Surrah 37, respectively.

We then walked through the Old City to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is a mish-mash of various chapels venerating the site of Jesus' crucifixion, his tomb, and the "Center of the World", where it is said that God collected the clay used to make Adam.

Me venerating the site of Jesus' crucifixion, inhaling the incense. Very cool.

The aedicule over the site of Jesus' tomb. Pictures were not allowed inside.

Next we walked out of the Old City, stopping by the Lithostratos (Greek for "pavement"), where first century paving stones that Jesus may have walked on the Via Dolorosa (Latin for "Way of Sorrows"). One of the stones has a game etched into it that Roman soldiers played when charged with a condemned prisoner. We also visited the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, whose Basilica contains the Ecce Homo (Latin for "Behold the Man") arch, over the site of the old Fortress Antonia, where Pilate condemned Jesus. This is the traditional beginning of the Stations of the Cross.

Then we drove up to the Mount of Olives, which provides a spectacular view of Jerusalem. While we were there we saw the President of Chile giving a statement to the media, marking Chile's official recognition of the State of Palestine.

About halfway down the Mount of Olives is the Sanctuary of the Dominus Flevit (Jesus Wept), where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), mourning that they misunderstood his message of peace on earth. Behind the altar is a window overlooking the city, where the Dome of the Rock is clearly visible. Wonderful symbolism.

At the bottom of the Mount of Olives, heading right into the Kidron Valley, is the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Basilica of the Agony of the Lord. The olive trees outside the church are estimated to be as old as 2,500 years, which means they very well could have been witnesses to Jesus' suffering in the garden just before being arrested. Right in front of the altar in the church is the stone on which Jesus is said to have laid and wept, asking God for a way out. This is my absolute favorite gospel story, because it shows how human Jesus is.

Tomorrow is the long journey home. More pictures, video, and longer reflections about this pilgrimage will be posted in the coming days and weeks.

Project Israel- Fact Finding

2011-03-04T13:06:00.000-06:00

We started out from Bethlehem on Thursday and headed south, stopping first at the town of Hebron. It is the site of the "Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs", where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah (Rachel, Jacob's other wife, is in Bethlehem) are said to be buried. It is an interesting place, because there are separate areas for Jews and Muslims, and the tension is palpable. The place is crawling with IDF soldiers, some of them barely old enough to shave. This was the first time I've had a machine gun pointed right at my head as I went through security.

As Christians (and Americans), we were allowed to visit both sections and see all the tombs. Since the Muslim portion is a mosque, our female traveling companions had to have head coverings, and the ones offered at the site were interesting, as you will see below.

Alison was somehow able to convince me that these are not the droids I'm looking for.

The shrine over Isaac's tomb. Rebekah's identical one is off to the right.

The shrine over the tomb of Abraham and Sarah.

Next we drove even further south into the Negev region, where we visited a Bedouin village called Alsira (the sign was made by a person who didn't speak English, hence the missing "I") that is not recognized by the Israeli government. It turns out that Israel has restricted the nomadic Bedouins to a rather small parcel of land, very much like a Native American Reservation in the States. A resident named Khalil al Amour gave us a tour and served us a fabulous lunch- the type that is reserved for guests. I always knew that hospitality was a huge part of middle-eastern culture, but we were blown away by how graciously they welcomed us.

We walked around the village, seeing the solar panels that provide all their power, the water system they built by themselves, and even wireless internet that was faster than at our hotel in Bethlehem! We also saw an old widow's home that had been demolished by the government because of a lack of "proper permits" (the rest of the houses proudly display their official demolition orders). I had heard of the Bedouin before, but I didn't know they still existed and that they, like the Palestinians, have to live with second class or worse status in Israel. The resilience of these people was so inspiring. A longer blog post about our time in Alsira is forthcoming.

Then it was back to Hebron to see the Hebron Glass and Ceramics factory. It's one of the few flourishing industries in Palestine, and the artistry is incredible! The ceramics also had some amusing things painted on them, as you can see below.

We ended the day in West Jerusalem at a Catholic Ecumenical Center named Tantur, where we met with a Avihai Stollat, who works with an organization called Breaking the Silence. This organization collects the stories of former Israeli soliders, like Avihai, who want to make the world aware of what is happening in Palestine. I shot some video of our conversation with him, and I will be posting it very soon. Expect a longer reflection on this conversation to come soon.

I'll try to post an update from today before we leave. We had some powerful experiences in Jerusalem. I'll be back home in about 36 hours. Until next time, Shalom/Salaam!

Project Israel- Bloody Hell!!!

2011-03-03T14:06:00.000-06:00

Sorry, folks, but I won't be able to do the standard update today. Our hotel's already poor wireless network is not really working tonight. I'm on the lobby desktop, which is somehow working.

We had some powerful experiences today, including our most intense encounter with the IDF yet (which was, however, nothing compared to what Palestinians experience on a daily basis), a visit to a Bedouin village that is not recognized by the government, and an encounter with a former Israeli soldier who is now part of an organization called "Breaking the Silence". I shot some good video of this last encounter, and it will be up as soon as I can cut the footage together.

Tomorrow is our last full day here, and we will be spending almost all of it in Jerusalem, visiting the Mount of Olives, the Church of the Holy Sepulchure, the Temple Mount/ Harem esh Sharif, and more. We have a very early flight the following morning, so I'll do a post if I get a chance. If not, the rest of the daily updates and followup reflections will all be done stateside.

Until we meet again, dear readers, Shalom/Salaam!

Project Israel- Samaria

2011-03-02T13:56:00.001-06:00

We started off from Bethlehem (where we're lodging for the rest of the trip) and headed north into the region of Samaria. First, we went to the town of Taybeh (pronounced tie-BEH), which is the only Christian village in Palestine. We visited the Taybeh brewery, which makes really great German-style beers and is one of the few thriving businesses in the Palestinian Territories.

Next we visited a factory where clay olive-oil lamps are made in the shape of doves and sold as reminders to pray for peace in the Holy Land. It's an initiative of the local Catholic parish, and has received the blessing and endorsement of many Catholic bishops.

We also visited a first century-style (it may or may not have been built during that time) house called The House of the Parables- named as such because of the artifacts found inside that are used as images in Jesus' parables: lamps, wineskins, a winnowing fork, etc. It's also the kind of house that Jesus may have been born in, with the animals being stabled on the lower level of the house. Note the partial manger in the last picture.

After lunch at a place where you could customize your own falafel, we drove up to Mt. Gerizim, the focal point of cultic worship for Samaritans- a group that Judeans did not look upon favorably. More on that in a moment.

Next we drove to the city of Nablus, where the probable site of Jacob's Well, site of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman (John 4) is located. Over the well sits a Greek Orthodox Church where a priest produces beautiful hand-made icons.

Finally we visited the Israeli settlement of Beit El, where they claim to have the site where Jacob had his dream of the angels ascending and descending the stairway (sometimes translated ladder) to heaven, and the promise that his descendants would inherit the land he saw (Genesis 28). It also claims to be the site of the temple built by King Jeroboam (1 Kings 12) as an alternative to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Our guide at this site was a settler named Hagi Ben Artzi (who happens to be the brother-in-law of the current Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu), who describes himself as a "Fundamentalist Zionist". Many of the opinions he expressed disturbed me and our entire group, but I don't know that I'm in a place where I can fully reflect on them just yet. This will be another post that will come in the next week or so.

Tomorrow we travel south to Hebron, Negev, the Bedouin village of Khalil al Amour, B'tselem (Israeli Human Rights Agency), and visiting with an organization called "Breaking the Silence". Until then, be well!

Project Israel- Promised Land

2011-03-01T13:54:00.001-06:00

We started our day in Amman, Jordan, and spent the majority of the day seeing sites related to the Old Testament.

(Side note- we weren't able to visit the site of Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan River because the Jordanian army is keeping that area under tight control right now, and we didn't have time to go through all the security. We were all disappointed, as you might imagine. I was looking forward to collecting some water from the Jordan for baptisms. While they sell it on every street corner here, it wouldn't be as meaningful if I purchased it. Oh well, just one more reason to come back!)

First we went to Madaba, also called Moab in the Bible. There we visited St. George's Orthodox Church, which contains a mosaic map of the Holy Land (though not remotely to scale, nor does it contain any of the major roads from the time) on the floor in front of the main altar.

Next we visited Mt. Nebo, where Moses is said to have blessed Joshua as the new leader of the Israelites and glimpsed the promised land right before he died, where God then buried him (Deuteronomy 34). Although the view was hazy today, we could see the Jordan River and the plain leading into Israel.

Next we crossed back into Israel, which only took us about an hour to go through all the checkpoints. Given how strict Israeli security is, we had it very easy. Since it's a military zone, pictures aren't allowed, and I wasn't about to risk getting detained and questioned by the IDF or the Mossad.

We visited Jericho, site of the famous battle in Joshua 6. Herod's Winter Palace is here, but it's only partially excavated. The Jordanians started the excavations when this area was under their control, but it has remained untouched since 1967. Apparently the Israelis aren't interested in archeological sites in the Palestinian territories. "Zacchaeus' sycamore tree" (no sycamore tree lives for 2000) years is also there (Luke 19).

Then we swam in the Dead Sea. The salt content is so high that you can float on it very easily. Many of the minerals from the Dead Sea are sold in cosmetic products, and people cover themselves in the mud because it does something good for your skin. One of my traveling companions has a picture of me covered in the mud, and I'll post it when they send it to me.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. Mark Twain has returned, and he's bathing in the Dead Sea.

Lastly, we visited Qumran, where a community of Essenes (they self identified as "The Covenanteers") lived and produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. We could see some of the caves where the scrolls lay undiscovered for two thousand years. Cave #4 is just past my right shoulder in the last picture.

Tomorrow we're staying in the West Bank, visiting Jacob's Well, Mt. Gerazim, Nabalus, and a few other sites. Until then, take care!

Project Israel- Jerash

2011-02-28T16:30:00.000-06:00

Unfortunately, our meeting with Jordanian Christians did't work out, so we ended up spending most of the day exploring Jerash (or Gerasa, depending on how you choose to anglicise the word). Jerash is an ancient Roman city that was forgotten for centuries, but has been excavated in recent years. Most Westerners don't know about it, probably because it's not in a Western country. We were told that it's better preserved than Pompeii, a claim of which we were all skeptical, until we saw it. Wow! It's incredible how much of this has been excavated just as it was with no need for restoration!

Among the amazing thing we saw were Hadrian's Triumphal Arch, the Hippodrome (an ovular track where chariot races would be held, like the Circus Maximus in Rome), temples to Artemus and Zeus, two outdoor ampitheaters (the smaller one possibly being the meeting place for the city's parliament), a very ornate marketplace, and the town centre where the north-south and east-west main streets meet (think Monument Circle in Indianapolis).

While Jerash never shows up explicitly in the New Testament, there may be some tangental references. The Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5) may have been from here, and after Jesus walked on water, he and the disciples may have headed to this region (Matthew 14:34). Also, according to Paul's letters (but not Acts), he went through the Decapolis (Greek for "ten cities" of which Gerasa was one) region/Arabia on his way from Damascus to Jerusalem (Galatians 1:17).

Pics w/ occasional comments are below.

The ancient Roman manhole cover.

Part of the edifice of the Temple of Artemis. If you climbed up the steps, walked back across the wall and down a very narrow set of steps, you would reach...

This particular opening, which would have been a display stand for statues. Not the smartest thing I've ever done, but it was cool!

The "inner sanctum" of the Temple of Artemus. The layout is pretty much identical to the Second Temple in Jerusalem built by Herod the Great, so this is like the view out from the Holy of Holies.

Of course, I had someone take a picture of me speaking on the stage of the ampitheatre. Anyone who knows me will not be shocked by this at all.

Yes, this is a band of Arabs that includes bagpipes. No, I don't know why.

Me at the top of the other ampitheater, overlooking the city center.

An ancient bridge, still in use in the modern city of Jerash. Notice the minaret in the background.

Amazing chicken schwarma sandwiches/rollups that hit the spot after walking over four miles and lots of steep steps through the ancient city.

That's all for today. Tomorrow brings trips to Mt. Nebo, Qumeran, the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized by John, and crossing the border from Jordan back into the West Bank, which will likely be eventful. Until then, take care!

Project Israel- Galilee 2

2011-02-27T14:35:00.001-06:00

We spent the night in the town of Tiberius, so we woke up to this beautiful view of the Sea of Galilee (also known as Lake Tiberius) from our hotel room.

Our planned boat ride on the Sea of Galilee was pushed back a few hours, so we went to a place called the Wadi Hamman. "Wadi" is the Arabic word for "valley", and in this part of the world it refers specifically to a narrow, steep rift valley between two mountains. Wadi Hamman has long been the most accessible path between Nazareth and Galilee, with a flat, easy path and a stream. So we can be pretty sure that Jesus and the Disciples took this path back and forth many times!

We had planned to have our worship on the boat, but because of the delay we found a quiet spot in the Wadi by the stream. Most of my fellow travelers are clergy, so we all played different parts. I preached, and pastors representing three different traditions: Episcopal, United Church of Christ, and United Methodist, presided at the Communion Table, which was actually a boulder that we could imagine Jesus himself having rested on on his way between the towns. I'm rarely able to truly worship when I'm involved in leading the service, but this turned out to be one of the most meaningful worship experiences I've had in a very long time. Look for a post in the coming weeks on this, once I finish piecing my thoughts together.

We spent some time climbing the hillside and taking in the beauty of the place. All the churches and holy sites have been wonderful, but somehow God's presence has been most real to me on this trip in this quiet, serene place with no markers or shrines of any sort.

Afterward we went on a boat ride around the Sea of Galilee, and our captain gave us a demonstration of the way fishing worked back in the first century, casting a weighted net (although in the first century there wouldn't have been synthetic fibers!).

Next we took a walk in the hills of the Tabgha- a region on the North-West shore of the Sea of Galilee where there are several spots that claim to be the Mount of the Beatitudes- in other words, the place where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. We stopped on the spot of the original Church of the Beatitudes (only foundation stones left) and passed around a Bible, reading the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) aloud.
Quick aside- the Sermon on the Mount is probably not a historical event as such, but rather a collection of Jesus' ethical teachings complied into one discourse by the writer of Matthew, similar to Luke's Sermon on the Plain. Like most of the sites commemorating biblical events, it's impossible to know where they actually happened there. But these sites are important because they have been where these stories have come alive for people for centuries. Historicity isn't everything.

At the bottom of the hill we came to the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, the spot where Jesus is said to have told Peter that he would be the "rock on which I (Jesus) will build my church" (Matthew 16:13-20). Our Roman Catholic friends consider this to be Jesus' endorsement of Peter's leadership, and that his successor, the Pope, is the chief pastor for all Christians. This church is on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and several of my fellow travelers decided to bottle some of the water as a momento.

Finally, we were on to Capernaum, the town where Jesus may have had a home, or at the very least a home that he stayed in on a regular basis (it may have belong to Peter or his mother-in-law). There is a site that has been venerated as "Peter's House" since the mid-first century, and is encircled by several other ancient churches. There is a modern chapel built over it now, with glass in the middle of the floor looking down into "Peter's House". There is also a fourth century synagogue right across the street that is remarkably well preserved.

Then we cross the border into Jordan, which was quite easy, but I understand this will not be the case crossing back from Jordan into the West Bank. We're spending the next two nights in Amman and exploring the Christian origins in Jordan, as well as spending time with Jordanian Christians. Look for reports on this tomorrow.

Until then, enjoy the Oscars and be well!

Project Israel- Galilee

2011-02-26T14:43:00.001-06:00

We left Bethlehem this morning (we'll return in a few days), heading north to see some really cool things.

Our first stop was Ceaserea Maratima- a spectacular city with a large artificial harbor built by Herod the Great, added on to by the Crusaders, and then the Muslims after running the Crusaders off.

Next we went to Tel-Megiddo, a place that has seen many cities over the past few thousand years and is still an active excavation site. The "Plain of Armageddon" (the Hebrew translation of Megiddo) is mentioned in Revelation 16:16 as a place where kings meet, and is interpreted to be the site of the great apocalyptic battle. This is strange, because it's such a peaceful place! The city also has an impressive tunnel to the nearby spring in the event of a siege, which turned out to be counter-productive, as a besieging army was able to sneak through it for a surprise attack.

Then we were of to a Kibbutz called Mishmar ha Emek, an Israeli commune (they're not Communists, however) were everyone shares their property in common and works in agriculture and light industry to support the Kibbutz. While the community is not religious at all, there are elements of their life together that resemble monastic communities. They are Zionists, but understand that in a very different way that what we usually think of when we hear that word. More on this later.

Finally we traveled to Nazareth. We visited the Convent of the Sisters of Nazareth, which sits over a number of Koch Tombs- graves hewn out of rock with stones rolled in front of them. These are very much like the tomb the gospels say Jesus was laid in. We also visited the Basilica of the Annunciation, which is built over an ancient well where tradition says Mary received a visit from the angel Gabriel, telling her she would be the mother of the Messiah.

(As you can probably tell by now, we're having some amazing encounters with people who live in the Holy Land, and I'm having to process what I'm learning about the current situation from these encounters. I probably won't be able to put them all together until I get back, so while I'm here these posts will just be short daily reports and photos, but look for more in depth analysis during the first few weeks of March.)

Tomorrow will include a boat ride and worship on the Sea of Galilee, Capernum, and the trip across the Jordanian border into Amman. Until then, be well!

Project Israel- Bethlehem

2011-02-25T16:16:00.000-06:00

After arriving in Tel Aviv on Thursday afternoon, we headed to our hotel in Bethlehem, but made a stop at the Shepherds' Fields first. There are actually three sites called "The Shepherds' Fields" in Bethlehem, each in the custody of a different group. The one we visited is in the custody of the Franciscans. No site claims to be the exact spot where the angels announced the birth of Jesus (Luke 2), since, as our guide said, events like this don't tend to leave archeological evidence.

The next day we started out at the Herodian- a gigantic hill top fortress Herod the Great built just outside of Bethlehem. He actually had the top of one hill removed to build up an adjacent hill so his palace could be seen from farther distances!

Next we visited the Church of the Nativity, which is the oldest Christian church in continuous use, for over 1700 years. Under the altar is the grotto where a star marks the place Jesus is said to have been born, and another grotto marks the spot where he is said to have been laid in the manger (again- events that don't tend to leave archeological evidence).

After those historical sites, we turned to more contemporary concerns. We visited the Tent of Nations- a farm on a hill that has belonged to a Palestinian Christian family for generations, who have stubbornly (dare I say faithfully?) held onto their land despite being surrounded by Israeli settlements that are in violation of the Camp David and Oslo accords, and despite repeated attempts by the Israeli government to declare it state land. It is still a working farm, as well as a place where programs are put on to promote peace between Israeli and Palestinian children.

Finally, we visited the al-Arob refugee camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem. The residents are descendants of the residents of a number of villages in southern Israel, who were "temporarily relocated" in 1948 so they could "avoid the war" with neighboring states. They were promised that they could return in two weeks, and though I want to believe that the brand new Israeli government legitimately meant two weeks, they are still there sixty-three years later.

I have quite a few thoughts bouncing around in my head about these two very different encounters with Palestinians today, but I think I need a couple days to process those thoughts into something coherent. So for now, I hope these brief reports and pictures will suffice.

Check in tomorrow for our experiences in Gaililee!

Project Israel- Getting There

2011-02-24T10:33:00.000-06:00

Nashville, Cincinatti, New York, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Bethlehem.

In the past 24 hours I've been in five cities, four airports, three countries and three time zones.

But we're here at our hotel in Bethlehem now. The network connection at our hotel is really slow, so I'll have to find an internet cafe today or tomorrow (it's 6:30 pm here, 10:30am at home) to post pictures and a longer recap.

Tomorrow we'll be seeing more of Bethlehem, which is inside the Palestinian Territory, seeing the Church of the Nativity, and visiting a refugee camp, among other things. Check back in soon!

Project Israel- Books Read in Preparation

2011-02-22T13:37:00.000-06:00

In preparation for the journey to the Holy Land (less than 24 hours to go!), I read/re-read a couple books to bone up on my knowledge of the land, the history, and the issues people are facing there right now.

The Word of God and the World of the Bible: An Introduction to the Cultural Backgrounds of the New Testament
This is a great book by Peter J. Miano, the Executive Director of the Society for Biblical Studies- the organization that put our trip together. The books stated purpose is to make insights from biblical scholarship accessible to people who are not scholars, and it largely accomplishes this. While some of the early chapters may be a tad remedial for someone who has been to seminary or even taken a Bible class or two in college, Miano makes complex concepts like the different forms of biblical criticism and cultural norms of the ancient Near East very accessible. I learned a lot from this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to take the Bible seriously as a collection of ancient documents that has spoken to people across thousands of years all over the world.

We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work
This is Jimmy Carter's argument about how to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as it existed in early 2009, and I do wonder how his opinion might have changed in light of recent events in the region. Like any book by a politician, particularly a former President, he spends a lot of time trying to shape people's perceptions of his place in history, but Carter does have a darn good legacy to promote on these issues. He is very gracious to his successors of both parties, praising their efforts on the peace process, and the appendices contain many of the important agreements and resolutions from the last half-century. He advocates a two-state solution with joint control of Jerusalem and significant involvement from the international community in economic and security issues. It seems to make sense on paper, but Carter does acknowledge that it's more complicated because of the recent history of violence between the groups. I'm looking forward to learning more about the personal feelings people bring to the table while I'm over there.

A History of Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths
Karen Armstrong is really good at making detailed, nuanced historical study accessible to anyone, and much like Miano. It's not a quick read, but it helps the reader understand the long history of the city and how the different groups that have controlled it have shaped the geographical, political, social, and even spiritual landscape. Armstrong conveys the strong attachment many different groups have to this city and how complex the issues are surrounding its future.

Where God Was Born : A Journey by Land to the Roots of Religion
Bruce Feiler has written a number of really good books about popular religion, and his book about Abraham's place in the three major monotheistic religions is especially informative. The first section of this book mixes historical background with his accounts of travel in Israel, guided by men who fought in the modern state of Israel's earliest wars. His conversations with those warriors are very insightful and really give the reader a sense of how important the land is to those who live there. The last two sections tell similar tales about Iraq and Iran, and are also worth reading.

In retrospect, I wish I'd also read something that presents a Palestinian perspective on the events of the past century and their views on how to solve the current problems. I probably could have found one, but I stuck to books that were already on my shelf. I'm obviously out of time to do any more prep reading, but I'd love to hear from anyone who knows of any books that present Palestinian perspectives.

Project Israel- Western Wall Prayers

2011-02-15T09:33:00.000-06:00

One of the things I'm most excited about in the upcoming Holy Land trip is the opportunity to visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem, which is the only part of the Herod's Temple still left standing.

For centuries, people have visited the Western Wall, also known as the "Wailing Wall", to have a physical point of contact with the place where the Bible says God's Spirit dwelled, and was the focal point of worship in ancient Israel for centuries. People often write prayers on pieces of paper and leave them in the cracks of the wall.

On the first Sunday after our church building burned down, we made our own Wailing Wall out of bricks from one of the chimneys, writing prayers on paper and putting them in the cracks just like in Jerusalem.

I know that not many people get the chance to visit the Western Wall, so I want to share as much of the experience as I can. This Sunday, my congregation is going to write prayers on pieces of paper that I will then place in the Wailing Wall. I'd like to extend the same opportunity to the readers of this blog.

If you'd like me to place a prayer in the Western Wall for you, email it to me. I will immediately print it out and fold it up, doing my best not to look at any of the text so that it can be between you and God.

In the next few days I'll be sharing a few preliminary thoughts about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and possible solutions, something I'll be asking people about when I'm over there. I'd love to hear your thoughts and questions, too. Feel free to share them below!

Project Israel- Regional Unrest and the Stories We Tell

2011-02-05T19:48:00.000-06:00

As I've said in earlier posts, I'm watching the political upheaval in Egypt and other countries in the region with more interest than I might otherwise, because I'll be traveling to the region in a few weeks. I spent most of my academic energy as a political science major in college studying the region, its history, and conflict, even before 9/11 made the average American realize that what happens overseas really does affect us.

Last night I got an interesting email from the Executive Director of the Society for Biblical Studies (the group that is guiding our trip), addressing the anxieties many people no doubt feel about traveling in the region.

One thing that he pointed out was that while the Western corporate media (an industry for whom he clearly has little regard) have reported that the King of Jordan recently dissolved his Parliament in the wake of anti-government demonstrations, they were only telling half the story. Jordan's government, while far from being free an democratic, is far more tolerant of dissent than is Egypt's, and such demonstrations are a regular occurrence. Furthermore, this is the third time in the last year that Jordan's King has dissolved Parliament. So while this particular news item was reporting the facts, it was only telling part of the story in an attempt to have it fit in with the main narrative of chaos and instability we've been seeing for the last two weeks.

This new information reminded me of how powerful the stories we tell about people, places, and groups really are. When we talk about a particular group or issue (or ourselves, as Donald Miller points out so well in A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life), we don't say every single thing we know, because it would take too long. Instead, we craft a story to encapsulate what we believe.

One of the most common stories I hear about the Middle East from people I encounter on a daily basis goes something like this: "those people have been fighting each other over little pieces of land for thousands of years. I don't see why we (the United States) have to get involved when all they want to do is kill each other."

There are certain truths to that story. The Middle East has seen a lot of conflict throughout recorded human history, but it has a whole lot more to do with geography than some fundamental character flaw on the part of the people who live there. The Middle East, Israel in particular, has long been at the intersection of several crucial trade routes. Its coast offers easy access to Mediterranean Sea, and it lies on the land route between Europe, Asia, and Africa. So naturally it has been in the interest of many empires to control such trade routes, and different empires have fought each other for that control.

We also have to consider that under hundreds of years of rule by the Ottoman Empire, Jews, Muslims, and Christians lived together in relative peace. In 1919 the Ottomans found themselves on the losing end of World War I, and the whole Middle East region was carved up by diplomats in Versailles, and came under the rule of the British Empire. In the century since that time there has been lots of conflict, but it's clearly more complicated than just being an attribute of "those people".

I can't help but wonder if the "those people" story is one that is meant to keep a complex situation inside a box up on the shelf, so that we don't have to really engage with what our brothers and sisters experience on the other side of the world. Instead of the story inviting us into a deeper engagement, it keeps these others at arms length.

One of the most exciting things about the journey I will take later this month is that we will be spending time with locals, Israeli and Palestinian, learning from them what their day-to-day experience of this conflict is. Hopefully when I return I will be able to tell a better story about the Middle East than what I'm currently capable of doing.

Wedding Dress

2011-02-02T22:20:00.000-06:00

I heard this song years ago, but in the last few days I've rediscovered it for some reason

"Wedding Dress" is off Derek Webb's 2003 album, She Must and Shall Go Free (the whole disc is amazing, I highly recommend buying/downloading it)

I can't really explain why this song is speaking so profoundly to me right now. I just get the feeling that I got when I read Sarah Miles' first book, Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion. It's like I saw what real Christianity is for the first time and I realize that what I've been fed (and subsequently fed to others) is severely lacking.

Maybe some of you can put it into words better than I can. What is it that makes this song so powerful?

Project Israel- Egyptian Unrest

2011-01-29T11:26:00.000-06:00

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few days (or if your internet has been cut off, but if that's the case, then you're probably there!), you've seen the growing anti-government protests that started in Tunisia and spread to Egypt. As of Saturday morning, dozens are dead, hundreds injured, and the estimated damage to property is already getting into the billions. There are even reports that some priceless artifacts in the Egyptian Museum may have been damaged by rioters. Maybe the British were right to take all that stuff to London!

Our group is scheduled to travel to that region in only a few weeks, so needless to say, I've been watching the news carefully. We won't be crossing the Egyptian border, the group we're traveling with is constantly monitoring safety issues, and Israel's security infrastructure is likely the strongest in the world (thanks mostly to lots of US Foreign Aid dollars), so I'm not afraid for my safety.

That being said, it's only 264 miles from Cairo, where the worst of the rioting is happening, and Jerusalem. For some perspective, that's less than the distance between Nashville, TN and Indianapolis, IN- a journey I made frequently in college; and just a bit farther than the distance between my hometown of Nashville and Jessica's hometown of Louisville, KY.

I'm not really drawing any big conclusions here, it's just something interesting to ponder. Regardless of my travel plans, I'm praying for all those affected by the violence over there, and I hope you will, too.

Project Israel

2011-01-23T20:16:00.000-06:00

One month from today I'll be leaving for a ten day trip to the Holy Land with a group of young United Methodist clergy and several members of the UMC's General Board of Church and Society. And guess what? You're invited!

I'm going to be documenting our experience through this blog, photos, and video, and I'll be posting here as frequently as I can while I'm over there, depending on availability of internet service. I want you all to be part of the experience.

We'll be doing many of the traditional pilgrimage activities, of course, but we're also going to be spending time with Israelis and Palestinians to learn about their everyday experiences and explore the ongoing conflict there from the ground level.

So my question to you readers is, what do you want to find out about? What questions would you like me to ask people when I'm over there? What issues would you like for us to explore in the next month before we leave?

I'm really excited about this opportunity, and I hope you will join me in making this a unique interactive experience.

Remembering the Unsafe Dr. King

2011-01-17T17:52:00.000-06:00

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day here in the States, and there are not shortage of good articles and blog posts reflecting on his legacy out there. Tony Jones directed me to an excellent post by Postmodern Negro where he has a conversation with the spirit of St. Martin in prayer.

I've used this holiday in the past few years to remind my readers that while Martin Luther King is rightly celebrated, he is also sanitized by our culture and used as a way to imply that race is no longer an issue in our society. We also largely ignore the broader justice issues that he stood for, racial equality being one of them.

As a way to remember the Dr. King who is still unsafe an uncomfortably challenging to our culture, take a few minutes and listen to a speech he gave at Riverside Church in New York City, stating his opposition to the Vietnam War and make a whole lot of people angry, including many friends and allies.