Tell Tale Signs

You can tell one thing I did this weekend by looking at my arms and my hands. I helped my sister paint a bathroom, and whenever I paint a room one might guess that I had accomplished the task by finger painting if you saw me afterwards. I have no idea how to paint neatly. Luckily for her, I tend to pay more attention to cleaning up the floor than I do my arms. There are still traces of primer on my hands 24 hours later. Even in gardening I have to get my hands into the dirt and then I spend the next few days trying to free all the dirt beneath my nails. The only gloves I care about are the ones that keep me warm. I never minded the days of photographic darkrooms when I used my hands to turn the film over and over in the bath of developer. My husband might say from time to time that my hands smelled of chemicals, but I had to feel the film with my fingertips. The fix stains on my clothes, like the paint, again gave clues to the work I was doing, and that I wasn’t necessarily the neatest kid on the block. On the way home from painting I wondered if there were any external clues, like the paint or dirty fingernails, that might allow someone to guess that I try to follow Christ. On Ash Wednesday I usually go straight home instead of making a stop to get groceries. What kind of hints do I leave? How often do I get my hands dirty and engaged in the work of the church and the community?

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are the first to engage and create. I imagine you in the center of the chaos, dirt flying, hammers pounding, impulsively singing, and making the work more joyful and complete for those you have drafted to complete the task. There is evidence of your hands at work. Let us answer your call, willing to get our hands dirty, to sweat and to learn so that there may be evidence of our bodies at work. Give us opportunities to jump boldly into the pit alongside you, and listen quietly as a confidant; to launch daringly a new program and pray earnestly for peace; to challenge ardently the world’s teachings and to live faithfully to your call. Let us be aware of the hints and the clues that follow us, and whether they are clues of a life following selfishness or a life following Christ. Let us be marked by your love. Amen.

Just Say Yes

I have to admit I’m intrigued, but I also know the consequences are likely to be great. Imbedded in an e-mail posting was a reference to New Monasticisms and Just Faith groups as examples of new cultures within the Christian religion which are working within the historical tradition. Shane Claiborne is one of the more recognizable faces of New Monasticism, but I had never heard of Just Faith groups. Before I left for work I sent a homework assignment to my friend Jane because she loves researching new ideas and I thought this would be something about which she could get excited. Saying yes to God seems to have been easier for her. She has always been a mentor to the youth, and the not so young, but since she has discovered disaster relief work, she feels like she has really found her niche. And that’s probably what she was doing today, because I didn’t find a three page essay on the subject and what other places that had led her to investigate. So I went back this evening to read a bit more. Just Faith is an organization with Catholic foundations, but which also hosts an ecumenical program to make themselves as accessible as the needs are that needs to be met. It is not a small program in content or in scope providing multiple layers of support. “J Walking” is the program designed for youth, but it is not abbreviated or diluted, encouraging youth to “walk against the flow, choosing unconventional paths." Both programs are a thirty-week justice formation process involving study, speakers, hands-on experience, and community building. A thirty-week commitment, why would I read any further??? I stopped singing in the choir because of existing time constraints. It’s hard to plan a weekend trip out of town because I already have several existing obligations. And big idealist that I can be, I have never followed through on mission trips, never seeming to find a compatible time with workload and family needs. My actions defy my inclinations. I know my history. What would be the point in pursuing this?

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are relentless. You never rest in meeting the needs of those who call upon your name, and for those who don’t even know that you are a possibility of relief. You persist in calling those who can help be your hands and keep offering new avenues of labor for the sake of justice, for the sake of charity and for the sake of spiritual growth. In order that I may be your hands, I have to abandon my former excuses and rationalizations. In order that I may be your servant, I have to remove my name as lord. Let us say yes when you present another way to follow more closely in the dust of the rabbi’s feet. The consequences may be great, as may be our return. Ultimately, may we return to you in humble submission and adoration. Amen.

Praying Over Breakfast

During the Great Depression, the leaders in Seattle, Washington, turned to prayer after having taken care of as many people as possible, but not quite ready to surrender to hopelessness. They simply gathered one morning as brothers and sisters to share a meal and talk with God. These prayer breakfasts started emerging all over the city, the state and the nation. The Prayer Breakfast gained national prominence when President Eisenhower asked if he could join a group of Senators, and since that time president’s have led a national prayer breakfast each February. This morning, President Obama addressed the gathering:

“In a world that grows smaller by the day, perhaps we can begin to crowd out the destructive forces of zealotry and make room for the healing power of understanding. This is my hope. This is my prayer....I believe this good is possible because my faith teaches me that all is possible, but I also believe because of what I have seen and what I have lived.... So let us pray together on this February morning, but let us also work together in all the days and months ahead. For it is only through common struggle and common effort, as brothers and sisters, that we fulfill our highest purpose as beloved children of God. I ask you to join me in that effort and I also ask that you pray for me, for my family, and for the continued perfection of our union. Thank you.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You hear all prayers and answer with hope and strength. Let us reach across the aisle, across the street, across the nation, lowering our particular barriers so that we can reach out to a brother and sister who likewise set aside their hesitations in interest of praying as one. Let us find common bonds that unite all religions, so that each tenet of love may be fulfilled. Each day we seem to realize through grim awakenings that we are not the champions of our daily bread, and that more and more, prayer is supplying our nourishment. We feel that we may be the next generation to have a close understanding of the Depression, and our faith will be called to carry us, as faith was relied upon by our forbearers. Let us join our president in prayer for the world and that his leadership may be inspired by your word. Amen.

Parking Lot Blues

Last Friday I walked out to my car after work and discovered the rear bumper was askew, scratch marks on the side of the car and an empty parking space next to my car. My first guess was that the person parked next to my car had done this and left without leaving any information. Parking is horrible and people park in many unapproved areas because there are no options left. I’m pretty careful where I park, and if it is too tight I’ll choose another space. I just could not believe this had happened. Then I stepped back to re-evaluate the situation, there are so many other silver sedans in the parking lot, maybe I had the wrong car. No, this was the dirty silver Hybrid Camry parked at an odd angle, on the right row - all of my trademarks. I still could not understand how it happened. The angle of my parked car did not make complete sense that the damaged bumper was done by the missing vehicle, but it was obviously true that something had happened. It was not damaged when I parked at the beginning of the day and now there were dents and scratches. I started making an inventory of the steps and actions needed before the car could be repaired. I reached to make the first phone call and stepped back one more time to assess the damage. What a way to start the weekend! I started dialing my co-worker so that someone could commensurate with my pain. After the first few numbers I looked up again and looked at the back of the car with a license plate… that was… not mine! There IS one other Hybrid that is silver, and there IS a strange phenomenon that this model doesn’t park squarely, and after the icy weather, 95% of the other cars were dirty. Actually, I had walked right past my own car, which was parked a little bit closer because the parking is lighter on Fridays. I still called my co-worker, because she has a running joke on which of the parked silver cars is mine and how can anyone pick their correct car in a sea of silver sedans.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You know us better than we know ourselves. When we see vagueness, you see explicitness. When we see repetition, you see originality. When we are lost, you know our circumstances. Like the hairs on our head, you account for all (Luke 12:7), overlooking no one. If we attempt to take census we try to apply rules for accuracy and precision but we find exceptions, questions, and confusion. Let us realize the rules are not open for our interpretation, the accounting is not ours to qualify, nor is the challenge within our ability. Help us to recognize our own mission, the acts which we can contribute. We are apt to walk right past the truth, looking for something or someone that we think is meant for us. Help us to recognize and honor our authentic calling. Amen

Super Bowl of Ideas

As the analysis begins to die down about the Super Bowl, perhaps it’s because the networks have sent their correspondents to the next world exposition, TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design). It sounds like it could be a new reality show of mixed heritage (The Apprentice meets American Idol meets Top Design), but TED actually has a 25 year history of sharing ideas, cultivating networks and sponsorship, imagining solutions, and showcasing the brawn of the brain. It’s unlikely that the networks will spend more than five minutes on this west coast symposium, even though some of the biggest political headliners will work hand-in-hand with some of the brightest scientists in a forum with stricter time monitors than the presidential debates. There are simply too many ideas to present for someone to monopolize the stage. I felt like I had found an unexpected compatriot in the Dallas Morning News Editorial section as the author, Virginia Heffernan, declared her passion as a TED enthusiast.

“TED supplies its speakers with strict guidelines. ‘Start strong’ is the most obvious one, and there is virtually no throat clearing or contrived thanking. Instead, speakers blaze onto the stage like stand-up comics, hellbent on room domination. Some consult notes and stay close by their audiovisual equipment, while others pace, spread their arms wide and take up space. No one apologizes for himself. No one fails to make jokes. The appreciative room roars at humor, when they're not literally oohing and aahing at insight…. But it's unlikely that a plan to disarm Iran or treat autism will surface; there's too much razzle-dazzle for brass tacks and that's what I've come to be addicted to: the exposure to vigorous minds whirring as they work hard.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You create galaxies and raindrops, atoms and mountain ranges, and yet we are uncommonly proud when we assign a new formula to a spreadsheet. All that we have, we owe to you. We marvel at the mystery of the mind, the possibility for creativity, problem-solving, calculations, planning, engaging, and building. Let us use a similar ecstatic abandonment of impossibilities as we share our undiluted, unfettered dreams, connecting them together like magnets of attraction. We may not resolve every financial burden of the church, or serve every family affected by a health crisis, but let us become captivated by a congregation of vigorous minds coupled with strong backs, observant eyes matched with tradesman hands, and a gentle presence united with a zeal for mission. Let us go forth in a blaze of devotion and trust. Amen.

Sweet Charity

C.S. Lewis used a weekly radio broadcast to present a reasonable case for the truth of Christianity to England soon after World War II. “Mere Christianity” is a collection of these broadcasts in which he builds, much like a mathematician, a base for common understanding and then expands the ideas each week. In one program Lewis shared his views on charity as a theological virtue. Today charity is often used as a synonym for donations, but Lewis suggests that charity is much more than that. Charity means “love, in the Christian sense.” It is not an emotion, but an act of will. “Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did.” It includes wishing the best for someone else, forgiveness, and practicing the act of treating others favorably. He suggests reading I Corinthians 13 using the King James Version. Through this translation we may find a deeper understanding of the virtue of charity.

1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body tobe burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies,
they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away….13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

My prayer for the congregation?

God of Charity, you rejoice in the truth of love. May we be more charitable with our neighbors, practicing courtesies and open communication until the actions become rote and habitual. May we become more charitable towards our enemies, knowing that our honest efforts of reconciliation will at least lessen the burden of entrenchment in our own lives, and may reduce the bitterness of all those involved. Let us also remember to be charitable with ourselves. We cannot fully learn to connect with others until we have learned to regain our own worth. Let us explore charity in the streets, in the classroom, in our cars, in the pews, in our pockets, and in our hearts. Amen.

With malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the night, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds. – Abraham Lincoln

Super Song

I watched the Super Bowl, but as much for the commercials as for the competition between the two teams (although after the roughing the kicker call I was firmly on the side of the Cardinals). And I was more interested in the half-time show this year after Bruce Springstein was featured on almost every music-centered channel the night before. Springstein has some of the same characteristics of a revival-tent evangelist and next month Faith on Tap is going to match scriptures alongside Springstein’s music as a new way to listen to popular music. The “Land of Hope and Dreams” seems like a spiritual, a song that could have been sung by slaves escaping through their minds if not their bodies. This song will preach.

Land of Hope and Dreams - Bruce Springstein

…I will provide for you
And I'll stand by your side
You'll need a good companion for
This part of the ride
Leave behind your sorrows
Let this day be the last
Tomorrow there'll be sunshine
And all this darkness past

Big wheels roll through fields
Where sunlight streams
Meet me in a land of hope and dreams

This train -Carries saints and sinners
This train - Carries losers and winners
This Train - Carries whores and gamblers
This Train - Carries lost souls
This Train - Dreams will not be thwarted
This Train - Faith will be rewarded
This Train - Hear the steel wheels singin
'This Train - Bells of freedom ringin
'This Train - Carries broken-hearted
This Train - Thieves and sweet souls departed
This Train - Carries fools and kings
This Train - All aboard

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, you are impartially partial to your people. You bestow blessings on the great and the small, the fools and the kings, the saints and the sinners. We cannot always understand your judgment, but are grateful when the ruling is in our favor. Let us find new psalmists in our age that tell of your righteousness and grace. Let us increase our desire to live in a land of hope and dreams, riding the train of glory, and making room for all those who jump on board. Amen