Sliced Bread and Old Yeller at Unco

Last week I drove across the border, through the Adirondack Mountains and down the Hudson River Valley to Stony Point NY and Unco13. This is my third year attending the Unconference, which has now spawned eastern and western versions so this was Unco13 East. It is an Open Space concept, as was used at The United Church of Canada's 41st General Council in a setting with many more participants, with the conference's agenda crowdsourced from the participants. While many of those attending are clergy and lay leaders in the Presbyterian Church (USA), there were folks from other American denominations, and me and a friend who is a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada making it international. Here is one attendee's perspective on this year's Unco East.

With the closing service for, and move out of, the Newington United Church building just finished, closing a church was on my mind. I wrote "closing a church building" on the brainstorming whiteboard, and others began writing other topics and ideas around my words - my favourite was "when does a church become Old Yeller?" As a child I was an avid watcher of Wonderful World of Disney on TV, but I don't think I have ever seen Old Yeller. However, I suspect that the dog has to be put out of his misery at some point.

I ended up as the discussion leader on closing a church, with our conversation being livestreamed so folks outside Stony Point could see and listen. We talked over a range of issues, and soon turned from the process of managing the closure itself to assessing when to close. One participant likened a dying congregation to a patient with a Do Not Recussitate (DNR) order, which made me think of a recent case at a local hospital in which a family fought over declaring such a status - just as some congregants will clearly perceive that their church needs to be a DNR and others will fiercely resist. Another spoke of setting financial markers in advance and not discussing dying until that point is reached. This is an attempt to free a congregation from the inability to decide that usually accompanies fear of death.

This conversation was, I think, helpful to all who participated, and we agreed to set up some kind of blog to which we could contribute stories of churches that have closed and then been resurrected in some other form - the building may have been taken over by another congregation or ministry or otherwise repurposed.

I am grateful that Carol Howard Merritt writes about our discussion in her Tribal Church blog for Christian Century. She makes a great point about reluctance by pastors to preside over a church closing:

Closing a church is like eating the last slice of bread—somehow if you eat the last slice, you’re responsible for consuming it all (never mind that someone else ate the last 27 slices). A church can be declining for forty years, but if a pastor comes in and starts to talk about closing a congregation, then she closed the church. Many people don’t want to be that pastor.

I have learned a lot from that conversation and many others at Unco, and from the entire Newington closing experience. I am certain that this learning will be called upon again: given that even in the "golden age" of church growth in the 1950s and 60s there were at least seven church closures in this township alone, this is unlikely to be the last time that as a pastor I am called upon to eat the last slice.

Epiclesis - Praying for Transformation: Sermon, Day of Pentecost, May 19, 2013

When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

There were pious Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. When they heard this sound, a crowd gathered. They were mystified because everyone heard them speaking in their native languages. They were surprised and amazed, saying, "Look, aren't all the people who are speaking Galileans, every one of them? How then can each of us hear them speaking in our native language? Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; as well as residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the regions of Libya bordering Cyrene; and visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans and Arabs — we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own languages!" They were all surprised and bewildered. Some asked each other, "What does this mean?" Others jeered at them, saying, "They're full of new wine!"

Peter stood with the other eleven apostles. He raised his voice and declared, “Judeans and everyone living in Jerusalem! Know this! Listen carefully to my words! These people aren't drunk, as you suspect; after all, it's only nine o'clock in the morning! Rather, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams. Even upon my servants, men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.
I will cause wonders to occur in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and a cloud of smoke.
The sun will be changed into darkness, and the moon will be changed into blood, before the great and spectacular day of the Lord comes.
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
- Acts 2:1-21, Common English Bible

Giving all glory and honour to God.

Last week, on Ascension Sunday, we stopped reading the book of the Acts of the Apostles after Jesus tells his friends, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” This week his promise comes true. The whole group of his followers is in Jerusalem, as the city is filled with pilgrims coming for the Jewish festival of Pentecost. And as they are gathered together in a house, the Holy Spirit arrives in wind and flame, and the speaking of different languages. The Jewish holiday of Pentecost celebrated the new crops, and for early believers in Jesus Pentecost becomes a festival of new spirit, the church’s birthday, as the Spirit gives this little group the power to come out of hiding and go out into the world to tell the Good News of Jesus and live his new life.

This story is in the second chapter of Acts, and the next 26 chapters tell the story of the early church. The real star of this book isn’t Peter, even though he is the lead character in the first 12 chapters, or even Paul, who is the main figure in the rest of the book. The story of the church told in Acts is really the story of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit directs the church throughout the book. Anne Howard said that the story of Pentecost and the early church is not an account of a group of people who received something and then sat around admiring the gift. It’s a story of movement, bold action, beginning in that house in Jerusalem and reaching out across the globe, always moving outwards despite all odds, always inviting and including new people, as those early disciples got busy and went out to change the world as they themselves had been changed by the Spirit.

Well, we talked about the Spirit last week and will talk more next Sunday. This is the second of a three-part series on the Spirit. Today on Pentecost I just want to take a few moments to speak about the Spirit and our Communion together. I want to discuss the Epiclesis, which sounds like a medical procedure. You expect to hear someone say, “I have an epiclesis scheduled for next week.”

But epiclesis is a Greek word meaning invocation, or calling down from on high. I try not to use a lot of Greek in worship, but I also paid for a year and a half of Greek courses in theological college and need to get my money’s worth sometime.

When we go through the Communion prayer later in this morning’s service, the prayer has different parts. There is a call to give thanks, when I say something like “lift up your hearts” and “let us give thanks to the Lord our God.” This is followed by a thanksgiving, and a song of creation when we say or sing something like “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.” Today we are using one from West Africa. This is followed by the story of Jesus at his last supper, and his command to remember him in the bread and the cup.

Towards the end of the Communion prayer is the epiclesis. And it isn’t a medical procedure. As I said, epiclesis means calling down from on high. In our Communion it is a prayer for transformation, to invoke the Spirit and to transform us. This goes way back, as the earliest known Communion prayer we have in its entirety is from the third century, and it has an epiclesis which says:
“We ask you to send your Holy Spirit upon the offering of the holy church.
Gather into one all who share these holy mysteries,
Filling them with the Holy Spirit and confirming their faith in the truth.”

In our Communion prayer today, the epiclesis is one we say together:
“Send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon this offering of your church,
That we who eat and drink at Christ’s table may share in his life.
Pour out your Spirit upon the whole earth,
And make it your new creation.”

So the epiclesis calls on the Holy Spirit to come upon us, as on that Pentecost day, and upon our gifts of the bread and the cup, and to transform us who share in the Lord’s Supper to be like Jesus.

The Holy Spirit who moved on the face of the waters when the world was created, the Holy Spirit sent upon the prophets of old, the Holy Spirit Jesus promised and who filled the church at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit by whom we are all baptized into one body, is the same Holy Spirit who unites us in and with the entire body of Christ in our Communion as we break the bread and share the cup together. Our epiclesis, our prayer of transformation, is our prayer that our eating and drinking at the table of Jesus Christ will, through the Spirit, make us one with the risen Christ and with all God’s people, and nourish us so that we won’t just sit around after our meal but will, like those first believers in Jesus, go from here changed by the Spirit to change the world.

And so we cry, come, Holy Spirit. And so the church shouts, come, Holy Spirit. And so the earth pleads, come, Holy Spirit. Enliven this bread, pour us out for each other, transform our minds, ignite your church, nourish the life of the earth. Make us, while many, united. Make us, though broken, whole. Make us, despite death, alive. Amen!

Through Death's Dark Vale: Sermon, April 21, 2013

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies : thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
- Psalm 23, Authorized Version

The 23rd Psalm has been memorized and said many, many times by folks here. Anne Howard of the Beatitudes Society said that this is one of the few passages of Scripture that she knows by heart, and when you say “23rd Psalm,” her mind jumps right to the green pastures and still waters.

But if we keep saying that psalm, between the verse about green pastures and still waters, and the verses with our cups running over and goodness and mercy following us all the days of our lives, there’s another verse. A bleak verse: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.”

This week we felt like we were walking through that valley, what the hymn The Lord’s My Shepherd calls “death’s dark vale.” Bombings tearing apart lives at the Boston Marathon and in Somalia and Iraq. Two children dead in a house fire in Thurso, Quebec. A fertilizer plant blowing apart a town in Texas. An earthquake in China. Suicides of teenagers after sexual assaults and bullying. The families of 20 children gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut, in December, crying and angry after the US Senate voted down any controls on guns. The funeral of Margaret Thatcher, and the deaths of well-loved figures like George Beverly Shea, who introduced the hymn How Great Thou Art at Billy Graham crusades, and Rita McNeill. The bloody conflict in Syria, and the threat of war in Korea.

This is only what was in the news. We know that in the background behind these events is the ongoing death toll around the world from starvation and disease. We also know painful personal news, of car accidents and falls and diagnoses of life-threatening cancers and other illnesses, so many heartbreaking circumstances that bring the shadow of death to family members and friends and ourselves. And when we try to escape real-life death, we are to entertain ourselves by watching fictional deaths on TV and movies and video games.

So much pain. So much tragedy. So much sadness. We just try to cope. We just keep walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

Yet this verse of the psalm does not end with the word “death.” It continues. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” I will not fear. You are with me, God. You comfort me.

God is with us. We are especially reminded of this in the season of Easter, when we retell the ending of the story of Jesus, the ending that is really a beginning, for God is with us in Jesus Christ who was born as one of us, lived as one of us, knew fear and pain and grief as one of us, went through that valley of the shadow of death as one of us – and was raised from the dead so that death will not have the last word, so that we too will be raised as he was. Nothing, not even death, will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What can we do as we walk with God through this valley? We can love each other, and this broken world. We can live God’s way of peace, struggling against the culture of death and working to overcome evil with good. And we can pray.

This week on my blog I reviewed a book called 10 Prayers You Can’t Live Without. The author, Rick Hamlin, has a chapter on praying in a crisis, and he tells about his prayers during the September 11 attacks. He says, “at times of crisis, anger, fear and shock hit you hard. You don’t think you can even move forward. You’re trapped, numbed. You cry out to God, ‘Noooo!’ It seems a futile outburst, but that’s all you could possibly say. And it’s the prayer that keeps you connected.”

As we stay connected with God who is with us in the valley of the shadow, we may not have words. But we pray anyway. Perhaps ‘Noooo!’ is the only prayer we have. Perhaps weeping is our prayer. And perhaps words come to us and we find language that lifts up people and places in agony.

The United Church of Canada sent out a prayer, by Alydia Smith, for congregations to use today. So let’s pray to God, who is with us at this time and all times, this prayer for a violent week.

Holy Mystery, who is Wholly Love,

you, our shepherd, speak to us words of challenge and comfort,

in the companionship and support of others, and

in the gentle movements of the Holy Spirit.

All of us have heard a call to take a moment from news broadcasts to join together in prayer:
Help us to ponder your message amidst the overwhelming words around us.
Help us to see moments of resurrection and new life amidst devastation and death.

Help us to discern your path of compassionate love and care amidst hatred and fear.

Help us to understand, Wholly Love,
how we can begin to imagine peace on earth when on one day bombs explode in Boston and across Iraq.

Wholly Love,
how do we help those among us who are mourning the death and injuries of loved ones due to manufactured violence feel your comfort when grief, sadness, and loss seem to overshadow all other emotions?

With the help and support of our kin,

and by your grace, Wholly Love,

we take comfort in your words and trust in the promise that you, our shepherd, will lead us beside still waters and restore our souls.

With this assurance, we pray for

all those affected by the bombings on Monday,

those who mourn the death of loved ones,

and those in our global and local communities who are suffering and who mourn….

And we give thanks for

the first responders and support workers who continually and faithfully care for all affected by violence.

With the assurance of the prayer that you taught us,

we hold tight to your promise that the city of God will come to earth as it is in heaven,
knowing that we are needed to make this a reality.

And so we ask that you prepare us physically, emotionally, and mentally for this new reality.

Prepare us to be the children of God in the world.

Prepare us to be peacemakers.

Prepare us to be compassionate voices in an often harsh world.

Help us to be good stewards of our unique and individual gifts by responding to the needs around us with your vision, so that one day

the poor in spirit may know the kingdom of God,

those who mourn may be comforted,

the meek may inherit what is theirs,

no one will hunger or thirst,

and we will no longer have such days of violence and fear.
Amen.

10 Prayers You Can't Live Without

10 Prayers You Can't Live Without:
How to Talk to God About Anything
By Rick Hamlin
Guideposts, New York, 2013
246 pages

The promotional material for this new book asks, "A richer prayer life. A stronger connection to God. A more vibrant faith. Deep in our soul, every Christian longs for these, but how do we get there when our attempts at prayer seem so frustrating and so flawed?"

Guideposts Magazine editor Rick Hamlin takes on our prayer life in his down-to-earth and very readable 10 Prayers You Can't Live Without. He begins by telling the reader,

To try to pray is to pray. You can't fail at it. Nobody can. Open your heart, open your mouth, say something, say nothing. Shout if you must. Raise your hands, clasp them in your lap. Sing if you please. You can start with a "Dear Lord" and end with an "Amen," or you can dive right in. You can close your eyes, get on your knees, use whatever language you like or no language at all. You can pray when you're walking, running, driving to work, setting the table for dinner, lying in bed before you turn the light out.

From there Hamlin goes on to guide the new or seasoned person of prayer through 10 prayers: at mealtime, as conversation, for others, the Lord's Prayer, for forgiveness, through a crisis, in song, to focus thoughts, and in thanksgiving. Each of these chapters includes numerous, and often candid, examples from his own life and those of people he has come across in his magazine writing.

I was preparing this review on Monday, April 15, 2013, surrounded by broadcast and social media coverage of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. It was poignant to read Hamlin's words in his chapter on praying through a crisis, and his reflections on prayer during the September 11 attacks and the Virginia Tech shootings. He says:

At times of crisis anger, fear and shock hit you hard. You don't think you can even move forward. You're trapped, numbed. You cry out to God, "Nooooooo!" It seems a futile outburst, but that's all you could possibly say. And it's the prayer that keeps you connected.

The Apostle Paul tells us, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NRSV). Many Christians find it difficult to pray without ceasing - people have told me how hard it is to get into a routine of prayer, and others have become convinced that somehow they aren't praying "properly." This inspiring book will be valuable in deepening and enriching prayer lives.

In Haiti: Encountering the Good News

Last week I was in Haiti. I went to the washroom, and there was a Haitian man, probably about my age, serving as attendant and fetching paper towels. He didn’t speak English, but I thanked him in French and noticed that he had a book, bound in black. La Sainte Bible. The Holy Bible. And he told me in French, “That’s my Bible. I read it every day, to learn about salvation and how to bear suffering.” I said, I believe too. He said with delight, “You’re a Christian? I believe in God the Father, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and the good news, and John the Baptist.” So we talked about that.

I have now visited the two poorest countries in the Americas, Haiti and Nicaragua, and in both places I have encountered people living in poverty who have rejoiced in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. They are not ashamed of the Gospel. But maybe we - meaning North Americans - are. We need to ask ourselves: Can we have a conversation about our faith with a stranger? Can we tell someone we have never met what it is we believe, and what it means to our lives to follow Jesus?

An Interview With "Rabboni, My Love" Author June Kerr

June Kerr has written what is described as "a daring new novel": Rabboni, My Love: A Memoir of Jesus' Wife, Mary Magdalene. Intrigued by the persistent legends in the South of France that Mary, Lazarus and Martha lived there after the Resurrection, June makes her fiction debut with this treatment of Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ wife and the mother of his children. “Why not?” she asks. “What difference would it make to your understanding of Jesus, his revelation of God, or of his sacrifice?”

I don't think that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were husband and wife. However, I was intrigued by June's question about what their marriage would mean to my faith. Readers may think of other stories of Jesus' marriage and family - such as Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Da Vinci Code - which may have left them, as they did me, unconvinced and feeling let down. But I enjoyed reading this book. I was particularly intrigued by how June depicted the Gospel characters and the relationships among them, from Simon Peter to Zacchaeus. I'm grateful to June for posing the question and for taking the time for an interview about the novel.

Rabboni, My Love is available in ebook format for any device/distributor (e.g., Kindle and Kobo) and in print from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or by request in bookstores world wide. June can be visited at her website, Google+ and Facebook.

How were you inspired to write Rabboni, My Love?

On a New Year's Eve with Christmas carols and greeting card messages of "Peace on Earth"...amid news of conflicts in every country throughout the world, with the church in disarray over sexual issues and scandals, I had an overwhelming feeling of sadness as I almost heard Jesus say, "All I ever wanted was to bring peace on earth..."

Did you do Biblical research to prepare for writing the novel?

I have studied the Bible with diverse teachers all of my life... and it only intensified as I began to write. With various translations, I poured through all of the gospels again and again, the early letters of Paul, the Book of Acts, and of course the Books of Moses, The Prophets, the Psalms and wisdom books.

You depict Jesus as a well-off, established rabbi and member of the Sanhedrin, who counts among his friends Caiaphas the High Priest and even Pontius Pilate. Robert Graves is the only other "Jesus novelist" I can think of who has a Jesus so tied to the establishment. What led you to make this choice for your Jesus character?

I looked at the evidence in each of the Gospels. In Matthew, Jesus is given rich gifts at his birth; in Luke, his pregnant mother was wealthy enough to travel from Galilee to Judea to spend several months with her close cousin (of a priestly line) Elizabeth and her husband, Zachariah (a priest). At twelve (the age for a Jewish boy to "bar mitzvah,"and become a man) Jesus is found comfortable in dialogue with rabbis in the temple school. In two gospels, Mark and John, Jesus is addressed, "Rabboni" which was the most honored title in the temple rabbinic school, reserved for a very few, the "rabbi's rabbi". Two gospels, Mathew and Mark have unnamed men who are offended at Jesus' teaching, ask if he isn't the son of the "technon", a Greek word which is familiar as the root of many English words today, but not at the time of the King James translation. It in turn may have been based on the Hebrew conflation of "wise-hearted/wisdom" with craftsman's skill/insight/understanding (see Robert Alter's note on Exodus 28:3 in his translation of The Five Books of Moses). In this case, the comment may have been another complaint about Jesus' teaching the spirit of the law rather than the letter of the law as his father did/ brought him up to do. While I remembered the picture of Jesus at a carpenter's bench in my childhood Bible Story book, none of Jesus' parables or stories seem to grow out of years of carpentry, but many out of acquaintance with wealthy landowners and agricultural endeavors. He is repeatedly sought out and questioned by scribes and scholars of both major rabbinic schools (Hillel and Shimei), Pharisees and Sadducees who find him important enough to travel from Jerusalem to Galilee to question him.

According to John, Jesus was anointed for his sacrificial mission with oil worth a year's wages for a labourer. How could Mary afford it and he accept it? What was Joseph of Arimethea's relationship to Jesus that would entitle him to ask for Jesus' body, and what was his relationship to Pilate to have access to Pilate, and ask for an exception to normal procedure which would have been to throw crucified bodies in a common grave? What were Jesus' and Joseph's relationships to Nicodemus to involve him in the retrieval and care of Jesus' body when all of his male disciples were hiding in fear? To answer all of these clues and questions, I felt comfortable beginning the story with Jesus (Joshua) an honoured rabbi, part of a large, extended, wealthy family. The question for me then was what could have happened to Jesus to cause him to leave this "heavenly/privileged" life to teach and care for the poor?

You call Jesus "Joshua" in your book, and of course in Hebrew and Aramaic he and the hero of the Old Testament in fact have the same name - "Jesus" is simply its hellenized form. What do you think we miss when it's not clear that he and Joshua of Exodus and Conquest fame share the same name?

I think we miss so much if we don't understand the allusion to Joshua's role in Exodus when in the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph was directed by an angel to give his promised son the famous name. In Exodus, Joshua is the young man who accompanies Moses up the mountain to meet the God who simply "Is" without shape, almost beyond imagination, but powerful, omnipresent, limiting, communicating, caring, loving, and saving. Joshua did not play a significant role in the Exodus journey other than to support Moses until Moses led the people to the edge of the "Promised Land" and then he became the leader. Moses could "see" the Promised Land but could not enter it due to an incident on the way in which he gave himself credit, rather than acknowledging God, for supplying life-giving water to the people. God told him he wouldn’t be able to enter the Promised Land, and then chose Joshua to lead the former slaves (the children of God) into the "Promised Land"... and Joshua did.

In the Gospels and Rabboni, My Love, we see Joshua (Jesus) playing a similar role. He was a faithful, observant, teacher and follower of the law given through Moses. When the institution of the Temple (priests and rabbis), representing Moses in the Exodus story, took control of releasing God’s love and forgiveness (the water of life) for a price in order to increase their own glory, importance, and power (as Moses had done) while the people languished in oppression and conflict, the Temple could not lead the people into the “Promised Land.” Joshua (Jesus) was “chosen”. He saw, with the prophets, that mercy and justice were what God desired: love (the water of life) and forgiveness (God's gifts, not the Temple's) which would sustain people on the way to the land flowing with milk and honey, abundance...enough to share with everyone.. and ultimately to peace. Joshua (Jesus) was chosen, (anointed) to lead the children of God, formerly slaves to the fear of power (Empire and Temple) into the "Promised Land"... and Joshua (Jesus) did.

Any novel about Jesus can never be "just" a work of fiction, as it will always be read with the eyes of faith. What do you think your portrayal of Jesus as a husband and father brings to the orthodox Christian understanding of him? How does it challenge? How does it illuminate?

I think Jesus, as he is portrayed in Rabboni, My Love, a husband and father, adds to our orthodox view that he was a country teacher opposed to the establishment who was sacrificed for us, by suggesting more facets to his life with which we can identify. It suggests motivations and connections to some of the stories which make them flow with more understanding of their purpose and how they fit into the whole picture of where he was heading and what an enormous cost it was to sacrifice himself for others.

When we see a fully developed Jesus, in loving partnership with his wife, Mary, asking us to follow him, we are challenged to follow in the midst of our intimate relationships... neither leaving them behind nor finding in them excuses for not following the way of peace... forgiving, sharing whatever we can, loving those who come into our lives.

Rabboni, My Love illuminates this fuller understanding as we see Jesus in the context of a functioning, supportive family not withdrawing into the comfort of that life, but willing to fully engage in public life as well. Jesus maintains his relationships with the elite, beggars, and everyone in between, both men and women, foreigners and Jews, those he agrees with and those he disagrees with, all while loving and blessing his wife and children. He embraces both public and private life as he shows us the way to live mercifully and justly with our family and our neighbors, and even those we perceive as our enemies.

Your description of Mary Magdalene's actions and emotions on Easter morning is very vivid. How do you understand the Resurrection of Jesus?

I understand the resurrection of Jesus as it is portrayed in the Gospels... in a body that was recognizable at times and not at others, touchable, "feed-able", capable of speaking and communicating and doing tasks...and also capable of appearing and disappearing at will. This does not describe a four dimensional (three dimensions + time) body as we know it... not an example of a "near death experience" or "being brought back to a four dimensional body/life" as was the case with Lazarus who lived for many years after his resurrection in what is now Marseilles in the south of France according to tradition there.

For approaching these reported phenomena, I turn for a glimmer of understanding (or reinforced faith) to higher mathematics where open minded seekers of truth have discovered the possibilities of higher dimensions beyond the four of our normal awareness... and seek to describe the effects/affects of the higher dimensions. I can hardly wait to hear more of their new discoveries... but in the meantime, I remind myself that Jesus promised to "come again"... and that if I give even a cup of water to someone in need, I give it to Him. It makes me wonder how certain I can be of the true "identity" of those I encounter.

Thank you, June.

Thanks, Dan. Your questions have been thought provoking for me and I hope they will be for others, as well.

Another "Future Vision" Video

I've previously mentioned that I love "home/office of the future" concept videos, and have posted tech industry visions of people interacting with technology in near-future settings (see my blog posts here, here, here and here). Here's another one: Microsoft's Future Vision: Live, Work, Play. This future relies heavily on giant touchscreens. And here's a critique from Fast Company's Co.Design.

Jesus, the Fair-Haired Boy

The History Channel's 10-hour miniseries The Bible begins Sunday (March 3) night. I'm looking forward to it, and in fact added the channel to our TV package just so we could watch it.

The producers claim to have worked with Biblical scholars and historians on the script and production design, and the Old Testament characters certainly look to be covered with an appropriate amount of Bronze Age dirt and dust, at least in the production still photos. But Jesus - like his predecessors in such dramas as King of Kings, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus of Nazareth, and the CBS Jesus miniseries - still looks far more Northern European than Mediterranean...

Two Quotes About Faith and the Public Sphere

Following up on yesterday's blog post with a lengthy quote from Niall Ferguson's Civilization: The West and the Rest, here are two other passages that struck me in recent reading.

In Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography, Bruce Chilton finds that Jesus' teaching subverted the understanding that formal religious rituals alone were necessary for purification and forgiveness, just as his views on God's sovereignty challenged the hegemony of Rome and the Herodian party in Galilee. Chilton then goes on to say:

But a Marxist reading of Jesus, as if he were engaged in a systematic redistribution of wealth, is tiresome and misguided: nothing Jesus did directly undermined any significant Roman or Judaic institution, and his teaching on possessions certainly does not amount to any sort of economic theory. There were and are political and economic consequences in applying his teaching, but that does not make it a political or economic philosophy in its context or motivation. The Kingdom was based on a community's acceptance of the poor, the hungry, the bereaved, and the shunned.
(Bruce Chilton, Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography, New York: Doubleday, 2000, 137)

Any minister or priest today can easily recognize characters and relate to the ecclesiastical politics portrayed in Anthony Trollope's Barchester Towers, published in 1857. Here the new Bishop of Barchester, Dr. Grantly, and his chaplain The Rev. Obadiah Slope are traveling to the diocese for the first time, and Trollope makes some observations about their views on the church and the political world:

Both men are eager, much too eager, to support and increase the power of their order. Both are anxious that the world should be priest-governed, though they have probably never confessed so much, even to themselves. Both begrudge any other kind of dominion held by man over man. Dr. Grantly, if he admits the Queen's supremacy in things spiritual, only admits it as being due to the quasi-priesthood conveyed in the consecrating qualities of her coronation, and he regards things temporal as being by their nature subject to those which are spiritual. Mr. Slope's ideas of sacerdotal rule are of quite a different class. He cares nothing, one way or the other, for the Queen's supremacy; these to his ears are empty words, meaning nothing. Forms he regards but little, and such titular expressions as supremacy, consecration, ordination, and the like convey of themselves no significance to him. Let him be supreme who can. The temporal king, judge, or gaoler can work but on the body. The spiritual master, if he have the necessary gifts and can duly use them, has a wider field of empire. He works upon the soul. If he can make himself be believed, he can be all powerful over those who listen. If he be careful to meddle with none who are too strong in intellect, or too weak in flesh, he may indeed be supreme. And such was the ambition of Mr. Slope.

Protestantism and Economic Growth

I've been reading Niall Ferguson's Civilization: The West and the Rest, in which he argues that six powerful new concepts, embraced by the West, allowed the Western world to rise to global dominance: competition, science, the rule of law, modern medicine, consumerism, and the work ethic. He also argues that the "Rest" have now adopted these "killer apps" and are threatening the West's position.

Central to the chapter dealing with the work ethic is Protestantism. Ferguson doesn't adopt wholesale Max Weber's thesis in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, but does conclude that Weber was "right for the wrong reasons" as in post-Reformation Europe Protestant countries grew much faster in terms of per-capita income than Catholic ones. It's worth quoting Ferguson at length:

Because of the central importance in Luther's thought of individual reading of the Bible, Protestantism encouraged literacy, not to mention printing, and these two things unquestionably encouraged economic development (the accumulation of 'human capital') as well as scientific study. This proposition holds good not just for countries such as Scotland, where spending on education, school enrolment and literacy rates were exceptionally high, but for the Protestant world as a whole...The level of Protestant missionary activity has also proved to be a very good predictor of post-independence economic performance and political stability. Recent surveys of attitudes show that Protestants have unusually high levels of mutual trust, an important precondition for the development of efficient credit networks. More generally, religious belief (as opposed to formal observance) of any sort appears to be associated with economic growth, particularly where concepts of heaven and hell provide incentives for good behaviour in this world. This tends to mean not only hard work and mutual trust but also thrift, honesty and openness to strangers, all economically beneficial traits.

Religions matter...Perhaps the biggest contribution of religion to the history of Western civilization was this. Protestantism made the West not only work, but also save and read. The Industrial Revolution was indeed a product of technological innovation and consumption. But it also required an increase in the intensity and duration of work, combined with the accumulation of capital through saving and investment. Above all, it depended on the accumulation of human capital. The literacy that Protestantism promoted was vital to all of this. On reflection, we would do better to talk about the Protestant word ethic.
(Niall Ferguson, Civilization: The West and the Rest, London: Penguin Group, 2011, 163-164)

So does the continued economic vitality of the West depend on the health of Protestant churches, whether mainline or evangelical? And do the Protestant churches have a responsibility to contribute to economic growth, despite the antipathy of the Gospel message to consumerism and the excesses of capitalism?

That They May All Be One: Sermon, January 20, 2013

This sermon was preached for the Week of Prayer For Christian Unity. The 2013 worship service was written to reflect the work of the Student Christian Movement of India, and included testimony from a Dalit (or "untouchable") Christian woman in Orissa state who is a victim of persecution for her faith and status.

With what should I approach the LORD and bow down before God on high? Should I come before him with entirely burned offerings, with year-old calves? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with many torrents of oil? Should I give my oldest child for my crime; the fruit of my body for the sin of my spirit? He has told you, human one, what is good and what the LORD requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:6-8, Common English Bible

On that same day, two disciples were traveling to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about everything that had happened. While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself arrived and joined them on their journey. They were prevented from recognizing him.

He said to them, "What are you talking about as you walk along?" They stopped, their faces downcast.

The one named Cleopas replied, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have taken place there over the last few days?"

He said to them, "What things?"

They said to him, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth. Because of his powerful deeds and words, he was recognized by God and all the people as a prophet. But our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel. All these things happened three days ago. But there's more: Some women from our group have left us stunned. They went to the tomb early this morning and didn't find his body. They came to us saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who told them he is alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women said. They didn't see him."

Then Jesus said to them, "You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about. Wasn't it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then he interpreted for them the things written about himself in all the scriptures, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets.

When they came to Emmaus, he acted as if he was going on ahead. But they urged him, saying, "Stay with us. It's nearly evening, and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them. After he took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. They said to each other, "Weren't our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?"

They got up right then and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying to each other, "The Lord really has risen! He appeared to Simon!" Then the two disciples described what had happened along the road and how Jesus was made known to them as he broke the bread.
Luke 24:13-35, Common English Bible

Giving all glory and honour to God.

A day or week dedicated to unity among Christians has been a dream of church leaders for about two centuries or so. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has been marked continuously for the last 119 years, and is now held around the world between January 18 and 25 so that it covers the days between the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul.

Today I want to tell you a little about what is happening with Christian unity here in our area. You know that we cooperate with the Newington Wesleyan Church on the Stormont County Fair service and Good Friday worship. Clergy in South Stormont meet a few times a year, we share information about our churches’ ministries and events, we organize worship services at Woodland Villa in Long Sault, and we have collaborated on the Alpha course, the introduction to Christianity. I meet with clergy and representatives of other churches in overseeing pastoral care at the Winchester and Cornwall hospitals. There is a Cornwall and Area Christian Council, with clergy from the city of Cornwall and surrounding counties meeting once a month. I’m the president. We support each other in our ministries and coordinate worship at seniors’ homes and prayers at Cornwall city council. Our January meeting was on the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, with worship led by my friend Monsignor Rejean Lebrun from Holy Cross Church in Cornwall.

Monsignor Lebrun talked about when this week was a big thing, 1965 when the first city-wide Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service was held, and there was an opening service at St. Paul’s United Church and a closing service at St. Columban’s Roman Catholic Church, and both were packed full of people. There seemed to be a real momentum then, as the Roman Catholic Church became much more open to dialogue with Protestants. This momentum picked up steam with what was called the liturgical movement as churches went back to ancient traditions of worship and their worship practices became much more similar. That’s when our United Church began using the liturgical calendar with seasons of the church year like Advent and Epiphany that we hadn’t observed in the past, and many United Church congregations began reading Scripture in worship from the common lectionary, a cycle of readings shared with other denominations. If you look back at United Church worship resources from the 1960s and 70s, there were a lot of materials for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. And if you look in the front of the red hymn book, the one that came out in 1971, you see that this was the joint hymn book of the United Church of Canada and the Anglican Church of Canada.

It looked then as if the two churches might merge. Real Christian unity, churches coming together to form a greater union, seemed to be imminent. American denominations were merging. The Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches had joined in the United Church in 1925, and the Evangelical United Brethren came in 1968. Talks with the Anglican Church had produced the red hymnal for use by both churches, and a framework to merge the two denominations.

But then the United and Anglican churches couldn’t come to a final agreement. And today the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is probably only being observed in a few churches in this area. I think since those days our idea of unity has changed. The 1960s and 70s were all about big programs, big projects, big institutions, in government and business and the church. Now we know that bigger isn’t necessarily better. These days we don’t have unlimited money and time and effort, so in the church we have, I think, turned away from merging denominations together into bigger denominations, and chosen to cooperate in a limited number of areas where we can make a real impact and build God’s realm of peace and justice, while preserving our diversity of belief and practice. We would rather have God’s people working together to be salt and light for the world than try to get everyone worshipping the same way and organizing their churches in the same manner.

So our money and time and effort are going at the national level into coalitions of churches: like the Canadian Foodgrains Bank that we are familiar with in the Seaway Valley as there are local farmers that participate in supplying crops and knowledge; like Kairos Canada which supports justice work; like Project Ploughshares that does research on issues of military spending and arms exports; like Action for Churches Together that provides assistance when disasters strike. Rather than maintain our own, costly, in-house distribution of books and materials, we now use the same centre as the Lutheran and Anglican churches.

I can tell you, because I am one of the people involved, that the United Church of Canada is beginning negotiations with other denominations on mutual recognition of clergy, which means that we will cut out a lot of the red tape involved in admitting a minister from another denomination into our church and the other way around. We’re trying to make it easier for clergy from, for example, the American Methodist or Presbyterian churches, or the Korean Presbyterian church or the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, to serve Canadian churches, and for our ministers to serve outside our denomination.

We also have a mutual agreement among Canadian denominations to recognize each other’s baptisms, so that if you were baptized here and want to marry in a Roman Catholic church, for instance, you won’t have to be baptized again. Unfortunately, we don’t have an agreement on Communion. Our reading today was about recognizing Jesus in the breaking of bread, but Protestant and Catholic and Orthodox Christians aren’t able to do that together in the Lord’s Supper. If we go to a Catholic or Orthodox church we can’t take Communion, because of different understandings of the sacrament.

So that’s nationally. In our Presbytery I began, when I was chair, to foster a partnership with the United Church of Christ across the border in New York State. They were formed during the big wave of denominational mergers, like we were, and were originally Congregationalist, and that’s one of our traditions too. Originally it was just to have a joint observance of 200 years since the War of 1812, with the two churches witnessing to the peace that we profess as followers of Jesus. Now it’s expanded to attending each other’s meetings and sharing ideas on how we can do Christian education and stewardship and justice work.

And I’ve talked about what we do on the local level. One of the things we have focused on in the Cornwall and Area Christian Council is reminding each other, and the people in our churches, about fellow Christians around the world who suffer persecution for their faith in Jesus, and trying to stand with them. There was an ecumenical worship service last year in Cornwall for the persecuted church, and we try to set a date each year for prayers for Christians suffering for their faith. This year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service has reminded us, in the testimony of Sarah that we just heard, about this persecution, and how it is taking place even in India, the world’s largest democracy.

Many of us probably think of India as a predominantly Hindu country, and it is. It also has nearly 32 million Christians, although they are a tiny minority in a country as big as India – just three percent of the population. There have been Christians in India since the days of the early church, with the message of Jesus supposed to have been brought by the Apostle Thomas.

The main Indian churches, other than the Roman Catholic Church, are unions just like our United Church, bringing together Anglicans and other Protestants in the Church of North India and the Church of South India. And many Indian Christians are Dalits, untouchables. The word “Dalit” means “crushed” or “suppressed,” and that’s what the untouchables have been in the Indian social system, regarded as so low that even their shadow can pollute a person of a higher social class or caste. Many Dalits have been attracted to the Good News of Jesus, who reached out to marginalized people. But even in the church Dalits may face segregated congregations, cemeteries, and worship services, although discrimination against Dalits is officially illegal in India.

And, as we heard in the story of Sarah, there have been cases of persecution of Indian Christians, and especially Dalits. The story we heard was from Orissa state, where there has been a wave of persecution; I was just reading a report from another state, Maharashtra, where a mob surrounded and beat Christians at worship two weeks ago.

Sisters and brothers, in this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and at all times we are praying for and working for the day when all may be one. That is what Jesus prays for his followers, that they may all be one, and that is in fact the motto of The United Church of Canada and the Church of South India. The stories of our fellow believers suffering for their faith remind us of how fortunate we are in the freedom of worship we enjoy, and that we are striving that all may be one in faith and purpose, not just in Canadian churches, but united with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. When Jesus prayed that we may all be one, he wasn’t asking that we have the same beliefs and practices, but that we be one family. Every member of a family may not think and act the same way, but they are on the same journey.

The prophet Micah asks, what does God require of us? To seek justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God. We have a long way to go, but we are on that walk of Christian unity together.

Interview With Shannon Kearns, a Transgender Man Being Ordained as a Priest

Shannon Kearns is a transgender man and will be ordained on January 19th as an Old Catholic priest. I'm thrilled to be able to interview him, and grateful that he took the time to answer some questions when he is so busy getting ready for the ordination service. He says that "there still aren’t enough stories (though thankfully more each year) of transgender clergy. If my story can reach someone who feels called but thought there was no space for them, than that’s amazing."

I have been blessed by reading his thoughts on church liturgy as resistance against the secular culture and his experience as a trans individual in the church. I will be praying for him on January 19th as he is ordained, and for his ministry starting a new church in Minneapolis, House of the Transfiguration.

Shannon is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and is a deacon, about to be ordained as a priest, in the North American Old Catholic Church. He writes as the Anarchist Reverend. He tells me that he loves to read, watch cheesy TV, and play LEGO video games.

Can you tell me about the Old Catholic tradition? It may not be a familiar one to many readers.

The North American Old Catholic Church is an independent Catholic group not in communion with Rome. As a group they ordain women, queer folks, partnered and married people, and folks who have been divorced. They are focused on social justice issues and new church starts. There are parishes all over the United States, but the main concentration is on the East Coast.

Were you raised in the Old Catholic tradition, or came to it later?

I was not raised in the Old Catholic tradition, or really any Catholic tradition. I grew up in a fundamentalist evangelical church. While there was a lot about the church that I loved, I never really felt like I fit in. When I hit Junior High I felt a very strong call to serve the church in some way. I wanted to be a part of making the church more welcoming to people. As someone who lived the first part of my life being perceived as female, I was told from a very young age that I could never be in ministry except to, maybe, teach Sunday school. I definitely could not be a pastor. As I came to understand more and more of my own identity (first coming out as a lesbian in college and then later coming out as a transgender man), I also came to understand more about faith and my relationship with God shifted. I left the evangelical church and worked in mainline churches for several years (United Methodist, American Baptist, United Church of Christ) which was a better fit theologically, but I still felt something was missing for me.

What attracted you to the Old Catholic Church?

I began to explore Catholic liturgy, introduced to it through the life and witness of the monastics, the activism and wit of Dorothy Day, and the poetry and fierceness of Philip and Daniel Berrigan. In the Catholic tradition I found the mix of radical politics and deep, contemplative faith that I had been really longing for.

However, even though I was strongly drawn toward Catholicism, I still felt that I had no place in it: As a transgender man there was no way I could be ordained as a Roman Catholic and I had no idea that the Old Catholics even existed. I was pursuing ordination in a mainline congregation; even though it didn't feel like the exact right fit, it seemed like one of the only options I had to fulfill my calling to ministry. I found the Old Catholics on Twitter of all places! The presiding Archbishop Michael Seneco reached out to me to see if I could help get the word out about the North American Old Catholic Church and the fact that they ordain transgender people. The more we talked about the NAOCC, the more I felt like it would be a good fit for my own calling and ministry. I was ordained to the diaconate in June of 2012 at the Philadelphia Transgender Health Conference.

How do you feel called to be "set apart" through ordination?

I feel like my calling to ordained ministry is not about being "set apart" from people so much as it about specificity of role. Meaning that I am called to walk with people, to help them create rituals that mark time and bring meaning to their lives, to help facilitate worship where they can experience God, and to preach and teach the Gospel.

Can you describe what the ordination service will be like?

The ordination will take place as part of a traditional Catholic Mass. There will be prayers and singing, the Bishop will lay on hands to ordain me, I'll be vested (dressed) in my new vestments (clergy clothing; a priest's stole and chasuble), and then I will help to celebrate the Eucharist.

Do you think that being a transgender person gives you a certain perspective of God as Creator, Christ and Spirit, or affects how you will serve the church?

Being trans has definitely shifted how I understand Jesus especially. My own physical transition has brought me to a much better understanding of what it means to be embodied, what the incarnation meant, and has challenged my thoughts about crucifixion and resurrection. The idea that Jesus lived a bodily life really resonates for me in new ways.

I think really having experienced being not welcome in the church will affect how I serve the church. I know what it feels like to be told that I am not the "right kind" of Christian or Catholic, I know what it feels like to desperately want to be in a religious community but to feel like I don't fit in or that I am not wanted, I know what it feels like to want sacred space but to not know where to go to find it. I want to be able to minister to other people who have been on the margins or who have felt unwelcome in churches.

I'm fascinated by your statement that being trans has challenged your thoughts about crucifixion and resurrection. Can you say more?

Here is a short response, but it might also be helpful to read the passion narrative I wrote based on my trans* experience.

The first time I really started to think about the similarities between my own trans* experience and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus was in a class in seminary. We were looking at the story of "Doubting Thomas". I had been transitioning for a little while and quite frankly I was exhausted: I was tired of fighting with people to use the right pronouns, tired of answering questions about the state of my body, about what surgeries I had (or had not) gotten, tired to advocating for myself. In class that day we read the story of how Thomas wouldn't believe that Jesus had been resurrected until he saw Jesus' scars. It reminded me of all of the invasive questions I got from people. It reminded me of the comments people would make about my appearance. Why couldn't they just believe that I am who I say that I am? I was also struck by the gentleness of Jesus' response to Thomas. He both chides Thomas for his lack of faith, but also offers to show him his scars anyway. It was a stunning moment.

I began to look more closely at the passion narratives of Jesus and I saw more parallels; his "coming out" at the transfiguration, his struggles with his family, the way his friends started out as his biggest supporters but abandoned him in his time of need. And I was struck by the way he had to endure pain and crucifixion in order to get to the beauty of the resurrection, but that even when he was resurrected he still lived with the scars of what he had experienced. In medieval paintings of Jesus, the wound in his side looks eerily like the chest surgery scars of many trans* men; this, too, was another point of contact.

I think my experience of transitioning has helped me to engage with these stories again; to cling more steadfastly the idea of resurrection being bodily, to understand that bodies are important and that even though I live with scars there can be something holy about them.

Thank you! This has been great. Blessings!

Thanks!! Really appreciate you doing all of this.

More on Alpha: Questions of Life

Questions of Life
By Nicky Gumbel
Alpha North America, Deerfield IL, 2007
207 pages

Nicky Gumbel first wrote this book in 1993 to accompany the handful of Alpha courses then up and running, based on the original offering at Holy Trinity Brompton. Called "the Alpha course in book form," Questions of Life has now sold over 15 million copies worldwide and introduced millions of people to Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.

The introduction states that in the book Nicky Gumbel provides answers to "the hunger and growing hope in every human heart that somewhere, somehow, there may be found a contemporary answer to the timeless question, 'What is truth and how and where can we discover it?'" Questions of Life is structured like the Alpha course itself, in fifteen chapters that present answers to faith questions:
Is there more to life than this?
Who is Jesus?
Why did Jesus die?
How can we have faith?
Why and how do I pray?
Why and how should I read the Bible?
How does God guide us?
Who is the Holy Spirit?
What does the Holy Spirit do?
How can I be filled with the Holy Spirit?
How can I resist evil?
Why and how should I tell others?
Does God heal today?
What about the church?
How can I make the most of the rest of my life?

In the book, and the Alpha course, Gumbel adheres to Christian orthodoxy, and does not attempt to describe any of the historic or current theological debates or breadth of belief regarding, for example, the Atonement - the saving work of Christ on the cross. Gumbel speaks throughout the "why did Jesus die" chapter in terms of the penal substitution theory of the Atonement ("only the blood of Christ, our substitute, can take away our sin"). There is no acknowledgement that the moral influence and Christus victor models of the Atonement have been equally legitimate views of Christ's death.

However, Questions of Life remains a resource for new believers (and, perhaps, some longstanding "cultural Christians") that introduces the core beliefs of the Christian faith in an accessible, relevant way.

The Alpha Journey

The Alpha course began in the Church of England and has spread worldwide. It is the most popular small group activity introducing Christianity and seeking to make disciples for Jesus, at least in the English-speaking West.

I have been involved in three iterations of Alpha, in cooperation with congregations of other denominations (Anglican and Presbyterian) in our area. I know that Alpha is not looked upon with favour by some United Church of Canada folk, because of the way doctrines like the atonement are presented in the course, but I can't find another adult education activity that is as successful in forging ecumenical partnerships, motivating a congregation for evangelistic mission, and making disciples.

This article on Alpha is used with permission and credit attributed to Gerard Long 2012 Alpha USA.

The Alpha Journey
By Gerald Long

In the U.S., the Alpha course has already reached 3 million people in all 50 states and in every major denomination. On this extraordinary adventure called Alpha, together with our leadership team, I’ve asked God to provide clear vision in our strategic thinking and mission goals. Prayerfully, we’re seeking “to transform our society—one life, one church, and one community at a time.” Also, we’re enthusiastic about all that God’s doing to make this happen! In Genesis, God asks us to “go forth and multiply,” and in Matthew, He asks us to fulfill the Great Commission: to “go and make disciples” of Jesus Christ. With these instructions in mind, we’ve set strategic goals to greatly expand our reach in the U.S. We’re seeking to multiply the number of churches that run the Alpha course as well as the number of guests enrolled; to enrich families and individuals through many of the marriage, parenting and outreach materials we provide; and, most importantly, to see more and more lives transformed for Christ. We’ve set a goal to reach 18 million people with the Gospel via an Alpha course in the U.S. by 2020, which is part of Alpha’s global vision to reach 100 million people with the wonderful news of Christ by that same year. And, God willing, we’ll continue with great passion on this exciting journey of changing lives for Him.

Prayer is everything, really; it’s at the core of everything we do, every decision we make. Communicating with God, our gracious Heavenly Father is such a privilege and a necessity at the same time. At the core of Alpha are relationships, first with God and then with our guests. And prayer is key to our relationship with God. Also, as James 5:16 says, the earnest prayer of a believer — a person right with God—avails much. And through His Holy Spirit, we receive the love, joy and peace — and all the fruit—that only He provides. For each guest of the Alpha course, each seeker, it’s the power of prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit that brings the conviction, revelation and transformation of the heart that he or she so desperately needs.

For the past two decades, the mission of Alpha — making disciples of Jesus from all walks of life — has greatly impacted the world for Christ. All the content of Alpha is based on the truth of God’s Word—on His infallible Holy Scripture. So we know the content is trustworthy and true, this Biblically-based content, is then systematically laid out to unfold the basic teachings of the Christian faith. We have updated some of the more practical aspects of the course several times to make it as relevant as possible and to achieve maximum results. Very importantly, we also ask that Alpha leaders teach the material as it is written, to not change its key teachings. Our training materials reinforce this point, and we entrust our leaders with this responsibility.

One of the key ingredients to Alpha’s success has been in making its guests feel relaxed, accepted and open to the Gospel message. We want to treat others with humility and respect, to value each guest, to show them a servant’s heart and to honor them with confidentiality. And, of course, the atmosphere should be friendly, non-judgmental and inviting — a fun place to be! One of the best ways we can show people we love them is to listen carefully and respectfully to what they are saying. The most successful groups tend to learn about Jesus and have fun at the same time. That also brings up one of my favorite parts — the Alpha jokes. Our leaders weave humorous stories into the opening and teaching time, and during the discussions we encourage leaders to interject humor when appropriate. Finally, testimonies throughout the course by people who have “been there” — who can relate how God has opened their hearts and transformed them from the inside out—provide a powerful ingredient.

The Alpha course offers guests a 10-week small group experience, plus a weekend or all-day getaway. After talking with hundreds of people who have experienced the getaway, I can say with confidence, “It’s a crucial component, so please don’t omit it!” As you might guess, it not only helps everyone bond together more closely, but it also gives the guests the space, time and environment to thoroughly process all they’ve been learning, and it gives the Holy Spirit opportunities to soften hearts in amazing ways. Those who fill out evaluation forms often cite that “it’s the best part of the course.” In particular, it provides an opportunity for balanced teaching on the work of the Holy Spirit to empower Christ followers to be His witnesses. It’s often a time when guests experience for the first time that God really does love them. Their understanding of Christ and His teaching spreads from their head to their heart.

The Alpha course has proven successful in leading participants to make a personal commitment to Christ. When churches begin engaging the community through Alpha, they’re looking outward, seeing the broken and hurting people who need answers to life’s biggest questions. In reaching out to people from all backgrounds — co-workers, neighbors, classmates, those embracing other religions and world-views and even those in our prison systems—churches are discovering new blessings and new passion in sharing God’s truth. Churches that were perhaps declining find themselves growing. Often, churches develop an entire evangelism strategy, a vibrant prayer ministry and a new heart for those who need Christ’s redemption. I encourage every church to “Go Forth” — to multiply the souls saved for Christ and to fulfill His Great Commission. In summary, churches that implement the Alpha DNA see growth in new disciples, in leaders, in service and in financial giving.

The Alpha course offers a 10-week small group experience for those within and outside the church. The adventure doesn’t end after 10 weeks – it continues! Alpha offers a line of discipleship studies that help guests keep seeking, exploring and growing in faith. Many groups plan a follow-up reunion or party to stay connected, begin going to church together, start a small-group discipleship group, get baptized or serve together inside or outside the church. Also, many will invite their friends and family on the next Alpha course and will often be a helper and then a leader on the course. God faithfully paves the way.

_________________________

Gerard Long is the president of Alpha USA. Today in the U.S., three million people in all 50 states and 127 denominations have already experienced the Alpha course, with hundreds of thousands making a commitment or recommitment to Christ. (Globally, the Alpha course has reached 19 million people in 169 countries and 113 languages.)

Gerard’s first book, The Breakthrough was developed in cooperation with best-selling author Ken Blanchard, The Breakthrough uses a modern-day parable to communicate basic truths about God, suffering and the after-life. Gerard blogs regularly, where he writes on the topics of evangelism and church growth.

No Time For a Child to Be Born: Sermon, December 24, 2012

The story of Christmas. We have heard it tonight and we have sung it in our carols. We know the story. And it’s always a challenge to preach on the much-loved Christmas story, because what can we add to it? Well, we do add characters, like the Little Drummer Boy, and animals, which aren’t mentioned at all in the Bible’s story of Christmas. But we sing "the cattle are lowing," and "the ox and ass kept time." And there can be even more unusual animals. Some churches have llamas in their living nativity scenes. And if you saw the movie Love Actually, you may remember the character Karen being told by her excited daughter Daisy, “We’ve been given our parts in the nativity play. And I’m the lobster.” Karen says, “The lobster?” “Yeah, first lobster,” Daisy beams. Karen asks, “There was more than one lobster present at the birth of Jesus?” Daisy responds, “Duh.”

The story of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, the angels, and the Bethlehem baby in the manger tells us the “how” and the “what” of Christmas. But it only tells us a little about the “why.” Now, Luke wrote the Christmas story in his book, his gospel, and he has the whole rest of the book to tell us more about the why. But we only have one evening worship service.

I’ve mentioned before that I wrote my thesis in theological college on a guy named Gregory of Nyssa, a theologian who lived over 1600 years ago. I know, stop the excitement. No one here is going to open a gift they find under the Christmas tree tomorrow morning and be shouting, “A book by Gregory of Nyssa! Sweet!” Well, I would be thrilled.

Gregory writes about the “why” of Christmas. He says that the story at the beginning of the Bible, of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, shows that humans have been led astray by evil, and as a result humanity is mired in misery and death. It’s as if humans are held captive by evil and can’t escape on their own. With the evil events in the news of the last week, mass murder in Connecticut, war in Syria, bombings in Pakistan, I don’t think we can disagree.

Gregory says that only God, who created us, can restore us to grace. So, out of God’s immense love, God becomes human, to restore humanity to life and freedom.

But, Gregory asks, if God is all-powerful, why didn’t God just save humanity with one word, or one click of the divine fingers? Why be born as a powerless, vulnerable human baby, which would seem humiliating for a transcendent, incomprehensible divine being, and a pretty roundabout way to accomplish the salvation of all people?

Gregory responds to his own question, we shouldn’t argue about how God saves us. But he continues that God is good, wise, and just, and so God must demonstrate these qualities in the way that God acts to deliver humanity. Justice demands that as humans of their own free will had allowed themselves to be imprisoned by evil, God must not use force to free them. God’s justice demands that humanity be redeemed by non-violent, just means, not by one arbitrary divine act.

So God takes the most good, wise, and just course of action: God who is eternal, uncreated, beyond all space and time, comes into finite space and time. The Bible puts it as, the Word becomes flesh. The divine becomes human, not appearing as a fully-grown human adult, but revealed as a baby, born just as we were born, with all the mess and pain and joy of our births.

Born as an infant, the Son of God knows the full range of human experience, from birth through childhood to adult life. And he is born, not as the child of a royal or aristocratic or rich business family, not in a palace or a luxurious home, not in a city like Rome or Jerusalem that is the centre of political and military and economic and religious power – but in an obscure out-of-the-way town, on the fringe of the empire, where there is no room for his pregnant mother in an inn and she and her husband have no money to buy shelter, so the newborn baby is laid in a feeding trough for animals.

His human parents are in this little town for a census. We know from the Bible that for ancient Jews it was a grave sin to conduct a census, because it was seen as a foreign practice connected with taxation and forced labour. In the Bible there is vigorous opposition to even that great Biblical hero King David taking a census, debates even more passionate than those in Canada over the long form census.

But in the story the Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar, orders a census, and these objections don’t matter. The empire needs a census in order to levy taxes to pay for its wars. The Christmas story emphasizes that Joseph and Mary and even the baby, the baby who is the divine made human, are helpless in the face of the empire and its bureaucracy and the violence it has at its disposal to enforce its will. They are poor people, trapped in the empire’s schemes. Bethlehem may be a long way from the imperial capital, but it is still under foreign occupation, and any danger to the empire will be crushed ruthlessly. And later in the story it is: the king the empire has put in place sends his soldiers to hunt down the child. The little family is forced to flee as refugees while the king’s men slaughter all the boys in Bethlehem, a part of the story that chills us as we think immediately of children’s lives cut short in Connecticut and Syria today.

And, the story tells us, the emperor has ordered a census not just of this far-off province in the Middle East, but of the entire Roman world. God is coming among us in a way that makes clear that the Christ child is born to take on not just the condition of Palestine oppressed by Rome, but the condition of the whole world, the human condition.

The Christmas story for us is very sentimental, but it it isn’t really: it’s a story of travel in harsh, dangerous conditions, of forced cooperation with the order of a foreign government, the ever-present threat of violence, social stigma, dire poverty, a birth in unsanitary surroundings, cold and dirt and stench and hunger, a panicked escape at night from the rage of a dictator who kills anyone who might threaten his grip on power. That was no time for a child to be born. And, yet, when you think about it, no time is a good time for a child to be born. All times in human history, including today, are marred by violence and injustice and suffering. Some of us here were born during wars and depressions. I was born just before the Cuban Missile Crisis and the very real possibility of nuclear destruction. Times always seem dark, even when we’re not being told that the Mayan calendar predicts the world’s end. It is never the best time to bring a child into this broken world. And yet we do. That was no time for a child to be born, yet in that little town of Bethlehem long ago, in the dark streets shone the everlasting light. Maybe the best way to express this mystery is in poetry: In the words of our Christmas carols, or this poem by Madeline L’Engle:

This is no time for a child to be born, with the
earth betrayed by war and hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn that time
runs out and the sun burns late.
That was no time for a child to be born, in a land
in the crushing grip of Rome,
Honour and truth were trampled by scorn, yet
there did the Saviour make his home.
When is the time for love to be born? The inn is
full on the planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn – yet Love still takes
the risk of birth.

We say in the season of Advent: Christ has come, Christ is coming, Christ will come again. That was no time for a child to be born, yet God came to us as a baby. It is no time for love to be born, yet God comes among us in the Spirit, in people and places that are as unexpected and surprising to us today as an unimportant town and a teenage mother and a manger were back then. It is no time for love to be born, yet love is. This is the mystery of Christmas, this is the miracle of Christmas, this is the good news of Christmas: out of love God enters into the life of humanity so completely that the divine, who created atoms and galaxies, comes among us as weak and dependent as we were, to lift us out of our powerlessness in the face of death and the violence and hatred and oppression of the world and help us to realize that we are people created in God’s image, and we can be much more than we are if we let Christ be born in us today.

God comes in love to be wrapped up in humanity. The great hymn writer Charles Wesley expressed this mystery, the “why” of Christmas, in his words: “Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity, pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.” And so we sing with the angels.

1. The summary of Gregory of Nyssa's thought regarding the Incarnation is largely drawn from his Catechetical Oration.
2. I was inspired by Jack Miles' discussion of the census in Luke 2:1-3 in his Christ: A Crisis in the Life of God, and in particular his statement that "all the world should be registered" means that Christ is taking on not just the condition of Judea under Roman rule, but "all oppressed people at the mercy of officious power" (page 87).
3. The Madeline L'Engle poem is “The Risk of Birth, Christmas 1973,” The Weather of the Heart, p.73.

What Christmas is All About

When I was a boy we knew what Christmas is all about - the minister preached about it, we sang along with the choir about it, and Linus told us about it in A Charlie Brown Christmas (with that great jazz soundtrack by Vince Guaraldi).

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid . And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luke 2:8-14, Authorized (King James) Version

A Good Word in Response to the Newtown Murders

I have a short piece in A Good Word, a free ebook of sermons, prayers and liturgies in response to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown CT. Please read part of the introduction and download the book from Landon Whitsitt's page.

For December 16th

I have very little to add to the flood of grief, and consoling words - and, too often, arguments about guns - that has washed across social media since news came on Friday of the terrible crime as 27 people, 20 of them six and seven year-old children, were murdered in Newtown, Connecticut. A prayer for these children has been posted by The United Church of Canada. I will be including part of it in our prayers tomorrow, as we let our grief flow that in homes in Newtown, trees are decorated and wreaths are hung, yet the children are gone. We have no answers as to how to bear such imaginable grief.

In tomorrow's message I am looking at how we can possibly mark the Sunday of Joy on this December 16th. Here's a bit of what I'll say:

Our reading about joy from Philippians (4:4-7) was actually written from prison as the followers of Jesus were being persecuted. Our reading about joy from the prophet Zephaniah (3:14-20) is at the end of a book about a terrible event, what the prophet describes as a day of distress and anguish, of ruin and devastation - a day maybe like Friday was for many of us when we heard of the murders of so many children at a school.

The Bible speaks to us with such relevance today because it was written by and for people who experienced acute pain and distress and yet found joy. These long-ago believers were told that they could be glad despite awful circumstances. And we, so in touch with the suffering of our world, are trying to get through the darkness and find joy too. Though we are surrounded by fear and hurt and tragedy, we somehow light that pink candle, for in the Advent season we learn again that we are not alone. God is with us.

In the letter to the Philippians, Paul, who wrote this letter from prison, tells the members of the Philippian church that the Lord is near, and then goes on to offer advice that rings just as true today: Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers, along with giving thanks. Don’t be anxious, Paul says. Be patient. Trust God. Wait and watch for the signs that God is with us, sharing our pain. Be with each other. Slow life down and pay attention to the moment. Slow life down and remember who we are and whose we are. Slow life down and savour how precious each moment we have together is.

And, as Paul tells the Philippian believers, the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.

A Tale of Hunger at Home and Abroad For American Thanksgiving

In July I reviewed Roger Thurow's book The Last Hunger Season: A Year in an African Farming Community on the Brink of Change, and I've been recommending the book since. Here is an article by Roger for the American Thanksgiving holiday. I'm pleased to reprint it with permission, with credit to Roger Thurow, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs 2012.

A THANKSGIVING TALE: THE HUNGERCLOTH
By Roger Thurow

I often write and speak about the awful oxymoron, “Hungry Farmers.” How can the smallholder farmers of Africa suffer through an annual hunger season when every morning they rise with one task: grow food for their families?

That these farmers should battle chronic hunger and malnutrition is absurd, obscene and shameful.

But there’s another awful oxymoron that deserves our attention, particularly as we near Thanksgiving and our season of feasts. Hungry Americans.

How can anyone in this richest country on the planet, home of the mightiest farmers, breadbasket of the world, be hungry?

That millions of households here are deemed “food insecure” – unable, at some point in the year, to afford the next meal – is equally absurd, obscene and shameful.

Hunger at home and abroad are of the same cloth. Yes, the depth of the hunger and malnutrition that I have seen in parts of Africa and elsewhere in the developing world is profoundly deeper than I have seen here. Thanks to a sturdy social safety net, no one starves to death here, as far too many people do every day in the poorer precincts of the world.

But whether in Africa or America, I see the same pain, desperation, guilt and humiliation in the eyes of mothers and fathers. How will I feed my family? Where will the next meal come from? And the same longing and despair in the eyes of the children.

I think back to one of my first conversations with Leonida Wanyama, who is among the smallholder farmers in western Kenya profiled in my new book, The Last Hunger Season. With head bowed and voice low, Leonida told me of the bleak Christmas holiday that had just passed; all she was able to offer her family was a pot of boiled bananas.

Now, in the U.S., I’m reminded of the many food pantries preparing to distribute turkeys and all the fixings to families who otherwise wouldn’t share in our great Thanksgiving tradition, and I think of the many soup kitchens readying meals for those who have no place to eat such a feast.

In both Africa and America, I have seen hunger narrow the choices of daily living.

For the smallholder farmers with their meager crop yields: feed my family or sell some of my harvest to pay school fees for my children; feed my family or buy malaria medication; feed my family or repair the hole in my thatched roof.

For those who rely on American food banks and soup kitchens: buy food or pay the rent; buy food or keep my health insurance; buy food or pay the electricity and gas bills.

Hunger, no matter where it is, is an abomination. It tears at families, communities, societies. It cheats economic development. It haunts the conscience. Or at least it should.

Scenes from my reporting on hunger, be it at home or abroad, are seared in my mind: In Africa, severely malnourished children clinging to life in emergency feeding tents. Families struggling to make it through the day on a mere cup of tea.

In America, astonished teachers watching students stuffing their pockets with food at Friday lunch, even when that food was spaghetti, because they didn’t know if there would be much to eat at home over the weekend. Children so eager to get to school they hopped off the buses on Monday morning and raced through the hallways; they were heading to the cafeteria, for school breakfast, because they hadn’t eaten much since school lunch on Friday.

A common source of hunger, of course, is poverty. For Africa’s smallholder farmers, it is an absence of essential resources: better quality seeds, micro-doses of fertilizer, financing and agriculture extension advice – the vital ingredients to grow enough food to feed a family for a year. For families in America, it is an absence of a living wage, a lack of decent paying jobs to afford food security throughout the year.

The solutions are also similar. They must be long-term, beyond the immediate aid, and include more community input, individual empowerment and innovative education. The goal is for the farmers of Africa to grow as much nutritionally rich food as they possibly can and for the food insecure in America to be as productive as possible and earn enough to buy their own food.

One more common thread: Efforts to end hunger are under siege by the global financial mess. In the U.S., both short-term safety nets and long-term solutions are threatened by budget cuts, be they food stamps or women and infant care programs or the White House’s Feed the Future initiative which focuses on improving harvests of smallholder farmers in the developing world. The mandatory spending cuts that loom at the fiscal cliff will have a disproportionate heavy impact on poverty and hunger programs, which have already been hit in previous budget slashing moves. Hungry farmers? Hungry Americans? The awful oxymoron would be extended, not ended, by such cuts.

At Thanksgiving, we know we can do better. It is the time to commit to the last hunger season.

_____________

Roger Thurow was a reporter at the Wall Street Journal for 30 years, 20 of those as a foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa. In 2003 while covering the famine in Ethiopia he experienced an epiphany that would completely change his life.

While in Ethiopian headquarters before going into the hunger fields, Thurow received a warning from one of the aides who said, “Looking into the eyes of the hungry becomes a disease of the soul.” The next day, while looking into the eyes of those who were starving, Thurow immediately understood what the aide had meant. No one should ever have to die from hunger.

Before the year was out, Thurow and colleague Scott Kilman, the Journal’s chief agricultural correspondent, collaborated on a series of articles on the African famine. The series was later chosen as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize on International Reporting. The two journalists teamed up again to write Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty. It released in 2009. In 2010, he resigned from the Wall Street Journal and accepted a post as Senior Fellow for Global Agriculture and Food Policy with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs where he remains today, writing and speaking about global hunger and food security issues for a number of outlets and platforms.

Thurow graduated from the University of Iowa in 1979. He and his wife Anne live in the Chicago area and are the parents of two children, Brian and Aishling, both now in college. When not working, Thurow is a baseball fan and particularly enjoys watching the Chicago Cubs to, as he jokes, “put things in perspective.”

To learn more about The Last Hunger Season and the documentary film it inspired, please visit: WeHaveDecided.org, Thurow's blog, or The last Hunger Season.