Bind Us Together - Easter 7a

Spending the majority of the day in bed poses an obvious problem: What does one do to fill their time? Before bed rest, my days were filled with the normal activities of life but, all that was “normal” life has come to a halt over the past several weeks. A couple of weeks ago, I was trying to connect with the outside world by looking at twitter. While perusing twitter, I stumbled across Rachel H. Evan’s twitter feed. (Rachel is a writer and a blogger. She often tries to facilitate dialogue inside Evangelical Christian circles to help Christians understand one another.) As far as I could tell, it was exploding with accusations and statements of ‘faith’ from all sorts of people. I admit I was intrigued. I could not help but wonder what in the world she could have said to provoke so much ire. As I filtered through the many, many, many comments, it seemed as if some people had stumbled across a poem she had written several years ago. In this poem, Rachel used feminine imagery as a metaphorical description of God. I sat, scratching my head, thinking, “Is this it? Surely, she has said something else…something more objectionable…something more controversial.”

On the one hand, I thought, “What is the big deal…we (the people of God) have been using metaphorical language for God…well, since the beginning.” In fact if we step back into the pages of scripture it was not until Moses, that God identified God’s self with a name. “I am who I am” or, more literally, “I be who I be.” (We make alterations from Hebrew to English for the sake of grammar.) It is not the simplest name around. God did not identify is Jake or Bob or Sue or Ellen. God did not offer a middle initial or a last name. To be honest, I am not sure how we would monogram the name of God onto a tote sack or a handkerchief - if monogramming is your thing. If you are thinking God’s name does not offer a gender clue, you are correct. God stands beyond gender. Gendered language is based on our own limitations of language and understanding. It was never meant as an all-encompassing reflection or definition of God’s character. While our pronouns that reference God are dominantly masculine, our Sacred Text also employs feminine imagery and maternal imagery to describe God. In Hosea, God is described as a mother[1] and a mother bear[2]. Deuteronomy describes God as a mother eagle[3] and as a mother giving birth.[4] Similar imagery is used in Isaiah when God is described a woman in labor[5] and a nursing mother.[6] Jeremiah describes God as the Queen of Heaven[7]. In Matthew and Luke, Jesus describes God as a mother hen.[8] Luke also has Jesus describing God as a woman looking for her lost coin.[9] (The metaphorical imagery abounds but I think the point is clear.)

Just as all of these examples to do not make the case for God as a woman, conversely the masculine imagery used to describe God does not make God a man. God is quite simply God. God is not gendered. As people: man and woman we are both created in God’s image. We, in our gendered selves, are God bearers. This does not make us God and does not make God us. It simply means we, in our most faithful selves, are living metaphors for God in the world.

For many of us, this is not new news. We readily acknowledge the limits of our own language and the limitlessness of God. So, perhaps you might also think, “What is the big deal?” “Why is Rachel Evan’s character being attacked?” “Why on earth is she being named some sort of ‘goddess worshipper’?”

On the other side, the people who have offered stringent objections to Rachel’s metaphorical choice believe they are upholding an understanding that is necessary to their understanding of faith. A desire to defend one’s beliefs/understandings inside the Christians community is really not an Us/Them type of thing. If we are honest, we should probably admit that many of us become over-enthuiastic as we uphold/defend pieces of our faith inside the wider Christian community. In her memoir, Leaving Church, Barbara Brown Taylor offers the compelling and convicting reminder, “…human beings never behave more badly toward one another than when they believe they are protecting God.”

In today’s lectionary text (John 17:1-11), Jesus is praying for his disciples – Peter, James, and John but also those of us who would follow. He prays for those who will believe his teachings, those who are the beloved of God. And, Jesus’ prayer is not that we will all believe the same things, or that we will take it upon ourselves to strongly correct those amongst us with whom we find fault. The culmination of Jesus’ prayer is the unity of those who follow Jesus. It seems to me, that this unity find’s its root in the sure sense that first and last, we belong to God.[10]  

It strikes me that Jesus includes a vast multitude of people in his prayer…people who will not, for the life of them, see eye to eye – even though their deepest belief rests in the love of God and the fact that they are God’s beloved. This fact does not stop Jesus from laying claim to each of us: “All yours are mine, and mine are yours.”[11]

In the midst of this text about unity, this morning the church celebrates the Ascension of the Lord. We turn the pages of scripture to Acts and hear the words of Jesus which command us to go out into invite others into the community of people who believe the teachings of Jesus, into the community of the beloved of God. But, how can we do this if we spend so much of our time discussing and correcting the differences we find amongst the beloved of God? How can we tell others they are the beloved of God if we are focusing on our differences instead of God’s self-giving, life-giving, liberating love for others?

The truth is, that this side of God’s realm, Christians will not live in complete agreement. Perhaps, instead of looking for perceived flaws and seeking total agreement, we should spend our time looking at how we are the same, remembering that just as we are beloved by God – so is the one with whom we disagree. In fact, unity is not simply being the same, it is not even losing our differences; unity is a conscious joining together. Perhaps we should follow the lead of Jesus and pray for unity, and maybe…just maybe…we will find it easier to join hands with other Christians and walk forward in true unity.

As we consider those around us, what changes for ourselves and in our relationships when we look for our similarities instead of focusing on our difference?

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[1] Hosea 11:3-4

[2] Hosea 13:8

[3] Deuteronomy 32:11-12

[4] Deuteronomy 32:18

[5] Isaiah 42:14

[6] Isaiah 49:15

[7] Jeremiah 44:25

[8] Luke 13:34 & Matthew 23:37

[9] Luke 15:8-10

[10] Rev. Dr. Janet H. Hunt, All are yours and yours are mine.  May 25, 2014. http://words.dancingwiththeword.com/

[11] John 17:10

Singing in the Shadows - Easter 6a

When I was putting together this week’s bulletin, I almost cried as I typed 6^th week of Easter. I cannot believe it has been six weeks since we have seen one another, six weeks since we have gathered together in worship and fellowship. I have missed you deeply. I have appreciated your calls and emails and cake. I won’t try to put them in order of appreciation since some feed my spirit and others feed my belly.

As Josh has shared with you, six weeks on bed rest is not for the faint of heart. Of course we all have the days when we wistfully think, I wish I could go to bed, pull the covers over my head, and forget the day’s responsibilities. Let me tell you, this idea is better in theory than in practice. The days are long as they stretch into weeks. It is almost as if time has just stood still and I am living in a version of purgatory – not where I was and not where I hope to be. I fee like I am eternally “here.” It is incredibly difficult to not be able to perform simple tasks like washing a load of laundry, dishes, or organizing in preparation for Joey.  In utter honesty, I will share with you that this time has settled on my spirit like an unwelcomed, cold shadow on a warm spring day. And, from the view from our bedroom window, there have been quite a few lovely spring days.

Even will books and knitting and wonderful calls and visits from friends, there is a loneliness to living in bed. Over the past few weeks, I have fretted for the safety of our little boy as I have worried about him being born too early. I have been annoyed at my inability to go and be and do. I have worried about the loss of income that happens when a member of the family is no longer able to work. I have empathized with the plight of Job who threw his hands in the air and looked toward heaven and cried out to God in loneliness, frustration, confusion and desperation. If my misery could be weighed,” says Job “if you could pile the whole bitter load on the scales, it would be heavier than all the sand of the sea!”[1] While at other times in my life, I might have characterized Job as overly dramatic, these days I seem to have a better sense of where he is coming from. When we live inside our own disappointments, inside the cold of our own shadow, the weight of them seems untenable.

It is normal to look around and wonder how and where God is present in the middle of difficulty. In fact, if we turn the pages of scripture, we quickly realize that we are in good company. Of course there is Job in the midst of illness, Abraham and Sarah as year after year they waited for the child God promised them, Daniel from the depth of the lion’s pit, or Paul writing letters from prison.

In looking at this week’s lectionary text, it is as if the Psalmist knew (and perhaps experienced) these very tendencies. Psalm 66 is a song of worship but if you read it closely (truly – click the link and do it now), you notice it is not simply worship of God for the sake of worshipping God. Instead, the Psalm is worship as a reminder of the confidence we, the people of God, have found as a result of God’s actions on behalf of God’s people. In the middle of difficulties it is natural to look ahead as we worry about what the future might bring. We hypothesize to ourselves and play out all the imaginable (and unimaginable) situations. It is also natural to feel sorry for ourselves as a result of our difficulties. In either situation, we hold our specific situations out and look to God asking: “Where are you?” “What have you done?” “Are you going to do anything?”

The Psalmist reminds us that as much as we try, and worry and plan, we cannot know the future. We cannot look ahead and see how God is acting in our lives and in the world. Instead, we remember how God has acted in the past. We remember the ways God has been present in our lives and in the lives of others. We name God’s actions in the world because as people of God we hold stubbornly to the belief that God continues to act - that whether we see it, feel it, taste it, or touch it, God is present. Together we worship with the psalmist with the reminder and invitation, Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what God has done for me.”[2] In our worship we remember who God is and what God has done. Often we do this on a weekly basis without even realizing it. We remember God’s actions in our prayers, through our liturgy, in the waters of the font and the feast of the table, we remember through the Sacred Text, in our songs and in our stories. In his beloved and famous hymn John Newton, like the Psalmist, points to God’s actions. He writes:

Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me…

Through many dangers toils and snares, I have already come…

The Lord has promised good to me…He will my strength and portion be as long as life endures.

In remembering God’s actions, we are reminding ourselves and reminding one another that in even when we are in the shadows, God is present and God is acting. In remembering God’s actions, we allow our hearts to sing out the bigger truth: the shadows are not the fullness of reality, they are nothing more than our current location. And, the God who exists on either side of the shadows is with us in the shadows as well. If we miss God’s presence it is not proof that God isn’t there, it is only because the darkness has settled around us. We remember, we believe, we hope and our Spirit sings.

As we walk through life this week, lets look for signs of God’s presence. Maybe you will join me in this practice and make a running list of the ways God has been present in the past and take a few moments every day to re-read your list and add new memories as they come to mind. While this practice may not immediately change our situations, it will help create space for our spirits to hold onto hope and look for pinpricks of light while we live in the shadows.

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[1] Job 6:1

[2] Psalm 66:16

Community: The Practice of Encountering Others

"Walk joyfully on the earth and respond to that of God in every human being" George Fox

Encountering Others Reflection for Practice:
We must love the God we did not make into our image. We must love the stranger who does not conform to our image as if she or he were our own strange, peculiar self.

Summer 2013: Spiritual Practices

This summer we are delving into the wild world of spiritual practices. Spiritual practices are common to many religions. Put simply, Buddhists meditate, Muslims pray with sacred prayer rugs, Jews light candles and fulfill the particularities of the Mosaic Law. Christians have practices as well: fasting, alms keeping, vigil, and meditating. Many of us are not adept at keeping our practices even though these practices refine our faith (they do not save us or justify us in and of themselves). Practices do not make us Christians, they teach us what it means to live as Christians. Our disciplines form us. They make us aware of God's presence in our lives and teach us to respond to God with gratitude, obedience and faith.

I invite you to journey with us this summer.
If you are up for lively discussion, you are welcome to stay for coffee hour as we delve into each week's practice.

If you would like to look at a couple of companion pieces, we are looking at:

An Alter in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor
Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to a life of Spiritual Discipline by Lauren F. Winner

In Memoriam: Jane Chalmers

We at Christian Union are saddened to announce the loss of our dear friend. Jane, who was in the hospital this past week and had been moved to the rehab unit, passed away quite suddenly on Sunday morning some time after 9am.

The church community that exists today has so many of Jane's thumbprints on it, it is difficult to even imagine a Christian Union without her. And her presence will undoubtedly continue to be felt, as we reminisce and tell stories, laugh and exchange Jane-inspired "quips," and as we continue to work and worship together, in the church whose legacy is inextricably tied to her unrelenting devotion and generosity.

There will be a viewing Wednesday Dec 18th, from 4pm to 7pm, at Christian Union.

The funeral will be the following day, Thursday Dec. 19th, at 10am, also at Christian Union. Lunch will follow in the Parish Hall.

It has been requested that in lieu of gifts or flowers, people are invited to offer donations to Christian Union Church.

May God be with Jane's family, as well as all of those mourn her loss--that in the midst of our grief we may also find joy and hope-- in the celebration of a life well-lived, and in anticipation of the Good News of the Christmas season.

The Giving Tree

We are still gathering gifts for Loaves and Fishes and Cradles to Crayons. Our collections are:

Loaves and Fishes:

Peanut butter and Jelly

Cradles to Crayons:

Warm clothing for children: Hats, scarves, mittens, sweaters, etc.

(They request the clothing be new or gently worn)

As we bring our donations, we will place our gifts under the church's Christmas tree!

Fair Trade Your Halloween!

 

 

There is a tremendous problem with the chocolate industry today--> namely, that over 40% of the world's chocolate is harvested through CHILD SLAVE LABOR... kids who have been stolen from their homes and forced to work a very dangerous job, without pay, all day every day. 

The percentage, I believe, is higher for US chocolate companies, most of whom have not made any kind of REAL commitment to stopping the problem. 

One thing that we can do, however, is to commit during the big candy-selling holidays (Halloween, Valentine's, Christmas and Easter) to buying ONLY FAIRLY TRADED CHOCOLATE--- cacao harvested on small farms cooperatives that sell directly to specialized manufacturers, ensuring that farmers are fairly paid for their work. (The "Fair Trade" label is a third-party organization that ensures farms are adhering to these standards.)

 

We (Amy and Josh) will be placing our orders for our Trick-or-Treat candy next week... for anyone who wishes to do the same, LET US KNOW, and we'll order everyone's chocolate at the same time!!

 

For more information, and for something to show your friends so that they can get in on the ordering as well (or, so you/they can order chocolate for yourselves), visit

http://www.equalexchange.coop/fair-trade-your-halloween 

 

(**OH, and by the way... if you're thinking "sounds nice, but it'll probably be too expensive"--- it's NOT! 150 mini chocolate bars cost only $24!  And since the chocolate is organic, too, it TASTES WAY better than your typical Hersheys mini.)