Missed Appointments

What is it about this day? I initiated a Conference Call for 1:00 p.m. today with three other people, a call that had been scheduled a month ago, and only one of the three called in for the Conference. Then I stayed in the office for a 3:30 p.m. appointment an individual scheduled this morning, stating, " . . . I just have to get this done today! It won't work at any other time on my calendar!" and at 3:45 p.m. she called in to say she will have to reschedule it for sometime early next week. "Sorry if I made you wait around" was all the apology which was offered, and I thought, "No, you're not. What you are really sorry about is that you couldn't squeeze it into your calendar today and, if you had your druthers, you wouldn't do it next week either!" Oh, well, what is time on a Pastor's schedule, anyway?!

Then, at just about the time I was really ready to go off in a funk about what had transpired, God's angel of personal epiphanies made an appearance with the words, "And how many times, Mr. High and Mighty, have you done the same thing to God?" Oh, man! Talk about hitting below the belt! I thought I had every reason to feel really ticked and self-righteous about how shabbily my time and priorities had been treated by all of these other people. Then, I am put in the position to relate how many times I do the same thing to God - and suddenly I am feeling pretty sheepish and humbled.

I cannot count the number of times I have said I would do something for God in just a minute, how many times I would help the person in distress on the side of the road when I have the time without messing up my schedule, how many times I planned to pick up extra food at the store for the Food Pantry but just didn't have the time to get it there, how many times I thought about taking the clothes I have 'outgrown' to the shelter but keep forgetting to put them in the car, how many times I could have gotten someone a drink and thought that they could get it themselves, or how many times I planned to visit someone who was homebound or in an assisting living facility, but just never seemed to get around to it. I cannot count the number of times, nor do I want to begin trying to count the number of times, neither do I want witnesses (and there are way too many witnesses of my escapades) to begin naming the times. Just the mere mention of the opportunities, the promises, to do something for God, is reminder enough: It is not good to throw stones when you live in a glass house.

It is easy for the scribes and Pharisees among us to identify in the woman caught in adultery the reason she should be stoned (John 8:1-11). What is far harder to identify is that which is within each one of us that really demands the same sentence, for truly, none of us is without sin.

As Jesus said to the woman, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again", so He says to each of us when, like me, we so easily get caught up in the hypocrisy of our own self-images: "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."

I don't like being stood up, so I had better practice not standing up others . . . especially God. Yet, more than that, more than practicing not standing up others, I need to practice forgiving others as I pray God forgives my sinfulness. Anyone can condemn, but forgiveness and the art of living as one who is forgiven takes a lifetime to learn. And today was just another lesson at the feet of the Master. Thank you, God, for your grace which claims me. Teach me, God, to extend that grace to others with the humility and strength of Jesus.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

God Is In All That You Handle

I heard it again today: "God won't give you more than you can handle." It just made my skin crawl. This popular, unthinking, 'Christian' response to everything that happens to people just does not make sense, nor does it reflect the fullness, mercy, grace and strength of both the cross and an empty tomb. It just doesn't.

'My hemorrhoids are killing me, but God won't give me more than I can handle', 'The cancer treatments are really making me sick, but God won't give me more than I can handle', 'Our child was in an awful automobile accident, but God won't give us more than we can handle', 'We don't make enough money to afford health insurance and my wife can't have the operation she needs to fix her back, but God won't give us more than we can handle', 'I have spent my whole life farming and can no longer keep up with the rising land costs, taxes, and implement expenses, so I guess it is time for me to go out of business, but God won't give me more than I can handle', 'I just found out that I have lung cancer and haven't smoked a day in my life, so God must be testing me, but I know God won't give me more than I can handle', and 'Our baby died at birth on Christmas day. I'm not sure why God would let that happen, but I was told that God doesn't ever give anyone more than they can handle.' I have heard every one of these and probably hundreds, if not thousands, more in nearly twenty years of ministry . . . and every time I hear those words spoken, mostly by well meaning 'Christians', I cringe for the faith - and for what it implies about God.

What kind of angry, vengeful, spiteful, testing (testy?) God do these people believe in? Do they believe that God is so consumed about finding out how faithful each person can be that God spends all day and all night just trying out different plagues and diseases and maladies upon them to find out 'how much they can handle'? Are the current pop-evangelicals trying to use this rationale in order that God be blamed for everything that can't easily be explained? Is this just another way to 'fear' people into the Christian faith?

Is it easier to make God the 'Cosmic-Tester' of all things human, the One who presses the boundaries of human endurance and faith, rather than spend hard time in prayer and study wrestling with the notions of human mortality and Divine Presence in the midst of the human experience? In my humble mind, this rates right up there with calling tornadoes, cyclones, hurricanes, floods, fires and avalanches, 'acts of God', while completely forgetting to credit God with the wonderful days of sunshine and rainbows that most people believe is their inalienable right to enjoy every day. How must such a statement be heard in the ears of: homeless children; parents whose sons or daughters are killed or maimed by acts of random violence; by children whose parent(s) die early in their lives as a result of an accident or illness; by the victims of the violence in Darfur; by the starving in Africa; by the typhoon survivors in Bangladesh; by the victims and survivors of 9-1-1; by the common ordinary citizen of Iraq whose life and livelihood is now rubble; by people born with physical or mental challenges; by the woman who is beaten by her spouse; or by the children (and their parents) who are kidnapped, sexually molested and killed or prostituted for profit? Listen to those words with their ears.

The God of my faith, the God revealed in Jesus Christ, the God present in the power and wonder of God's Holy Spirit, is the God who enters into the human condition precisely at the confluence point of pain, difficulty, terror, fear, and grief and is present with the ones enduring such difficulties. God, throughout the Bible, is the God of the downtrodden, the sick, the mourning, the naked, the hungry, the thirsty, the imprisoned, the marginalized, and acts on every level on their behalf, regardless of their faith tradition, ethnicity, economic level, gender, or nationality. The Israelites were established to be the 'light unto the nations' regarding this very point. Jesus, the very Presence of God (Messiah = God With Us), embodies that message faithfully, even unto death upon a cross. So little does humanity want to hear that such Presence counts servanthood on behalf of " . . . the least of these, my brethren" as a core value of the faith, that we continue, even today, to crucify Jesus all over again every time we say, "Well, you know, God won't give you more than you can handle."

From where I am, the human body is very frail and the human spirit is often very self-absorbed and, too many times, we put off as God's doing everything that we can't explain or for which we don't want to accept responsibility. It becomes a God thing and our own faith doesn't have to come into question, nor do we have to look again at the cross and empty tomb and ponder God's willingness to conquer our fear of death in order that Faith, Hope and Love have a place in our daily lives.

For the ones who dare to stand at the empty tomb and feel the winds of the Spirit move through their lives, God is the God who is present in the midst of, not the God who inflicts in spite of, all that humanity endures. This is the God of my faith, who gives me a heart and soul in Christian discipleship to handle with conviction all that life throws my way on this sacred journey. This is the God of Jesus Christ who stands in the midst of our current day tribunals of ignorance and fear. This is the God of the Holy Spirit who is still revealing God's ongoing history of redemptive love and forgiveness. This is the God who is in all that you handle, no matter what, no matter when, no matter how, no matter where. God is the Victor on our behalf. To be counted at Christ's side on the journey is the handle I need for all that this life includes. And that, is quite enough for me.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

Feeding the Birds

Nancy has convinced me that we need to feed the birds.

My beautiful, loving wife, Nancy, has convinced me that we need to feed the birds. Who will be next? In over thirty years of marriage, we have had three children (and all of the friends that they have brought into our home), one granddaughter, each of our respective immediate families, many of our extended families, countless friends and acquaintances, classmates, church members, neighbors, visiting pastors and their spouses, missionaries, church choirs, softball teams, baseball teams, basketball teams, golf teams, and alumni gatherings, not to mention two dogs, and two cats, who have all shared of the food in our home . . . and now we need to feed the birds. Who will be next?

Which is exactly what I was thinking as I was filling the bird feeders this morning: thistle seed, saffron seed, songbird seed, a suet block, cracked corn (which the squirrels also seem to really like) and sunflower seed . . . all carefully placed in the appropriate feeders which hang on a specifically designed pole to accommodate the variety of sizes and needs of both the birds and the feeders . . . and all purchased quite 'economically' from a specialty bird feeding store in a nearby town. Aaauuuuggggghhhh!

Growing up on a dairy farm, the only time we ever fed the birds was when the winter snows and/or ice made ground feeding in the fields impossible for them: we took pity on the hungry things and cast cattle feed on the ground in places where the birds would be reasonably out of the weather and safe from the small of herd of cats that were very much a part of our environment . . . and that was only done until the weather abated and food was more readily available again in the fields. But now? Now we provide food for them all the time, partly for their welfare and partly for our interest: They are pretty to watch as they feed together and jockey for position to get the choicest morsels but, 'Who will be next?'

Then, my breath got caught in my lungs and my heart seemed to pound as, in watching a lowly starling feed on the newly placed suet, I considered the privilege of what we are doing as I heard Jesus' words in my ears, " . . . the poor you will always have with you." Quite simply, we can either consider those in need among us as a burden or a privilege. We can view the ones who stand at our doorsteps or are at the foot of our tables as intruders or friends. We can regard the the hungry either as 'them' or 'me' - and respond accordingly.

In God's way of thinking, as reflected throughout the Bible, there is a high value placed on tending to the strangers and the ones in need among us. Hospitality in all of its forms, including lodging, food, conversation, and care, are all signs of a household where God is radically present and worshipped. Eagerness on the part of God's people to tend to the ". . . least among us . . ." and a willingness of share of any and all resources are part and parcel of defining that alternative worldview which specifically identifies those who are God's 'light unto the nations'.

You may not see how this relates to feeding the birds, but in that moment, I did. Not unlike all of those people who are equally members of God's creation and found a place and welcome at our table, our family is privileged to have 'plenty enough' to share of God's abundance in our lives. God holds nothing back in meeting our needs, so who are we to question our capacity or responsibility to provide the same for others . . . even the birds?

The 'poor among us' come in many forms, not as burden or intruder or as 'them', but as opportunities for the grace and abundance of God to be shared in mutual respect and caring for all of God's creation. The humble act of welcoming a stranger at your table, in meeting the need of someone less fortunate, in tending to God's creation, is the extravagant practice of extending God's hospitality and abundance in your own life. 'Who will be next?' Indeed, it might be me! To see ourselves in the faces of the others could be the greatest gift we are given . . . even if that stranger is a starling.

Thank you, God, for the abundance entrusted to me for sharing in your Name. Teach me generosity of spirit with others, and all of creation, as I pray for generosity of Spirit from You.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

Technical Support

I have just spent about 45 minutes with a 'Technical Support Person' working out some kinks in one of the many programs our technology ministry utilizes in bringing the worship and ministries of our congregation into the 21st Century. Every time I am placed in a position to speak with one of these 'Tech Support' types, I have to preface my questions and comments with the words, "I know enough about computers to be dangerous, but not enough about them to be knowledgeable. So, take your time and walk me through every step that I need to take, that the two of us don't have to do this process all over again." It is soooooooooo frustrating. I will say in defense of nearly all of the "Tech Support' folks with which I have spoken, they have been incredibly patient with me, putting into common English the tech phrases they are accustomed to throwing around with other techies. For that I am grateful but, still, it is sooooooo frustrating: To be in the position of needing the technology I am using, but not having all the training I need so as to be conversant in the ways the technology works . . . and sometimes it just fries me, having to be so dependent on the kindness of strangers to help me work my way through the problems of the day.

But, isn't that, in fact, the way God intended it from the very beginning? No one of us has all of the knowledge, all of the understanding, all of the training, all of the insider-phrases, all of the skills, or all of the desire to know all of the knowledge, which will get us through the day. No one. Only God. For those of us who are created in the image of God, it is incumbent upon us to work together for the good of the whole, that the whole might, in some small manner, reflect the fullness of the One in whose Image we are created. Frustrating as it might sometimes be, we need each other. Even with all of the training and education one person might conceivably be able to attain in a lifetime, the human race needs each other. Remarkably, each person has the capacity and understanding of the world where they are to be a 'Tech Support Person' to someone else. And, conversely, each person has the need and lack of knowledge of the world where they are to need the tech support someone else has to offer . . . frustrating as that idea might be.

I think the very nature of of such interdependence daily reminds us we are not God. We are of God's creation and each bit of creation, each visage of this universe (and all the universe's beyond us), has the capacity to point towards the One who is the fullness of all there is. We have the capacity. Whether or not we choose to have the moral fortitude and do that, in sharing life's journey with others, or allow ourselves to get caught up in the frustration of not being the end all and be all of all creation, well, that is quite another question.

Today, I am thanking God for the Tech Support Persons who remind us of the depth of God's love for all of creation as they share of themselves for the good of the world. I pray, in some small humble way, I might do the same with my life - for the sake of others, that the world, too, would see God through me.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

Remember Your Baptism

Today in the Church Year is the observance of The Baptism of Christ. In the lectionary cycle, the story of the Baptism of Christ is from Matthew 3:13-17, which recalls that Jesus insisted John baptize him that all righteousness be fulfilled. What does it mean that all righteousness be fulfilled?

From where this person is in faith, it simply means, this is where the journey of discipleship begins: repenting of a past which has been lived apart from God and other people, receiving the grace and mercy of God as a gift, rising out of the waters new in life and spirit, and going back into the world in service and faith. It is all about God's choosing to be graceful, but it is also about the individual's willingness to receive of God's grace. As Jesus chose to be baptized, so he sends His disciples out to baptize, not as a way of 'rewarding' certain behaviors, nor as a mark of having achieved some level of understanding of God's grace, but rather, as a way of entering into the fullness of God's choice to be fully faithful, fully hopeful, fully loving.

Remember your baptism this day. Remember that your baptism is an intentional choice of God to be gracious to you. Remember to live God's grace in you as you live in the world, but not of it. For you are a child of God, a disciple of Christ, and a member of the Church (the Body of Christ).

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

One Note Birds

Today is a beautiful early January day. The temperature is in the low 40's and the sun is shining. Walking from our home to the church, I heard a bird with a distinctive song, a 'one-note song', singing for all it was worth: dee-dee, dee-dee, dee-dee. On the musical scale (and I checked it out on a keyboard that I keep in my office) the note is a B natural. Not a B flat, not a C, but a B natural. Dee-dee, dee-dee, dee-dee . . . over and over and over again. No variation in pitch, no variation in rhythm, and no variation in number of 'dee-dee's', just three times and a break, three times and a break. As pretty a song as it was, and it was a pretty song, light and lilty, I couldn't help but wonder if this particular bird just didn't learn the rest of the notes to the music! How many times can one bird sing one song consisting of one note?! The notion of it made me laugh out loud . . . and the laughter made me think of God's blessings.

What a blessed song this particular bird is singing, especially when that song is capable of making people laugh in wonder! What a majestic God of abundant imagination it is who creates such a bird whose song is capable of lifting the spirits of God's people who listen! And, what a blessing it is that the song is there, available for our ears to hear, ready for our souls to receive, eager for our hearts to lift.

I have been critical of one-note birds before, especially when they are in the church. You know, the one-note birds who keep beating the same issue over and over again, never letting up, never changing their song, never changing their pitch, always singing it in your ear whether you want to hear it or not, until you reach a point when you think you are just going to explode if you hear that song one more time! Whew! Sadly, many of the one-note birds in the church are more concerned about personal agendas and pet projects than with singing the song God has placed in their heart to share with the world. Many of those one-note birds are far less concerned with filling the world with the beauty and laughter of their God than with filling the world with the 'wisdom and insight' of their years. Those one-note birds have the unique capacity to transform God's creative imagination and abundant grace into the workings of institutional drudgery and dogmatic enslavement . . . and that is a song that need not be sung, at least in my ears.

Yet, this day's beautiful and amazing gift of the one-note bird, singing brightly on a sunny January morning, reminds me that we are all given a song to sing which reflects God's presence in our lives - and ours is the choice, whether or not we will sing God's song or transpose it into a composition of our own limited creativity. I am convinced that the world will be able to tell the difference in which song is being sung in what places, for where there is laughter, beauty and blessing, abundantly shining for all to share, there is God . . . and where you can't wait for the song to be over, well, I think you get the picture.

Here's to the song of your life being one that puts a smile, with laughter, in the hearts of God and your fellow sojourners on the path of faith!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don

Songs We Hear

"What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear . . . ." This is one of my favorite hymns of the Church. "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" has gotten me through many a difficult time with that lilting melody and upbeat tempo. Yet, my best memories of this hymn are not of it being sung in church on Sunday morning but, rather, of it being sung by my Dad as he tilled the fields on an 'open' tractor.

Most folks have no idea what I am talking about when I speak of an 'open' tractor, so let me put it this way: I grew up in an age when tractors on the farm did not have cabs on them. They were 'open' to the elements. Rain, hot sunshine, cold, snow, it didn't matter: you were exposed to the elements as you did your work out in the fields. Now, granted, open tractors were a big step up from being behind a horse or a mule but, still, you endured whatever nature gave you as you did your work. Today, you will rarely see an 'open' tractor: most opt for the full comfort features of heat, AC, cup holder, computer docking station, GPS, and the like. Today's tractors are nearly a world unto themselves. But, when I was a kid, I heard my Dad singing on the tractor.

Both my Mom and Dad were singers. Everywhere they went there was singing involved somehow. Love songs of the time, songs that they danced to, hymns from church, and favorites that they learned from their parents, were all part and parcel of what they sang on the tractor, in the garden, in the barn milking cows, in the pastures, in the car, or on the front porch during a quiet summer's evening. Even as I write these words I can hear their voices singing, blending, harmonizing, laughing. What a gift.

One of Dad's favorites is "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" and, I think still, it is appropriately sung to the beat of a two-cylinder John Deere 'popping away', for that is how in my heart I continue to hear him singing it today. There is nothing like the 'pop-pop-popping' of a 'Johnny popper' to give a song rhythm.

As I hear Dad's voice in my ears this morning, it got me to wondering what my kids will remember of me: Will it be the songs I sing as I do the work I love? Or will it be my complaints of 'what is going on in the world'? Will it be the hymns of faith that I hold so dear? Or the litanies of the burdens that often seem overwhelming?

I cannot answer for them, but I know what it is I hope they will always remember, so I guess I had better start singing like there was no cab on my tractor. Sing with the rhythm of the tractor I'm on, singing with the faith that carries me in the fields to which I am called. Our children will remember what they want to remember, I just hope that when they think of me, they will also remember, "What A Friend We Have In Jesus", because He is the one who will see them through wherever it is they go.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Don