Judged and Labeled by God

 

Sermon 8-16-20 

Grace and peace to you from God our creator and from our risen Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Though Ryan won’t remember much of anything that happened on her baptism day, I still sort of feel like I still ought to apologize for Jesus here. I’m just afraid that he might not be making a good first impression. This is considered one of Jesus’ many “hard sayings.” It goes right along with Jesus’ teaching on plucking out our right eye if causes us to sin… saying he wants us to hate our parents for the sake of the Gospel… saying he came “not bringing peace but a sword,” … saying “the camel going through the eye of a needle” will have a better chance of being saved than a rich person. Yup, these are all Jesus’ words.

And here, we have a couple of whoppers like the blind leading the blind, what comes from the heart is what ruins a person, and finally, Jesus seeming to ignore this woman clearly in need, and then calling her a dog. Yikes, Jesus. Not a good look.

So much ink has been spilled over the centuries to explain, soften, or justify what Jesus says and does to this woman, and I don’t think any of them are completely satisfying. Maybe we need to look for a crumb, or rather, a trail of crumbs, that just might lead us to a destination that makes sense to us.

Every woman in every time and place who has spoken up and spoken out has always been judged harshly - and this Canaanite woman is no exception. She was, after all, judged and labeled as an outsider in nearly every possible way – Canaanite, poor, single mother of an ill child, who was a girl, and she was loud and demanding.  

While this woman was labeled and judged by the world, she judged rightly the correct label for Jesus.  She called him Lord and Son of David while the religious leaders of Jesus’ own people despised and rejected him. She knelt before him and engaged in spirited dialogue with him, while his own disciples seem to almost constantly wander about with their mouths hanging open in surprise.

She knew what Jesus was capable of, and was not afraid to fight to get it, for her daughter’s sake. Even if it meant facing a tired and judg-y savior. She knew that in the end, he would not and could not go against his nature. She knew he would do the right thing – that he would “throw her a bone,” so to speak. And she was right. And I think that’s why he called her faith great.

I wonder if Jesus ever thought about this woman and her great faith again. I especially wonder if he thought about her on that dark Passover night, as he prepared to face his passion and death.

I wonder if Jesus remembered her words about the crumbs and the dogs as he blessed the bread and broke it, and watched the crumbs from the broken pieces fall from the table.

I wonder if Jesus remembered and missed her persistent faith and intelligent repartee as he looked at the confused and surprised faces of his disciples, who would soon abandon, deny, and betray him, sitting at the table with him instead.

During his ministry on earth, Jesus began the work of breaking down boundaries and destroying the labels we give one another. In his death, Jesus is our Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And in his resurrection, we all are reborn and relabeled as children of God. We, as gentiles and foreigners in God’s original promises, are not left to be satisfied with the crumbs from the table. We have been adopted as children in the waters of baptism, and given a place at the table forever.

And God is continually adding extenders to the family table. And just when we think that the table is full and can’t possibly be stretched out any farther without completely collapsing, God keeps pushing.

Sometimes we are pushing outward WITH God, participating in the mission we share as baptized children of God, bearing God’s creative and redeeming word of love to ALL the world. Other times, we find ourselves pushing the other way, telling God that the table has gone far enough and surely there is no room at the table for THOSE people we label as “unworthy.”

Hanging above the dining room table at my grandma’s house is a poem copied out in fancy calligraphy letters by my uncle when he was a kid. It’s hung there as long as I can remember, and to this day it’s still my grandma’s favorite poem. It goes like this:

I dreamt death came the other night and Heaven’s gate swung wide.

An angel with a halo bright ushered me inside.

And there! To my astonishment stood folks I’d judged and labeled

As “quite unfit”, “of little worth”, and “spiritually disabled”.

Indignant words rose to my lips but never were set free,

For every face showed stunned surprise --Not one expected me!

Imagine, if you will, your own arrival at the so-called Pearly Gates, waiting in line to get checked in by one of the saints. You take a glance around and are astonished at the diversity of people with you in line. You strike up a conversation with some people around you, and when they ask you what congregation you belonged to back on earth, you proudly respond “Family of God Lutheran Church in Buckingham PA”!

What do you expect their reaction to be? Will their face light up, having heard about how we prioritized the community, and went above and beyond for the people around us in need, sharing our assets to benefit and to help one another, even in a pandemic?

 Or will they remember a congregation that paid more attention to our weeds… but didn’t seek to weed out racism? Will they remember a church that is literally on the doorstep of New Hope… and yet, are reluctant to consider becoming Reconciling in Christ? … Will then remember a church that would privilege “rent” and budget bottom lines over existing relationships with community groups who use our building?

What if, on that day, someone from AA or from the Classical Conversations group showed stunned surprised that members of our congregation somehow made “it into heaven”?

The good news is, Jesus DOES expects you at the table. And he also expects all “those people” we judge and label as “quite unfit and of little worth” to be there too. Jesus really, really meant it when he gave his disciples his marching orders at the very end of Matthew’s gospel: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

And that’s exactly what we are going to do today. Ryan Elizabeth will be labeled as a child of God, welcomed with open arms into this community of faith, where No Label has barred her from being gathered into the body of Christ – not gender identity or sexual orientation or nationality or economic status or anything else that threatens to divide us. This is an exciting day, and we of course are eager to welcome her as a new member of this congregation. But… are we the type of congregation that she will take pride in being a part of as she grows up? Or will she feel like she will have to apologize for the actions and inactions of this congregation in the face of a world that is in desperate need for a crumb of hope right now? Will she have to remind her congregation of their identity - just as this Canaanite woman reminded Jesus of his? 

Ryan will be marked by the same sign of the cross that we all have – labeled as loved and belonging to God, and called to share signs of that love with the whole world. In the economy of God, there is always enough to go around. Let’s make sure that THIS – the body of Christ -  is the label that we will be remembered for. Together, as Christ’s body here on earth, even though we are dispersed, let’s show the world more than a crumb. Let’s show them Jesus. Amen.

Jesus Sucks at Farming

7-12-20

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

My family has a tradition around the 4^th of July. It started when my grandpa Posselt would write a phrase and the year on a piece of cardboard, and pose my brothers and me (and sometimes the dog) on the edge of a cornfield. The sign read, “Knee High by the 4^th of July.” That is basic benchmark for how corn should be growing, to be “on track” for fall,  and it’s really fun to see the pictures side by side from year to year. This year, my sister took a picture of my dad in the field, and the corn is almost over his head! However, in 1992, my brothers and I are standing in front of some sad-looking short corn, just barely tickling our kneecaps. That sign that year has this addendum: “Frost June 20^th, Hail June 25^th.” 1992 was a tough for corn.

If you haven’t noticed, Jesus LOVES to talk about farming, and he LOVES to tell stories his followers, like the one we just heard. Over the years, we have given them names, and this one is often known as “the Parable of the Sower.” These stories Jesus tell as a whole, or genre, get a special name – parables – which comes from a Greek word that originally means “to throw alongside.” Sometimes we get a better understanding of something when we set on thing alongside another. Sort of like when we compare these “Knee High” corn pictures from year to year.

For those of you who are gardeners or have experience farming, you may have noticed something very, very wrong with Jesus’ story. Is this how you plant your gardens? Most of the time, I imagine, you take the seed out of the package and carefully read the directions: plant seeds in full sun a half inch deep in loose soil, three to five inches apart. Thin plants when two inches tall. Water often, fertilize as necessary. Germination period sixty to seventy five days. “Doing your best impression of throwing confetti” is definitely nowhere to be found on seed package directions!

Even during the time of Jesus, random scattering was NOT how people planted their crops. Jesus’ people didn’t have big farm machinery, but they still took great care with their seeds, vineyards, and livestock. After all, this was their livelihood, and could mean the difference between eating or starvation. They could not run out to the grocery store.

Almost as important as seeds are to farming is the soil these seeds grow in. My theory now is that we are not supposed to really be asking ourselves what kind of soil we are, kind of like all those funny online personality quizzes. Can’t you just picture this going around Facebook? “Which kind of soil are you? Take this quiz NOW!” … “Too bad, you are rocky soil… good for you, you are good soil!”

Maybe, instead, we are all of these types of soil at the same time, or we even have been all of these kinds of soil at different stages of our lives.

I also think Jesus left something out big when he – or Matthew– tried explain this parable. They forgot to mention the vital ingredient that makes soil GOOD soil – fertilizer. Or more specifically… Manure.

My Dad could tell you about good soil and how every day he goes out to his fields to make them even better by spreading cow manure.  That’s right. A key component of good soil is … a word that I’m not going to say while livestreaming. A waste product that comes from the “wrong” end of a cow, smells bad, and is gross… but is exactly what makes soil rich and robust for new life to take hold.  

The rest of the world sees something that should be thrown away, cast out, criticized, forgotten, disregarded, and shamed. But sometimes… manure gets transformed. It becomes the fuel that drives the struggling, short corn to keep going, keep growing, despite the hardships, the frost, the hail.

We are capable of truly terrible things. We would rather bury the son of God in a tomb rather than face this God who relentlessly loves us, and also loves those we don’t think deserve it. We’re full of manure, and we can also treat people like they are manure. But God is a farmer who knows that manure has the potential to make good soil. Sometimes it’s a slow process, and it takes a while. But God doesn’t seem to care about strict timelines or proper farming and growing methods. God never gives up on us.

When this story is taking as a whole, it seems like God is actually a terrible farmer. God sees the good soil, and casts seeds like crazy, looking and hoping for growth. But then God sees the rocky soil… and does the same thing… and the same with the soil on the path! And the soil with the weeds! It doesn’t matter! All soil gets some of this love, no matter what the perceived “capacity” or potential return on investment might be.

This seems incredibly wasteful! Especially when God only seems to expect a 25 percent success rate. Image, for those of you who are teachers, that your students need just a 25 percent to pass. Madness! Outrageous! Irresponsible! … but this is also who God IS. God is a farmer who takes chances. God is a wasteful fool who takes an infinite amount of chances on us, as much as it takes for as long as it takes. Forget “knee high by the fourth of July,” or any other benchmark the world tells us. Maybe 2020 is your 1992, with challenges besetting us like frost and hail, one on top of the other. And it makes us want to give up on ourselves, and give up on other people.

But God the inefficient farmer keeps throwing seeds at us, hoping that at some point, someday, something will take root. Because when it does…. AMAZING things happen, and the yields are AWESOME.

We are faithful farmers of God, scattering the seeds just as Jesus did, not knowing what kind of soil they will land on…. But trusting that God does give the growth. Not unlike sending a livestreaming worship out in the internet… if you did something as simple as sharing our worship service on your personal Facebook page - Who knows what seeds you will be planting?

Now we’re in this for the long haul…. it may take months…years… or even decades to see what kind of growth will be coming from the manure of this year. We may never see the yield that comes with our planting… from that one Facebook share. But God’s word spoken not return empty.

God’s word returns full, and the tomb is empty. The seed that was buried sprouts and yields a hundredfold. Manure becomes good soil. Death becomes life. All corn deserves their “4^th of July picture” even if it’s been a rough year. All soil gets a chance. And then another. And another. And another. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Love Languages and being an Ally

7-21-19

Grace to you and peace from God our creator and from our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

We’re thick in the middle of wedding season. For all the weddings I have officiated, one of the things I ask the couple to do is to take an inventory of their Love Languages. It’s pretty much what it sounds like – similarly to having a primary language we speak in everyday conversations - we all have a “language” that makes us feel most loved. According to author GaryChapman, there are 5 of these “love languages,” - Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. According to Gary, we all have a primary love language, and the rest fall in line in order of importance.  

In relationships, it helps to understand that we happen to be most fluent in “speaking” our own love language, but our spouse might feel loved in different ways than feel natural to us. Ironically, Gary writes, most couples do not share the same #1 love language. But with practice, just as you can learn another language, and keep your spouses “love tank” – Gary’s term – full.

While his original book is from the perspective of heterosexual married couples, this applies to all of us in all our relationships – friends, co-coworkers, and our own families – parents and siblings.

In this encounter between Jesus, Martha, and Mary, we can interpret these  miscommunications through the lens of Love Language and see it play out in spades, both between the two sisters and between the sisters and Jesus.

We hear about Mary and Martha from Luke’s perspective, and there is no mention of a brother named Lazarus, who shows up in John’s Gospel a lot. Here, it’s just the women, and Luke very clearly says is MARTHA’S house. She may not be that well of – no slaves for hospitality and food prep like Abraham, but she holds her own, along with her sister Mary.

We might be able to say that Mary’s love language is Quality Time –giving Jesus her undivided attention to show her love to him – since she sat at his feet and listened to him so attentively. She sat as his feet in the way that a student would sit at the feet of a Rabbi who he was studying under. I said “he” as pronoun just there very deliberately. The role of a student was not a typical one for women at the time – normal the husband would study under the Rabbi, hoping to become one himself, and his wife would stay home and do all the domestic chores to support him. As an unmarried woman with no brothers (at least according to Luke), Mary taking on the position of student – disciple – would have been shocking. But perhaps Mary understood the truth that, with Jesus presence, the world is turned upside down, the result is that those marginalized and having low or no status – such as an unmarried woman such as herself - do not need to be defined by socially determined roles.

If Martha had taken the Love Languages quiz, I’m guessing she would REALLY rank high in “Acts of Service.” As a model of extreme hospitality, Martha was caught up doing so many tasks for Jesus, to show how much she loved and appreciated him – too much really, because, she got exasperated, especially with Mary. Mary and Martha were speaking different languages. Perhaps Martha thought that the most appropriate way to show love to Jesus in that moment was to make sure that he had a delicious and hot dinner ready for him after a long day. Perhaps she resented the way Mary showed her love and didn’t understand that Mary was showing her love to Jesus in her own way… and perhaps Martha was not feeling loved by Mary because of the “Language barrier.”

Of course, this story isn’t really about Love languages. It’s also not a story about “Women’s discipleship.” (Because we would never say a story about Peter and John were about “Men’s discipleship!”) It’s also not about Contemplative Faith practices being “Better” than active or service-oriented faith practices. There is not a Better or Best Way to be a disciple of Jesus. And it’s not a story that pits sister against sister, though it has long been interpreted in that light – with Mary the “Winner” and Martha the “loser.”

Just as there is no “best” Love Language, discipleship with Jesus is not a zero-sum game. Both sisters are showing us very admirable qualities in a follower of Jesus – a spirit of hospitality, and the desire and eagerness to learn. But BOTH sisters make mistakes we can learn from as well. Where Martha trips up is not in her “nagging,” but two other ways – first, Martha triangulation. She roped Jesus into her conflict with her sister instead of talking to Mary herself.  Why didn’t Martha just ask Mary herself?

Second, Martha is caught in the patriarchy and misses Jesus’ message - her allows social assumptions to take precedence of the urgency of the kingdom that’s sitting right in front of her. As the Reverend Dr. Elizabeth Quick wrote in a devotional called, “We Pray With Her,”: “It’s always easier to remain in our predetermined, comfortable, status-quo safe places rather than hit the road with Jesus; but only in following him can we truly find the better part.” In fact, a better translation of the original language – talking of fluency and language again – is “Mary has chosen a GOOD” – not BETTER – “part.”

But what if Mary isn’t the “hero” in this story? What if there is something big about Jesus’ message that Mary missed as well? Mary may have chosen the patriarchy-smashing role of a student, disregarding the structures that her culture has placed on her based on her gender and status. And that will not be taken away from her in God’s Kingdom, the Jesus Regime. However… Mary was not a good ally to her sister Martha. Instead of inviting Martha to join her in her claim at the feet of Jesus… Mary seemed to stand by, just as other men have done before her, and allowed her poor sister to bear the brunt of the rigid roles of women all by herself.

Mary missed the opportunity to put her learning into action. Mary did not use her new-found privilege as a student of Jesus to widen the circle. And so, Jesus had to step in for poor Martha. Jesus stepped in, not to tell Martha to be more like Mary…. But to do what Mary should have done: invite Martha into the circle. Jesus calls her by name and tells her, you can be a disciple too.

May we learn from the mistakes of both Martha AND Mary. How often do we say, “Jesus, don’t you care that the we have been left alone without resources to do all the work by ourselves? We have to worry about the roof and declining membership and budget deficits and differed maintenance and having an excellent hospitality plan! Tell the synod… the ELCA… SOMEBODY to help us!”

TO which Jesus might reply: “FOG, FOG, you are worried and distracted by many things. There is need of only one thing.”

And what IS that ONE THING? Make room at Jesus’s feet. Like Mary failed to do.

As followers of Jesus, like Mary AND Martha, we each have different gifts and strength to offer. But when we sit at the feet of Jesus, we all hear the same message: We are ALL beloved Children of God… we are part of the same Family of God… And there is a place for YOU here… at the feet of Jesus. But there is also a place HERE for all the other beloved Children of God as well. But how are people going to know this unless we tell them…. like Jesus, call them by name, and invite them to sit with us at the feet of the ultimate host, our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Learning to speak Jesus’ language of Love is hard… we don’t need a book or a quiz to tell us that…. but it gets better with practice, like learning and perfecting any important skill. Love is work, and it doesn’t always feel comfortable or easy.

Perhaps, instead of “having a Mary heart in a Martha word,” we have both a Mary AND Martha heart in a divided and scary world. We can learn how to speak love to this world from both Mary and Martha. They both broke social norms, and perused justice in different ways, and in OUR different ways, we can join them. And heaven knows, there is no times to lose. Amen. 

Grandpa's Last Gift

As an ordained minister, I have the blessed and humbling privilege to witness important and personal moments in the lives of families, some of whom I barely know (some of whom I get to know well). Some of these moments are so raw and so personal that no other person would ever be invited to see such a moment, not in a million years. And yet, here I am, invited to pray with families as their loved ones are dying, as people struggle with illness and recovery, and other times to join in celebrating the union of two people in matrimony (which I did for the first time last weekend!).

But is one thing to be the (mostly) calm, gentle minister in their midst and then go home to my own whole and unsuffering life, and it is quite another when trauma hits on a personal level. Last month my Grandpa had a massive stroke that left him paralyzed and unable to speak or swallow. It should have taken him the moment it struck, but by some blessed design, my grandpa was able to spend twelve days saying goodbye to his very extensive family. I was able to fly back to Wisconsin and spend five precious days with him and with my family.

The greatest gifts that my grandpa gave to me were those days I was able to be at his bedside, holding his hand, reading to him from his devotional, laughing about favorite memories, reading to him some of my past sermons about the farm. Being with someone who is dying is both holy and disconcerting, and a gift I was able to share with my family is what I had learned over the course of my seminary education and eighteen months of ministry. But it was Grandpa who did the teaching this time, teaching us how to hold his hand and not let go, teaching us how to understand what he wanted to say to us with his eyes, teaching us what a life well lived looks like, teaching us how to die well.

Every grief is different and the same. Having experienced this grief of mine has made me a more compassionate and aware human being, though it is still painful. But that is also where we tend to find that God is most visible, leaning on our family and friends for support through the tough times. And that's what transforms them into something beautiful.

An M.A. in marriage. :)

Six years. That's like getting your B.A. then going on for  your M.A, right? :) Believe me, we are no masters, but I think that we've done pretty well for ourselves making it to 6. Maybe we should think of it more like our marriage can now go to kindergarten!

We celebrated early by spending the 4th holiday in Philly, which was pretty cool beyond cool for these two mid-westerners. We sat outside of Independence Hall and watched the the festivities and dignitaries, which was surprisingly sparsely attended.  My theory is that all the locals stayed home, and the audience was full of non-jaded people like us, tourists or people not from the East Coast. It was fun to be there and see the commemorations, speeches by Mayor Nutter and his wife, and a performance by a marching band from Wisconsin and also Ben Taylor. Then came a parade that was fun - full of performances by cultural and ethnic groups around the city - but it never seemed to end! We had lunch nearby, and when we went back outside, it was still going on!

Later that night we were going to be at the big concert in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art - with the Roots!! and other bands. But it was so hot, and so crowded, and kind of smelled, and it was loud but we couldn't hear anything, so we went back to our cool, quiet hotel room, and watched it on TV. Great sound. Best decision ever.

The next day we went to Love Park - of course.

Last night we watched our wedding video, I think for the third time ever. Though we figured out that the service itself was actually only 50 minutes or so, we still apologize to everyone who was there for not shortening the communion liturgy and prayers! What were we thinking, including ALL the parts of "Now the Feast" in an un-air conditioned church service in July! But we promise, that was the only time we'll ever get married, and we'll never do it again. ;)

We still agree that our reception was the most fun reception we've ever been at, before or since (yes, we are probably biased). My maid of honor's toast was still the best: "...and to top it all off, she's LUTHERAN"! (she was quoting Beau). And yes, he is still my Mr. Darcy.

Walking in a Winter Wisconsin Land!

It's catch-up time.! The week after Easter we flew back to Wisconsin to spend some time with my family. I had been back for four days last summer after being in a wedding in Chicago, but Beau could not go that time. So this is the first time in almost two years for both of us being back... so we had a lot of catching up to do!! One day we went to Katie's college (Marian in Fon du Lac WI at right), sat in on a class, saw her apartment, and the daycare she works at. We had a lunch and "open house" at one set of grandparents' and took the other Grandpa out to dinner at IHOP with the rest of the fam. We drove through all the new round-abouts in Neenah. I saw the cows and the cats at the farm, and spent some time helping Beau do research on my side of the family tree. We found some interesting things, like how the local paper reported in detail about the wedding dress that Grandma W wore, and details about how my great-grandpa died in a dynamite accident. Oh, yeah, it snowed one day, too! Then we brought back with us 7 pounds of cheese and I don't know how many pounds of steak, hamburger, and venison. And yes, we've shared the cheese curds. I suppose the fact that we brought my family Tasty Kakes makes it a fair trade... :)

Midwest Weekend Madness!

I had to laugh - going through the Madison WI airport the TSA didn't say a word about my two things of venison sausage in my carry on. The reason I was pulled aside? Hairspray. Wisconsin for the win!


Remind me not to get up at 4:30 AM twice in one week again - though it was totally worth it. I blame it on Delta, not my dear friends Brett and Julie, who got married, nor my family. Thankfully all flights involved were uneventful, though for a little bit it looked like I might have gotten into Chicago a bit late. But I arrived on time and was greeted by the blushing bride herself and her lovely mom. Then it was off to the bachelorette party - lunch and mani-pedis in the afternoon, which is a brilliant idea. I had no idea that they give you a foot massage too! It was so relaxing I could have fallen asleep. Then we just hung out at the hotel before the rehearsal at Julie's home church. Seriously, this bride was as cool as a cucumber, and rightly so, since she had sent each of us a four-page itinerary of the weekend in advance! Doesn't she just look so lovely? I can't get over it. 

I got to see a whole bunch of my college friends, a few of whom were in the wedding too. It was such a beautiful service (no surprises there) and such a lovely day. Brett was on his (mostly) best behavior and Julie looked so radiant. The reception hall was gorgeous and the party processed in to the processional song from the end of Star Wars, and the groomsman I was partnered with and I had a mock "lightsaber" battle! The food was fantastic and the speeches epic - over all, a night to remember. This I think is one of the last weddings for my group of friends, so it may be a long time before I see many of them again. We also realized we must be getting "old" - we can't dance as much or stay up as late as we used to!!


The next day, my aunt who lives in the Chicago area had lunch with me and my mom and sister, who came all the way down to pick me up. Since I was in the area, I was able to spend the rest of the weekend with my family! Going back to Grace Lutheran was a treat - as much as I love St. Paul, I have to admit it IS nice to sit back and enjoy the service! I was a communion assistant, which was great to see all the familiar faces. I saw my Grandpa Posselt, and my Grandma and Grandpa Wittmann. I even took my dad and brother and sister out for supper one night at A&W (mmmm cheese curds!), and the whole family went for ice cream the next night! Whew! It was quite a whirlwind!


Now I am trying to get myself organized and figure out what to do with the rest of the summer - planning exciting things for the fall, mostly. I had been looking forward to these two events for such a long time, now I don't know what to do with myself! I'll find some way to keep busy, I'm sure. :)

Ordination Sunday

January 22, 2012. My ordination day. Where to begin describing? With the attempted arrival of my family (Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Sister) on Friday night, of course. Originally, they were supposed to fly from Madison to Detroit to Philly, arriving at 5 PM. But thanks to delays and cancellations that plan soon went out the window. They were able to fly into Newark that night, which is about the same distance from us as Philly at 10:30 PM. We were able to get them to our apartment by midnight, before it snowed. The next day we relaxed and had a big breakfast and played games. Our big adventure was going to Target and then attending the service at Beau's church

On Sunday morning I picked them up between service, so they could see me "in action" during our 11 AM service. I didn't preach but I did the children's message, using at kitchen timer to talk about what Jesus may have meant when he said "The time is fulfilled." Just about every one in the church welcomed them and talked to them. Many people commented about how alike Katie and I look!

After church we went to lunch at Perkins nearby in Hightstown - lucky for us they could get us in right away because we were a big group. Then it was time for the "rehearsal" of the service with Bishop Riley. Julie S, a friend from college going to Gettysburg Sem, had arrived to be one of the lectors along with my sister Katie. We went through the service and people began to arrive. A bunch of my clergy friends from the cluster were there. We waited in the narthex area to process in, so I "missed" the first part of the service - all I could here was my colleague Jim going "wa-wa-wa." :) 

Pastor Linda, who had become a good friend in our cluster and who had also been an intern at St. Paul a number of years ago, preached an amazing sermon on the call of Isaiah. I will never forget the "O woe is me!" bit. :) Suddenly it was time for the ordination part of the service. I made some promises, and the congregation made some promise too. Then my mom, Beau, and Jim put the stole on me, a stole my mom had made and had been blessed by my home congregation, Grace Lutheran Church, where I had been baptized, confirmed, and married. Then all the pastors gathered around me and put their hands on me. It was like being cocooned in the spirit. Then I was also installed (a two-for-one service) and took a field trip around the sanctuary to font, pulpit, and altar. 

It was humbling and affirming at the same time. I was so glad to have been surrounded by not just the friends and family there physically, but also the presence of all the people who have helped my in my journey. And this journey is not over - it's just a new chapter beginning. 

Christmas 2011

Baptism by fire, baby! That's what Christmas is all about. Just kidding - actually Christmas services went great. And was made even more memorable that the acolyte ALMOST lit my co-pastor's hair on fire, but didn't. Have I mentioned that the pastor's wife puts on a mean holiday spread for the staff and music people between services? This church is totally worth it. :)

I preached Christmas Day, then we hopped in our car and drove down to Sutherland VA to be with Beau's sister and fam. Her husband is from VA, and they moved there about two weeks before we moved - they are now our closest family, "close" being 6 hours away. We survived the drive around Baltimore and DC and arrived to 60 degree weather. They live about 5 miles from a super-important Civil War battle that we've never heard of - Five Forks in Petersburg VA . Their kids loved it. Way cool. We were sad to leave.



Last night, New Years Eve, we did NOTHING but watch a movie and drink a little wine - pretty normal Saturday night stuff. Then services this morning to a pretty low crowd - attendance-wise, not morals-wise. :) This week is when I will finally get to bring in my office things, even though right now I just have a desk in the work room that the interns used to use. The office will be forthcoming, but I am just so excited to have some SPACE of my own and to put my pastor-y stuff!!!

One of the best things I received this Christmas was an awesome hot pad that I warm in the microwave and then put over my shoulders and neck - thanks Mom! And Beau sneakily traded in my old Nook for a deal on a new Nook Simple Touch! I love it! It's so light, and the battery lasts for ever! I even got a good deal on a pretty cover. I've named it Parnassus II, in case you want to know. I was totally not expecting it. I am currently reading the new Bonhoeffer book, which is fascinating.

My ordination is three weeks from today - January 22nd at St. Paul Lutheran Church, where I have been installed. It will be a two-for-one, ordination AND installation service. I'm so excited!

Stretching

Beau is getting ordained at the end of this week!! We are so excited! My made Beau an ordination stole, and she really out-did herself this time. She is an awesome seamstress, but she did some amazing work. I'll be sure to take a lot of pictures at the ordination so you all can see it. He is getting ordained at a church in Trenton with three others, one of whom was called about a week ago. Beau and I would have liked to have been ordained together, but it is better this way. Rushing my process wouldn't help anyone. Beau's sister is coming for the weekend, and I'm excited to see her. She, her husband, and kids recently moved to the Richmond area in VA, so they are our nearest family - about 7 hours away!

We had breakfast with the pastors in our cluster today, which is a monthly occurrence. It's nice to know that are colleagues are all great people! AND more great food was had by all!

 I joined a yoga class at the gym finally this morning, and it was very good! I think I'll try to make this a weekly thing. I really enjoy stretching my muscles and getting in touch with my body. It helps me remember that, yes, I DO have a body and I'm not just a floating brain. I've also been reading Thich Nhat Hanh's Peace is Every Step, which is about finding peace in the awareness of the present moment. During yoga, either I am thinking about staying in the pose, or I try not to think at all. I think this will help my shoulders and neck, which is where I tend to carry my stress.

I once heard an Indian-American speak about the word Namaste, which means "the god in me sees/acknowledges the god within you." This woman used this word from a Hindu context and re-purposed it: she taught us that it could also mean "Christ within me sees/acknowledges Christ within you." I thought this was a very powerful reflection about what it means to truly encounter people. Now when I hear it, such as today at yoga, I think of her and of her "translation." I also think of Jame' Cameron's movie Avatar, where the greeting between the super-supple blue cat people is "I see you." How often to we truly take the time to see one another, to acknowledge the human-ness or the child of God-ness in others? Not often enough is probably the answer.

Is this why God invented Skype? :)

Namaste.