Snow and Rumors of Snow...

Sermon 11-18-18

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.

Jesus probably should have added "You will hear of snow and rumors of snow…."  So this time, the rumors of this upcoming snowstorm undersold it’s power, didn’t it? Just a little bit. So much so that about forty pastors, including myself, decided to stay one more night at the hotel we were having our annual Bishop’s convocation. It was only SUPPOSED to be one night… but many of us decided one more night with our new Bishop was better than driving 5 or more hours in a driving snowstorm!

This won’t be the last time we will be having snow this winter, but it is the last time that we will be hearing from the Gospel of Mark for three whole years. Even though technically NEXT Sunday is the last Sunday of the church year – Christ the King Sunday – that Sunday we will be hearing from John, not Mark. So, for better or for worse, it’s bye-bye Gospel of Mark. It was nice knowing you…. Catch you in three years.

Mark certainly doesn’t leave us on a happy note, does he? This reading comes straight on the heels of last week, where we heard about the “Widow’s mite.” Last week Jesus watched as the wealthy giving the massive amounts of money in the temple treasury, which supported people like the scribes who took advantage of vulnerable and powerless people. A widow, one of the most powerless, came by and gave two small coins – all she had because everything else had been taken from her.

Even after knowing that the religious institution was built on the devouring of widow’s houses, the disciples could not stop “Rubber necking” the grand temple building itself. “My, what large stones and what large buildings we have!” one of the disciples cries out in wonder. You can almost hear Jesus’ facepalm two thousand years later.

Or, maybe the disciples were amazed for another reason – not simply from their grandness, but from the fact that their huge size must mean that many, many vulnerable people like that widow have been fleeced in the name of political and religious power. Their exclamation might then be also equal parts wonder and dismay. These stones represent power that they have no hope opposing. How can they, a little band of 12 plus Jesus, have any hope against such large and imposing stones? It would be like sheep trying to beat a wolf at his own game.

“My, what big stones they have, and what large buildings!” the disciples said. “My, what big eyes you have!” said little Red Riding hood in that old fairy tale we were told as kids. You know the story – Red Riding Hood goes through the woods and arrives at her grandmother’s house… only to find that that a big wolf has eaten her grandmother, dressed up in her clothes, and wanted to have Red Riding Hood for a second course. I like to think that Red Riding Hood knew right away that something was very wrong and was stalling for time.

“What big Eyes you have…” “The better to see you with, my dear….”

“What big ears you have….” The better to hear you with, my dear…”

“What big teeth you have….” “The better to eat you with, my dear!”

Personally, I like the versions of the story where Red Riding Hood defeats the wolf herself, rather than get eaten and rescued.

The moral of “Little Red Riding Hood” is something like: don’t talk to strangers, or at least don’t give them your grandma’s address. The moral of “Little Faith Jesus Followers” might be something like: don’t ask Jesus about when the end of the world is happening. Because you won’t get the answer you want.

It’s understandable that the disciples wanted to know when these things were going to talk place. Jesus was talking about some scary stuff, and they wanted to be prepared for what was to come. But there isn’t really anything to be done to prepare for a scary and unpredictable world, full of wars and rumors of wars, where nations clash and natural disasters loom around every corner.

When the Gospel of Mark was written, the magnificent stones of the temple that the disciples admired were already a pile of rubble. For the followers of Jesus that Mark was writing to, the end of the world felt like it was already happening.

As we listen to Marks words on THIS day, its easy to feel like the end of the world is happening now, and the aspects of life we thought were rock-sold are now in piles of rubble at our feet. Sometimes it seems almost unbearable to listen to the news lately. The snowstorm gave us a small taste of what happens when we no longer have control of transportation, and feeling helplessly stuck in our homes, cars, or places of work without a way to get out.

And for many of us, the rug has been pulled out from under us in other ways – our businesses flop, our health fails, our marriages fold, our relationships with our family fall apart. The future we were hoping for suddenly doesn’t look so bright anymore. … at least, it does not look like the future we imagined.

But what if that could be a good thing? What if – since we are not in control – someone else IS? if something new is being born, but first the old has to be cleared out, and a way be made for its arrival? What if we’re feeling unmoored and unanchored, because we have previously moored and anchored ourselves on the very things that Jesus has come to dismantle?

Jesus says here, as he says all over the Gospels, “do not be alarmed…” meaning “do not be afraid.” Scary things are going to happen, but Jesus is the cornerstone of our lives, the rock of our salvation that will not be moved, the fortress that will save and protect us in all the storms that rage around us.

In just a few short weeks, we will be in Advent, the season that celebrates the arrival of Jesus at Christmas. An angel visited a young woman named Mary and told her not to fear when she heard she was pregnant with Jesus, before she got married to Joseph. Later, Mary sang a song to her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist after waiting so long for a child. Instead of being worried at the rumors spreading about her, Mary sings. And We get to sing my favorite version of Mary’s song - also known as the Magnificat – in a moment. This version has Mary – and therefore us – sing these words:

“From the halls of power to the fortress tower, not a stone will be left on stone….” And also “The nations rage from age to age, we remember who holds us fast.”

We remember Jesus holds us fast, and will never let us go. Jesus will hold us fast, amid all the things that we can’t control, amid all the things that make us afraid. Do not be alarmed, because even though these things are happening, it does not mean the end of us.

As writer and pastor Rachel Hackenberg explains, “The teeth that threaten us will crumble to dust. The stones that ground and shelter our ways of life will topple and erode. The dreams that haunt us as well as those that inspire us will fade with the dawn. The agonies of this life — from the strained relationships to the violence of evil — as eternal as they may feel in this moment, they too will fade before the stars burn out. Let earth rejoice and be glad.”

We will rejoice and be glad… because Jesus is the new and living way into a future. Stones are dead, but Jesus lives, and gives us new life out of death. The world is about to turn, and we give thanks that our God creates a new and living way for us through Jesus.

In a few minutes, we will be expressing that thanks in a few ways. One will be by turning in our cards for our 2019 pledges during the offering time. Another will be turning in the blue hands, after we have written how we will use our hands to minister to others in 2019.... They will decorate the altar for a few weeks in Advent as a reminder, to encourage one another in love and good deeds. Join us in this work of building up the Body of Christ together, as we give thanks to God. Amen.

Dance party at the Bishop's Convocation!

English as a First Language

Or: An Uncomfortable Portrait of White American Privilege.

I knew going on the plane  in Philadelphia to attend the Lutheran Word Federation assembly in Namibia that I had what would be a really tight connection in the States, so I wondered if I would make it. I told myself that the airport is not O'Hare by any means, so it might be fine, right? My luggage probably won't make it, but there is a chance that I might. Right?

Not so much.

As we took off from Philly, we were already 30 minutes late, and we never made up the time as we few over the stark deserts of the Middle East, which I was seeing for the first time. As we landed, I still believed that I would not actually step on the Middle Eastern continent before heading to Africa. Until, that is, we were told to exit the plane to board waiting buses... and we were parked on the tarmac, and not directly at the airport. And, of course, being at the back of the plane, I waited with about 20 other people for more buses to arrive (in the 90 degree heat at 7 AM local). After the 10 minute bus ride and speed walking across the airport, my rush to make it by the last boarding was in vain.

I was by myself in another continent, watching the very nice Air Qatar people working on finding new flights for me, and I wondered how this was going to work out, especially when they offered to put me up in a complimentary hotel for part of the 18 hours it would be until my next flight, directly to Windhoek Namibia.

I found myself kind of bumbling from one person to another with my reservation clutched in my hand, looking for this hotel (which I thought was within the airport). I was told to follow the signs (there were none) then found myself being told to go through customs (which took a solid hour), then wandered into the hotel shuttle shepherding person, onto a bus, driving into the city of Doha, and praying all the while that someone knew what they were doing and that I would end up in the right spot. Everyone spoke English to me and I asked them English questions, and they all somehow took care of this one lost American.

A lady from India waited in line behind me through customs, and she asked me in broken English if this was the right thing to do to get out of the airport. I told her I thought so. And I began to realize that every person I talked to and would talk to for the next 12 hours spoke my language, and that I had no clue how to even say "thank you" in Arabic. I consider myself to be a pretty competent traveler, but I would have been totally lost if it had not be for these kind, bi- or tri- lingual airport staff.

This was only the beginning of directly experiencing something that I had knew intellectually - I am privileged that the world speaks my native language.

On Air Qatar, all the announcements were in Arabic and in English.

Though the Lutheran World Federation operates in 4 languages (also French, German, and Spanish), most of the speakers presented in English, and most of the discussion occurred in English (though instant translation was offered, I rarely had to use it).

On the last night a group of German graciously invited me to join them for dinner, and spoke to me in perfect English, and I was very aware that my one semester of German in college was woefully inadequate to converse with them in their native tongue. I imagine that it would have been much more comfortable for them to speak in German with one another, after speaking English all week.

Pastors from Ethiopia and other parts of Africa and Asia discussed complex theological concepts in a language not their first, or maybe even their second. I certainly can't do that. These African pastors are so much smarter than I am.

When the world speaks your language, you are not motivated by necessity to learn another. So it is so easy to feel entitled to your own language.

I was told, thought, that American English is a fairly easy version of English to understand. I hope that during my sermon on Tuesday night, I spoke slowly and clearly enough to be understood by those who spoke English, even though copies of my sermon were distributed in all four languages. That's why I thought it was important that for the moment I went "off script" I said "one moment please" in all the languages (and I asked native speakers how I would go about saying it, so I hope I got it right!).

For my fellow English as a First Language Speakers, we do not get that many chances to experience lingual diversity. It feels uncomfortable to us when someone speaks a language we are not fluent it. But it's a good discomfort. It means that we are not the rulers of the world. It reminds us that we don't know everything, and don't deserve everything. It reminds us that we have a place in this world, and that the world is not required to make a place for us. Being a global citizen begins at home with our attitudes with those who are different than us. Embrace the discomfort - for it means we still have much to learn and discover about one another. And then go download a language-learning app and at least become fluent in "Thank You."

Thank you to all those who showed kindness to this mono-lingual, wide-eyed white American thrown  into the (Lutheran) world spotlight. I so grateful to have received such grace. I certainly didn't deserve it.

View of Doha from the shuttle bus. It was 100 degrees outside!

This sorry-looking American is TIRED!!

View from the hotel. I didn't get to explore the city - someday!

ADVENT SELFIE HUNT 2015

ADVENT 

SELFIE HUNT

2015!

(Do be done in the local mall of your choice with teams of 4-5 with one adult)

#adventselfie15 

Stay Together!

Be respectful! Be creative!

Include everyone!

No running! Have fun!

TAKE A SELFIE WITH or DOING the following:

 biggest item/signs you can find that says “JOY,” “PEACE,” “HOPE,” or “LOVE”

 A big star and pretend to be the wise men/people following it

 The most unusual animal you can think of to be in a nativity scene (panda, elephant…etc)

 Ugliest holiday sweater you can find

 Corniest Christmas card with you and your teammates reading it with very serious faces.

 Symbols of other December Holidays (menorah, kwanza candles…) Hanukkah begins Dec. 6!

 Your team meditating on the meaning of Advent in front of TEAVANNA

 Stand under a lamp or bright light - “A light shines in the darkness…” (John 1:1)

 Act perplexed like Mary was in front of Motherhood Maternity - “How can this be?”(Luke 1:29)

 All of you pretending to be the “angels we have heard on high” while riding the down escalator

 Non-Caucasian (non-white) Nativity scene/set

 Look for the coming of Jesus underneath the “WATCH” sign

 A sign that says “Believe” and your team making crosses with your hands/arms

 A Christmas tree the color of the Advent season (hint – you were asked to wear it today!)

 A Christmas tree the color of the Christmas season (hint – it’s not red or green. Extra hint – it’s the same color as the season of Easter)

 A toy road and car set or a train set - “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:4)

 “Swaddle” one of your teammates in your hats/ scarves/gloves/coats like Jesus was (Luke 2:12)

 Under a large potted plant, one of you is a shepherd caring for the rest of your team as sheep

 Magnifying glass – Mary sang that begins “My soul magnifies the Lord!” (Luke 1:46)

 Pretend to “make haste” (run in place) like the shepherds to see Jesus, the savior and Lord by the LORD & TAYLOR sign

 Act sleepy by Starbucks ‘cuz Joseph was told about Jesus in a dream, and we are to stay awake for when Jesus shows up!

 A (fake) fur coat and your best “John the Baptist” preaching poses

 Next to a tent – Jesus “pitched his tent” (dwelled) among us (John 1:14)

 Holding a baby doll, hold your nose & remember that baby Jesus filled his diaper too!

 Treasure chest – Mary treasured all these events in her heart (Luke 2:19)

 Make some peace signs in front of Justice to remember that Jesus came to bring peace and justice to the world

 A crown – Jesus is our “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) (BONUS if you are FROM Prince of Peace Lutheran!)

 Shoes the color of Advent because Jesus will “guide our feet into the way of peace” (Lk. 1:79)

 Bread, since Bethlehem means “house of bread”

 Sparkly ring, since Mary and Joseph were engaged (but not married) (Luke 2:5)

 With “wise man” Yoda

 Key chains with names from the Christmas stories – Mary, Joseph, John (the Baptist), John’s parents Elizabeth & Zach (Zechariah), Harry (King Herod), Maggie (for the Magi), David (city of), Angela (for the heavenly host), Luke and Matthew (Gospels that tell the Christmas story as we know it)

 a JESUS name tag or Key chain

Scavenger Hunts: What I do best!

I'm leading this activity at Miliken Park in downtown Detroit on Thursday.

Detroit Riverwalk Photo Selfie Contest 2015

Be creative! Be respectful!

Post to #RiseUpELCA

Let’s see your best selfie/video as you…

o  Be a vampire next to the Cullen Family Carousel

o  Optional bonus point: Selfie ON the Carousel (rides are $1)

o  Pose with downtown Detroit in the background

o  Do your best Canadian Impression with Canada in the background (optional video)

o  Pose with the Memorial Statue

o  Be a duck/bird/penguin in the wetlands

o  Be a frog impression on Lilly Pad lane

o  Do your best rendition of “this little light of mine” in front of or including the Milliken State Park Lighthouse

o  Do an impression of reeling in the biggest catch of your life from the river or pond

o  Do your best Yoga or Tai Chi Selfies (there are yoga and tai chi groups that often use the park)

o  Do a Tuesday night bus-reenactment selfie

o  Show your best bedhead recreation (or current bedhead)

o  Do your best performance of “Detroit is alive… with the sound of 30,000 Lutherans!” (The Sound of Music)

o  Do a performance of “Uptown Funk” dance moves

o  Pose with anything cool you see

o  Your best map-reading selfie on the giant map in the sidewalk (look lost, point in different directions…)

o  Make up a “Rise Up” Cheer

o  Sing/ reinact any song that has the word “river” in it

o  Sing/act out your favorite Motown song (Google it!)

o  Practice your “wave” for Ford Field

o  Make up your own!

"We're moving to Trenton!"

 “We’re moving to New Jersey!”

Almost 2 ½ years ago, Beau and I found out that we were being called to an awesome synod on the East Coast. But the reactions we got were… interesting. Our friends and family took the news ranging from “That’s nice” to flat out “Why would you go THERE?” To resident New Jerseyians, it would be reasonable to be affronted by such reactions. How dare they judge a place they’ve never lived, or probably have never visited? But to those who live elsewhere, there is only one image that New Jersey conjures up: gritty industrial sprawl populated by rude people (ala the show “Jersey Shore”). Of course now, I have had first-hand knowledge that this state is not (all) like that. New Jersey is unique, and beautiful, and diverse.

So...

“We’re moving to Trenton!”

Trenton? That place we read about in the paper with violence happening nearly every day? That place with the abandoned buildings and dangerous streets and drugs and gangs and corruption and problems and people who don’t look like us? “Make sure you are careful.” “Don’t go out at night.” “You might want to get some Mace.”*

(You see what I did there?)

Beau and I want to discover sides of Trenton that few people dig deep enough to see. Because in between those articles in the paper about drugs and violence, there are also stories about people trying to help, trying to make Trenton a better place. God’s up to something in this place that seems to have been abandoned by the leadership of this state. Beau will be devoting himself fully to this exploration and I will be accompanying him as much I am able, along with my normal pastoral ministries at my congregation. 

But it's going to be different. Some things are going to be challenging, and others will change. Like my commute. My commute has not just increased in time, but it has increased in socio-economic range: on my way to church I now pass multi-million dollar houses and homeless people on the street. Every day now I get cultural whip-lash, but I fervently pray that I will never not see the injustice in it. 

Pray for us. We're going to need all the help we can get!!




*Of course Beau and I are going to be careful. This kind of situation is not one to take lightly. We have been so thankful to all of those who live and work in Trenton who have given us some really good advice, which we gratefully accept. It is when general advice is offered, coming from a place of fear, from those who have had little to no contact with the city that I frankly find grating. I was completely unprepared for all the unsolicited advice. We may be crazy for doing what we're doing, but we're trying not to be stupid about it!! 

Pastor Blessings/Perks

One of the perks of living on the East Coast is the easy access to the ocean (unless you are in the middle of a hurricane. Then it is pretty horrible). Even better are generous members of our congregations who own rental homes minutes from the beach. A family from Beau's congregation owns a home they rent in the summer in Brigantine, NJ, and offered to let us stay in it when we want to, off-season of course. We took them up on their generous offer two weeks ago. The previous weekend we spent apart, me at the synod HS Winter Youth Assembly and he at camp Konionia in Upstate NY for a youth weekend. So we decided it would be a good time to get away! It was also very good to get away from the business of our lives (it IS Lent). We had both been crazy busy for the last few weeks that it was so nice to get away together! Brigantine is a actually an island directly north of Atlantic City. It's very peaceful, especially off-season, and we found a great pub with awesome food and live music, and a nice bagel shop. It sustained some damage from the storm, mostly homes, but it seems most business are still running. It was rather rainy and overcast, but it was still lovely.

May God Bless You With Discomfort

WHAT A WEEKEND! I can't remember the last time since I did so much and saw so many people and states in just four days! And, after visiting both my Alma Maters too, I now understand the term. It really felt, in so many ways, that in this trip we were (at least briefly) going back in time, back into the womb, to different formative places from our past.

First: Luther, both first to be visited and most recent Alma. After getting over our shock and jealousy of seeing the new coffee shop, we could not get over the feeling that this place (actually the entire Twin Cities) felt like home. They say that you can't go back, and you really can't, but this is the closest we'll ever come. We only caught a few profs, but it was enough (one even said "ok, give me your elevator speech!" like she knew that we were seeing tons of people for a short time and saying the same thing, basically! Gotta love Mary Sue!) And the bookstore was like a mini-Christmas. We even sat in on a Pentateuch class that one of our friends was taking, and it was like the exact lecture I needed to hear, about the "J" source of all things. Sometimes I miss being a student (but not the homework!)

Being back in the Twin Cities was such a bizarre and somewhat heart-wrenching experience. You never really know how much a place feels like home until you leave it for a while... and then come back. But the very reason that we may want to go back is the very reason that we can't, at least not for a while. More about that later (it was sort of a theme of the trip). The overall feeling I got from being back in Minneapolis was... calm. People there aren't in as big of a rush there. Frankly, I was surprised at how much I missed it.

We stayed with some friends who had gotten back from the peace corps literally WEEKS after we moved to NJ, so it had been at least 3 years since we had seen them. We stayed at their house, helped them with a last harvest of their lovely garden and put it do bed. Did I mention it was freaking freezing in the Midwest? 80 to 49 as the high in the space of a day. Anyway, then we road down to Waverly IA for the wedding with them, the whole time talking nonstop about their years in Burkina Faso, our year in NJ, the weirdness of life and seminary, and why the church frustrates us sometimes.

Waverly.... had grown up. And there is no one left we know as a student on campus, so Beau and I only spend about half an hour wandering around campus (we did find Dr. Mrs. Black!!!). We realized that the specialness of Wartburg, like that of Luther Sem, is that of its people and relationships we build there. Really it is nothing more than some nice buildings - but the memories are the important thing.

The wedding was lovely and the reception fantastic as we literally danced the night away. Again, it was seeing the people we had not seen in 3-4 years that made all the difference.

We had breakfast one morning and later lunch with some past beloved Wartburg profs, which were right there with us as we shared with them the frustration and joys of ministry, but most especially we felt their support as we struggled with the location that God has placed us - that the East Coast is such a different animal than anything we've ever experienced. Even after a year, it's still hard some days. But as we attended St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Waverly on Sunday morning and heard the sermon, you can't go right from wheat to bread. The kernel must be broken open, ground up a bit, stretched with discomfort, and more before it can truly become bread, bread that God can used to feed people.

It is because of this desire to go back to what feels safe and comfortable is the very reason we can't leave yet. And that is a very hard thing.

And there's even more from the weekend. (I never promised that this would be a short post). I was able to reconnect to a camp friend I hadn't seen in 4+ years, and we had one of those deep conversations about life and God and peace, justice, and urban ministry, dissatisfaction with the sometimes rigidity of established religion. I hadn't realized how age-lonely it can be in the church, but it is friends like these who give me hope for the future.

It has been a lot to process, and I'm still processing. But I will end with a benediction from that Sunday, St. Francis Sunday, which is attributed to him:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain in to joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

AMEN. 

Cluster outing!

Where can you experience 7 people in a van going to see the Faces of Jesus? The Mercer County Cluster, the best cluster ever!

Linda was so kind to offer me a spare ticket to the Rembrandt "Faces of Jesus Exhibit" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I had been to the museum a number of years ago while adventuring through NJ with a friend from the Cherry Hill area - who would have know that we would have ended up here these many years later!?!?

The exhibit itself was fascinating. Up until this time (the 1600s) every painting of Jesus was based on three items: an icon from hundreds of years before, a letter supposedly written describing Jesus by a Roman official during Jesus lifetime (never ever heard of this before) and the famed Veronia's Veil. All seemed to have characterized Jesus with a stern and distant expression, harsh nose, and pale features. Rembrandt decided to paint his Jesuses using, not only a real life model which had never been done before, but a model of MIDDLE EASTERN decent, namely, a Jewish man (as you can see, not exactly your typical "Norwegian Jesus"). This was extremely controversial for his day.

The highlight of the exhibit was seven smallish portraits of Jesus to be used for different larger scenes. Looking at these faces were very moving for me. Seeing Jesus with a very human face and very human expressions gave me the feeling that this was a Jesus that I could reach out and touch, and that he would reach back. Out of all the art about Jesus that I have seen over my lifetime, I think these have been the most striking, the most memorable. I am very glad that I went.

After the exhibit we ate lunch in the cafeteria and made nerdy jokes about some of more vapid looking versions of Jesus, then spent some time wandering around the armory and getting lost. Much fun was had by all. :)

Today I have been preparing my heart and mind for my upcoming interview, which is fast on the heels of Beau's installations service. I have also been working on my "trial" sermon, which, oddly enough, is going to happen at the home congregation of the aforementioned New Jersey friend. God is certainly very funny, indeed.