We bring down the curtain on our Broadway series “Redefining Family” this weekend with the music from Rent. I know some of you can’t quite bring yourself to “appreciate” this series and won’t be sad when it’s over, but I for one will miss it when it’s gone. For one thing, I think using the music from Broadway allows us truly to celebrate worship. I love to look out and see you smiling, singing along, tapping your feet, even occasionally shouting out as you did last week. And I love seeing the way the music moves you, not just the rousing anthems, but the ballads, too.
I especially appreciate the way that connecting scripture and our faith stories to the music and stories of Broadway keep us connected not only to each other within our individual faith community, but with a much larger community. Theologian Karl Barth once said, “The Pastor and the Faithful should not deceive themselves into thinking that they are a religious society, which has to do with certain themes; they live in the world. We still need - according to my old formulation - the Bible and the Newspaper."
Now, I know Barth specifically named the newspaper as the source that connects our faith with the “here and the now.” But I think the arts do the same. Great books, plays, poems, paintings, and musical compositions can be vehicles that open us up to spirit, truth, and light. And they don’t have to be OLD to do it. We know in our gut when something is destined to be a classic, when it speaks truth to us in new language. If you think the standard for sacred text is that it be at least 1500 years old and written in a language other than English, try rereading “The Gettysburg Address.” Try listening to the theme from Rent, “Seasons of Love.”
525,600 minutes!
525,000 journeys to plan.
525,600 minutes –
How can you measure The life of a woman or man?In truths that she learned,
Or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned, or The way that she died.It’s time now to sing out,
Though the story never ends
Remember the love!
…Measure in love.
Call me sacrilegious, but I’m telling you, if Jesus had had an iPod, this song would have been on his Favorites playlist.
And you can bet he’ll be in church this weekend…and he hopes to see you there.
Love,
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The Healing of Racism
Last Saturday, a group of 45 ministry leaders, staff, and board members gathered for a six-hour workshop with facilitators from the Houston-based Center for the Healing of Racism. The workshop was made possible by One Love Ministries, MCC Austin's diversity ministry.
CFHR is unique among such organizations in that its emphasis is on healing. The CFHR trainers first educate about racism, then facilitate the process by which people can begin to counter the effects of racism on their lives and become empowered to interrupt the cycle of racist attitudes. We are all hurt by "isms," the trainers stress, whether we are the recipients of oppression or whether we perpetrate oppression on others OR ourselves.
It's not possible, nor is it permissible, for me to delve too deeply into the contents of our day together because the CFHR believes in creating a "relational space" in their workshops in which people can allow themselves to become vulnerable to sharing all the hurt oppression has brought them. Only then, after that personal and communal acknowledgment, can healing begin. But I can share a story from outside the workshop that might help bring into focus for you just how prevalent a hurt and a challenge racism in the U.S. still is.
Staceyann Chin grew up, as the title of her new memoir tells us, on The Other Side of Paradise. She grew up on the impoverished side of Jamaica opposite the beaches and resorts and paradise enjoyed by tourists. That in itself was enough to give Chin a difficult childhood, but to compound that, she was never claimed by her father and was neglected by her mother. And she was gay. To be gay in Jamaica is literally to be in fear for your life-to be verbally and physically abused relentlessly, even to face death at the hands of vigilante groups unhindered by police. Chin made the decision that she would live as an out lesbian, and the only way to guarantee that she would stay alive to do it, was to come to the U.S.
You might assume that with all our anti-LGBT laws and discriminatory practices, the U.S. still offered a much better life for Chin. You would be right. But here is the part of her story that issues a stinging wake-up call. In her own words, Chin found it "almost as problematic to be black in America as to be gay in Jamaica." Call her over- reactive. Divide her assessment by two. Remind me that we now have a black president. It's still appalling.
In closing, I want to answer a question I've been asked several times: "Why address racism in a church setting? There are plenty of other topics more suited to pursuing at church." I think it makes perfect sense that efforts at healing any kind of "ism" begin in the faith community. By beginning in the faith community, we begin with an absolutely necessary ingredient: the desire to love each other as Christ first loved us. Efforts at healing "isms" may find a start and even achieve some momentum within the realm of politics or society at large. But by placing this work in the church, we ground our human efforts in prayer, allow ourselves to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, and give our goals over to God who "is still doing great things"!
Always in Hope,
CFHR is unique among such organizations in that its emphasis is on healing. The CFHR trainers first educate about racism, then facilitate the process by which people can begin to counter the effects of racism on their lives and become empowered to interrupt the cycle of racist attitudes. We are all hurt by "isms," the trainers stress, whether we are the recipients of oppression or whether we perpetrate oppression on others OR ourselves.
It's not possible, nor is it permissible, for me to delve too deeply into the contents of our day together because the CFHR believes in creating a "relational space" in their workshops in which people can allow themselves to become vulnerable to sharing all the hurt oppression has brought them. Only then, after that personal and communal acknowledgment, can healing begin. But I can share a story from outside the workshop that might help bring into focus for you just how prevalent a hurt and a challenge racism in the U.S. still is.
Staceyann Chin grew up, as the title of her new memoir tells us, on The Other Side of Paradise. She grew up on the impoverished side of Jamaica opposite the beaches and resorts and paradise enjoyed by tourists. That in itself was enough to give Chin a difficult childhood, but to compound that, she was never claimed by her father and was neglected by her mother. And she was gay. To be gay in Jamaica is literally to be in fear for your life-to be verbally and physically abused relentlessly, even to face death at the hands of vigilante groups unhindered by police. Chin made the decision that she would live as an out lesbian, and the only way to guarantee that she would stay alive to do it, was to come to the U.S.
You might assume that with all our anti-LGBT laws and discriminatory practices, the U.S. still offered a much better life for Chin. You would be right. But here is the part of her story that issues a stinging wake-up call. In her own words, Chin found it "almost as problematic to be black in America as to be gay in Jamaica." Call her over- reactive. Divide her assessment by two. Remind me that we now have a black president. It's still appalling.
In closing, I want to answer a question I've been asked several times: "Why address racism in a church setting? There are plenty of other topics more suited to pursuing at church." I think it makes perfect sense that efforts at healing any kind of "ism" begin in the faith community. By beginning in the faith community, we begin with an absolutely necessary ingredient: the desire to love each other as Christ first loved us. Efforts at healing "isms" may find a start and even achieve some momentum within the realm of politics or society at large. But by placing this work in the church, we ground our human efforts in prayer, allow ourselves to be inspired by the Holy Spirit, and give our goals over to God who "is still doing great things"!
Always in Hope,
Saturday, July 11, 2009
The Bible on Broadway: Tenderness and Tenacity
This week we'll be exploring "Tenderness and Tenacity," and once again there appears to be a contradiction in the two terms. If you're not sure what I mean, try this. First, call forth images of tenderness... Now, images of tenacity. How many of them were the same?
My guess is not many. The two qualities seem to be at odds with each other. But let's look a little more deeply. Consider the tender love of a father for his child. Then consider the tenacity with which that father will protect the child. Imagine a woman's tender, compassionate love for her aging father. Then imagine the tenacity with which she will combat insurance companies and health care facilities for her father's right to life with dignity.
Often we find ourselves in instances where our path is not a clear and direct one. Often a single, specific approach is not enough to lead us to our destination.
I can think of many examples from our MCC Austin faith story in which we approached things from seemingly contradictory directions. Several of our members, committed to compassionate and supportive community for HIV positive friends and family, pushed hard and long for an HIV support group. Finally, out of this two-pronged approach of sensitivity and stick-to-it-iveness, Positive Perspectives was born.
Another example of the results born of the partnership of tender love and tenacious drive is our Saturday @ 6:24 worship service. Over 5 years ago, a small group of MCC Austin members told Rev. Elder Ken Martin of their desires for an additional worship service. They hoped to offer a different expression of worship that included praise music and personal testimony and prayer time. Their dream grew from a tender place in their hearts, but it became reality through the tenacity of their will and lots of hard work.
This weekend, as we mark the 5th anniversary of our Saturday service, we offer special thanks to those who began it. We are grateful for your faithfulness, for your vision, for your tenderness, and for your tenacity. May God bless you and keep you!
Always in Hope,
My guess is not many. The two qualities seem to be at odds with each other. But let's look a little more deeply. Consider the tender love of a father for his child. Then consider the tenacity with which that father will protect the child. Imagine a woman's tender, compassionate love for her aging father. Then imagine the tenacity with which she will combat insurance companies and health care facilities for her father's right to life with dignity.
Often we find ourselves in instances where our path is not a clear and direct one. Often a single, specific approach is not enough to lead us to our destination.
I can think of many examples from our MCC Austin faith story in which we approached things from seemingly contradictory directions. Several of our members, committed to compassionate and supportive community for HIV positive friends and family, pushed hard and long for an HIV support group. Finally, out of this two-pronged approach of sensitivity and stick-to-it-iveness, Positive Perspectives was born.
Another example of the results born of the partnership of tender love and tenacious drive is our Saturday @ 6:24 worship service. Over 5 years ago, a small group of MCC Austin members told Rev. Elder Ken Martin of their desires for an additional worship service. They hoped to offer a different expression of worship that included praise music and personal testimony and prayer time. Their dream grew from a tender place in their hearts, but it became reality through the tenacity of their will and lots of hard work.
This weekend, as we mark the 5th anniversary of our Saturday service, we offer special thanks to those who began it. We are grateful for your faithfulness, for your vision, for your tenderness, and for your tenacity. May God bless you and keep you!
Always in Hope,
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Bible on Broadway: Redefining Family
It feels like I’ve been working harder than usual this week. I’ve been poring over lyrics, listening to choruses, and watching film adaptations of musicals. Now, for those of you who are wondering if I’ve picked up a second job, the answer is “No.” I’ve been right here, in my office, preparing for our upcoming sermon series, The Bible on Broadway: Redefining Family.
Some of you might be thinking that it sounds like I haven’t been working at all! You’re wondering how you can find a gig that’ll pay you for immersing yourself in the best that Broadway has to offer. Others of you (and I do know who you are) are thinking there’s not enough money in the world to make Broadway appealing to you.
Without divulging the truth about where along that spectrum I lie, let me tell you what I think is important about this observation—that those of you from each extreme and every point in between will come to MCC Austin this month expecting to worship God in a way that offers renewal, rest, joy, forgiveness, and meaning to your life. Whether you can sing every word of Dreamgirls’ ballad “And I Am Telling You,” or you think Rent is only something due on the first of each month, you will come expecting that God will meet you here.
Take me at my word: God will.
And even though most of us would say that that’s enough, the truth is, most of us want more. We want God to meet us here in the manner in which we’re most comfortable, or in the manner we find most appealing. Some of us want God to meet us in jeans and t-shirt, smelling like Grandma’s kitchen, gathering us up in loving arms and assuring us everything is gonna be alright. Some of us prefer that our worship service be like an audience with royalty: we like to see our God as Christ the Victor, wearing robes and crown and ushering in God’s dominion. Some prefer to greet Jesus on a colt, entering triumphantly amidst our shouts of praise and waving arms. Some of us wouldn’t recognize God in any of these forms but can always find God in the swirl of baptismal water or the glow of a candle’s flame or the nuanced rhythm of silence…
As we worship together these next few weeks, I invite you to open yourself fully to the possibilities for meeting God in the words and music and messages of the musical stage. Remember, Broadway may not be your cup of tea, but to others, it’s music to their ears.
Always in Hope,
Some of you might be thinking that it sounds like I haven’t been working at all! You’re wondering how you can find a gig that’ll pay you for immersing yourself in the best that Broadway has to offer. Others of you (and I do know who you are) are thinking there’s not enough money in the world to make Broadway appealing to you.
Without divulging the truth about where along that spectrum I lie, let me tell you what I think is important about this observation—that those of you from each extreme and every point in between will come to MCC Austin this month expecting to worship God in a way that offers renewal, rest, joy, forgiveness, and meaning to your life. Whether you can sing every word of Dreamgirls’ ballad “And I Am Telling You,” or you think Rent is only something due on the first of each month, you will come expecting that God will meet you here.
Take me at my word: God will.
And even though most of us would say that that’s enough, the truth is, most of us want more. We want God to meet us here in the manner in which we’re most comfortable, or in the manner we find most appealing. Some of us want God to meet us in jeans and t-shirt, smelling like Grandma’s kitchen, gathering us up in loving arms and assuring us everything is gonna be alright. Some of us prefer that our worship service be like an audience with royalty: we like to see our God as Christ the Victor, wearing robes and crown and ushering in God’s dominion. Some prefer to greet Jesus on a colt, entering triumphantly amidst our shouts of praise and waving arms. Some of us wouldn’t recognize God in any of these forms but can always find God in the swirl of baptismal water or the glow of a candle’s flame or the nuanced rhythm of silence…
As we worship together these next few weeks, I invite you to open yourself fully to the possibilities for meeting God in the words and music and messages of the musical stage. Remember, Broadway may not be your cup of tea, but to others, it’s music to their ears.
Always in Hope,
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
God's Healing Hope and Peace
Whenever I invite people to worship with us, I always make sure they know they have three opportunities each weekend. My invitation goes something like this: “We have three worship services each weekend, and we’d love to have you join us for one or all of them! On Saturday night at 6:24, we have “comfortable church” with music from our 6:24 Band. On Sunday morning at 9:00 and at 11:00 we have…” Right about here in the invitation my mouth and mind go their separate ways. My mouth says something like “a more traditional service with a choir and worship leaders wearing vestments.” My mind, on the other hand, is still hung up on my invitation to “comfortable church” and the vague worry that some people might assume that Sunday morning is “uncomfortable church.”
I mean, if you make a point of using a particular label or description like “comfortable” for certain services, then it’s reasonable for people to assume that other services are not that certain thing, right?
Is anyone still reading?
If you are, and you’re not totally confused, you’ll find this next part simple to follow…
This Sunday our worship services will be slightly different in their order and emphasis. Now, many of you won’t notice any real change at all, but others of you will realize that our emphasis is on “healing” and that we’re offering time and space and intention for the Spirit to move in healing ways. Ordinarily, I’d describe it to you as a “healing service” and move on. But this week, I want to make sure that I don’t leave room for any misunderstanding: Even though the Worship Team has created a “healing service” for this week, it is NOT unlike every other worship service we share together. Whether we acknowledge and lift up God’s healing presence every time we gather or not, we definitely receive it.
Often, we don’t even know the healing that others have experienced while praying, singing, worshiping…. And of course, it doesn’t stop with worship. We’re often unaware of the healing that God has worked in people’s lives, but we can be sure it is happening constantly. God knits broken hearts together, and they’re not “as good as new.” They’re better than ever! They are bigger—at least 2 sizes!—and more ready to give and receive and nurture love. God soothes exhausted spirits and offers everyone the invitation to “Come unto me and rest.” God offers hope in the face of impossibility and peace in the midst of chaos.
Come and worship with us this weekend. I don’t promise you anything new, different, or exciting. Just the same ol’ same ol’: healing, wholeness, peace, hope, joy, acceptance, affirmation….
Ahhhhhh. Thank God.
Love and Blessings,
I mean, if you make a point of using a particular label or description like “comfortable” for certain services, then it’s reasonable for people to assume that other services are not that certain thing, right?
Is anyone still reading?
If you are, and you’re not totally confused, you’ll find this next part simple to follow…
This Sunday our worship services will be slightly different in their order and emphasis. Now, many of you won’t notice any real change at all, but others of you will realize that our emphasis is on “healing” and that we’re offering time and space and intention for the Spirit to move in healing ways. Ordinarily, I’d describe it to you as a “healing service” and move on. But this week, I want to make sure that I don’t leave room for any misunderstanding: Even though the Worship Team has created a “healing service” for this week, it is NOT unlike every other worship service we share together. Whether we acknowledge and lift up God’s healing presence every time we gather or not, we definitely receive it.
Often, we don’t even know the healing that others have experienced while praying, singing, worshiping…. And of course, it doesn’t stop with worship. We’re often unaware of the healing that God has worked in people’s lives, but we can be sure it is happening constantly. God knits broken hearts together, and they’re not “as good as new.” They’re better than ever! They are bigger—at least 2 sizes!—and more ready to give and receive and nurture love. God soothes exhausted spirits and offers everyone the invitation to “Come unto me and rest.” God offers hope in the face of impossibility and peace in the midst of chaos.
Come and worship with us this weekend. I don’t promise you anything new, different, or exciting. Just the same ol’ same ol’: healing, wholeness, peace, hope, joy, acceptance, affirmation….
Ahhhhhh. Thank God.
Love and Blessings,
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
I.O.U.
So many of you have asked about the poem that I shared last Sunday that I have included it for you here. It was written by Dr. Bertha Munro, academic dean at Eastern Nazarene College from 1923 to 1957.
I.O.U.
I owe you respect for your personality. You too are that climax of God's creation, made in His likeness. I owe you a right to your opinion. You may differ with me without fear that I shall raise a barrier between us if we do not see eye to eye. We can disagree and still be friends.
I owe you belief in your integrity. Since I do, I shall put the best possible construction on your actions. I shall trust your words and deeds, even those I am unable to understand.
I owe you honest treatment; I shall not steal people's good opinion of you. I shall voice the sort of comment on you and your actions that I should wish made on me.
I owe you a "taking off place." Though I value your friendship, I shall not enslave your spirit nor bind you so closely to me that you will lose the wealth of other friendships, or even fail to develop your own best potentialities.
I owe you thoughtful consideration. I will not steal your time when you are evidently busy, just because I have free time to "kill."
I owe you honest wages if I chance to be employer, honest work if I chance to be employed, honest measure and just weight in any case.
I owe you special help in time of special need: my hand, my ear, my voice. I owe you patience with what seems to me your stupidity or slowness. I owe you the identification of Golden Rule imagination. I owe you "love unfeigned."
I owe it to you not to push you down in order to lift myself. Rather, I owe it to you to see you forge ahead of me without any reaction of envy or jealousy- even to give you a push. I owe you a good example, a Christian testimony. I owe you the gospel of Christ to the limit I possess it. I owe it to you to prove its power to the full, that God may challenge and encourage you by the sight of what He has done for someone else.
All this I owe you, and much more. I owe it to you not to fall behind with my payments. I shall always owe the abounding love that will meet those unforeseen and unexpected demands of the emergency and will save me from "Thou shalt" and "I must."
Owe no one anything, but to love."
May your life be filled with true friends and with the constant assurance that Jesus has called you friend.
Love and Blessings,
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Friendship Sunday
This weekend we're celebrating our friendships at MCC Austin. On Saturday night, you can invite your friends to enjoy live music by our special guest, world class guitarist Vicki Genfan. On Sunday, we'll share music that lifts up friendships, give thanks for our friends, and explore what the Gospels might teach us about friendship. I encourage you to bring one or two or even five or six of your good friends with you!
Many of us find it difficult to invite friends or acquaintances to church. With our friends, we may know that they already attend another church, and so we might hesitate to invite them to our church because it may seem like illegal recruiting. Or perhaps we know that our friends embrace a spirituality that is not necessarily in full lock-step with what they will find at our progressive Christian church. With acquaintances, we sometimes feel that we don't know people well enough to know what they might like. I think there can also be a fear that if we invite someone to church, they might misconstrue our meaning, message, or motivation. We're used to wearing our Ls, Gs, Bs, and Ts with PRIDE--especially after last week--but truly, who wants to be a P for proselytizer?
For this week, I ask you to come at this invitation thing from a different angle. This week I ask you to think about what being a part of MCC Austin means to you. Are you inspired by worship? Do you love the music? Do you feel at home here, welcomed by your faith family? Do you like the values your children are learning here? Do you find that MCC Austin offers you sacred space in which you can encounter the Holy? When you leave here, are you inspired by the Spirit to share peace, hope, love, joy, and compassion with others?
If any of these things are true for you, if MCC Austin is a gift to you, then give it away! We so often will tell a friend about a new product we like, recommend a doctor or therapist, or tell them they must see a certain movie or read our latest favorite book. Well, it can be just that simple and unencumbered to invite people to church.
This week, I hope we fill the sanctuary at all three services with our friends. The friends we bring this week may never return or they may become members themselves, but don't worry about that. Just think about how glorious it will be to worship the God you love, surrounded by a community you love, with your best friends thrown in for good measure.
Blessings,
Many of us find it difficult to invite friends or acquaintances to church. With our friends, we may know that they already attend another church, and so we might hesitate to invite them to our church because it may seem like illegal recruiting. Or perhaps we know that our friends embrace a spirituality that is not necessarily in full lock-step with what they will find at our progressive Christian church. With acquaintances, we sometimes feel that we don't know people well enough to know what they might like. I think there can also be a fear that if we invite someone to church, they might misconstrue our meaning, message, or motivation. We're used to wearing our Ls, Gs, Bs, and Ts with PRIDE--especially after last week--but truly, who wants to be a P for proselytizer?
For this week, I ask you to come at this invitation thing from a different angle. This week I ask you to think about what being a part of MCC Austin means to you. Are you inspired by worship? Do you love the music? Do you feel at home here, welcomed by your faith family? Do you like the values your children are learning here? Do you find that MCC Austin offers you sacred space in which you can encounter the Holy? When you leave here, are you inspired by the Spirit to share peace, hope, love, joy, and compassion with others?
If any of these things are true for you, if MCC Austin is a gift to you, then give it away! We so often will tell a friend about a new product we like, recommend a doctor or therapist, or tell them they must see a certain movie or read our latest favorite book. Well, it can be just that simple and unencumbered to invite people to church.
This week, I hope we fill the sanctuary at all three services with our friends. The friends we bring this week may never return or they may become members themselves, but don't worry about that. Just think about how glorious it will be to worship the God you love, surrounded by a community you love, with your best friends thrown in for good measure.
Blessings,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
