In-between

Thanksgiving is past as is the Festival of Faith and the time of stewardship emphasis. So Advent must be next. It is great to know that I have this week before Advent officially begins. However, the challenge to be ready to get ready is almost overwhelming. Sermons, teaching plans, programs are all in various stages of incompleteness. Of course, I want everything to be in order and perfect for what should be a most meaningful season of reflection and preparation. Yet, I feel that I will never get out of the wilderness and will miss the main event. How can I tell the Advent story and be heard over all the competing and distracting stories around me? Perhaps the problem is that I am peeking ahead to the last chapter and know what happens. Advent deserves our very best efforts. Wouldn’t it be better to live into these days with open eyes, ears and heart and then truly celebrate in the days following Christmas after the story truly unfolds in our lives? These in-between days are my last chance to decide how I will experience this most holy time of Advent. Come, Lord Jesus.

Remember the Hungry

As we count our blessings during this time of Thanksgiving, we also are reminded of those who are less fortunate than we are. A variety of news stories tell us about those who are hungry in this country. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 10 percent of adults and almost 17 percent of children live in “food insecure households.” Twenty-six million Americans rely on food stamps, an average weekly allotment of $21 or $1 per meal. This means many diets consist of rice, beans and low-cost starches. Fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and most meats are not found in many meals of food stamp recipients. By the way, food stamp benefits have not been adjusted for inflation in more than a decade. Food banks, soup kitchens and generous individuals daily feed many of these and other hungry persons that are part of communities throughout the county. However, all these efforts continue to be but a band aid and real cures for hunger are seemingly elusive.

Many factors contribute to the persistence of hunger and poverty in this nation. Voices for the hungry continually try to help us understand there are political solutions to social injustices. Low wages, high housing, medical and other costs of living expenses means a continuing struggle for many, esp. women, children and the elderly, to receive good nutrition. Oxfam and Bread for the World are well-respected resources for information about hunger issues and a good place to study what it means to “give us our daily bread.”

Let Thanksgiving be a time of social challenge for us so that more may come to the table of plenty another year. Let us pray the familiar Thanksgiving Prayer by Samuel F. Pugh:
"O God, when I have food,
help me to remember the hungry
When I have work,
help me to remember the jobless;
When I have a home,
help me to remember those who have no home at all;
When I am without pain,
help me to remember those who suffer,
And remembering,
help me to destroy my complacency;
bestir my compassion,
and be concerned enough to help;
By word and deed,
those who cry out for what we take for granted."
Amen

Plain Secrets

From childhood I have been fascinated by the Ohio Mennonites and Amish who drive horse and buggies and live so simply. However, I really have never known that much about them except that they make interesting quilts, are good carpenters, dress uniquely and walk gently on the earth. So it was with great interest that I recently read Plain Secrets by Joe Mackall. Through a friendship with the Shetler family, members of the Swartzentruber Amish of Ashland County, Ohio, Mackall has revealed much about this very conservative group. Just as he struggles with understanding the harsh religious practices of shunning and excommunication, so do I. However, the Amish connection with the land and their community generates respect. Of course, I question riding in a buggy without lights or reflectors and refusing to send children to school beyond the eighth grade. Perhaps, the most interesting part of this book is discovering how the English and Amish live or don’t live in harmony. There are life lessons on almost every page. I'm glad I finally decided to discover more about the Amish.

The Right Questions

I enjoy reading the Lewis Center’s online newsletter, Leading Ideas and share this quote from a recent one. “Leaders do not need answers. Leaders must have the right questions.” In keeping with this thought, I find “Ten Provocative Questions” by Lovett Weems to be insightful and a good basis for holy conversation about the vitality of the United Methodist Church. It would seem that how we arrive at the answers will be as important as what the answers are.

I Don't Have Time

On Tuesday and Wednesday I attended the fall meeting of the SC Conference Board of Ministry. Our purpose was to interview the candidates for ordination as full deacons and elders. I serve on the Call and Disciplined Life Committee whose work is to explore with the candidates how they are living out their call and practicing disciplines that lead to effective ministry. Health issues often dominate these discussions as too many of our candidates are overweight and under-exercised. The response of the candidates to this matter and other issues of disciplined life usually include, “I don’t have time.”

One thing that I have noticed in reading scripture is that those who heard God’s call may have said, “I am not worthy” or “I do not have the skills.” They did not say, “I don’t have the time.” They retreated for prayer, meditation and instruction. And, of course, they walked and walked. Things have changed since Bible times for “I don’t have time” is a common reply to God’s call in our lives. Our conversations seem to focus on how busy we have been, currently are, or soon will be. We try to cram every minute full of activity.

The problem with living in a frantic pace is that we lose touch with the joy inherent in really being present to the moment. We lose touch with our souls. We lose touch with one another, especially our families and friends. Our ministry loses its effectiveness and we become stalled or detoured on our faith journey. I don’t think that these thoughts pertain only to the ordained.

Water Issues

I enjoy reading the blog, Water Crunch, which gives me insight into some of the water issues that are prevalent throughout the Southeastern U.S. and should be of concern to us all. A statement of full disclosure would reveal that the author is our son, Robert. Although there are times that it is a little technical for this reader, I find it to be very informing. Robert's observations about the human side of these issues are especially interesting and sometimes sad. For instance, this week he noted that "some affluent homeowners in North Carolina wanting to avoid the whole 'shared sacrifice experience' of conserving water" had found an answer to their inconvenience. They are digging wells and no law prevents them from irrigating their lawns with this water. How did we become such a self-centered society?

Robert's post about how some Atlanta businesses are coping with water shortages is also interesting.

The Community of Jesus

I am sure that Jesus was seen as just another upstart cult leader as he gathered his odd assortment of followers together. He frequently ignored traditional laws in the interest of restoring human dignity and hope. Marked by diversity and inclusiveness, the community that gathered around Jesus exhibited willingness to challenge the complacent acceptance of religious law. The Gospels remind us that Jesus especially welcomed those who were disenfranchised in that culture…women, children, lepers, tax collectors, and many whose minds or bodies separated them from the worshiping community. Jesus not only welcomed them into a worshiping community, but also into a teaching community.

Worshiping and teaching continue to be the heart of the servant community of Jesus Christ. Sustained by the Holy Spirit, we are to move beyond what has been to experience the presence of Christ in fresh ways. That may mean opening ourselves to new understandings of faithful discipleship through prayerful discernment grounded in scripture, tradition, experience and reason. The community of Jesus looked at the world around it with new eyes and responded with action. Do we?

Altar Calls

During the recent Festival of Faith at First UMC, questions and comments about altar calls once again emerged especially among those that this custom is not part of their faith heritage. This has challenged me to do some historical review and personal reflection.

The period of the Great Awakening seemed to generate a lot of concern about the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit and the need to count those who had been converted. As a result, the altar call gained popularity in the 1830’s with the rejection of the Calvinist teaching that human nature was irreparably depraved; human wills, not their natures needed to be converted. Preachers sought to create revival by using a time of decision following their preaching. This public profession of those gathered at the altar seemed to be an effective method of insuring this change of wills. D.L. Moody and Billy Graham continued to make use of the altar call and it became part of the evangelical Protestant culture. It is hard to find a scriptural basis for this, but we can name it as part of our tradition.

The current version of the altar call is usually offered in terms of rededication to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. With the organ playing “Just As I Am”, we are summoned to make this public witness to our faith. This becomes a moment of profound sacredness to many. However, some find this emotionally manipulative and without purpose. I think they may have a point to consider as this single act often creates a false impression that all is well with our souls when we answer this invitation. Also, it can be a time of judgment against those who chose not to participate. If we are seeking to claim Jesus, wouldn’t it be more transforming to heed the words of dismissal at the close of each worship service…the words that send us forth to live and serve guided by Jesus Christ? Isn’t it in the everyday that we are the most effective witness to our faith? Whether at the altar or in the pew, may we hear God's call on our lives and respond to it.

Autumn

I love the change of seasons and although at times it is nearly imperceptible in Myrtle Beach, there are always signs that connect me with this important rhythm of life. Such are these days as we finally experience some cooler days and see a hint of fall foliage. This transitional season is one of comfort. A sense of quiet begins to invade our lives and it is almost as if we are yawning. Only the clocks are alert as they prepare to change.

Personally, as the world seems to fade except for the low, orange moon, I can almost smell the musky, woods-like odors of autumn and recall days past when I walked across the Ohio State campus on my way to a Saturday afternoon football game or when I took walks along picturesque wooded paths in a variety of places. My thoughts drift to faces of yesterday which seemingly float like ghosts though my mind. Bluejeans and turtlenecks become my favorite casual attire and hearty soups are regularly found on my menu. With the deliberate preparations being made for colder days ahead, I rejoice that a needed time of quiet and peace is approaching and out of this new life will surely spring. Praise be to God!

New/Old Thoughts

A current headline story on various church websites quotes Bill Hybels as saying Willow Creek leaders have conducted an extensive study of their congregation (and several similar churches) and have concluded participation in programs did not inculcate Christian discipleship and that they had spent "millions of dollars" on programs thinking that they would help people grow—only to find that there was no real increase in parishioners' love for God or their neighbor. "We made a mistake," says Hybels: "What we should have done when people crossed the line of faith and become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become 'self-feeders.' We should have gotten people, taught people, how to read their bible between services, how to do the spiritual practices much more aggressively on their own."

As the Leadership Journal blog put it, "Spiritual growth doesn't happen best by becoming dependent on elaborate church programs but through the age old spiritual practices of prayer, bible reading, and relationships. These basic disciplines do not require multi-million dollar facilities and hundreds of staff to manage."

Diana Butler Bass writes, “As I have traveled across the U.S. and Canada, I have found that many congregations—including mainline churches, progressive evangelical communities, and synagogues—are rebasing their life on spiritual practices including prayer, theological reflection, doing justice, generosity, storytelling, discernment, shaping community, hospitality, and leadership.”

Nearly every week someone suggests to me that we need this program or that one at First UMC and as a result all would be well with us. It would appear that it might be better for us to intentionally create a climate of transforming practices. Perhaps growing Christians mega-style isn’t the answer after all. I hear a call for the return to basics.