Pentecost Call to Worship

As we prepare for Pentecost this year, I couldn't find a piece of the liturgy that fit well with what we are doing at Spirit of Joy! Lutheran Church, so I wrote this call to worship. With the thought that perhaps it will be useful to others, I am sharing it here.

Welcome in the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen!

On that first Pentecost, God Spirit transformed the lives of the disciples and changed the world. As we gather, we pray for that same Spirit to be poured out on us.
Come, Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit is a fire, consuming our selfishness, our hatred, and our indifference – filling our lives with new life and the light of God.
Come, Holy Spirit!

Filled with the Holy Spirit, our lives bear fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Like the beacon of a lighthouse, may the fruit of the Spirit shine in our lives.
Come, Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit never leaves us where we are – we are sent by the Spirit out into the world to be the salt of the earth, to show God’s love to all people, to bring God’s Spirit of joy to the world.
Come, Holy Spirit!

Gracious God, pour your Spirit into our hearts, that we would worship today with all our hearts, that our lives would be transformed by your power, and that we would carry your joy from this place into all the world.

To you we give our honor and praise, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever.
Amen!

Christmas Eve Candlelight Reading

At Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship, as the lights are turned out and candles are lit, we encounter the Word of God. A few years ago I put together this reading in two parts that merges together Genesis 1 and John 1. 

Image: © Nevit Dilmen

Reader 1: In the beginning was the Word,
Reader 2: In the beginning when God began to create the heavens and the earth,

and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep while a spirit from God swept over the face of the waters.

He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.
Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
And God saw that the light was good.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. And God blessed them.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth
God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.

From the fullness of the Word made flesh we have all received grace upon grace.

Note: This reading is based on the NRSV translation of the text. Adapt as needed for other translations. 

Pope Francis, Children, and Worship

In many churches, there are very clear expectations for children (and there parents). Even if you have never attended the congregation before, you can quickly pick up on the expectation.

• The very clearly labelled cry room / nursery, far from the sanctuary. To separate noisy children from the worshipers. 
• The children being led out at some point for "children's church." 
• The judging looks at parents with young children who are laughing or crying. 
• Even the sign, "Small Children Should Be in the Nursery During Worship."

Yup. The expectation is clear. We do not want to see or hear children during worship. No wiggling, no laughing, no talking, no fidgeting. Take them out: to the nursery, to the cry room, anywhere but the sanctuary. 

I was greatly moved by the pictures this week of Pope Francis. As he was speaking to a huge gathering of families, a young boy joined the Pope on the stage. Despite attempts by those on the stage to remove him, the boy stayed. He wandered. He talked. He spent time in the places where he was not supposed to be. And no one seemed happier about the situation than Pope Francis. 

Love. Kid runs on stage during @Pontifex speech, hugs him, Pope sits him on his chair to continue the speech. pic.twitter.com/zxghWLpwtb
— PEG (@pegobry) October 29, 2013

The Pope seemed to have grasped an important truth: If you have a gathering of families, there will be children. And those children will behave like ... well ...children. 

If we continue to make it clear that we do not want to hear or see children in worship, we will get exactly what we want. We will not see or hear children -- Not now, and not in twenty years when they grow up. They will get the message loud and clear: They are not welcome.

Worship leaders: learn from the Pope. We want our worship services to be gatherings for families (all sorts of families). And where there are families, there will be children. (Rodger Nishioka wrote about this very idea yesterday on the NextChurch blog)

Worship leaders: let children be children. Give permission for them to wander, to talk, to color, to play. To do all the things that children do. Make it abundantly clear to parents and children that they are welcome.



Here is the welcome that we put in our bulletins at St. John - Prairie Hill

Parents of Young Children

We are so glad that you are here, and that you brought your children with you! Thank you! A few suggestions for your worship experience: 

• Relax! God put the wiggle in children; don’t feel you have to suppress it in God’s house. It can be helpful to sit toward the front where it is easier for children to see and hear. 
• Sing hymns loudly, pray, and voice the responses with enthusiasm. Children learn behavior by copying you. If you are excited about God, they will be too! 
• There are Story Bibles in the pew—your child is welcome to read, look at, and use this Bible! (If you would like to take one home, talk to Pastor David). 
• Teach children some of the basic prayers; being able to join in with the prayers helps them feel they are contributing too. Also, it can be helpful to explain to your child what is happening during the service. 
• Attend worship often, children like and need routines where they can participate. 

To those who are sitting near worshiping parents and children
A smile of encouragement is always welcome to parents with small, active children! Jesus welcomed the little children, and so do we. Whether talking, crying, laughing, or singing, the sounds of children in worship are joyful songs of praise.

An Usher at St. John

Millennials and Worship

Image Credit: David Ball

My social media news feeds have been bombarded over the last few months with similar stories: "How to Get Millennials In Church," "Why Millennials are Leaving the Church," "What Millennials Want from Worship." In a similar way, so many conversations at clergy gatherings bring up the conversation "What do young people want from the church?"

I can't speak for other young adults. I know my experience, and the things that resonate with me and my friends. And what I know is this: I am tired of this conversation.

After listening to a fantastic presentation about the ways that the culture around the church is changing, an audience member raised her hand with a question. Her congregation was having the debate about the best way to attract young adults: should they have traditional or contemporary music? Here is my expert, millennial opinion on that question: I don't care.

No really. I don't care whether you use an organ or drums, whether you have a seven piece band or a thirty member choir, whether you sing something written five hundred years ago or five years ago. I don't want to save your church. I don't want a worship service designed just for me.

What do Millennials want? In truth, if you ask 100 different young adults you will get 100 different answers. I have my personal worship & music preferences. But they are not reflective of anyone in my generation but me -- and more importantly, they are secondary when it comes to finding a worshiping community. "What style of music" is not the question I care most about. As Tripp Hudgins points out, it's not the point.

Here's what I care about: When I walk into your church building on Sunday, does it feel like a real, loving community? When you worship together - is that worship a reflection of who you really are? Are you passionate about the faith that you share?

Quit trying to be things you are not. Don't try to be just like that mega-church down the road. Don't try to be like the cathedral downtown. Don't try to be like the campus ministry or the camp ministry.

Be you. Be the very best you. Small church or large. Aging members or younger. Contemporary or traditional or somewhere in-between. Be you. Not for the sake of who might possibly come, not to attract other sorts of people, but because that is who God has called you to be. Church: God has called you to be fully yourselves, because God loves you. 

Be passionate. Whatever the "style" you worship in, throw all of your energy and heart into it. The words that we say and sing on Sunday -- if we believe them -- are the most important and meaningful words in life. Say them and sing them like you mean them. Because if you aren't passionate about what you say on Sunday morning, why in the world would anyone else care?

Be loving. I missed the time Jesus lectured the disciples about worship style. But I seem to remember some pretty strong words about love.

If you fill the room with love, no one will ever care what sounds are filling the room. Fill the room with love. Love for the community as it is right now. Love for new friends who walk through the door. Love for the community in which the congregation is located. Fill the room with love.

Be you. Be passionate. Be loving. 


I would love to continue the conversation with you on facebook and twitter! 

Want to Get Married?

Weddings are expensive.

That's the wisdom, and the research backs it up. The average cost of a wedding in the United States is almost $30,000! And remember - that's just the average. Lots of people are spending a whole lot more than that.

Each year, more and more couples postpone their wedding - they think they just can't afford it. Even if you have the money for a big wedding, it is an easy choice. You can make a very nice down payment on a house and start your life together - or you can have a big wedding. And for many people, it just isn't even an option. The money simply isn't there.

There are lots of ways to cut some of those costs - having just gotten married myself, I know what it looks like to count pennies for a wedding service.

But even more than cutting costs, I want you to know this: You do not have to have the big wedding. 

The wedding ceremony itself is fairly simple and has zero cost associated with it. Some vows. Some prayers. Some blessings. None of the expensive stuff we have built up around weddings is required. None of it. Expensive dresses that you only wear once. Tuxedos. Rings. Fancy invitations. Limousines.

You don't need all of the expensive extras to have a wedding. 

Vows. Prayers. Blessing. End of story.

In fact, a wedding service is really about the community. Saying your vows before God and the community of faith. Theologically it's not a private party, but a public event - a public worship service.

So here is my invitation to you:
Come and get married at Prairie Hill, during Sunday worship. No cost. 

Don't let cost keep you from getting married. Don't get caught up in all of the extras that have become a part of the wedding industry. God, community, and your beloved. What else do you need?

If you have been waiting until you have enough money, if you have been putting it off because you can't afford it, then come and say your vows to your beloved before God. Let us ask for God's blessing on your life together.

(Image copyright churchart.com, used with permission) 

Prayer Book for the Armed Services

I am so excited about this new resource offered by Augsburg Fortress: Prayer Book for the Armed Services. It has been quite some time since the Lutheran church has offered a similar resource, and this is a welcome addition to my library.

This book was really well thought out for use by men and women in military. It is small. The pages are thick and sturdy. The cover is tough - I spilled water on it and it just rolled right off. And at $8 each, this is easily one of the most affordable books on my worship resources shelf!

There are prayers for individual use, and an arrangement of the daily prayer services for individual use as well. Many of the prayers are specifically about life in the military, and the experiences that are unique to that vocation. There are also some great corporate worship prayers and services included.

The video below gives a quick peek inside. Click on the video to pause it and peruse the table of contents. Thanks Augsburg Fortress for this! (Order from Augsburg Fortress)

Wrestling with Mothers Day

As a preacher and worship planner, Mothers Day can be difficult for lots of reasons. In brief:

• There are those for whom the day is extremely important, because it is a day of celebration. 
• There are those for whom the day is extremely important, because it is a day of grief and sadness.
• There are those for whom the day has very little meaning, for a variety of reasons. 

This post doesn't really engage  the debate as to whether to celebrate the day in the liturgy or not. Instead, it is a story that illustrates both the beauty and profound sadness of the day.

On facebook we were discussing times that we had been shown unexpected kindness, and this experience was shared with me by Mary Miller:

I hate mother's day. I really do.  

Before my Mom came to live with us, I would go camping and eat a whole cake, hiding in the woods on that day. So it is a tough day for me. But for the sake of my Mom, I have to tolerate it.  

A few years ago, I was at church on Mother's Day with my Mom and my husband. We went to the service which is entirely in Spanish, because it is our favorite service.  

At some point, the pastor asked the Mothers to stand up. My Mother stood up. I never had children (I'm in my 50's), so of course I didn't stand up when all the other women did.  

In front of us was sat a Hispanic woman probably in her mid to late 30's with a baby less than a year old. It was obviously her first Mother's Day. I had never seen her in church before. She noticed that I didn't stand up.  

After the stand-up and applause for Moms, this stranger turned around and handed me her baby. She let me hold the baby until after Communion. I can still smell his little head.  

The woman did not speak English. I have no idea if she was a documented immigrant or not. We had nothing in common (except that it took her a while (into her 30's) to have a child).
This was the single kindest act anyone has ever done for me. I will never forget it.

(Image:Madonna von der Straße, Roberto Feruzzi. Public Domain. Source) 

Kickin' Ash!

On Ash Wednesday, we go to church and are marked with ashes with the cross of Christ, and reminded to "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Before beginning to work in churches I never thought to wonder: "Where do the ashes for Ash Wednesday come from?"

The short answer is easy: They are usually made from the leftover palms that were used in last year's Palm Sunday service. But still ... how do they get from Palm Sunday to Ash Wednesday?

Two answers: 1) You can purchase ashes from any number of liturgical goods suppliers. They come prepackaged and ready to go. 2) Someone in the church (the pastor or priest, the head of the altar guild, etc) can make your own ashes. Naturally, the church-geeks among us opt for option 2.

So how do you do it? Here is my process:

Step 1
Lay out the palms after Palm Sunday. Ok, I usually don't get to them until after Easter, but still. I like to find a spot in the sun, where they can can dry out well and quickly. As they are first drying out, rotate them every week or two, or else you will wind up with mold.

Protip: Lay out your palms on a large garbage bag or something similar. Once they are dry, this will allow you to pick them up without leaves going everywhere. 

Step 2
Prepare something to burn the palms in. I use a large stock pot, lined in tinfoil. You can also just use tinfoil is you get it to bowl up right. Or whatever else works for you.

Step 3
Strip the palm leaves off of the stems. I just grab the top of the palm and pull down along the stem, pulling off a handful at time. Then, cut the leaves into little bits, the smaller the better. I use scissors, you can also use a kitchen chopper thingy (Magic Bullet, I think?).

Protip: Do not use any of your spouse's beloved kitchen utensils for this job. Seriously.

Step 4
Burn, baby burn.
Get out of the wind as much as possible. I use a stick or something similar to turn over the palms and burn as much as possible. Warning: Burning palms smell like a certain herb recently legalized in a few States. You will get said smell in all of your clothes.

Step 5
Sift out the big bits to get yourself a nice ash. I use a strainer. Pouring the ashes into the strainer over a stainless steel bowl, I use a spoon as a sort of pestle to crush the ashes through the strainer. You will be left with some larger bits and some that did not burn, which you can just throw away. Some people use an actual mortal and pestle for this step. Others use a flour sifter (but heed the warning above about kitchen utensils!).

Protip: Go slowly! This stirs up a lot of ash. If you rush, it will go everywhere. Go slow. 

Step 6
I store my ashes dry - they last longer that way. On Ash Wednesday I use a smaller container and mix the ash with oil before applying to people's foreheads. You can also apply the ash dry, or you can use an oil stock and put oil on your "crossing finger" before putting ash on the forehead.

Protip: Oil goes bad. Only store dry ashes long term, not ashes mixed with oil. Mixing ashes with water produces lye. Lye is not good for people's foreheads. 

Protip: Mixing oil and ashes is an art. Only add the smallest bit of oil at a time, or you will get goop. And nobody likes to be gooped on Ash Wednesday. 

This is also a great pre-Lenten activity for youth or confirmation groups (with plenty of supervision!). Remember: Less is more. With only about 1/3 of the left over palms from last year, I made enough ashes for about 3 years.

Oh. In addition to purchasing your ashes or making your own, there is a 3rd option. Find a colleague who is a liturgy-geek. Chances are that he or she will make way more than is needed every year, and will happily share with you.

My Ash Wednesday ash-container.
Not sure where this came from,
but it is just the right size!

Why Do Weddings Matter?

Buckle in. Here's a shock: as I sit here writing my monthly newsletter article I have marriage on my mind. Maybe it has something to do with long to-do list I have sitting next to me, with things to get done for my own wedding.

So the most basic question: What exactly is a wedding? Or, to put it another way, why does a wedding matter?

We most often think about a wedding as being all about the couple. It is when the couple says their vows to one another, it is their special day, it is a celebration of their love. All those things are nice, but I think that they miss much of the point of the Christian wedding service. Vows could be said before a justice of the peace, or even in private. And ideally, any couple should be celebrating their love for one another every day.

Such an assumption about the importance of a wedding also misses point of Lutheran worship. The theological emphasis of Lutheran worship is not on the worshipers. No, wedding is first and foremost not about the bride or the groom, but about God.

In a service of marriage, we ask for God to bless the life of the bride and groom. No matter how nice the bride’s dress, no matter how cute the flower girl, the center of attention at a wedding is God. The most important part of a wedding is what God does. God blesses the couple, and the community.

But then the bride and groom, right? Nope. Secondly, a church wedding is about the community. Again, a couple could go off and get married in a private ceremony (and many couples do that—these are also holy and blessed marriages). But to get married in the church, surrounded by the community of faith, gives the community an important role to play. Those who are gathered at the wedding act on behalf of the whole church, on behalf of the whole people of God. On behalf of the church, the community that is gathered witnesses the couple’s vows. But even more importantly, the community that is gathered also makes a vow, to support and care for the couple. A wedding is about the support and prayers of the community of faith.

Only at the very bottom of the list, the church wedding is about the vows of the couple. There—in the presence of God and the community—the couple declares their vows to one another. Blessed by God, blessed by the community, the couple goes out to live their life.

 There are lots of different sorts of weddings—from big church weddings to services at the courthouse to an elopement. No matter the setting, these are the things that matter in a wedding service: God—community—and the couple.

This is an edited version of my September 2012 newsletter article for St. John Lutheran Church of Prairie Hill. 

Seen & Not Heard

Here's my frustration: I want to encourage the church. I want to point out all of the things that are going great, all the things that we are doing right. I want to praise the way we are bringing Christ into the world. But.

But sometimes, the church is just ridiculous. And to be clear, I am not talking about the congregation where I serve, although we have our moments, too. I am talking about the church - all of us - the body of Christ. 

In almost every church I that I have had any sort of contact with, I have heard some variation on the same concern: "There aren't enough children. We need more kids in Sunday School. The Youth Group is too small." Sound familiar? Church councils sit around, thinking of what the pastor needs to do to get kids in church. The older members complain about parents who don't bring their kids to church. We talk about all sorts of things ... none of which is actually the problem.

Want to know the problem? Here it is, in a nutshell. A few weeks ago, I walked into a church to preach and saw this sign:

I don't post this to shame this one congregation. The truth is that many congregations, without being as explicit about it, still have this attitude lurking under the surface. The people who complain about the kids who talk during the sermon. The stares we give to the parents of fidgety children. We want kids in the church, but "Children should be seen and not heard" ... and we aren't too sure that they should be seen.

Come on, church! We can do better!

We wonder why our churches are graying. We wonder why our Sunday School rooms sit empty. We wonder what happened to all the families with young children. It's really simple: they got the message. They heard us loud and clear.

We need worship services where children are free to be ... well, children. That means sometimes they will be loud, sometimes they will need to move around and play and fidget. Because that is what children do.

We need churches where parents feel comfortable coming with their little ones; not ashamed or nervous. 

If we are going to have churches that have children in them, then those children and their parents should be made to feel welcome. Totally and completely welcome, just as they are. 

Let's be clear: if we don't change this, there will not be a church in a generation. 

And So It Begins ...

In certain circles I am known as a bit of a social media enthusiast. I think is is an important way for churches, clergy, and others to communicate not just with each other but with the world. I live out my life in the public eye: both in real life as the pastor of a congregation in a small town, and on social media.

And yet, last week I was scooped on social media. On Thursday, Megan Dosher (@megateer) and I made our engagement official. She also is an avid user of social media in various forms, but it was not her. No, it was Megan's mother who had posted the news of our engagement to Facebook within minutes of getting off of the phone with us. 

And thus began what will be a very public engagement and wedding. Megan and I followed her mother's suit, and shared the news on both Facebook and Twitter (our primary social media networks). And we plan on this trend continuing. We have every intention of using social media to the fullest as we plan and celebrate our marriage.

Why? There are two primary reasons. (1) We both live very public lives. Certainly in regard to our chosen professions, we are in the public eye. Especially in a small town. And we embrace that facet of our life - it is a part of who we are. In fact, it is a good thing! Living life publicly (with good boundaries, of course) encourages a life that is transparent and authentic. 

(2) We believe that a wedding is a public event. It involves not just the couple, but as an act of the church it involves the whole body of Christ. In Christian marriage, we call on the faithful to support, pray for, and hold accountable the relationship that is blessed in marriage. And for Megan and I, that is not just the people who gather in our congregations on Sunday mornings. It is also our friends and loved ones on social media - with whom we converse, pray, learn, and worship. We want to include them in the public witness of our marriage.

And so, the journey begins. There will be updates here, on our respective facebook and twitter accounts, and who knows where else. Please feel free to follow along, join the conversation, and share in our joy!

Last fall, I had the privilege of being an advanced reader on Meredith Gould's Getting #Married: Using Social Media to Celebrate the Sacred. Megan & I have both read and earmarked this book, and recommend it to others considering using social media in planning and celebrating their wedding.

Advent Blue

We are about to celebrated the festival of Christ the King, and  it is soon time to begin the new liturgical year with the season of Advent. With the arrival of Advent comes the perennial question: Is the color of Advent blue or purple?

Prior to the changes of the late 20th century, most American Lutheran churches used purple vestments and paraments during the season of Advent. However, in the last 30 years, many churches have started using a deep blue for this season. And so the debate rages: Is Advent purple or blue?

Many who advocate a blue Advent talk about blue being the color of royalty (i.e., "royal blue"). They talk about, rather than a penitential focus, Advent being a time to prepare for (to steal a Tolkien phrase) the return of the King.

Many who advocate a purple Advent talk about purple being the color of penitence and repentance. They often like the parallels between advent and Lent, and may talk about Advent being a "little Lent." Changing to blue, for them, takes the focus off of the most important part of preparing for the return of the King -- repentance.

Unfortunately, "blue adventers" and "purple adventers" often think that the other group is out to ruin this wonderful season of the church. The fact is, if they could listen to one another, they would hear that they are both right. The former liturgy professor at Sewanee, J. Neil Alexander (a former Lutheran, now bishop of the Atlanta Diocese of the Episcopal Church), used to say that we are all held captive by the berries.

Yes, blue is the color of royalty -- but so is purple. Both colors of fabric were very expensive in the days before chemical dyes, because they required such deep, rich colored berries. If you lived around the Mediterranean, chances are your royalty wore purple -- because those were the berries (or other natural dyes) in wide use. If you lived in Northern Europe, chances are your royalty wore blue -- because those were the berries available.

And Yes, purple is the color of penitence -- but so is blue. In the days before chemical dyes, it was nearly impossible to make fabric that was true black -- the color of mourning and repentance. What you wound up with, depending on the natural dyes (berries) you used, was usually either a dark purple or a dark blue. Again, the differences were regional.

So is the "correct" color for Advent purple or blue? Well ... I guess "Yes" is the only answer that works.

Pirate Creed

In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, I give you the Pirate Creed:

We believe in one God, the Almighty Admiral,

Maker o’ heaven and ‘arth,    

and o’ all things natural and ghostly.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

T’only Son o’ God, says I, eternally begotten o’ the Admiral,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, nar made, o’ one Bein’wi’ the Father.

Through him all things t’were made.

Far us and far arr salvation

he opened the hatch o’ heav’n

and dropped into the hold:

by the pow’r o’ the Holy Ghost

he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,

and was made a swabbie.

Fer arr sake he was keel-hauled

by that the scurvy dog, Pontius Pilate;

and was sent t’ Davy Jones’ locker.

On the third day he came back in accardance with the book;

he ascended into heaven

and be seated at the right hand o’ the Admiral.

He will come again in glory t’judge the living and the dead,

and his kingdom will ha’e no end.

Avast then!

We believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, the giver o’ life,

who proceeds from the Admiral and the Cap’n.

With them two, he be worshiped and glorified.

He has spoken through the Prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one dunkin’ far the forgiveness o’ sins.

We look far the resurrection o’ the dead,

and the life o’ the world t’come.

So says one, so says us all. Aye aye

(The Pirate Creed comes from the Pirate Eucharist (pdf), composed by fictitious detective and liturgist Hayden Konig, in Mark Schwetzer's wonderful "Liturgical Mysteries". This series of books should be read be everyone who loves liturgy, snark, and wonderful  inspiring hilarious prose. Pirate Creed used here with permission.)

Faithful Conversation

On Sunday night, I was up late watching the news come in that US Special Forces had killed Osama Bin Laden. The next day, processing my reaction to the news, I felt the need to have some sort of service at the congregation I service - some opportunity for us to pray and talk together. I bounced the idea off colleagues who helped me think whether or not this was really the appropriate course of action.  In the end I decided to go ahead and have a service of prayer and conversation on Tuesday night.

I had a couple of reasons for deciding to do this. First, this was a historic event - one of those, "you will remember where you were when you heard," events. And I believe that we need to make the faith community a part of those events in our lives. As people try to figure out the meaning of major events in our world, the church cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. People are looking for answers - and if they cannot seek those answers in the church, they will look for them elsewhere. The death of Bin Laden certainly will not be the end of terrorism, but it is a symbolic victory - and who knows better how to talk in symbols than the church?

Second, the death of Osama Bin Laden brought forward raw emotion for many people. It brought back to the surface feelings of grief, anger, and fear that originated in the terrorist attacks of 9/11. The church needs to be a safe place for people to come and live out those emotional responses. A place where the people of God can expose their wounds and their scars, seeking the comfort of one another and the presence of the Great Healer.

And third, the death of Osama Bin Laden stirred in many people the tension of their dual citizenships in the United States and the Kingdom of God. As Americans, there is a natural response of nationalistic triumphalism, a certain rejoicing at the execution of justice. As children of God, a pondering of how this fits into God's justice and Jesus' command to love our enemies.

And so I called for a service of prayer and conversation. It was intentionally not a "class" or a conversation in the Parish Hall. We met in the sanctuary. The people of God find our meaning in worship, in prayer, and in Scripture. I sent out emails, spread the word over facebook, and on Tuesday night about 30 people gathered in the sanctuary of St. John - Prairie Hill.

I prepared a bulletin of sorts. It had a bare bones liturgy, but more importantly it had some pertinent prayers and readings from Scripture. I didn't know if we would use the liturgy, but I wanted it to be available as a structure in case the conversation got heated or we need the structure to move us forward.

We opened with the gathering litany from the ELW Vespers service, and a prayer for the Spirit's guidance in our worship and conversation. And then, I opened the floor. We talked about how we heard the news, and our initial reactions. We talked about how our reactions changed after we had sat with them for a couple of days. As we talked, from time to time I would stop the conversation and offer a prayer or a reading, to keep us centered. Almost everyone present shared in some way, and in all we talked for about 45 minutes. We closed with Luther's evening prayer and a benediction.

The prayers I included came from ELW with some slight modification. The were the prayers for enemies, prayers for our nation and our leaders, prayers for those in military service, the prayer of St. Francis, and a few others. The readings I included were the judgement of Cain, Romans 12:2-21, and Matthew 5:38-48.

Everyone in that group that gathered expressed some sort of conflict about their reactions. What did it mean to pray for our enemies? What if you were not able to forgive your enemies - not just Bin Laden, but the people in your life who had wronged you? And we talked about those tensions, together. I shared with them the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his conflict over the decision to take part in the plot to assassinate Hitler. I talked a little bit about Luther's two Kingdoms. I'll be honest, I don't remember everything I said. What I know is that, at the end of the night, we had all expressed our relief at the death of Bin Laden, our struggles to love and forgive our enemies, and our desire to become people who live into the Sermon on the Mount.

And I took a number of other things away from this. Even in the very conservative area where I serve, there was a real sense that rejoicing was not the right response to the death of another. As much as my clergy colleagues have been talking about this over the last few days, you would think that most people's reaction was one of joy. I certainly did not see that. Relief is a much better word. Less a shout of alleluia, and more a collective sigh of relief.

I also observed that people were hungry to hear what the church has to say. They wanted to know, what does this mean for my faith? What does Scripture say? I think we (clergy, church leaders) have done the people of God a disservice by not making the church a place where people can come to make sense of the events of the world. I'm not talking about political commentary or partisanship -- they can get that everywhere else. Nor am I talking about being berated by a prophetic pastor who tells them how far short they fall and how wrong their politics are. No, I am talking about a safe place, where they can engage in dialog with each other, the Scriptures, and their pastor about how their faith can help them understand the political and historic events of the world.

Finally, I observed that the congregation was hungry for me, as their pastor, to be honest and authentic with them. The room opened up when I talked about my own struggles to love and forgive my enemies. Had I tried to say that I am able to live into the Sermon on the Mount without struggle, they probably would have tuned me out. Yes, pastors, speak with authority when God calls us to. But, there are other times when your people need to hear you say, I don't know, or I pray for God's strength - because God knows there are people I struggle to forgive.

Pardon the rambling nature of this note. I am still very moved by the experience that we had, talking and worshiping with these people whom I love so much. Their faith inspires me, and their willingness to listen for God's voice speaking through the Body. It was a small group that gathered, but I think that what took place last night at Prairie Hill was exactly what everyone needed.

Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday

Caught a post this morning from Christian Century about the dual focus of the last Sunday in Lent, called "Against Passion Sunday".(Can you guess what conclusion the author draws?)  In that brief post, the author argues against the "recent liturgical emphasis" on observing both the Triumphal Entry and the Passion on the last Sunday in Lent. She draws on childhood memories of when Palm Sunday was just that - Palm Sunday *only* - and says that the move toward Palm/Passion Sunday was caused by practical concerns (recent lack of attendance on Good Friday).

It is true; attendance at Good Friday liturgies is not as high as any pastor or liturgist would like. However, I believe that this is a straw man, and a misleading one at that. The novel, recent practice is not the reading of the synoptic Passion on the Sunday of Holy Week. The reading of a synoptic Passion account on the Sunday of Holy Week dates back to the medieval church (when the practice was to read Matthew's Passion on Sunday). Instead, the historically novel practice was (is?) congregations who omit the reading of the Passion on this Sunday.

Besides the historical argument, there is also a certain theology presented in the observance of the Sunday of the Passion. In the liturgy of Passion Sunday, we - the church - are simultaneously the ones who pour accolades on the entering Jesus and the ones who demand his execution. The peculiar juxtaposition of celebration and crucifixion gets to the heart of what we believe about Jesus and the world. Yes Jesus is the Messiah, but not the Messiah of worldly conquest. Yes this creation is good, but it is broken by sin. Yes we have been made holy by Christ, and yet our wills are still incurvatus in se. Yes God's Kingdom has drawn near, but no it has not fully come into being.

The liturgy of the Sunday of the Passion will not allow any theology that dwells on triumphalism. It will not let us deceive ourselves about the sort of Messiah that Jesus is. To leave Palm Sunday without the Passion narrative is to leave with the impression that Jesus is the conquering Messiah, the Messiah of worldly power. The Passion narrative reminds us that we follow the crucified Messiah, the one who gained victory precisely in defeat.

(See also Mark Mummert's musings on why we read both the Synoptic Passion and John's Passion every year)

"Christian Seder"

At one time (prior to my arrival), the congregation where I serve hosted a "Christian Seder" as a part of Holy Week. People have asked me since my arrival if that is something we might do again, to which my usual reply is probably not. Don't get me wrong, the Seder is a moving and powerful ritual - but it is not our ritual. One of my friends recently wrote a very clear and articulate article about why he feels the same way that I do.

Some of the most important reasons why not to host a church Seder, for me:

First, there is the issue of respect for our Jewish brothers and sisters. Can you imagine the reaction if non-Christian groups did "re-enactments" of our Sacraments? What would the Christian community have to say about a Muslim Holy Communion? Or a group of atheists doing mock baptisms? I think we would be up in arms about the mis-appropriation of our sacred rituals. And, from my experience, Jews feel the same way about our appropriation of their sacred ritual. Here are two articles by Rabbis commenting on the problems with "Christian Seders".

Second, Jesus did not have a Seder meal, at least not as modern Jews understand it. The Haggadah, from which Jews tell the story of the Passover at the Seder, was not written until the second century after Christ. In fact, the Seder meal as a discrete ritual evolved in part to address the splintering Jewish community following the destruction of the Temple in 70 ad. Part of that splintering community? Jewish Christians. The Seder was - at least in part - a response to the developing Christian rituals. Jesus undoubtedly celebrated the Passover with a meal, but it is a historical anachronism to call it a Seder.

Third, Jesus did not have a Seder meal, at least not as modern Christians understand it. It was in that Passover meal that Jesus gave the bread and wine to his disciples, saying "This is my body ... this is my blood." What Jesus did, from our perspective, was the Eucharist - the sacrament of Holy Communion. If you want to better understand Jesus' last night with his disciples, don't have a Seder - instead, gather around the table and share in the sacrament.

Perhaps a congregation wants to better understand their Jewish neighbors, and that is commendable. Visit your local synagogue, and talk with the Rabbi about how you can facilitate that understanding with respect. Perhaps the Rabbi would talk to a group in your congregation about what a Seder entails and what it means in the Jewish congregation.

But the best way to understand the mysteries of Jesus' last days, above all else, is to participate in the liturgy of the Triduum - the Great Three Days of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. It is there, in the experience of the powerful liturgy of those three days, that we encounter the meaning, depth, and power of our salvation. In the ritual of the Passover, the Jewish people recount their story of redemption. In the liturgies of the Great Three Days - and especially the Easter Vigil - the Christian community recounts and relives our story of redemption.

Here is a word of warning from the ELCA about the practice of Seder meals.