when god, the people & the pastor connect, it is a holy mystery. i can't really explain it, but i know it at a very deep level, when such a holy mystery happens. perhaps it is not even meant to be explained; maybe that is the true nature of such an event. perhaps even in trying to explain or define that kind of holy mystery, we become cumbersome, and the moment becomes muddled.
so, i won't try to explain -- only that this holy mystery seemed to have happened during worship on sunday; particularly during the message. at least that seems to be the feedback received, and a number of people who asked for bits and pieces of the message...and that's why i know something happened, certainly beyond my abilities. a holy moment; god, the people & the pastor all connecting. wha-hoo!
the idea for the message focused on taking our authority as progressive christians and was based on the gospel of mark 1:21-28, dealing with the concept that when jesus is involved with life, miracles do happen! the idea for the theme was based upon an illustration from (now retired) pastor bob olmstead; i adapted the illustration (see below), and used that concept throughout the message. the concept is that we can never do what jesus does, but jesus says 'o yes you can'. with appreciation, i utilized bob's illustration and ran with it, or rather, let the holy spirit work in and through me, continuing to work through the congregation to empower us and deepen our faith understanding into the week ahead.
the adapted illustration was this: a clerk in an upscale hotel greeted an unimpressive guest late one night, who was seeking a room. the clerk, realizing their hotel had a reputation to uphold, turned the potential sleepy guest away. the manager witnessed the situation, and alerted the clerk that this was someone famous. trying to rectify the situation, the clerk called to the guest, saying, “I apologize. why didn’t you tell me you were somebody?” but upon leaving, the sleepy guest turned and replied, "you do realize, don’t you, that everybody is somebody.”
i went on to say "in that moment, we can begin to see how evil, however unintentional, is planted and has the potential to take root. if the sleepy guest had not responded with that kind of assertive authority -- we might even call it the ‘authority of Jesus’ -- evil could have grown in that sleepy guest like an impure/unclean spirit, causing very destructive behavior". jesus invites us to be dis-lodged of our own impurities, and then with his authority and nature, share this 'good news' with others.
after prayerful consideration i concluded the message with how we can prepare ourselves to respond with the authority of jesus. they are, of course, based upon the kind of ministry in merced that we feel jesus is calling us to -- and perhaps jesus is calling you to this kind of ministry too!
so, are you ready? be careful what you ask for! the top 10 ways (a la david letterman) to dis-lodge an unclean spirit within ourselves (first) and (then) others are:
#10 -- be joyful; an unclean spirit hates joy!
#9 -- greet one another with the authority of christ; the jesus in me meets the jesus in you.
#8 -- take an active role in developing your own spiritual life; that is so important! study, prayer, service -- take the time to be with god and with god's people.
#7 -- invite another person to take an active role in developing her or his spiritual life; be a mentor, or study together within a small group or sunday school class.
#6 -- invite another person to be in service with you; for wherever two or more are gathered together in god's name, jesus is in the midst of that moment!
#5 -- pray; silently, out loud, read the psalms, join the tuesday centering prayer gathering, become an intercessor; practice, practice, practice; and when all else fails, just open yourself up and listen for god.
#4 -- live with critical thinking (not to be confused with being critical) through john wesley's quadrilateral -- scripture, tradition, reason & experience. if you need a fresh understanding of what they are about, let me know....
#3 -- live your day as if you were in the presence of god (because, after all, you are!).
#2 -- be an example; be bold; let the goodness of god work through you!
And the #1 thing you can do to dis-lodge the unclean spirit within yourself and others is to: be of good courage! even when others think you might be wrong or disassociate themselves from you, remember that to speak or live the love of god gives you the authoritative power to overcome whatever evil becomes you!
so, there you have it...god's connection with us...is that awesome or what?!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
overheard at B & N
i was taking time at barnes and noble (b & n) yesterday; reading and people watching, when i overheard a conversation between a retired army veteran and a younger, disabled veteran.
earlier, i had seen an active military personnel whom i assumed was visiting merced, also in b & n. what struck me then was the reception he received from others; people stopped their conversations and interrupted this man's journey to get coffee, to thank him for his service; i had seen that experience advertised on t.v. and through email, but never in person.
so when i observed the interaction of these two military people, one retired and one disabled, i was stuck by how connected they were. the retired person treated the other man to a chocolate treat...evidently they discovered a common bond with chocolate! and when they departed from one another, it was as if they were long-lost friends; i guess in a sense, they were.
it has long been my belief, that we are all connected, in that deep human place. we do not always experience the same things, but we do have common life experiences; service personnel have that shared experience without having to explain. and i understand that 'bond' from my own experience with others for whom i share my own common bonds.
united methodists are like that; we call our bond, 'connection'. no matter where you are, if you connect with another united methodist, you find you're home. even with all our differences, there is a connection. if there is help needed, finding another united methodist pastor is fairly easy. we tend to be very responsive! even with all the emails we receive from people we may or may not know who have been stranded in another country and are in need of money-help -- ignoring those 'bogus kinds of email infiltrations' -- finding a united methodist related person isn't hard to do -- even in these times. with communication happening instantaneously, confirmation that someone is legitimately in need is pretty easy.
but aside from that, as i drive through a community, i actually LOOK for a united methodist church, or think who i know who might have served on a committee with me, or try and figure out the pastor serving in that community. even if i don't know them personally, i know them spiritually. perhaps you understand this from your perspective...teachers meet and they have an 'instant connection'; parents of teens, adult children with aging parents; someone who has suffered a loss; kids in a playground, someone who has just dropped their meal, someone seeking direction. there is more that connects us than separates us.
as i was preparing for sunday's message, this quote came across my research: you have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. that phrase has stayed with me, and has been experienced in my own life. that phrase came back to mind yesterday as i was privileged to experience the interaction between those two soldiers. and when they departed, i thought that was the end of the story. but no....
a foursome came and occupied the table next to the remaining soldier. the foursome was having a grand time; everyone at b & n knew they were there! and as the soldier was leaving, he offered the remainder of his chocolates to the party of four. i left before he did, as they pulled up another chair and the party of four became a party of five...
offering to share, your chocolates or your life with or for someone else, is a powerful experience. i've heard it said and experienced it myself, that often we get more out of sharing than the one who is the recipient. so it is very true. you have never really lived until you have done something for someone else who can never repay you. if you haven't experienced this, you might wonder what kind of life you're living . . . . if you haven't experienced that phrase in your life, you might want to try it . . . today!
earlier, i had seen an active military personnel whom i assumed was visiting merced, also in b & n. what struck me then was the reception he received from others; people stopped their conversations and interrupted this man's journey to get coffee, to thank him for his service; i had seen that experience advertised on t.v. and through email, but never in person.
so when i observed the interaction of these two military people, one retired and one disabled, i was stuck by how connected they were. the retired person treated the other man to a chocolate treat...evidently they discovered a common bond with chocolate! and when they departed from one another, it was as if they were long-lost friends; i guess in a sense, they were.
it has long been my belief, that we are all connected, in that deep human place. we do not always experience the same things, but we do have common life experiences; service personnel have that shared experience without having to explain. and i understand that 'bond' from my own experience with others for whom i share my own common bonds.
united methodists are like that; we call our bond, 'connection'. no matter where you are, if you connect with another united methodist, you find you're home. even with all our differences, there is a connection. if there is help needed, finding another united methodist pastor is fairly easy. we tend to be very responsive! even with all the emails we receive from people we may or may not know who have been stranded in another country and are in need of money-help -- ignoring those 'bogus kinds of email infiltrations' -- finding a united methodist related person isn't hard to do -- even in these times. with communication happening instantaneously, confirmation that someone is legitimately in need is pretty easy.
but aside from that, as i drive through a community, i actually LOOK for a united methodist church, or think who i know who might have served on a committee with me, or try and figure out the pastor serving in that community. even if i don't know them personally, i know them spiritually. perhaps you understand this from your perspective...teachers meet and they have an 'instant connection'; parents of teens, adult children with aging parents; someone who has suffered a loss; kids in a playground, someone who has just dropped their meal, someone seeking direction. there is more that connects us than separates us.
as i was preparing for sunday's message, this quote came across my research: you have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. that phrase has stayed with me, and has been experienced in my own life. that phrase came back to mind yesterday as i was privileged to experience the interaction between those two soldiers. and when they departed, i thought that was the end of the story. but no....
a foursome came and occupied the table next to the remaining soldier. the foursome was having a grand time; everyone at b & n knew they were there! and as the soldier was leaving, he offered the remainder of his chocolates to the party of four. i left before he did, as they pulled up another chair and the party of four became a party of five...
offering to share, your chocolates or your life with or for someone else, is a powerful experience. i've heard it said and experienced it myself, that often we get more out of sharing than the one who is the recipient. so it is very true. you have never really lived until you have done something for someone else who can never repay you. if you haven't experienced this, you might wonder what kind of life you're living . . . . if you haven't experienced that phrase in your life, you might want to try it . . . today!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
something meaningful NOT on the red carpet
i found, this morning, a great deal of coverage from last night's red carpet review of high fashion as well as the airing of conflicts between 'the stars'. i find myself, these days, less interested in 'the red carpet' treatment and discussions about fashion and fighting, and more interested in the hopeful lessons we might be able to learn.
in my time of watching news this morning, there was much news about the changing weather, the cruise accident and the gloden globe ceremony than there was about the observances of the martin luther king jr holiday. i wonder what that says about our society?!
i find myselves these days more interested in hope. for instance, in centering prayer today, someone brought in a thoughtful meditation from irish poet galway kinnell; his poem, "st. francis and the sow" tells of a large female pig and the blessed message she receives from st. francis.
you may hear the poem read by the author, a poet laureate and a pulitzer prize receipiant. go to http://imagine.amnh.org/st_francis/stfrancis.html
this poem encourages us to think well upon ourselves -- not overly so, but not to hate oneself, particularly the ones who have been abused or imprisoned or lack self-esteem or have experienced discrimination. we are called to be empowered and, in turn, empower others. i ask you, how empowered do you feel by knowing that elton john and madonna are fighting -- through national t.v., no less?!
the efforts we put into encouraging a child can be stripped away in an instant by the media. encouragement is something we are called to repeat over and over again.
so think of this as you read or listen to kinnell's poem, and the impact a caring word and touch can do for a pig! if a pig can be affirmed with a loving word and a touch, we could at least expend our energy into positive care.
in my time of watching news this morning, there was much news about the changing weather, the cruise accident and the gloden globe ceremony than there was about the observances of the martin luther king jr holiday. i wonder what that says about our society?!
i find myselves these days more interested in hope. for instance, in centering prayer today, someone brought in a thoughtful meditation from irish poet galway kinnell; his poem, "st. francis and the sow" tells of a large female pig and the blessed message she receives from st. francis.
you may hear the poem read by the author, a poet laureate and a pulitzer prize receipiant. go to http://imagine.amnh.org/st_francis/stfrancis.html
this poem encourages us to think well upon ourselves -- not overly so, but not to hate oneself, particularly the ones who have been abused or imprisoned or lack self-esteem or have experienced discrimination. we are called to be empowered and, in turn, empower others. i ask you, how empowered do you feel by knowing that elton john and madonna are fighting -- through national t.v., no less?!
the efforts we put into encouraging a child can be stripped away in an instant by the media. encouragement is something we are called to repeat over and over again.
so think of this as you read or listen to kinnell's poem, and the impact a caring word and touch can do for a pig! if a pig can be affirmed with a loving word and a touch, we could at least expend our energy into positive care.
the bud stands for all things,
even those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as st. francis put his hand on the creased forehead of the sow,
and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow,
and the sow began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way through the fodder
and slops to the spiritual curl of the tail,
from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine
down through the great broken heart to the blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering
from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking and blowing beneath them:
the long, perfect loveliness of sow.
you may need to read/hear this poem several times. let it sit with you. be reminded that you are worthy. you are blessed and a blessing. there are those who stand for you, who give their life for you...and you are asked simply to speak well of yourself and of others....
and maybe even someday, be willing to give your life for the cause of someone else.....
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
epiphany and vacation
it was odd to have the new year come on a sunday...actually, a nice reminder to start the year off on a positive note. i wished everyone a happy new year, new york time, at 9 pm california time, and went to bed. yippee! such an exciting life for a pastor. 
we celebrated the epiphany in worship, and the altar was re-arranged to reflect the visit of the magi; the wise visitors from the east. we explored what gifts we could offer our community in the new year...basically making sure that the united methodist church was not the best kept secret in merced!
we offer three gifts ... compassion through education and being open to ideas and not having all the answers but being willing to explore tough questions; reconciliation by being a reconciling congregation, seeking to be fully inclusive of those often estranged by the church, including the lgbt community; and finally healing in a variety of ways through our prayer ministry. we hope to offer our community several opportunities this year to utilize our labyrinth.
and so with the epiphany completed -- we get epiphanies all the time; they are those 'ah ha!' moments -- i left on vacation. vacation looked like staying around the house and taking little trips, which included a trip into san francisco for lunch, going to see the 'tin tin' movie and 'the woman with the dragon tattoo' (OMG what a movie!), visits to barnes and noble, tax preparation -- clean out the files; out with the old, in with the new -- and winter yard cleaning (gees i'm still sore!)
but the really fascinating event for me was reading a book that has been in the pierce library forever, i think. but since mom moved a year ago, i have been the recipient of the book which has sat on my coffee table. this book, entitled mr. and mrs. pierce (what a hoot of a name, don't you think?) is by cameron mackenzie, and was published in 1916. it was 404 pages long and basically tells the story of a turn of the century couple in new york who get married and experience after that event, self-awareness and the coming of age.
it is curious to me why my parents kept this book...maybe for the title? kind of like me watching 'mildred pierce' (that great black and white joan crawford movie about a woman who will do anything to succeed and make the best possible life for her daughter -- she buys a restaurant on a highway that sells chicken and homemade pies) over and over again. pbs actually made a mini-series out of that book! anyway, i'll continue to be curious about that book and what it says about my family of origin!
today i look forward to my favorite psychological mystery author, elizabeth george, whose next novel arrives in bookstores today! yes, i have a number of 'church books' in various stages of being read, but having 'fun reading' is a must. and elizabeth george is simply great...her characters, with their uniqueness and flaws, are so well developed, and her story lines are so intriguing that you can hardly put them down...so captivating! if you haven't read her, start from the beginning; it's a very good place to start!
so, my new year's resolution now that i am back at work? more fun, of course! care to join me?
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