Remember ... 02/23/2012
 
Last night, we marked the beginning of Lent with an Ash Wednesday service. The service was fairly typical: scripture, prayers, sermon and imposition of ashes.

My colleague, Jim Reisner, and I each had a set of ashes that we used to mark worshipers' foreheads. As we did, we said the traditional words, "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return."

As I spoke these words over and over, I couldn't help but consider them. If we are told to "remember" that we are dust we must already know, we must have been told before.

When were we told? Every Ash Wednesday for starters. But we were also told earlier: at our baptism.

Baptism is another ritual in the church that we are told to remember. As the saying goes, "Remember your baptism and be glad." 

In general, we think of baptism as a joyous celebration of a new Christian in our midst. When we celebrate infant baptism, we also give thanks for the new life God is welcoming into the world. We don't think of it as a celebration of dying.

But that's what baptism is: dying to ourselves so that we can be alive in Christ.

A blessing said over the water at baptism contains these words: "We thank you, O God, for the water of baptism. In it we are buried with Christ in his death. From it we are raised to share his resurrection..."

While we have been told before, we still need some reminding. That is why once a year we are told in word and in deed that it is not about us. We are told that our small self-centered world is not all there is, that we are called to die to our very selves in order to live in Christ.

This Lent, may it be so among us.

Also, see this Ash Wednesday photo slideshow from NPR.
Add Comment
 
Retreat! 02/02/2012
 
That's right, friends. The time has come for my annual retreat for rest and spiritual renewal with 5 other women from seminary.

As I prepare to leave town, I find myself hurrying around to tie up all the loose ends and delegate all that cannot be finished in time. That's exactly why I need to go away: to remove myself from the treadmill of my daily and weekly routine.
Picture
Several years ago, I read Sabbath by Wayne Muller. He encourages his readers to find and create space for rest in their regular routines. I cherish his words and try to live by them.

Sometimes you just need to leave town in order to truly have a time apart.

My prayer is that this time also equips me to seek and create Sabbath more faithfully and more regularly. There is always something that needs to be done. We will always find some excuse to keep us from truly taking the commanded Sabbath rest.

May we all intentionally create Sabbath, especially when we think we are too busy.
Add Comment
 
 
On Saturday, Albany Presbytery approved a statement from our Peacemaking Task Force in support of the Occupy Movement. Read the statement below. As someone who has been involved in Occupy Albany, I am very happy to see this coming from our church.

The Occupy Movement is a legitimate public airing of grievances.  It highlights the ways in which the economy is not working for most Americans and calls to account those who have plunged our nation and the world into a desperate economic crisis.

Trillions of taxpayer dollars have bailed out the wealthy while close to nothing has gone to cushion economic collapse for the poor and middle class.  Millions of Americans are unemployed or under-employed. The US is faced with a massive permanent underclass that may never work again.

As people of faith we acknowledge that we all bear a certain responsibility for the current economic condition, but all are not equally guilty.  The grievances of the protesters include:  lasting foreclosure relief, restoration of appropriate financial regulation, greater legal protection for workers’ rights, and more progressive taxation. The country needs a shift in emphasis from protecting financial institutions, corporations and the wealthy to fostering equitable wages and lasting economic development.

The Occupy Movement illuminates the socio-economic inequality that fuels so much injustice.  In a nation which proudly claims, “Liberty and Justice for all…” it’s time to live up to our principles. We ask our elected leaders to give ear to the underlying messages of these protests and to find the courage to represent the interests of all Americans and not just those who, along with their business malfeasance, contribute generously to re-election campaigns.

We endorse the work of the teaching elders, ruling elders, church members and Presbyterian Church (USA) congregations that are working actively in the local and national Occupy Movement.  We encourage our congregations to support the Occupy Movement actively with prayer, finances and participation.
Add Comment
 
Mixed Emotions 01/23/2012
 
I admit that I have mixed emotions as I write today's post.

On the one hand, I am still glowing from an uplifting worship experience from our youth group yesterday. They led a truly meaningful service, reading scripture, leading announcements and acting out the scripture passage in a modern day retelling. A freshman in high school preached the sermon on accepting other people in the face of exclusive high school cliques.

It's not just me, the entire congregation is still aglow. Phone messages and emails are pouring in from the congregation telling me how meaningful it was. I know the youth feel a sense of accomplishment as well, to have led worship without any adult help (besides the choir and organist). The Spirit is certainly at work!

Then on the other hand, I am saddened by recent news in our denomination. This past weekend, a group of Presbyterians announced a break away denomination from the PC(USA).

Plenty of individuals and congregations have left the denomination already. But there hasn't been a split like this one since reunification in 1983. Incidentally, that split was over the issue of slavery back in the 19th century. The North and South churches decided they were better off together and reunited in 1983.

I just don't think that splitting is the answer. Some of the literature ECO has put out says that they want to stop bickering and be with people they agree with more. The problem is that every group of 2 or 3 people (including Christians) will find something to argue about, no matter how small, no matter how unimportant. They will have plenty of controversy within their own ranks in a few years.

I also think that the Church - capital C - should be moving toward unity in all that we do. Throughout the 20th century, Lesslie Newbigin served in churches in South India, where I myself served for a year. As a missionary theologian he wrote about how splintering factions hurt the church's mission worldwide. That's not to say that those involved in ECO may not find a better fit somewhere other than the PC(USA). It's to say that we are better together.

It is an uncomfortable feeling to be the one person in a room who is different from everyone else. But I find it much more uncomfortable to be in a room with people who are all alike.
Add Comment
 
 
I ran across this blog post from Emily Morgan, entitled A Letter to the Church about Young Adults and Worship. Many churches want to "get more young people" in church. Morgan considers this question from many angles, as a young adult and a churchgoer herself.

A point that really sticks with me is the difference between ministry to young adults and ministry with young adults.

A good friend of mine is pastor of Redemption Church in Pennsylvania, a new church start that intentionally reaches out to college students and young adults in Bucks County outside of Philadelphia. They have young adults at every level of leadership and are reaching new people all the time.

They have so many young adults, in fact, that they are trying to reach out to older people. Instead of the typical question, "how do we get more young people?" they are asking, "how do we get older people to join our church?" A unique problem to have.

I am reminded of churches that want to be more culturally diverse. How do we get more people who don't look like us to be a part of our community?

Themes from Morgan's article can be applied to each of these situations. Now I'll p. What would you add?
3 Comments
 
 
This blog post was supposed to be about the church.

At a recent church potluck, I noticed how quickly folks jumped to clean up after the meal, stack chairs, put tables away and wash dished.

In a society where the customer is always right we have come to expect a staff to clean up after us, or at the very least to do most of the work. Church is one of the few public spaces where we have to take responsibility not just for the food and program but for cleaning up afterwards.

At least that's what this post was going to be about.

Then on Monday, Occupy Albany met in our church. They held a facilitated debriefing session after the camp's eviction on December 22. Over 75 people came to the 3 hour session. We broke into small groups to talk about our experiences and then came back to the larger group to share themes and think about what comes next.

Monday night the church building was available for Occupy Albany to use. But Tuesday morning, the FOCUS breakfast program was to begin preparations at 5:45.

When the Occupy Albany session ended around 8:30, I asked people to stay and help set the room for breakfast.

It turns out I was wrong: church is not the only place where people jump up to clean up after themselves and go out of their way to make a facility look its best.

Over 30 people set up chairs, moved tables, washed dishes, swept the floors, set place settings and wiped off counters. Even more thanked Westminster for the use of the space with genuine sincerity.

Thank you to all the volunteers who worked together that night. May we all work together with such ease and grace.
Add Comment
 
 
I am featured in this WNYC story speaking about the increasing numbers at our FOCUS breakfast program this winter.

Take a listen.

"We want to put ourselves out of business - we want to not to have to open our doors because people are fed and they have all they need to eat but there is an increasing need for that and that is a shame"
Add Comment
 
What's Next? 12/27/2011
 
I came across this blog post from Tucson (the place I lived before moving to Albany last year) and the next chapter for the Occupy movement there.

In light of the events at Occupy Albany last Thursday and the next phase of the occupation, the blogger offers some ideas to ponder about next strategies.

The occupation is dead, long live the Occupation!
Add Comment
 
The to do list 12/19/2011
 
This morning, a friend posted on Facebook that it looks like her Christmas cards will be new year's cards this year. There's just not enough time to get them done.

Christmas is 6 days away. It's crunch time. But I don't have to tell you that. You're feeling it too. There are so many preparations to take care of: decorating, cooking, shopping, wrapping, and getting everything done in time to travel or welcome family in town.

I like the fuss we make about Christmas. It's a special time of year, and our celebrations reflect how different it is from everyday life.

I just wish that Christmas wasn't so much about getting things done.

In church, the season of Advent is also about preparation. We wait for Christ to come and "prepare him room" as the hymn goes.

What if the lead up to Christmas came with a "to be" list instead of a "to do" list? What if instead of "drive there, get this, wrap that, call them" our preparations for the coming of God sounded more like "pray here, walk there, laugh with them, look over there"? I want to look inward during this last week in Advent, to prepare my being and tend to my soul.

What is on your "to be" list this Advent?
Add Comment
 
 
I recently read a blog post by Brian McLaren, one of many that reflect upon his experiences in OWS. He discourages protest language such as "take it back" and instead advocates for a non-violent approach to all we say and do. He puts it very well in his own words.

McLaren got me thinking - what is the opposite of taking? In some cases, it is giving. In others, perhaps, it is receiving. In yet other circumstances, as McLaren argues, non-violent resistance is the opposite of taking.

Mahatma Ghandi and Dr. Martin Luther King gleaned wisdom from the Beatitudes, as McLaren points out. Most non-violent protest movements trace some of their motivation back to Jesus' teachings.

While many people have learned from these ancient words, I am even more compelled to practice non-violence because I am a professing follower of Jesus. As someone who knows Jesus and reads his teaching, I know that "taking" just doesn't factor into the equation.

I am reminded of a conversation I had with a good friend of mine who does not believe in God. He and I tease each other in a lighthearted banter about our belief or lack thereof.

One day in particular, he was teasing me about Christianity and asked why he should believe. I suggested that maybe he shouldn't. Then he came back with, "What would I get out of believing in God?"

That's just it - it's not about what you get out of God but what you can give - what God makes you capable of giving.

Serving the God of the Beatitudes, I see non-violence in a special way because I feel a calling to do the opposite of take.
Add Comment