"A Personal Question"

While we were enjoying lunch together my good friend, Al, wondered if he could ask me a personal question.  I replied, "Well, you can ask."  So he did.  "I was wondering if your support and involvement with the gay community was because of your children."  The answer was "No."

I think I was born to care about discrimination and respect for everyone.  I grew up in a very small town in Pennsylvania.  At the time no African American lived in our town.  There was an unwritten but well understood rule that no blacks were to live in the community.  Racial discrimination is wrong.  An Hispanic Catholic family moved to town and found few friends.  Religious discrimination is wrong.  As a young boy I was often the victim of Bruce the Bully.  Bigger and meaner than most of us we learned to be very creative in not being in the wrong place with Bruce.  Bullying is wrong.  Bill was cruelly called "CQ" by most of the youth.  'County Queer' is not a nickname you want to have!  Sexual orientation discrimination is wrong.  My cousin Ralph was a child we now refer to as "Challenged" or "Special Needs".  Back then, in the cruel moments on the school playground he was called 'Retard.'  Discrimination of individuals who do not fit our definition of 'being like us' is wrong.

In our life as a married couple, Cheryl and I ended up with quite a family.  We have a gay son.  We have a daughter who is Bipolar.  We have adopted, racially mixed children.  One time I was asked which ones were our real children.  Really?  We love and cherish each of our children.  Each child is special and wonderful and just ask me about our grandchildren!

My ministry was built on the grace of God (no one needs it more than me), loving and accepting each person as they are, and standing with them whenever discrimination raises its ugly head.  Not everyone in my churches understood or supported me but that is okay.  If I am going to err in this life, as a pastor and as a person, I will always err on the side of grace-love without strings.  Our failure to see the inherent worth in others comes with painful costs for all of us.  Respect and care for each person is personal to me.  Thanks Al for asking and helping me revisit why I do what I do.

"Thank God for Small Churches"

Last Sunday Cheryl and I went to church with my family back in Reno, Pennsylvania.  Reno is a tiny community of maybe 200 souls and it is a one church town-Reno United Methodist Church.  Over the years membership and attendance have dropped and they are now part of a 4-point charge served by two pastors.  Most Sundays there are more pews than people.

I found God's call on my life in that congregation.  During my youth there was a nice sized youth group and our Sunday School class met in the choir loft.  I 'outgrew' that small church as I 'grew' into larger churches.  As the size of the churches I was appointed to grew so did the distance grow between me and the small church.  I must confess that too many times driving Indiana back roads I would pass a small church, smile to myself, and be glad I was no longer being appointed there.

So we got up and we went to church, mostly as a kindness to my sister and mother, still part of that small church.  I went not expecting much and found a worship service that was filled with the presence of God.  It began with the pastor hurrying in from her service at one of the other churches.  Two men were working to have the new sound system ready for her-it wasn't.  She was unprepared and had no pocket or place for the wireless receiver.  So she tucked in in her waist band.  It would fall down her leg and she commented she was glad it did not fall down inside her dress.  It did later!  She called us to worship by blowing numerous times on a shofar-a ram's horn she had brought back from Israel.

They did not have a pianist so she jumped down and played the piano for the opening hymn.  The singing was not pretty.  Then came the special music-a bluegrass group of 4, a curious mix of blue jeans, white hair, and an over-the-top bass player/soloist.  When they sang "I Saw the Light" and "Will the Circle be Unbroken" smiles spread out on the people's faces, voices aged and cracked sang along with the chorus, and applause greeted each song.  Then, for the first time for this group, the younger woman sang "Let This Be My Prayer" in English and Italian-a bluegrass trio backed her opera trained voice.  They ended with "Smokey Mountain Memories" sung by John, a father who has raised 4 sons by himself.  It was great!

This was followed by a children's message with a hot dog tucked inside a banana peel, a prayer time during which individuals made announcements of upcoming events, and the pastor throwing aside the bulletin and her sermon notes.  She strolled and cajoled us, meandering in the front of the sanctuary and in the recesses of her mind.  It was great!

Forget the bells and whistles.  Forget the large choir and larger sanctuary.  Forget lots of liturgy and polished sermon.  Not needed that day!  I felt the joy in the room and I saw the friendliness and peace in the faces of those around me.  I can't really explain why it was such a good service for me-don't have to.  All I know is-thank God for small churches and the faith they hold for us.

Who Speaks for God?

One of the candidates seeking to become our next president recently was quoted as saying "The outcome of the 2012 presidential election is up to God."  Religion often gets mixed in with politics.  I think it is a good thing if we hear our leaders speak about their faith perspective.  Where I have a problem is when someone speaks for God.

Who speaks for God?  Assuming for a moment that the above statement is true I pose some questions.  Was the outcome of the 2008 presidential election up to God?  Does God only decide the big ones?  What about races for senator or representative or governor or town council?  Do all political groups have 'the ear of God'?  If so, does God pick and choose?  If not, how do I know who has 'the ear of God?'

I am left wondering if this is a peculiar American issue influenced by our notion that we are a people especially chosen and blessed by God.  Politicians, 'talking heads', and pastors speak of our unique relationship with the God of all peoples.  Some go so far as to suggest we are a 'chosen people/nation.'  How often have we heard someone warning us that we have strayed from God's will for America and there are terrible consequences awaiting us if we do not get back to rightness with God?  I am wondering if that is a conversation common to other countries.

Would you say that when a political change occurs in other countries it has been because God chose the change?  I hear little, if anything, about God's hand being upon political change and turmoil in England, the upcoming election in France, or the turmoil of the 'Arab Spring.'  Are their outcomes also up to God?

Who is going to speak for God in the upcoming election?  It won't be me!  I believe in God's will for us individually, as a nation, and all the peoples of the world.  I believe what God wills is that we live every day, as best we can, reflecting the very nature of the one who calls us.  That reflection is about compassion, truth speaking, justice seeking, and loving unconditionally.

I can't speak for God about the outcome of a presidential contest.  I can ask all those running for this office, for any office, to refrain from implying God may be on their side.  I can ask them to be gracious, accepting of differences, and to focus on the great challenges of our time.  And I can ask all of us to be involved in the process and do it in a way that brings honor to the name of God.

Eddie

When Eddie was born he arrived in the world like anyone of us.  In those first months of life his parents saw 'signs' that suggested there might be something different about their son.  Still a baby he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.  Eddie was no longer just like anyone of us but he was still one of us.  Growing up his determined parents worked to have him mainstreamed in school.  One of Eddie's childhood highlights was winning a Soap Box Derby competition.  He enjoyed riding horses.  Just like anyone of us.

Eddie finished school, got his education, and is now a programmer.  He drives to work each day.  His family likes to play 'Skip Bo' and he plays to win.  And he loves to dance!  Just like anyone of us.  I met Eddie and his loving family on our recent fall cruise.  They were on it because Eddie learned about it and wanted to come along.

Each time that I was able to be with him on the cruise his smile lit up the room.  He is very bright and seems to remember everything.  His eyes reflect caring attention as he listens to you.  He laughs easily and, did I mention, he loves to dance.  He has more rhythm in his arms than I have in my body.  He is the kind of person you would enjoy meeting and getting to know.

Yet too many times people miss the joy of Eddie because they only see the Cerebral Palsy.  His physical movements often seem to be an act of contortion for something as simple as eating.  He gets around in his wheelchair and the short steps he takes are filled with spastic motions.  I could not understand his words but Mom and Dad did a great job of letting me know what Eddie was saying.

What are you going to see?  Someone who is different, not normal?  Someone who is normal with CP?  It is too easy to glance at him and feel pity-he doesn't look to be pitied.  It is too easy to feel sad for him and his family, wondering what it must be like for them. Facing their challenges, they are doing just fine-thank you.  With a shared love and determination they help Eddie be as fully involved with life as is possible.His Uncle Dick told me about the time when Eddie got his driver's license and his specially equipped van. He asked Uncle Dick if he wanted to go for a ride with him.  Uncle Dick's reply-"Absolutely not!"  I had to laugh at the story and I felt the love in its telling.

To see only his outward appearance is to deny ourselves the joy of spending time with a truly unique, fun-loving guy.  We laughed long and hard while on the cruise and, in his wheelchair, Eddie had his John Travolta "Saturday Night Fever" moves down pat.  if only we had had a white suit for him!

Eddie and his family give me hope for a more open and accepting world.  The privilege of their friendship is one of my best memories of our cruise.  I left the ship wondering two things: Who are the truly handicapped? And-could I beat Eddie at 'Skip Bo?'

"Scapegoat"

Well boys and girls, how about another history lesson with maybe a moral point?  Scapegoat has its beginning in Judaism, the roots of Christianity.  This referred to a goat upon whose head were symbolically placed the sins of the people after which he was sent into the wilderness as part of Yom Kippur (also known as Day of Atonement).  With that background you may want to think more about the 'atonement' of Jesus.  Is it such a big step in imagery when a faith community is defining for itself the death of Jesus-seems like I recall a bible verse about it 'being better that one man should die than a nation suffer.'  Indeed, one definition of scapegoat is "one bears the blame for others."  I wonder if we had only the Gospel of Mark if we would have this atonement view today (but that discussion is for another time).
"One that bears the blame for others." 'Jimmy, if you had made your free throws we would have won the game.' 'It is the European debt crisis that is the problem with the stock market.' 'The politicians in Washington are the problem with this country.' 'If we just got rid of the illegal aliens more Americans would have jobs.' 'Gay rights are the threat to the sanctity of marriage and morality in America.'  And a big one-how about those Muslims-which goes back at least to the 11th century.  A pope stirred the troops for the Crusades by naming all Muslims as infidels who were the threat.  Still threatened, mosques are burned in America.
You get the picture-blame others.  Two other definitions for scapegoat are: "one that is the object of irrational hostility" (picture some of the political landscape as we prepare for 2012 elections) and "move responsibility away from ourselves and towards a target person or group." Now it comes into focus.  Whether it is a basketball game, stock market plunge, jobs, morality, government, or even the church we seem to need to find a scapegoat-someone to take the blame for us.
Now if it was simply taking the blame it might not be too bad.  We find our scapegoats in the stormy sea of hurtful words and hateful actions and someone is always willing to take action to have the scapegoat pay for our sins.  All it takes is for someone to point out who is to blame for my life, societies ills, governments failure.  I wonder if it time to take back shared responsibility for what is happening in our society, our government, our moral climate, world affairs and stop looking for a scapegoat.  Then again, I think our troubles come from 'head-in-the-clouds' retired preachers-let's seize their computers!

"Dead as a Doornail"

I first heard this phrase as a young boy watching my dad and my uncles standing around a car that wouldn't start.  The hood was up and the 'hoods' were peering into the engine.  When someone turned the key the engine sounded like an old man clearing his throat first thing in the morning.  This was followed by stares, a moment of silence, and then cursing (I had to learn the words somewhere).  Finally, one of my uncles stabbed his finger at the battery and said "It's dead as a doornail."  While the adults all seemed to understand I was confused.  I really wasn't clear yet on what it meant for something to be dead (except for the worm I had recently pressed into the sidewalk).  Was the worm also dead as a doornail?

We were talking one Sunday morning before worship and she mentioned that she had had the talk with their adult children.  "I told them when I die they can do whatever they want with my body.  They can bury it or dump me in the river.  I'm done with it and I know where I am going."  She believes death is a doorway and the soul moves on.  But what if we are dead as a doornail?  And what about that creedal statement where we say we believe in "the resurrection of the body?"  What other adults seem to understand about death still leaves me confused.

I understand the need for comfort and reassurance when our loved ones die (wouldn't be much of a pastor if I didn't).  I appreciate the power of believing our loved ones are watching over us or that, upon our death, we will be reunited with them.  While I was officiating at funerals I cannot recall one time where I looked at the family and said-"Well, it looks like your loved one is dead as a doornail."

But I believe that is what the Bible teaches and what radical faith asks of us.  Dead is dead no matter how many books are written by people who have been to or seen others in heaven.  That doornail reference, as I understand it, is saying a doornail is no longer useful once it was nailed to the door.  They recycled nails back then but not the doornail.  One and done.

We tend to talk about believing in the resurrection of the dead but believe more like the ancient Greeks.  Many of them looked at the body and soul as two separate pieces of us and death was where the soul left the now unneeded body.  I don't know what is on the other side of death so please don't take my thoughts as inspired wisdom or truth.  I do believe the Bible is a more radical book than we choose to see most of the time.  It takes a lot of faith to believe in a God who will not abandon or let go of those who are dead as a doornail.  I hold to the belief that God will not let the dead stay dead.  Until the resurrection I believe the dead wait in the presence of God.  I don't know or really care what this looks like.  I don't expect some kind of doorway at my death.  I'm just going to be dead as a doornail UNTIL a loving God recycles me to a new life.  If it turns out I am wrong I will try to send word back to you all.

"Go to Hell!"

I had gotten into an argument with some of my high school friends.  I no longer remember what the argument was about but it was loud and long.  At some point one of them looked at me and said-"You can just go to Hell!"  It did not sound like an invitation, more of a curse.  Who wants to go to Hell?  For many Christians this is the ONE place you don't want to end up.

But what if Hell is where we need to be?  I am old enough to have learned The Apostle's Creed when it contained this phrase: "He (Jesus, after he died and before he was resurrected, for those who do not know the creed) descended into hell."  Someone in the early church decided this phrase needed to be in a statement of belief.  Few say or include this anymore.  Why would Jesus go to Hell?

One clue may be found in the New Testament letter we know as I Peter: "and, in the spirit, he went to preach to the spirits in prison (Hell?).  They refused to believe long ago, while God patiently waited to receive them, in Noah's time (that was LONG AGO!), when the ark was being built." (I Peter 3:19, 20 New Jerusalem Bible).  Whatever they meant or how it was originally said these words give me pause.

This is food for thought regarding what happens on the other side of the grave.  Maybe those in Hell (an assumption of faith that it exists by the Church) are not forgotten by God and still hear the message of grace (I like that idea).  I like to think Jesus still makes the trip every now and then.  What really intrigues me is if we could see this as a 'modeling' by Jesus for his followers on this side of the grave.

Have you ever heard someone talk about their life being a 'living hell' or 'I don't have to go to hell, I'm living it right now'?  Or have you ever found yourself looking at someones circumstances and thinking/saying 'that must be hell'?  Just wondering if what I heard as a curse in my teen years is really a call from Jesus.  Look around with me.  Maybe we need to go to hell to bring the message of hope to someone living in their hell on earth.  See you in Hell:>)