Synod Assembly thoughts...

 

With Synod Assembly fast approaching, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking today about this concept of the body of Christ.  Beginning on Sunday, the ELCA body of Christ here in Upstate New York will spend three days together hearing about and sharing in a variety of ministries. 

We will celebrate the reception of a new congregation in our synod, Immanuel in Olean.  We will hear about how our gifts are being used to combat Malaria in Africa and hunger around the world and in our own streets.  We will engage in inspiring Bible studies which will remind us of what it means to follow a God whose love for us was poured out upon a cross.  We will hear from six nominees for the office of bishop who will share their love of the church with us as each lays out their vision for mission in Christ’s name.

There will be voting members from churches large and small, urban and rural, progressive and traditional, as different from each other as day and night.  But all of us will be in assembly, connected to each other by the waters of baptism – standing, sitting, praying, and singing at the foot of the cross.

Beginning on Sunday evening, we will gather together from across New York State visibly living out the reality that the church is one body with many parts.  We are one church with many sizes and many gifts.  If this is so, doesn’t it stand to reason that the body of Christ needs churches of all sizes?  Sure, I’ve had my moments when I’ve thought that just once I’d like to serve a congregation that is numerically growing through the roof.  Wouldn’t that prove that I’m somehow a great leader of a healthy congregation?

Sure, all healthy things grow. But I don’t believe that growth is ever as simple as healthy equals bigger. A pea will never be the size of a pumpkin and a rose will never reach the height of a redwood no matter how much you water them, fertilize them or teach them redwood growth principles. It’s just not in their DNA. All healthy, living things reach their optimal size at maturity, then they grow in different ways from that point on.  So again I ask the question, if this principle applies to churches doesn’t it stand to reason that the body of Christ needs churches of all sizes  - urban, suburban, and rural?

You are not a failure if your congregation reaches its optimal stage of maturity, then starts growing in ways other than butts in seats for weekend services.  Yes, we should always be striving to do church better.  But what works for one congregation may not and probably will not work for another.  In the body of Christ, one size does not fit all.  God doesn’t sell fast food franchises.

So here’s a radical thought:  What if Jesus doesn’t see small churches as part of the problem, but part of his plan? What if it’s been his idea all along to populate every corner of the globe with pockets of his followers – some large, most small – so that everywhere you go you find his people?

And what would happen if we realized this truth and got to work with Jesus on planting, supporting and multiplying healthy small churches, alongside our healthy big siblings?

I don’t pretend to have the answers for how to do ministry.  It just seems to me that if my toes were as large as my leg, it would be really hard to get around.   The body of Christ is a beautiful, living being uniquely gifted in more ways than any one of us could possibly imagine!

So I can’t wait to get to Synod Assembly this weekend.  I can’t wait to see how my sisters and brothers in Christ, from congregations both large and small are being poured out in love as they follow the One who makes all things new.

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Doug

I saw God

A wonderful thing happened in church on Sunday.  I saw God.  Now I know it sounds a bit strange to say something like that because don’t we always see God in church?  Yes, but… well that’s a conversation for another time.

But here’s the crazy thing: this God-sighting didn’t happen where I expected it to.  It happened at the tail end of Lulu Grace’s baptism.  After having promised to support and pray for her, we welcomed Lulu “into the body of Christ and into the mission we share”.   And then it happened.  Lulu grabbed Joanne’s extended hand and off she went down the center aisle smiling and waving her little princess wave to everyone.  While Joanne was reminding all of us of the great promises that were made to Lulu by God, her parents, and her congregation, Lulu took a dive.  Yup!  Down to the floor she went.  Here’s where I saw God.  No, God didn’t push her or trip her.  As Lulu began to stumble, at least a dozen hands extended out to her to try and cushion her fall.  There was the church in action!  There was God!

Later in the worship service, we heard about Jesus going away and sending an advocate to be with us.  In just six verses of that gospel reading, Jesus extolled his friends to “love” five times.  Not the gushy, emotional, nutritionally empty feeling of love that we have no control over, but the self-sacrificing, agape “I’d die for you” kind of love that we can control and that Jesus poured out for us on the hardwood of an executioner’s cross.  We heard that this advocate is one who pulls up alongside us in “agape” love to be our voice and to accompany us on the journey of life.  Then we heard that to be a spirit-filled church, a community of the Spirit, is to come alongside each other to comfort and encourage as Jesus first did for us in his incarnation.  We were then challenged to become such a Spirit community where we grow in our ability of coming alongside each other in faith and love.

That’s what God’s people do.  Contrary to those who see the church as a “crock”, we come alongside those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; we come alongside those whose courage falters; those whose hearts have been shattered; those who cannot imagine a tomb of death being empty and we become advocates for each other; partners on the journey.

This pulling up alongside in love stuff?  It’s real.  It’s what Jesus first did and what the Spirit, the Advocate, continues to do.  Where you see that, you see God. 

So, Lulu you won’t remember this, but God was with you on Sunday.  I saw it first-hand.  And you know what?  Wherever you go and whenever you fall, get ready for a flurry of hands to lovingly reach out, ready to buffer your fall because that’s what God’s church does.

Your partner in the Spirit,

Pastor Doug

My Easter Doubts

If you were in church this past Sunday you might have heard me preach about why Luke’s story of the road to Emmaus is my favorite Easter text.  For starters, the risen Jesus comes to two common, every day, unknown folk, one of whom is never even named.    Sure the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee are the first to hear of Jesus’ resurrection early that morning from two men in “dazzling clothes”, but it is Cleopas and his unnamed companion, who find themselves late in the afternoon inadvertently walking in Jesus’ presence discovering firsthand that Jesus hasn't stayed dead.  These two folk are so ordinary that we never even hear of them again.  They are like us, ordinary people struggling to keep faith alive.  That Jesus comes to them and to us is indeed good news!

Here’s what I didn’t say in Sunday's sermon and probably for good reason.   Where the gospel reading was intent on conveying how Jesus accompanies us on our journeys of doubt, confusion, and fear, our first reading in Acts (from the same author) provided a different glimpse of resurrection reality that quite frankly wears me out.

Unlike Cleopas and his companion who walk in fear and doubt, Acts tells of Peter, a post-Easter superhero of the faith, who stands with bold certitude calling all to repentance and baptism.  He’s so persuasive we’re told that 3,000 people are baptized right there on the spot!

So who would you want as your pastor?  Peter the bold-hearted with thousands of adoring fans or Cleopas the sometimes doubting, confused and fearful one?  The choice seems obvious to me.

What congregation wouldn’t snatch Pastor Peter up in a heartbeat with those kinds of statistics under his tunic?  I mean, come on 3,000 baptized in one day?   So what do we know about that other guy Cleopas?  Very little.  We know that he and his nameless companion are confused, fearful, and full of doubt.  Their hearts have been broken by the sting of death.  Their world has shattered all around them.  They stand in need of healing.

We also know what happens next.  Incognito Jesus engages them in conversation for hours without judgment and finally at the end of the day breaks bread with them, suddenly revealing that he is alive and well!  Without hesitation, these two companions make haste to get back to the other disciples, eagerly proclaiming this healing news of resurrection!  They just can’t help it  This news is too great to keep to themselves!

Both Peter and Cleopas convey good news of resurrection but in very different ways.  Yet when push comes to shove I will hang out with Cleopas over Peter any day.  Cleopas has doubts about faith.  He has fears about life.  He gets confused easily and doesn’t appear to have all the answers.  I have those days, weeks, and months too and I bet so do you.  And yet in the midst of my own doubts, God still seems to join me on the journey.

On my walk of faith, I don’t want some hot shot super-pastor placating me with clichés about how God is awesome.  I want someone to walk with me who knows something about fear and doubt. I want someone to walk with me who admits that they too don’t have all the answers.  I want someone to walk with me who acknowledges that sometimes life just sucks.  Because you know what? Sometimes it does. And yet despite my struggles, Jesus still seems to come to us doubting and confused people, breaking bread, opening eyes and making all things new for us too. 

Blessed to walk with you on the journey of joy and doubt,

Pastor Doug

 

Prayer for pastors on Easter

The following prayer comes from Brian McLaren.  Disclosure:  Finally a prayer that has nourished me.

Peace,

Pastor Doug

A prayer for pastors on Easter

Dear Lord, I pray for all the pastors today
Who will feel enormous pressure to have their sermon
Match the greatness of the subject
and will surely feel they have failed.
(I pray even more for those who think they have succeeded.)
Help them to know that it is enough
Simply and faithfully to tell the story
Of women in dawn hush ...
Of men running half-believing ...
Of rolled stones and folded grave-clothes ...
Of a supposed gardener saying the name of a crying woman ...
Of sad walkers encountering a stranger on the road home ...
Of an empty tomb and overflowing hearts.
Give them the wisdom to know that sincere humility and awe
Surpass all homiletic flourish
On this day of mysterious hope beyond all words.
Make them less conscious of their responsibility to preach,
And more confident of the Risen Christ
Who presence trumps all efforts to proclaim it.
Considering all the Easter choirs who will sing beautifully, and those who won't,
And all the Easter prayers that will soar in faith, and those that will stumble and flounder,
And all the Easter attendance numbers and offering numbers that will exceed expectations
And those that will disappoint ...
I pray they all will be surpassed by the simple joy
Of women and men standing in the presence of women and men,
Daring to proclaim and echo the good news:
Risen indeed! Alleluia!
For death is not the last word.
Violence is not the last word.
Hate is not the last word.
Money is not the last word.
Intimidation is not the last word.
Political power is not the last word.
Condemnation is not the last word.
Betrayal and failure are not the last word.
No: each of them are left like rags in a tomb,
And from that tomb,
Arises Christ,
Alive.
Help the preachers feel it,
And if they don't feel it, help them
Preach it anyway, allowing themselves
To be the receivers as well as the bearers of the Easter
News.
Alleluia!

Spiritual or Religious?

How many times have you heard the phrase, “I’m spiritual but not religious”?  If you’ve listened at all to the culture around us, this is a slogan that has gained a lot of traction over the years.  Heck, I used to say the same thing myself back in my college days.  Having had enough of all the religious hypocrites in church who spoke words of love without actually living them, I became the poster child for being spiritual but not religious.  Even in seminary, I put down those who were “religious” presuming that those who claimed to be religious automatically saw themselves as better than everybody else.  While there are some religious Christians who wrongfully elevate themselves by judging the lives of others, I am beginning to see that being religious is not such a bad thing.  Being religious might be a more faithful following of Christ than being spiritual.

As we know, the word “religious” is “religion” dressed up as an adjective.  “Religion” comes from the Latin, “religare” which  means “to bind together”.  In other words, “religion” implies a communal identity.  Or as the Methodist pastor, Roger Wolsey puts it, “giving a damn about the well-being of others”.

Contrast this to being spiritual.  To be spiritual is to be connected to God. Though being connected to God is a really good thing, what happens when this is all we focus on?  Spirituality becomes just a “God and me” kind of thing.  Sure Yoga, meditations, exercise and clever Facebook posts might imply that we’ve got the goods on being spiritual and that we’ve arrived on our spiritual faith journeys, but is that what the baptized life looks like?  Am I really just a spiritual free agent seeking to walk with God to improve myself, or is there more?

Enter organized religion.  Yup, I said it organized religion.  What keeps our spiritual disciplines from becoming selfish practices of isolationism is organized religion.  Where else can we come together from all walks of life to be nourished by a God whose barrier-breaking son has been poured out in love for the world?  Where else can we gather together to pray for one another as well as the world?  Did you know that when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we never pray it for ourselves?  It’s always prayed for the neighbor beside me in the pew.  My prayer for “daily bread” is always for you as yours is always for me.  Jesus was pretty brilliant in giving us that prayer.

Speaking of daily bread, where else can we gather together to add our meager coins with those of other ELCA folks in helping wipe out Malaria in Africa? 

Still don’t think that organized religion is a good thing?  Tell that to those religious communities instrumental in ending slavery, promoting Women’s Suffrage, and furthering the Civil Rights movement.  The fact remains that random acts of kindness just aren’t as effective as the organized ones.

I’m not saying random acts of kindness are bad, nor am I saying that we’re not called to be spiritual.  We certainly are.  But so too are we called to be religious:  to be in community loving one another and the world God has given us to care for.

What we do here in church on Sunday morning is important.  We don’t come here to be seen by others.  We don’t come here to get right with God.  We don’t come here to become better people. We don’t even come here because we have light bills and salaries to pay.  We come together here because that is how Jesus connects us to God.  Being active in a congregation is how we are connected not only to the heart of Christ, but to the entire Body of Christ as well.  It is here on a Sunday morning where lives of faith are nourished as we do life together.  It is here where we pray and play together; where we grieve and celebrate together; where we love and serve our neighbors and God together.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning. 

So am I spiritual or religious?  Yes.

Peace and Love,

Pastor Doug

Pastor Doug's Maundy Thursday sermon

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”

These words come as no surprise to us do they?  We’ve heard them before.  If you’ve ever been to church on a Thursday night in Holy Week, you’ve heard these words before.  In fact, the very name of this day “Maundy” comes from the Latin “Mandatum”, meaning “command”.   This is the day Jesus commands us to love.  It’s what we’ve come to expect isn’t it?  No surprises are there?  Jesus’ command to love one another is so old school for us that we could write the book on love.

Or could we?  Do we really have this love-concept down? 

I think if we’re really honest with ourselves, we’re going to acknowledge that Jesus’ command to love isn’t so easy.  We’re going to admit somewhere in the deepest recesses of our heart, that we just don’t get it.  We just don’t get why Jesus would give such an unreasonable command as to love.

But isn’t that what Jesus does so well? 

Just when we think we have him all figured out…

Just when we think that we have tamed him…

Jesus throws everything into disarray and confusion.

Just when I think I have him all figured out, I discover that Jesus isn’t who I thought he was. 

Like Peter in this evening’s gospel story, who can’t imagine that Jesus the Messiah would come to suffer and serve in the most demeaning and self- emptying way, I find myself baffled and crying out in protest that this isn’t how God is supposed to do things.

I don’t know about you, but the more I try to follow Jesus by taking his words to heart, the more I realize how much Jesus takes me out of my comfort zone.

He tells me to love and to serve the least of these…

 Yet I want to judge others who are different from me.

He tells me to love my enemies and to forgive those who do me wrong…

 Yet I want to hold a grudge.

He tells me to feed the hungry and clothe the naked…

Yet I want to store up my own treasures in heaven taking care of me and my own first.

Maybe I’m not the only one who has problems following Jesus.  Maybe the Church finds it just as difficult to follow Jesus as I do.  And maybe that’s the problem.  

Stuck in old habits of survival, I wonder if the church has lost its imagination for love.  Hearkening back to another era when pews used to be full…

Have we become so obsessed with church survival that we have retreated to safe places failing to see the Kingdom of God all around us? 

Have we become so obsessed with survival of our congregations that we have failed to see Jesus has moved into the neighborhood and is inviting us to join him there? 

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

Could it really be that simple?

Who else could command us to love, than the One who on this night was put on death row?

Who else could command us to love, than the One who was tortured and executed on a cross of death the next day all the while pleading “Father forgive them”?

Who else could command us to love, than the One who did not stay dead conquering death once and for all?

A recent story on National Public Radio tells the tale of St. Albans Episcopal Church in Davidson, North Carolina which recently erected a statue of Jesus on its property in an upscale neighborhood not too unlike the one here around Incarnate Word.

This is not an “old school” statue of Jesus for it depicts him not with arms outstretched looking down on us from above, but huddled under a blanket with his face and hands obscured; only the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet giving him away.

As you can guess, the reaction was immediate. Some loved it; but many did not.  Thinking the statue was actually a homeless person, one woman from the neighborhood called the police the first time she drove by.  That’s right, someone called the cops on Jesus!  (As if that’s never happened to him before).

Another neighbor wrote a letter to the editor saying that the statue “creeped” him out.  Many more complained that such a depiction of Jesus was insulting to God and that it demeaned the neighborhood.

So what would Jesus think of a statue depicting him as a homeless man?  Would he be insulted or would he tell us that how we treat the least of these is how we treat him?  Would he take his toys and go home claiming we had disrespected him or would he tell us to love one another (especially the marginalized and those at the bottom of the heap) as he has first loved us?

Clearly, St. Albans Church has stirred up its neighborhood by challenging folks to not only see Jesus in a new way – but to love in a new way as well.  Could Jesus be issuing this same challenge to us?  What would you think if we commissioned such a statue at our East Avenue entrance?  ( By the way, I know the name of the sculptor and where he lives). 

What would the neighborhood think?  What would this statue say about us?  What would this statue say about Jesus?  Perhaps it would say that Jesus takes this love-thing seriously – and so do we.

A Letter from Pastor Doug

 

“Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown.  Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (Lutheran Book of Worship p.153). 

                                                                                                            April 2, 2014

 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Once every six years voting members from around our synod gather together in assembly to pray, discern, and vote in the election of a synodical bishop.  At our upcoming Synod Assembly in June, voting members of the assembly will do just that.

Two months ago, I was approached by a colleague from the Niagara Frontier Conference of our synod and asked to consider allowing my name to be put forward as a candidate for bishop.  After a great deal of prayer and discussion with Joanne and the kids, I agreed to allow my name to go into nomination.   In my twenty years of ordained ministry, I have never entertained the thought of serving the church in this capacity.  I may or may not be called to this servant office, but if this is a call of the Holy Spirit, I must be open to the discernment process.  This being said my first love is and has always been the parish.  I continue to give thanks to God for you and for the ministry we share here at Incarnate Word. 

There are a number of very qualified individuals who have been nominated for bishop this year, any one of whom would serve our church with faithfulness and integrity.  I am honored and humbled to have my name counted among theirs as those who might serve the congregations of our Upstate New York Synod as bishop.

As we journey together in the coming weeks, I would ask you to pray not only for all who are nominated for positions of synodical leadership, but for our Upstate New York Synod as well.  These are challenging times for the church.  No longer can we count on a culture to know our story of a God who has become one of us in Jesus Christ.  Now more than ever, all expressions of the church are called to be a relevant presence in the world.  As Lutheran Christians, we have a unique take on a God who not only becomes flesh and dwells among us, but who does so out of an abundance of amazing grace.

We are a church in mission.  No longer is the mission field located on the other side of the world.  It is right outside our church doors.  May we as a congregation and as a synod, let our holy imaginations loose as together in Christ we bear God’s creative and redeeming word to all the world.  If you have questions or would just like to sit down over a cup of coffee and chat, please let me know.  These are indeed challenging times, but what an exciting time to be the church!

Peace and Love,

Pastor Doug