A Short Book in the Reading Challenge

Back while I was helping with Bible School this summer, I noticed a book at the Public Library that I immediately coveted.  It was a children's Bible story book called Tapestries: Stories of women in the Bible.  The pictures of both old and new Testament women were lovely.  I was particularly intrigued by the notion that the author included some women not on the tradtional lists of women in the Bible (for example, The Witch of Endor, and Jael.) 

That alone was enough to make me go on line and find a copy.  This week my book finally arrived, and one evening I sat down and read it (making it #26 in the reading challenge, I think, but who's counting?)  Again,  I loved the artwork.  New Testament women included were not just Mary and Martha, but also Tabitha and Phoebe.

I had to notice, though, that a few details about these interesting women were not included:  Rahab is given a page, but nowhere does the author mention that she was a prostitute.  And the fact that King David committed adultery as well as murder was also left out of the stories.

I don't fault the author too much:  this is supposed to be a children's book, after all, and how much explaining do you want to do?  It just reminds me again that, as my friend Joelle pointed out, the Bible is not a children's book.  The stories contained in the Bible, read properly, are not for the faint-of-heart.  They are stories of complicated people with mixed motives.  They were people worthy of admiration in one moment and of disdain in the next.

For all that, I do love children's Bible story books with their brightly colored illustrations and breathless retellings of famous stories.  But there comes a day, or days, actually, when it's good to know that faith is not just for brightly-colored and breathless days, but is as real and gritty as the people in their Bible.

Sometimes It Just Ends Up Being A Good Day

The day began with a cool breeze, and a blue sky, and ended with the bright moon ahead of me.

In between I waited for a friend at what turned out to be the wrong coffee shop.  I'm still not sure where I went wrong.

I had a productive meeting with one of my church leaders in the late afternoon.  We were talking about planning a series of house meetings this fall, house meetings where people would be encouraged to share their faith values, and really explore what it would mean to be a congregation that makes a difference in the lives of our neighbors.  We already have at least four people who are interested in being a part of the planning for this. 

Like I said, sometimes, it just ends up being a good day.

Tonight was my church book club meeting.  We haven't met for a long time, and tonight we read and discussed The Madonnas of Leningrad, by Debra Dean.  (22).  Almost everyone was there, which felt so good after a long summer where we have often passed like ships in the night.

The August book was a short one, and rather elliptical, by which I mean, there are mysteries not ever explained.  But I think that is intentional, and not any reflection on a lack of skill.  The main chracter is an old Russian woman living in the United States named Marina.  She has Alzheimers disease, which is why I think the mysteries are somewhat intentional.  She does not remember much in her present day to day life, but she remembers vividly her life during the siege of Leningrad during World War II.  She worked in the museum there, and memorized all of the paintings that were taken down and stored. 

Sometimes she would give tours to older people and to cadets, tours where she would describe the paintings that no longer hung on the walls so vividly, the people thought they really could see them.

It's funny that though this book describes harsh and depressing realities, there is a hopeful and a beautiful quality to it:  maybe it is the visions of the paintings, and the imagination required to see beauty in the world even where there is great ugliness.  Maybe that is what hope really is.

Like I said, sometimes it just ends up being a good day.

Afterwards, I got email messages from two other people who think they are interested in our House Meeting strategy.  They're not sure, but they're intrigued.    Maybe if they close their eyes, they can imagine a faith community that really makes a difference in the lives of their neighbors.

It's been a busy summer, and sometimes a lonely summer. There have been a lot of funerals, a lot of them hard.  I've been missing a couple of colleagues who have retired.  They have not been replaced yet.  I'm behind in my reading (although I have done a little, and I'll try to report later on 23. In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, 24, On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet , and 25.
Things I Learned From Knitting.)  But tonight, I'm just watching the moon, and thinking, sometimes it just ends up being a good day.

Why The Pastor/Parish Relationship is like a Marriage (sort of)

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, as our congregation will soon be in a discernment process regarding who will be our next pastor.  We will prayerfully listen to the Holy Spirit and to members of the congregation regarding our mission and direction, and think about what kind of leader we need in order to fulfill the mission that God has given us.  In our tradition, we interview pastors and then extend a call to a particular candidate, who will either say, "Yes," or "No."

To me, it sounds a little like the process we use to choose a life partner, except possibly for the part where each vows "till death do us part."

I realize that some denominations do not get a say in who their pastor will be.  In that case, consider it kind of like an "arranged marriage", where older and wiser parties choose a partner for you, based on each of your strengths and needs.  In that case, your parents, er, I mean your bishop tells you that you will "learn to love each other."

So, at the beginning, after all that prayer and all that discernment, and all that study (i.e. dating) and interviewing, the congregation is sure that they have chosen the Right Pastor.  Some people may even be so bold as to say that they have chosen the Perfect Pastor.  The Minister as well, is sure that s/he has said "yes" to the Right Church, the Church where s/he is supposed to be.

And then, somewhere along the line....just like in marriage....reality sets in. 

Which is not to say that everything goes wrong, but just that, some things go wrong.  Your partner leaves the cap off the toothpaste, or doesn't make ice cubes, or holds the wrong position about homosexuality, or turns out to have an off-putting sense of humor.  You absolutely got a pastor who is a brilliant teacher and preacher, but not someone who can remember everyone's name.  Or, your congregation is passionately committed to working for justice, but not to having enough money to pay the heat bills in the winter ( for example). 

Then, the question is, can you adjust? 

So, you didn't get a perfect pastor, and you didn't get a perfect congregation.  But the key to success is to be able to adjust to the reality of the flawed, but gifted people you really are.  As you work together, you will discover stumbling blocks and things you didn't know about one another.  You will discover that you were both putting on your best face to impress each other in those Early Days.

But here's the catch.  As you make adjustments based on Real Life, you will also discover (and this is absolutely guaranteed) gifts you didn't know you had.  Given the opportunity, and given the faith that this person, this congregation, with all of their faults, is still the Right One for You, you'll not only fall down on the job sometimes:  you'll also rise to the occasion, you discover new things about one another, new ways you can serve God together.

Just like in marriage, the key to a successful pastor/parish relationship is the ability to make adjustments.  Oh, and faithfulness.  Faithfulness is important too.

Dr. Laura and the First Amendment

My friend Joelle has been writing some good commentary over at her blog about the recent outcry over Dr. Laura's use of the "N" word on her program recently.  She went on a rant, but then later apologized.  She also read a letter from a fan about how she's not a racist, but was trying to make a point. 

Sure.

Today, she quit her show.  She says she quit her show because "she wants her first amendment rights back."  You know, the right to say anything she wants (she still has that right) AND not be criticized for it. 

In other words, she wants first amendment rights, but she wants to make sure the people who disagree with her don't have them.

I've never been able to figure out some people's pouting when they are criticized for something they have said, that "they don't have first amendment rights."  The first amendment gives you the right to say what you want, no matter how stupid or thoughtless it might be.  It doesn't mean that other people don't have the right to disagree with you publicly (a nice way of saying "criticize".) 

In fact, I might venture a guess that part of the point of the first amendment is not just for individuals to have the right to free speech.  The point of the first amendment might also be a robust conversation about competing ideas, a "marketplace of ideas" where people talk, or write, and other people get to decide:  was that a compelling argument?  Or just stupid? 

If you censor yourself because you don't want to have to respond to people who disagree with you (and might even have good arguments),  you are censoring yourself.  Of course, you have the right to do that.  But don't say that your first amendment rights are taken away.  Just admit that you really can't defend yourself, except in the community of the like-minded. 

Freedom of speech:  if it's a good idea for you, then it's a good idea for other people, too.

I am on Vacation

....briefly.

Internet connectivity appears to be anecdotal, but I have it right now.

Here's what I've done so far:

1.  Stopped in a number of places on the way up here, including an Antique Store in Duluth, where I bought three inexpensive children's books, and a Yarn Store (Playing with Yarn) where I haven't bought anything (yet).

2. Had a late lunch at a cool place called Tom's trading post.  They have good tuna salad sandwiches, and they really really liked our dog there.

3.  Watched the old movie, "The Mortal Storm."  Sad, scary movie. 

4.  Had breakfast at Betty's Pies.  Scout made "I miss you guys" noises from the car.

5.  Made a couple of pastoral care phone calls (ah, the wonder of the cell phone).  I'm done now, though.  Promise.

6.  Hiked up around Gooseberry Falls, and stopped in at Split Rock Lighthouse.  Hope to go back for more.  It's their anniversary, you know.

7.  Scout was spooked by a couple of people who wanted to meet her, but, for the most part, she has been friendly and obliging to everyone who wants to pet her.  A couple of people have remarked that she is therapy for them as they had to leave their dog at home.  This is the one vacation where we get to bring her, so I know how they feel. 

It's cool up here, but the sun is shining.  The sky is a beautiful pure blue color.  My feet hurt sometimes, but I keep going.

Why Do You Come to Worship?

It’s a serious question. Why do you come to worship? A lot of people don’t these days. Some of them are Christian. Anne Rice, a famous writer who converted to Christianity, has now stated that she has “left the church.” She still believes in Jesus, but she’s given up on his followers.

Why do you come to worship? There are lots of different reasons, as many reasons for coming to worship as there might be for not coming to worship. Perhaps you come to connect with your friends who are also coming to worship. Perhaps you come to sing a song, or to hear a sermon, hoping you will get something to take with you through the week. Sometimes you do, and sometimes you don’t.

Just lately, my heart was warmed when I read an interview with writer Anne Lamott. She was asked how she kept “charged up” in her spiritual life. She replied, “I go to church every Sunday, which is like going to the gas station and really, really filling up.” That made me smile.

Why do you come to worship? Do you come to get something, or do you come to give something?

You might expect me, a pastor, to take the position that you come to worship to give something, rather than get something. Worship in our tradition is called “the work of the people”, the liturgy, and it is an act of corporate devotion given to God, the work of the gathered community. You might also expect me to take issue with the position that we come to worship to “get something.”

However, I don’t see worship as an either/or. I see it as a both/and.

Certainly, I want us to remember that when we are at worship, we are offering our hearts, our lives, to God, in prayer and in praise. We are giving something to God – and when we come to worship, we are also giving something to one another – by showing up and singing and praying together, by kneeling and standing (as we are able) together, by listening to one another’s joys and sorrows.

But of course, as Anne Lamott wrote, we are also getting something – we are getting something from God – bread and wine, Christ’s body and blood and the assurances of Christ’s presence, not just for an hour on Sunday, but in all our lives. We are getting something: hope, peace, love – from God – and from one another. You never know who might need you to be there in worship today, who might need to hear your voice, singing, who might need to see your tears.

As for me, today I needed to see a three-year-old girl, “running the race set before her”, during the children’s message. (Of course, the other children too!) I needed to hear all of your voices during the hymns, and the murmuring of names of your cloud of witnesses.

So, why do you come to worship? It’s a serious question. I hope you’ll take time to tell me.

(in some form or another, this will be my church newsletter column this month.)

Scout Predicts the Weather

Suddenly, this evening, Scout went and sat in one of her safe places.  When my husband tried to get her to come so she could go out for the last time in the evening, she growled at him.

This is not like her.

It rained and rained and rained Thursday evening.  There were flash flood warnings in the morning.  It was supposed to storm a lot on Friday night too, but most of it went around us.

The weekend prediction was that the humidity and the temperature would get lower.  It should be (I hope) a nice morning to have church on the lawn.

Then, suddenly, Scout did her weird "safe place" act.  I was sure that it was not supposed to rain tonight. 

So, we finally got Scout to go outside.

As soon as she came back in, it started raining.

I should listen to her more often, I think.

I think she knows more than I give her credit for.