"Soul Care and The Roots of Clergy Burnout" article and reflection

I came across this article today, and found it interesting...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-dilenschneider/soul-care-and-the-roots-o_b_680925.html

How do you define a pastor's job description or role?  What do you think a pastor does all day or all week?  As I've gotten into the ministry myself, I have much more respect for my pastor role models from years ago.  So often people think a pastor only works one hour on Sunday... and I hear this often from folks, either joking or seriously (and sometimes it's hard to tell which).  I am finding that sometimes (most of the time) being a pastor includes 2 job descriptions: the one you were officially given, and the one everyone creates for you as they go...

Having been a pastor now for 2 years (I celebrated my 2 year ordination anniversary on August 10th), and being in my first call (though I consider this the 5th church I've served--given Seminary student pastorates and extensive volunteer work), I am still amazed and baffled at times by all the things a "Pastor" does.  I also continue to "add courses" (at least in my mental list) that I somehow missed or skipped in seminary (and I note--admittedly--I only skipped 2 class in 4 years, and one was a class I was auditing; I missed a few others for travel or illness in my 4 years, though).  Some of these classes that would have been helpful I've mentioned on the blog before: Basic Church Maintenance, HVAC/Plumbing/Electrical repair, Mission Trip Construction, Accounting, Statistics, Child Development, Conflict Resolution, Communications, etc.  [I note, though, I feel I got a really good education, and there was NO ROOM for any more classes in the schedule... it was FULL!]

Getting back to the article... I attended one of the handful of Seminaries that required a "Spiritual Formation" class, and really enjoyed the whole experience.  But I am still not sure how we can get back to the pre-1920s "care of souls" job of the pastor.  So much of what a pastor does, I am finding, is being "pastoral director", as the article calls it.  There are certainly parts of that job that I enjoy and find I have some gifts for.  There are other parts of the job that hopefully come with more experience, as I know I have lots to learn.  But as far as care of souls... do clergy redefine that role, or congregations, or both?  Where does it start and how do we take the first steps?  Thee are days when I do a lot of it, but it often feels like such a small part of my job.  

When I first started Seminary, a passage that really spoke to me about ministry was Mark 2.  It's the story of the friends that lowered the paralytic through the roof to place him in front of Jesus.  I felt it described the role of pastor--to help place people in front of Jesus, no matter what it took.  As I continue to be transformed through the work of the Spirit, I have grown to resonate with the story of Luke 24 on the road to Emmaus (hence the blog name).  I want to live daily on the road, looking for Christ along the journey, walking with Jesus, and engaging Scripture and God's work in the world, and seeing where and how and why those interact... I want to see how I am part of the greater Story of Faith, and how God uses that to direct and call me as I help others do the same.  So how do all of these things work together? 

On this August 13th, as I remember the work of the Spirit in the Moravian Church on August 13th, 1727 for the "Moravian Pentecost" how do I reclaim this calling and follow the movement of the Spirit?  Where is God at work, transforming, renewing, and empowering us for mission and ministry?  And what is my role in that?  How can I care for souls, mine included, that will allow us all to be more open to the movement of the Spirit?  How can we collectively place others in front of Christ and walk the journey together to see ourselves as part of God's greater story of faith?  I'm open to the answers... I just don't have them all right now.  But I guess... that's just part of the journey.  I hope you'll join me!

Sermon for 7/4/10: "Risking It All" (Ruth 1:1-19-Favorite Things Summer Worship Series)

"Risking It All" 

Sermon for 7/4/10

Favorite Things Summer Worship Series

John Hus Communion

Ruth 1:1-19a; Mark 8:34-38

Let us prepare our hearts and pause in prayer from a hymn from Hus's time:

The Word of God, which ne're shall cease,

Proclaims free pardon, grace and peace,

Salvation shows in Christ alone,

The perfect will of God makes known.[1]

Life is full of choices, and many of our choices involve risks.  Big risks, small risks--risk comes in different shapes and sizes.  As I spent time this week thinking about the book of Ruth, the Independence day celebrations, and the celebration of John Hus, I was struck by the connections around risk.  They differ on many parts of the stories, but the connections are certainly there.  All three stories from our history have taken on a fairy tale or mythic quality, and these stories live on as we look at them again and again through the years.

The book of Ruth, like Jonah we touched on a few weeks ago, is short and deserves to be viewed as a whole story.  Due to space constraints and copyright laws, I couldn't print the whole thing in the bulletin today, but I invite you to re-read it sometime soon to relive the tale of widows trying to survive in a patriarchal society.  A story of food and family, gleaning and goodness from others and from God.  Naomi and her husband had left Bethlehem years before in search of food--ironic since Bethlehem means "House of Bread," and they ended up in Moab.  Ruth and Orpah married Naomi's sons, and all three men died.  The famine was over, and so Naomi is heading back home. Ruth and Orpah reached a fork in the road and had to make a choice. Go home to their families, or follow their Mother-in-law and take a risk.  Orpah followed directions.  Ruth took a risk.

Journeying as women without men around in that culture was unheard of, and for Ruth to leave behind her culture, her family, and her old life to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem was a huge risk.  She likely had to learn a new language, new customs, new traditions, new holidays, new foods, new everything.  She was willing to take the risk and set out on the journey with Naomi. We can't overlook or belittle Orpah as we praise Ruth for journeying with Naomi.  After all, most of us probably can relate to Orpah more closely.  We choose to stay where things are easy, or at least where things make sense.  The culture isn't foreign, we don't have to learn a new language, and our family is in the area.  It looks like Orpah made the right decision, or at least the easy decision. Scripture doesn't tell us what happened to Orpah.

For Ruth and Naomi, the risk worked out well for them. Ruth decides to follow not only Naomi, but believe in Naomi's God--Yahweh--The Lord Almighty. For Ruth and Naomi, we do know details about their story.  Spoiler Alert--Ruth ended up meeting Boaz, having a child, and becoming Great-Grandmother to King David and thus a distant relative of Jesus.  In fact, Ruth is one of only 4 women named in Matthew's Gospel in Jesus' lineage-a high honor indeed.  A stranger in a strange land ended up being in a royal family and relative to the Messiah.  For Ruth, the risk paid off.

With today being July 4th, I can't help but think of another group whose risk paid off.  The 4th of July now days is about food, fireworks, and fun.  The writers of the Declaration of Independence took a huge risk in trying to break away from England.  These renegade colonies were not seen favorably, and England was willing to fight for what they felt was their rightful land.  The men who signed the Declaration of Independence were committing treason, and were not making friends with the government at the time. I heard folks talking on the radio the other day about the early signers and the risk they took.  I don't often stop and think about that risk, because we know how the ending works out.  But they could not benefit from our 20/20 Hindsight, so they were risking their lives, their careers, and their families to stand up for what they thought was right.  They had to follow their conscience, and the risk paid off. 

For John Hus, or Jan Hus as he is also known, he took a risk as well, but whether it paid off for him comes with your perspective.  Hus grew up in what is today the Czech Republic, and though he was from a peasant family, was able to attend Charles University in Prague.  He ended up becoming a lecturer at the University, and later Rector.  He developed an interest in theology and was ordained to the Priesthood.  The church was fraught with controversy in the early 1400s, and Hus spoke out against the problems like the selling of indulgences.  He also preached in Czech, the language of the people, instead of Latin, the language of the church.  He believed that all church members should be allowed to receive both the cup and the bread during Communion instead of the cup only for the priests--a practice that was common at that time.  He felt that he could help bring reforms to the church and was willing to stand up for what he believed was what God wanted. 

Hus preached and spoke out against the church and leadership, and the church got more and more upset with him.  In 1415 he was invited to the Council of Constance, and was promised safe passage and return for his journey.  He took the risk and journeyed to Constance, where he was thrown in jail, convicted of heresy, and burned at the stake on July 6th, 1415 after he refused to recant on his beliefs.  Hus became a martyr for his beliefs, and his followers founded the Unity of the Brethren church in 1457, from which we trace our history as Moravians.  July 6th is a major holiday in the Czech Republic today.  It is a date Moravians remember by celebrating Communion--partaking both the bread and cup all these 500+ years later.  Hus' risk resulted in his untimely death, but it also resulted in a denomination that has spread throughout the world and he helped bring about reforms in the Catholic church as well.  Was his risk worth it?  I believe so.  But here again, our 20/20 Hindsight provides a viewpoint he didn't have. 

As we prepare to receive Communion today, we think back to all the saints--these spiritual forefathers and foremothers who came before us, paving the way and forging the paths for us to follow today.  They took risks to stand up for what they believed in, and we have what we have today thanks to their choices.  We also ultimately give thanks to Christ for the risks he took.  We hear his call to follow in the path he set forward through his life, death, and resurrection.  We hear his call to step out in faith and be his disciples, even when the road we travel calls us to take up our cross and follow-to take the risk. We think of Ruth who risked learning a new language and culture to follow the God that she had come to know and love.  We think of the early patriots who risked livelihood and family to live where they could practice their faith and life as they felt led to do.  We think of John Hus who choose death over recanting his beliefs, and his followers, the early Unity of the Brethren, who hid in forests and risked death to receive the cup and bread, and share their faith in their own language. 

We think about our own lives where God is calling us to follow as disciples, to risk the tough choices, and to stand up for what we believe is right.  We don't know where our journey will lead, but we know God goes before us and with us, and sustains us along the path.  Our Lord risked it all, and invites us to do the same.  May we all be willing to stand up for what we believe is right and follow wherever God leads.  Will you take the risk?  Amen.

[1] Allen W. Schattschneider and Albert H. Frank, Through Five Hundred Years and Beyond: A Popular History of the Moravian Church (Bethlehem, PA: IBOC, 2009) 13. This hymn was a rebel song from the 15th Century.

Festival of Homiletics: Nashville, TN (Day 1-Monday)

I begin by giving thanks to the Lilly Foundation for Craig's Sabbatical Grant for providing the funding for both of us to attend this Festival!  After just the first evening, I can already say this has been worth the trip... and for those of you who know how much I LOVE to FLY (insert sarcastic laugh here), that truly is saying a lot!  I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store!

This morning Craig and I headed to RDU to fly to Nashville, TN for the Goodpreacher.com sponsored Festival of Homiletics.  This is a National (and Canadians, the only other country I've seen so far) preaching conference for pastors, and there are over 2000 people here from all over the country representing many, many denominations.  After arriving and getting checked into the hotel, Craig and I walked over to First Baptist Church, the main location for the week.  We are also being hosted by the other downtown churches (First Lutheran, McKendree United Methodist, Christ Church Cathedral--Episcopal, and Downtown Presbyterian), and the various workshops and concerts are being held in these different venues.  Everything is a short walk from our hotel.   

[The view of the skyscrapers near our hotel, and the CMT TV headquarters]

[The famous Ryman Auditorium, the old home of the Grand Ole Opry, and also current home of it since the flooding.  It's on our street just down from the hotel.]

After checking in to the Festival, grabbing BBQ dinner at Jack's BBQ on Broadway Ave, we headed to the opening worship for the evening.  WOW!  Susan Phillips lead us in liturgy, prayer, assurance of pardon, and confession of faith.  We also enjoyed wonderful music by both Ashley Cleveland and Beth Nielsen Chapman.  And the 75+ member First Baptist Church Choir and very small brass band (7 members-great musicians, but not the 50+ folks from RMC that I'm used to) led us in worship. Susan had many great ways to enliven worship and make it more experiencial and multi-sensory.  I can already tell she's a kindred-soul and someone who I look forward to learning lots more from!

[This is the sanctuary view from the back row.  It's huge!]

[The altar up front--it's "living water" with plants and a fountain and water running down through it when Susan took a pitcher and poured it while reading Isaiah 12.  It was really powerful and really awesome!]

Then it was time for one of the highlights of the evening.  Bishop Vashti McKenzie from the African Methodist Episcopal Church was the guest preacher for the opening worship service this evening. She spoke about Moses' call from God to speak the truth with power in her sermon "Speaking Truth to Power" based on Exodus 4:10-17, specifically focusing on verse 12.

[Here is Bishop McKenzie preaching.  She was so dynamic and brought the Word of God with truth and power!  See my next blog posting for notes from this sermon!]

[It's hard to see in this photo, but the spray-painted sign on the side of the house says, "Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes." It was the photo on the screen during the Bishop's sermon and fit so well with Moses' conversation with the Great "I Am Who I Am" and call from God.]

After worship we heard a brief concert by Jazz Sax protogee Grace Kelly.  She was excellent.

 [Grace can be seen in this photo in the purple dress near the left edge.] 

The last order of the agenda for the evening was a lecture by Dr. Anna Carter Florence, a professor of preaching from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA.  She talked about Mark 5 and the 3 Superheros for the Preacher found in this chapter of the Gospel.

NOTE: I took lots of notes to include here from both speakers tonight, but bedtime is here, so I will post them tomorrow!

Thanks for reading along.  Goodnight from Nashville!  I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

"We are Family" Sermon for 10/11/09 Anniversary Lovefeast (Proper 23B-Mark 10:17-31)

October 11, 2009
Sermon for Anniversary Sunday Lovefeast
Proper 23 B Mark10:17-31
"We Are Family"

In March 2001 I journeyed with 4 friends to Amsterdam for Spring Break. We were living in Heidelberg, Germany at the time for a semester abroad. I knew there were Moravians in the area, and so on Sunday morning we set out on an adventure to attend worship at one of the Moravian churches in the Amsterdam suburbs.[1] My 4 friends had never heard of Moravians before, and none of us spoke Dutch, but they decided to join me for church that morning.


Upon finding the church, we were warmly greeted by a number of the members and they were excited to welcome a Moravian from North Carolina. We felt so incredibly welcomed into their community that day as person after person came over to say hello and introduce him or herself. This congregation was made up of immigrants from Surinam in northern South America. Thus worship was in Dutch and Surinamese. You can imagine our surprise when the pastor greeted us in English during their welcome time. Though I didn't understand anything else that was said, I followed the service because of the familiar rhythm that it had. Afterwards, we were quickly whisked away to the fellowship hall for their coffee hour, which turned out to be more of a feast--a lovefeast. They continued worshiping and fellowship together after the service around cafe tables and over coffee, tea, and lots of Surinamese goodies. My friends kept asking me if I was sure I hadn't met these people before, because we were certainly being treated like long lost family members. I don't think I've ever felt so welcomed into a congregation where I didn't know a single person, and that day, I saw a glimpse of what it truly means to be brothers and sisters in Christ.


Our Gospel reading this morning is likely a well-known passage sometimes referred to as the "rich young ruler" or the "parable of the camel and the needle." There is much that could be said about this particular passage. It describes the issue of wealth and discipleship, but there is another aspect that I wanted to briefly look at today. Verses 29-30 near the end of the passage describe a family relationship that Jesus is re-ordering within God's kingdom. Jesus' call to follow him as a disciple will cost the man his family relationships. His wealth was likely from a family estate or inheritance that Jesus was asking him to give up in order to follow. In the culture at that time, family ties were very strong and were held in highest esteem. Children were to honor their father and mother until death and assure them proper burial. There were few things worse than forsaking the family. Jesus was asking for a major sacrifice, which would separate him from his family in addition to his wealth. But in return for his following the call to discipleship, Jesus is promising him a new family and new relationships that will far surpass what he has known.


Jesus is redefining family relationships into kingdom of God relationships. Jesus' call opens up the familial relationships to be inclusive of all disciples, instead of family relationships being exclusive of blood relatives only. In fact, some people today refer to God's kingdom as God's kin-dom (removing the "g" from the word) to help focus on the familial relationships that Jesus calls us to. Jesus' call of discipleship for this man was to follow and the reward was a new family to belong to in this life, and eternal life in the age to come.


As I've thought about this idea of family and kin-dom relationships this week, I keep coming back to the idea that we are al a family. We use the terms brothers and sisters intentionally. Our involvement and the language we use here in church helps us to live into the reality that we are a part of God's family. Following Jesus brings us into the family of God.


For 56 years Raleigh Moravian has provided a family atmosphere and connection for many people. Some of you were born here and grew up as a part of this church family or helped start this community 56 years ago. Many of us have moved to the Triangle with jobs or school and left family behind in other cities and towns across the country and world. Connections to this community have created a family for us--a home away from home. Thanks to the technology we have today, following Jesus and being disciples who live and work and worship in this community doesn't always mean we leave our blood relatives behind. Though, as we heard from Laura Hartley last week, this is still a reality for some Christians around the world whose families disown them when they convert to Christianity like one of the pastors from the Moravian church in Nepal.


Whether we were born here or joined this family later in life, are visiting today or plan to stay around for a while, we are here as brothers and sisters in Christ's family who just shared a meal together. It is here where we can be ourselves, ask tough questions together, grow in faith together, take steps outside our comfort zones together, and encourage one another to further our following of Christ's call to be disciples. At it's best, a family is here to encourage one another in the faith and hold one another up when times are tough. Our church is a place where we can practice living into kin-dom values that Jesus is calling us to in this world and in eternal life in the age to come. But it takes intentionality to remain open to all those disciples, our brothers and sisters, who are following Jesus' call.


As I've thought about being brothers and sisters in Christ, I was reminded of the TV show, Cheers, and their theme song,


"Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go

Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name." [2]


Though some might find comparing church to a TV sitcom Bar from the 1980s a stretch, I believe there are some similarities. God's call to be in relationship with one another and know each other's name in the family is important as we are all formed into God's family filled with brothers and sisters around the world. We gather here in worship to remind ourselves that God is bigger than our worries and fears, and that we can lean on one another when we need a hand. Everyone wants to be known by their name, and we can all benefit from hearing our name spoke--we are beloved children of God and siblings with one another. Everyone has a seat at the table and is invited to partake in the meal that is offered to us, whether that is the body and blood of Christ, the bun and coffee of fellowship, or the casserole being served at the potluck.


In talking with visitors and new members, many of them comment on how welcome they feel here in this community, and that is a very good thing. But it's also a challenge to us. Jesus is calling all of us to kin-dom relationships, and we must be intentional about remaining open and welcoming of those we have in our midst. Do we know their names and are we glad they came? Do we know each others names and are we caring for one another? Are we all helping one another grow in our faith and love of Christ as we follow Christ's call?


As we continue into another year as members of God's family located here at Raleigh Moravian, let us hear Jesus' call to discipleship to come, follow Christ with renewed vigor. And may the Holy Spirit help us to be a place where we can keep practicing being part of God's Kin-dom, welcoming everyone to the feast that Christ offers us, and helping one another walk in the fellowship and love that Christ provides. After all, we are family, we've got our brothers and sisters right here. Amen.

[1] Amsterdam Suid-Oost Congregation, Evangelische Broedergemeente (Moravian Church in Holland) http://www.ebgzuidoost.nl/

[2] "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo - Taken from the Cheers TV show Theme song Lyrics

"You Know I Believe It" (Sermon for 9-13-09, Pentecost +15B)

Sermon for 9-13-09
Mark 8:27-38
Proper 19B/Pentecost +15B
Christian Education Kickoff Sunday

"You Know I Believe It"

This Sunday marks the beginning of our educational year at Raleigh Moravian. Sunday School started this morning, Confirmation kicked off as well, and many other programs and ministries are starting back after the summer. Today marks the transition to another year, so to speak, in the flow of life in the church. It is most appropriate that we are looking today at this particular passage from Mark's Gospel, as it is a transitional point in the life of Jesus and his disciples.

The passage the Barbara read a minute ago is the peak of Mark's Gospel. It's signals the end of Mark's initial telling about Jesus and his wanderings around Galilee preaching, teaching, and healing. Here he is positioned to head straight from Caesarea Philippi to Jerusalem, the cross, his death, and eventual resurrection. Everything in Mark's stories about Jesus to this point has led him up to this place. And from this place, everything leads down the valley to Jerusalem and all that Jerusalem brings. Caesarea Philippi was situated up in the mountains at the headwaters of the Jordan River, and they physically and emotionally were heading downhill after this conversation.

As this passage opens, we find the disciples and Jesus gathered around talking about the latest rumors and gossip about WHO they think Jesus is. It reminds me of the interviews we see on television these days, where the reporter is standing around asking everyone on the street what they think or believe about a particular topic. Jesus is standing there with the camera rolling and a microphone, asking these friends of his, "So who are folks saying that I really am?" "What's the word on the street?" The disciples list off the various answers and chime in with their contributions to the gossip.

But then the tone changes in the questioning. Jesus transitions into a much more difficult question. The stakes are higher. This isn't the $200 question from the "Gossip" category on Jeopardy. This is the final Jeopardy question, and it's a true Daily Double where all your money's on the line. Alex Trebec, I mean, Jesus, asks, "But who do you say that I am?" What do you believe? Who do you believe? Are you going with the gossip floating around or what?

It's not that the answers that the disciples gave were all bad. "Elijah," and "the prophets" were, after all, wise teachers and important leaders in the Jewish faith. They were strong leaders who lived on in the stories. For most folks, it would be an honor even to be named among the likes of Elijah and John the Baptist. But not for Jesus. He knew the journey ahead would require great knowledge and belief. He knew where they were heading. Jesus wanted to make sure the disciples understood exactly what was going on. He was searching their hearts and minds to find out what they believed? Who they believed? He wanted to make sure the background was in place for them to be prepared for what lie ahead in their journey.


WHAT do we believe? WHO do we believe? The question that Jesus asks the disciples is a question directed to them, but we also hear him asking us the same thing. As followers of Jesus today, who do we say that Jesus is? What do we believe? Our culture gives us many answers to the question about what to believe. If we wear the right shoes or clothes, we can be the top athlete, because the attire makes all the difference. If we wear the latest perfume or jewelry, we will be beautiful. If we use the latest and greatest gadget, we will be wiser or smarter. We are taunted by advertising to help sway our beliefs. There are so many beliefs floating around in our culture, it can be dizzying and overwhelming. If we stop and actually take a look at what we're hearing, seeing, and being asked to believe in, are we happy with the answers we find? What information do we know and, of that information, what do we really believe?


At Moravian Seminary, each Masters of Divinity Student is required to write a Credo, which is a fancy word meaning "belief". What do we believe. It usually comes in our final year, and is the culminating paper to wrap up all the information we've been learning and processing through during our schooling. That semester as I spent hours pouring over all that I had read and heard and learned, and trying to wrap my head around all that I really believed out of it. I was forced to answer the question that Jesus asks his disciples--"Who do you say that I am" and I had 30 pages to do it in. And believe me, 30 pages seemed like a lot, until page 29 when I was trying to cram in as much as I could before I ran out of space. It is difficult, if not impossible I think, for us to fully name what we believe, as systematic theologians have spend entire lifetimes trying to fully articulate the faith of the Church in a changing world. I also realized not long after that my credo was finished, that it was not fixed but fluid, because my life and faith journey is always evolving. But as followers of Jesus who are faced with the question, "Who do say that I am?," at some point or another, we are required to name at least parts of our belief-our credo. It's difficult because life changes. It's also difficult because the transition from knowledge to belief is difficult.


The transition in questioning by Jesus denotes a shift from information to formation, from head knowledge to heart belief. The disciples have seen and heard lots. They've watched the latest news polls, heard the politicians and leaders debate, and they must decide for themselves who and what they believe. They know in their head WHO Jesus is, but do they truly believe in their hearts. They'd read the latest authors and bloggers, seen lots of interesting and exciting signs, wonders, and the best advertising money can buy, but WHO had they encountered and what really stuck with them? What were they going to carry with them on the journey ahead?
We all must make that same transition from head knowledge to heart belief, from information to formation. The church, at her best, helps us along this journey by providing us both the information and formation that it takes to move from knowledge to belief. We see two examples today of this journey. Our 2nd graders received their Bibles a few minutes ago, and these Bibles are gifts that hopefully each of them will carry with them along the journey. We've marked a milestone in the journey of faith and continue to give them information and tools to aid in their own answering of Jesus' question--"Who do you say that I am?"

The other example is in our Confirmation Class that began this morning. We have 12 youth that have stepped out today to mark another milestone in their journey. They have begun a process of learning and exploring what it means to be a member of this congregation and the greater Church. It's certainly a class that will provide information, but we also hope it will provide a chance for formation, where their knowledge can become deeper belief.

Church fathers and mothers across the centuries have been trying to sum up their beliefs into succinct statements of faith. We see examples in our Moravian Book of Worship [1]--the Apostle's Creed (page 3) and the Nicene Creed (page 22), both of which are very brief credos. Our Confirmands will follow in this tradition as well. Next spring we will be working together to write a credo as a class--though it won't be like the ones Craig and I had to write in Seminary. I don't know exactly what it will look like, but I trust it will reflect their own beliefs and thoughts-- their own answers to the question, "Who do you say that I am?"

Jesus' question to us, "Who do you say that I am?" in other words, "What do you believe?" requires us to take in the information around us and forms us into disciples who not only have a head of information but a heart that has been formed. Though you may have never considered it before, we, like our confirmands, all have the opportunity to ponder these questions from Jesus Christ of what we believe and define our own credos. Jesus not only gives us the opportunity, but also requests an answer to the question--Jesus wants to know our credos.
Just as advertising comes in various forms in a multitude of places, our credos can be found and expressed in a variety of ways. Sometimes they come in the forms of stained glass windows or poetry, art or dance, hymns or written statements--anywhere we share our answer to the question, "Who do you say that I am?" or "What do you believe?"

I find a simple, yet insightful credo in the music of the Irish rock band U2. Many of their lyrics contain statements of their belief {a brief list can be found at this link}, and one song in particular reminds me of today's passage. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", a song off of their 1987 album "The Joshua Tree" professes what I would identify as a credo.



They sing:
"I believe in the Kingdom Come
Then all the colours will bleed into one
Bleed into one.
But yes, I'm still running.

You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross of my shame
Oh my shame, you know I believe it.

But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for." [2]

As I have spent time in my car lately driving back and forth to Winston-Salem and around town listening to their music, I am struck by the simplicity and yet profound faith expressed in these words. And the parallels to today's reading from the Gospel of Mark ring loud and clear to me. We are all called to answer the question, "Who do you say that I am?" by moving from head knowledge to heart belief through the formation along life's journey. We don't have all the complete answers right now, nor do we need to, but that can't stop us from answering the question Jesus asks. As Mark and U2 remind us, we're still running, our life of faith is a journey. Jesus invites us to answer the question and then take up our cross and follow him on this journey. The Church helps us mark milestones to direct the path through the giving Bibles and celebrating the sacraments, participation in Sunday School, Confirmation, Youth Fellowship, Small Groups, Mission teams, you name it...

We, like the disciples in Mark, face the questions together. Thankfully and joyfully together we all help each other along on the journey from head knowledge to heart belief as we figure out what we believe and profess our own credos to answer the question, "Who do we say Jesus is?" Even when we haven't yet exactly found what we're looking for, we can still proclaim together, "You know we believe it, "You are the Messiah--The Christ--the Son of God." Amen.


[1] Moravian Book of Worship (Bethlehem, PA: Interprovincial Board of Communications, Moravian Church in North America, 1995) 3, 22.
[2] U2,"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" from The Joshua Tree album, 1987.

"Go In Peace" Sermon for 6/28/09

Sermon for 6/28/09
Pentecost +4, Proper 8B, Ordinary 13
Mark 5:21-43; Psalm 30
"Go in Peace"

So often when we hear "Peace" in our culture, I believe we often hear "absence of conflict" or we associate it with the 1960s and 70s, Woodstock, and Flower children. Maybe you hear John Lennon telling us to "Give Peace a Chance." It's commonly used in various capacities, so much so that I think we sometimes forget the power that the word really has. Peace means so much more than just absence of war or lack of conflict. We hear Jesus bidding the woman in today's Scripture passage to "Go in Peace." Jesus is referring to Shalom, the Hebrew word translated as peace. Shalom is peace in a holistic sense that is much broader than many of us likely imagine. The peace that the woman is given literally changes her whole world, and her life would never be the same. But to better understand how her life changed, it might be best to let her tell her own story.

[Sermon continues in 1st person w/ shawl wrapped over shoulders as 'Hannah']

"Shalom. Thank you for letting me speak. My story is so remarkable, I must continue telling it. I cannot help but share the good news of my being made well. You see, I am the woman who bled for 12 years straight. Well, I was her. Now I am Hannah, and my story is a miracle. Before I was a nobody, but now I am someone with a name and a future and hope. It all starts over 12 years ago when my illness began. And if it wasn't bad enough, it just kept going. I went to physicians, priests, healers, medicine men, just about anyone in this whole region who claimed to heal. I kept going to these doctors until I had no more money to spend. I was broke. My illness ruined my life.

Living in a Jewish town in a Jewish region, everyone was Jewish. Everyone lived by the Torah. Everyone knew the laws about cleanliness, everyone including me. I have heard many teachings on Leviticus and what is clean and unclean (Leviticus 15). I also knew how to perform the needed sacrifices and washing to become clean after the bleeding was over. But it never ended, at least until that one remarkable day when everything changed. You see because of the bleeding, I was unclean. No one could come near me. No one would come near me. Even being around me at all would render them unclean as well. No one would have anything to do with me. Not my friends, not my family, not the merchants in the marketplace. I was an outcast. It was like being a leper. So like I said, I tried everything. I visited everyone I could find until I was penniless and homeless. My family abandoned me, and I was left living on the street.

Once I become of marrying age, no one would even consider me. They wouldn't come near me, much less ask me to marry them--are you kidding. I was cursed. No husband meant no children. No children meant no legacy. Without heirs I would continue to be poor and destitute, because I would have no children to care for me later in life. I was worthless. I was hopeless. I had no power and no means to help myself. Being someone's daughter or wife or mother allowed me to have power that I couldn't have on my own. Without a husband or son, I couldn't think about owning property or having future income.

And then there's my spiritual life. I longed to be allowed back in the outer courts of the temple where the other women gathered. I longed to bring my sacrifices to the priest to be deemed clean and well. I had faith and my faith endured, but it was certainly challenged. I clung to the verses I remembered from childhood. "Sing praises to the Lord, and give thanks to his holy name." I knew my weeping would only last for a night and joy would come in the morning, but I waited so long to see the dawn. Now, finally, I can proclaim with my loudest voice, God has turned my mourning into dancing; God has taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever" (referencing Psalm 30). Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!

Yes, my faith wavered, but it never failed. So that's what led me into the crowd that one day when I heard Jesus was in town. This new rabbi was well known in my region because of the miracles he had done. Just before my encounter he had calmed the waves on the sea and made the demons leave the man. Despite his disciples' best efforts, word still spread about the wonders Jesus did. He brought peace to these people, and he did the same for me. That day, I remember hearing that he was coming, so I decided that I had to go see him. I knew that my being in the crowd was problematic, being unclean, but I could not stop myself. He was my last resort. Everyone else had tried and failed, and the stories about this Jesus were almost too good to be true. I remembered the words from the prophet Malachi (Malachi 4:2) that some rabbis interpreted that even the Messiah's robe would bring healing, so I thought surely I can get close enough to touch his robe. "If I but touch his clothes, I would be made well" (Mark 5:28).

I didn't mean to interrupt him that day. Jesus was busy and was needed at Jarius' home because his daughter was ill. I had heard the commotion at this synagogue official's house and time was running short. I was a nobody, so how dare I interrupt him. There were so many people surrounding him, I thought there would be no way he would notice my light touch on the tassel of his rob given all the hands reaching out to him. The tassels hung down from the corners of his prayer shawl that he, like many men in my town, wore over their shoulders (Number 15). God commanded that we wear these as a reminder of our covenant. The tassels hung low enough that I thought there was a chance I could reach them through the huge crowd. So I did it. I sometimes still can't believe I did it. I reached down, touched only the tassel, and my bleeding stopped. It was a miracle. But then he turned and asked who had touched him. He felt himself healing. It wasn't the tassel that healed me it was Jesus himself. I was able to sneak away, but he wanted to meet the person who touched him. Could he mean me?

I was shaking. I have never been so scared in my life. How would he react? I had violated his cleanliness and made him unclean, and he and I both knew it. But I had to step forward to face him; he was waiting. My knees buckled in fear, and I fell to the ground in front of him. The crowd surrounded us as I poured out my heart and my whole story. The years of illness, the attempts at healing, being lonely and ritually unclean. That's when the real miracle happened. He wasn't angry. He didn't send me away to be completely banished from society. He didn't order me stoned. Instead Jesus offered me a blessing. I will never forget those words, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." "Shalom." He blessed me and called me his daughter. I was now a somebody. I was Hannah, and I was whole. No longer unclean. No longer without family or friends or a future. I was God's daughter and part of God's Kingdom.

Jesus offered me shalom--peace. Jesus offered me salvation--being made well. Jesus offered me health and wholeness in more ways than I had dreamed of. It's been a few years since that encounter and yet, it still feels like yesterday. I shall never forget that feeling when Jesus offered me shalom. A few weeks later after this encounter my family heard of my healing and reached out to me. Cousins, nieces and nephews, family I had never even met were now welcoming me into their homes like a lost daughter. Parties were thrown in my honor. It was though I was dead and was alive again.

Soon after my encounter with Jesus I even received an offer for marriage. One of the men in the crowd that day took notice. Now my future looked promising after all of the struggles I had over those twelve years. He has property and a house, and there is food on the table each evening. I no longer have to search for food in the trash. My cup runneth over. God is so good.

And you might be asking about the daughter that I took Jesus away from when I interrupted him in the crowd. Because of my interruption that day, she died. But, like my story, Jesus healed her as well and she received new life through him. Jesus turned her family's mourning into dancing. He made her well too, and I see her around town every once in a while. She's well and someone would never know she had been so sick--Jesus brought her wholeness too. We both received the greatest gift--shalom. There were many miracles that day--what a day it was. We must not forget. It is up to all of us to tell the story of Jesus' gift of shalom--of peace--of wholeness and healing. It is surly a day people will remember for years to come. "O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever." (Psalm 30)


[Hannah's story is historical fiction based on research about the passage from Mark 5]
Resources Consulted
-Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005) 105-107.
-William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, rev. Ed from The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: Westminster Press, 1975) 126-137.
-Lamar Williamson, Jr. Mark: Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1983) 108-113.
-Michaela Bruzzese, “June 28” in “Living the Word, Reflections on the Revised Common Lectionary, Cycle B;” Sojourners Magazine (June 2009, page 49).
-Pheme Perkins, “Mark” in The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. VIII (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995) 586-591.
-Mark D. W. Edington; Michael L. Lindvall; Efrain Agosto; and Beverly Zink-Sawyer; “Proper 8: Mark 5:21-43” in Feasting on the Word, Year B, Vol. 3 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009) 188-193.
-James J.H. Price; Frederick J. Parrella; Christie Cozad Neuger; Susan Langhauser; Keith Hohly; Martin Kich; Kenneth H. Carter, Jr.; and Brett Younger; “Proper 8, Ordinary 13, Pentecost 4 for Mark 5:21-43” in Lectionary Homiletics, Vol. XX, Number 4 (June-July 2009) 28-36.

Tour Guides for God (Sermon for 6/14/09; Proper 6B/Pentecost 2B)

Tour Guides for God
Sermon for 6/14/09 (Proper 6B/Pentecost 2B)
Mark 4:26-34; Ezekiel 17:22-24

And now for the interactive portion of our sermon. Raise your hands--How many of you have ever raised a garden--be it for vegetables or flowers? OK, you can put your hands down. Now raise your hands again--How many of you grew up on a working farm or live on a working farm today? OK, you can put your hands down. As I suspected, many of us have had at least some experience working in a garden or farm where we worked the soil, planted seeds or seedlings, and watched as the seasons changed and brought different looks to the garden in the cycle of life. But even thought many of us have experience with gardens, I doubt that many, if any, of us rely solely on our gardens and farms to feed our families. Thankfully we have grocery stores, farmers markets, and restaurants that provide most of our food these days. At the same time we have choices for the source of our food, we can easily loose our connection to creation and our Creator because we spend less and less time with our fingers in the dirt and our senses heightened by the changing seasons.

Jesus lived in an agrarian culture where farming and crop cycles were a tremendous part of basic survival. During those days, I can only imagine how closely they watched the seasons, crop cycles, and weather just to be sure there would be food to last through the year. As we read through Scripture, we quickly notice that crops, trees, bushes, seeds, plantings and harvests cover a huge landscape of Jesus' parables. We read two of these very parables today--the first one that only appears in Mark, and the second about the mustard seed that is likely much more familiar as it appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Of these two seed parables, the growing seed parable resonated with me much more this week than the mustard seed one. I can relate to that someone who goes along, plants some seeds, and a while later realizes how much they have grown. Steve and I have gotten into vegetable gardening this year for the first time. A couple of months ago I ventured into my local Home & Garden store and walked out with seeds, dirt, peat cups, and hope for what we would be harvesting later this summer. I diligently planted the seeds, remembered to water them occasionally, and low and behold, in a few days we had sprouts growing up. Then, as many of you know, we bought a house the end of May, and the first thing we did after our closing was to head to our new house to build the raised-bed garden.

We needed to transfer our seedlings into the ground quickly, since they were quickly outgrowing the small peat cups. I set up the soaker hose on a timer and spent the next two weeks sun down to sun up trying to get everything moved from one place to the next.

All of the sudden one day last week I looked out in the backyard, and was amazed to see our garden. It's huge--so huge in fact that yesterday afternoon we spent time digging up some of the squash plants and transferring them back to big pots to make some room for the rest of the garden--I guess I should have listened to the spacing directions on the package better! Amazingly, after only a few weeks our lettuce is ready to eat. We picked our first lettuce Friday night, and it was so exciting to eat our first real dinner in our new house and enjoy the lettuce of our labors.


As I've thought about the parable of the growing seeds and my own gardening experience this year, one detail in particular jumped out. In Mark 4:27 the text says, "and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how." This gardener does not know how the seeds grow. Yep-I relate to that! Can anyone else relate? Sounds to me like Jesus shared this parable and used me as the example--I'm pretty much clueless as to how the whole seed process works. I just know it does--with a little water and sun added in, and voila--we have fresh veggies for dinner. This little phrase "he does not know how" in the Greek uses the word that we derive our word "automatic" from. The seeds grow automatically. But this word in the Greek subtly shows that in fact, it was God's work that helped the seed grow automatically. God provides the sun and rain. God provides the seed. God created the soil and God's hand is right there tending the crops.

This parable deals with the ordinary, mundane, and not always so exciting process of planting, growing, and harvesting. It takes place in the minutia--the stuff of life that most of us likely do somewhat automatically without thought. We watch the seasons change, but sometimes it's hard to tell when the change has actually taken place. We generally wake up one morning, turn off the heat, forget the scarf and hat, and go about our business, not realizing that in fact winter is finally over and spring is here to stay. We notice the days getting longer and longer, but just keep going about our ordinary lives--not thinking about the movement of the created universe that makes all of these things possible. Our lives are very much automatic--winter leads to spring, trees grow leaves, fields become vibrant with growth, and then it's time for the harvest and the process starts over again.

The someone in the parable might not know how it all happens, and we might not understand seed germination and growth, but our Creator God certainly does. God is at the heart of this yearly planting, growing, and harvesting. God is present in the ordinary, mundane details, even when we're on autopilot. God is omnipresent--everywhere--and has a hand in every detail, no matter how small--from the mustard seed to the tall cedars that soar. Seeing the crops and watching the seasons change help us to know God is in fact Creator and is not a distant, far off God. God is present here and around us and in us every moment of every day. One writer I came across this week said about this parable that "Jesus invites us to see and to hear God in the familiar rounds of daily life... to sit still and contemplate quietly until the commonplace wakes our minds and hearts to wonder." [1] Does your garden cause you to pause and wake your mind and make your heart wonder?

This past week in our Velvet Elvis small group, we read a section that caused much discussion and connects with this parable. Rob Bell is discussing mission trips, which many of us are either just returning from, or about to leave out on. Bell is relating Paul's work with different people groups in Acts 14 to current mission endeavors today. Paul tells the group he is working with, "God has not left himself without testimony; [God] has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; [God] provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." [2] Bell then says, "Missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. It is almost as if being a good missionary means having really good eyesight. Or maybe it means teaching people to use their eyes to see things that have always been there; they just didn't realize it. You see God where others don't. And then you point [God] out. Perhaps we ought to replace the word missionary with tour guide, because we cannot show people something we haven't seen. ...So the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst." [3] He goes on to explain, "Tour guides are people who see depth and texture and connection where others don't. That is why the best teachers are masters of the obvious. They see the same thing that we do, but they are aware of so much more. And when they point it out, it changes the way we see everything." [4]

Tour guides for God. It is certainly a different way to describe our mission adventures. It might be a good bumper sticker or T-shirt slogan. But something in that resonates with me deep down. God is present everywhere. God makes the sun to shine and the seeds to grow automatically--we do not know how. God is at work in the mundane, ordinary actions and interactions, and when we take notice, we can draw closer to our Creator through creation. It is up to us to see with new eyes, intentionally pay attention, and notice where the seeds of faith, love, and hope are sprouting around us. Maybe God's presence will be obvious and you can't miss the sign at all. Or maybe it's a secret garden that isn't really located on the map, but you can see glimpses of our Creator in the flowers and trees around you. It also reminds us that sometimes the seeds are planted and we must wait patiently for them to sprout to be tall enough to be seen through the dirt. Sometimes we are planting seeds that will take months or years to be able to identify. Do not give up hope--growth is taking place with God as the gardener.

This summer, I invite you to think about where you see God around you. Where is God working automatically, so much so that we are oblivious and need new eyes to see God's presence? Where can our mundane, ordinary experiences become places to pause and begin to wonder about all God has created? How can we connect with our Creator through gardening, hiking in nature, hammering nails, painting walls, or having conversations with friends? How can we be tour guides to show others where God is already at work? And how can we help others see with new eyes to point out God in their midst too? And just as Thanksgiving is a celebration of the bounty of the harvest, let us not forget to give thanks for the garden bounty, the signs of God in our midst, and all the new eyes that become tour guides directing us closer to our Creator God. Amen.

[1] Lamar Willimason, Jr., Mark: Interpretation Series (Louisville, KY: John Knox Press, 1983) 100.
[2]Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005) 87. Bell references Acts 14:17.
[3]Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005) 87-88.
[4]Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005) 89.