it seemed to me a wearisome task...

Such are the wicked;

always at ease, they increase in riches.

All in vain have I kept my heart clean

and washed my hands in innocence.

For all day long I have been plagued,

and am punished every morning.

If I had said, "I will talk on in this way,"

I would have been untrue to the circle 

of your children.

But when I thought how to understand this,

it seemed to me a wearisome task,

until I went into the sanctuary of God;

then I perceived their end.

Psalm 73: 12-17 New Revised Standard Version

Ah yes, so easy to be the victim when we look around and see how others are gaining traction and recognition in the world. I get the writer of this psalm!

Too often I think we as humans look at what others are doing, see their maliciousness, but fail to see our own contribution to the "ills" of the world. We look on and all we can say is "woe is me!" 

Jesus rarely sugarcoats anything. In Matthew 7:5, Jesus tells those who have gathered to hear his sermon on the mount, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye."

If there is anything the church does really well, it is hypocrisy. As members of Jesus' Holy church, we could all use a lesson in owning our misgivings so that we can grow into the likeness of Christ. We all struggle accepting that we aren't perfect, and I'll be the first to admit that I often fail to see my shortcomings. I'm great at being the victim, but I believe that's a part of our brokenness. It is who we are, but we must not become so obsessed with comparing our faults and imperfections as less than someone else's. Otherwise we fail to grow. 
For example, I may see that your way of communicating may not be effective, without first looking at my communication style. Am I a clear and concise communicator? Have I raised myself above you because I think your way is the wrong way? Or have I washed my hands of you and thought to myself, "in vain I continue on because you will always get the upper hand?" 

If I choose the latter option, then what I've done is become like the wicked the Psalmist speaks of. Of this, we must be mindful! None of us are any better than the other. When we become locked in thinking our wickedness is less wicked than those we envy or see as bad, then we perpetuate a system that continues to fail those who are oppressed and truly suffering.

When we enter into the sanctuary each Sunday morning, or whenever you may worship, we rededicate our lives to doing the work Christ has called us to. Otherwise, the whole thing becomes a wearisome task. 

May all kings bow down before him

Psalm 72: 11-14 (The Inclusive Psalms)
All other rulers will pay homage,
and all the nations will serve your anointed.
Your anointed will rescue the poor when they cry out,
and the oppressed when there is no one to help them.
Your chose one
will take pity on the lowly and the poor,
and will save their lives.
Your chosen one
will rescue them all from violence and oppression,
and will treat their blood as precious.*


By all accounts Americans are looking for a savior, someone to rescue us from the darkness we seem to be drowning in. I wonder if our savior comes in the form of a president... or from a hotly contended senator race in the state of Alabama. I wonder how long we will look to other humans for salvation. History has proven time and again that our hope cannot reside on the shoulders of a mere mortal. What or who then will save us from this time of turmoil?

Psalm 72 gives us a glimpse of who - a king, or a sovereign who lifts up the poor (I'm not a fan of the word pity that the Inclusive Psalms use) who saves them from violence and oppression. Can a single human do this? This psalm is one of anointing - a psalm that portrays an ideal king. Two thousand years ago a baby was born who would usher in an upside down realm where suffering and crying will be no more. He wasn't born into riches, but in a what we would of as a cave where animals slept.

A Bethlehem house with cave-like stable underneath.

As we wade through the thickness of the murky waters, my hope is in this baby boy. This baby boy that demonstrated that hope is born through relationships. My hope is that we will join together to help usher in this upside down realm (NOT a Stranger Things Upside Down, think the opposite of that!). It's up to us, and faith in a God that doesn't break promises, and God who will hold our heads above water when we think the waves will drown us out.

The light is alive in all of us - where is it in you?


* The Inclusive Psalms (Brentwood, Maryland: Priests for Equality, 1997), 92.
Stable photo can be found at http://revjcn.org/.

Commemorating Heros?

Today is the two hundred twenty-sixth day of 2017. I've seen posts today that are trying to illuminate what "really" happened in Charlottesville. I wasn't there, most of weren't, so really I cannot go off anything other than the select images we have received from the media.

However, the article I've seen talks about how this event was partisan.

Partisan? No.

Political? Yes, but not in a sense that it related to party politics - in the sense that it relates to power of one human being or groups of human beings over human beings. Whenever one group is set above another for its benefit is always political.

The article also goes on to say that the real problem is that the "left" is seeking to erase history. While I don't know what is intended for the statue of General Robert E. Lee, I don't believe that the decision for its removal is intended to erase history.

In my opinion, the statue and other statues of Confederate heroes should be relegated to museums, to history books, to historical documentaries, where we can learn about the mistakes of the past. (History museums should be free and I think most National ones are in our country). We should remember our history, I am a supporter of remembering where we came from and how we can move towards the beloved community that Martin Luther King Jr. believed in. I believe in the beloved community as well. Send the statute to a museum because it is a relic of the past.

Keeping a statue that was built 59 years AFTER the Civil War ended is an insult to our black sisters and brothers and their descendants upon who shouldered a large part of building this country.Let that sink in, 5-9 years! What was happening in 1924 that moved the people of Charlottesville to commemorate this statue? I will look into this and report back!

Statues are erected to honor and commemorate people who have striven to make our world better. They are also erected for other reasons, but for the sake of this argument, and solely my opinion, I believe that the statue of Gen. Lee was erected to commemorate a way of life that relied on the oppression of a specific group of people. A group of people who for some reason were deemed inferior based on the color of their skin. 

So, here's the truth of the matter: The Unite the Right rally that happened in Charlottesville was racist.  The Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, today in an interview with David Greene on National Public Radio, said that many of the rally-ers showed up in combat gear that rivaled that of the local and state police. They came with a mission, to disrupt the peace, and to assert that white lives matter more than black lives, which is an abhorrent falsity.  

I believe in a God that creates us each uniquely. Our diversity is a reflection of who God is... which means that God is all of us. If we would truly take the time to look at each other, and look deeply, we would see God there and all we would be able to do is love. I think deeply ingrained in us, even as deeply ingrained as the desire to learn language, is compassion.

Think about it, language allows us to communicate with each other - it is what leads to compassion.

So let's stop being trying to be color-blind see each for who we are: beloved children of God. 

Yesterday, the Bishop of the Missouri Annual Conference of United Methodist Church asked clergy and laity alike to consider their baptismal vows:

Here are two:
Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin? Yes, yes I do.
Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves? Yes, yes I do.

Today I renounce racism as an evil power of this world, and repent of my sin of proliferating it, even unintentionally. I have benefited from a system that was built on this sin and I ask my God for forgiveness. Because of the forgiveness to me through the life of Jesus Christ, I will do all that I can to resist evil in all its manifestations. Lord, in your mercy hear my prayer.

Link to the article that made me write this post: What Really Happened in Charlottesville

The Qualities that Build Enduring Love

This is perhaps my final GPS insight blog entry for Church of the Resurrection. At least while I'm at Woods Chapel UMC in Lee's Summit, MO.

This August, my husband and I will celebrate five years of marriage. When we “tied the knot,” we were both in our thirties and had spent a significant amount of time alone developing habits that worked for our individual lives. Sharing and collaborating define the past five years of our lives together. We love each other immensely, but sometimes that love is tested when our individuality asserts itself. Our conversations, as well as our disagreements, are passionate because we both know that our tastes, opinions, and routines are correct.

For example, I know that creamy peanut butter is far superior to crunchy. However, my husband believes the opposite. In fact, he claims that extra-crunchy is the only way. I make grocery lists, and he just goes to the grocery store. Of course, I know that I am correct in all things because right now we have two large jars of creamy peanut butter next to a jar of extra-crunchy. My first instinct when I realized this had happened was that he didn’t check the grocery list on the refrigerator. He would have noticed that peanut butter was off the board. In the past (in fact just leading up to a few weeks before this sermon series), the extra peanut butter would have set me off. My mind would not have thought about how considerate he had been for thinking of my taste! Instead, I would have accused my husband of not paying attention, or of being self-absorbed because he thinks his way is the only way. Again, I would have overlooked his actual attention to what I like. Now we have a wonderful reminder that creamy peanut butter always wins! (Upon inspection, though, I realized I had not erased it from the grocery list. I was glad I didn’t confront him!) Maybe in this instance, crunchy wins.

However, a committed lifetime relationship is not about winning. The Apostle Paul tells the Church in Ephesus, “Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say.” There are times in our relationship that foul words have escaped my mouth out of anger when he didn’t live up to my “non-communicated” expectations. Many times my words have been neither loving nor helpful. They have been instigated by my incessant need to be right. They have caused the foundation of our relationship to crack and crumble from time to time. Rebuilding on a fractured foundation can be tough work, but it is possible.

God’s grace affords ample opportunities for the foundations of our relationships to be repaired and redeemed. We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption. This isn’t a once-in-a-lifetime-when-you-go-to-heaven kind of thing–-redemption starts now. Each second, minute, hour, and day we are given chance-upon-chance to be renewed in the redemptive grace of God. We are given the opportunity to build our relationships through kindness, compassion, and forgiveness-–in the same way that we have been given through Jesus Christ. Christ is the mortar that builds and repairs the foundations on which relationships are built. It’s almost like the peanut butter, creamy or crunchy, that holds two slices of bread together, but infinitely more durable.

I hope your lunch today consists of a PB&J, or honey, or bananas… or maybe even bacon!

Keeping Our Paths Pure

I was invited to write another insight for Church of the Resurrection's GPS Guide (Grow/Pray/Study). Here it is in all its glory! 

In my late teens and early twenties, I believed that Christianity was judgmental and restrictive. I felt that it was not relevant to what it means to be a young adult. For me, a life in Christ meant that I would have to relinquish a fun life. When I pierced my eyebrow at nineteen years old, I walked boldly into my grandparents' church to see what kind of reaction I would receive. It was mixed, but my focus landed on those who wanted to judge. On top of that I took a logic class in college, and I decided logically that God did not exist. From that point I decided to officially leave the church to live the life I wanted, according to my rules.

At first life was great! It was fun and exciting! However, fun, without boundaries or accountability to another, can become more restrictive than the negative glances I would experience at my grandparents' church. Over the course of several years, I became directionless. When my job or my relationships ended, I would change course immediately to try to figure out what would really make me happy. Nothing really ever did.

During the summer of 2007, I visited Cairo, Egypt. I was once again at a divergent road, trying to figure out which way I was going to direct my life. I had always told myself, if God wants me to believe, then God will make God’s self known to me. And boy, did God ever do exactly that! In July of that summer, a group of girls that I had met in Egypt and I decided to take camel rides out by the pyramids to watch the sun set. As the sun dipped behind the horizon, the minarets of Cairo came to life with the Muslim call to prayer. As I looked back over the city, I was overcome by the presence of God. It was a palpable and radiating sensation. In that moment I looked to the west, and I knew. While I had been trying to figure out how to make something big of my life, I knew in an instant that I was already a part of something bigger than myself. I knew in that moment that I was a part of God’s story, and that my life actually had a purpose.  

As I returned to Kansas City later that summer, I began attending church again with my grandparents, and within a year I was reading Scriptures during Sunday morning services. Within a few years of getting to know God, my life became much more free than it had been. As a broken human, I do stray from God’s commandments often, but just as the psalmist proclaimed in this passage, I know that by guarding God’s words close to my heart, I have a greater ability to live into the abundance of life that has been offered to me (and you too!) through Jesus Christ. We often get it wrong, but God’s law does not restrict--it frees.

Check out the GPS guide at www.cor.org

Building God's Temple

Recently I submitted a devotion for one of the Church of the Resurrection staff members.
The passage I was working with was 1 Peter 2:5-10
I have been invited to provide another "insight" next month.

Enjoy!

If you want to see other writer's contributions, click here: COR Insights

When I was younger my grandpa would frequently tell me that my body is God’s temple, that I should treat it with respect--and that I should not get tattoos! I always found his advice odd, because on his right arm he has a prominent tattoo he acquired during World War II while on leave at Coney Island. My response to him was always the same: “We should decorate God’s temple then, shouldn’t we?” (Yes, I was that sassy teenager!) My retort, of course, was for him never an appropriate reason to even think about tattoos. However, over the years my grandpa has gained a new appreciation for how elaborate and beautiful some tattoos are. So long as we’re alive, we’re growing somehow!

While the Apostle Paul does say that our bodies are temples in 1 Corinthians 6, I like that Peter lays it out and says, “You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple.” Not just the body, but all of who we are is being built into a spiritual temple. We are the stones that build upon the cornerstone that is Jesus Christ. Not only that, the cornerstone was chosen with great care and is highly valuable. Therefore, as living stones being laid upon that foundation, we too are highly valuable. As each stone is laid upon the next, as God’s holy priesthood we are being made into a holy temple.

This past week these words became real for me as I joined one of our Silver Link volunteers to visit one of our members in assisted living. For the past three years, the volunteer has dedicated his love and service to this man who has gradually lost the ability to communicate because of multiple sclerosis. Even though words cannot leave his lips, his eyes filled with tears of joy when he saw the man who has become his friend. Together they shared the day’s GPS passage, shared insights and later shared communion. In that moment of sharing the Lord’s meal, the Spirit overwhelmed my soul. I asked them if they would mind if I sang “One Bread, One Body.” As we ended our time together holding hands, praying our Lord’s prayer, we became not only the stones, but the walls of God’s spiritual temple. God’s love flowing through us bound us together into Christ’s mighty church.

In moment’s like these, we become joyously aware that our lives are not ours. We have been called by God to be a royal priesthood, a holy nation – we are God’s possession. We begin to see that we ourselves, the full being of who we are, are the decorations upon the walls of God’s holy temple. God’s light offered to us through Jesus Christ illuminates that temple and all darkness is overcome. When we share God’s love freely and sacrificially, we begin to know that the hope of resurrection becomes tangible and begins right here on earth through us.

Commissioning Questions: What is the Meaning of Ordination?

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At the heart of ordination is the response to God’s call on an individual's life. It is rooted and is a continuation of the gift of the sacrament of baptism. God’s grace is not limited to entering into our lives through the sacrament of baptism, but it is the human response to God’s initiation and incorporation into the Body of Christ. Each individual is therefore responsible for responding to the gift of baptism by participating in the life of the Church through their prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. Like baptism, ordination is a gift from God and the human response to God’s gift of baptism. Ordination is the outward affirmation affirmation of an individual’s inward commitment to serving God within the context of a local church or an agreed upon extension ministry setting. Ordained elders are those who have been called and have responded to the role of servant leadership and who have been affirmed and been given authority by the church to preach the Word of God, provide care for the charge, to administer the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion, and to order the life of the church into ministry and service. 

What is your understanding of the expectations and obligations of the open itinerant system?

Each year, the members of an Annual Conference are appointed to serve local churches and other assigned ministry settings by the Bishop. Appointments are discerned by evaluating the gifts and graces of each clergy member and a church to match the needs of a particular congregation through consultation with the congregation, the pastor, and the District Superintendent. An open system means that appointments are made without consideration to race, ethnicity, gender, marital status or age. This means that appointments are made based on gifts of the pastor and needs of the congregation. Itinerancy is the manifestation of the connectional system and serves as the overarching testament to the world about what we believe about the nature of Christ to the world.

Often times the itinerant system may seem like a temporary stop for clergy to deliver a message and quickly leave within a few years.  However, the system provides local congregations the opportunity to experience the fullness of the human experience within God’s world. Congregations are not limited to the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures and understanding of our actions in the world through one person’s perspective. Particular congregations may be homogenous in their demography, but an itinerant clergy allows for the diverse experiences of God’s children to be shared. One of the perceived weaknesses congregations may believe is that the conference does not understand the needs of the local congregation. However, miscommunication about needed gifts tends to be the human weakness that perpetuates these sentiments. No system is ever perfect because they are ordered and maintained by imperfect humans, but when done well, the open, itinerant appointive system allows for the building of healthy and vital churches and ministry settings.